Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Liner Notes

On this edition of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe remembers the legendary patriarch of New Orleans Jazz, Ellis Marsalis.

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Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe teaches us about multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer and arranger Ralph Towner. Born in Washington, Towner incorporated improvisation into much of his work. 

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Les McCann is an American jazz pianist and vocalist. In this edition of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about McCann’s influential life and work, and how it can inform us today.

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Chico Hamilton was a jazz drummer and band leader who began his career in California, playing with Charles Mingus, Dexter Gordan and others. He helped to develop an avant-garde sound in jazz in the late 50s and 60s that was, at the same time, accessible and elusive. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and […]

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Kenny Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter who worked with Art Blakey, Charlie Parker and Max Roach among others to help craft the bebop style in mid century America. In addition to his work as a sideman he also formed his own group, The Jazz Prophets featuring Bobby Timmons on piano, bassist Sam Jones, and […]

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Tony Bennett is an American singer and artist who began his career in the wake of WWII and became well known interpreting jazz standards and show tunes. As his career unfolds, and in partnership with his son Danny Bennett, he continues reinvent, not only himself, but also the history of his generation through his daring […]

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Johnny Hodges was an American jazz alto saxophonist best known for his work with Duke Ellington’s big band and Billy Strayhorn. His sound was so smooth and melodic that Duke Ellington said, just his tone could bring a tear to your eye. In this installment of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks […]

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Lee Morgan was an American jazz trumpeter who continued in the wake of Clifford Brown to develop the hard-bop style. He was a prolific recording artist as well, and in his short 33 years of life, recorded over 20 albums. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what […]

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Johnny Hartman was an American jazz singer who is perhaps most well known for his collaborations with John Coltrane, yet he also recorded many solo albums in his relatively short career. His voice was smooth and melodic to spite the fact that he smoked heavily all his life. In this installment of Liner Notes Rabbi […]

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Eric Dolphy was an American born jazz saxophonist, composer and bass clarinetist who worked with many jazz greats including Charles Mingus to shape a new direction forward for jazz in the 1960s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what Dolphy’s approach to his music and his life […]

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George Gershwin was an American musician,  composer and visionary whose work at the beginning of the 20th century helped to shaped a collective understanding of the American experience. In this installment of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe explores the life and legacy George Gershwin.

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Jaki Byard was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer who collaborated with many artists, significantly Charles Mingus. He incorporated a range of styles in his approach, from ragtime to bebop, and swing to stride. He spanned years of musical tradition, bringing history into one moment–an eternal now. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi Neil […]

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Yusef Lateef was an American jazz mufti-instrumentalist, composer and educator who extended the possibilities of what it meant to understand and expand in the jazz genera with a universal sensibility. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe illustrates what the music and legacy of Lateef and his music can teach […]

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Where do we consider being at home? When do we feel that we belong in a place and how quickly can we become dispossessed? In this edition of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about how jazz traces various migrations – some arbitrary, some forced, and some chosen – and beyond appropriation […]

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Alfred Lion was a German-Jewish born record executive who made his way to the U.S. via South America in the 1930s. He founded Blue Note Records soon after arriving in America and went on to record many legendary jazz artists; helping to shape the sound, image and meaning of jazz in America. In this edition […]

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Miles Davis is considered one of the most innovative and influential musicians of the 20th century. He added his voice to the narratives of our culture at significant points, and offered a perspective which considered the sanctity of silence in each moment. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi Neil Blumofe acknowledges what Miles Davis […]

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Archie Shepp is a  jazz saxophonist whose compositions and rhythms added a political and powerful voice to conversations about race, inequality, power and justice in America, especially in the 1970s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the what it means to be a unique voice in a […]

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Mary Lou Williams was a a giant in the jazz world in the beginning of the 20th century. As an arranger, composer and pianist she worked with Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman and went on to mentor jazz legends like Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. In this installment of Liner Notes Rabbi, jazz […]

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Professor Longhair, born Henry Roeland Byrd in Louisianan in 1918 was a piano player who shaped the sound of New Orleans’ jazz in the early 20th Century. Much of how we imagine New Orleans, and especially Marti Gras, is flavored and textured by the rhythm created by Professor Longhair. In this edition of Liner Notes […]

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Lionel Hampton was was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. In 1936 he was discovered by Benny Goodman and with Goodman’s band he created a space for the vibraphone in popular swing music. He was also a outspoken advocate for Israel in the 50s as well as a civil rights leader. In […]

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Charlie Rouse was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and much sought-after sideman. He is known primarily for his collaboration with Thelonious Monk. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the significance of the role of the “sidemen” and “associates” in our lives, and why it is important […]

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Bill Frisell is not only an innovator on jazz guitar, but has worked in many genres to develop a sound-rich landscape. He fuses many cultures and sensibilities together, which can help us navigate our way through the modern American experience, both tangibly and metaphysically. Rabbi Neil Blumofe describes his sound as post-post-modern.

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What does it mean to be a patron of the arts? Perhaps you have the means to support art innovation in your community, or maybe you are a producer of music or art and you work behind the scenes. Maybe your way of supporting art is just showing up. All of these are means of […]

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Singer Nat King Cole is well known for his smooth baritone voice, but he started his career as a jazz pianist. His popularity grew through radio and eventually television as he sang a broad range of tunes, including pop music.

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Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the life and work of jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny.

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As we turn to the new year, what will be different? Look to jazz for the innovation and inspiration, for discovery and improvisation. It’s the core of what jazz represents. It can also be applied to the lives that we live and the dreams that we have in order to make things matter.

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Tradition compresses time and brings us into the moment of timelessness when things are safe. In jazz, the art of tradition is to recreate sounds and lives, to bring the listener back home, especially during the holidays. The tradition of jazz is the expectation of improvisation and requiring the artist to be on top of […]

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American jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker crafted the sound that was eventually called bebop. This deeply soulful music gave him and other musicians a way to express themselves in original ways. Parker’s addiction to heroine unfortunately cut his life short at just 34 years old. He died in the hotel room of his friend […]

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Art Neville was an American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist whose music and presence over five decades defined the New Orleans music scene. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the life and legacy of Art Neville.

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Drummer Chico Hamilton is considered a voice of West Coast Jazz. He found success in movie soundtracks and eventually formed his own ensemble. In the late ’50s and into the 1960s he performed with many jazz greats like Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, Charles Mingus and others.

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Composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein had a lengthy storied career. His music speaks of the “can-do-ism” of Americans. It crossed through jazz, classical, musicals, television and movies. Bernstein is an iconic figure in our musical heritage.

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Kathleen Annie Pannonica Rothschild, nicknamed Nica, was referred to as the jazz baroness. She was more than just a patron of jazz. She provided support and encouragement to many of the great artists during the ’40s and ’50s. In the early sixties she compiled a book called “The jazz musicians and their three wishes” which […]

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Recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder helped shape the sound of jazz for Blue Note Records. It became known as the Van Gelder sound, but like it or not, it left an enduring impression on jazz for years.

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The collaboration of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn led to a collection of music that has spanned generations. Their music and compositions are seemingly effortlessly entwined.

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Jelly Roll Morton, born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, claimed to be a founder of what became known jazz as both a musician and composer.

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Coleman Hawkins was at the head of the line in forging a path for the saxophone as an instrument and for the countless saxophonists that would follow him. Hawkins began his successful career in the early 1920s.

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O’Day transcended what was socially acceptable as a girl singer in the late 1930s to become an accomplished jazz singer throughout the following decades. Anita O’Day Sings Jazz, her first album, was recorded in 1952. O’Day performed with Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, and many others during her career.

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Sinatra was responsible for the popularity of the male singer in big band movement. He was able to merge his arts of music and acting. Sinatra has one of the most enduring voices in music, jazz or otherwise.

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Hard bop was popularized by Cannonball Adderely in the 1950s and 1960s. Adderely reinvigorated jazz in the 1970s after a successful career playing with many of the jazz greats.

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Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about jazz and the art of mental health.

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Sonny Rollins pioneered a bass drum rhythm section with no piano so his saxophone playing would stand out as well as be a rhythm instrument itself. Rollins joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955.

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Alto saxophone player Art Pepper redefined himself repeatedly, and each time gained greater respect and popularity.

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A pioneer of the drums, Max Roach revolutionized the concept of musical time. Max’s playing and interpretation of time inspired generations of jazz musicians and drummers.

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