© 2026 WUOT

WUOT
209 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0322
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Drawing Music From Art: Melina Paxinos

Melina Paxinos is an Athens-based saxophonist and composer whose music moves freely among jazz, improvisation, and modern classical. Her new recording, Muses, draws inspiration from some of her favorite surrealist artists.

In this conversation, Melina Paxinos talks about making Muses, the musicians and musical ideas that informed it, and the experience of creating adventurous contemporary jazz from Athens, Greece.

A Knoxville native, Todd is the Tuesday evening Improvisations host. He began working at WUOT in 2006 as jazz coordinator, program director and host of Studio 865/Flipside, Improvisations and Changing Course. Todd got his start in radio at WUTK, where he served as both news and music director while earning his undergraduate degree in journalism at UT. He later earned a master’s degree in education from UT and worked for several years in Programs Abroad. Todd was inducted into the East Tennessee Writer's Hall of Fame in 2023. He was also honored with the UT School of Journalism and Media2024 Alumni of the Year Award.

You can reach Todd at steed@wuot.org
Related Content
  • Improvisations To Go celebrates the jazz and culture of great American cities....unless Todd Steed gets lost. In this episode he finds himself happily lost in Greece, enjoying all things Athenian as well as going head first into the superb local jazz scene. In this episode we catch a show from Melina Paxinos at the legendary Half Note Jazz Club, as well as having an engaging chat with promoter Thrassos Irinis. And yes, there will be spanankopita consumption aplenty. Music in this episode features these musicians: Melina Paxinos, Mimis Plessas, George Trantalidis, Daniel Kimbro, Hunter Deacon, Matt Richardson, and some negligible guitar notes from Todd Steed. Anastasia Mousouli on pronunciation assistance.
  • Saxophonist Melina Paxinos checks in from Athens to discuss her recording history, her varied compositional styles, and the therapeutic value of the practice of her art.