
Jazz Unlimited ended on December 29, 2019 with host Dennis Owsley's retirement. The weekly radio show covered the continuum of jazz from Louis Armstrong to Lester Bowie. Each show was scripted and based on a theme to provide the broadest coverage of the music.
Host Dennis Owsley has been a jazz album collector, aficionado, and historian since 1958 and has seen most of the major artists in jazz in live performance. April 2018 marks his 35th anniversary presenting jazz on St. Louis Public Radio. He celebrated his 25th anniversary with a mayoral proclamation of a Dennis Owsley Day on January 24, 2008. He received the Millard S. Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Louis Public Radio in 2010 and was named a Jazz Hero of St. Louis by the Jazz Journalists Association. Jazz Unlimited won the Riverfront Times' Best of St. Louis Award in the "Best Jazz Show" category six times.
Nearly all the music heard on Jazz Unlimited is from Owsley's personal collection. He has an international reputation as a photographer of jazz musicians as well. >> See his photographs.
Owsley wrote an award-winning book, City of Gabriels—The Jazz History of St. Louis 1895-1973.
He produced a radio documentary in 1986 that led to that book. That documentary was produced again and expanded in 2013, the second-longest music documentary in radio history. >> Listen to all of the interviews.
Listen to the most recent two episodes of Jazz Unlimited:
View playlists from past episodes of Jazz Unlimited:
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Jazz Unlimited for April 16, 2017 will be “The Compositions of Duke Ellington: Collaborations with Billy Strayhorn.” Duke Ellington and his writing…
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Jazz Unlimited for April 9, 2017 will be “The Compositions of Charles Mingus.” Bassist Charles Mingus left us with many interesting and challenging…
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Jazz Unlimited for April 2, 2017 is “Jazz From London-Part 2.” A lot of exciting jazz was recorded in London by visiting American and other jazz musicians…
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Jazz Unlimited for March 26, 2017 will be “The Keys and Strings Hour + New Music.” The Keys and Strings Hour” or the quieter side of jazz will play piano…
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Jazz Unlimited for March 19, 2017 is “The Steeplechase, Storyville and Challenge Labels” Since the early 1970’s, the Danish labels Steeplechase,…
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Jazz Unlimited for March 12, 2017 will be “The Repertory of Brown-Roach, Incorporated.” One of the greatest small groups in jazz history, Brown-Roach,…
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Jazz Unlimited for March 5, 2017 will be “The Compositions of Hoagy Carmichael.” Songwriter-pianist-singer Hoagy Carmichael was an important figure in the…
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Jazz Unlimited for February 26, 2017 will be “The Keys and Strings Hour + New Music.” The Keys and Strings Hour,” or the quieter side of jazz will feature…
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Jazz Unlimited for February 19, 2017 will be “Americans in Paris-Part 3.” Many outstanding recordings with Americans were made in Paris beginning in 1937…
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Jazz Unlimited for February 12, 2017 will be “Americans in Paris-Part 2.” Many outstanding recordings with Americans were made in Paris beginning in 1937…