Rapp on Jazz
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.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Episodes
- 114
- Years Active
- 2025
Who coined 'jazz'?
Jazz is an odd word. Not surprisingly, no one agrees on how it came to be.
Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.
00:00:59 |
Thu 15 May 2025
Charlie Christian and the Electric Guitar
Charles Henry Christian, born July 29, 1916, was an American swing and jazz guitarist. He was among the first electric guitarists and was a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz
Visit…
00:01:00 |
Wed 14 May 2025
'Strange Fruit'
Few songs are as closely associated with a single performer as “Strange Fruit” and Billie Holiday. The song protests the lynching of Black Americans with lyrics that compare the victims to the fruit …
00:00:59 |
Tue 13 May 2025
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald, affectionately known as the "First Lady of Song" and the "Queen of Jazz," captivated audiences with her extraordinary vocal range, mesmerizing improvisational talents, and remarkable…
00:00:59 |
Mon 12 May 2025
Sarah Vaughan
Jazz singer and pianist Sarah Vaughan affectionately nicknamed “Sassy” and the “Divine One,” was an extraordinary talent who blended technical brilliance with heartfelt emotion.
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00:00:59 |
Fri 09 May 2025
Pat Metheny
Pat Metheny, guitarist and composer, was born in 1954 into a vibrant musical family, where he began his journey with the trumpet. His innovative style blends progressive and contemporary jazz, Latin…
00:00:59 |
Thu 08 May 2025
Chick Corea
Born in 1941, pianist and composer Chick Corea was pivotal in bridging fusion and traditional jazz. As a member of Miles Davis's band in the late 1960s, he participated in the birth of fusion.
Visi…
00:00:59 |
Wed 07 May 2025
Sonny Rollins
Tenor saxophonist Walter Theodore Rollins, better known as Sonny Rollins, was born in New York City on September 7, 1930. After discovering Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, he started playing the alt…
00:00:59 |
Tue 06 May 2025
Herbie Hancock
Pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, born in 1941 in Chicago, began his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group and quickly joined the legendary Miles Davis Quintet. He transformed the jazz rhythm …
00:00:59 |
Mon 05 May 2025
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter was a visionary saxophonist and composer who significantly shaped post-bop and fusion jazz. He joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and quickly became the primary composer. Known for his…
00:00:59 |
Fri 02 May 2025
Art Blakey
Art Blakey was an incredible drummer and bandleader who transformed the jazz scene. He burst onto the scene in the 1940s and collaborated with legends like Fletcher Henderson, Billy Eckstine, Theloni…
00:00:59 |
Thu 01 May 2025
Horace Silver
Horace Silver, born in 1928 and passed away in 2014, was a pianist and composer known for blending hard bop with elements of gospel, blues, and Latin music to create a sound that is uniquely his own.…
00:00:59 |
Wed 30 Apr 2025
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra, known as the “Chairman of the Board” and "Ol' Blue Eyes," was born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey. He began his musical career in the swing era, drawing inspiration from …
00:00:59 |
Tue 29 Apr 2025
Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole began his remarkable journey as a jazz pianist in the late 1930s when he founded The King Cole Trio. This group became the best-selling act on Capitol Records and made history as the on…
00:00:59 |
Mon 28 Apr 2025
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday, born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915, was a revolutionary jazz vocalist known for her unique and emotional phrasing.
Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcrip…
00:00:59 |
Fri 25 Apr 2025
Dave Brubeck
Dave Brubeck was a prominent composer and pianist in cool jazz, celebrated for his innovative use of time signatures.
Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.
00:01:00 |
Thu 24 Apr 2025
Stan Getz
Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, born Stanley Gayetski on February 2, 1927, was nicknamed "The Sound" due to his warm, lyrical tone.
Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz for full transcripts.
00:00:59 |
Wed 23 Apr 2025
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry Baker Jr., better known as Chet Baker, was born on December 23, 1929. He became renowned for his lyrical trumpet playing and soft vocal style, earning the nickname "Prince of Cool" for …
00:00:59 |
Tue 22 Apr 2025
Bud Powell
Bud Powell, born during the Harlem Renaissance, was a pioneering pianist and composer who significantly contributed to the development of bebop music.
Visit southcarolinapublicradio.org/rapponjazz …
00:00:59 |
Mon 21 Apr 2025
Miles Davis
Visionary trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis pioneered multiple jazz styles throughout his five-decade career. He was accepted into Juilliard but dropped out to join Charlie Parker's bebop quintet.…
00:01:00 |
Fri 18 Apr 2025
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