When Howard Levy pulls out an ordinary harmonica, extraordinary sounds emerge. From intricate jazz solos to his "Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra,” he's stretched the little instrument beyond its ostensible limits. “Coltrane is my musical hero, along with Bach,” says Levy. “I just always wanted to try to play some of those tunes on the harmonica." In the 1970s, Levy came up with his own technique to play the full chromatic scale on a diatonic harmonica, and his ongoing forty-plus

This edition of Musician's Spotlight features one of the linchpins of late 20th-century American popular and folk music, the singer who popularized classic songs by writers both beloved and unknown: Joni Mitchell, Woody Guthrie, Leonard Cohen, Pete Seeger, Ian Tyson, Bob Dylan, Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill -- and "trad. arr. Collins." Starting with 1961's "Maid of Constant Sorrow" all the way up to 2017's "Everybody Knows" (with Stephen Stills) and into the present, her recording and performing

There aren't many jazz bassists who can sing with such ease, skill and style that you forget they're also playing bass. Ten recordings and several world tours into her performing career, Montanan Kristin Korb wields her double bass and woos audiences with romantic, danceable tunes that reflect her reverence for melody - like the songs of Johnny Mercer, whose unpublished "orphaned" texts Korb set to music and recorded on "Beyond the Moon." Korb teaches widely and performs and records with the

Singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman has carved out a career of over two-and-a-half decades, writing hit songs for artists like Faith Hill, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride and Bette Midler, while creating a niche for her own recordings and performances - and simultaneously overcoming significant life challenges and losses. But that only scratches the surface of this dynamo of creativity. "Musician's Spotlight" host John Floridis says one of the biggest challenges of this interview is to convey

Missoula Symphony Orchestra director Darko Butorac was praised by the Westdeutsche Zeitung for his “exceptional combination of passion, elegance and well‐timed pacing” and has established himself as a conductor in demand with orchestras both in Europe and the Americas. Darko stopped by the studios of Montana Public Radio in the fall of 2018 to discuss his final season in Missoula and what lies ahead in his career.

Composer, musical improviser and pianist Wayne Horvitz 's body of work sounds as eclectic as a short list of his ensembles: The Royal Room Collective; Sweeter Than The Day; The Gravitas Quartet; Electronic Circus; The President; Pigpen; Zony Mash. His collaborators include video artists, filmmakers, choreographers, performance artists, actors, poets and novelists - when he's not busy playing sideman to Carla Bley, Bill Frisell, Marty Ehrlich or John Zorn.

Montana-raised George Winston , one of the best-known performers of contemporary instrumental music, returns to "Musician's Spotlight" for an update on his career, his recovery from illness, and his most recent recording, "Spring Carousel."

In 2007, Zach Lupetin posted a Craigslist ad in search of fellow Angelitos who loved playing brass and string band music. With trumpet and trombone, mandolin and fiddle, wah-wah pedals and bull fiddle, The Dustbowl Revival 's sound melds the Great Depression with the Great Recession, the Stax catalog with the post-fire streets of Chicago. Join host John Floridis in conversation with The Dustbowl Revival founder, Zach Lupetin.

John Floridis hosts a holiday retrospective edition of "Musician's Spotlight," featuring music by artists who have appeared on the show during the past two decades. You'll hear music by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones; Derek Trucks with McCoy Tyner; NewGrange; John Gorka; Jerry Douglas; Alison Krauss with Natalie MacMaster; Karan Casey; and The Indigo Girls with Brandi Carlile. Pour a glass, light a fire in the fireplace and enjoy this tribute to the season with John Floridis and "Musician's

Shaun and Jamie Carrier of The Lucky Valentines met playing tunes at a fundraiser in Fort Benton, Montana. Cupid’s arrow pierced them and their shared love of classical music, rock ‘n roll, alt-country, blues, indie, Christian and folk music.