Leonard Bernstein was one of the great institutions of American music. He was a pianist, conductor, composer and communicator. He was truly a "man for all musical seasons". Bernstein loved and respected Jazz music and the musicians that perform it. He drew no lines between Jazz and so-called "classical music".....in his eyes they were equals. He was unlike many of his contemporaries in the classical field who look askance of Jazz. This album despite some funny and unintentionally dated references (it was after all recorded in 1956) still has great relevance in explaining what and what isn't Jazz in a simple non-academic manner of which Bernstein for all his erudition was and expert at. This is Part 1 of The Jazz Show's annual tribute to September's "back to school" idea. All hail Maestro Bernstein and his document "What Is Jazz".

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