In A Mellow Tone
Wednesday August 27th, 2025 with Natalie McGrath
The Tortured Artists in Jazz, Part Two

Tune in to this week's session of In A Mellow Tone to hear part two of the “Tortured Artists of Jazz” series with host Natalie McGrath! Listeners can expect a deep dive into the history and music of jazz's most tortured artists. What is a tortured artist, you may ask? Essentially, it is a person who is constantly tormented by their art, their surroundings, or themselves. Many people believe that artists with the most tortured minds produce the best art, or that their bad habits stimulate their creativity. The concept of a tortured genius is quite profound in the genre of jazz with several exceptional musicians having histories of substance abuse, mental illness, domestic abuse, and even fatal addictions bound in their artistic struggles. For some musicians, their demons got the best of them and led to their demise, while a small portion of others allowed their hardships to fuel their drive to become better virtuoso artists. In this session, we will explore the lives of musicians who’s careers have been sidetracked or prematurely ended due to their addictions. We will also have the chance to recognize the musicians who battled to rise above their vices. This show features artists including Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Lee Morgan, and Sonny Rollins. Want to listen to part one of the “Tortured Artists in Jazz” series first? Click here: https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/ondemand-player.html?id=56862&token=A%22Rtq%5B11WR%29%5BXZ1HI%23D%23%22%60P%60V%7CsUr%29j%5Es%27H%5CJUh%3BIO_6dV%24%3Ay%3A