Improvisations on WUOT
Weekdays from 6:30-8 p.m.
Improvisations, heard weekdays 6:30 to 8 p.m., is produced and hosted locally by Eric Reed (Mondays) Todd Steed (Tuesdays), Paul Parris (Wednesdays), Taber Gable (Thursdays) and Chris Woodhull (Fridays).
Improvisations is curated by a dedicated lineup of jazz fans with over 70 years of jazz radio experience. Our playlists reflect every era of jazz from the earliest New Orleans swing to last week's best releases. We strive to keep the show interesting, listenable, enlightening and entertaining. We love to hear from our listeners and our contact information is located below.
Questions or comments? Email improv@utk.edu
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Melony Dodson talks with Eric Dawson, assistant director for the McClung Collection, and keyboardists, Roger Miller and Ron Carter, who will provide live accompaniment for two of Clarence Brown's silent films being shown as part of the Clarence Brown Film Festival held in downtown Knoxville -
Jazz musician, composer and radio host Christian McBride talks Zorn, Mabern, Eric Reed, Donald Brown and all things Big Ears. He's ready to return to Knoxville, a city he wants to know better.
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Composer Jennifer Higdon talks with Todd Steed about her formative years in East Tennessee and how those shaped her work. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will perform her Cold Mountain Suite as part of the Moxley Carmichael Masterwork Series on March 23-24 at the Tennessee Theatre.
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The Big Ears Festival boasts an amazing offering of jazz this year. Todd talked to legendary sax player Joe Lovano about his varied plans. Also, Gregory Tardy chats about his new, bold project which he will perform at the festival.
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Playwright, novelist, and actress Alice Childress was the first African American woman whose work was professionally produced on the New York stage. Childress wrote the play Trouble in Mind in 1955 and based it largely on her own experiences in the theatre. The play was finally produced on Broadway in 2021 and nominated for four Tony Awards. The Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of Trouble in Mind is directed by visiting artist Marti Gobel, who spoke with WUOT’s Chrissy Keuper.
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Melony Dodson talks with Director, Ethan Graham Roeder, and actors, Sheryl Howard and Matthew Mimbs
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The Kyiv City Ballet began a long-planned European tour on February 23rd, 2022, taking what became one of the last flights out of Ukraine as Russian troops invaded the country the next day. The Kyiv City Ballet now remains on tour indefinitely and is performing in Tennessee. Ivan Kozlov is the ballet’s founder and director and he spoke with WUOT’s Chrissy Keuper.
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Aram Demirjian discusses the season opener, featuring music of Mozart, Shaw and Ginastera.
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The University of Tennessee’s Clarence Brown Theatre begins a new season with a new artistic director. Ken Martin spoke with WUOT’s Chrissy Keuper about what he envisions for the future of the CBT and the live entertainment industry.
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Knoxville Opera’s first opera of the season is called Glory Denied. It’s the story of Colonel Floyd James Thompson, America’s longest-held prisoner of war, who spent nearly nine years in captivity in Vietnam and Laos during the Vietnam War. Dean Anthony is Knoxville Opera’s Producing Director and he spoke with WUOT’s Chrissy Keuper about the opera and its connection with the Congressional Medal of Honor Celebration in Knoxville.
