good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. first a conversation with jim parsons whoer stars in the hit series "the big bang theory." he's part of an impressive ensemble of actors in larry cramer's ground breaking play "the normal heart. then a conversation with arturo sandoval who infuses contemporary compositions with the sounds of his childhood. he'll perform gershwin's "summer "summerer time" for us tonight. we have jim parsons and arturo sandoval coming up right now.

by contributions from viewers like you. thank you. three-time emmy winner jim parsons is seen by more than 20 million viewers each week on "the big bang theory." this coming sunday we'll see him in a different way, a different side of his acting talent in the hbo movie "the normal heart."

this adaptation of the larry kramer play deals with the aids crisis in new york city when denial, discrimination, fear and falsehoods shattered a community. we'll start with a look at a scene. >> do they not want us to be seen above ground? where is he? i'm an hour late. >> hour and a half. >> don't start on me, lamb chop. >> where were you? >> up at bell view. had to put a sweet dying child together with his mama. they hadn't seen each other for 15 yearsle. he never told her he was gay. he didn't want to see her. he refused to see her for weeks. he was angry when i walked in with her. that was a real weeper, mama holding her son. he's dead now. >> so this is a reprisal of sorts for you. >> did it on broadway in 2011. i think that was it. >> it was '11. my research says '11. >> thank you. >> i saw it in '11.

>> o really? thank you. >> when you have the opportunity, when you're presented a chance to play a character again. >>. hmm. >> i'm not an actor. i would assume there must be something about the character you really like that convinces you to do this again. acting is all about doing something different. >> yeah, that's true. in this case is premise of taking this role and this story and getting the chance to present it in the film format instead of -- it's so different from doing live theater. really the only thing i felt was comforted that i had as much knowledge, if you will, of things going on in the character and story going into it. because i felt more able to easily respond to the new actors involved, the new director. everything changes when you're on the set as opposed to being in front of a live audience. for me it worked out. it's a rare position to be in.

in the past, a long time ago, a lot of plays used to be transferred into movies. now it's the reverse. this was easily for me a once in a lifetime opportunity. i didn't look at it that way at the time. i wanted to do it. i loved doing the play. i loved telling the story, being a part of it. i got to meet with ryan murphy, the director, a couple summers ago. we talked about it before he asked me to do it. i was very excited the way he talked about it to work with him on it. >> two or three things you said. i want to unpack it. in no particular order and i hadn't thought about plays becoming movies versus movies becoming plays. what's behind the contemporary notion, do you think, of so many movies becoming plays? >> oh, god. all guessing on my part. i do think that more showy, event-themed movies which i think is why you see a lot of

animated features turned into musicals or whatever. that's what's selling. not to say there isn't deep artistic merit in these ventures depending on which ones you are looking at. but i think -- my guess is it's driven by the almighty dollar a lot of the time. who would go to see a straight play, as it were, and then go, let's make a movie? although it just happened again with "august osage county." i don't know how well it did monetarily but awards season it was all over the place and had a stellar cast. maybe it's coming back into vogue. that's a thu play. this is a 30-year-old play that's finally made it to the screen. >> speaking of cast, the cast in this -- >> beautiful cast. >> unbelievable. >> mark ruffalo, julia roberts, matt bomer, myself, taylor kitch. everybody in it.

the thing that startled me most when seeing the screening of the movie for the first time was how grounded every performance was in it. the direction he gave and surely for casting it. >> this is one of the "inside the actors studio"." >> a little bit. >> let me ask you. whether there is nuance for you in playing the character on stage versus playing him on film. the character is the character. did you change the way you played the character for those who saw you play it on broadway? >> i was forced by the circumstances to play it differently. a couple of key things. the story didn't change. the trajectory of the character didn't change. that all stayed the same. if anything it was -- there were

a couple of extra scenes written between ryan and larry for the character which i was grateful for. the story didn't change. it just added to it. what does change dramatically is in the play version especially but in the movie to a degree the character i play, tommy, he has a real -- he can have a real light touch with some sticky situations and some inter-fighting between people that he can find the way out of. a lot of times in the play and sometimes in the movie they end up in humorous moments because of that. in the play you had a visceral reaction from the audience when they were laughing. that was different to know somewhere deep inside you this might be a moment of levity for a movie-going audience, but we weren't doealing with it in the here and there. that was different. the other thing sounds basic.

different people playing the different roles in the movie changed -- again, not the story, but it changed your approach and your replies to that other actor or the other character asking in a different tone, a different flavor. so the conversation took on a different color. but, again, larry's story is so strong and the characters are so well delineated in who they are and what they want that those three lines remain the same. >> i think art is best when it empowers us, informs us, inspired us, entertains us without proselytizing in the process. that's when it's at its best. yet there will be takeaways when the audience see this is hbo film. not the least of which is a comparative analysis between the way hiv and aids are treated

then and today. in so many ways one can make the argument that a lot has changed. one can argue not much changed. now specifically on the comments of donald sterling, magic johnson, hiv/aids diagnosis this the day. i'm moving now beyond to your own personal view of what you have processed as you have done the film, acted in it, and live in the real world about how things have changed or not. >> i do think and this is astounding even for me working on it alive at this time but i was a child. especially seeing it through the eyes of a younger audience who perhaps weren't born at the time this was taking place in the early '80s. even for those of us who were, i think it's astounding to look back and see the level of sometimes blatant ignoring of a

problem. it was clearly happen ing because it was uncomfortable. or it was a segment of people -- gay men in this situation -- who we are allowed to ignore. that's why all the screaming and yelling went on. it was like stop ignoring. that seems to me in a greater swath it was a more acceptable way to treat the issue back then or that group of people back then. to your point there are still people around who would be fine with that type of treatment, i'm sure. or that level of nontreatment, as it were. but it's no longer right now as acceptable to be such a loud ignoring, a loud silence as it was then. that's progressed too far. there is too much attention. there is enough power in the hands of this minority group that you're not allowed to

ignore it to that level anymore. but you're right. i didn't see the sterling interview with anderson cooper. >> you didn't miss much. >> that's why i didn't choose to watch it. >> i didn't see it either. i couldn't take it. >> somebody told me he brought up the fact that he didn't say magic has hiv. he said he has aids. if i understand he said "the aids" which is all the more odd. but it showed so many levels of ignorance. first off, unless there is something we don't know, magic johnson doesn't have aids. he has hiv. even that, with medication the way it is, i'm not sure what you call anything anymore. the different levels of having diseases and not. the biggest point is what does that have to do with anything we are talking about but that it was so readily at his mind to bring up. it says something. there are people out there who

still tie stigmas and judgment calls based on something that this is what their work has been more for. >> "the normal heart" stars jim parsons. part of an all-star cast that you will want to see. jim, i'm happy to have uh you on the program. >> good to be here. >> nice to see you. >> you, too. imagine this, 1977 cuba when two great trumpet players, dizzy gillespie and arturo sandoval get together for improvisation. the rest they say is history. ten gram mgrammy wins later art sandoval is still recording, still touring. before we begin let's look at arturo sandoval performing a night in tunisia which was cowritten by dizzy.

♪ >> i probably shouldn't confess this to you. i come see you as often as i can for two reasons. one, i love you. two, i'm checking to see if there is slippage in your sound. your horn is as big now. >> you know what? i'm going to be 65 soon.

i feel like i still have a lot of energy, man. the desire to still play music and touring and the whole thing. >> do you hear -- i don't want to say slippage again. do you hear a difference in your sound now at almost 65? >> i think it's a little bigger now. >> i love it. bigger. >> just lucky. i don't know. >> why do you play so big? >> i don't know. not necessarily. i really have a big passion for the instrument, but mainly for the sound. the trumpet is one of the few instruments that really doesn't put limitation many your ex presentation. the trumpet give use the possibility to express any feeling in any dynamic, volume or something. trumpet can whisper.

♪ >> it's very difficult to play that even with the violin. the trumpet can go from 0 to 60 in three seconds. you can express any kind of feeling, you know, without restriction. >> every time i see you you're as much on the missouri. you're here at the playboy jazz festival. you're everywhere. you're not tired of running yet? >> no, no. i have no choice. that's my passion. that's my life. music is the engine that moves my soul, you know. i'm happy when i'm working. i'm sorry. i shouldn't say that. >> yeah. >> the word working is wrong. when i'm playing, writing, practicing, i'm happy. >> yeah. >> you want the see me unhappy is when i don't have nothing to do. >> oh, yeah. >> my wife notices that and she tries to find something --

>> get you out of the house. >> yeah. to entertain me. she knows i get a little cranky when i don't have nothing to do. >> speaking of writing, have you been scoring lately? >> yes. >> always? >> the first time i was here with you we talked about i just moved -- >> miami after all those years. >> at that point i didn't do any scores yet. now i did a few. in the last few years i have been doing a few. all of them beautiful projects. but independent and low budget. it's okay. it's okay. that keeps me entertained. i love that. >> you like the scoring? >> i love that. probably as much as i like to play. >> that's what i love. >> oh, yeah. i enjoy that. we've got the producer and director. we see the movie. >> yeah. >> and i start to play.

we spot the cues, you know. then i start to play. don't stop until the director and producer and everybody smiles. when they smile, okay, next. then we move on. i wrote on the spot, you know. look into the scene. >> last time your project had just come out. i lo that record. >> that record is probably the better received record i ever done. i have 43 records. but that one was last year the most played jazz album in jazz radio stations in the country. also of all the records i have done, it got seven nominations. one was album of the year which was completed with the pop stars. out of those seven, it won three

grammys. i never got a record that won three grammys. >> mm-hmm. >> the other one i did won a grammy, too. my last three records -- >> all grammy winners. >> eight, nine and ten. >> your love for diaz is so profound after all these years. >> still, man. some people ask me why you didn't do it before. i say, you know what, i didn't feel the necessity to do that specific title or album. everything i play and everything i have been doing since i met him, it's him there. i'm trying to preserve his style, his music, his legacy as much as i can. it's my daily tribute to him. not only because i did an album. i remember him every day of my life. >> daily tribute. >> exactly.

>> there's only one diaz of course. are there other folks at this point in your life you would like to collaborate with on certain projects you haven't gotten around to? >> i'm always open for collaboration. you know, working all the time. doing things for people. i have been collaborating with hans zimmer and the last bunch of movies. i did all the "pirates of the caribbea caribbean", "rango," later on "the lone ranger." now you go to a movie and watchn "spider-man 2" you're going to hear my horn from the beginning to the end. >> those are serious collaborations. hans zimmer is one of the best. >> unbelievable. and pharrell williams, too. >> the "happy" song. >> i never met pharrell in person.

>> yeah. >> but i've got so much love for him. besides all these i have been doing. what he's been doing with my youngest son which, by the way, today is his 38th birthday. >> he's a collaborator. >> pharrell is a partner in my son's company. he does design and all kinds of odd installations. they are in new york now signing a new book. his company is friends with you. wonderful company. >> speaking of books, didn't your wife do a book? >> i brought a copy for you, my friend. >> that you c >> thank you. >> it's dedicated to you. >> thank you. my dear friend that vavis, resp arturo sandoval. thanks. >> it's a testimony of all the

things, personal connections that my wife was, you know, saving for so many years since we met. rob simon, a dear friend of mine. i write it together with my wife and quincy jones. >> quincy jones. i can't wait to get into this. >> it's a lot of wonderful photos. stories about many different things happening in life, you know. >> i celebrate your artistic genius. >> thank you. >> i celebrate your daily tribute to diz. i can't wait to get into it. >> this album is something which is completely different than i have been doing. this is a tango album i did in argentina with the national symphony orchestra. >> will it help me learn the tango? >> absolutely. >> i need to work on that.

>> this is the latest one which is dedicated to the fuentes family. carlos, jr., is my best friend. they celebrated two years ago the 100th anniversary of the brand. the arturo fuente cigars. they are the best. >> message to future guests. if you have gifts i like you more. the greatest gift arturo sandoval can give us is to play his horn. i have talked him into playing a couple of minutes of a song i think will be appropriate for summertime i will leave it at that. that's the latest text from the family is called "dizzy gillespie, the man who changed my life" from the memoirs of arturo sandoval. if you don't have "dear diz," i

highly recommend that along with his other stufful can you play a couple of minutes of something good for summer? >> are you ready for it? >> i'm ready. i'm going to sit right here. ♪

♪ ♪

♪ [ applause ] >> thanks for watching. as always, keep the faith. >> announcer: for more information on today's show visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. >> hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with peniel joseph about the controversial civil rights leader's life and mission next time. see you then.

>> and from contributions from viewers like you. thank you.

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