Dempsey Travis presents a jazz program and discusses the life, the music, and the community of Chicago jazz from before The Great Depression until World War II. Travis discusses 1920s-1930s Chicago for Black families including rent parties, breakfast dances, employment opportunities, union strikes, and jazz.

Dempsey Travis, real estate entrepreneur and civil rights activist turned historian and author, recalls his earlier days meeting and listening to many of the African American jazz artists. Some of the musicans mentioned are Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Lunceford, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, and Benny Goodman.

Dempsey Travis talks about his book, "An Autobiography of Black Jazz," as he recalls his childhood memories of Jazz, Blues, and Boogie-Woogie artists that he met.

Studs sits down with a musicologist and jazz musician, an American violinist, and a Russian violinist to discuss their cross-cultural and musical genre-bending collaboration - the American Soviet Youth Orchestra (AKA the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra).*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The unconventional music teacher returns to the studio to continue lessons from his book, Ways of the Hand: The Organization of Improvised Conduct.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The sociologist, music teacher, and author joins Studs to talk about his book, Ways of the Hand: The Organization of Improvised Conduct, and his unconventional approach to piano instruction.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations