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FLACO JIMENEZ & EDDIE PALMIERI

This week feel the Pan-Latin vibe with guests Flaco Jimenez and Eddie Palmieri. San Antonio native and king of the conjunto accordion, Jimenez recalls his father’s influence on his playing. And NuYorican jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri talks about reshaping Latin bands with his La Perfecta group in the early 1960s. Plus, hear how Latin music influenced American roots rock, jazz and even Cajun music.

GULF COAST BLUES AND MORE: BARBARA LYNN & BELTON RICHARD

Tune in for the words and music of two storied artists of the Gulf South. First up, the Empress of Gulf Coast Soul, Barbara Lynn, of Beaumont, Texas. Ms. Lynn recalls her days as the Black Elvis, playing left-handed guitar and penning and recording her own first-person paeans of love lost. Accordion player Belton Richard talks about bringing his mix of Cajun and country to dancehalls across the region and remembers his swamp pop days with the Musical Aces. Plus two hours of swampy blues, sultry country and more.

FIRE AND WATER: HERBIE HANCOCK & THE NEVILLE BROTHERS

Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock joins us to talk about keeping his hardcore jazz credentials while breaking the pop barrier with “Watermelon Man.” Hancock recalls famous associations with Miles and more, including those on his recent Record of the Year, River: the Joni Letters, a collection of Joni Mitchell tunes. Plus the four faces of New Orleans’ Mount Rushmore—Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril—the Neville Brothers. Since 1954, when Brother Art hit with the ultimate carnival classic “Mardi Gras Mambo,” the Nevilles have been on the scene, solo or as a group. We’ll hear their legacy of soul, funk and R & B as the brothers tell us how it all came to pass, and how the legacy lives on in the next generation with Ivan and Ian Neville.

DIVAS?

What comes to mind when you hear the word Diva? We’ll explore the meaning – and the sound – of that feminine term through our music mix, and through interviews with some high-minded women who give the word a good name: Bonnie Raitt, Abbey Lincoln and young chanteuse Norah Jones. Plus songs with men and women weighing in on the topic from Louis Jordan, Memphis Minnie, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and more.

JEWS & BLUES

Explore the connection between the wail of the cantor and the slide of a blues note—where jazz and western swing meet the klezmorium. Legendary R&B producer Jerry Wexler recalls working with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and more. Banjo player and author Henry Sapoznik talks about going from Old Time Country back to the music of his roots, klezmer. Plus jazz-inflected western swing, swinging klezmer and more.