BY
ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLIC MEDIA
TUE April 8 | 8 PM
The Futre of Nature: Grasslands
Seaside Hotel Season
Frontline: Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages
Primetime Highlights
Welcome to April on RMPBS! A very exciting month kicks off with the final episode of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW from Denver Botanic Gardens on April 7th. April is Jazz Appreciation Month, please keep an eye out for the JAM tag for our jazz infused programming! Season 10 of Finding Your Roots wraps up including an episode where Henry Louis Gates Jr. finds himself as a guest (April 8 at 7pm)! We are also celebrating Earth Month, keep an eye out for the programming with the EARTH tag. New episodes of Nature, Great Performances, NOVA, Independent Lens, Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, and Pati Jinich returns with new episodes from Alaska!
*PLEASE NOTE THAT TIMES, DATES, AND PROGRAMS ARE SUBJECT
American Masters: LIZA: A TRULY TERRIFIC ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY
TUE April 1 | 8 PM
Following in the footsteps of her mother, the legendary Judy Garland, Minnelli used her boundless raw talent to overcome hardship and build her own legacy, with support from mentors like Kay Thompson, Fred Ebb, Charles Aznavour, Halston and Bob Fosse.
Great Performances: THE MAGIC OF NUREYEV
FRI April 11 | 9 PM
This fascinating behind the scenes film features extensive excerpts from the legendary production, which was captured for posterity two years after its 1964 stage premiere. In new interviews, dancers Michael Birkmeyer and Gisela Cech, who danced alongside Nureyev at the premiere of Swan Lake, share personal insights on Nureyev’s peerless virtuosity as well as his mercurial offstage personality.
Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana: ALASKA WILD HARVEST
TUE April 29 | 8 PM
Pati travels from the northernmost place in the U.S. to the remote island community of Halibut Cove - discovering that subsistence living transcends all differences.
Local Program Highlights
Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time
LOCAL DOCUMENTARY (JAM)
THUR April 3 | 7 PM
Millions of people love the music of Dave Grusin but may not know his name. Discover Grusin’s journey from Colorado cowboy to Oscar and Grammy winning composer. Packed with archival images and concert footage, the film also shares intimate interviews with Quincy Jones, Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton, Tommy Lipuma, Marcus Miller, and many others.
JazzTown
LOCAL DOCUMENTARY (JAM)
THUR April 10 | 7 PM
JazzTown is a tribute to Denver jazz musicians by one of their own, drummer Ben Makinen. Performances and interviews with local musicians such as Charles Burrell and Ellyn Rucker. Tune in to hear what makes Denver JazzTown.
The Longest Walk
LOCAL DOCUMENTARY (JAM)
THUR April 10 | 8 PM
Charles Burrell has played at the highest level in both jazz and classical music genres. Charlie helped to form the cultural identity of Denver, despite the politics in play, some of which adversely affected Charlie as a man of color. He remarkably rose above it all through his grace, intellect, and incomparable music.
Colorado Uncharted
LOCAL DOCUMENATRY (EARTH)
THURS in April | 7 PM
Join Conor Hall as he travles throughout Colorado discovering legendary landmarks, points of interest and more. Colorado locations include, Ouray, Moffat County, San Luis Valley, and Southeast Colorado.
SMALLER PHOTOS: RMPBS, PBS
Jazz Appreciation Month
We Knew What We Had:
THE GREATEST JAZZ STORY NEVER TOLD TUE April 1 | 10 PM
The hour-long documentary features the talents of international jazz legends George Benson, Ahmad Jamal, Stanley Turrentine, Billy Eckstine, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn and Mary Lou Williams—all Pittsburghers.
Dr. Eddie Henderson:
UNCOMMON GENIUS THUR April 3 | 8:30 PM
The remarkable life story of renowned African American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player Eddie Henderson. Eddie’s curiosity and need for exploration led him down many career paths, including skating and medicine.
Wes Montgomery: A CELEBRATION CONCERT
FRI April 4 | 10 PM
Celebrate one of the greatest and most influential jazz guitarists of all time. The film honors the centennial of the Hoosier-born artist whose guitar sounds defined a generation of jazz music and left a lasting global musical legacy.
American Masters:
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MISS SCOTT
MON April 7 | 8 PM
Jazz virtuoso Hazel Scott champions racial equality before getting caught up in the Red Scare of the 1950s.
Dave Grusin: NOT ENOUGH TIME THUR April 3 | 7 PM
Discover Grusin’s journey from Colorado cowboy to Oscar and Grammy winning composer. Packed with archival images and concert footage, the film also shares intimate interviews with Quincy Jones, Michael Keaton, and many others.
Ron Carter: FINDING THE RIGHT NOTES THUR April 3 | 9 PM
Explore the life and career of jazz luminary Ron Carter, the most recorded bassist in history. Featuring original concert footage and candid insights from jazz icons. A vibrant portrait of the artist in his own words.
Wham Re-Bop-Boom Bam:
THE SWING JAZZ OF EDDIE DURHAM SUN April 6 | 10 AM
Eddie Durham heard music differently, and he played it differently, too. Carrying rural southwestern blues influences with him from his hometown of San Marcos, Texas, Eddie became a leading architect of the Kansas City swing jazz sound in the 1920s and ‘30s.
Max Roach:
THE DRUM ALSO WALTZES
MON April 7 | 10:30 PM
The film follows Roach’s career and personal struggles and triumphs, across a series of masterful musical innovations and artistic reinventions.
Independent Lens:
WE WANT THE FUNK
TUE April 8 | 8 PM
Acclaimed director Stanley Nelson’s syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, from the early roots to 1970s urban funk and beyond.
Earth, Wind & Fire:
iHEART RADIO LIVE
TUE April 10 | 10 PM
The iconic group will perform fan favorites from over the course of their incredible career.
Jazz Appreciation Month
JazzTown
LOCAL DOCUMENTARY
THUR April 10 | 7 PM
A tribute to Denver jazz musicians by one of their own, drummer Ben Makinen. Performances and interviews with local musicians such as Charles Burrell and Ellyn Rucker.
Wes Bound:
THE GENIUS OF WES MONTGOMERY
THUR April 10 | 10 PM
The film features numerous rarely-seen performances, as well as interviews with music historians from across the country and guitar luminaries such as Pat Metheny and Slash.
The Black Fire DOCUMENTARY
SUN April 13 | 10 AM
Black Fire Records — a Black-owned independent jazz record label started in Chocolate City, aka the nation’s capital in the 1970s.
The Longest Walk
LOCAL DOCUMENTARY
THUR April 10 | 8 PM
Charles Burrell has played at the highest level in both jazz and classical music genres. Charlie helped to form the cultural identity of Denver, despite the politics in play, some of which adversely affected Charlie as a man of color.
Next at the Kennedy Center
ALONZO KING’S LINES BALLET: DEEP RIVER
FRI April 11 | 10 PM
Founder and choreographer Alonzo King invites audiences to look at human beings as the pinnacle of creation in this deeply soulful work.
Next at the Kennedy Center
JASON MORAN & CHRISTIAN MCBIRDE
FRI April 18 | 9 PM
Music icons Jason Moran and Christian McBride collaborate for an electrifying jazz performance at the Kennedy Center.
International Jazz Day
FROM MOROCCO
FRI April 25 | 9 PM
This inspiring program showcases some of today’s finest artists proclaiming the positive message of America’s greatest cultural gift to the world, featuring performances by Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and many more.
Bird:
NOT OUT OF NOWHERE FRI April 25 | 10 PM
As the world celebrates the centennial of Charlie “Bird” Parker’s birth, this film looks back at the twenty-one years Charlie “Bird” Parker spent at home in Kansas City and on his long-lasting impression on Kansas City Jazz.
What to Watch April 1 - 8
Nature - Katavi:
AFRICA’S FALLEN PARADISE: SANCTUARY
WED April 2 | 7 PM
In the heart of Africa’s Great Rift Valley lies Katavi, a little-known National Park spanning more than three thousand square miles of western Tanzania. Here, Nature’s filmmakers capture a oncein-a-lifetime event – a severe drought followed by heavy rains that tests the survival skills of all those that call Katavi home in Katavi: Africa’s Fallen Paradise, premiering Wednesdays, April 2-16, 2025.
In Katavi National Park, lions, hippos and crocodiles live more or less in harmony, until an unusual climatic cycle transforms the natural dry season into the toughest drought in almost a century. Desperation pushes all these animals to the edge of their endurance. Lion cubs face mortal danger from a rogue male lion intent on a takeover. Hippos fight viciously for territory rights in a dwindling river. Even crocodiles, usually capable of surviving prolonged periods without food or fresh water, fall victim to the intense conditions. And when the drought finally breaks, Katavi veers from one extreme to another. For some, the return of the rains brings not salvation, but further peril.
Austin City Limits
CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
FRI April 4 | 8 PM
Music luminaries and some of the brightest stars in Austin City Limits’ fivedecade history return to the fabled ACL stage in Austin, Texas to celebrate the show’s fiftieth anniversary. The all-star line-up includes Leon Bridges, Billy Strings, Gary Clark Jr., Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Angela Aguilar, The Avett Brothers, Indigo Girls, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, and more.
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS CHATFIELD FARMS, PART 3 MON April 7 | 7 PM | REPEAT 8 PM
ROADSHOW visits Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms in search of treasures including a WWII WASP archive, a fire helmet & fire parade hat, and a 1956 - 1968 Al Oerter Olympic collection.
What to Watch April 9 - 15
REVOLUTIONARY WAR WEAPONS
WED April 9 | 8 PM
In April 1775, war breaks out in Britain’s most troublesome territory. Now the American Colonial Army faces what seems like an impossible challenge - to militarily defeat the world’s most powerful nation.
Great Performances: Now Hear This:
CHOPIN’S POLISH HEART
FRI April 11 | 8 PM
Follow Scott Yoo and pianist Jan Lisiecki as they explore Chopin’s life, his Polish roots, and his journey to Paris taking a closer look at the composer’s musical evolution and his deep connection to his homeland while living in France.
American Masters
ART SPIEGELMAN: DISASTER IS MY MUSE
TUE April 15 | 10 PM
Explore the work of cartoonist Art Spiegelman and the impact of his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel Maus, about his parents’ survival of the Holocaust. A defender of free speech, Spiegelman has spoken out as book bans spread across the country.
Art Spiegelman
Cartoonist Born: Feb 15, 1948
THE MASTER
What to Watch April 16 - 22
NOVA:
SECRETS OF THE FOREST (EARTH)
WED April 16 | 8 PM
What would the restoration of Earth’s forests mean in the fight against climate change? Follow researchers around the globe as they race to understand how nature processes and responds to carbon on the largest scales and how microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans combine to sustain healthy ecosystems. NOVA’s cameras travel to spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Canada, Brazil, Madagascar, and other places as a global team of scientists gather data on how forests work and try to figure out how they can help tackle the twin threats of climate change and the existential threat of species extinction.
ASD Band: THE MOVIE
THUR April 17 | 8 PM
Follow the members of ASD Band as they embark on the journey to record their first studio album and proudly own their unique perspectives as individuals on the autism spectrum.
Water for Life
FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL (EARTH) MON April 21 | 9 PM
Follow Indigenous community leaders in Latin America as they face death threats and murder while fighting to save their precious water resources from mining and hydroelectric projects.
What to Watch April 23 - 30
POV: THE TASTE OF MANGO
MON April 28 | 9 PM
An enveloping meditation on family, memory, identity, violence, and love. Spanning three generations of women, their narratives bear witness to the ever-evolving nature of inheritance and the hurt and protection entangled within familial bonds.
Independent Lens: FREE FOR ALL: THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
TUE April 29 | 9 PM
This documentary tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today’s librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
NOVA:
CRITICAL CONDITION: HEALTH IN BLACK AMERICA
WED April 30 | 8 PM
This two-hour feature documentary produced by acclaimed Oscarnominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson traces the roots of systemic racism in our medical system and the biological impacts of discrimination on the body to understand why Black Americans experience such disproportionately poor health outcomes - and did long before COVID-19 highlighted the devastating health disparities in our country.
Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining AfricanAmerican history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 National Humanities Medal from President Obama. Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards. Born: 1951 (age 73 years), New York, NY
THE FILMMAKER