Jazz

Record producer Hal Willner gathered rock and jazz musicians to pay tribute to composers Nino Rota and Thelonious Monk on two separate compilation albums.

Horace Silver began as an introverted, aspiring pianist in Connecticut before becoming a musical force in the New York jazz scene. After founding the Jazz Messengers with drummer Art Blakey, he left the band to start his own ensemble. He talks about the creative and therapeutic aspects of composing music.

The accomplished musician made his mark as a member of Count Basie's band. Foster later earned his Ph.D. in music and worked as an educator. He now leads his own big band, an endeavor he admits is difficult to sustain financially.

Acoustic jazz guitarist and composer Marty Grosz began playing at the age of 13. He is the son of satiric artist George Grosz who fled Germany with his family in 1933. Grosz takes inspiration from obscure jazz and pop from the 1920s. He regularly plays with Woody Allen at Michael's Pub. Grosz is in town for the Cool Jazz Festival and his brought his guitar into the studio.

Kenny Burell has been one of the premier jazz guitarists since the 1950s. His new album is "Groovin' High." Burrell is in town to participate in the Philadelphia Jazz Arts Conference, where he delivered a talk on the importance of Duke Ellington. Burrell joins the show to discuss his guitar-playing brothers, his influences, and why he was Duke Ellington's favorite guitar player despite not having recorded with him.

Composer and arranger George Russell is in town to speak at the Philadelphia International Jazz Arts Conference. Russell began his career as a jazz drummer before devoting himself to composing. He has since become central to the development of jazz and 20th century music theory. He has developed his on theory of harmony based on jazz called the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization. Russell has taught at the New England Conservatory of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1969.

Tuba player, composer, and arranger Howard Johnson has worked with jazz and rock legends. Johnson organized the band for the television show "Saturday Night Live," which he played for from 1975 to 1980. Johnson was won the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences "Most Valuable Tuba Player," for the last three years. Johnson also plays baritone saxophone and trumpet. He joins the show to discuss why he was drawn to the tuba, growing up in the South, and his career in jazz and rock.

Composer and pianist Anthony Davis has composed jazz and "new music" work with his ten-piece ensemble Episteme, directed plays, composed orchestral suites, and taught at Yale, where he also received his B. A. in music. His latest album with his band is called "Hemispheres." Davis has written an opera, "X," based on the life of Malcolm X. The libretto was written by his cousin and Village Voice writer Thulani Davis-Jarman, and the story was written by his brother CHRISTOPHER DAVIS.

Jazz composer and arranger Manny Albam currently teaches at Glassboro College in New Jersey in addition to taking commissions. Albam will be doing some work for the Philly Pops. A new collection of his work "Manny Albam: The Jazz Workshop," has recently been released. Albam joins the show to discus his career and share records.

Clarinetist Kenny Davern takes a lot of inspiration from the small jazz bands of the 1920s and 1930s, although he has worked in contemporary and avant-garde jazz. Davern started playing professionally in the 1950s and has worked with many jazz legends. In the 1970s he played soprano saxophone with Bob Wilbur in the group Soprano Summit. He now plays clarinet exclusively. Davern is in town to perform, and joins the show to discuss his distaste for "Dixie Land" music, his musical influences, and career in jazz.