Rapp on Jazz

<p>Born in Dillon, South Carolina, Jimmy Hamilton was a masterful clarinetist and tenor saxophonist best known for his 25-year tenure with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. </p><p>Visit...

<p>Born in Aiken, South Carolina, Bubber Miley was a key figure in the 1920s Harlem jazz scene and a pioneering trumpeter whose sound helped define the early Duke Ellington Orchestra. </p><p>Visit...

<p>When you watch a jazz pianist, it’s easy to focus on the notes but there’s so much happening behind the keys. This is true whether they're performing solo or as part of an ensemble.</p><p>Visit...

<p>Jazz played a surprising yet powerful role in the desegregation of U.S. military bands. During World War II, African American musicians were often restricted to all-Black units despite their talent and experience...

<p>Jazz played a quiet but powerful role in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. Artists like Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim used music to protest racial segregation, promote unity, and give voice to the...

<p>Louis Armstrong was a global ambassador for music and goodwill. During the Cold War, he toured the world under the auspices of the U.S. State Department, performing in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle...

<p>In the 1950s and ’60s, Dave Brubeck led some of the most influential U.S. State Department jazz goodwill tours, bringing his quartet to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. </p><p>Visit...

<p>During the Cold War, Duke Ellington became one of America’s most powerful cultural ambassadors. Beginning in the 1960s, Ellington and his orchestra toured Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as part of U.S...

<p>In 1956, Dizzy Gillespie led one of the Cold War’s most influential cultural missions—the U.S. State Department’s jazz goodwill tour. </p><p>Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.</p>

<p>During the Cold War, jazz became a form of cultural exchange. As the United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence, jazz traveled the world as a symbol of creativity, freedom, and individuality...

<p>Failure is one of the most important teachers in jazz. Every missed note, every rough gig, every moment that didn’t go as planned carries a lesson—if you’re willing to listen. </p><p>Visit...

<p>I started ColaJazz because I saw both a need and an opportunity. I was performing, teaching, and traveling, but I kept asking myself a simple question: How do we build something that lasts—for musicians, for...

<p>Mentorship has always been at the heart of jazz. You can learn scales, theory, and history in the classroom—and that foundation matters—but the bandstand teaches lessons no book ever can. </p><p>Visit...

<p>Jazz still matters because it teaches us how to listen -- to each other and to the moment we’re living in.</p><p>Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.</p>

<p>Technology has always shaped how jazz is recorded—and how it’s heard. Early jazz musicians crowded around a single microphone, capturing performances in one take. </p><p>Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz...