In-Studio Performances

The pianist rejected the life of a traveling jazz musician, instead choosing to perform and record live performances in clubs near his home in the Delaware Water Gap area. He also makes a living as a transcriber and arranger. He plays selections from each of his albums for a live audience.

The former Lovin' Spoonful frontman talks about his career in rock and folk music, his experiences during the landmark Woodstock Festival, and his musical-in-progress, an adaptation of the novel Charlotte's Web.

Pianist Lys Symonette performs selected works of the late composer. This concert was made possible by The Curtis Institute.

The songwriter, singer and jazz pianist performs his songs for Fresh Air. He talks about his approach to writing, his distinctive vocal style, and how he keeps his arrangements fresh.

Jazz pianist Sam Dockery performs before a live studio audience. In between songs, he tells Fresh Air associate producer Danny Miller about the mechanics of improvisation and the role of the pianist in different contexts.

Comedian, television host and musician Steve Allen performs his original songs and compositions for Fresh Air. He also talks about his career as the host of his own late-night television program and his new book, Funny People, which pays homage to some of his favorite comedians.

The musical duo take inspiration from vaudeville, ragtime and classical music. To promote their new album, Get to the Heart, they have a number of performances scheduled in the Philadelphia area. They perform a number of their songs in studio.

The accomplished musician is known for singing along with his playing. He demonstrates his unique approach to the instrument, considers the evolving role of the bass in music, and his career in jazz.

The Scottish musician performed with the folk band Silly Wizard, which developed a loyal following in Europe and the United States. Now based in rural Pennsylvania, he has embarked on a solo career. He performs some traditional tunes in-studio and previews music from a forthcoming album.

Aboriginal Australian musicians perform some of their traditional songs and talk about music's role in their culture. Two scholars discuss recent efforts to promote and preserve this culture.

Folk singer and composer Tom Paxton is known for his work as a musician in the Greenwich Village of the 1960s, where many of his songs became standards at the clubs in the area. His latest album is "The Paxton Report," and is full of topical songs about such subjects as nuclear power and the ERA. Paxton also brings his guitar for an in-studio concert.

Bruce Mills is a pianist based in New Jersey. He has played several times on Fresh Air. He joins the show for an in-studio concert of Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year music.

Vernel Bagneris is a playwright, actor, and dancer. He wrote, directed, and acts in the musical "One Mo' Time," now playing in Philadelphia. The musical is set in 1920s' New Orleans and draws heavily on the jazz from that time and place. It centers around a touring group of vaudevillians performing at the segregated Lyric Theater. Bagneris describes it as a "piece on Black theater history." Bagneris and pianist Morten Larsen give an in-studio concert sharing music from the show's time period.

Philadelphia pianist and "friend of Fresh Air" Bruce Mills joins the show to discuss his career as a blind jazz pianist and to perform an in-studio concert at Fresh Air's new studio.

John Fahey, blues guitarist, discusses his career, his record label Tacoma Records, and brings in his guitar to play a few songs in the studio.

Gambian folk musician Bai Konte discusses how he both learned and now teaches the kora, a West African 21-string lute. He performs along with his son Dembo Konte and anthropologists and musicians Marc and Susan Pevar. Filmmaker Oliver Franklin, who made a movie Bai Konte, also joins the conversation.

South African folk singer Tony Bird performs his songs for Fresh Air and answers questions about the political dimensions of his art.

Jazz and bop pianist Barry Harris joins the show for an in-studio performance and discussion of his life and career.

Jazz and bop pianist Barry Harris joins the show for an in-studio performance and discussion of his life and career.

Philadelphia musician Ken Ulansey joins Fresh Air to discuss his life as a musician and his travels in Europe, the Near and Middle East, and Asia. He's played and studied music in places such as Paris, Istanbul, Afghanistan, Nepal, Tehran, and India. He also brings his alto and soprano saxophones to perform in-studio.