A strong case can be made for Max Roach as the most complete drummer in jazz history. He was front-and-center for both the bebop movement that transformed jazz in the late 1940s and its hard-bop offshoot in the mid-1950s. He helped pioneer a new drumming style in which the ride cymbal was the focal element of the drumkit, and his ability to play extremely fast ride patterns set a new standard for drumming excellence. 

As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this presentation about Max Roach was produced in 1999 by Ben Shapiro – and narrated by the show host Nancy Wilson. 

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

As an arranger, Gil Evans has few peers in jazz history. His style is instantly recognizable, often using unusual brass colorations for jazz, such as combinations of tuba and French horn. Famous for his collaborations with Miles Davis, Gil brought orchestral colors and textures to jazz – and was a pioneer of the “cool” sound. Beyond Miles, he arranged and composed the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Herbie Hancock and dozens of others. “Gil’s arrangements were like a symphony,” Wayne Shorter once said, “He opened doors for us.” 

As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this presentation about Gil Evans was produced in 2000 by Larry Hicock – and narrated by the show host Nancy Wilson. 

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Pianist, composer, arranger, and innovator Mary Lou Williams’ musical career reflected the history of American jazz from the late 1920s through the 1970s. Described by Duke Ellington as being “beyond category,” she was conversant in jazz styles ranging from stride and swing to be-bop and avant-garde, yet her music was always rooted in spirituals and the blues. Mary wrote and arranged for Duke and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie. 

As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this presentation about Mary Lou Williams was produced in 1997 by Margaret Howze – and narrated by the show host Nancy Wilson. 

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Jazz guitarist Jim Hall’s technique has been called subtle, his sound mellow, and his compositions understated; yet his recording and playing history was anything but modest. He recorded with artists ranging from Bill Evans to Itzhak Perlman and performed alongside most of the jazz legends of the 20th century. The first of the modern jazz guitarists to receive an NEA Jazz Masters award, his prowess on the instrument puts him in the company of Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Django Reinhardt. 

As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this presentation about Jim Hall was produced in 2000 by Reese Erlich – and narrated by the show host Nancy Wilson. 

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Recognized for decades as the world’s premier bassist, Ray Brown was a significant part of the modern jazz movement – earning numerous accolades like the National Endowment for the Arts’ Jazz Masters Award and induction into DownBeat Magazine's Jazz Hall of Fame. In the many years that Ray made music, he played in every major night club and concert hall in the world – and performed with numerous legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Tony Bennett, and Sarah Vaughan. 

As part of the Peabody Award-winning documentary series “Jazz Profiles,” this presentation about Ray Brown was produced in 1996 by Joan Merrill – and narrated by the show host Nancy Wilson. 

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Known for his bright sound, impeccable technique, buoyant phrasing, and confident playing style, saxophonist Phil Woods was a true master of all things bop. He was also an NEA Jazz Master, received a living Jazz Legend Award from the Kennedy Center, and was awarded four Grammy Awards over his lifetime – but his contributions to the music’s lineage extend so much farther. He performed and recorded with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Clark Terry, Bill Evans, Oliver Nelson, Quincy Jones, and Thelonious Monk – and was always generous in sharing his experiences and tutelage with aspiring musicians across the country.

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Whistling guitarist and harmonica master Toots Thielemans played in everything from Charlie Parker’s band to commercials for Old Spice, on the theme from “Midnight Cowboy” and the theme from “Sesame Street.” Most important, he made the harmonica a jazz instrument. A perennial winner of DownBeat readers and critics polls in the category “miscellaneous instruments,” Thielemans was called “one of the greatest musicians of our time” by Quincy Jones in 1995.

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

Freddy Cole always drew comparisons to his brother, Nat, and strived to carve out his own space. But the one thing everyone agreed on was his talent as both a singer and a pianist. Later in life, The New York Times said, “Freddy has an impeccable sense of swing…  he is, overall, the most maturely expressive male jazz singer of his generation, if not the best alive.”

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

An irrepressibly original composer, arranger and pianist, Carla Bley is responsible for more than 60 years of wily provocations in and around jazz. She once attributed her originality as a composer – she is self-taught – to blissful ignorance of “right” and “wrong” ways to write a song. Working as a cigarette girl at Birdland in the 1950s, her role models included Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis – all achieved much with few notes. But Bley’s work also included maximalist explorations and many spirited pieces for big band. Famed critic Nat Hentoff wrote, “her scores for jazz big bands are matched only by those of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus for yearning lyricism, explosive exultation and other expressions of the human condition.”

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com

A pioneer of the cool school, jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz was a prolific and idiosyncratic artist – respected as much for the way he didn’t play as for the way he did. Like many musicians of his era, he adopted the expanded harmonic vocabulary of Charlie Parker, but Lee’s improvisations were measured and understated, more thoughtful than heated. Over the years, Lee worked with legends like Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, and Elvin Jones – and he participated in Miles Davis’ “Birth of the Cool” sessions.

The “Jazz Profiles” shows – nearly 200 of them – are part of the Tim Owens Jazz & Broadcast Collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. In a partnership with Tim and UNTML, we’ve picked a handful of noteworthy shows to share with you. You can find more “Jazz Profiles” shows at the UNT Music Library’s Jazz Syndicate (www.library.unt.edu/jazzsyndicate), and learn more about 32 Bar Blues' clothing collection and commitment to the arts at 32barblues.com