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It wasn’t an easy road to bringing music and animation together. In the days before sound and image became one, theaters had live accompanists…or films were simply silent. But in the late 1920s, New York-based Fleischer Studios - whose work includes Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman - revolutionized the genre. We’ll hear how this family-run animation studio pioneered many practices, some of which are still used today. Guests include Daniel Goldmark, author “Tunes for ‘Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon” and Will Friedwald, author of "A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers."

Seventy years ago today, a certain animated rabbit made his first real appearance in a cartoon short directed by Tex Avery. The short was called “A Wild Hare,” and we’re willing to bet you know which bunny it starred.

This season will be Simon Cowell's last as judge on Fox's smash-hit American Idol. The caustic Brit everyone loves to hate is stepping down to bring his show X Factor to American audiences next year. Some say he’s brought diverse audiences together and made us all critics; others argue he ...

Scat singing -- improvisation with random nonsense syllables -- has long been a part of the jazz singer’s toolbox. But how much are vocalists still practicing this unique art? Today, we look at how one learns how to scat, what makes a great scat singer, and where the practice came ...

New York's grand hotel bars are about swanky cocktails and swinging piano music. But with changes in hotel ownership and audience demographics, some are playing their last song. Joining us is Will Friedwald, jazz and cabaret critic for the New York Sun; and Rich Jenkins, who performs at the St. ...