#Jazz

Even though most in-person musical performances have been paused during the coronavirus pandemic, many local musicians are still staying busy.  Lisa Barry talks with Ann Arbor percussionist Pete Siers, who has found joy from performing in his neighborhood park to co-creating with other local musicians and planning more musical performances once the pandemic is over.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a drastic and devastating effect on many different businesses and people in the area.  Local musicians have been especially hard hit because of closed venues and being unable to share their talents.  Local jazz bassist, composer, and teacher Paul Keller shares his reaction to the global health crisis and how it inspired him to get creative, putting out a new jazz Christmas CD, "Even More Christmas Songs For Jazz Lovers," and talks to WEMU's Lisa Barry about that.

Ann Arbor area jazz and blues pianist "Mr. B" Mark Braun has adapted to pandemic life playing music safely distanced outside every Friday night for the past few months.  As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Washtenaw County and around the state, he has decided to stop performing outside for now out of consideration for community health.

Lisa Barry talks to Mark about his decision and the impact of the global health crisis on his musical career.

Local bassist, composer, educator, and performer Paul Keller said the current pandemic brought a brief end to his playing and performing to the point he almost forgot how to do it.  Almost.  Now he's back at it in new and creative ways sharing live jazz music with the community, even composing some 40 new songs.

He talks with WEMU's Lisa Barry about how the joy of jazz has inspired him to keep the music alive and how you might see him performing in your neighborhood as the current global health crisis plays out.

Just as Ann Arbor's Blue LLama Jazz Club was getting ready to celebrate its first birthday, it was forced to shut down like all other clubs and restaurants in Michigan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with the owner of the club, Don Hicks, about how they, like many jazz musicians, have had to improvise to stay connected with the community.

In the second half of WEMU's Lisa Barry's interview with news director David Fair and jazz and blues host Michael Jewett, the conversation picks up as they look back at their lengthy on-air careers at WEMU.

Lengthy on-air careers are pretty rare in the radio business.  Here at WEMU, a number of on-air hosts have been on the air entertaining and informing listeners for decades!

89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry talks with jazz and blues host Michael Jewett and news director and local Morning Edition host David Fair about their careers and memories on the air at WEMU.

Jazz historian Dr. Karl Koenig has built one of the world's most extensive collections of jazz and ragtime music.  Recently, he selected the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, or R4, in Tecumseh to maintain and preserve his collection.  R4 founder and executive director William Pemberton joins WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich to talk about this amazing undertaking in this week's "creative:impact."

After stops as managing director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia and as president of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Mathew Van Besien chose Ann Arbor.  He left what many consider to be the cultural hub of the world to become the 7th president of UMS, the University Musical Society.  He began the job on July 1st of 2017 and, with an eye to the future, spent time reflecting on his first year in town and on the job. 

 Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson believes that music is a tool for greater good.  His new CD, Check Cashing Day is a stirring jazz tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech and to the greater good it inspires.  Linda Yohn will feature

 This morning on 89.1 Jazz.  Music starts at 9am streaming at on wemu.org and on 89.1, WEMU.