Music

Tuesday on Jazz in the Afternoon, Chris Cooke welcomes special guest trumpeter Arturo Sandoval for conversation about his latest tour "Dear Diz," a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie. 

Cecil Taylor, whose stunning and bravely unorthodox piano language made him one of the most important postwar American avant-gardists in any artistic medium, leaves more than a legacy of musical provocation after his death yesterday evening.

Note: NPR's First Listen audio comes down after the album is released.

A continuity and a break: That's the history of The Bad Plus in a nutshell. An acoustic piano trio with the combustion properties of a post-punk band, it emerged in the early 2000s to an uproar — its surging attack and shrewd repertoire were framed as a radical split from the jazz tradition. Gradually a more perceptive view emerged, one that acknowledged where the band was really coming from.

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This week we look back at some of our favorite jazz recordings of 2017 on Jazz In The Afternoon, Jazz Junction and Last Call. 

One way or another, you've heard Grover Washington Jr.'s saxophone. Perhaps on "Mister Magic" or another of his instrumental hits, like "Winelight." Or on "Just the Two of Us," the smash hit featuring Bill Withers.