Articles by Larry Slater
Guy Klucevsek And The Accordion Renaissance
by Larry Slater
Guy Klucevsek, one of my musical heroes, died in May 2025 at age 77.He was one of the world's most versatile and highly respected accordionists, and a major contributor to the accordion renaissance of the last 25 years.When you listen to his music, you need to forget everything you thought you knew about the accordion. Klucevsek's music simply defies categorization, and though he never considered himself a jazz musician, he collaborated on a number of jazz ...
Continue ReadingLost and Found, Part 4: James P. Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Lennie Tristano & Hasaan Ibn Ali
by Larry Slater
This is the fourth and final hour of recent historic jazz discoveries. There are some amazing and inspiring stories of jazz sleuths who pulled out all the stops to discover long-lost music. The story of James P. Johnson's lost manuscripts ranks right up there with the most dedicated jazz archeologists. James P. Johnson is best known as the inventor of stride piano and the composer of the singular piece of music that came to symbolize the 1920s in ...
Continue ReadingLost and Found, part 3: Rare recordings of Ellington, Ben Webster, Art Tatum and Gil Evans
by Larry Slater
There are so many Duke Ellington recordings available. How much undiscovered music of the band can there be? In this hour, you'll hear rarely heard gems from the Ellington discography. Music that's so rare, I doubt even die-hard Ellington aficionados have heard some of these tracks. The Duke Ellington Orchestra with Django Reinhardt at Carnegie Hall. A home recording of Ben Webster on clarinet. Duke Ellington's late great extended work “The River." Also featured are Art ...
Continue ReadingLost and Found, Part 2: Historic Jazz Recordings from the Swing Era
by Larry Slater
Lost recordings of the early decades of jazz are particularly rare and greatly valued, as the great soloists of the swing era were constrained by the length of the 78rpm shellac disc. Jazz fans and scholars were thrilled to learn about the Savory Collection, which was released in 2018. Bill Savory was a music lover who single handedly captured hundreds of hours of top-shelf music off the air in the six years preceding America's entry into World War ...
Continue ReadingLost and Found, Part 1: historic jazz discoveries
by Larry Slater
Archaeology is the study of the ancient and recent human past through material remains. The same might be said of distant and recent jazz recordings that have been discovered. Sometimes jazz archeologists find these rarities in the archives of defunct record labels, or buried unmarked at the vast Library of Congress. Several were in the hands of amateurs who recorded performances long feared to be lost forever. In this hour, you'll hear historic treasures of music and jazz ...
Continue ReadingLast recordings of jazz greats in the 21st century
by Larry Slater
Creative artists rarely retire. Jazz musicians often continue to perform and record as they age. In this hour you'll hear the final musical statements of jazz musicians in the 21st century.The pianist Hank Jones, whose career spanned over 70 years, recorded his last session at 91. Charlie Haden and Carla Bley knew they were seriously ill when they recorded their last sessions. Both left us with remarkable legacies Chick Corea's death at 79 shocked the jazz world. His ...
Continue ReadingFinal Recordings of Jazz Masters of the 1950s and '60s
by Larry Slater
The 1950s and early '60s were a high point for jazz. Jazz was popular. You could hear it on TV, on college campuses, and on US State Department tours. It was an era of mind-boggling creativity. Cool jazz, hard bop, bossa nova and free jazz were all born and nurtured during these years. Many jazz musicians at the peak of their craft flourished alongside veterans of the swing era.In this hour, you'll hear the final recordings of some ...
Continue ReadingFinal Recordings of Swing Era Masters: Mary Lou Williams, Artie Shaw, Django Reinhardt and more
by Larry Slater
There are many facets to great artists' careers, from their earliest musical adventures to their final recordings. Some lose their remarkable musical facilities as age, illness or drug abuse takes its toll, while others maintain their mastery until their final performance.The swing era was particularly tough on musicians, with the demands of constant travel and rampant racism.In this hour, you will hear the final musical statements of swing era jazz masters on their final recordings . ...
Continue ReadingCelebrating Art Pepper, Al Cohn and Marty Paich on their centennial.
by Larry Slater
It is hard to even imagine the history of jazz without the many musicians born 100 years ago.There were the icons, like Roy Haynes, Oscar Peterson, Gene Ammons and James Moody, as well as long forgotten artists like Dodo Marmarosa , Leo Parker and Sahib ShihabIn this hour, you'll hear gifted musician who had long productive careers in jazz, leaving us a rich legacy of recordings.Mel Torme began his career as a jazz singer, ...
Continue ReadingForgotten Jazz Musicians On Their Centennial, Part 2:
by Larry Slater
As we look back on jazz history, we all have a tendency to focus on the giants: Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Miles Davis.Many other talented artists from the past decades have been forgotten, but many of their recordings have stood the test of time. The musicians featured in this hour were born in 1925, and this hour-long program pays tribute to them on the centennial of their birth.June Christy is best remembered for ...
Continue Reading
