Jazz Tonight with Leslie Keros

Monday-Thursday 8-midnight on WVTF Music
  • Hosted by Leslie Keros
  • Leslie Keros
    Leslie Keros

Born and raised in the Detroit area, Leslie Keros has been steeped in music since she can remember, taking classical piano lessons, singing in youth and adult choirs, and attending fine arts camp in the summer. She first heard jazz on the radio in her youth, and her love for the music continued after she moved to Chicago. She has hosted jazz and blues shows since 2000. Playlist can be found here.

Lost (And Found) In Yonkers: The Billy Lester Story

By & • Jan 28, 2021

Public acknowledgment took its time finding Billy Lester. A pianist devoted to searching for a new form of modern jazz, he spent more than half a century on the outskirts of New York City, quietly honing his craft. "I just figured I'd go to my grave without any kind of recognition," he says plainly, "and I was at the point in my life where I totally accepted that."

Jonas Gwangwa, South African Musician And Activist, Dies At 83

By Martin Johnson • Jan 23, 2021

The great South African trombonist and composer Jonas Gwangwa, who was an ambassador for his country's music around the globe and an advocate against apartheid at home, died today. Gwangwa's death was announced in a statement published on the web site of the presidency of the Republic of South Africa. He was 83 years old.

Sofia Rei: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By • Jan 16, 2021

Every January, I attend globalFEST at a New York City nightclub and see some of the most fantastic music I'll experience all year. Now, given the pandemic's challenges and the hardening of international borders, NPR Music and globalFEST moved the 2021 edition from the nightclub to your screen of choice and shared the festival with the world. We called it Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST.

Labess: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

By • Jan 16, 2021

Every January, I attend globalFEST at a New York City nightclub and see some of the most fantastic music I'll experience all year. Now, given the pandemic's challenges and the hardening of international borders, NPR Music and globalFEST moved the 2021 edition from the nightclub to your screen of choice and shared the festival with the world. We called it Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST.

We Need To Be Able To Feel

By • Jan 15, 2021

I can think of no better summation of our shared experience over the last year than "A World Lost," the title of the piece that opens Maria Schneider's Data Lords. A slow, foreboding dirge in an oblong time signature, it instantly sets a tone of somber contemplation.

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