We revisit our conversationwith Stanley Nelson, the Director of the recent Miles Davis documentary, Birth of the Cool, and also hear a track that Miles crafted with Gil Evans, Lee Konitz and more for some revolutionary sessions in 1949 that the film’s title came from. Lee Konitz passed away this week at the age of 92 - he was the last of the performers from the Birth of the Cool sessions..- the SCENE on WZUM! Thursday at 6, Sunday at 5, Friday and Saturday at noon.

This week on the MCG Jazz Spotlight show, Marty Ashby and Renée Govanucci talk about jazz families. From the Brubeck’s and the Marsalis’ to the Aliquo’s and DeFade’s, with the Ashby’s and Clayton’s thrown in, 10 jazz families are represented (and a few of them share the billing on single tracks!)

A chat with guitarist Gene Bertoncini, and music with Gene, and also, recordings with Scott Hanley and Gene from a few years back.

On the Scene, on WZUM

In these times of COVID-19, studios are now where you are - and the the MCG Jazz Spotlight this week has four hosts from four homes - with Marty Ashby and Renée Govanucci visited, remotely by two stalwarts of the Pittsburgh music scene - bassist Paul Thompson and trumpeter JD Chaisson.

This week, we share music from a number of our favorites who have recently passed - pianist Mike Longo, percussionist Ray Mantilla, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, trumpeter Wallace Roney, and pianist Ellis Marsalis.

We also revisit our meeting from January with Pittsburgh area native who is very much with us, vocalist Aimée Allen, who did one last tour of France just before tours were halted.

WZUM is a radio station - broadcasting from one to many. In these times of COVID-19, it has meant that we do a lot of it from home.

This week on the MCG Jazz Spotlight, Marty Ashby has had the chance to dig into some records that he’s long been waiting to hear - and eager to share with you on the show.

We visit with bandleader Reggie Watkins - We talk about his time with Jason Mraz, Maynard Ferguson, Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox and much more.

We also revisit the Piano Day Pittsburgh, and look again toward Saturday, March 28th’s broadcast of the Piano Day Pittsburgh Piano Songwriting contest - it was going to be a live event, but given COVID-19, WZUM is lending a had to do it on the radio, 3pm Saturday.

Music with guitars - as MCGJazz’s Marty Ashby brings to the mic guest host AB Billings, music lover and supporter, guitarist and Statistician at West Virginia University.