The Art of the Story

WBGO’s Dave Popkin recently spoke with the great saxophonist “Blue” Lou Marini about his new projects as well as a storied career spanning 50 years, playing in the Blues Brothers Band, Blood Sweat & Tears, the SNL band, and with pop artists from James Taylor to Stevie Wonder.

Dida Pelled’s music moves between jazz, blues, and beyond — but her story is about something deeper: the freedom to become yourself. In this Art of the Story, she talks to Leo Sidran about finding her voice in a new city, and making old songs feel like now.

On this edition of The Art of the Story, WBGO's Doug Doyle talks to trombonist and composer Clifton Anderson about his upcoming concert at The Iridium as well as the gift he got from uncle Sonny Rollins when he was seven.

Jazz, born out of the Black American experience, has evolved into a global art form that models democratic ideals through improvisation, listening, and collective creation. April 30, celebrated each year as International Jazz Day, connects musicians and communities in more than 190 countries through a shared language of expression and dialogue.

Akili Bradley, trumpet, jazz, WBGO, Kyla Marshell, Angela Davis, Jason Moran

As Miles Davis’s centennial is celebrated around the world, keyboardist and producer Jason Miles reflects on helping shape the trumpeter’s late-career sound on Tutu, Amandla, and Music from Siesta. From synthesizers and sampling to popcorn and boxing at Miles’ house, Miles shares memories of friendship, innovation, and the restless drive to keep evolving.

A new documentary, KÖLN TRACKS, revisits the mythology surrounding The Köln Concert, Keith Jarrett’s iconic 1975 solo performance that became the best-selling solo piano album in jazz history. Through conversations with filmmaker Vincent Duceau and pianist Dan Tepfer, Leo Sidran explores how memory, limitation, and myth helped shape one of jazz’s most enduring recordings.

On what would have been his 98th birthday, Leo Sidran remembers Johnny Griffin, the Chicago-born tenor saxophonist known as “The Little Giant.” Through Griffin’s own words, we revisit his belief that jazz was made by people who chose to feel good in spite of conditions, and how he eventually found a different rhythm of life in France.

Singer songwriter Emily Cavanagh on how she accidentally became famous in Ireland, started her non profit Song For You, lost the use of her legs and had to relearn how to walk, and what it means to spend a career at the intersection of songs and service.

WBGO’s Ray Long explores Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea’s inspiring tale of turning an early childhood dream to reality, as Flea releases Honora - a solo debut that finds him reinvented as a jazz trumpeter.

WBGO's Dave Popkin catches up with Carla and Vanesse Thomas about their recent star-studded benefit concert for ALS research, plus growing up in Memphis as daughters of the great Rufus Thomas, and more.

Long before 4/20 became a global code, marijuana already had a place in jazz culture — and few figures embodied that connection more than Mezz Mezzrow. The Chicago-born clarinetist became a legendary supplier in Harlem, so closely associated with cannabis that for a time, marijuana itself was nicknamed “Mezz.”

Celebrating Madeleine Peyroux on her birthday. A look at her early years, tracing how a runaway teenager found her voice busking on the streets of Paris — and how that formative period shaped one of the most distinctive jazz singer-songwriters of her generation.

On his new album The Magic Touch, saxophonist Donald Harrison presents the same composition in ten different genres, from hard bop to hip-hop, reggae to Afrobeat, and finally blending them into what he calls “nouveau swing.”WBGO’s Pat Prescott recently spoke with Donald Harrison about how that concept came to life.

WBGO’s Dave Popkin recently spoke with 17-year-old guitarist and bandleader Marel Hidalgo about beginning to play guitar at the age of four, Hidalgo's Jamaican roots, upcoming performances, and learning to arrange for an orchestra.

At The Tell, Michael Leviton curates a monthly night of unscripted storytelling where the audience never knows what’s coming. The result is an intimate, unpredictable experience that speaks to the enduring power of stories—and the people who tell them.

Leo Sidran reflects on saxophonist John Ellis on his birthday — a master improviser, trusted collaborator, and generous presence whose unmistakable voice has made him a quiet cornerstone of modern jazz.

22-year-old aron! built an audience online, got signed to Verve Records by channeling the American songbook through his original tunes, without ever trying to sound “modern”. Leo Sidran revisits their recent Third Story Podcast interview together ahead of aron!'s upcoming NYC performance at Mercury Lounge on April 14th.

A birthday tribute to drummer Steve Gadd - whose feel, restraint, and imagination helped define the sound of modern recording - from a rare 1980s conversation with Ben Sidran.

WBGO’s Dave Popkin recently spoke with Joe Bonamassa about the life and music of BB King, the two’s 25-year friendship/mentorship, and Bonamassa’s new project honoring King “B.B. King's Blues Summit 100"

Freddie Hubbard would have turned 88 this week. Leo Sidran pays tribute to the late trumpet master, and revisits his father Ben Sidran’s interview with Hubbard from the 1980s.

Vocalist Catherine Russell chats with WBGO’s Monifa Brown at J&R music in 2008

Saxophonist Caroline Davis brings her solo project Fallows to Roulette, building music in real time from saxophone, electronics, and improvisation.

The centennial of Miles Davis’s birth is May 26, 2026 and all year a variety of top artists are commemorating the occasion with concerts and recordings: Branford Marsalis, Emmet Cohen, Marcus Miller, Terence Blanchard, and more. One of those artists is Grammy Award-winning pianist John Beasley, who was a member of Davis’ band. Beasley has launched a 14-city international tour entitled Unlimited Miles – Miles Davis at 100 that stops at Birdland in New York for a residency from March 31-April 4. Beasley has assembled a top-notch group, including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Sean Jones, Marcus Strickland, Mark Turner, Ben Williams, and Terreon Gully for the project. The group will record their upcoming Blue Note Tokyo sets and create a TV special, live album, and DVD from those dates. It’s a busy year for Beasley who will also have a variety of big band, orchestral, and solo piano concerts to honor Davis, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock in 2026.Beasley played keys for Davis on tour in 1989 and has fond remembrances from the experience. He chats about those, plus his Monk’estra albums, his forthcoming new album with SWR Big Band Invisible Piano, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, and more. The full video interview is available at WBGO’s YouTube channel.

Every year on April 1st, the world gives itself permission — briefly — to lie. We call it April Fools’ Day. This is something we all know. But do you know how the tradition started? You might be surprised.At its best, April Fools’ Day isn’t really about lying. It reminds us — just once a year — that the things we take for granted might not be as solid as they seem. That authority can be imitated. That certainty can be fragile.And that every now and then, it’s worth questioning what we think we know… and laughing at the things we’re willing to believe.

Fresh off his triumphant John-Coltrane-centennial performance of A Love Supreme at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, (which he also produces) saxophonist Paul Carr is absolutely one of the busiest musicians in the DMV. On top of performing at his festival and assorted curating work, Paul Carr is a leading jazz educator. In August 2025 he was appointed assistant professor of saxophone, and director of the renowned Howard University Jazz Ensemble, at historic Howard University, his alma mater.WBGO contributor Willard Jenkins recently spoke to Paul about his “full circle moment” of returning to teach at the very place where he once studied, and the circuitous yet rewarding path he took to arrive where he is today.

China Moses spoke recently with WBGO’s Kyla Marshell and explained the idea behind the name of her album - a title that seems to reflect both the music and her lived experience.

For Producer Larry Klein, generosity is its own reward

French-Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux traces a path through hip hop that began in Paris, took shape in Santiago, and ultimately connected her back to the global culture that inspired her. Her story reflects how American music travels — and how it evolves when artists make it their own.

Today we’re remembering Paul Motian, on what would have been his 95th birthday and revisiting his interview with Ben Sidran from the 1980s.

Guitarist and composer Rafiq Bhatia brings music from his immersive new album Environments to 92nd Street Y on March 27. In conversation with Leo Sidran, he explains how technology, improvisation, and collaboration combine to create musical landscapes that never unfold the same way twice.

On this episode of The Art of the Story, we highlight a big year for music power couple Iqua and Adegoke Steve Colson

Lil' Jimmy Reed: 70 years of blues on the road

Jazz pianist and club owner Spike Wilner reflects on Smalls and Mezzrow not just as venues, but as living containers for a scene that’s always alive—exploring community, stewardship, and his belief that jazz, practiced with care, can be a quiet force for human connection.

NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Owens remembers sitting in with the Miles Davis Quintet when he was 15 years old, as he prepares to lead an all star band at Flushing Town Hall in honor of Davis’ centenary.

Marquis Hill brings his “Family Band” to the Village Vanguard

Celebrating George Benson on his birthday