American Routes is blues and jazz, gospel and soul, rockabilly and country, Cajun and swamp pop, Tejano, Latin… and beyond. Songs and stories from musicians describe a deep and diverse nation with sounds and styles shared by all Americans. From the bayous to the beltways, from crossroads to crosstown, on interstates and city streets, turn up your radio for the sonic journey!
American Routes—produced in New Orleans since 1998
Sonny Rollins & Bob French
June 24, 2026
The late saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins ignited the jazz scene ever since he was a kid in the 1940s, hanging out with his mentor Thelonious Monk. We’ll revisit our conversation with the jazz master about his work with Miles and Monk among others, and his improvisatory explorations. Then, we’ll visit with New Orleans’ own jazz legend, the late Bob French, who led the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, to learn the finer points of keeping time in the Crescent City.
NEXT WEEK
4th of July with American Folklife Center
We celebrate our nation’s 250th year with a live concert in honor of the American Folklife Center’s 50-year legacy at the Library of Congress, sponsored by and hosted at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park in the French Quarter. We’ll hear New Orleans jazz from trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and his Barbeque Swingers, Afro-Creole Louisiana acapella Juré, a mix of French and Native American songs from the band Bogue Chitto, Creole fiddle tunes from Cedric Watson, Cajun music from accordionist and singer Bruce Daigrepont, Afro-French zydeco and blues from South Louisiana accordionist Jeffery Broussard, classic folk songs from Johnette Downing & Scott Billington, Bentonia, Mississippi blues from guitar slinger Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, and the latest Cajun French stylings of Louis Michot and Swamp Magic. May the Fourth be with us, on American Routes!
Juneteenth with the Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters
For Juneteenth, it’s music from the Staple Singers, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan, plus classic jazz, reggae and a new generation of singers: the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Norah Jones and Questlove. Then, songs, rhythms and histories from the Georgia Sea Islands Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters.
Remembering Sonny Rollins
Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins passed away Monday afternoon at his Woodstock, N.Y. home at the age of 95. We spoke with Rollins about his work with Miles and Monk among others, and his improvisatory explorations. You can find that interview here.
To find out more about Sonny Rollins, click here.