Jazz Profiles presented by Tim Owens & 32 Bar Blues
A Peabody Award-winning documentary series chronicling the people, places, and themes of jazz. Combining interviews, archival recordings, music, and narration by singer Nancy Wilson, each program tells an informative and sometimes gripping story that celebrates our uniquely American art form and the people who make it.
Episodes
49 episodes
Phil Woods
Known for his bright sound, impeccable technique, buoyant phrasing, and confident playing style, saxophonist Phil Woods was a true master of all things bop. He was also an NEA Jazz Master, received a living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Ce...
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56:15
Toots Thielemans
Whistling guitarist and harmonica master Toots Thielemans played in everything from Charlie Parker’s band to commercials for Old Spice, on the theme from “Midnight Cowboy” and the theme from “Sesame Street.” Most important, he made the harmonic...
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56:17
Freddy Cole
Freddy Cole always drew comparisons to his brother, Nat, and strived to carve out his own space. But the one thing everyone agreed on was his talent as both a singer and a pianist. Later in life, The New York Times said, “Freddy has an impeccab...
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56:48
Carla Bley
An irrepressibly original composer, arranger and pianist, Carla Bley is responsible for more than 60 years of wily provocations in and around jazz. She once attributed her originality as a composer – she is self-taught – to blissful ignorance o...
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57:12
Lee Konitz
A pioneer of the cool school, jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz was a prolific and idiosyncratic artist – respected as much for the way he didn’t play as for the way he did. Like many musicians of his era, he adopted the expanded harmonic vocabulary ...
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56:37
Les McCann
Jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann was an early progenitor of the bluesy, crowd-pleasing style that came to be known as soul jazz. Best remembered for his 1967 protest song “Compared to What,” McCann released more than 50 albums over his life...
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55:03
Zoot Sims
John Haley “Zoot” Sims was a saxophonist’s saxophonist, a musician everybody wanted to work with because he made everything he played sound better. Largely self-taught, he was renowned for his rhythmic drive, lyrical warmth, and effortless swin...
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56:44
James Moody
From the late 1940s through the early 21st century, James Moody was an institution in jazz – whether on tenor sax, flute, occasional alto, or yodeling his way through his “Moody’s Mood for Love.” Ebullient and ever-smiling, he defied the stereo...
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55:21
Toshiko Akiyoshi
Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her six-decade career. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. A pianist, bandleader, and compose...
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57:51
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner’s piano style – complete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand – transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music. Along with Bill Evans, Tyner has been th...
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56:31
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was the essence of cool in the world of hot jazz, the small-town blonde who could sing blues, bebop, swing and rock. She learned her craft singing in smoky clubs, and traveling on trains with big bands in the wee hours of the night. J...
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56:20
Oscar Peterson
Famed jazz pianist Oscar Peterson commanded the entire keyboard with incredible dexterity, drive and precision. He performed around the world for more than 50 years, accruing countless honors, awards and critical accolades. Though he would have...
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56:26
Sidney Bechet
One of the first important jazz soloists, Sidney Bechet’s recordings precede those of Louis Armstrong (three years his junior), with whom he would later play duets. Largely self-taught and prodigiously talented on both clarinet and soprano saxo...
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57:50
Hoagy Carmichael
With a laid-back, familiar style, the composer, pianist and singer Hoagy Carmichael created popular hits for decades – and logged numerous entries into the Great American Songbook. When asked about his tuneful gift, he credited his early roots ...
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56:07
Thelonious Monk
Jazz pianist Thelonious Monk had a gift for unusual and daring composition, for confounding and delighting the world. He did things with rhythm, melody and chords that had never quite been heard before. Early on, Monk was criticized by observer...
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56:34
Chucho Valdés
Cuban pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Chucho Valdés is one of the most influential figures in modern Afro-Cuban jazz. He was named a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master – and the recognition crowns a 60-year career that...
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56:37
Carmen McRae
Vocalist Carmen McRae was an expert on rhythm, deft phrasing and personal, bittersweet ballads. Her enigmatic, dark contralto voice helped place her among the pantheon of great female jazz singers. In a long and distinguished music career, she ...
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56:05
Clark Terry
Celebrated for his technical virtuosity and swinging lyricism, jazz trumpeter Clark Terry was a mentor to Miles Davis and performed with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. A great innovator and educator, he’s also one of the most recorded musician...
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56:55
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett is one of the most celebrated pianists in jazz – a musician acclaimed for his emotionally intense and physically energetic performances. A prodigy who started playing piano at the age of 3, Keith built an uncanny talent for channe...
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56:30
Etta Jones
Singer Etta Jones was an understated, underrated American jazz artist best known for her soulful, blues-influenced style. Words and lyrics meant a great deal to her, and she brought a deeply felt gravitas to every song she performed, which made...
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55:40
Sonny Rollins
A giant by any standard and a powerful presence in jazz, Sonny Rollins is a master of improvisation in an art form that is drenched in spontaneity. Yet his roots are as deep as they are deeply American, and he both celebrates tradition and inno...
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55:54
Gene Ammons
Gene "Jug" Ammons was one of the tenor giants of his era. He had a big, deep tone that was perfect for everything from warm ballads to groove-intensive blues or sweet swing. He could blow with the best, too. Ammons' record label, Prestige, allo...
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56:27
Herbie Mann
More than any other musician, Herbie Mann was responsible for establishing the flute as an accepted jazz instrument. Prior to his arrival, the flute was a secondary instrument for saxophonists, but Mann found a unique voice for the flute, prese...
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56:26