Fresh Air, Neil Simon and Paul Motian, April 27, 2007 (Nonfiction‪)‬

Hear musician Paul Motian, playwright Neil Simon, and film critic David Edelstein on this edition of Fresh Air.

Paul Motian has over 50 years of experience in music. He has played in many different settings, most notably with the Bill Evans trio with bassist Scott LaFaro. Their recordings include the classics Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Portrait of Jazz. Motian also played with Thelonious Monk, Lee Konitz, and Paul Bley, and enjoyed a long collaboration with Keith Jarrett. Lately, he plays with three of his own groups: his trio with guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano; Trio 2000 + 1, with the bassist Larry Grenadier and the saxophonist Chris Potter (plus Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi); and the Paul Motian Band, which includes three guitarists, two tenor saxophonists, a bassist, and a drummer. His latest album, with Bill Frisell and Joe Lovano, is Time and Time Again. (Original Airdate: 3/13/06)

Then, Neil Simon, whose plays and movies include Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, The Goodbye Girl, The Out-of-Towners, and The Sunshine Boys. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his play Lost in Yonkers. There's a new DVD collection, The Odd Couple: The First Season, which collects episodes of the TV show based on his play. (Original Airdate: 10/17/96)

Finally, David Edelstein reviews Private Fears in Public Places, the new film by the 84-year-old French director Alain Resnais. [Broadcast Date: April 27, 2007]