In-Studio Performances

We rebroadcast a tribute to the great vocalist and composer Thomas "Fats" Waller from May 19, 2004. Guitarist and singer Marty Grosz and cornet player Randy Reinhart join us for a special in-studio performance in honor of Waller's 100th birthday. Waller wrote many hit songs, appeared in films in the 1930s and '40s, and wrote Broadway musicals.

Musician Lenny Kaye is perhaps best known as Patti Smith's guitarist. But he's also a music writer, whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Creem. His new book, You Call it Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon, chronicles the male singers of the 1930s known for their suave, sophisticated and romantic interpretations of song: Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallee and Russ Columbo.

Guitarist and singer Marty Grosz and cornet player Randy Reinhart join us for a special in-studio performance in honor of the 100th birthday of Thomas "Fats" Waller. He would have been 100 on May 21. Grosz and Reinhart will perform songs composed by the great pianist and vocalist. Waller wrote many hit songs, appeared in films in the 1930s and 1940s, and wrote Broadway musicals.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews A Song I Knew By Heart,the new novel by Bret Lott.

We present two interviews from the archives: a 1987 concert featuring ballads and popular songs, and a 1988 Christmas concert performed by the jazz vocalist. She considered Billie Holliday her main influence. McCorkle died in May of 2001, of an apparent suicide.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Beneath This Gruff Exterior, the new album by John Hiatt and a new John Hiatt tribute album, The Songs of John Hiatt.

Singer/songwriter, guitarist Richard Thompson. He first became known for his work with "Fairport Convention." He's since gone solo and is known for his dark songs, which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. He's released a number of solo albums, including Mirror Blue and Rumor and Sigh. Rykodisc also compiled a retrospective of his work Watching the Dark: The History of Richard Thompson. Currently, Thompson is performing a show he calls "A Thousand Years of Pop Music," which includes British and American folk songs, jazz and pop.

Jazz singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli. He's played in cabarets and jazz clubs around the world, and co-starred in the Broadway revue Dream: A Salute to the Songs of Johnny Mercer. Pizzarelli usually performs with his trio, modeled on the Nat Cole Trio, featuring guitar, piano and bass. His latest CD is Rare Delight of You: John Pizzarelli with the George Shearing Quintet.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson first became known for his work with Fairport Convention. He's since gone solo and is known for his dark songs which blend elements of British folk ballads and the blues. He's released a number of solo albums, Mirror Blue and Rumor and Sign. Rykodisc also compiled a retrospective of his work, Watching the Dark: The History of Richard Thompson. Currently, Thompson is performing a show he calls A Thousand Years of Pop Music, which includes British and American folk songs, jazz and pop.

Keyboard player and record producer Ray Manzarek talks about his experience playing in one of the most influential bands of the 1960s. The Doors disbanded after its lead singer Jim Morrison died in 1971. Since The Doors, Manzarek has produced four albums for the punk rock band X and recorded several solo albums. He also performs with Beat poet Michael McClure at nightclubs and on college campuses.