This week on Visions, I celebrate Black History Month with the creators, innovators, and current shapers of jazz. Since jazz music is Black music, what better way to start this month than with jazz through the decades? This episode features bebop, spiritual jazz, the avant-garde, modern jazz and hard bop. It touches on themes of slavery, freedom, resistance, political issues of the time, and forward-thinking, afro-futurist art.

I start out in 1947 with one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, Charlie Parker. I move through almost each decade with selections from Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, Andrew Hill, Sonny Stitt, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and Ornette Coleman.

I play more contemporary selections from Cassandra Wilson, Wynton Marsalis, Trio 3 & Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, and Kamasi Washington. I’ll continue featuring Black artists this month, so stay tuned!

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Visions Playlist for Feb. 2, 2026

• “Donna Lee” – Charlie Parker
• “Bright Mississippi (Take 1)” – Thelonious Monk
• “What’s Your Story, Morning Glory” – Trio 3 & Geri Allen*
• “Driva’man (feat. Weedie Braimah, Milena Casado, Morgan Guerin, Simon Moullier & Matthew Stevens)” – Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell
• “Strange Fruit” – Cassandra Wilson
• “Original Faubus Fables” – Charles Mingus
• “The Chocolate Nuisance (Live)” – Cannonball Adderley
• “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
• “There Is No Greater Love” – Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt
• “Land of Nod” – Andrew Hill
• “Broad Way Blues” – Ornette Coleman
• “The Windmills of Your Mind” – Dorothy Ashby*
• “A Love Supreme, Pt. 2: Resolution” – John Coltrane
• “Chambers Of Tain” – Wynton Marsalis
• “Final Thought” – Kamasi Washington

* indicates Detroit artists

This episode of Visions celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a collection of liberation music: sounds of grief, struggle, freedom, loss, and joy.

I chose a couple tracks off of Max Roach’s “Freedom Now Suite” to anchor the episode. I also played Terri Lyne Carrington’s rendition of Roach’s suite, “We Insist 2025!” I play music from John Coltrane, Blue Mitchell, Cecil Payne, Nina Simone, Harold McKinney, Irreversible Entanglements, and many more.

I also promote a show coming to the Detroit Institute of Arts Diego Rivera Court this Friday, Jan. 23: George Lewis and the 45th Anniversary of the Creative Arts Collective with PUBLIQuartet. Check out information about the show and purchase tickets here.

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Visions Playlist for Jan. 19, 2026

• “Soldiers (I Have a Dream)” – Christian McBride
• “Tears For Johannesburg” – Max Roach
• “Mannenberg Revisited” – Abdullah Ibrahim
• “Tears For Johannesburg (feat. Julian Preister, Weedie Braimah, Milena Casado, Morgan Guerin & Matthew Stevens)” – Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell
• “March On Selma” – Blue Mitchell
• “Freedom Jazz Dance” – Harold McKinney*
• “Someday I’ll Find You” – Sonny Rollins
• “Martin Was a Man, A Real Man” – Oliver Nelson
• “Freedom Day” – Max Roach
• “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues (Arr. by PUBLIQuartet for String Quartet)” – PUBLIQuartet
• “Ghost Dancers” – A. Spencer Barefield*
• “Martin Luther King, Jr. I Know Love” – Cecil Payne
• “Why? (The King of Love Is Dead)” – Nina Simone
• “Fireworks” – Irreversible Entanglements
• “Alabama (Live At Birdland Jazzclub, New York City, NY, 10/18/1963)” – John Coltrane
• “I Have a Dream” – Herbie Hancock

* indicates Detroit artists

On this episode of Visions, I welcome the new year with a mix of old and new. I play classic cuts that got us here and new music that’s taking us into the new year and beyond.

I play quintessential tracks from Max Roach, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Aretha Franklin, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, and Lee Morgan.

I also play brand new singles from Joel Ross, Signal Quartet, and Tomeka Reid. Finally, I cover a couple albums that came out last year that I didn’t discover until this year from Gerald Clayton and Phi-Psonics.

Happy new year and happy listening!

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Visions Playlist for Jan. 5, 2026

• “A Brand New Me” – Aretha Franklin*
• “One by One (Live)” – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
• “Wisdom is Eternal (for Barry Harris)” – Joel Ross
• “More Always” – Gerald Clayton
• “dance! skip! hop!” – Tomeka Reid
• “Sumpin’ Like Dat” – Marion Hayden*
• “Love Theme from Your Life” – Phi-Psonics
• “And Silence” – Myra Melford Trio
• “I’ll Get By (As Long As I Have You)” – John Coltrane
• “The Mercenary” – Lee Morgan
• “Credibility Gap” – Signal Quartet*
• “Absolutions” – Max Roach
• “Prince of Darkness” – Miles Davis
• “Just Give It Some Time” – Bennie Maupin*
• “Binky’s Beam” – John McLaughlin
• “Groove” – William Parker

* Indicates Detroit artists