Rapp on Jazz

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Rapp on Jazz

South Carolina Public Radio

172 episodes

2 days ago

Rapp on Jazz, co-produced by South Carolina Public Radio and the ColaJazz Foundation, highlights the Palmetto State's connection to the history of jazz music and the current jazz scene. Join Mark Rapp, executive director of the foundation and host of SC Public Radio’s ColaJazz Presents, for these 60-second segments covering everything from famous South Carolinians like Dizzy Gillespie and Eartha Kitt to the “Big Apple” dance craze of the 1930s to the best clubs to experience jazz in the state.

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Music Commentary

All content for Rapp on Jazz is the property of South Carolina Public Radio and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Rapp on Jazz, co-produced by South Carolina Public Radio and the ColaJazz Foundation, highlights the Palmetto State's connection to the history of jazz music and the current jazz scene. Join Mark Rapp, executive director of the foundation and host of SC Public Radio’s ColaJazz Presents, for these 60-second segments covering everything from famous South Carolinians like Dizzy Gillespie and Eartha Kitt to the “Big Apple” dance craze of the 1930s to the best clubs to experience jazz in the state.

Show more...

Music Commentary

Episodes (20/172)

Rapp on Jazz

Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, pt. I

Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington shared one of jazz’s most legendary musical partnerships. Strayhorn, a brilliant composer and arranger, joined Ellington’s orchestra in the late 1930s and became Ellington’s right-hand collaborator. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 days ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Jazz's legacy in rock

Blending jazz and rock styles showed that rock could be smart and sophisticated while remaining fun, energetic, and popular. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 days ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Steely Dan and jazz

Steely Dan is a perfect example of how jazz shapes rock music. From the 1970s onward, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker infused their rock songs with complex jazz harmonies, sophisticated chord progressions, and tight, syncopated rhythms. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

4 days ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Rock songs that reflect jazz

Jazz and rock are always borrowing and always inspiring each other. Here are a few rock songs shaped by jazz, where improvisation, rhythm, and harmony push the music beyond boundaries. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

1 week ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Rock and jazz, pt. II

Jazz left an indelible mark on rock music. Take The Beatles’ “Something.” George Harrison’s use of rich jazz chords and a melodic, walking-style bassline shows how jazz progressions can inform songwriting. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

1 week ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Rock and jazz, pt. I

Jazz has left its fingerprints all over popular music. From the swing era forward, jazz rhythms, harmonies, and improvisation have shaped the sound of pop. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

1 week ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Civil rights and jazz

During the Civil Rights Movement, jazz was a voice for freedom. Musicians like Nina Simone, with her searing anthem "Four Women," spoke directly to the struggle for justice. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

1 week ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Jazz and Broadway

Jazz has had a profound influence on the Broadway stage. In the 1920s and ’30s, jazz rhythms and harmonies began to reshape the sound of the American musical, giving it a freshness and vitality audiences hadn’t heard before. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

1 week ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Lily Pearl Woodard, better known as Pearl Woods, was born in Saint Matthews, South Carolina, in 1933. She later moved to New York, drawn by Harlem's vibrant music scene, where she began singing on street corners and with local groups. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Webster Young was born in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 3, 1932. Though he left South Carolina as a toddler, the musical seeds planted there would flourish elsewhere. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Composer, singer, and percussionist Nick Ashford was born in 1941 in South Carolina. As an infant, he moved north to Michigan, eventually settling in New York City, where he dreamed of becoming a dancer. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Mac Arnold, born in 1942 in Ware Place, South Carolina, is a powerhouse in jazz and blues whose career spans decades and coasts. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Ken Burns' 'Jazz'

Ken Burns’ "Jazz" documentary, first aired on PBS in 2001, is more than a history lesson—it’s a celebration of an American art form. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

2 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

'Lady Sings the Blues,' the autobiography

"Lady Sings the Blues" is much more than a song—it’s the title of Billie Holiday’s 1956 autobiography and a window into the life of one of jazz’s most iconic voices. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

The musical elements of 'Lady Sings the Blues'

"Lady Sings the Blues" is one of Billie Holiday’s signature recordings, and it’s a masterclass in vocal jazz. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Jazz and virtual art

Jazz helped reshape the visual arts. Artists like Romare Bearden and Jackson Pollock translated jazz's energy, rhythm, and improvisation onto canvas. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Colson Whitehead and jazz

Colson Whitehead’s fiction often pulses with the spirit of jazz, shaping both rhythm and structure in his narratives. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Jazz in American literature

Throughout American literature, jazz has been a storytelling tool. Writers like Ralph Ellison and Toni Morrison didn’t merely write about jazz — they wrote with it. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

3 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Ralph Ellison and jazz

Ralph Ellison, author of "Invisible Man," grew up playing the trumpet and carried jazz in his bones. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

4 weeks ago

59 seconds

Rapp on Jazz

Toni Morrison and jazz

Toni Morrison, one of America’s greatest novelists, often turned to jazz as both subject and structure. Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.

4 weeks ago

1 minute