WUOT, the Knoxville NPR station licensed to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, will launch a new six-episode podcast called Improvisations to Go on March 31.
Hosted by WUOT Music Director Todd Steed, the podcast explores the jazz, food, art, and history of several cities, including New Orleans, Memphis, and Washington DC.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Steed had traveled to his destinations by train. Since travel is now restricted for many Americans, he described the podcast as, “the way for us to virtually travel together until the time it’s possible again in real life.”
A shorter version of the show will air on WUOT during Improvisations, the nightly jazz program. The full podcast version of each episode, however, will go a lot deeper.
“I love the long-form interview mixed with classic story telling,” Steed said. “There is a reason podcasts are so popular and why so many WUOT listeners have been enjoying them. People still love a well-produced good story.”
Improvisations to Go is also a love letter to several great American cities as well as to the art form of jazz.
“This music could not have originated anywhere else. Jazz music and the culture of these cities are a gift to us all and this podcast is a deep appreciation of that gift,” Steed said.
Listeners can hear Improvisations to Go episodes on the WUOT Jazz podcast, available through Apple podcasts. Episodes will also be available on a YouTube channel and at wuot.org.
Improvisations to Go will launch on March 31, with new episodes following on the next five Tuesdays.
Listener-supported WUOT 91.9 FM serves listeners throughout East Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Its format includes classical and jazz music, news, and public affairs. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and streams online at wuot.org.
WUOT’s second audio channel, WUOT-2, is available on HD Radio, internet radio, and wuot.org.
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CONTACT:
Todd Steed (865-974-5375, steed@utk.edu)