Jazz Profiles

Jazz Profiles was an American radio show produced by NPR and hosted by jazz singer Nancy Wilson. It featured hour-long retrospectives on the lives of famous jazz musicians, or sometimes on famous albums such as Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. The show covers a wide range of jazz musicians, from the very famous to the lesser known but still notable ones, such as Jon Hendricks. It won a Peabody Award in 2002 "for an innovative presentation of the world of jazz, honoring the works and the great artists of this unique American musical form."^[1]

The show began in 1995 when lead producer Tim Owens and host Nancy Wilson teamed up to create a weekly documentary series. The first episode, broadcast in August 1995, was a two-hour program celebrating the 75th birthday of jazz legend Charlie Parker.^[2] Most subsequent shows ran one hour and most focused on the life of one jazz musician. Exceptions included a special about the Village Vanguard, a two-part series about Miles Davis, a three-part exploration of lyricism in jazz, and a two-part special about Nat King Cole.^[2]

The show ran seven years until its ending in 2002. Over 200 episodes were aired.^[2]