jeffrey brown sat down with him in 2014. he asked about his love of jazz. >> my father died when i was 10 years old. all my relatives they would come over every sunday and my brother, my sister, we would entertain them. it was just at a time, what am i going to do in life? is anybody going to know me? my family would say we like the way you sing and we like the way you paint those flowers. they created a passion in me of always trying to improve. here i am, i'm still trying to get better at what i'm doing. >> your member that young guy first starting to sing. here you are. >> i was blessed under the g.i. bill. i joined the american theater wing. it was a great choice. they let us to continue school. the main thing i learned was to always stay with quality, never compromise. don't just try to get a hit record. do something that is going to last. >> he is eager to keep jazz music alive. >> it's the only great art form that has been created in the united states. they invented it for improvisation. that's the reason i did the al

jeffrey brown went to st.o phillips for our arts and culture series , canvas. >> who am i, the hero says to himself, looking past his reflection on the lake's surface down to where the darker greens give way at last to darkness. reporter: from the poem “this far in," in carl phillips' collection “then the war, winner of this year's pulitzer prize for poetry. >> speak into me the wind said, , when i woke this morning. let's see what happens. i used to worry that, you know, some poets writes about a whole bunch of topics, and i feel as if i only have a handful. but that handful includes stuff like love, sex, death, and i don't know how you really fully plumb those subjects. reporter: pretty big things. >> yeah. when in doubt, i will comfort myself by thinking of emily dickinson, who really writes mainly about two or things things, but there's a lot to be said about the things she writes about -- death is there a god, if so, what's our relationship to this person or thing? i think she did an okay job. reporter: n

jeffrey brown has the story for our arts and culture series, canvas. 's house now being restored and renewed. mark: everything you see on the outside of the house is brand new. every board, every stick, every ick. but made to look like that photograph. jeffrey: an 1840's house, now being restored and renewed. a 1940's photo, used to guide the work on the exterior, mandated by new york city's landmarks preservation rules. mark ellison is doing the best he can. but who knows if this is really how it originally looked? mark: is this preservation? i'm not sure. jeffrey: what do you call it? what is it? mark: in my book i call this a paleo facsimile. [laughter] jeffrey: you have to laugh in the world of mark ellison, where the design demands can border on the impossible, and the client expectations are off the charts. mark: it's a bit annoying because if it's really, really, really good, everybody looks and goes like, yeah of course it should be that way. i am like, you have no idea what it took to make it look like that. you have no idea what we went throug

jeffrey brown went to st. to talk to him for our series canvas. >> who am i, the hero says to herself, looking past his reflection on the lake surface down to where the darker greens give at way to darkness. >> carl phillips collection. winner of this year's pull a surprise for poetry. >> speak to me, speak into me. the wind said, when i woke this morning. let's see what happens. i used to worry -- some poets talk about a whole bunch of topics. it feels like i only have a handful. the handful includes stuff like love, sex, death. i don't know how you plumbed those subjects. i will comfort myself by thinking of emily dickinson, who writes mainly about two or three rings. -- three things. there is a lot to be said about the things she writes about. i think she did an ok job. >> now 63, phillips is a longtime professor at washington diversity at saint louis. he is an author of 16 books of poetry and essays. >> i do think of poetry as somehow engaging with mystery. i think it is a mystery to be a human being and t

jeffrey brown reports for our arts and culture series, canvas. lberto maldonado in english -- >> and in spanish. [speaking spanish] jeffrey: the puerto rican-born and raised, new york-based poet embraces the bounty and diversity of languages in his own life and work. and now he has an opportunity to spread the word and words more widely, as the new head of the academy of american poets. >> i want to be intentional as an administrator who is also a poet, who understands what it means to write in more than one language. we are in a unique position to reflect the diversity of the poetry field and the readers of poetry across america and across the world. jeffrey: at 42, maldonado has known the thrill of seeing and hearing his work in exciting ways. including set to music and performed at the opening of the new geffen hall at lincoln center in new york last year. he has had an influential poetry platform as head of the prestigious program at new york's 92nd street y. on one occasion breaking into song. but he first came to poetry as a teenager in puer

jeffrey brown finds out what's behind the decision and how hollywood will be affected. t of our arts and culture series, canvas. >> you share the wealth because you cannot exist without us. thank you. jeffrey: the announcement came this afternoon. they will officially strike at midnight tonight already, actors are leaving sets and even premieres. and many more will be on picket lines starting tomorrow. >> the entire business model has been changed by streaming, digital, ai. this is a moment of history, a moment of truth. if we don't stand tall right now, we are all going to be in trouble. jeffrey: among the unresolved issues, demands for higher wages. the increase of residuals as streaming services command more of the market and new protections from the use of artificial intelligence. for its part, the alliance of motion picture and television producers representing traditional studios such as universal, paramount, and disney, along with newer tech giants like apple, netflix, and amazon blamed the union for walking away from major concessions, saying in a statement the u

jeffrey brown looks at the global phenomenon.s part of our arts and culture series, canvas. ♪ >> what are you doing here? >> i'm coming with you. >> did you bring your rollerblades? i literally go nowhere without them. jeffrey: "barbie" is getting a big screen makeover in director greta gerwig's new film, but it's just the latest update in a long history. ♪ barbie, her original full name was barbara millicent roberts, was created in 1959 by ruth handler for the mattel toy company. she stood 11.5 inches tall, that mostly hasn't changed, but her look certainly has. as the blonde, slim-waisted, full-chested doll became a cultural phenomenon of the post-war era. her male counterpart ken was brought on board in 1961. worth noting, he first came with straight arms that didn't bend and a head that could turn only left and right. it was 1980 before mattel released the first black and latina dolls actually named barbie. and, in 2016, three new body types were introduced -- curvy, petite, and tall. also changed, who she is, including her w