Great Inspirations: 22 Years of Jazz Inspired on NPR

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I hate jazz, but I love you.

Well, what do you listen to?

Certainly not jazz. Something more like Louis Armstrong.

More than twenty-two years ago, this exchange sent jazz pianist Judy Carmichael on a mission. Knowing that most people find jazz and the arts mysterious, Judy decided to record conversations with fellow artists from all fields, using jazz as an entry point into a discussion on inspiration and creativity – essentially producing a podcast before podcasts existed.

Great Inspirations 22 Years of Jazz Inspired on NPR is a selection of some of the most inspiring of these conversations from Judy’s show, Jazz Inspired, with everyone from Glenn Close and Jon Batiste to Jane Lynch and Willie Nelson. Introductions to each chapter reveal Judy’s challenging and often hilarious pursuit to find and entice guests onto the program. Corralling the super-famous can be an Everest climb, and Judy recounts the effort with a droll, Sedaris like wit, giving further insight into the wacky world of celebrity creativity.

In Judy’s words, The great gift of an artist’s life is the focus on listening, seeing, and paying attention. Artists live in imagination and playfulness and have the desire to challenge themselves, to grow and create. I hope this book not only brings light to the process of creativity but inspires it.