Remembering Andy Bey: A love letter to a jazz legend

This interview with vocalist and pianist Andy Bey originally aired on Oct. 25, 2019, on the occasion of Bey's 80th birthday. The episode has been updated following Bey's death.

Updated in 2025 by Sarah Geledi.

Here are a few indisputable truths about Andy Bey. First things first: Bey, who died on April 26, 2025, at the age of 85, occupied the top rank of jazz singers. He led a circuitous career, starting out as a prodigy, slipping into obscurity and experiencing a late renaissance. And he was an original: Nobody else ever sounded quite like him, and it's almost certain nobody else ever will.

"I've always been a loner, and I was looking for nobody's approval," Bey reflected in a 2019 interview. "I never tried to follow anybody, musically or otherwise." In this episode of Jazz Night in America, we celebrate his unique artistry and revisit his story.

We'll listen in on an illuminating conversation between Bey and his producer, Herb Jordan. We'll hear tributes from collaborators, like guitarist Paul Meyers, and longtime admirers, like jazz-vocal guru Dominique Eade. And of course, we'll hear plenty of music — an exquisite, previously unissued concert recorded at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at the Lincoln Center in New York in 2002.

Musicians: Andy Bey, voice, piano; Paul Meyers, guitar; Joe Martin, bass; Mark McLean, drums.

Set List:

1. "Pick Yourself Up" (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields)
2. "Invitation" (Bronisław Kaper, Paul Francis Webster)
3. "Tuesdays in Chinatown" (Herb Jordan, Dorian Elliot)
4. "River Man" (Nick Drake) 
5. "All the Things You Are" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
6. "Saídas e Bandeiras" (Milton Nascimento)

Credits:

Host: Christian McBride; Writer and Producer: Alex Ariff; Senior Producer: Katie Simon; Music Recorded by Ed Haber and George Wellington; Additional production for this tribute edition: Sarah Geledi. Thanks to: Ashley Kahn, Jane Gilvin, Olivia Meyer, Kay Wolff, Joseph Fridman and James Crawford.