On this show, jazz guitar giant Bucky Pizzarelli brings his swinging sound to the Kennedy Center. Pizzarelli explored new ideas with Joe Mooney's innovative modern jazz group and toured with Vaughn Monroe, before starting a studio career with NBC in 1954. Bucky later toured with clarinetist Benny Goodman and has consistently maintained a busy recording and concert schedule. Since the early '70s, he has worked with saxophonist Zoot Sims, co-led a guitar duo with George Barnes, and recently recorded duets with his son, guitarist John Pizzarelli. On this show, virtuoso clarinetist, composer, and educator Alvin Batiste lights up the bandstand and enlightens the audience with his musical insights.
Batiste is a native of New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.
Though steeped in his hometown's rich tradition, Batiste's sound reflects a range of styles, from the avant-garde to his earlier work with the legendary Ray Charles. Recordings with saxophonists Cannonball Adderley and Ornette Coleman, and with the Clarinet Summit have documented Batiste's excellent soloing skills. Batiste's dedication to his role as director of jazz studies at a Louisiana college has become his main career focus, although it has limited his time in the spotlight. Jane Bunnett Soprano saxophonist and flutist Jane Bunnett demonstrates that jazz is an international language of peace, harmony, and rhythm. Bunnett is a prominent force in exploring common elements in the jazz and Afro-Cuban musical traditions.