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'Speakeasies to Symphonies' and 'Cosmic Music' chronicle 2 jazz greats

NPR | By Kevin Whitehead

Published April 13, 2026 at 11:51 AM EDT

Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews biographies of two musicians who transcended jazz, and to whom recognition was slow in coming: James P. Johnson, born in 1894, and Alice Coltrane, born in 1937.

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Kevin Whitehead

Kevin Whitehead is the jazz historian for NPR's Fresh Air. He's been a contributor to the show since 1987. In 2021 he received the Jazz Journalists Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in Jazz Journalism. Currently he reviews for The Audio Beat and Point of Departure.