This I Love Jazz features two artists from the St. Louis area that have enjoyed national success – generations apart. Willie Akins is a senior ambassador of the saxophone. His career, both in New York and the Gateway City, has been swinging for over half a century. Montez Coleman, from the Metro East, is a young drummer who is making waves both here and in the Big Apple. Together, with guitarist Eric Slaughter and bassist Bob Deboo, they made great straight-ahead jazz at Jazz at the Bistro – captured live for this I Love Jazz. Also featured in this program, is a look at the life and work of another native St. Louisian, Al Hirschfeld- through a special exhibition at the Sheldon Art Gallery that explores the artist’s lifelong fascination with jazz and the musical arts. Our Jazz Gem features another sax/drum combination, Flip Phillips and Butch Miles. And on our educational segment, Building Blocks of Jazz, Phil Dunlap looks at the history of the piano in jazz music.