Charlie Parker is the father of bebop!  Along with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, his ideas took  jazz in a whole new direction.  The new harmonies and rhythms that were revolutionary in the 1940s are a standard part of jazz today.  Learn more about Bird, his life and music tonight on the 9 O'clock Special, jazz awakes at 8.  

A dynamic performer, a consumate musician, and a delightful spirit, saxaphonist James Moody is an inspiration to all musicians.  Moody started his career with Dizzy Gillespie after he returned from WWII.  Moody recorded bebop and ballads on his sax and flute for over sixty years  from 1948 until his death in 2010.  Hear the fun and fiesty sounds of jazz master James Moody Monday night on the 9 O'clock Special. 

It seems that saxaphone has always been a jazz star, but that isn't the case.  It all began with saxaphonist Coleman Hawkins who played interesting and intelligent lines on the horn.  Before Hawkins, it was mostly squawking and honking and sax was a novelty instrument.  Learn more about this brilliant player and innovator, who went from honky tonk horn to swing to bebop, hear the Hawk Monday night on the 9 O'clock Special on K-Jazz.  

Hank Mobley, who was born in Georgia and raised near Newark,  worked with Dizzy before he hooked up with the Jazz Messengers in the 50s. Although he recorded a number of sides for Blue Note, he was never as well known as his contemporaries John Coltrane and Stan Getz. Hear Hank's music tonight on the 9 O'clock Special.