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Recent Shows

ECM: Birth Of A Label

Paul Motian album cover

In 1969 the 26-year-old German musician Manfred Eicher began what would become one of the world’s longest-running and most influential jazz labels, with a signature production approach that emphasized space and a roster of artists that included Keith Jarrett, Paul Motian, Chick Corea, and Gary Burton. 

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After Brubeck: Paul Desmond In The 1970s

Paul Motian album cover

At the end of 1967 one of the most popular groups in jazz, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, disbanded. What did its star alto saxophonist Paul Desmond do next? Desmond biographer Doug Ramsey joins us to discuss the musician's last decade.

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Snap, Crackle And Swing: Young Roy Haynes

Paul Motian album cover

Drummer Roy Haynes' career reads like a roll-call of jazz history. Hear him with Lester Young, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and others.

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Q Is For Jazz: Quincy Jones

Paul Motian album cover

One of the most successful producers in the history of commercial music began as a jazz artist.

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Jazz Mission: Mel Powell In The 1940s

Mel Powell was still a teenager when he joined one of America’s most popular big bands on the cusp of World War II, launching a brief but notable jazz career as a pianist, composer and arranger, before going on to devote most of his life to classical music.

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Strange Enchantment: Jazz For Halloween

New Orleans Axman

Night Lights in the key of screeeech: stalking monsters, roadweary Draculas, and the true tale of the jazz-loving New Orleans Mysterious Axman are all part of this week's Halloween celebration.

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Portrait Of Jimmy Heath: The Riverside Years

New Orleans Axman

Jimmy Heath was off the jazz scene for much of the 1950s, but he returned to make a string of albums that cemented his reputation as a composer and a player.

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The Swingin' Jezebel: Anita O'Day In The 1940s

In the 1940s the young singer Anita O’Day became a sensation on the big-band scene, performing one of jazz’s first racially-integrated duets and courting what would become a lifelong reputation as an independent spirit

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Night Lights Blog

Quincy Jones Brought Us Together

Quincy Jones Mosaic booklet

A Quincy Jones tribute and remembrance.

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Wakefield's Way: Dan Wakefield, 1932-2024

Dan Wakefield in 2017 2

David Brent Johnson remembers Indiana writer Dan Wakefield.

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A Family Tribute To Janiece Jaffe

Janiece Jaffe

Two of the late singer's children stopped by WFIU to discuss their mother's life and music.

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A Tribute To Janiece Jaffe 1958-2022

Janiece Jaffe

A musical and conversational remembrance of Bloomington singer Janiece Jaffe, who passed away on November 23, 2022 at 64. Jaffe friends and collaborators Dave Bruker, Peter Lerner, and David Miller discuss her life and legacy, and we hear some of Jaffe's concert and studio recordings as well.

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Anon, Anon: Michael Bourne, 1946-2022

Michael Bourne

Michael Bourne became a global name in the jazz community after starting his on-air job at WBGO-Newark at the end of 1984. This tribute celebrates his beginnings at WFIU-Bloomington, Indiana in the 1970s and early 80s, with remembrances from friends and fans, interview excerpts, and a rollicking 1976 performance at Bloomington's Bluebird nightclub with Michael on lead vocals.

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My Interview With Duke Ellington

Open Ended Interview promo record

... OK, that should be "interview." A virtual conversation, using a very analog-era practice, in which I chat with the Duke about his work on the film score for ANATOMY OF A MURDER.

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Best Historical Releases 2021

John Coltrane A Love Supreme Live In Seattle

Night Lights' annual roundup of notable archival releases and reissues.

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