Before Motown, Detroit had "Black Bottom" -- a neighborhood that

grew out of segregation and thrived in music, culture and the arts, but

was cut short by urban development. Violinist Regina Carter grew up in

that musically rich city and discusses several areas and aspects of Detroit that

are gone but not forgotten.

A trip to the Phillipines inspired percussionists Susie Ibarra and Roberto Rodriguez to document the music of its indigenous cultures on film, and found a humanitarian organization, Song of the Bird King.

In 1964, Peter O'Brien was a Jesuit seminary student searching for a life when he met his spiritual adviser -- the late pianist Mary Lou Williams. Father O'Brien remembers his deep friendship and his role as manager that would last throughout Williams' life.

"What first came to mind was Duke Ellington telling me long ago that in the 1920s, he went to Fletcher Henderson and said, "Why don't we drop the word 'jazz' and call what we're doing 'Negro music'? Then there won't be any confusion." --Nat Hentoff Since the 1960s, writer and producer Nat Hentoff has confronted the question "Is jazz black music.' He discusses the issue in a 2008 conversation with Dr. Lewis Porter and musician Don Byron.

In a freewheeling conversation, Brazilian musicians Duduka Da Fonseca, Helio Alves, and Maucha Adnet discuss Samba Jazz, the Bossa Nova, the real Girl From Ipanema, and whose name to drop for a free beer at the bar she would pass by every day.

Dr. Billy Taylor, who left us at the age of 87 in December 2010, opened the doors of Jazz for generations. As a pianist he played with the best in the business from 1942 (Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker et al) through 2010. But his contributions to jazz went far beyond the bandstand. Behind a radio microphone (for four decades), in front of a television camera, in the university setting and in the streets on Jazzmobile's flatbed trucks, Taylor was an evangelist and swinging practitioner of "America's classical music" In a 2007 Jazz at Lincoln Center conversation with Lewis Porter, he remembers the very surprising way he wound up in Ben Webster's band.

Bobby McFerrin has spent some four decades breaking ground in vocal music – and always feels fresh. His work VOCAbuLarieS is featured in our live performance Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio series. At rehearsals, and later backstage, he told producer Alexa Lim and Howard Mandel about his introduction to improvisation - courtesy of Miles Davis and friends.

"I don't ever want you to open for me again" said Sarah Vaughan. The diva was paying her a compliment, but the modest Dianne Reeves didn't know that. Now Reeves has won her own audiences (and four Grammy® awards) with pop, calypso, world music and jazz. Backstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Reeves shares her stories and reflects on the style and influence of the "Divine" Sarah Vaughan."

Widely admired for his original sound, the 83 year old alto saxophonist Lee Konitz is a master of improvisation who continues to travel the world seeking out new musical partnerships. JALC Radio producer David Goren recently interviewed Konitz about free improvisation, his association with the jazz pianist and teacher, Lennie Tristano, and the challenges of not imitating the iconic alto player, Charlie Parker.

Producer Matthew Long-Middleton brings us this story of a jazz musician who took the path less traveled. The late pianist Hank Jones was a musicians musician -- eloquent and always impeccable.But his career wasn't marked by the normal road gigs that most jazz greats build their reputations on.