Kevin Whitehead

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the first album by the trio New Winds, whose members have experiences in both jazz and classical music. Clarinetist J.D. Parran has played with an improviser's collective called The Black Artists Group, saxophonist Ned Rothenberg plays with a band that does covers of 60s songs, and flutist Robert Dick has played primarily with classical ensembles.

Jazz Critic KEVIN WHITEHEAD reviews the latest album by jazz drummer and big band leader Louie Bellson. Bellson, the husband of Pearl Bailey, has been drumming since three. When he was 17, he won a nationwide competition sponsored by Gene Kruppa that launched his career. He's played for Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James and Duke Ellington.

Jazz Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews "Bayou Magic," a new album by clarinetist Alvin Batiste. Since the 50s, Batiste has been a key figure in the modern jazz movement in New Orleans. Under the auspices of the State Department, he has toured the world extensively, and is also a teacher at Southern University in Baton Rouge, where his students have included Branford Marsalis and Donald Harrison.