PARIS: WELCOME TO A SPECIAL EPISODE OF "GBH NEWS ROOTED."

TONIGHT WE ARE CELEBRATING A BOSTON NATIVE WHOSE SOUND IS RESONATING FAR BEYOND OUR CITY LIMITS.

HER MUSIC IS A VIBRANT MIX OF TRADITION AND INNOVATION, SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO THE SOUL OF JAZZ.

OUT OF OUR FREEZER PERFORMANCE STUDIO, AN INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARTIST.

WE WILL TALK ABOUT HER ROOTS RIGHT HERE IN BOSTON.

THIS IS A SPECIAL NIGHT FOR MUSIC AND CULTURE.

ENJOY.

♪ >> ♪ OUT OF MY DREAMS AND INTO YOUR ARMS I LONG TO FLY I WILL COME AS EVENING COMES OUT OF MY DREAMS AND INTO THE HUTCH OF FALLING SHADOWS WHEN THE MIST IS LOW AND STARS ARE BREAKING THROUGH THEN OUT OF MY DREAMS I’LL COME INTO A DREAM WITH YOU ♪ >> HOW IS EVERYBODY DOING?

[APPLAUSE] I’M GLAD TO HEAR IT.

THIS FIRST PIECE IS A RICHARD ROGERS MEDLEY, ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMPOSERS, WROTE SO MUCH OF THE MUSIC I GREW UP SINGING AND SO MUCH THAT INSPIRED ME TO BE A SONGWRITER.

THAT FIRST PIECE WAS OUT OF MY DREAMS.

THIS ONE IS IF I LOOK.

>> ♪ IF I LOVE YOU TIME AND AGAIN I TRY TO SAY ALL I WANTED YOU TO KNOW IF I LOVED YOU WORDS WOULD COME IN AN EASY WAY ROUND IN CIRCLES I GO LONGING TO TELL YOU I LET MY GOLDEN CHANCES PASS ME BY SOON YOU WOULD LEAVE ME NEVER, NEVER TO KNOW HOW I LOVE YOU IF I LOVED YOU [INSTRUMENTAL] FAYARI: ♪ [VOCALIZING] LONGING TO TELL YOU I LET MY GOLDEN CHANCES PASS ME BY SOON YOU’D LEAVE ME OFF YOU’D GO IN THE MIST OF DAY NEVER, NEVER TO GO HOW I LOVE YOU IF I LOVE YOU IF I LOVE YOU IF I LOVED YOU [VOCALIZING] ♪ ♪ [APPLAUSE] FAYARI: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THIS NEXT TUNE IS A TUNE I GREW UP SINGING FROM THE TIME I WAS SIX OR SEVEN YEARS OLD.

WE DID A LITTLE JAZZ, WE WILL DO COUNTRY AND YOU WILL GET TO HEAR THE WHOLE EP TONIGHT, EDGE OF THE EARTH, WHICH IF YOU HAVE NOT STREAMED YET, PLEASE GO STREAM.

THIS IS "YOUR CHEATING HEART."

♪ YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL MAKE YOU WEEP YOU’LL CRY AND CRY AND TRY TO SLEEP BUT SLEEP WON’T COME THE WHOLE NIGHT THROUGH YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL TELL ON YOU WHEN TEARS FALL DOWN LIKE FALLIN’ RAIN YOU’LL TOSS AROUND AND CALL MY NAME YOU’LL WALK THE FLOOR THE WAY I DO YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART WILL TELL ON YOU [INSTRUMENTAL] WHEN TEARS COME DOWN LIKE FALLIN’ RAIN YOU’LL TOSS AROUND AND CALL MY NAME YOU’LL WALK THE FLOOR THE WAY I DO YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART WILL TELL ON YOU YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART WILL TELL ON YOU ♪ ♪ [APPLAUSE] PARIS: BEAUTIFUL, GOOD EVENING, FAYARI.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

AND THANK YOU TO YOUR WONDERFUL BAND.

LET’S GIVE ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE.

WOULD YOU INTRODUCE US TO YOUR BAND?

FAYARI: ABSOLUTELY, WE HAVE JACOB ON MANDOLIN.

KEVIN ON GUITAR.

LEE ON DRUMS.

AND MAX ON BASE -- BASS.

PARIS: MAX WITH THE AD-LIBS.

I SAW YOU BACK THERE.

FAYARI, THE MUSIC YOU MAKE YOU HAVE DESCRIBED AS A BLEND BETWEEN JAZZ AND AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC.

TELL US WHAT IT MEANS TO COMBINE THOSE GENRES.

FAYARI: I GREW UP IN IDAHO.

MY FIRST INSTRUMENT WAS FIDDLE AND I GREW UP PLAYING A LOT OF BLUEGRASS AND OLD-TIME AND SINGING SONGS LIKE "YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART."

I STUDIED JAZZ IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IN COLLEGE AND HAD A BIG LOVE FOR IT ESPECIALLY SWING AND JAZZ, BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA FITZGERALD.

.

.

I DID FIND SOMETHING WAS MISSING, THE ROOTS OF MY CHILDHOOD.

I HAVE TO GET BACK TO THE MUSIC I GREW UP LOVING AND PLAYING.

MY MUSIC EVOLVED INTO THIS BLEND OF ROOTS AND BLUEGRASS INFLUENCE AND PLENTY OF JAZZ INFLUENCE AND HARMONY.

PARIS: WOULD YOU SAY THIS BLEND IS NEW OR HAS THIS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE MUSICAL LEXICON IN THE COUNTRY?

FAYARI: THE BLEND I’M SPECIFICALLY DOING I THINK WE HAVE HEARD BITS OF IT BEFORE CERTAINLY.

THERE HAVE BEEN EXAMPLES IN THE PAST BUT I DON’T THINK IN THIS GENERATION I HAVE SEEN ANYBODY DOING THIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF BLEND.

PARIS: ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS RESURGENCE WE HAVE SEEN WITH AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC IS WITH COUNTRY MUSIC, THIS RECLAMATION OF COUNTRY MUSIC BY MANY BLACK AMERICANS, EVERYONE FROM SHABOOZEY TO BEYONCÉ.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT RESURGENCE OR HAS IT ALWAYS BEEN AROUND AND IT IS JUST MORE POPULAR?

FAYARI: I THINK IT HAS BEEN THERE ALL ALONG.

THEIR BOYS BEEN GREAT ARTISTS IN COUNTRY MUSIC AND THE ONLY THING NOW IS WE ARE ACKNOWLEDGING AND CELEBRATING IT MORE AND THAT IS A WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL THING.

COUNTRY MUSIC IS PART OF THE BLACK AMERICAN ART FORM, TOO.

SO THERE WAS A LOT OF HISTORY THERE THAT I THINK IT IS GREAT WE ARE CELEBRATING AND BLENDING OTHER TYPES AND STYLES OF BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC WITH COUNTRY AS WELL.

PARIS: WE WILL LET YOU GET BACK TO IT.

WE KNOW FOLKS CAME FOR THIS, BUT FOR THE MUSIC AS WELL.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOU.

THANK YOU.

FAYARI: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[APPLAUSE] FAYARI: THIS NEXT TUNE IS ENTITLED "TONIGHT."

I WROTE IT WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM A SHOW WHEN I HAD BEEN IN A RELATIONSHIP FOR EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS LONG DISTANCE.

I HAD SUCH AN INCREDIBLE SHOW, INCREDIBLE NIGHT AND I WAS WALKING HOME AND THOUGHT HOW WONDERFUL IT WOULD BE TO HAVE THIS MOMENT TO SHARE WITH SOMEBODY AND FEELING REALLY ALONE AND THAT SO I WROTE THIS SONG TITLED "TONIGHT."

♪ TONIGHT I SING THE MELODIES I WROTE FOR YOU NOTHING LEFT UNSAID STILL I’M GOING HOME ALONE TONIGHT AGAIN I LOOK OUT AND SEE UNFAMILIAR SILHOUETTES OF PEOPLE IN THE CROWD THE GHOST OF YOU DANCING IN THE SHADOWS ON THE STREET THE WHOLE NIGHT GETS LONELY AND I KNOW YOU WOULD BE HERE WITH ME WHEN MY MOON IS RISING YOUR SUN IS SHINING AND THE JOY OF SUMMER DAYS ARE STILL WITH YOU SO MY HEART GROWS WEARY I IMAGINE YOUR VOICE WHISPERING SWEET NOTHINGS IN MY EARS OOH TONIGHT I HEARD A SONG I NEVER HEARD BEFORE REMINDING ME OF YOU HERE I LAY LONGING TO BE WITH YOU THE SOUND OF YOUR VOICE LINGERS IN MY MIND IT IS MUSIC TO MY EARS HOW LONG WILL I BE LONESOME FOR A SEASON, FOR A YEAR MY NIGHTS GET LONELY AND I KNOW YOU WOULD BE HERE WITH ME IF YOU COULD WHEN MY MOON IS RISING YOUR SUN IS SHINING IN THE JOYS OF SUMMER DAYS ARE STILL WITH YOU SO MY HEART GROWS WEARY I IMAGINE YOUR VOICE WHISPERING SWEET NOTHINGS IN MY EARS AND THAT TOMORROW’S HERE OOH [INSTRUMENTAL] NIGHTS GET LONELY AND I KNOW YOU WOULD BE HERE WITH ME IF YOU COULD WHEN MY MOON IS RISING YOUR SUN IS SHINING AND THE JOYS OF SUMMER DAYS ARE FEW SO MY HEART GROWS WEARY AND I IMAGINE YOUR VOICE WHISPERING SWEET NOTHINGS IN MY EARS OOH TONIGHT I WROTE A MELODY JUST FOR YOU HEAR INSIDE MY HEAD SITTING HERE AT HOME ALONE TONIGHT AGAIN ♪ ♪ [APPLAUSE] PARIS: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR FAYARI MALEK AND HER BAND.

[APPLAUSE] [CROWD CHEERING] PARIS: EXCELLENT.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE.

WHAT DO WE THINK?

OK, LET’S DO IT.

[INSTRUMENTAL] PARIS: -- FAYARI: ♪ THE SUN BEGINS TO FADE HAD TO CHASE MY BLUES AWAY THE FINAL DAY THAT SHOWS ME HOW WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS LONELINESS CALLS OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME IN LOVE I LOST MY SENSES SPINNING THROUGH THE TOWN SOONER OR LATER THE FEVER ENDS AND I WIND UP FEELING DOWN I NEED A MAN WHO WILL TAKE THE CHANCE ON A LOVE THAT BURNS HOT ENOUGH TO LAST AND WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS MY LONELY HEART CALLS OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME SOMEBODY WHO SOMEBODY WHO SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME SOMEBODY WHO SOMEBODY WHO TO HOLD ME IN HIS ARMS I NEED A MAN TO TAKE THE CHANCE ON A LOVE THAT BURNS HOT ENOUGH TO LAST SO WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS MY LONELY HEART CALLS OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME [INSTRUMENTAL] OH, I WANT TO DANCE SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT WITH SOMEBODY YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME OH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY I WANT TO FEEL THE HEAT YEAH, I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEBODY WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME WITH SOMEBODY WHO LOVES ME ♪ ♪ FAYARI: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

KEVIN, JACOB, LEE, MAX.

I’M FAYARI MALEK.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[APPLAUSE] PARIS: GIVE IT UP ONE MORE TIME FOR FAYARI MALEK WITH JACOB ON MANDOLIN, KEVIN ON GUITAR, MAX ON THE BASS, LEE ON THE DRUMS.

THANK YOU FOR JAZZ BOSTON FOR COLLABORATING WITH US TO BRING FAYARI MALEK AND HER BAND.

YOU CAN SIGN UP AT JAZZBOSTON.ORG, AND OUR JAZZ NEWSLETTER AT GBH.ORG/ JAZZNEWSLETTER.

THANK YOU TO THE PHENOMENAL FAYARI MALEK FOR SHARING HER STORIES AND TALENT WITH US.

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE AND CONVERSATION.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT US AT GBH.ORG AND LET US KNOW WHAT KEEPS YOU ROOTED AT ROOTED@WGBH .ORG.

WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT TIM