Texas gave the world T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Big Mama Thornton, Joe Sample, David "Fathead" Newman, Illinois Jacquet, Bobbi Humphrey, Sly Stone, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Esther Phillips, Joe Tex and many, many more. KPVU (at Prairie View A&M University) wants to tell us all about them! The station teams up with The Luce Group and the African-American Public Radio Consortium to produce the first installment of a comprehensive music documentary that is sure to fascinate listeners nationwide.
Texas Jazz & Blues Greats is hosted by jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran, a Texas native himself. Moran was recently tapped to be the Creative Director at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts after the passing of Dr. Billy Taylor, and was the recipient of the 2010 MacArthur Fellowship. A student of the blues, Jason's virtuoso performances marries classical, blues, and jazz with the musical influences of his generation including funk, hip-hop, and rock. The Texas Jazz & Blues Greats project was right in his sweet spot!
Telling stories is what public radio does best! We always play great music artists on our stations, and while many of our hosts provide insightful information to listeners, the music radio documentary is unmatched in this genre.
This two-hour special covers a wide range of artists - connecting the dots between jazz, blues, funk and soul music. Hour 1 includes Sly Stone (yes, funk is in the family!), Big Mama Thornton, Joe Sample, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Joe Tex, David Fathead Newman and King Curtis. Hour 2 includes Billy Preston, Illinois Jacquet, Esther Philips, Leadbelly, Bobbi Humphrey, Billy Harper, Albert Collins, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. All are sons and daughters of Texas.
Peabody Award winner Jim Luce (producer of PRI's Duke Ellington Centennial Radio Project and NPR's Louis Armstrong Centennial Radio Project) brings his patented combination indepth research and vast musicality to the project. KPVU's Program Director Jeff Kelley (a Texas native) aided this project with his insight into the standard bearers of Texas jazz and blues, and his longstanding relationships with Texas artists.
Texas Jazz & Blues Greats is ideal as a Labor Day Weekend Special or as a special treat for listeners at any time during the year. KPVU has done radio a great service by peeling back the layers and allowing listeners to learn the evolution of many artists that have become mainstays on public radio stations nationwide.
This production is another Consortium-Station-Producer collaboration that marries public radio's commitment to raise the profile of America's original music genres, with insight into the culture, social dynamics and creative individuals that gave birth to them.
Row 1: Sly Stone, Big Mama Thornton, Joe Sample
Row 2: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Joe Tex, David "Fathead" Newman
Row 3: King Curtis, Joe Tex, Illinois Jacquet
Row 4: Billy Preston, Esther Phillips, Stevie Ray Vaughan
Row 5: Bobbi Humphrey, Billy Harper, Albert Collins
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Stations can download this program from Content Depot on the Public Radio Satellite System. Or contact us for MP3 Files. Click on Host Jason Moran below to download promos to hear the flavor of the show.
