Jazz musicians today find profound inspiration in a lot of different places -- and a few of them might surprise you. Plenty of folks thrive in the tight-knit Chicago scene, but some go much further afield, like the Louisiana State Penitentiary, for ideas. And while many find joy in interpreting jazz standards, there are others for whom biological classifications structure new compositions.
Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz recently invited me on the program to talk about jazz. I brought him four new releases from Howard Wiley, Rebecca Martin, Henry Threadgill and the band Herculaneum.
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