"This is Triumphant Music" - Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Inaugural JazzFest Berlin, 1964.

Dr. King’s Essay on the importance of Jazz to humanity and the Civil Rights movement was not a speech, but it was written at the request of the festival organizers. The words are powerful .

An excerpt:

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.

And now, Jazz is exported to the world.

The Rhythm Section's singers. Guests hosts - drummer Thomas Wendt and bassist Tony DePaolis join Marty Ashby to discuss their favorite jazz vocalists on this week's MCG Jazz Spotlight Show.

The three of them dig deep into the likes of Jo Stafford, Sandy Staley & Flo Cassinelli, Roberta Peck, Roberta Flack with Quincy Jones and more.

Friday and Sunday night at 6, and 1pm, Saturday on WZUM.

There are a lot of new jazz releases out - and many with a Pittsburgh connection - we play a few of them this time around on the SCENE

The Scene - Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM

This week on the MCG Jazz Spotlight Show, hosts Marty Ashby and Renée Govanucci celebrate the the birthdays and music of many jazz notables.

Featuring music from artists from Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli to Lee Ritenour, plus Max Roach, JJ Johnson, Gary Burton, Milt Jackson, Joe Pass, Roy Eldridge, Antonio Carlos Jobim and more.

You bring the candles and cake, we’ll handle the music on the MCG Jazz Spotlight Show Birthday party for January. Friday and Sunday night at 6, and 1pm, Saturday on WZUM.

Looking back to 2022, there were passings of jazz artists we remember - and also looking forward to the legacy that continues.

We remember Pittsburgh natives, bassist Mickey Bass, and look forward to some great things ahead.

The Scene - Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM

Looking back on 2022, Marty Ashby and Renee Govanucci review some notable jazz releases of the year on the MCG Jazz Spotlight Show.

There were hundreds of recordings released in the year - and many of the top ones on the JazzWeek list as aired on WZUM and other stations have a Pittsburgh connection, too!

Friday Night at 6 - and we’ll do to again, Sunday at 6 and Saturday at 1pm on WZUM, the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel.

As 2022 winds to a close, we are astounded at how quickly it passed by - and how resurgent the jazz scene proved to be. If you look at the monthly calendar for Jazz Central, the number of live events was astounding. Also, a number of performers and composers with Pittsburgh connections had new recordings and projects out that were quite notable.

WIth an average of 200 live jazz events each month, there’s clearly, too much in 2022 for one hour - glad we have a radio station so we can share a lot more in days and weeks to come!

The Scene - Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday at 5 on WZUM