Podcast appearances and mentions of sara fishko

There's one line of questioning our listeners ask more than any other: “What is America, and who gets to define it?” Kai can tell you these questions aren't new. So he goes back in time to look at one story from the New Deal era and a culture war over what made patriotic music…patriotic. Turns out, it's the same old song and dance.   Sara Fishko, creator of “Fishko Files,” tells Kai the story.     Tell us what you think. Instagram and Twitter: @noteswithkai. Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or going to Instagram and clicking on the link in our bio. “Notes from America” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. Tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on notesfromamerica.org or on WNYC's YouTube channel.

In television's younger days, going live was extremely difficult, costly and rare. But in November of 1963 a monumental tragedy made live coverage essential, no matter the cost, whenever a president left the White House. WNYC's Sara Fishko recollects those dreadful days in November when everyone was paralyzed in front of the small screen.  

There are many Americas. Nowadays they barely speak to each other. But during the most perilous years of the last century, one young composer went in search of a sound that melded many of the nation's strains into something singular and new. He was a man of the left, though of no political party: gay, but neither closeted nor out; Jewish, but agnostic, unless you count music as a religion. This independence day (or near enough!), we revisit Sara Fishko's 2017 piece on the story of Aaron Copland.  

On May 9th, 1961, a still-celebrated speech rocked the world of broadcast television. In it, FCC Chairman Newton Minow zeroed in on television's vapid programming landscape, and the words "vast wasteland" became a contemporary catchphrase. More from WNYC's Sara Fishko in this edition of Fishko Files.  Newton Minow told broadcasters that they might lose their licenses if they didn't improve the content of their television. Hollywood producer Sherwood Schwartz felt that Minow was interfering with broadcasters. To rib Minow, Schwartz named the ill-fated boat on his show, Gilligan's Island, the S.S. Minnow. Minow and Public Television Newton Minow played a major role in the creation of Public Television in the United States. Channel 13 in New York began in the 1940s as a Commercial Television station with a cultural bent. After going through several owners, Channel 13 was put on the market in 1961. Minow and a number of interested broadcasting colleagues got together to help Channel 13 make the transition from a Commercial Television station to a Public Television station.  One day I read in the paper that Channel 13 was being sold. And there was a group of people in New York --  particularly led by some of the foundations --  that were trying to buy it and make it into an educational station. And I decided then and there that we were going to help them, and then we did. And Channel 13 became an educational station. And we did the same thing in Los Angeles, the same thing in Washington. And without those three we would never have had a national system. My main goal was to expand choice. To let the viewer have a wider range of programming. And that’s why we created, really, public television. By expanding choice it seemed to me that was the best role for the government.   Channel 13’s first day as a Public Television station was September 16, 1962. Edward R. Murrow introduced the first broadcast. Mike Dann – then a programming executive at CBS -- remembers Minow’s role in Public Television. I think he was a great advocate of it. And made broadcasters and the public conscious of the difference between PBS and the broadcast networks. There was a sense of dignity. We didn’t have public broadcasting practically at all at the start. There was none. It wasn’t until a number of us banded together and helped start channel 13 in New York. I think he helped make public broadcasting more important.  Jack Gould Newton Minow cited Jack Gould as a major influence: "At the time [of the FCC appointment] I had been deeply influenced by a television critic named Jack Gould, who was the television critic for the New York Times. He was writing very often about the failure, as he perceived it, of the FCC to uphold the public interest in regulating broadcasting. And I went to the FCC with his message very much in my mind." From 1948 to 1972, Jack Gould was the head television reporter and critic for the New York Times. Gould’s columns were devoured by television executives. And because he worked with the Times as television critic for so long – from TV’s beginnings to its installation as a cultural mainstay -- even these selected article titles show the progression of the medium, in just his first few years on the job (Excerpted from Watching Television Come of Age, by Jack Gould). “Matter of Form: Television Must Develop Own Techniques If It Is To Have Artistic Vitality, October 31, 1948” “Edward R. Murrow’s News Review ‘See It Now’ Demonstrates Journalistic Power of Video, November 19, 1951” “Celebrity Time: Murrow Puts Camera into Their Homes in ‘Person to Person,’ October 7, 1953” “Man on the Street: The Public Often Can Outshine TV Stars, August 14, 1955” For more from the people heard in this episode of Fishko Files… Newton Minow is a lawyer living in Chicago. He writes often – his most recent article, on the 50th anniversary of his speech, appeared in The Atlantic. Mike Dann’s book about his years in television, As I Saw It: The Inside Story of the Golden Years of Television, is available here. Thomas Doherty is a professor of American studies at Brandeis University. One of his books is Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism, and American Culture. Mary Ann Watson wrote The Expanding Vista: American Television in the Kennedy Years. This is the final edition of Fishko Files at WNYC. The episodes will live online and in the WNYC archives. You can find more extended Fishko work on our website. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Tomorrow, May 1st, marks the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Empire State Building. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, the building's rise to its 102-story height is only one of the ways it towered over all the rest. More, in this episode of Fishko Files. John Tauranac's book The Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark is available online. John Alden Carpenter's Skyscrapers is available on Amazon. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In honor of this weekend's Oscars: WNYC's Sara Fishko with this Fishko Files from the archive, filled with the award-winning voices of some of the great women of Hollywood's Golden Age. (Produced in 2013) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In honor of April, National Poetry Month, WNYC's Sara Fishko asks the question: what's the connection between poets' speaking voices, and the poems they create? (Produced in 2012) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

The celebrated children's tale with music, Peter and the Wolf - as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us - was first heard in Moscow in the spring of 1936, an ominous time in the Soviet Union. Everywhere it went after that, it thrilled a listenership of kids. More, in this episode of Fishko Files. Walt Disney and Sergei Prokofiev met in Hollywood in 1938. Later, Disney made this promotional film about their meeting. (The man at the piano is an actor, not Prokofiev) Peter and the Wolf showcased some of the great voices and orchestras of the 20th century. See a list of some of the recordings used in Fishko Files, below.  Peter and the Wolf(s) Koussevitzky Conducts Prokofiev: Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky, conductor, Richard Hale, narrator.  Pearl 1991. (recorded 1939) Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky, conductor, Eleanor Roosevelt, narrator. Listen to the recording here. (Recorded 1950) Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Mario Rossi, conductor, Boris Karloff, narrator. Vanguard, 1992. (Recorded 1957) Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Sir Eugene Goossens, conductor, Jose Ferrer, narrator. MCA, 1989. (Recorded 1959) Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York, Leopold Stokowski, conductor, Bob Keeshan, narrator. Everest, 1997. Academy of London, Richard Stamp, conductor, John Gielgud, narrator. Virgin, 1989. (Recorded 1989) Orchestra of St. Luke’s, James Levine, conductor, Sharon Stone, narrator. DG, 2001. (Recorded 2001) The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, conductor, David Bowie, narrator. RCA, 1978. (Recorded 1978) New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor and narrator. Sony, 1998. (Recorded 1960) Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta, conductor, Itzhak Perlman, narrator. EMI, 1996. (Recorded 1986) Other music by Prokofiev used in this episode Romeo and Juliet, excerpt from Suite #2 Op. 64 C. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan, conductor. Erato, 1992. Sonata #6, excerpt from 1st movement, Sviatoslav Richter. Philips Classics, 1998. Winter Bonfire, Op. 122, excerpt from “Departure.” The New London Orchestra. Ronald Corp, conductor. Hyperion, 1991. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

When we produced a feature on the celebrated Leonard Bernstein concert-broadcasts known as the Young People's Concerts (1958-1972), we were thrilled to find Roger Englander, the celebrated producer and director of the broadcasts, still alive. The interview is contained in this Fishko Files, which we replay in honor of Englander - who died recently at the age of 94.  Read more on Roger Englander’s life and work in his New York Times obituary. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Bill MossEditor: Karen Frillmann

The tradition of siblings singing together is as old as song. WNYC’s Sara Fishko looks at brothers, sisters, and sibling harmony in this edition of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2001) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

A hundred years ago, as WNYC’s Sara Fishko tells us, a popular song appeared at a time similar to our own - when people desperately wanted to 'move on' from crisis. In this episode of Fishko Files, the unsentimental resolve of the song "There’ll Be Some Changes Made." Billie Holiday's rendition of "There'll Be Some Changes Made" with Ray Ellis and His Orchestra, from her final album The Last Recording (released in 1959). Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Michael Rabin, who lived from 1936 to 1972, was a midcentury, classical music phenomenon - a genuine violin prodigy, concertizing as a teenager and, later, stumbling in his career and his life. In this archival Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko talks to Itzhak Perlman to sort out Rabin's tragic story and his phenomenal playing. (Produced in 1999)  

Pieces of music, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, can change in impact over time. On the 80th anniversary of a beloved violin concerto's premiere, Sara and guests consider the case of the American classical composer, Samuel Barber, in this episode of Fishko Files. Hilary Hahn's Barber & Meyer: Violin Concertos and Isaac Stern's Barber: Violin Concerto, Op. 14 are available on Amazon. Hilary Hahn's upcoming album Paris is set for release next Friday, March 5, and is available for pre-order. Barber's Concerto for Violin & Orchestra, performed by violinist Albert Spalding and the Philadelphia Orchestra Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

The composer Frédéric Chopin, whose first published music appeared about two hundred years ago in the 1820s, eventually wrote hundreds of piano pieces, many of them memorable and popular. The musical influences that struck him along the way are considered by WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests in this edition of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2017) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Bill MossEditor: Karen Frillmann

The Senate’s trial and acquittal of Donald Trump left many with mixed emotions. But did it move us any closer to a reckoning with the worst of America’s political culture?  Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Blight returns to the show to help Kai put the trial in historical context. Blight has warned that the former president is trying to create a Confederate-style Lost Cause mythology. So where’s that project stand now?  Then WNYC’s Brian Lehrer and The Nation’s Elie Mystal join Kai as he checks in with listeners about the impeachment trial. Did it serve any meaningful purpose in your life or community, or was it a disappointment? The answer, it seems, is both. COMPANION LISTENING: “The ‘Indoor Man’ and His Playmates” (10/02/18) One caller reacted to the impeachment trial by making connections between domestic abusers and Donald Trump. Her call reminded us of this episode, in which Sara Fishko offers a history of the men’s liberation movement, and we consider its echo in the Trump era. “MAGA, the New Confederate Lost Cause” (11/16/20) Our first conversation with historian David Blight, in which he explains how secessionist mythology survived after the Civil War and echoes in Donald Trump’s movement today. “The United States of Anxiety” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on WNYC.org/anxiety or tell your smart speakers to play WNYC.

On Valentine's Day 1962, in the simpler days of television, all three networks aired a now-celebrated tour of the White House led by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. A stunning number of Americans tuned in and took notice, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2012) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

The recent death of screenwriter Walter Bernstein has WNYC's Sara Fishko ruminating on the subject of dissent, protest and the movies, in this edition of Fishko Files. Walter Bernstein is memorialized in many obituaries, including this one in The New York Times. MLK/FBI and The Front are available on Amazon Prime. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is now streaming on Netflix. Judas and the Black Messiah comes to theatres and HBO Max on Friday, February 12. The United States vs. Billie Holiday begins streaming on Hulu on Friday, February 26. Minamata is set for release later this year, with the date to be determined. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Ed HaberEditor: Karen Frillmann    

Today, the new documentary film MLK/FBI is available to screen. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, it's a dark and revealing update to civil rights movement history. That, and an older Dr. King film, are the subjects of this edition of Fishko Files. MLK/FBI is out today in select theatres and on VOD. King: A Filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis is available to rent or buy. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

It's 125 years since the birth of Dziga Vertov, the Russian documentary film and newsreel director. That's a good excuse, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, to look at his remarkable and pioneering 1920s film Man with a Movie Camera, the subject of this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2011) Man with a Movie Camera is streaming on Kanopy and Vudu and available to rent or buy on Amazon. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In this last gasp of 2020, we face a New Year's without parties - unless you count the ones in this Fishko Files episode, composed of party scenes from movies over the last many decades. (Produced in 2016) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

80 years ago, in the dark fall of 1940, just before World War II, Walt Disney’s classical music film Fantasia opened across America. WNYC’s Sara Fishko and guests explore its ups, downs, and in-betweens in this episode of Fishko Files. Fantasia is now streaming on Disney Plus. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

This Sunday is the Dave Brubeck centenary - the late, celebrated jazz player was born December 6th, 1920. WNYC's Sara Fishko had a memorable time talking with Brubeck back in 2004, resulting in this program, "An Hour with Dave Brubeck," filled with his reflections and recordings. Fishko Files with Sara FishkoMix Engineer: Edward HaberEditor: Karen Frillmann  

Violinist Stuff Smith: Once you hear his fabulous, swing-era playing, it's hard to forget. WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests celebrate Smith in this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2017)      Music: “Minuet in Swing”The Stuff Smith TrioStuff Smith, violin; Jimmy Jones, piano; John Levy, bassThe Stuff Smith Trio: 1943“Tain’t No Use”Burton Lane/Herbert MagidsonStuff Smith, violinThe Complete 1936-1937 Sessions “After You’ve Gone”Turner Layton/Henry CreamerStuff Smith, violinThe Complete 1936-1937 Sessions “Artistya”Mariam DoumbiaRegina Carter, violin; Gary Versace, accordion; Chris Lightcap, bass; Alvester Garnett, drumsReverse Thread (2010) “A Ghost of a Chance”Victor Young/Ned Washington/Bing CrosbyStuff Smith, violin; Jimmy Jones, piano; John Levy, bassThe Stuff Smith Trio: 1943 “Humoresque”(After Dvořák Humoresque)Stuff Smith, violin; Jimmy Jones, piano; John Levy, bassThe Stuff Smith Trio: 1943 “Rio Pakistan”Dizzy GillespieDizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Stuff Smith, violin; Wynton Kelly, piano; Paul West, bass; J.C. Heard, drumsDizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith (1957)   Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Bill MossEditor: Karen Frillmann

In the last many months, television has been our WFH window into a disastrous pandemic as well as a deeply divisive presidency. In this special edition for On the Media, WNYC's Sara Fishko takes us back to November 22nd, 1963 - the Friday before Thanksgiving, when the medium was feeling its way, for the first time, through a devastating tragedy. (Produced in 2001) WNYC Production Credits Executive Producer: Sara FishkoAssistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterManaging Editor, WNYC News: Karen Frillmann

Andre Gregory - of "My Dinner with Andre" fame - has told stories, on stage and screen, for decades, says WNYC's Sara Fishko. With his first book coming out next week, he's the guest on this edition of Fishko Files. Andre Gregory joins Adam Gopnik on Tuesday, November 17 for a virtual conversation through 92Y. Gregory's memoir, This is Not My Memoir, will be released the same day. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In this fraught time, when truth and reality are warped beyond recognition, we could all use someone to talk to. WNYC's Sara Fishko has more in this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2002) The Criterion Channel serves up a bevy of films about therapists and patients this month in their series Frame of Mind: Psychiatry on Screen. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann    

In our unsettled moment, people will find ways to mark an unusual Halloween this weekend. It's a time when music - scary music - comes to mind, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this episode of Fishko Files. Psycho is streaming on Amazon Prime, and Rosemary's Baby airs on Showtime on Monday, November 2. Get Out is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Composer Ned Rorem turns 97 today. In this hour from the archives, Rorem and Fishko share a long, winding conversation illustrated with plenty of his music, as well as some by those he admires - and those he doesn't. (Produced in 2002) For a feast of Fishko programs on music and culture, visit Fishko Hours. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Two dramas start streaming today, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and What the Constitution Means to Me. Looking at both, WNYC's Sara Fishko finds connections and commonality, in this episode of Fishko Files. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) and What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Prime) are now streaming. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Thelonious Monk was born October 10, 1917. WNYC's Sara Fishko looks at Monk, Glenn Gould, and Vincent van Gogh - and how their brilliant gifts mixed with their personal myths and mysteries. (Produced in 2017) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

This week marks 65 years since the death of James Dean, film's "first American teenager." WNYC's Sara Fishko digs up the roots of the teen in movies in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In this time of empty concert halls and virtual performances, WNYC's Sara Fishko is turning her attention to music with an audience, in this episode of Fishko Files.   Martha Argerich plays Scarlatti's Sonata in D Minor K.141 at the Singapore International Piano Festival, 2018   Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Sometimes artists, seeking inspiration, find it in the very thing that challenges and haunts them most. Here, WNYC’s Sara Fishko talks with visual artist Frank Stella about some very productive pain. (Produced in 2011) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne Shulmister and Paul SchneiderEditor: Karen Frillmann

The Woody Guthrie archive is filled with riches, including some related to "This Land is Your Land," written 80 years ago. WNYC's Sara Fishko visited Woody's daughter, Nora, for a journey through a bit of Guthrie history in this archival Fishko Files, produced for his centenary in 2012. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Paul Schneider and George WellingtonEditor: Karen Frillmann

In the run-up to the election, we’re all listening to speeches - and many of them are grappling with the very idea of America: what do we want America to be? This episode of Fishko Files goes back to the World War II era, when, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, Hollywood movies were asking the same question - or rather, answering it. Jeanine Basinger's The World War II Combat Film: Anatomy of a Genre, David Welky's The Moguls and the Dictators, and Thomas Doherty's Projections of War are available online. Some of the films mentioned are available to stream, including: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)The Great Dictator (1941)Casablanca (1943)Watch on the Rhine (1943) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

After nearly 70 years on newsstands, Playboy Magazine has ended its print run. In this archival episode produced for The United States of Anxiety, WNYC's Sara Fishko tells the story of Hugh Hefner, whose notion of the "Indoor Man" made Playboy a midcentury staple.  The United States of Anxiety is coming to radio this Sunday, August 23 at 6pm, airing weekly on WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Bill Moss & Cayce MeansEditor: Karen Frillmann  

The artist David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992) was recently honored with a quilt created by friends and admirers in his memory. Wojnarowicz, who made art that captured his own decline during the AIDS crisis, was the subject of a Whitney Museum show that inspired this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2018).  Cynthia Carr's book Fire in the Belly: The Life and Times of David Wojnarowicz is available on Amazon. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

Pianist and singer Hazel Scott was born in Trinidad a century ago, in the summer of 1920. Scott is well-remembered for her sparkling piano technique, as well as her style - but her biography reveals a powerful character with a rich and layered life behind the glamour. More in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2009) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

The death of actress and star Olivia de Havilland a few days ago has stirred many memories and considerations. WNYC's Sara Fishko chimes in for this episode of Fishko Files. William Wyler's The Heiress (1949) airs on TCM next month and is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Criterion and Amazon. From the New Yorker: a consideration of the "last lioness of the Hollywood Studio System," by Rachel Syme.  Original trailer for 1949's The Heiress Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann

In this episode, thanks to W. Eugene Smith's tape recorders, we get to experience something audiences rarely hear - the unrehearsed, imperfect, open-ended, overlong, rough-around-the-edges music that jazz players made when they got together to jam at 821 Sixth Avenue. No audience present. Just the musicians playing. The late vibes player Teddy Charles said it best in an interview: When nobody's around, and you're just by yourself, that's when the best jazz happens. Really incredible stuff. You take chances on things. The real excitement of jazz is taking chances. Whether you make it or not. You try for something even if it doesn't happen. And that's what makes Jazz really exciting. Featured in this episode are jam sessions with: 1 - Dave McKenna, piano; Fred Greenwell, sax; Bill Takas, bass; Ron Free, drums2 - Bill Potts, piano; Zoot Sims, tenor sax; Ron Free, drums3 - Paul Bley, piano; Jimmy Stevenson, bass; Roland Alexander, tenor sax; Eddie Listengart, trumpet; Lex Humphries, drums4 - Sonny Clarke, piano; other unidentified players5 - Chick Corea, piano; Jimmy Stevenson, bass; Joe Hunt, drums   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.

Few people in history had as much access to the greatest jazz musicians of our time as W. Eugene Smith. The famous LIFE magazine photographer moved in 1957 to a rundown, bohemian loft on 6th avenue, in the heart of Manhattan's Flower District. During this time, the likes of Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea and Hall Overton slept here, smoked here, and played here—and Smith captured nearly of all it on a series of unparalleled audio recordings. Those tapes finally resurfaced, more than two decades after Smith's death in 1978. Producer Sara Fishko first made use of Smith's archive to create these pictures in sound, giving us intimate access to a time and a place long gone.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.    

Before photographer W. Eugene Smith lived in a rundown loft in the thick of New York's jazz scene, he lived in another world. A native Kansan who earned a scholarship to Notre Dame, Smith was a staff photographer for LIFE magazine -- considered photojournalism's top job in an era when photographers were major stars. What compelled him to leave that life behind?   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.    

W. Eugene Smith recorded more than 4,000 hours in his Manhattan loft. Some 139 different personalities—musicians, writers and artists—make appearances. The conversations are one thing, but the impromptu jam sessions, involving remarkable musical collaborations, add to the incredible story of what became known as the Jazz Loft.     This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.    

By day, Hall Overton was an instructor of classical music at Juilliard. By night, he was living, teaching, and playing jazz piano at the Jazz Loft. In this episode, some of the musicians who knew him best share their memories of the brilliant, self-effacing man with an ever-present cigarette dangling from his lip.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.  

Like many of New York City's most influential artists, a lot of the prominent jazz musicians of the 1950s came from someplace else. After World War II, returning soldiers flocked to New York, bouncing from clubs to studios to lofts in search of a place where jazz could flourish.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.    

Ron Free, a prodigious drummer from Charleston, South Carolina, was the Jazz Loft's "house drummer" from 1958 to 1960. Holing up in W. Eugene Smith's apartment for weeks at a time, he jammed with everyone from Thelonious Monk to Chick Corea. Eventually, Free's personal struggles with drug addiction forced him to leave New York. But Smith's tapes provide the enduring proof of Free's musical legacy.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.  

In the early mornings, as each all-night jam session at the loft came to a close, musicians stumbled out into the fragrant air of the surrounding flower shops. For W. Eugene Smith, the Flower District was more than a neighborhood -- it was an obsession, and a subject crucial to his evolution as a photographer and an artist. This episode explores the peculiar harmony of a neighborhood that bustled with flower merchants by day and cleared out by night, giving jazz musicians the place all to themselves.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.    

In early 1959, a genuine stir was created in the loft -- even among the more seasoned jazz players -- when Thelonious Monk turned up to arrange his music and rehearse with the help of drummer Hall Overton. Monk and Overton had a rare chemistry, and the result of their labors made a little history on February 29th, when they took the stage at New York's Town Hall.   This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.  

The commercial jazz world relied on by-the-hour club dates and recording sessions, but the after-hours loft scene gave musicians the luxury of forgetting time, as they played through long, uninterrupted, all-night jam sessions. In this episode, hear immersive samples of the young Chick Corea and other musicians from W. Eugene Smith's recordings.     This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.  

It was hard not to notice that by the early 60s, things had changed dramatically for the Jazz Loft set. Folk and rock music had gained in popularity. Life in New York was becoming more expensive. The late-night jam sessions slowed down, and Smith became more isolated as the loft scene faded away. Finally around 1965, his tapes stopped rolling for good.    This is a slightly updated version of The Jazz Loft Radio Series, which first aired on WNYC in November in 2009, in conjunction with Sam Stephenson's book “The Jazz Loft Project." We are re-distributing the entire series now on the occasion of the release of Sara Fishko's documentary, "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith," which debuted at the New Orleans Film Festival in October of 2015.   Thanks to the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, our original partner in the production of The Jazz Loft Radio Series.  The Jazz Loft Radio Series was supported in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities; and by an award from The National Endowment for the Arts.