Giorgi Mikadze (pronounced “Gih-ohr-gih Mih-kahd-zeh”) is a pianist who values his heritage and roots, having been born and raised in Georgia, at the foot of the Caucasus mountains. While his training and early carer arch may have seemed typical for an aspiring jazz musician – classical training, Berklee and Manhattan School of Music studies, time on the road with his elders – his choice of music is not. Rather than concentrate on the Great American Songbook or record only his own compositions, Giorgi has adapted Georgia music, from folk songs to movie scores. This process comes to a new high with the release of Face to Face: The Georgian Songbook Vol. 1 on the French label PeeWee!.  The album features pieces by seven of the Caucasus country’s most revered composers, most of them originally penned for film, animation and theatrical soundtracks from the Sixties through the Nineties. Mikadze adds three of his own compositions to the mix, suggesting that much like the American model, this new Songbook is one that invites a continual expansion and evolution. Face To Face also marks Mikadze’s first venture on record into the traditional piano, bass and drums jazz trio. He’s joined by the stellar French rhythm section of bassist François Moutin and drummer Raphaël Pannier, the latter of whom was a Berklee classmate of Giorgi’s. The results are a wonderful mix of Georgian melodies with a jazz sensibility. Podcast 965 is my conversation with Giorgi as he discusses the microtonal roots of Georgian music, how his jazz playing brought him back to his native music, and where he plans to take it in the future. Musical selections include the rousing “Satchidao,” and the moving “Not Easy to Repeat.” Giorgi Mikadze performs on the Main Space at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City for a CD Release Party on Saturday February 3, 2024 at 8 pm. For more information, click here,

Following in the footsteps of the giants of solo piano who have recorded for ECM Records, Call on the Old Wise is Nitai Hershkovits’ first record as a leader for the famous label, presenting his powerful pianistic ingenuity in a largely improvised solo setting. A veteran of Oded Tzur’s quartet (he appears on Isabela and Here Be Dragons), Nitai was also a mainstay of Avishai Cohen’s trio from 2011 to 2016. The album is partially dedicated to Nitai’s former piano teacher Suzan Cohen, with whom he studied in Jerusalem and who according to Nitai is the mentor to whom the term ‘wise’ in the record’s title alludes. The pieces “The Old Wise,” “Of Mentorship” and “For Suzan” refer directly to her. But Nitai draws from wide-reaching influences, ranging from his work in jazz contexts and innovative contemporary explorations to his background in classical music. This immaculate balance of idioms gives rise to an abundance of colors and timbres, explored by a pianist, who has successfully forged his very own voice as improviser and shape-designer. Born to a Moroccan mother and a Polish father, Nitai originally started out his musical path on clarinet before switching to the piano at age 15. Jazz and improvised music were the focal point of his musical investigations throughout his teens, with a particularly strong interest for the idiosyncrasies of Sonny Rollins. In this period, Nitai won several jazz competitions in the Tel Aviv area, before his deepened interest in classical music took shape, leading to studies in both jazz and classical piano. He has recently moved back to Israel, where he is involved with a variety of musical projects, including collaborations with electronic musician Yuvi Havkin aka Rejoicer and drummer Amir Bresler, who can be heard on their joint venture Apifera. Musical selections from Call on the Old Wise include "Of Trust and Remorse" and "This You Mean to Me", both Nitali originals, and Duke Ellington's "Single Petal of a Rose."

As 2023 comes to a close, Straight No Chaser posts a few conversations with artists who produced memorable albums this year. Today’s podcast features bassist Buster Williams, who released Unalome on the Smoke Sessions label this past winter. While the band on Unalome is familiar – drummer Lenny White, pianist George Colligan, alto saxophonist Bruce Williams and Vibes master Stefon Harris are all long-time running partners – the album adds vocalist Jean Baylor for covers and Williams originals that take his music in a less familiar territory. One of the most revered bassists of the last half century, the Grammy-winning Williams has played, recorded, and collaborated with such jazz giants as Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Heath, Larry Coryell, Wynton, and Branford Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Errol Garner, Freddie Hubbard, and countless others. He was a charter member of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi band and the all-star Thelonious Monk tribute ensemble Sphere. And at 80 years of age, Buster Williams shows no sign of slowing his climb along that ascending path.  Among the topics we disucss was the recent documentary about Buster's life, "From Bass to Ininity" directed by Adam Kahan.  Musical selections for Podcast 96_ include the Williams original “In the Middle of a Rainbow,” and a revamped take on the classic “42nd Street.” If you enjoyed this podcast, please check out Podcast 486 for another conversation with Buster from 2015.

Dominic Miller may be best known to the world as Sting’s “right-hand man on guitar” and co-writer of “Shape of My Heart,” among the ex-Police bassist's other pop hits. But the multi-faceted Miller has a completely different outlet for his improvisatory talents as well. Vagabond is the guitarist’s third recording for ECM, and might prove his most poetic tale to date. After Dominic’s debut Silent Light (2017), which captured the guitarist in solo performances with occasional percussive injections by Miles Bould, Absinthe (2019) found him expand his subtle instrumental sketches in a quintet lineup. For Vagabond, the guitarist has come up with a quartet, and partnered up with Ziv Ravitz on drums and Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon, while long-time collaborator Nicolas Fiszman returns on bass. Most of the tunes come from solo sketches, several from the isolated period of the recent pandemic. Once he was in the south of France in April 2021 with producer Manfred Eicher, the tunes began to build, develop and become showcases for his sidemen to interject their musical skills.  The guitarist provides a framework for Ziv, Jakob and Nicolas to spread out in, whether the slow-burning groove of “Altea” or the mesmerizing balladry of “Lone Waltz,” with each player building dynamic momentum. Born in Argentina to an American father and Irish mother, Miller was raised in the U.S. from age 10 and then educated there and in England. The guitarist’s international mindset has only been deepened through decades touring the globe, working with the likes of Paul Simon, The Chieftains, Plácido Domingo and, most often, Sting. This quartet will be touring Europe between Sting jaunts in the Winter and Spring of 2024, so keep your eyes open for a date near you. Musical selections for Podcast 962 include “Lone Waltz” and the fiery “All Changes,” the latter inspired from Sting’s use of arpeggios in the Police classic “When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around.”

On Part Two of our conversation, guitarist Ralph Towner talks about his growth as a guitarist from his early days playing trumpet and piano, through his time with influential bands like the Paul Winter Consort and Oregon, and then his many solo, duo and trio recordings. We talk about his work with Wolfgang Muthspeil and Slava Grigoryan (From a Dream and Travel Guide in 2008 and 2013) as well as his favorite duo recordings, especially those with bassist Gary Peacock. We also discuss some of his other collaborations, including his brief brush performing with Weather Report in 1972. At First Light is Ralph’s 25th ECM album as  leader or co-leader, and his latest solo guitar release. Besides those prior releases, he has guested on important ECM albums by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, and Kenny Wheeler. Never one to be pigeon-holed as an interpreter and composer of a specific type of music, At First Light  features new and old Towner pieces, as well as tunes from Broadway musicals and the much-covered Irish traditional air “Danny Boy.” Ralph also looks back on older pieces he has revisited on the album, especially “Guitarra Picante,” a piece originally from the Oregon songbook.

At the age of 83, guitarist Ralph Towner continues to write, perform and improvise on the highest of musical levels. He has been an ECM artist for more than fifty years, appearing in many different contexts, one of the most important being a run of solo recordings which began with Diary in 1973. At First Light is the latest addition to the solo guitar series. Never one to be pigeon-holed as an interpreter and composer of a specific type of music, this release features new and old Towner pieces, as well as tunes from Broadway musicals and the much-covered Irish traditional air “Danny Boy.” Born into a musical family in Washington in 1940, Towner grew up immersed in classical music, jazz and the popular music of the day. A trumpet player from the age of seven, he took up piano seriously in his teens, in parallel studying composition, then embraced the classical guitar at 22. What makes Towner’s sound unique is his desire to draw crucial inspirations from classical music, contemporary composition, Bill Evans’s conception of jazz and also from Brazilian music. At this time, his sound can only be called “Towner-esque.” At First Light was recorded at Lugano’s Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in February 2022, and produced by ECM maestro Manfred Eicher. Towner lives in Rome with his wife, the actress Mariello Lo Sardi, and we spoke by Zoom on an unseasonably hot morning a few months ago. In part one of our two-part conversation, we discussed the differences to Towner of recording solo versus a group, of using different strings and guitars to create the varying colors and sounds he hears in his head, and how as a young piano player he began his career improvising with the likes of John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock and Gary Burton. Musical selections from At First Light  includes “Make Someone Happy.”

One of the few positives of the horrid COVID pandemic that shook the music world to its core has been the release of musci composed during those uncertain days. Alton and soprano saxophonist Christine Jensen's lastest album, Day Moon (Justin Time Records) stands as a shining example of how a great musician turns struggle into art.  Recorded with her quartet of pianist Steve Amirault and her long-time collaborators bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas, Day Moon is highlighted by the four-song suite Quiescence. Written for a commission from New York’s Jazz Coalition that had raised funds for composers. Jensen sketched compositions including the Brazilian clave-feel “Tolos d’Abril,” her April Fool’s birthday song. Ms. Jensen is the two-time winner of Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, the Canadian version of the Grammys. She's released eleven albums as a leader, from her CODE Quartet to the large scale Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, She's collaborated with her sister, the noted trumper Ingrid Jensen, as well as Ben Monder, Donny McCaslin and Geoffrey Keezer.   Podcast 959 is my conversation with Christine, as she discusses how she writes music, how she plays to the strengths of her collaborators, and where she is headed musically. Musical selections include “Tolos d’Abril.”

For the first time ever, the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, the timeless 10th animated Peanuts special, from writer and creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and Phil Roman and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. Originally airing on November 20, 1973 on CBS-TV, the special has been broadcast or streamed every year for the last 50 years. But the soundtrack album has remained elusively out of reach. Now we have the original recordings that comprise the thirteen song cues of the Special, plus another nine bonus or alternative tracks that have never been released or heard before. The recording features Guaraldi (piano, keyboards, guitar, vocals), Seward McCain (electric bass), future funk master Mike Clark (drums), Tom Harrell (trumpet and brass arrangements), and Chuck Bennett   (trombone). Guaraldi even contributes a rare vocal on “Little Birdie.” The soundtrack was produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson, re-mixed by Terry Carleton at Bones and Knives, and restored and mastered/re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.  Sean Mendelson is the son of the legendary Lee Mendelson, the man who coaxed Charles Schulz into taking his comic strip to television, and co-write the classic “Christmas Time is Here.” A fine musician in his own right, on Podcast 958, Sean takes us through the circuitous route this music has taken, and how it has been upgraded to meet current standards. Musical selections include a particualrly funky take on “Linus and Lucy” and “Little Birdie.”

Perennial DownBeat Critics Poll winner trombonist Michael Dease has embraced his role as a torchbearer for his mentors and the great jazz ancestors over his 15 deeply-swinging, state-of-the-art mainstream recordings. For The Other Shoe (Origin Records), Dease teams with the formidable composer Gregg Hill, expanding his rhythmic & harmonic palette with a flexible, in-the-moment perspective while remaining true to the sensibilities at his musical core. With the prodigiously talented pianist Geoffrey Keezer as a central foil, Dease brings along a wide-ranging collection of musicians, each specifically brought in for their unique outlooks and talents. Most notable is the inclusion of clarinetist Virginia MacDonald, along with the solid one-two punch of Liany Mateo on bass, and drummer Colleen Clark. Gregg Hill’s music has been the subject of tribute albums before, especially two releases by bassist Rodney Whitaker and another by guitarist Randy Napoleon. The compositions Dease chooses for The Other Shoe always call for careful listening. They dart with unusual; time signatures, play with chord progressions and key signatures that require the listener to pay attention. But these are hardly avant-garde tunes – they have strong melodies, accentuated by Dease’s strong sense of the songs. Michael Dease began his musical career playing saxophone, switching to trombone late in his teens. Three years later he was holding down a trombone chair with Illinois Jacquet’s Big Band. Since then, he has been a first call player for the large ensembles of Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Nicholas Payton and more. As a soloist and bandleader he has recorded 16 albums, many or the Posi-Tone Records label. Podcast 957 is my conversation with Michael Dease and Gregg Hill, as they discuss the elements of Hill’s music that attracts them, how Dease assembled his unusual lineup for the album, and what they most admire about one another. Musical selections include “The Goodbye Blues.”

Keyboardist Jon Cowherd has been on my list of interview subjects for a long time, and after an unconscionable delay, Podcast 956 features him and his latest release, a trio album on the Le Coq Records imprint called "Pride and Joy." And what a trio it is - Cowherd joined by long-time friend and musical running partner Brian Blade on drums, and the sensational John Patitucci on bass. Add guest spots by Chris Potter on saxophone and Alex Acuna on percussion, and you have a killer lineup for a sensational album. Cowherd has been at the center of some of the most interesting muscial projects of the past years, including The Brian Blade Fellowship, the Mercy Project, and albums by top singers such as Lizz Wright, Cassandra Wilson and Alyssa Graham. His work on the Joni Mitchell tribute concerts with Brandi Carlile have earned rave reviews.  Musically, the album draws some inspiration from Cowherd's new home in Colorado, a marked departure from his urban New York digs of the past thirty years. The music is expansive, with plenty of space for solos. The sense of roominess permeates the tunes. Along with Jon's six compositions, Patitucci contributes the topnotch "Chickmonk" and Blade the album closer "Quilt City Blues."  

As a fan of the Great American Songbook (and really, who isn't?) I'm always looking for new and different approaches to these storied songs. Enter the Nigerian born singer Douyé, whose latest release The Golden Sèkèrè, is a wonderful meld of polyrhythms, swing and soul.  Having grwon up listening to American torch singers as well as Afrobeat, it was inevitable that Douyé, would tackle tunes by Ray Noble, Cole Porter and Richard Rodgers.  Her Nigerian-steeped support team features arrangers Bada Ken Okulolo, Tosin Aribisala and Zem Audu as well as guitarist Dokun Oke and percussionist Najite Agindotan. She also enlists an impressive guest list, including trumpeter Sean Jones, guitarist Lionel Loueke and especially bassist Buster Williams. Podcast 955 features my conversation with Douyé, as we dig into her approach to some of the classics, including the big band backed version of "I've Got You Under My Skin" and the bass-driven take on "Devil May Care."

Pianists Joe Alterman and Les McCann make something of an odd couple. The pair are separated in age by more than half a century; McCann is confined to a medical rehab facility in Los Angeles, while Alterman left New York City to return to his native Atlanta, Georgia six years ago. But since their paths first crossed back in 2012, according to Alterman, “barely a day has passed that we haven't chatted.” So it's only natural that Alterman's trio would evenually tackle the McCann songbook, and now we have Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe. Bassist Kevin Smith and drummer Justin Chesarek add the necessary swing as Alterman reimagines and erharmonizes his friend's tunes, some of them more than sixty years old.  From the gospel roar of the opening "Gone On and Get That Church" through tender ballads like Dorene Don;t Cry" and the moving conclusion (co-written by McCann and Alterman) "Don't Forget to Love Yourself," Alterman leads us through tunes that perhaps should have gotten more notice over the years. If nothing else, Big Mo & Little Joe.gives the listener a peak into the compositions and craft of an underrated jazz master, Les McCann. Musical selections include "Gone On and Get That Church" and Don't Forget to Love Yourself."   

Listeners to Straight No Chaser know I have great fondness for the music of the piano trio, an art I consider one of the highest forms of jazz in terms of improvisation and collaboration. The music these groups make grows richer over time, so those groups that stay together can often take their sound to another level as they mature. Pianist Omer Klein has made some of the most intriguing piano trio music of the recent past. His latest album Life & Fire marks an anniversary – Klein and his trio partners bassist Haggai Cohen-Milo and drummer Amir Bresler have been together for ten years. Over this period, they have produced four albums and shared their common musical experience with audiences worldwide. To celebrate the group took both music from the past repertoire and new tunes, and recorded in a small studio with an audience of friends and family, making Life & Fire sound not just intimate, but celebratory. In our conversation Omer talks about how the group has grown together, how he individually continues to work outside of the trio – he has written scores for dance and performed with classical musicians – and the music scene in his hometown of Frankfurt, Germany. Musical selections are “Niggun” with a challenging 11/8 meter, and the melodic “Tzuri,” written for his late grandfather.

"I'm freer than I've ever been in my personal life, and I'm freer than I've ever been in my music. I'm accepting who I am. I love who I am. And as I continue to evolve – my artistry, my sexuality, and my overall humanity – my music will continue to become more and more personal” - Eric Reed  Pianist Eric Reed has been a key component in memorable bands led by Wynton Marsalis, Joe Henderson and Freddie Hubbard, but I've founds the recordings he has made as a leader in his own right the most moving. Reed has been a strong advocate for rethinking what songs and songwriters should make up the American muscial canon, and he continues that trend on his latest release on Smoke Sessions Records. Black, Brown and Blue features music written by jazz masters like Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Buddy Collette, and Buster Williams, along with jazz-conversant pop/R&B songwriters Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers. In addition, Reed's new bandmates on this session – bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Reggie Quinerly – each contribute a new piece of their own that works well in this setting.   Reed continues to bring his own gospel-tinged sound to these classics, and he and his bandmates shine when they mix and match the tunes into witty commentary on others (Horace Silver's "Peace" matched with McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace" with a tasty quote from Ornette Coleman's "Peace" for good measure.  Reed shares his personal views on his music, on Thelonious Monk, his students at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his place in the jazz world as a member of the LBTQ+ community. Muscial selections for Podcast 952 include his cover of "Lean on Me' featuring a fiery vocal from  veteran minister and vocalist Calvin B. Rhone and Thelonious Monk's "Ugle Beauty." To hear the interview I reference in this podcast, go to WRTI.org.

Wayne Escoffery was riding high the morning I spoke with him. And why not? Just that weekend he had become the first person of color to conduct a performance of Charles Mingus' epic "Epitaph.," a piece he had played before under the direction of Gunther Schuller. His latest album, Like Minds, ws just out on Smoke Sessions Records, and featured top notch guests like Gregory Porter, Tom Harrell, and Mike Moreno joining Escoffery’s quartet of David Kikoski, Ugonna Okegwo, and Mark Whitfield, Jr. Whitfield Jr is the new hand on board, as longtime drummer Ralph Peterson Jr. had passed away in March 2021.. This is a top notch group, and the selections are brilliantly assembled with Escoery tunes, most written during the lockdown days of the pandemic.   New for Wayne is the recording of tunes for which he has written lrics, and who better to sing them than Gregory Porter? Particualrly stunning is the group's talke on the reggae classic "Rivers of Babylon," which had been oft-heard in the Escoffery household during his youth.  Podcast 951 is my conversatioin with Wayne (an apology for some of the audio distortion from cellphones) as we talk about the importance of his longtime collaborators to his sound, and what they bring to the studio when they all get together. Musical slections include "Like Minds" and "Rivers of Babylon."

A new face on the New York jazz scene, 25-year-old guitarist-composer Tomer Cohen made his debut as a leader earlier this year with the release of Not the Same River, an album that shows how painting with sound and silence can create often striking musical moods.  Accompanied by the highly interactive rhythm tandem of drummer Obed Calvaire (a ubiquitous figure on the NYC scene and currently a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis) and stalwart bassist Matt Penman (formerly a linchpin of the SFJAZZ Collective and sideman on over 100 recordings), Cohen demonstrates his unique fingerstyle-and-pick technique on eight thoughtful compositions that reflect his pastoral upbringing, from age 4 to 21, on a kibbutz in Israel.  From the wistful title track to the odd-metered, Middle Eastern flavored “Connecting Dots,” the meditative “Hithadshut (Regeneration)” and the intricate, briskly moving “Empty?,” Cohen distinguishes himself as a fresh new voice through his affecting compositions and considerable six-string skills. Other tunes like “Pastures” and “Sunrise” show his unique ability to evoke a sense of place in a composition, while the energized groover “Probably More than Two” and the sublime ballad “First Laps” each harken back to more personal memories for the composer. The extraordinarily sensitive and complimentary playing of Calvaire and Penman throughout Not the Same River only serves to elevate the proceedings from track to track. Podcast 950 is my conversation with Tomer, as we dsicuss his writing techniques, his thematic choices for compositions, and his choice of gear to create the sonic landscapes of Not the Same River, Musical selections include “Connecting Dots.”

If you think Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s remarkable, 1960 interpretation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet, The Nutcracker, is the final jazz word on the popular orchestral work, think again. Performed by drummer/leader Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band, The Pan American Nutcracker Suite is a distinctly different take on the famous score, integrating the polyrhythms and distinctive percussion from across the world, most notably McCarthy’s playground of choice, Latin America The New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band includes some of the finest players in jazz. Session conductor Vince Norman led Nick Marchione, John Chudoba, Brandon Lee, and Alex Norris, trumpets; followed by Andrew Gould, lead alto saxophone; Alejandro Aviles, alto saxophone; Ben Kono and Luis Hernandez, tenor saxophones; and Frank Basile, baritone saxophone. Mark Patterson, Ryan Keberle, and John Yao played trombones, James Borowski, bass trombone. McCarthy, of course, handled drums, while directing the rhythm section of Luis Perdomo, piano; Vinny Valentino, guitar; Boris Kozlov, bass; and Samuel Torres, percussion. Downbeat Magazine hailed Joe McCarthy, writing “The Afro-Bop Alliance Big Band, captained by drummer Joe McCarthy, occupies a singular spot in the timeline of Afro-Cuban ensembles, at once a torchbearer of the genre’s storied history and also one of its fiercest innovators." Nine McCarthy-led recordings preceded The Pan American Nutcracker Suite, including Caribbean Jazz Project/Afro Bop Alliance featuring Dave Samuels, winner of the Latin Jazz Album Grammy of 2008. The album was also nominated in the Latin Jazz category at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Podcast 949 takes us into the thought process behind the innovative arrangements to the ubiquitous holiday sounds,.

If it’s June, then jazz festival season must be underway. As always, the early highlight for me is Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, held in lovely Saratoga Springs’ Performing Arts Center June 24-25. Impressario Danny Melnick has a strong lineup for the festival this year, with acts performing on two stages, along with juried crafts, food and drink. The line-ups for Saturday, June 24 include Snarky Puppy, Angelique Kidjp, Tower of Power, Chucho Valdes, Cory Wong and the Cindy Blackman Santana Band on the Amphoteater Stage, and  Kurt Rosenwinkel, Emmet Cohen, Claudia Acuna, Carolyn Wonderland, Glen David Andrews and Nduduzo Makhathini  on the Charles R. Wood Discovery Stage Sunday’s talent on the Amphitheater Stage kicks off with Pat Metheny’s Side-Eye Project, Hiromi’s Sonicwonder, St. Paul & The Broken Bones and ends with Bonnie Raitt. The Discovery stage gives them great competition, as Grammy darling Samara Joy will be performing, as will Melissa Aldana. Mark Guiliana, Jupiter & Okwess and the Skidmore Jazz  Institute Faculty All-Stars, featuring Todd Coolman, Clay Jenkins, Dennis Mackrel, Jimmy Greene, Michael Dease, Bill Cunliffe and Dave Stryker. So listen up as Danny and I give you the inside information on the Festival, with some great backstory and insight into how and why these great artists are set to perform. Musical selections include  tunes from Nduduzo Makhathini, Cindy Blackman Santana Band, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones.

It’s been a while, but I’m pleased to say that Straight No Chaser is back in business! There is a lot of great content coming up, so please spread the word. We’ll kick things off with my conversation with singer/songwriter/arranger Ann Hampton Callaway. Ann has a new album out on  Palmetto Records, and it’s her tribute to one of her earliest music heroes, Peggy Lee. The recording come on the heels of Callaway’s show, Fever: The Peggy Lee Century, a 100th birthday celebration of the singer at the New York City supper club 54 Below for which she just received a BroadwayWorld nomination for Best Celebrity Show. The album, Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration! features the vocal strength we’ve come to expect from Ms. Callaway. She has assembled a crack band to support her interpretations of Lee tunes, led by long-time collaborators Ted Rosenthal at the piano and Martin Wind on bass. Tim Horner is on drums, and guest guitarists Bob Mann and John Pizzarelli add some extra pizzazz. Ms. Callaway has wisely focused on Miss Lee’s compositions rather than the tunes she covered. The author of over 270 songs in her lifetime, Ann calls her “the first singer-songwriter” in our conversation. In addition to the nine tunes Peggy wrote or co-wrote, Ann shines on the singer’s signature material, like “Fever” and “Black Coffee.” Of special interest is “Claire de Lune”, with music and arrangement by Ann  andwords by Peggy Lee from an unpublished poem.  Podcast 947 is my conversation with Ann Hampton Callaway, as we discuss Peggy Lee, Ann’s recent explorations of the Linda Ronstadt Songbook, and some exciting future projects she has coming our way. Musical highlights include “Claire de Lune” and a medley of “This Is a Very Special Day /It's a Good Day.”

Looking for some new Christmas jazz tunes to brighten your hoilday spirit? Our annual consumer guide gives you a chance to hear a track or two from recent releases of holiday music. This year features "new" releases from Norah Jones and Vince Guaraldi (deluxe versions of previous albums) and a comprehensive collection from Louis Armstrong. There are also single/EP only tunes from Laila Biali, Samara Joy, and Matt Wilson. I'm featuring two tracks from Andy James' Bells Are Ringing (Le Coq Records). The first is an instrumetal original, "It's Christmas Time" composed by Andy, Piero Pata and Jon Cowherd and featuring an all-star group: Piano - Cowherd, Tenor Sax - Marcus Strickland (solo), Organ Melody - Ronnie Foster, Percussion - Alex Acuña, Drums - Clarence Penn, Bass - Christopher Thomas, Trumpet - Terell Stafford, Trombonist - Michael Dease, Alto Sax - Bob Sheppard). The vocal song from the album is the venerable "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),"recorded at Capitol Studios with Nat King Cole’s very own Steinway piano. Arranged by Bill Cunliffe who accompanies on piano, along with  Drums - Joe LaBarbera, Bass - Chris Colangelo, Guitar - Jake Langley, Vibraphone - Lolly Allen, and Violin - Calabría McChesney. Podcast 946 features: Richard Williams - "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (with Alex Stiles)" from Hollywood Christmas Laila Biali - "My Favorite Things" Chris Ruggiero - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Christmas with Chris Ruggiero Louis Armstrong - "Winter Wonderland" from Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule Joe McCarthy's New York Afro-Alliance Big Band - "Waltz of the Flowers" from The Pan American Nutcracker Suite Norah Jones - "Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)" from I Dream of Christmas (Deluxe Edition) John Beasley - "Away in the Manger" from Holidaze Vince Guaraldi - "Skating (#7, Take 2 - September 22, 1965)" from A Charlie Brown Christmas [Super Deluxe Edition] Andy James - "It's Christmas Time" from Bells Are Ringing Andy James - "The Christmas Song" from Bells Are Ringing Chris Ruggiero - "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" from Christmas with Chris Ruggiero Richard Williams - "Here Comes Santa Claus/Jingle Bells/Frosty the Snowman (with Hayley Kirkland, Connor Ross, Company B)" from Hollywood Christmas Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O - "MariahParushka" Samara Joy - "O Holy Night"

We heard from promising young jazz singer Samara Joy in Podcast 943 last week, and today it’s Tawanda’s turn. When she tied for first place with Gabrielle Cavassa in the 9th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, the feat was all the more impressive given that Tawanda had performed her first full show just a year before. Raised in the deep south of New Mexico on the border with Texas, she is proudly a first generation American with a mother from Germany and a father from Mozambique. This unique background has served her well, giving her access to a world of music styles that few can access. Under the tutelage of singer/educator Mirabai Daniels, she was recommended to Resonance Records founder George Klabin who pushed her to perform live and enter the Sarah Vaughan competition. Her first album, Smile, was produced by Klabin, who brought veteran pianists Tamir Hendelman and Josh Nelson to accompany the young singer. The end result neatly mixes jazz standards like  “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Lucky to Be Me” with interpretations of pop numbers like Sting’s “Sister Moon”and Donny Hathaway’s “Sack Full of Dreams.” She only cuts loose a few times, most notably on a scatting “Out of This World,” but it’s clear there is not only a singer with the necessary pipes here, but one with the ability to inhabit and interpret a song. Podcast 944 is my conversation with Tawanda, as we discuss her sudden rise to touring performer and recording artist, what she looks for in a song to add to her repertoire, and what projects she hopes to tackle in the near future. Musical selections from Smile include “Out of This World,” and “Sack Full of Dreams.”

On Straight No Chaser this week, we feature two promising young female vocalists and their most recent releases. Both Samara Joy McLendon and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim have professionally dropped their last names. Both were winners of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, in 2019 and 2021, respectively ( Tawanda’s competition was originally slated to be held in 2020 but delayed due to COVID). Both are following well-worn paths of singing standards and modern pop songs with small group backing. And the sky seems the limit for both. Samara's major label debut on Verve Records is Linger Awhile, an often thrilling collection of standards and lesser known gems. Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City, it features a crack band of Pasquale Grasso (guitar), Ben Paterson (piano), David Wong (double bass), and Kenny Washington (drums) behind the singer. Whether she is singing classics by Gershwin or Monk, or digging deeper for the title track and tunes by Fats Navarro what stands out is that voice - cutting through the material, and emoting for all she is worth.  Music has always been a guiding presence within Samara’s family. Her grandparents, Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon, led the well-known Philadelphia-based gospel group, The Savettes, and her father toured with the renowned Andrae Crouch. Although her earliest influences are the gospel and R&B sounds of Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, George Duke, and Musiq Soulchild, Samara fell in love with jazz while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed regularly with the jazz band and eventually won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. Samara attended SUNY Purchase and recently graduated as the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar. Podcast 943 is my conversation with Samara Joy, recorded on Zoom while she was on tour recently. We talk about how she came to fall in love with jazz, how she chooses material and works on the arrangements, and what her next step (hint: Christmas music and tour) will be. Musical selections include "'Round Midnight" and the title track.   

Back in the early 70’s, drummer Mike Clark and bassist Paul Jackson were best friends, living in East Oakland, playing flatbed gigs at Black Panther rallies and generally raising hell. Cooking was not their forte, so the barbecue joint next door became a hangout. Mrs. Jones (of Everett and Jones) asked them to write a song to promote the spot, and they came up with the first version of  ‘God Made Me Funky.’ Bill Summers worked with Jackson at the local record store, and he jumped at an opportunity to open a show for Herbie Hancock in the Bay Area. He got the call to audition for Herbie’s band, joining Herbie for the album Headhunters. The result was the first platinum selling Jazz album in history. The lineup on that first album: Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, and Bill Summers. Mike Clark replaced Mason afterwards, and the lineup continued on several hugely influential Herbie Hancock releases such as Thrust and Flood. "God Made Me Funky" and it's sampled drum loop helped define early hip-hop, and cemented the reputation of the two percussionists forever.  Mike Clark and Bill Summers are two of a kind - they share a love for music that never dies. The pair kept The Headhunters alive, releasing two albums in Survival of the Fittest in 1975 and Straight From The Gate in 1977 with Herbie as featured guest. The chemistry between them is undeniable: They have persevered for over 40 years through industry setbacks, the death of band members, and more, to stay true to their mission with the same energy and zeal that the music demands. 11 years after their last release, The Headhunters are set to release Speakers In The House, a new full length album featuring Summers, Clark, NEA Jazz master Donald Harrison, Stephen Gordon, bassist Reggie Washington, and organist Jerry Z. The album also features Scott Roberts and Fode Sissoko on kora. The Headhunters spirit is alive and well on the album, which fuses the band’s African and New Orleans influences with their ever-present technical jazz-funk, rooted in music history and growing in the present moment. It was a real treat to get both Clark and Summers together on a Zoom call a month back, and let the two do in conversation what they do in musical conversation onstage - exchange ideas, riffs and thoughts in lightning speed, keeping a great rhythm going at all times. It was a blast. And you can hear it on Podcast 942, where they talk about the new album, how they have stayed together for forty plus years, and their recent solo projects, Summers' Forward Back and Clark's Blues on Top with Leon Lee Dorsey and Mike LeDonne. You'll get a chance to hear the re-arranged and performed "Actual Proof" as the two remember the late, great Paul Jackson. 

Bobby Watson continues to carry the Hard Bop torch well into the 21st century. And he sounds as vibrant as ever on his latest release, Back Home in Kansas City (Smoke Sessions Records), which was released last month. He’s joined by some familiar faces – his longtime rhythm section of bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Jones along with two stars in their own right - pianist Cyrus Chestnut and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. The album is made up of Watson tunes old and new, as he finally got around to recording a few tunes that he had on the shelf. He has three contrafacts as well – his takes on classics from “Maiden Voyage” to “Back Home in Indiana” to “Giant Steps.” As his Jazz Messenger boss Art Blakey taught him, your sidemen can bring in great tunes as well. Jones contributes the stealthy “Red Bank Heist,”  and Chestnut contributes the sparkling “A Star in the East,” an easygoing waltz that thrives on the rich melody shared by Watson and Pelt. The trumpeter’s offering is the tender “Celestial,” highlighted by his own muted eloquence. In addition, old friend Carmen Lundy comes by to join the band for “Our Love Remains,” co-written by Watson and his wife Pamela. In instrumental form, the song was the title track for his 1986 album Love Remains and was recorded again for 1992’s Present Tense. The vocal version has previously been recorded by Kevin Mahogany and Melissa Walker, and Lou Rawls was planning his own rendition prior to his death. Bobby shares insights into the writing and recording of Back Home in Kansas City, and shares how he reharmonizes tunes to get them to sit best on his alto horn. Want to know what he has planned next? Listen to Podcast 941.

Marshall Gilkes keeps one foot firmly in the world of jazz, and another in the classical world. On any given night in New York, you might find the trombonist playing with the New York Philharmonic, filling in a Big Band brass section, or soloing with a salsa band. He is in demand as part of the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the WDR Big Band, as well as the Slide Monsters Trombone Quartet, and leading his own projects This has led to his producing six critically acclaimed albums, along with his latest work, Cyclic Journeys (Alternate Side Records). Something of a throwback to the “Third Stream” compositions of the late Fifties, Cyclic Journeys finds Marshall writing for jazz quartet – himself on trombone, Aaron Parks on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass, Johnathan Blake on drums – as well as classical brass octet - Brandon Ridenour-trumpet, piccolo trumpet, flugelhorn, Ethan Bensdorf-trumpet, flugelhorn, Tony Kadleck-trumpet, flugelhorn, Adam Unsworth-horn, Joseph Alessi-trombone, Demondrae Thurman-euphonium, Nick Schwartz-bass trombone, and the inimitable Marcus Rojas-tuba. The resulting long-form composition moves deftly through musical styles, while refusing to be put into any one musical box. Take the tune “Genre Battles,” which offers contrasting brass octet sections against the jazz quartet absolutely burning over Rhythm Changes. Podcast 940 is my conversation with Marshall, as we discuss the difference in writing and arranging for, and playing with, jazz and classical players. Marshall also talks about his early days as a budding musician, following in his father’s footsteps on the trombone, but carving out his own path to acclaim.

I enjoyed having author Sammy Stein on the podcast so much (check out Podcast 810), when I learned she had a new book out, I had to have her back. The Wonder of Jazz: Music That Changed the World is slim in size but not in scope, as she takes both the jazz newbie and the aficinado on a tour of jazz past, present and future. Backed with a long listening list, it represents the ideal read for those looking to get deeper into this great music. Early Christmas present anyone? Her previous book, All That’s Jazz (Tomahawk Press), received critical acclaim, and her Women in Jazz (8th House) gained the JazzTimes Distaff Award, made the Gearbox list and was nominated by the Jazz Journalists Association for best jazz book. She has curated several radio series and has appeared on Jazz FM, BBC, Jazz Bites Radio and more. Sammy organized the London Jazz Platform mini-festival event and was named the Jazz Journalists Association International Editor. In our conversation we try to define exactly what jazz music is, where it might be going in the future, and how the pandemic changed things for musicians in her home UK as well as around the world. 

A pivotal member of New York's Jazz scene for 40 years, pianist Bruce Barth's inspired vision and generous accompaniment has always led to rich musical collaborations, none more so than with his working trio of many years with bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Montez Coleman. Their collective voice found its perfect setting, which makes the release of Dedication a profound and emotion-filled moment, as Montez passed away 5 months after the recording session at the age of 48. Celebrating the joy and camaraderie Montez brought to their work, the thread of relationships, inspiration, guidance and gratefulness that imbued the recording revealed itself, leading Barth to present the music as a display of mindfulness of those gifts. Dedication is for the ones who give, and is filled with life, dance and above all, swing. Beyond paying tribute to Montez, Bruce has written songs that are dedicated to other figures who have touched him in one way of another, including Tommy Flanagan, McCoy Tyner and George Floyd. While moving, it is never elegiac – there is a deep feeling of hope in Barth’s playing here, and heaven knows we need more of that these days. Bruce has performed on over 125 recordings and movie soundtracks, including fifteen as a leader. He is equally at home playing solo piano  leading an all-star septet and composing for a variety of ensembles. Within a year of moving to Brooklyn in 1988, Barth toured Japan with Nat Adderley. He started working with Vincent Herring and Stanley Turrentine, and joined Terence Blanchard's quintet in 1990. During the next four years, he toured extensively with Blanchard, recorded six CD's and several movie soundtracks, and played onscreen in Spike Lee's film, Malcolm X. Bruce has had extended collaborations with Terell Stafford, Steve Wilson, Luciana Souza, Steve Nelson, and Tony Bennett. He has performed with James Moody, Phil Woods, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrell, Branford Marsalis, Art Farmer, and the Mingus Big Band. Finally, Bruce is a dedicated teacher, currently on the faculties of Temple University and Columbia University. Podcast 938 is my conversation with Bruce Barth, as we talk about the new album, the loss of Montez Coleman, and his future projects. Musical selections from Dedication include "Courage," dedicated to front line workers who braved the pandemic, and "Memoriam," dedicated to Geore Floyd and those who fight for racial equity.

I must confess that any album that features Brazilian-born singer Luciana Souza is going to be on my radar immediately. A brilliant interpreter of both American and Brazilian pop and jazz classics, she collaborated brilliantly with Yellowjackets in 2018, and Vince Mendoza and the WDR Big Band Köln in 2020. Her latest collaboration is another smashing success. Grammy-winning Cuban-born drummer, composer, bandleader, and 2011 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Dafnis Prieto wrote songs and lyrics for his latest album Cantar, (on his Dafnison Music label) a great vehicle for Luciana’s talents.  Prieto and Souza are joined by a trio of masterful improvisers on the album, including Peter Apfelbaum (Woodwinds, Melodica, Percussion, and Keys), Martin Bejerano (Piano), and Matt Brewer (Acoustic and Electric Bass). Recorded in September 2021, the project is co-produced by Grammy-winning producer (and Souza’s husband), Larry Klein, and Eric Oberstein, Prieto’s collaborator for the past half decade. Songs with lyrics are something new for Prieto, but you’d never know if from the songs he (and on several, Souza) wrote in three languages — English, Spanish, and Portuguese — making it a truly global affair. Dafnis moves between his award-winning Big Band, the more supple sextet and this smaller group with little effort, driving the sound with his patented percussion. Ms. Souza is once again at the top of her game, her voice more than merely a device for the lyrics, but a true instrument in itself. Podcast 937 is my conversation with Dafnis Prieto, as we hear the story behind the making of Cantar, his desire to write the lyrics for an album of his music, and why he tapped Luciana Souza for the gig, Musical selections include the wordless vocal of Luciana on "To the Concert." and the collaboratively written "The Muse."  

“Musically, I have the very clear feeling that my stretching out and being creative has a much better chance of happening organically, avoiding alienation and stiffness, when done in energetic connection with my roots – with the sensuality and groundedness of the hymns and the spirituals and the lullabies.” – Tord Gustavsen   Piano players who record on ECM are in some heavy company. Many of the legends of the ivories – Jarrett, Corea, Bley, Iyer – have all had some of their finest work appear on the now legendary label. Tord Gustavsen seems to shrug off these rarified heights as he continues his recording career on ECM. And for good reason. Changing Places, Gustavsen’s 2003 recording debut with his first trio, was ECM’s most successful debut in a decade. He followed with two more trio recordings, before launching a new, more flexible ensemble, which released the album Restored, Returned in 2009. The line-up included Tore Brunborg on saxophones and Kristin Asbjørnsen on vocals. This was followed in 2012 by an instrumental quartet album called The Well. He remains one of their most consistent sellers, and his releases are critically lauded. The Tord Gustavsen Trio that recorded Opening, his latest release, has someone old and someone new in the band. Long-time drummer Jarle Vespestad is still here, but bassist Steinar Raknes is new to the fold. His playing is perfectly matched for this piano and drums, and he is not afraid to step out and take the lead on a few tunes as well. Steinar's use of elctronics, which Tord has touched on before, adds additional depth and texture to the recordings. As at least a few critics have pointed out, this music is the epitome of what ECM has stood for over the years, and one of the finest releases of 2022. Tord was born in Oslo in 1970 and grew up in the Norwegian countryside. He began playing the piano aged 4, and was composing and improvising before he learned to read music and perform classical pieces. His first stages were in churches, and he still calls on hymns and folk melodies in his compositions today. At the age of 19, he began his studies at the University of Oslo and his interest in jazz started to flourish. He was accepted into the jazz department at the Conservatory of Music in Trondheim in 1993, where he formed several bands and toured all over Scandinavia. I caught up with Tord via Zoom recently and we discussed his desire to move between piano trio and other ensemble sizes, why the addition of Raknes on bass was so important to the new album, and his plans for the rest of 2022. Musical selections from Opening include the ironically titled "Helensburgh Tango" and the melodic "The Circle."    

Following the success of his digital showcase series of solo guitar tributes to giants like Monk, Powell, and Ellington, Pasquale Grasso has cast his musical net a bit wider. His latst album, a trio recording from the Sony Music Masterworks release called Be-Bop!, is an often dazzling tribute to be-bop pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.  Backed by his working trio of bassist Ari Roland and drummer Keith Balla, the Grasso trio is in sync through super-up-tempo, challenging fare like “A Night n Tunisia.” “Groovin’ High,” “Cheryl,” “Ornithology," “Be-bop" and “Shaw ‘Nuff."  Although the tunes are all staples of the jazz repertoire, it’s a pleasure to hear Pasquale use his guitar and fleet fingers to give a different voice to the memorable melodies and harmonics. Special guest vocalist Samara Joy, who has been collaborating with Pasquale since 2020, appears on one track, the lesser-known jivey mid-tempo swinger “I’m in a Mess” (originally sung by Joe Carroll on Gillespie’s 1951 album, School Days). The two have great chemistry, and it’s no surprise that he will be on her debut album, now available on the Verve label.  Born and raised in Ariano Irpino in Southern Italy’s Campania region, Grasso relocated to New York City in 2009 and has since been wowing audiences with regular appearances at Mezzrow, Smalls and The Django, where he has showcased his tremendous command of the fretboard by freely moving between single notes, chords and independent bass lines while flashing Art Tatum-esque filigrees with uncanny speed and precision. In 2015, Pasquale won the Wes Montgomery International Jazz Guitar Competition in New York City, including performing with guitar legend Pat Martino’s organ trio. Grasso was subsequently signed to an exclusive deal with Sony Masterworks, which led to his initial series of digital releases in 2019. Podcast 935 is my conversation with Pasquale, as we delve into his love of the be-bop classics, his studies with the late Barry Harris, how he came to jazz – a family thing – and his working relationship with Samara Joy. Musical selections include “Groovin’ High” and A Night in Tunisia.”

Tomasz Stańko – one of Europe’s most original and beloved jazz musicians – was born on July 11, 1942, in Rzeszów, Poland, and he passed away in Warsaw on July 29, 2018. In many ways, his life traced the course of modern jazz in Europe, beginning with his tenure – when barely into his twenties – in the band of the great Polish composer-pianist Krzysztof Komeda, through his association as a leader with the iconic German art-house label ECM Records that would produce a dozen masterful albums up to his final release, December Avenue, in 2017.. To mark what would have been his 80th birthday year, an all-star memorial concert – “Remembering Tomasz Stańko” – will be held at Brooklyn’s Roulette at 8:00pm on September 18, 2022, with tickets free of charge. The event will include musicians who worked closest with Stańko in his last, highly productive decades and others who collaborated with him on special latter-day projects. “Remembering Tomasz Stańko” will include two illustrious soloists on trumpet: Wadada Leo Smith and Ambrose Akinmusire. The night’s revolving cast of musicians will be anchored by the rhythm sections from both Stańko’s New York and Polish quartets: pianist David Virelles, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Gerald Cleaver, from the former; and, from the latter, pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Sławomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michał Miśkiewicz. Stańko discovered the Poles when they were just teenagers; in addition to working as an established trio, they now play with saxophonist Joe Lovano – who will also join them for this event. Guitarist Jakob Bro, who played on Stańko’s Dark Eyes album, will be on hand, as will saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Craig Taborn – who were part of a special band that Stańko put together for a concert at New York’s Jazz Standard in 2011. Saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and bassist Dezron Douglas will also perform; they, along with Virelles, featured in a quintet that recorded POLIN, a suite that Stańko composed for an exhibition at the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.  I spoke with Dezron Douglas about his time with Stańko, the man he calls “my Polish O.G.” Dezron has a strong sense of the history of jazz, and his love and respect for Tomasz was clear in our conversation. Douglas knows the masters of this music well – he was tutored as a teenager in Hartford, Connecticut by his great-uncle Walter Bolden, as well as saxophone legend Jackie McLean. Since then, he has become one of the foremost bass players in the business, leading his own group and playing with acts as diverse as Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Mulgrew Miller, Enrico Rava and more, including his current spot with jam band master Trey Anastasio. Podcast 934 is my talk with Dezron, as he remembers his time with Tomasz Stańko, and shares insight into how he moves effortlessly between genres of music. Musical selections include the title track from POLIN.

After several weeks of bad news in the jazz world, driven by the untimely deaths of Jaimie Branch and Joey DeFrancesco, a little sunshine has appeared. After two years were spent reorienting to the pandemic with modified operations including livestreams, sidewalk concerts, and outdoor dining, Smoke Jazz Club made a long-awaited return as a world-renowned full-time destination earlier this month. The revered Manhattan institution has undertaken an impressive expansion and renovation that readies itfor the post-pandemic 21st century. And signing a thirty year lease extension doesn't hurt either.  Despite being closed to indoor performances and dining for over two years, Smoke has survived and doesn't seem to have missed a beat in its musical presentations. A new, separate lounge and enlarged stage will make performances even more memorable from this point forward. Husband and wife co-owners Paul Stache and Molly Sparrow Johnson have much to be proud of.  The club was first opened on April 9, 1999 by co-founders Stache and Frank Christopher, taking over the space that had been Augie's Jazz Bar for 25 years. Since then, not only have Stache and Ms. Johnson operated and grown Smoke for jazz performance, they also have also  have created a Grammy-nominated label, Smoke Sessions Records, and a celebrated streaming concert series, Smoke Screens.  Podcast 933 is my conversation with Paul Stache, as we talk about the long road to Smoke's reopening, the elements of its expansion and plans for the future.   

After an impressive foray on her debut album, Azalea, rising star vibraphonist Sasha Berliner has followed up with a vigorous, unabashedly avant-garde sophomore recording, Onyx on JMI Recording. Her band is packed with familiar names who happen to be fellow students and friends of Sasha’s, including Marcus Gilmore on drums, Burniss Travis II on upright and electric bass and James Francies on piano and Fender Rhodes. Special guests include Jaleel Shaw on alto saxophone, Julius Rodriguez on analog synths and vocalist Thana Alexa.  The album has a dense, shaded sound, creating soundscapes that serve as strong backing for Sasha’s nimble mallet work. If at times melodies seem fleeting, each accompaniment imposes an array of feelings that serves the music and the musicians well. Perhaps the most resonant example of abandoning jazz tradition is presented in Berliner’s two-part arrangement of the standard “My Funny Valentine.” Propelled by her entrancing solo on the first, listeners ride through a forlorn, dreamlike exploration, waking up in a vibrant Part II where a brash and swift conversation between the band ensues. A Bay Area native, Sasha was the 2020 Downbeat Critics’ Poll winner of the “Rising Star - Vibraphone” category, becoming both the first woman, and at 21, was the youngest individual in the poll’s history to be granted the win. Sasha graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music with her Bachelor's degree in Jazz Vibraphone Performance and a minor in Non Fiction writing from the adjacent Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts.Since then it’s been onward and upward, not just with her own bands, but working with her friends and established stars like Christian McBride and Tyshawn Sorey. Podcast 931 is my in-depth conversation with Sasha Berliner, as she delves into the songs on Onyx and talks about her transition from drums to vibes in her teens. Musical selections include “Jade” and “Polaris.”

After the deaths earlier this week of legendary producer-record label impresario Creed Taylor and brilliant young trumpeter jaimie branch, the jazz world had another shock on Friday, when the news spread that legendary organist Joe DeFrancesco had died suddenly at the age of 51. No cause of death was immediately released.  I had the pleasure to see Joey D several times, and to have two podcast interviews with him (Podcasts 666 and 846).  first fell in love with the music of Joey DeFrancesco  twenty years ago, when I booked him on an epic Organ Summit triple bill with the late Charles Earland and recently departed Dr. Lonnie Smith for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz.  What an evening that was! Significantly younger than the other greats sharing the stage that night, he more than held his own, and seemed as excited as any fan in attendance to be part of a very special event. During his thirty plus years as a performer, he went from part of the Philly music scene that included Christian McBride and Kurt Rosenwinkel to playing with everyone from Miles Davis and John McLaughlin to Van Morrison and the Count Basie Orchestra. He matched musical wits with the great Jimmy Smith, and in his most recent recordings, sought to stretch his sound by working with Pharoah Sanders. A well written obit for Joey D can be found here.  Podcast 932 honors the music Joey DeFrancesco made during his too-short life, including some of my favorite tracks. It ends with the last track he recorded on his last album, More Music with the appropriate title of "Soul Dancing": Joey DeFrancesco - "Cherokee" from Authorized Bootleg Miles Davis - "Intruder" from Live Around the World Joey DeFrancesco - "Blue 'N Boogie from The Philadelphia Connection Grover Washington Jr - "Keep in Touch" from Strawberry Moon Joey DeFrancesco and Bobby Hutcherson - "Speak Low" from Organic Vibes Joey DeFrancesco - "Vibrations in Blue" from In the Key of the Universe John McLaughlin - "Tones for Elvin Jones" from After the Rain Joey DeFrancesco with Jimmy Smith - "Dot Com  Blues" from Legacy Christian McBride Big Band - "Pie Blues" from For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver Joey DeFrancesco - "Soul Dancing" from More Music

Brian Lynch is well known for his work in Latin, Afro-Carribean and other global sounds, as well as for a Hard Bop trumpet sound that never gets tired. His latest release, Songbook Vol. 2: Dance The Way U Want To finds him bringing new life to older Lynch compositions, backed by his crack band Spheres of Influence.  Spheres of Influence represents some of the best of the Miami jazz scene, with a core rhythm section of Rodner Padilla (electric bass), Hilario Bell (drums), and Murphy Aucamp (percussion) backing Lynch's trumpet. Other players moved in and out of the sessions including Alex Brown (piano), Tom Kelley (alto sax), and Aldo Salvent and Chris Thompson-Taylor (tenor sax). Lynch’s “Songbook” series reclaims the many original compositions that he recorded for other labels throughout his career on his own label Hollistic MusicWorks, in new and improved renditions. Coming directly after the critically acclaimed (one of JazzTimes’ Best Albums Of 2021) Songbook Vol. 1: Bus Stop Serenade, Dance The Way U Want To continues the project with a focus on works chronicling Lynch’s uniquely personal mixture of straight ahead modern jazz style with Afro-Caribbean musical elements, reflecting his long and distinguished career in both idioms. Dance The Way U Want To features music fashioned over a period of almost forty years, mostly from Brian’s long association with the Criss Cross and ConClave labels. The album includes two new compositions recorded here for the very first time: "E.P.s Plan B", dedicated to Eddie Palmieri; and "The Disco Godfather", a shout out to Black humorist and pioneering filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore.  Coming out of the Midwest, Lynch cut his teeth working with the great Charles McPherson in San Diego, before moving to New York and spending time with Horace Silver and and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. He recieved acclaim for his work with Phil Woods and Art Blakey, but most notably for playing with Eddie Palmieri, leading to a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz album for 2006's Simpatico.  He won a second Grammy for the Brian Lynch Big Band's  album, The Omni-American Book Club in 2020. Brian has taught at The Frost School Of Music at The University Of Miami since 2011. Podcast 930 is my conversation with Brian, as we talk about how the influences of Blakey, Silver and Palmieri have shaped his music, and the joy he found in "rediscovering" his older material. Musical selections include 

A conversation with keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer crossed another name off my list of top-notch artists I have not had the pleasure to meet. His career began with roles in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and bands led by Ray Brown and Art Farmer, all before his 30th birthday. Since then, he has grown as a writer, performer, arranger and band leader, to say nothing of being a first call sideman for the likes of Benny Golson, Christian McBride, and Chris Botti. On his 23rd album as a leader, Keezer continues to augment and refine his distinctive style. Playdate, on his own record label, MarKeez, is the perfect title for the project, as he has put together a group of distinguished collaborators, to create a new edition of “Geoffrey Keezer and Friends.” On Playdate,  collaborators Shedrick Mitchell on organ, Ron Blake on tenor and soprano saxophone, Richie Goods on acoustic and electric bass and Kendrick Scott on drums create the perfect partners for Keezer's musical productions. He has added guitarists Aayushi Karnik and Nir Felder, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, a String section and French Horns from Rachel Drehmann. Though his intention was to remain “old school” with a Blue Note-style blowing date, Keezer found inspiration in his love of strings and percussion amidst his writing and decided to expand. From the Hard Bop sound of “I.L.Y.B.D.” (“I Love You But Damn”) to the funky arrangement of “Tomorrow” (from The Brothers Johnson by way of Quincy Jones) and the string soaked "Bebah," there's an awful lot to like in Playdate.  In Podcast 928 we talk about the new album, his times playing with Art Blakey and Art Farmer, and how he almost joined up with Miles Davis. Musical selections include the album closer, "M’s Bedtime Blues.” The tune is based on a melody that Keezer and his wife, vocalist Gillian Margot, created when their son began to play with his drum kit over nightly FaceTime sessions with Keezer's late father. 

Over the years, the drummer-less trio of Steve Cardenas (guitar), Ben Allison (bass) and Ted Nash (reeds) has recorded wonderful interpretive albums to celebrate their favorite composers. First came Quiet Revolution (2016),  drawing from the compositions of Jim Hall and Jimmy Giuffre and then Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs reinterpreting the music of Leonard Bernstein.  Now we have Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (Sunnyside Records).The trio plays a wide range of Bley-penned tunes written between 1958 and1987, including classics like "Ida Lupino" and "Lawns", along with lesser-known compositions such as "Ictus" and "Donkey". The tunes are constructed to give top improvisers plenty of room to work, and the results are often striking. These three have developed an awesome chemistry. In a career that spans over 30 years, Allison has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to 20th century and a broad range of music from around the world, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole. Ben is also well kn own as an educator and advocate. Ben served as an advisor to the Doris Duke Foundation, helping to establish Chamber Music America’s New Works – Creation and Presentation program. He served two terms as President of the Board of the New York chapter of the Recording Academy and chaired the Advocacy Committee from 2012 until 2019.  Musical selections from Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley include "Lawns" and "Ictus."

It's past the midpoint in summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for what may still be lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? Plus, Saint Roch's name is to be invoked to avoid plagues, so need I say anything more? The Romans associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've now done eight previous Dog Day postings, Podcast 292, Podcast 225, Podcast 442, Podcast 492 , Podcast 546, Podcast 588, Podcast 632 , Podcast 695  and Podcast 838 if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There may be a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they said on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get. Musical selections for Podcast 929 include: Joey Alexander - "Summer Rising" Elan Trotman's Tropicality - "Thoughts of Summer" Clark Burroughs Group - "Surf's Up" Ronnie Foster - "Sultry Song" Marilyn Scott - "Summer Night" John Patitucci - "My Summer Vacation" Al Jarreau - "Somebossa (Summer Breezin')" The Rippingtons - "Summer Lovers" John Scofield - "Endless Summer" Stacey Kent - "The Summer We Crossed" Michael Henderson - "Stay With Me This Summer" Blue Mitchell - "Summer Soft" Bud Shank - "The Summer Wind" Michael Franks - "Dragonfly Summer"  

Podcast 926 completes my conversation with noted trombonist Steve Davis. Steve's latest album is a sextet release on the Smoke Sessions label called Bluesthetic, and it features Steve on trombone, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Steve Nelson on vibes, Christian McBride on bass, Geoffrey Keezer on keys and Willie Jones III on drums.  In Part Two of our conversation, Steve talks about his times with the likes of Jackie McLean and Art Blakey, as well as his coming projects with the collective One For All.  Musical selections include the Davis composition "Fire Waltz" from One For All's album Incorrigible. The band is composed of Davis on trombone, Eric Alexander on sax, Jim Rotondi on trumpeter and flügelhorn, David Hazeltine on piano, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. 

Year in and year out, Steve Davis is at or near the top of the trombone category in all the important jazz polls. A veteran writer-performer-educator his career runs from the final version of the Jazz Messengers through runs backing the likes of Jackie McLean and Chick Corea. He has lead any number of bands under his own name, and co-leads the collective One For All. During my time as a member of the Hartford, Connecticut scene, Steve was always a key figure in playing, teaching and organizing important events for the community.  His latest album, Bluesthetic (Smoke Sessions label) presents something of a throwback sound. Steve has put together a group with two old collaborators - vibraphonist Steve Nelson and guitarist Peter Bernstein - and keyboardist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride and drummer William Jones III for a swinging set of originals. Nelson, Bernstein and Davis had joined forces for a 1998 album Vibes Up! and return to that unique front line here, with a wonderfully satisfying result.  Podcast 925 is the first of a two-part conversation with Steve, as we discuss the latest album, and he recalls his time working in the Origin and Spanish Heart Band (the latter of which won Steve a Grammy). Musical selections from Bluesthetic include the title track.  Part Two of our conversation with focus on Steve's work with other musicians, his plans for recording in the fall, and his new gig teaching at Berklee in Boston. 

Podcast 924 is the final part of my conversation with bass legend Jimmy Haslip. A founding member of Yellowjackets, he's been at the epicenter of bass playing for the past thirty years, with over 400 sessions and almost 200 productions under his belt.  His latest project is a trio record that came together during the pandemic shut-down period, when long-time friend Barry Coates, who plays a unique synth guitar, shared music he was working on with Jimmy. From there came virtual sessions with drummer Jerry Kalaf, resulting in New Dreams. Haslip plays both fretless and fretted bass on the album, adding to an ethereal sound harkening back to the glory days of ECM Records. We conclude our talk with Jimmy's reminisces on a session he played with KISS, how he began playing the bass (he's self-taught) and how he hones his craft today when he practices. Musical selections include "Postcards," a tune that Jimmy co-wrote with Russell Ferrante for Yellowjackets' 1987 album Four Corners on the GRP label. 

And now back to my conversation with ace bass player Jimmy Haslip! Having been the producer or co-producer on more than 190 recordings, and having recorded over 400 records, Haslip continues to thrive on the road and in the studio.  His latest project is a trio record that came together during the pandemic shut-down period, when long-time friend Barry Coates, who plays a unique synth guitar, shared music he was working on with Jimmy. From there came virtual sessions with drummer Jerry Kalaf, resulting in New Dreams. Tune into Podcast 922 for more details. Part Two of my conversation allows us to go back into his history as a recording artists, producer, and arranger  having worked with the likes of jazz artists like Al Jarreau, Lee Ritenour, Billy Cobham, Pat Metheny, George Duke, Branford Marsalis and the Jeff Lorber Fusion to pop. rock and soul stars like Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, , Crosby, Stills & Nash, Anita Baker and Bruce Hornsby. Here we discuss some of my favorite recordings in which he was involved. Musical selections for Podcast 923 include: -"Magnolia" from Yellowjackets' 211 album Timeline. The track was co-written by Jimmy and keyboardist Russell Ferrante, and features a guest guitar from fellow founding member Robben Ford.  Jimmy spent 34 years as a regular member of Yellowjackets, leaving only when the travel commitments became too great for him.  -""Candleglow" from singer Michael Franks' 2018 release The Music in My Head. The track was produced and arranged by Haslip, and features his bass as well.  - An edited version of "It Must Be Jazz" from the quartet of  the late Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua, Haslip and Chad Wackerman, from the 2009 Blues for Tony double album.  Jimmy co-wrote the tune with the other band members. Jimmy has a hand in organizing a new album of previously unreleased material from this quartet, to be titled Protocosmos and released this fall.  Part Three of my conversation with Haslip will be released later this week. Then we talk about his beginnings as a player, his practice regimen, and how he came to play bass on a session with Kiss. 

Simply put, Jimmy Haslip is one of the legends of the electric bass. Producing over 190 recordings, he also has himself recorded on over 400 records. Haslip is a founding member of the group Yellowjackets, and was a member for 34 years. He has 22 Grammy  nominations and 3 Grammy wins. Haslip has toured and recorded with over 180 artists and bands in 52 years, from jazz artists like Al Jarreau, Lee Ritenour, Billy Cobham, Pat Metheny, George Duke, Branford Marsalis and the Jeff Lorber Fusion to pop. rock and soul stars like Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, , Crosby, Stills & Nash, Anita Baker and Bruce Hornsby. His latest project is a trio record that came together during the pandemic shut-down period, when long-time friend Barry Coates, who plays a unique synth guitar, shared music he was working on with Jimmy. From there came virtual sessions with drummer Jerry Kalaf, resulting in New Dreams. Haslip plays both fretless and fretted bass on the album, adding to an ethereal sound harkening back to the glory days of ECM Records. Haslip has been getting back on stage slowly, with short tours backing drummer Dennis Chambers and guitarist Oz Noy. His most recent productions include a session with singer Marilyn Scott, an old musical buddy, working with Yellowjacket Russ Ferrante on her album The Landscape. Podcast 922 is the first of a multi-part conversation with Jimmy, as he talks about his recent projects. Musical selections include “Towner” from New Dreams, and the title track from Marilyn Scott’s The  Landscape.

Podcast 921 takes us inside "New York Jazz Stories", in written and now video form. Based on the Joe's Pub at the Public residency, this series of stories interacts with the lives of the people involved. From 2012 to 2020, Cadence writers and interviewers asked subjects to present stories in their own words. Under David's expert eye, we can enjoy them now. These are stories about Sonny Rollins, Annie Ross, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Herbie Nichols, Thelonious Monk, and many others both historic and contemporary. The music features Bernard Purdie, David Haney, Jay Clayton, Adam Lane, Nick Lyons, Kirk Knuffke, and Dave Storrs. Click here to get started with your viewing fun. David Haney studied composition with Czech-American composer Tomas Svoboda and piano with jazz pianist Eddie Wied. He has recorded with the likes of Roswell Rudd, Julian Priester, John Tchicai, Bud Shank, Andrew Cyrille, Bernard Purdie, Adam Lane and more. As a leader, Haney has over 25 albums on CIMP-USA, Cadence-USA, Big Round Records, SLAM-UK, NoSe-So-Argentina, La Gorda-Argentina, and Canada Jazz Studio-Canada. He has received grants and commissions for his creative work from the U.S. State Department; Alberta Film Works; and the Oregon Ballet Theatre. He was awarded a travel grant from the U.S. State Department to present the music of composer Herbie Nichols in concerts throughout Argentina and Chile. His releases Conspiracy a go go and Clandestinewere both selected Top Ten Jazz Albums of 2009 (Cadence Magazine).

Red List, the new Palmetto album by multi-woodwind specialist Brian Landrus is dedicated to bringing awareness to some of the world’s most endangered animal species. Landrus is backed by a top-notch band of Ryan Keberle (trombone), Geoffrey Keezer (keyboards), Nir Felder (guitar), Rudy Royston (drums), Ron Blake and Jaleel Shaw (saxophones), Lonnie Plaxico (bass), John Hadfield (percussion), Steve Roach (trumpet) and vocalist Corey King. Long an animal lover, Brian found himself learning more about the plight of many potentially doomed species. Seeking a way to call attention to the world-wide problem, he decided to do an album dedicated to the plight of 13 endangered species. The album title comes from The Red List, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk of animal, fungus and plant species. He reached out to friends and musicians recommended to him, and found likeminded individuals to work on the album.  Released last month, Landrus will be donating 20% of all proceeds and 100% of the profits to Save The Elephants, which has been helping to ensure a future for African Elephants for nearly 30 years. In ou conversation, Brian explains how the compositions flowed once he began working on the album, and how the entire thing came together in the studio during only a few rehearsals and sessions. Despite its serious themes, the music captures the joys of these animals’ existence rather than dwell on their possibly grim fate. A veteran of the New York scene since moving to town in 2007 following four years at New England Conservatory in Boston, Landrus has performed with some of the world’s great jazz musicians, including Fred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding, Billy Hart, George Garzone, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Ken Schaphorst Orchestra, and his teacher and mentor Bob Brookmeyer. He also toured with such national pop acts as The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Coasters, The Drifters and Martha Reeves. Landrus, who hails from Reno, Nevada, earned his doctorate from Rutgers University and is joining the faculty at the Berklee School of Music in Boston this fall. Red List is his sixth album as a leader, and he continues to grow as a player on baritone sax, baritone clarinet and other woodwinds, as well as a composer. The podcast features musical selections from Red List including the reggae-tinged  “Leatherbacks,” for the Leatherback Sea Turtle, and “The Distant Deeps,” where vocalist Corey King delivers Herschel Garfein’s evocative lyrics with uncommon sensitivity. 

In Part One of my conversation with Danilo Pérez, we talked about his latest release, Crisálida,  a collaboration with Pérez’s Global Messengers. The group consists of alumni from Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute, run by Danilo. The musicians, and the instruments they play, create a crazy quilt of musical history and styles, but Pérez seems more than capable of bringing them together. In this podcast, we cast a wider net, and talk about his most recent Grammy-wining collaborations with saxophonist Wayne Shorter and vocalist Kurt Elling. With Shorter unable to tour due to a number of medical issues, the other members of his quartet, Pérez on piano, John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums have formed a trio, Children of Light, which released an album as well.  Danilo explains how he came to work with Elling, and how the resulting album, Secrets Are the Best Stories, has changed how he plays the compositions to which Elling added lyrics. Musical selections for the podcast include the Elling-Pérez version of Danilo's composition "Gratitude." here retitled "Gratitude [For Robert Bly]." We'll also hear "Gratitude" as performed by Children of Light in an April 23, 2018 show at the Fasching Jazz Club,in Stockholm, Sweden. 

With the release of Crisálida (Mack Avenue Records), which in English translates to “chrysalis,” pianist/composer Danilo Pérez moves closer to creating art that bridges the many gaps that exist between peoples of the world. In our conversation, he said forthrightly, “We all need more positive thoughts.” The new album is nearly an hour of musical positivity. Composed of two suites, Crisálida is a collaboration with Pérez’s Global Messengers, consisting of alumni from Berklee College of Music’s Global Jazz Institute. The musicians, and the instruments they play, create a crazy quilt of musical history and styles, but Danilo seems more than capable of bringing them together. The Global Messengers features percussionist Tareq Rantisi (Palestine), laouto player Vasilis Kostas (Greece), violinist and vocalist Layth Sidiq (Iraq, Jordan), cellist Naseem Alatrash (Palestine) and singer Farayi Malek (United States). Guest appearing on several cuts are batá drummer Román Diaz (Cuba), Ney flutist Faris Ishaq (Palestine), Zárate (Chile), singer Erini Tornesaki (Greece) and the Kalesma Children’s Choir of The Ark of the World (Kivotos tou Kosmou) (based in Greece). Pérez credits his mentor Dizzy Gillespie for the foundation of the idea, as Danilo’s career was boosted by participation in Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra. A native of Panama, Pérez has built upon the many musical influences he absorbed there, becoming as he puts it, “a global citizen of music.” Danilo is a UNESCO Artist for Peace, the Cultural Ambassador to the Republic of Panama, and the Founder and Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival. He has released more than a dozen critically acclaimed albums as a leader and served as a key member of the highly regarded Wayne Shorter Quartet with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade. We’ll talk more about Shorter and other artists with whom Danilo has worked in Part Two of the conversation. Musical selections in Podcast 918 include the opening movements of the two suites that make up Crisálida: “Rise From Love “ from the La Muralla (Glass Walls) Suite, and “Adrift” from the Frontera (Borders) Suite.

I posted Podcast 689 - "Independence Day 2019 - Red State Blue State" with the hopes that the coming year and election might improve things in America. To some degree the ousting of the Trump administration has helped. However, America remains hopelessly, and I feel forever, divided.  I prepared a Podcast which intends to bring across in music the great frustrations so many of us feel about America. I begin once again with “America the Beautiful” – a song sung by an African-American (Ray Charles), the son of a sharecropper, with lyrics written by a woman (Katherine Lee Bates) and music by a man (Samuel A. Ward). But the message must be refracted through the lens of the rest of the songs I have chosen, all questioning whether we are crowning our good with brotherhood in 2019, and if there is a chance we can regain some of our common sense and grace: Ray Charles - "America the Beautiful" Noah Preminger – “A Change is Gonna Come” from Meditations on Freedom Delfeayo Marsalis presents the Uptown Orchestra – the Title Track from Make America Great Again! Wadada Leo Smith – “America, Pts. 1-3” from Ten Freedom Summers Brad Mehldau – “The Prophet is a Fool” from Finding Gabriel Ratetet – “Red State, Blue State” from Arctic The Dirty Dozen Band featuring Chuck D – the Title Track from What’s Going On Charlie Haden and the Liberation Orchestra – “This is Not America” from Not In Our Name I end with an element of hope – but not a lot of faith: Mavis Staples – “Build a Bridge” from If All I Was Was Black Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - “The Star Spangled Banner” from Flight of the Cosmic Hippo Click on the hyperlink above to download or listen. (Note: This version of "The Star Spangled Banner" was arranged during the Battle of Wadi Al-Battle in Iraq in1991and was recorded a day after the battle started.)  

In the previous podcast, Kirk Knuffke discussed the making of his trio album, Gravity Without Airs, with pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio. Part Two of my conversation with Kirk Knuffke begins with a chance for him to look back at some of the  great talent he has worked with or learned under. While he has played and recorded with the likes of Roswell Rudd, Marshall Allen, Tootie Heath, Frank Kimbrough, William Parker, Myra Melford, Billy Hart and Ben Allison, we discussed three other players in some detail. Kirk has been a member of the Matt Wilson Quartet for more than a dozen years and he shares his insight into Matt’s unique talents and wonderful sense of humor. Wilson has been a guest several times on the show, and I have found him one of the most personable and engaging artists in jazz today. Knuffke also has recorded with Matt to make up the trio that recorded Mary Halvorson’s Sifter in 2013. Kirk has a fondness for working with guitarists, and Halvorson and Charlie Hunter are two of the finest he has spent time backing. His time with the extraordinary Hunter included the release of one of the best album titles I can recall, Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth. Knuffke remembers one of his great teachers and friends, fellow Coloradan and cornetist Ron Miles, who passed away in March., and shares a number of stories about the influence Miles had on his playing. Kirk also shares insight into how he decided to play jazz. We'll also discuss the release of several projects he has been working on over the past year, and rest assured, they are many and varied. Musical selections in the Podcast include “How Ya Going” from the Matt Wilson Quartet’s release with pianist John Medeski, Gathering Call, and “We Don’t Want Nobody Nobody Sent,” a bluesy number from Charlie Hunter’s Everybody Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth.

Cornetist Kirk Knuffke has made some 20 albums as a leader or co-leader over the past two decades, while also being a key member of groups led by Matt Wilson, Alison Miller (Boom Tic Boom) and Mary Halvorson (Sifter). His latest release, an intimate, double album. Gravity Without Airs, features him with pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist Michael Bisio. On the album they perform Knuffke compositions as well in a number of free improvisations, making for a a constantly changing and engaging release. Gravity Without Airs (digitally and on 2CD & 2LP by TAO Forms imprint) was recorded in a lengthy session, often with little or no prompting from any of the musicians as to where the music should go. Kirk shares his thoughts on this demanding practice, and why he finds working with musicians like Shipp and Bisio so rewarding.   Originally from Colorado, Knuffke was self-taught on the trumpet and cornet, later benefiting from the private tutelage of Ornette Coleman, Art Lande and Ron Miles. Knuffke began playing with Butch Morris after moving to New York City in 2005. This friendship resulted in four recordings and several European tours. In 2009, he joined the Matt Wilson Quartet, and began collaborations with such sage musicians like Roswell Rudd, Marshall Allen, Tootie Heath, Frank Kimbrough, William Parker, Myra Melford, Steve Swell and Billy Hart. He is or was a member of projects led by Wilson, Halvorson, Charlie Hunter, Ben Allison, Ray Anderson, Mark Helias, Bill Goodwin, Karl Berger, Ted Brown and Bisio. Podcast 916 is Part One of my conversation with Kirk Knuffke, as he shares insight into the Gravity Without Airs recording and writing, as well as plans for performing live with the trio. Musical selections from the album include the wholly improvised “Stars Go Up,” and his composition “Today for Today,” which closes the album. Part Two of my conversation, Podcast 917, with appear in the first few days of July.

Drummer and composer Keith Hall spent nine years on the New York scene, as well as a lengthy time backing vocalist Curtis Stigers and as part of Betty Carter’s prestigious Jazz Ahead. He returned to the Midwest where he has been deeply immersed in the Kalamazoo, Michigan community for some 20 years. After playing with the likes of Wycliffe Gordon, Sir Roland Hanna, Janis Siegel, Luciana Souza, Terrell Stafford and Steve Wilson, Hall now makes his long-awaited debut as a leader. Made in Kalamazoo (Trios and Duos) is a free-wheeling set of high-energy music that is a love letter of sorts to a place Hall appreciates for its vibrant arts community, dynamic industries and vital personal connections. The album documents the drummer’s most accomplished and compelling playing and writing to date. Roughly 100 miles east of Lake Michigan (across the lake from Chicago), Kalamazoo provided the inspiration for this invigorating summit between Hall and two of the finest collaborators he could ask for: Andrew Rathbun, a fellow jazz studies professor at Western Michigan University and transplanted Kalamazooan himself, on saxophones, bass clarinet and effects; and eminent Detroit-born bassist Robert Hurst III, currently teaching at the University of Michigan. Made in Kalamazoo finds Hall in a few different modalities with the players involved. There are three solo drum features — placed at beginning, middle and end — in which Hall pays homage to the towering role models Billy Hart (his mentor), Elvin Jones and Max Roach. There are seven tracks with the full trio, including three compelling Hall originals (“Coming of Age,” “Creative Force,” “Well of Hope”) and four tunes that the leader co-composed with Rathbun (“Douglass King Obama,” “Kzoo Brew,” “The Promise,” “Boiling Pot”). And there are 10 spontaneously composed duo tracks for drums and reeds, giving Rathbun creative space to “plug in” at times with signal processing, dirtying up the sound and leading the duo onto new and shifting terrain. In addition to his busy playing and professorial schedules, Hall is the Artistic Director of the Keith Hall Summer Drum Intensive, a one-of-a-kind jazz drum camp, now 15 years and counting. He is also the Executive Director of TUNED IN, a nonprofit organization focused on supporting the power of music education to change lives. He has authored the instructional books Jazz Drums Now! Vols. 1 & 2 and is the radio host for Jazz Currents on WMUK, the NPR affiliate in Kalamazoo. Podcast 915 is my conversation with Keith, as we talk about the joys of jazz outside the New York City orbit, and the talent he finds while teaching and running his camp. Musical selections from Made in Kalamazoo include "Get Up Get Out," a duet with Rathbun, and the album opener, a solo "Be Curious (For Billy Hart)" plus "If I Were a Bell" from Hooray for Love, an album Keith made with Curtis Stigers. 

The hard-swinging saxophonist Grant Stewart has been leading quartets for years. His latest album, The Lighting Of The Lamps (Cellar Music), features regular collaborators, bassist David Wong, pianist Tardo Hammer and drummer Phil Stewart. However, in a twist, the group is joined by special guest trumpeter Bruce Harris for a searching, straight-ahead date. The Toronto-born bandleader has collaborated with the likes of Jimmy Cobb, Harold Mabern, Louis Hayes and Clark Terry in the past, as well as recording over twenty albums as leader or co-leader. I'm especially fond of his three "Reeds and Deeds" albums with co-leader Eric Alexander.  The Lighting Of The Lamps doesn't break any new ground, but for Stewart that's not necessarily a bad thing - his albums are full of tunes that swing and ballads that lilt with style and excitement. The addition of Harris to the mix adds another color to the musical palette, and he rips off a few furious solos to boot.  Podcast 914 is my conversation with Grant (apologies for some poor sound quality at times - Grant was outside for our call and there was some noise pollution) as well talk about his choice of Bruce Harris to work with, and why he returns again and again to compositions by Elmo Hope, Clifford Jordan and Thad Jones. Musical selections from The Lighting Of The Lamps include "Mo is On" and "Little Spain."

June 15th is the 100th anniversary of the noted pianist Jaki Byard, and Podcast 913 celebrates his diverse musical talents with an hour plus of tunes in which Jaki is leader or sideman.  Byard played a number of instruments, but is best known as a pianist.  Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, after spending much of the 1950's in the Boston club scene, he moved to New York and immediately hit it off with Charles Mingus. Byard worked with a wide variety of artists, from then on, from early days with Maynard Ferguson through his time with cutting edge artists like Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He could play New Orleans gutbucket blues as fluently as free jazz,  solo piano as well as larger ensembles, and was a key member of bands for Booker Ervin and Sam Rivers. His solo work on Prestige Records paired him with top sidemen, and his recordings with Ron Carter, Bob Cranshaw, Paul Chambers and Richard Davis on bass; Billy Higgins, Roy Haynes and Alan Dawson on drums and George Benson on guitar are uniformly outstanding.  Byard was a charter faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music, helping to establish its jazz studies program, initially named 'Afro-American Music'. He stayed there for more than 15 years, becoming highly influential as a teacher and mentor. He died in a still-unsolved homicide in 1999. Musical selections for Podcast 913 include: Jaki Byard - "D.D.I.J." Booker Ervin - "Groovin' High" Jaki Byard - "Blues for Smoke" Rahsaan Roland Kirk - "Roots" Maynard Ferguson - "Mangos" Jaki Byard - "Ode to Prez" Charles Mingus with Eric Dolphy - "Orange was the Color of Her Dress, the Silk Blue" Jaki Byard - "Spanish Tinge" Eric Dolphy with Booker Ervin - "Far Cry" Sam Rivers - "Downstairs Blues Upstairs (Alt. Take 1)" Jaki Byard - "Medley: I Know a Place/Let the Good Times Roll"  

By day, Stephen Philip Harvey appears to be a mild-mannered saxophonist, music teacher and choir director in sleepy Salisbury, MD. But when he leads the estimable team of musicians known as the Stephen Philip Harvey Jazz Orchestra, he shows his superpowers as composer and bandleader. With the release of the big band’s debut album, Smash! (Next Level label), that identity should become a lot less secret. It was Saturday morning cartoons, not comics, that introduced Harvey to the superhero mythos.  The days when kids could only feast on sugared cereals and watch their heroes on television all morning seem to be long gone in the streaming era, but the sound of this album is what Harvey imagined aurally when he thought back on those characters and themes. He assembled a crack group of 14 musicians from Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh in particular) and Northeast Ohio, and the results are smiling inducing from the first track. Harvey left his saxophone home when it was time to record, deciding instead to let players he viewed as technically superior to him bring his written creations to life.  Podcast 912 is my conversation with Stephen, as we discuss the inspiration for Smash!, how he came to jazz late in his musical development, and his plans for his New York debut at the Jazz Gallery in Manhattan on June 23rd. Musical selections include "Hero's Journey" and "Vigilante."

Hargrove, a vérité style documentary chronicling the last year of legendary trumpeter Roy Hargrove’s life, will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 8PM at Waterfront Plaza at Brookfield Place (230 Vesey Street, NYC). Executive produced by Janine Sherman Barrois and Erykah Badu, Hargrove offers unprecedented access to Roy like never before through intimate and insightful interviews along with stunning live performances. A Q&A, moderated by music and culture critic Nelson George featuring first-time director Eliane Henri and musicians in the film, will immediately follow the June 12 screening. Filmed in the jazz clubs of New York, Los Angeles and across Mediterranean Europe (Vienne, Perugia, Sète, Sorrento, and Marseille) on what would be his final tour, Hargrove shines a bright spotlight on the genius of Roy Hargrove and his enormous contributions to the art of jazz. Key conversations expand beyond Roy’s personal story and enter the terrain of what it means to be an artist, particularly in America. Hargrove dives into the significance of Black music in America while offering a glimpse into the politics of power and race in the music industry. Scenes of conflict between Hargrove, Henri and Hargrove manager Larry Clothier add drama to the story, and serve as perhaps a warning for future African-American artists (Clothier, who controls Hargrove's music, would not allow Eliane to include any Hargrove compositions in the film).  Elsewhere, Director Henri uses a deft touch to give the audience insight into Hargrove and performer, and finally as a complicated, talented man, facing his mortality. Music icons Erykah Badu (a friend of Roy's since high school), Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, Questlove, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Glasper, and others pay tribute to Hargrove’s legacy as an acclaimed composer, improviser and friend in the film .  Podcast 909 is my conversation with Eliane Henri, as we discuss the bittersweet nature of the film, which was begun well before Roy's death, and only at its end becomes a meditation on life, death and art.  To enjoy Tribeca At Home: Hargrove as a Virtual Screening beginning Tuesday June 14, 2022 click here. 

The name of this band tells you what you need to know  - think of all the great post-bop soul-jazz sounds that came out of the 1950s and ‘60s, putting groove and feeling above analytics and theory.  Decades later, here comes the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, co-led by saxophonist John Fournier and trumpeter Marques Carroll, doubling down on this storied jazz idiom and allowing a new generation to dig the sound.  For their CSJC's third album, On the Way to Be Free, the group raises the ante by inviting Dee Alexander to join in. Chicago’s grand dame of jazz vocals (as well as a syndicated radio broadcaster), the internationally acclaimed Ms. Alexander elevates every project she undertakes. She’s a shape-shifter who ranges far and wide, from her groundbreaking work with Chicago’s famed AACM, to her own strikingly original compositions, to her celebrations of the music’s great divas, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, and Billie Holiday (as on Alexander’s guest appearance with the Metropolitan Jazz Octet on its 2019 album, It’s Too Hot for Words). And as she proves here, she can sass and strut with the best. Just listen as she levitates the bandstand on the fiery protest/gospel tune “The Man Is Coming Back,” and then she settles into the soulful ballad “So Alive” and drapes it in all the plummy finery it deserves. The CSJC is Keith Brooks II on drums; Larry Brown Jr. on guitar and vocals; Carroll on trumpet; Amr Fahmy on Rhodes electric piano, clavinet and organ;  Fournier on tenor sax; and Andrew Vogt on bass with guests Victor Garcia on percussion and Dan Leali on tambourine. They make music that moves your soul as well as your feet, bringing some much needed joy to the world today.  Podcast 911 is my conversation with Dee Alexander as we discuss her collaboration with the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, her history with the AACM, and her participation in a project honoring Chicago legend Von Freeman. Musical selections from On the Way to Be Free include “The Man Is Coming Back.”

In my opinion, Summer unofficially begins on Memorial Day, but officially kicks off when the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival takes place. This year the event is back at full strength after a COVID-reduced event in 2021. It will take place on the wooded grounds of SPAC on June 25 and 26th. Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment joins us again to discuss the bookings, surprises and future highlights of the event. The Festival will again have two stages, the large Amphitheater and the more intimate Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage. Acts will include: Saturday, June 25 - Amphitheater Booker T. Presents: A Stax Revue Robert Glasper Galactic featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph Con Tumbao featuring Isaac Delgado, Robby Ameen, Oscar Hernandez, Conrad Herwig, Pedrito Martinez, Juan Munguia, Alain Pérez, Mike Rodriguez, Tony Succar & Miguel Zenon Ozmosys Band featuring Omar Hakim & Rachel Z Amina Figarova Sextet plus Strings Hot Club of Saratoga Saturday, June 25 - Charles R. Wood "Jazz Discovery" Stage Red Baraat Matt Wilson's Honey & Salt with Dawn Thomson, Nadje Noordhuis, Jeff Lederer & Martin Wind Craig Handy & 2nd Line Smith Connie Han Trio Emmaline Dan Wilson Trio Sunday, June 26 - Amphitheater Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Ledisi SuperBlue: Kurt Elling featuring Charlie Hunter Eliane Elias Matthew Whitaker Garland Nelson's Joyful Noise Sunday, June 26 - Charles R. Wood "Jazz Discovery" Stage Cha Wa Tiempo Libre Carolyn Wonderland Ryan Keberle & Catharsis Skidmore Jazz Institute Faculty All-Stars celebrate George Wein featuring Mike Rodriguez, Steve Davis, Jimmy Greene, Bill Cunliffe, Dave Stryker, Todd Coolman & Dennis Mackrel

“Since a while ago, all my concerts are totally improvised – no set list, nothing prepared, just let the music lead the way. I come on stage as a newborn, ready for a new life, a new journey, a new experience every time. My bandmates are part of that experience as much as I am myself, every note they play becomes part of this life we are living together on the stage.” - Jean-Michel Pilc Alive–Live at Diese Onze Montreal (Justin Time Recors) is a rare treat for fans of improvised music in general, and piano trios in particular.  For, pianist Jeam-Michel Pilc, bassist Rémi-Jean LeBlanc and drummer Jim Doxas, this concert recording was their "break-out" after COVID-19 had effectively ended live performance for 18 months or so. The crowd was ready, the musicians set - and the result captures one of those nights like lightning in a bottle.  While the tunes are standards like "Nardis," and "Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise" plus a pair of Pilc originals,  titles do not accurately describe the music made by the trio. The best example comes on "All Blues," where the classic melody is barely quoted, and time, tempo and harmonic sensibilities are left behind as the band takes the tune to places Miles and Trane never contemplated.  Enormously prolific and multi-faceted as composer and pianist, including musical directorship for Harry Belafonte; a duet performance with operatic legend Jessye Norman; a large-scale commissioned work based upon a  Charlie Chaplin classic; and over a dozen albums as a leader and almost as many as co-leader, Jean-Michel Pilc has become one of the most highly respected pianist/composers of the past 25 years. Alive may give him even wider acclaim and exposure  Podcast 908 is my conversation with Jean-Michel, as we talk about his refusal to categorize his music or let his choice of songs dictate where the improvisation will go. While I rarely post long tracks on my podcasts, the scintillating "All Blues" is included in its entirety. 

Pianist Lynne Arriale's last few trio albums have had something of a thematic structure.  Chimes of Freedom were tunes that expressed Lynne’s solidarity with democratic values and reaffirmed her support of cultural diversity and racial equality.  Give Us These Days took on a spiritual flavor - given the unpredictability and impermanence of life, her music suggests, savor each moment.  Both of those albums feature Ms. Arriale with bassist Jasper Somsen and drummer E.J. Strickland, as does The Lights Are Always On, her latest release.  This original music is a suite of compositions that reflect the world-wide, life-changing events of the past two years. Several of the pieces are named in honor of heroes around the world, including those who served as caregivers on the front lines of the COVID pandemic and as defenders of democracy. Ever since winning the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in 1993, Lynne has been one of the most consistently engaging pianists around  Her critically acclaimed albums have topped the Jazzweek Radio Charts and have received “Best of” honors in major publications. She toured Japan with “100 Golden Fingers” with Tommy Flanagan, Hank Jones, Monty Alexander, Cedar Walton, Kenny Barron, Harold Mabern, Roger Kellaway, Junior Mance and Ray Bryant. She is currently a professor at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Podcast 907 is a return visit from Lynne (we last spoke in 2012 when she released an album of solo piano) as we discuss the strengths of her piano trio, how her compositions drive her topical titles and sounds, and how and why she tweaks her compositions, particularly in regard to tempo. Musical selections from The Lights Are Always On include the title track and "Sisters," plus "Take It With Me." the Tom Waits composition performed on Give Us These Days with singer Kate McGarry. 

With the release of Return from the Stars (ECM) earlier this year, Mark Turner cemented his place as not only one of the top tenor saxophone players around,  but also as an artist who can write and arrange at rarified heights. The album, is a quartet project with Jason Palmer on trumpet; Joe Martin on double bass; and Jonathan Pinson on  drums. The absence of a chordal instrument like piano leaves Turner and Palmer's sound suspended over the rhythm. By this I mean that the compositions, performance and always perfect ECM recording place the two lead instruments above and from time to time, within, the rhythm section,, forcing the listener to pay attention and enjoy their intertwining sound of three-part harmony. No safety net of a piano, and it's never missed.  Mark Turner has been a frequent and significant presence on ECM recordings of the last dozen years, bringing his saxophone artistry and his musical commitment to recordings with Enrico Rava, the Billy Hart Quartet, the cooperative Fly trio (with Jeff Ballard and Larry Grenadier), Stefano Bollani and, most recently, Ethan Iverson, on the duo recording Temporary Kings. Albums under Turner’s leadership, however, have been rare and Return from the Stars is the first ECM recording to feature his quartet since 2014’s Lathe of Heaven.  Podcast 906 is my conversation with Turner, as we discuss the making of Return from the Stars, why playing live with the quartet before recording made a difference, and how he fell in love with science fiction. Musical selections from Return from the Stars includes "Waste Land."

Acclaimed for creating concept albums that riff on gospel, heavy metal, and rhythm section-less big bands, Jacob Garchik (#1 Rising Star trombonist, 2018 Downbeat Critics Poll) has released his jazziest album yet, but one that is still imbued with his sense of experimentalism and surprise. The result is the aptly titled Assembly, and it continues to show Jacob as a musician who enjoys the cutting edge in composition, production and performance. His long-time friends and collaborators Jacob Sacks (piano) and Dan Weiss (percussion) are joined by two other “heavies” – bassist Thomas Morgan and saxophonist Sam Newsome. In February 2021, in the isolation of the pre-vaccine pandemic, Garchik felt the frustration of so many musicians, unable to perform or jam with his peers in almost a year. He brought together a stellar quintet to record small group jazz in a studio with enough isolation booths to record simultaneously. This initial assembly, playing blues and standards with no heads, created a swinging jam session atmosphere. For the next 3 months Garchik used these recordings for another type of assembly, cutting, pasting, transcribing, composing, reordering and reworking. The band met for a second time in May to record Garchik’s original compositions and collages based on, and sometimes overlaid atop, their own playing. Garchik has honed his craft by playing trombone with the likes of Lee Konitz, Miguel Zenon, Henry Threadgill and Mary Halvorson. In continuing to defy classification with his music, he has arranged over 100 pieces for the Kronos Quartet and backs the Mark Morris Dance Group on Ethan Iverson’s “Pepperland.” He also sits in with the fiery Slavic Soul Party playing funked-up Balkan music, and with the Mexican brass band, Banda de los Muertos. Podcast 905 is my conversation with Jacob, as we discuss how he came to create the loops and sounds for Assembly, why he decided to return to playing jazz trombone, and how his musicians responded to the challenges he presented to them. Musical selections from Assembly include “Bricolage” and “Idee Fixe.” Jacob Garchik will present the premier of "Assembly" at Barbes in Brooklyn, NY on March 25, 2022. Click here for further information. 

Aaron Seeber is no rookie. A native of Washington D.C. and a graduate of the highly regarded jazz program at SUNY-Purchase, the drummer has been part of groups assembled by Tim Green, Pete Malverni and Warren Wolf, and hosted weekly after-hour jam sessions at Small’s in New York. First Move is the aptly titled initial release by Seeber as a bandleader, and what a band he has assembled!  He repaid Green and Wolf for previous gigs by putting them in the front line, and added pianist Sullivan Fortner and bassist Ugonna Ukegwo to make a swinging quintet. Recorded live in Brooklyn at Ornithology Jazz Club on October 19, 2021, First Move is mostly hot covers of lesser-played tunes. The album kicks off in style with Al Foster’s “Brandyn,” and goes on with tunes from the likes of Bennie Golson (“Out Of The Past”), Myron Walden (“Fire Waltz”), Geri Allen (“Unconditional Love”) and Mulgrew Miller (“Eleventh Hour”). The title track is a Seeber original, written with shifting time signatures and in a style that recalls mid-Sixties Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter.  Through in a Mingus and Bird tune, and you’ve got a solid set of material performed at a high level. Podcast 904 is my conversation with Aaron, as we talk about the album, his experiences writing tunes as a drummer, and the relevance of a collegiate jazz education (literally a million dollar question, he says). Musical selections from First Move include “Brandyn” and the title track.

On his debut album, Balance, Berlin-based saxophonist Fabian Willmann pairs himself with two long-time friends and mentors to create a consistently fresh sounding and lyrical work. Willmann's clear tone on the tenor saxophone recalls the best eras of a Dexter Gordon or a Stan Getz, or even Wayne Marsh. The rhythmic meshing contributed by bassist Arne Huber and drummer Jeff Ballard is starkly modern. keeping things consistently interesting and moving.  Willmann has been connected to Jeff Ballard since he was a student in Basel. Always  captivated by the dynamics that the drummer can unroll, especially in trio situations, he quickly took him up on a standing offer to work together. Arne Huber has partnered up with Willmann within various contexts so it was natural to enroll him in the band. Guest Danish alto saxophonist Asger Nissen adds to the fun when he is called upon to work with Fabian on three tracks. The album has five Willmann originals, and appears on the new CYH Label. Created by Patrik Zosso and Sarah Chaksad, CYH will release mostly new jazz artists, and we hope to have Sarah on the show soon.  Musical selections from Balance include "Trees, Birds, River, Sky," and the tune Fabian identifies as his favorite on the album, "Intro."

Like many jazz musicians today, trombonist Nick Finzer's success has come from working in a number of different capacities over a long period of time. There are his recordings and performances as a leader, and again as a sideman; his teaching, giving lessons, owning and operating his own label, and writing instruction books, In his first Music Business book, Create, Connect, Repeat,  Finzer reaches out to fellow musicians and unpacks his multifaceted approach to building an audience with work that matters to you. This might include finding sustainable practices for sharing your life’s mission, and finding creative ways to monetize that work across the multitude of platforms that are available to artists in 2022 and beyond. At its core, Create, Connect, Repeat is designed to offer creatives a blueprint to success that focuses on both creating and sharing. It focuses on the generosity of artistry, creativity, and vision. It focuses on building one step at a time and focuses on finding one fan at a time and building the life you’ve been dreaming of. Podcast 902 is my conversation about the book with Nick Finzer, as we discuss why he decided to share his outlook with others in written form, and artists he holds up as examples of those who have built and audience slowly, over time,  We also touch base on his latest CD, Out of Focus, which combines quartet recordings with solo trombone interpretations. Musical selections from Out of Focus include "Single Petal of a Rose."

Ah, Record Store Day!  This is the 15th year that the biannual event celebrates independent record stores, and increasingly popular vinyl records. There are a number of notable jazz releases seeing the light of day for the first time this Saturday, either as newly discovered works, limited edition or remastered vinyl. These include: Dave Brubeck Trio - Live from Vienna 1967 Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section Max Roach - We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Suite Podcast 901 brings back Zev Feldman to take us through some exciting albums that he has been responsible for, including Charles Mingus' The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's (see Podcast 898 for more), Albert Ayler's Revelations - The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings, the Chet Baker Trio's Live in Paris,  and two from Bill Evans' South American tours,  Morning Glory: The 1973 Concert At The Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires and Inner Spirit: The 1979 Concert At The Teatro General San Martín, Buenos Aires. Musical selections for the Podcast include Ayler's "Music is the Healing Force of the Universe" and Baker's take on the standard "Stella by Starlight."

What can we say here that hasn't already been said about Charles Mingus, not one of a handful of true geniuses of the jazz world, but one of the towering figures in 20th century music as a whole. Having learned music and composition from classical figures, his career began in the groups of Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton in the 1940's. His work would covered jazz history for another three decades, playing bebop with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Money Jungle with Duke Ellington and Max Roach, and leading large and small groups through increasingly charged work. He was a pioneer off the bandstand as well, creating the Jazz Workshop as a means of allowing artists greater control over their work.  As a composer, his work reflected not just his voluminous experiences, but his sharp wit, political anger, and desire to open new and exciting ways to play music. That's the side of music we pay tribute to in Podcast 900, choosing some of my favorite Mingus tunes, performed by a wide variety of jazz musicians.  Musical selections include: Dannie Richmond - "Fables of Faubus" Aaron Seeber - "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" Pepper Adams - "Song with Orange" Tierney Sutton - "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" Blue Moods - "Peggy's Blue Skylight" Larry Coryell - "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" John Hebert - "Remember Rockefeller at Attica" Akua Dixon - "Haitian Fight Song" Kevin Mahogany - "Mingus Medley (Boogie Stop Shuffle - Jelly Roll - Good-Bye Pork Pie Hat)" Stanley Clarke - "Good-Bye Pork Pie Hat"

Resonance Records, the top U.S. independent label for previously unreleased jazz treasures, will issue The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s, a  never-before-heard 1972 club performance by bassist/composer Charles Mingus’ powerful sextet, as a three-LP Record Store Day offering on April 23 (one day after what would have been Mingus’ 100th birthday). The album will be issued as a three-CD set and digital download on April 29. The two live sets, comprising nearly two-and-a-half hours of music, were professionally recorded on eight-track tapes via a mobile recording truck on Aug. 14-15, 1972. However, the performance went unreleased, as Columbia Records reversed course in the spring of 1973 and cancelled all its jazz projects except that of Miles Davis. By the time Mingus’ band took the stage at saxophonist Scott’s celebrated London club, Mingus was experiencing a career renaissance: he had received a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship and seen his music adapted for choreographer Alvin Ailey’s The Mingus Dances in 1971. The following year saw the release of his potent autobiography Beneath the Underdog and his widely acclaimed big band album Let My Children Hear Music. Though his group still featured the formidable saxophonists Bobby Jones (tenor) and Charles McPherson (alto), the sextet was in a state of flux, but the new members delivered on stage. Pianist Jaki Byard was succeeded by the relatively unknown John Foster, who showed off both his keyboard and vocal chops at Scott’s. Longtime drummer Dannie Richmond, who had joined the pop band Mark-Almond, was replaced by the ingenious, powerful Detroit musician Roy Brooks, who demonstrated his invention the “breath-a-tone,” which allowed him to control the pitch of his kit while playing, and, on a couple of numbers, his abilities on the musical saw. The trumpet chair was filled by the phenomenal 19-year old Jon Faddis, a protégé and acolyte of Dizzy Gillespie. The Lost Album features nine performances captured during the two-night engagement; some of them – the then-new compositions “Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues” and “Mind-readers’ Convention in Milano” and a sensational version of “Fables of Faubus” – are epics that range around the half-hour mark.  Podcast 898 takes a deep dive into this fascinating new recording with the help of Resonance co-President Zev Feldman, who co-produced the set with David Weiss. Musical selections include "Pops (a.k.a. When the Saints Go Marching In."

It seems that most of the world’s religions have spring holidays. In fact, celebrating the beginning of spring may be among the oldest seasonal holidays in human culture. The earliest reference we have to such a holiday comes to us from Babylon, 2400 BCE. The city of Ur apparently had a celebration dedicated to the moon and the spring equinox which was held some time during our months of March or April. For Christianity, today is Good Friday, at the end of Holy Week, culminating in the commemoration of the Passion with the celebration of Easter. The Jewish 8 day celebration of Passover begins tonight, commemorating the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. For Buddhists, spring is significant mainly for its connection with events in the life of the Buddha. Hindus celebrate the birth of the lord Rama with the festival known as Rama Navami, celebrated this past April 10th. Native Americans celebrate the Yaqui Deer dance this month, a ceremony intended to integrate ancient rites of the Yaqui people of Arizona with the Christian Easter Rituals. According to Muslim tradition, Nis Sha-ban (celebrated a month ago this year) is the time when Allah Approaches the earth to call humanity to repentance and grant forgiveness off sins. On April 21, the Bahai faith begins a celebration called Ridvan, commemorating the twelve days that Baha u llah spent in the garden of Ridvan during his exile from Baghdad. With all of these religious events happening in less than a thirty day period, it has been the Straight No Chaser tradition to assemble a Podcast of Spiritual Jazz to honor and embrace the spiritual aspects of life. Podcast 897 is no exception, with musical selections including: Grant Green - "Sunday Morning" Javon Jackson - "I Opened My Mouth to the Lord" John Zorn featuring Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Gyan Riley - "Devotion" The Cosmic Range - "Palms to Heaven" Pharoah Sanders - "Prince of Peace" Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Grady Tate - "Sanctification" Dave Douglas - "Agnus Dei" Afro-Semitic Experience - "Go Down Moses" Vibration Society - "Spirits Up Above" Duke Pearson - "Christo Redentor" Charlie Haden & Hank Jones - "Were You There When they Crucified My Lord?" For those interested in previous Podcasts of Spiritual Jazz, please click the links that follow to listen to Podcasts 178, 215, 341, 422, 472, 525. 617. and 676.

Broadway musicals have been the source of many notable jazz standards, so it should come as no surprise that the DIVA Jazz Orchestra’s latest release is DIVA Swings Broadway. The 15-piece band, fast approaching its 30th year as a performing group, lends their seemingly boundless talents to nine songs, some well known, and others which dig deep into the Broadway Songbook. DIVA was founded by Stanley Kay, one-time manager and relief drummer for Buddy Rich and the band’s drummer and musical director, Sherrie Maricle. In 1990, Stanley heard Sherrie play, was impressed, and decided to create a band of like-minded players. In 1992 the search was on, and through nationwide auditions the foundation for DIVA was poured. From the world’s largest jazz festivals to television and even film (the award-winning documentary The Girls in the Band) there seems to be no stage too big for DIVA. The band has a core of musicians who have spent a decade or more in the band, including Noriko Ueda (bass), Tomoko Ohno (piano),  Sara Jacovino (trombone) and Maricle. Other great players such as Anat Cohen and Ingrid Jensen have passed through the band after lengthy stays. To the experienced players come a continuing flow of new talent that should stand DIVA in good stead for another thirty years or more. Podcast 896 is my conversation with Sherrie Maricle, as talk about DIVA Swings Broadway, how she keeps  a jazz orchestra together after the pandemic, and their plans for a 30th birthday celebration next year. Musical selections include “With Every Breathe I Take” from the Cy Coleman-penned musical City of Angels, and “Love Who You Love,” from the musical A Man of No Importance.

Podcast 895 is Part Two of my conversation with the extraordinary Dave Douglas. In Part One, we focused on the inspiration for, then writing and recording of Secular Psalms, now available on his Greenleaf Music label. Created as part of the celebration of the 600th anniversary of the Ghent Altarpiece painting "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," Douglas and mostly European musicians recorded the spiritually uplifting music during the COVID pandemic. Dave discussed how they overcame travel and group restrictions, and  produced a memorable piece of music.  In Part Two we continue discussing the musicians who helped create Secular Psalms, and then focus on recent projects with which Douglas has been involved, starting with Greenleaf Music. Dave shares insights on some new Greenleaf releases, as well as on future recording from Sound Prints, the group he co-leads with saxophonist Joe Lovano. Douglas also talks about the coming release of his album Overcome on vinyl for the first time. Musical selections include the Douglas composition "Antiquity to Outer Space" from the most recent Sound Prints album Other Worlds, and "We Shall Overcome" from the album Overcome

With the start of the month of April, Straight No Chaser begins a month long celebration of the life and music of Charles Mingus, one of the most important jazz performers, composers and personalities ever. Six years ago I interviewed Kris Gabbard, the author of Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus  (University of California Press), who considered Mingus not just one of the most important figures in jazz, but in American 20th century music as a whole. At that time I wrote: Classically trained on cello, (Mingus) moved to jazz music and played with virtually every major figure in the history of jazz in his lifetime, starting with New Orleans legends Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory. He played bass in the “Greatest Jazz Concert Ever” at Massey Hall in Toronto, sharing the stage with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and Max Roach.  He recorded with his father-figure Duke Ellington (Money Jungle) , but also with Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, and helped launch the careers of Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and  Paul Bley. As a composer and bandleader, his works moved from bebop to blues, from ballet scores to orchestral pieces, from in-your-face civil rights protests to moving elegies. At his death from ALS in 1979, he was working with Joni Mitchell on the album that would eventually be called Mingus.  To that I would add that his importance as a figure of African-American excellence and pride, of political protest, and as creator of artist-owned and run record labels and workshops, he is almost unparalleled in jazz. It would take more than a month to truly explore his life, influence and music, and what better place to begin than with a young musician who carries the torch of his music as a member of the Grammy-winning Mingus Big Band? Sarah Hanahan plays alto saxophone, and will appear at The Django, home of the Mingus Big Band’s “Mingus Monday” performances on April 2 leading her own group. A graduate of the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz Studies at the University of Hartford, Sarah is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in jazz performance at Julliard. She not only is a member of the Mingus Big Band but plays lead alto in the current iteration of the Diva Jazz Orchestra, currently celebrating its 29th year of performing. She has shared the stage with the likes of Jason Moran, Javon Jackson, Christian McBride, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rufus Reid and more  She will tour Europe with the Ulysses Owens Jr. Generation Y Band in May, and be seen across the US with the Mingus Big Band and Diva Jazz Orchestra this spring and summer. She hopes to record her initial album this fall. Podcast 894 features my conversation with Sarah Hanahan, as we talk her love of the music of Charles Mingus, what she has learned by her tenure in Big Bands and working with Jason Moran, and her plans for the near future. We’ll hear Charles Mingus play “Profile of Jackie” and Sarah play  her own “Melodee.”

Dave Douglas, one of the most prolific writers, performers and recording artists in jazz today is also one of its widest-ranging stylists and important entrepreneurs. At the age of 59, his award-winning career includes more than fifty recordings as a leader, close to one hundred as a sideman,  and more than five hundred published compositions. In 2005 Douglas founded Greenleaf Music, a record label for his albums, sheet music, podcasts, as well as the music of other modern jazz musicians. To date, Greenleaf has produced over seventy albums and continues to be an important independent source for recorded music. Among Douglas’ interests are the history of the trumpet, his chosen instrument. He is the co-founder of the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York, and has written varied pieces for the instrument, including for chamber orchestra. It’s this last area that led him down a long path to the creation of Secular Psalms, his latest release. Dave began to formulate the work as part of a larger plan to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the famed Altarpiece “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” painted by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, with creation of new music. The polyptych was originally created for display in St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium in the early 15th century, and has had a history of being removed, stolen and finally restored to its initial glory. Douglas finally arrived at music that would celebrate spiritualism in all its many forms, and the work at times takes the structure of a classic Mass. To bring the work to life, he assembled musicians form across the US and Europe, needing multi-instrumentalists who could handle both the tools of the 15th and 21st century. The resulting group - Berlinde Deman on serpent, tuba, and voice; Marta Warelis on piano, prepared piano, and pump organ; Frederik Leroux on guitars, lute, and electronics; Tomeka Reid on cello; and Lander Gyselinck on drums and electronics – is joined by Douglas on trumpet, and for the first time, vocals as well. The music they make seems to defy time and space across the fifty-plus minutes of Secular Psalms, but is always moving and touches the listener’s heart and soul as well as intellect. Podcast 893 is the first of two podcasts with Dave Douglas. In the first part, we talk extensively of the Secular Psalms project, beginning with his interest in the composers of the early 14th century French Ars Nova, most notably Guillaume De Machaut, This led to the writing and recording of Fabliaux with the Australian Monash Arts Ensemble in 2014. Secular Psalms may be considered a logical next step in Douglas’ interest in the past. Musical selections include “Ah Moon” and “We Believe.” Part Two of the conversation with appear next week, and include discussions of recent Douglas projects, most notably his Sound Prints group with Joe Lovano, and Greenleaf Music.

Nourished by the abundant creative energies of the scene in his native Chicago, drummer and composer Kabir Dalawari has developed a unique musical on his vibrant debut  album, Awareness. Dalawari fronts a talent-packed quartet with altoist Kyle Brooks, pianist Eric Arroyo and bassist Matt Ulery for a set of original pieces brimming with rhythmic animation, melodic richness and bristling interactivity. Dalawari approaches music in part from the perspective of someone versed in neuroscience, given his collegiate focus on Jazz Studies and Cognitive Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. The resulting music can feature some odd time signatures and even odder chord structures at times but rewards the listener after repeated plays as a strong, coherent musical statement. Podcast 891 is my conversation with Kabir, as we discuss the inspiration for tunes on Awareness, including the title track, dedicated to his brother. He also takes us on a tour of Chicago’s best jazz spots and talks about plans for live performances as well. Musical selections from Awareness include the title track.

Quentin Angus has received national and international recognition for winning three ASCAP 'Young Jazz Composer Awards', five Downbeat Magazine Awards in the 'Composition' and 'Soloist' categories. The State of Things  is his third album as a leader. He carefully chose his collaborators for the album, choosing the topnotch drummer Nate Smith as the core of his band. Pianist Can Olgun and bassist Desmond White solidly round out the rhythm section. Vocalist/lyricist Michael Mayo is a new talent to me, and based on his work here, most definitely deserving of wider recognition. The album is mostly Quentin originals, although some reharmonized standards are also here, most notably “Pure Imagination” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” both with revised time signatures. Angus holds a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), awarded with a 'Dean's Commendation', a Master of Music Degree (Jazz Performance) under the tutelage of jazz great John Abercrombie, awarded 'Summa Cum Laude', and a Bachelor of Music Degree (Jazz Performance). Angus' is the author of five original transcription books of Gilad Hekselman improvisations and has also been published by PickUp Music, Jazz Lessons Videos, Mel Bay, Jazz Heaven, and the NZMiC music journal. He has performed and recorded with jazz luminaries Nate Smith, Ari Hoenig, Kevin Hays, Shai Maestro, Linda May Han Oh, and Will Vinson. Podcast 891 is my conversation with Quentin Angus, as we discuss his interest in composition over improvisation, his time under the tutelage of the legendary Abercrombie, and his views on the importance (in some cases) of a formal jazz education. Musical selections include “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the original “Broken Bones.”

Since the 1991 release of his debut album A Guitar Thing, featuring Benny Green, Cecil Brooks III and Lonnie Plaxico, guitarist Ron Jackson has steadily built a robust reputation as a sideman and solo artist. Standards and My Songs is his ninth title as a leader on his independent label Roni Music, the logical follow-up to his. Standards and Other Songs. The seven-string guitar player  put together  a topnotch trio, with Ben Wolfe on bass and Willie Jones III on drums to tackle tunes that vary from the Seventies pop one-hit wonder “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” to the Broadway standard “This Nearly was Mine” to his own compositions. Born in 1964 in the Philippines, though mostly raised just outside of Boston, Jackson started out as a rocker, but fell deep into the jazz realm under the influence of such legends as George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny. After studies at Berklee School of Music, Jackson lived and worked in Paris before moving to New York City and launching his high-profile jazz career. A disciple of Bucky Pizzarelli, Ron moved to the seven-string guitar at his mentor’s urging, and has not looked back since. He’s played on dozens of albums (such as those by Ron Blake, Hal Singer, T.K. Blue) and working with such artists as Oliver Lake, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gary Bartz and Randy Weston. Podcast 889 is my conversation with Ron, as he takes us through the technical and aesthetic virtues of the seven-string guitar, and how he uses the unique instrument to interpret old and new tunes alike. Musical selections from Standards and My Songs include “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),” which adds organist Brian Ho to the mix, and “For Pat” which pays homage to another mentor, the late Pat Martino, and is loosely modeled after Martino’s own ballad “Country Road.”

Matt Slocum’s latest work is a long-form suite, performed by one of the best quartets I’ve seen put together in some time. Slocum, the drummer and composer of the songs on With Love and Sadness (Sunnyside Records), originally planned for a trio, but decided the music called for a fuller sound. The resulting group – Walter Smith III on saxophone, Taylor Eigsti on piano and Fender Rhodes, Larry Grenadier on bass and Slocum on drums – makes the album a must-listen and an early contender for the year end “best of” lists. With Love and Sadness, made possible by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works Program, was recorded on analog equipment, giving the resulting music a warm, immediate feel. Created to be listened to as a whole, the seven-part suite was inspired in part by Matt’s first trip away from home after the pandemic hit, a vacation at Maine’s majestic Acadia National Park. There is a strong sense of melody, and a harmonic unity that rewards the listener who enjoys the album in one sitting. Slocum honed his craft as an undergraduate at USC under Peter Erskine, and has gone on to record with Steve Cardenas and Dayna Stephens on his Trio Pacific Vol.1, Grenadier and Gerald Clayton on Sanctuary and Smith, Stephens, Clayton and Massimo Biolcati on his noted Black Elk’s Dream. He’s performed with those players in many different settings, as he has with Anthony Wilson, Ben Wendel, Sam Yahel, Lage Lund and Linda May Han Oh. Podcast 888 is my conversation with Matt, as we talk about the inspiration behind, and the writing and recording of With Love and Sadness. He also shares some information on coming projects – is there another Trio Pacific album on the horizon? – and his hopes for playing the suite live. There is a release party planned at Mezzrow in Manhattan on May 12. Musical selections from With Love and Sadness include “An Evolving Alliance” and the concluding “America Revisited.”

It's been seven years since Tel Aviv-based saxophonist-composer Eli Degibri has released an album of original music. However, that drought ends this week with the release of his deeply personal album of tunes, Henri and Rachel. Recorded on March 9, 2020, days before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Henri and Rachel is Degibri’s first album of original music since 2015, when he recorded Cliff Hanging, which earned a 5-star review from DownBeat (a 2018 release, Soul Station, was a tune-for-tune homage to one of Degibri’s heroes, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley and his iconic 1960 Blue Note album of that name). During those years, Degibri, an only child, was preoccupied not only with his musical production, but with caring for his aging and ailing parents, who both emigrated to Israel following World War II. His father, Henri, a native of Bulgaria who passed away in the fall of 2020, developed cancer; his mother, Rachel, born in Iran, developed Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.  As a result, his compositions, whether consciously or not, are infused with a sense of longing, shifting feelings, and love. Eli has worked with his current rhythm section – Tom Oren on piano, Alon Near on bass (the most recent member), and Eviatar Slivnik on drums – for the last four years, and their camaraderie translates into some wonderful playing. Whether it’s the aptly titled “Longing,” the melodic title track (performed in two versions, in two different keys, one for the masculine, the other the feminine) or the straight ahead “Preaching to the Choir,” the tunes and playing make for an emotionally satisfying listen. Degibri has been in the spotlight since 1999, when Ron Carter – a mentor at the Thelonious Monk Institute, who in 2009 recorded on Degibri’s Israeli Song with Brad Mehldau and Al Foster – recommended him to Herbie Hancock for what would be a 30-month stint performing repertoire from Hancock’s Grammy-winning Gershwin’s World album. He further refined his artistry as a member of Foster’s group from 2002 until 2011, and as the leader of bands that included such internationally acclaimed musicians as Aaron Goldberg, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Street, Jeff Ballard, Kevin Hays, Gary Versace, Gregory Hutchinson, and Obed Calvaire. For years he was the artistic director of the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, a world-class event. Podcast 887 is my conversation with Eli, as talk about the emotional process of turning his feelings regarding his parents’ decline and passing into music, and the importance of his close relationship with his band. He also pays tribute to Hank Mobley and Ron Carter, the latter of whom will celebrate his 85th birthday later this year. Musical selections from Henri and Rachel include the title track and “Don Quixote,” a tune dedicated to his late father.

In Part One of this two-part conversation,  Bill Summers explained the long path he has followed to learn the art and the history of Bata, placing him firmly in a thousand plus year history of percussionists. We talked about Forward Back, his new project with his longtime friend Scott Roberts, a way to blend spiritual music with the sounds of the modern western world, especially hip-hop. That EP, Yellow Flowers, was released recently on the Ropeadope label.  Part Two follows Summers' 50 year career, as we talk about his time with Herbie Hancock, making Headhunters, Thrust and Flood, plus sessions with the likes of Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, Patrice Rushen and many more.  We also talk about music in his home New Orleans, and delve into musical history and myth surrounding the legendary figure known as Bras-Coupe. Musical  selections include "Watermelon Man" from Headhunters; "My Ideal" from the Sonny Rollins album Don't Ask, which also featured guitarist Larry Coryell; and "Hang It Up" from Patrice Rushen's 1978 album Patrice. 

Years ago, the study of percussion led Bill Summers to a particular ceremony in Brooklyn, where he was introduced to the rich history of religious, spiritual drumming by vocalist Leon Thomas. The path led him to Cuba, where he studied with a venerated master, immersed in a spiritual drum fraternity (Anya) that took him all the way back. He innately recognized the origin, the source, the foundation of all rhythm. Learning the history of Bata in this deep way has been a 50-year process for Summers. All through his illustrious career with Herbie Hancock, The Headhunters, Los Hombres Calientes, and countless top names in music from Sonny Rollins and Ella Fitzgerald to Quincy Jones and Patrice Rushen, he has, with his longtime friend Scott Roberts (a/k/a One Drop Scott), sought for a way to blend spiritual music with the sounds of the modern western world. His latest project, Yellow Flowers, is from the group he calls Forward Back. Summers and Roberts create music with a purpose, to, as he says, take the world on a journey BACK into traditional instruments to move the culture FORWARD by unearthing the rhythmic relationship between Africa, the Caribbean, and America. The Forward Back concept is built on the back of African tradition: Summers plays three drums (bata), representing Father, Mother, and Child on each track. With the foundation in place, Summers and One Drop Scott were inspired to collaborate with music duo Cruzmatik and solo vocalist Simoné Mosley to cultivate not only a musical group but a family of artists who authentically make music influenced by their life experiences. Cruzmatic is Reggie Stephens a.k.a. Reggae Steel Bon, a former NFL player, rap artist, and producer, and J-Willz is a Rock & Reggae singer and a filmmaker. The duo brings a fresh, current sound to the recording, rooted in its own way to their community. Simoné Mosley is a Bay Area native who strives to combine her sultry voice, poetic insight, and life experience to bring healing and a sense of culture into the realm of self-reflection. As we spoke, Summers became clearly excited about Forward Back, in which he melds his percussive tradition with hip-hop, funk and soul. Podcast 885 is the first of a two-part conversation, as we follow his path with Bata, and discuss the making of Yellow Flowers. Musical selections from the EP on the Ropeadope label include the title track, and “Buttafly”, which adds funk legend George Clinton to the mix.

Les Bon Temps Rouler! It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and this year the parades and parties are in full swing. So if you're not in the Big Easy to sample the music, food and fun, here's an hour plus of music to get you in the swing of things: Kermit Ruffins - "Drop Me Off in New Orleans" Marcus Roberts - "New Orleans Blues" Cyril Neville - "New Orleans Cookin'" The Hot 8 Brass Band - "New Orleans, After the City" Irma Thomas and Marcia Ball - "I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind" Wynton Marsalis - "New Orleans Bump" Booker Ervin - "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" Lil' Queenie & The Percolators - "My Darlin' New Orleans" Dave Bennett - "A Funeral in New Orleans" George Benson - "Walkin' to New Orleans" Dr. John with the Donald Harrison Band - "You Ain't Such a Much" Delfeayo Marsalis And The Uptown Jazz Orchestra - "So New Orleans!" Harold Lopez-Nussa - "Van Van Meets New Orleans" Harry Connick Jr. - "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" Earl King - "No City Like New Orleans"

Self-titled albums are typically introductory statements reserved for an artist’s first release. In the case of trumpeter/keyboardist Rick Braun, it took until his 30th anniversary as a solo recording artist.to release Rick Braun – a stylistically eclectic, ultra-soulful/funky and exotica-tinged collection of 10 new songs. While put into the box we call “smooth jazz” for years, Braun stylistically has been closer to his musical heroes Herb Alpert, Freddie Hubbard and later Miles Davis for years. In addition to the usual compliment of electric instruments that has become his trademark, a 10-piece live string section, arranged and conducted by Nick Lane, is heard on five tracks of the album, .paying homage to the sound of the classic 60’s and 70’s albums on Creed Taylor’s legendary CTI Records. Roy McClurg served as the album’s executive producer. The album finds influences in world music (“Turkish”), dance music (“Da Funk,” “Feet First”) and the Latin tinge of “Back to Mallorca” and “Ampr de Mi Vida (Love of My Life).” All in all, it’s a satisfying collection that doesn’t break a lot of new ground, but since when is that a prerequisite for an enjoyable album of music. Braun has gone from being a sideman for everyone from Crowded House, Tom Petty and Sade to Tina Turner, Rod Stewart and Glenn Frey to chart-topping front man and acclaimed producer. He has amassed over 20 Number 1 Smooth Jazz hits (including “Notorious" and "Grazin’ in the Grass"), produced chart-toppers for David Benoit, Marc Antoine and the late Jeff Golub, and created two of the genre’s most impactful dual albums ever (Shake It Up with Boney James and RnR with Richard Elliot). He still tours and records with Elliot, who he calls his best friend,  and has recorded three hit albums as part of the all-star trio BWB (with Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown). Podcast 883 is my conversation with Rick Braun, as we discuss his lifetime search for “the sound,” and how he tries to capture it. We talk gear, collaborators and how the new album came together. Musical selections from Rick Braun include “Return to Mallorca" and "Da Funk."

The music of Danish composer/performer Anders Koppel has defied genre almost since he learned to walk. The son of classical composer and pianist Herman D. Koppel, Anders Koppel was a child singer in the Copenhagen Boys Choir and studied piano with his sister and father from the age of five. He took up the Hammond organ in 1966 and the following year founded with his brother Thomas the legendary Danish rock group The Savage Rose. The band toured Europe extensively from 1967 to 1974 and even made a Stateside appearance in 1969 at the Newport Jazz Festival while also recording eight albums. Koppel left the group in 1974 to make his first solo recording, and two years later he cofounded with bassoonist-clarinetist Peter Bastian and percussionist Flemming Quist Møller the trendsetting world music trio Bazaar. The band played together for 37 years until 2013.  In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Koppel wrote music for 50 plays, eight modern large-scale ballets and more than 100 movies. Since 1997, he has devoted himself to composing for classical ensembles and has completed 150 scores to date — solo pieces, chamber music, orchestral and vocal works, an opera and 33 concertos for solo instrument with orchestra. His saxophonist son Benjamin has been a featured player in six of his concertos. Father and son have also been playing together in recent years in a highly interactive jazz quartet setting with renowned bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. Anders merges his love of jazz and classical music while paying homage to his fellow countryman, the famed photographer and social reformer Jacob Riis, on Mulberry Street Symphony. Riis, who emigrated from his native Denmark to America in 1870, exposed the poor living conditions of impoverished immigrants in his groundbreaking photojournalism book, “How the Other Half Lives.” Inspired by Riis’ compelling photographs, Koppel created “Mulberry Street Symphony’, an epic work in seven movements, each one based on a different Riis photo depicting tenement life in New York City during the 1880s. Himself the child of immigrants, Anders responded deeply to the photographs. Podcast 882 is my conversation with Anders, he takes us through the composting and recording of a work for a classical orchestra and sometimes improvising jazz trio.  We discuss his life in and around music, and how working with his son, along with brilliant players like Colley and Blade fit into the Mulberry Street Symphony. Musical selections from the album include “Blind Man.”

Musicians who are “on the scene” in New York don’t always get wider recognition with jazz fans around the country, to say nothing of the world, unless they are lucky enough to constantly record. In the case of pianist Michael Weiss, he’s been busy playing in and around New York, but he hasn’t recorded as a leader since 2003’s Soul Journey. Persistence -Weiss’ fifth recording as a leader and first on the Cellar Live label - brings together all the qualities that have made him such a valued member of New York’s jazz community since the 1980s.  The band Weiss has put together features the irrepressible saxophonist Eric Alexander, along with a rhythm section of Paul Gill and Pete Van Nostrand. Deeply swinging and emotionally rewarding, the recording features four vibrant originals by Weiss that are rich with memorable melody, harmonic color, rhythmic vitality, savvy pacing, and expressive detail. Weiss also arranged four standards that reveal his ability to put a thoughtful individual stamp on diverse material by Thelonious Monk, Fats Waller, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Jimmy Van Heusen. Weiss has forged a formidable career working in the bands of jazz legends, most notably Johnny Griffin and Frank Wess, but also Art Farmer, Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, and Lou Donaldson. He was a longtime member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and toured with the Jazztet and Mingus Epitaph Orchestra. Podcast 881 is my conversation with Michael, as we discuss his lengthy absence from recording as a bandleader, how he adapts classic tunes by Monk and Jobim for the quartet, and his tour dates in his native Texas this month. He also pays tribute to the late Frank Wess, given the centennial of his birth last month. Musical selections include Thelonius Monk’s “Epistrophy” and his original tune “Apres Vous.”

Perhaps no song in the canon of the Great American Songbook is associated with Valentine's Day than Rodgers & Hart's 1937 classic "My Funny Valentine." The song was originally written as part of the score of their Broadway show Babes in Arms, which gave us classics like "Johnny One Note," "Where or When," and "The Lady is a Tramp." For a deep dive into the details of the song and the show, check out this posting at Cafe Songbook.  Perhaps no one knows as much about "My Funny Valentine" than writers and historian Will Friedwald. Friedwald included a lengthy discussion about the song in his 2002 book Stardust Memories: A Biography of 12 of America's Most Popular Songs.  Podcast 880 bring Friedwald front and center to discuss how one of the lesser performed tunes from the show (it was left out of the movie version starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney) became one of the most recorded standards by the end of the 1950's. During our talk, we talk about several of the most historic and memorable recorded versions of "My Funny Valentine," including the version Friedwald feels really launched the song from Frank Sinatra. While Chet Baker as part of the Gerry Mulligan group recorded the song first, it's Ol' Blue Eyes who Will states made the tune a must for crooners everywhere. We'll also hear the Miles Davis Quintet's epic version, as well as one from Ella Fitzgerald's Rodgers & Hart Songbook which includes the oft-neglected opening verse. And just for good measure representing the many rock and pop singers who have covered the tune (Sting, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Jerry Garcia, Linda Ronstadt) is Elvis Costello's best Chet Baker impression. 

Saxophonist Azar Lawrence has been seen as someone who can, as they say, cover both sides of the street. Lawrence has performed with numerous jazz titans that include pianists Horace Tapscott and McCoy Tyner; trumpeters Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw; percussionist James Mtume; and drummers Elvin Jones and Billy Higgins. However, the Los Angeles-born Lawrence,  has never been confined by conventional genre categories. His instrumental and songwriting work with iconic soul singers, like Roberta Flack, Marvin Gaye, and Phyllis Hyman; and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Earth, Wind & Fire is just as indelible. So it will not surprise those who listen to him that his latest release, New Sky, is full of positive sounds and vibrations that can’t really be considered the work of a Coltrane disciple or an R&B shouter. The optimistic musical soundtrack – co-produced by him, guitarist James Saez and Tracy Hannah, looks forward with new Lawrence compositions, and backwards to revisit two of his compositions of the Seventies. Joining Lawrence on New Sky is a cast of musicians old and new that consists of pianists and keyboardists John Beasley and Nduduzo Makhathini; bassist Sekou Bunch; drummer Tony Austin; percussionist Munyungo Jackson; singers Calesha "Bre-Z" Murray, Oren Waters, and Lynne Fiddmont; harpist Destiny Muhammad; and guitarists Saez, Greg Poree and Gregory 'GMOE' Moore. Podcast 879 is my conversation with Azar and his producer Tracy Hannah as we discuss the upbeat nature of the new album, and why Azar feels the new music can’t be put into any particular class or genre. He also speaks touchingly about his late friend Mtume, who we lost just a month ago. Musical selections from New Sky include “Ain’t No Doubt” and “Point of Love.”

Here’s an event perfect for jazz fans and those looking to delve more deeply into Black History Month – a combined lecture and musical performance by flutist and educator Galen Abdur-Razzaq chronicling how jazz musicians became advocates for the Civil Rights Movement. From stirring performances that called out injustice to  performing benefit concerts that financed major events such as the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington, there is much to learn about how jazz influenced the Civil Rights movement, and vice versa. The lecture will be infused with musical demonstrations from Galen on his flute. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and holds a Master’s Degree in Performance and Education from Rutgers University. A riveting speaker with an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, Galen has recorded under his own name and with such luminaries as Sun Ra, Dr. Billy Taylor, Jimmy Heath, and Freda Payne. Podcast 878 is my conversation with Galen Abdur-Razzaq, as we discuss some of the highlights of his presentation, and he shares first-person insight into the music that was made during this historic period. Musical selections to provide greater context for his presentation include John Coltrane’s “Alabama” and a live performance of Nina Simone and her incendiary “Mississippi Goddam.” This event is being performed virtually and hosted at no cost to participants on February 15th at 6:00 p.m. EST by the Agawam (Massachusetts) Public Library. Please click here to register. Participants will be emailed a Zoom link on the day of the event.   

Javon Jackson turns to one of the finest poets in America for inspiration on his latest release, The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni, on his Solid Jackson label. Jackson,  in addition to leading his own group, is a faculty member of The Hartt School at the University of Hartford and director of its Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz. It was in that capacity that he invited Giovanni, one of the world's most well-known African-American poets,  once called “The Poet of the Black Revolution,” to speak to his students. Their conversation about jazz influenced gospel music led to Jackson’s decision to ask Ms. Giovanni to pick ten of her favorite hymns for his next recording. The result is a kaleidoscopic view of tunes from “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” to “Wade in the Water” to “I’ve Been ‘Buked,” all with a strong spiritual feel and jazz sensibility. Jackson’s band, composed of pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and drummer McClenty Hunter, recorded the album live in a South Windsor, Connecticut studio not far from the Hartt School campus, recording without earphones to bring an additional element of spontaneity. The exception to that was “Night Song,” with Ms. Giovanni singing the Nina Simone classic herself, which was recorded near her home in Virginia. Javon has been a force in jazz since he left Berklee to join Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, playing sax in the band until Blakey’s death in 1990. Since then he has guested on albums by Ron Carter, Curtis Fuller, Freddie Hubbard and Elvin Jones, while recording twenty plus albums as a leader. Podcast 877 is my conversation with Javon, as we discuss how he interpreted and reimagined gospel songs and hymns, and how his heritage and upbringing in the church helped inspire him. He also pays tribute to the late Dr. Lonnie Smith, with whom he performed and recorded with over the years. Musical selections from The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni include "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?."

Keyboardist Bob James is so deeply associated with electric music from the 1970’s and the all-star band Fourplay that it’s easy to forget his roots lie in the acoustic piano trio. From his days working with Sarah Vaughan and then with a series of solid trios (check out The Lost 1965 New York Studio Sessions for proof), James has always had the chops to play in that demanding format. His latest trio, with bassist Michael Palazzolo and long-time drummer Billy Kilson, recorded a “live in the studio" album, Feel Like Making LIVE!, that was released in audio and video formats at the end of January. The acoustic trio went deep into the James catalogue to reinterpret genre-defining tunes like “Nautilus”, “Westchester Lady”, “Nightcrawler”, “Angela” and the James-penned “Mr. Magic” a smash for Grover Washington, Jr. To those well-known tunes are added pop classics from “Downtown” to Elton John’s “Rocket Man” and jazz standards like “Nardis.” Full of the spontaneity and freshness that live recordings bring, it’s an album that will satisfy those who have followed Mr. James over the past few years, and surprise those who only see him as a fusion/smooth jazz player. Podcast 876 is my conversation with Bob, who was just capping a month-long tour with a few shows at the Blue Note in New York, including a guest appearance with Talib Kweli and his live band, along with Old School rapper and record producer Slick Rick. We discussed his recent shows, how Feel Like Making LIVE! came together and how he approaches his old hits in a new format. He also shared a few hints as to the future of supergroup Fourplay, still dealing with the loss of guitar whiz Chuck Loeb almost five years ago. Musical selections from the trio recording include “Nautilus” and “Rocket Man.”

When I spoke with saxophonist Steve Slagle last summer, he had a number of projects ready to go. One of those, his first album of all ballads, Ballads: Into The Heart Of It, will be released in February on Panorama Records. The album features pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Ugonna  Okegwo, drummer Jason Tiemann and Richard Sussman, who provides synth orchestrations and drum programming to great effect on three selections. Add to that lineup special guest Randy Brecker on trumpet, and you just know this is going to be good. As Slagle says during our conversation, the album should really be “nine ballads and a burner,” as Brecker and Slagle take off on the final tune of the album, “Big Mac.” But it’s the slower tunes – never with heavy handed arrangements or cliched approaches – that shine, from the Miles/Bill Evans classic “Blue in Green” and Thelonius Monk’s “Reflections,” to a reimagined take on “My One and Only Love.” Slagle originals like “The Four Margarets” and “Si,See” stand up well against these classics, giving the band members ample time to shine. Slagle has played at the highest level since his first days on the scene in New York, playing with the likes of Machito and his Afro-Cubans, Ray Barretto, Steve Kuhn, Lionel Hampton, and Charlie Haden. He continues to arrange and play with the Mingus Big Band, currently holding down weekly gigs at the Django in Manhattan. Ballads: Into The Heart Of It is another of his projects as a leader, and he hopes to get the band on the road through the early Spring. They are tentatively set to appear at Smalls on February 4th and 5th. Podcast 875 is my conversation with Steve, as we talk how to pick and choose ballads, the unique challenges that come from playing slower tunes, and the genesis of a number of the songs on the album. Musical selections include the striking “My One and Only Love” and the seldom heard Stevie Wonder penned “Kiss Lonely Goodbye.”

Having spent four decades on the New York City jazz scene, pianist Pete Malinverni has crossed paths with countless revered artists and come away with a host of tales to tell. But few moments measure up to the time that Malinverni met the iconic composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein. The seeds planted in that meeting decades ago come to fruition on Malinverni’s new album, On the Town – Pete Malinverni Plays Leonard Bernstein. This top-notch trio recording reimagines nine Bernstein favorites, along with a new Malinverni original penned in tribute to the composer. The band is Malinverni’s bassist of choice, Ugonna Okegwo, and for the first time, the legendary drummer Jeff Hamilton. Malinverni’s first opportunity to pay tribute to Bernstein arrived on the occasion of the composer’s 2018 centennial, when the pianist was commissioned to arrange many of these pieces for a four-horn ensemble featuring Joe Lovano at Purchase College, where Malinverni is Chair of the Jazz Studies Program. But when it came time to record the music, he determined to pare the music down to a trio setting. Pete has recorded fourteen times as a leader, including in solo piano, trio, quartet, quintet, big band and choral contexts. Throughout his time in NYC, Malinverni has performed and recorded with a host of masters including Joe Lovano, Mel Lewis, Dennis Irwin, Jon Faddis, Karrin Allyson, Steve Wilson and more. Malinverni serves as Head of Jazz Studies at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, State University of New York. If that’s not enough to keep him busy, there is work at the Devoe Street Baptist Church in Brooklyn (Minister of Music), the Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY (Pianist and Conductor) and the Pound Ridge Community Church (Director of Music). Podcast 874 is my conversation with Peter, as we discuss the wonderful story of his meeting with Leonard Bernstein during a solo gig, the recording of On the Town, and how he penned a musical tribute to the maestro to close out the album. Musical selections include “Lucky to Be Me” and “A Night on the Town.”

Once he got over the funk that so many of us experienced during the COVID-19 shutdown of early 2020, Fred Hersch was musically active, streaming live from his home and playing music that made people smile and tap their toes. He began playing live again this summer, and now has a new recording of original material, Breath By Breath, the first time he has written for a jazz piano trio and string quartet. Breath By Breath contains an eight-movement suite, entitled “Sati Suite.” The piece draws inspiration from the pianist’s longtime practice of mindfulness meditation, and so the movements take the listener through stages of the meditative process. Less you think this is ambient or "wallpaper" music, be assured that it is the kind of challenging yet joyous music that we have come to expect from Fred Hersch. In part that’s due to the musicians he has enlisted for the album. Bassist Drew Gress was a member of the pianist’s first trio and has been an inspiring bandstand partner for more than three decades. Jochen Rueckert is one of the most in-demand drummers on the modern scene, having played with such greats as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Melissa Aldana and Pat Metheny. The Crosby Street String Quartet, named for the NYC address where they first rehearsed with Hersch, combines four of the city’s busiest freelance string players: violinists Joyce Hammann and Laura Seaton, violist Lois Martin, and cellist Jody Redhage Ferber. A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred is an influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades. A fifteen-time Grammy nominee, Hersch has long set the standard for expressive interpretation and inventive creativity. A revered improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist, Hersch has been firmly entrenched as one of the most acclaimed and captivating pianists in modern jazz, whether through his exquisite solo performances, as the leader of one of jazz’s era-defining trios, or in eloquent dialogue with his deeply attuned duo partners. His brilliant 2017 memoir, Good Things Happen Slowly, was named one of 2017’s Five Best Memoirs by the Washington Post and The New York Times. Podcast 873 is my conversation with Fred, as we talk about the writing and recording of Breath By Breath, how he assembled and rehearsed the musicians, and his plans for playing the material live. We also discuss an upcoming premiere of a Hersch-penned composition played by classical pianist Igor Levit, planned for Carnegie Hall on January 13th. You’ll get a chance to hear the second movement of the suite, called  “Awakened Heart,” featuring Fred performing solo with the string quartet.

To all who are traveling on an evening that often becomes "amateur night" take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Offical SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulizter Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's singer is Norah Jones, from her I Dream of Christmas CD. Click here to enjoy.  I'll be playing rock & roll with my band AXIS at the Drunken Rabbit Brewing in South Hadley, Massachusetts, so if you are in the area drop in and say hello. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all.

In a time when archival releases are becoming almost commonplace, it’s worth taking an extra moment to focus on A Time for Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet – Live in Helsinki, 1987 from Two Lions/Mack Avenue Records. The final gig of a long international tour that began with 4 concerts in Brazil, this date was the 14th of a European tour that took the quartet all over mainland Europe and Scandinavia. With a remarkable quartet of Joe Pass on guitar and the bass/drums tandem of Dave Young and Martin Drew – all of whom at the time of this recording were about halfway through their thirty-year affiliations with Peterson – the wildly enthusiastic Helsinki audience was treated to a marvelous performance. The first set consists exclusively of Peterson’s own compositions – an important focus in his widow (and the album’s producer) Kelly Peterson’s efforts to further enhance his immortal legacy. The second set features Peterson’s enthralling exploration of time-honored jazz and songbook classics, including two virtuosic solo performances: Pass’ exquisite rendition of the iconic Disney tune “When You Wish Upon a Star” and Peterson’s delightful take on Bill Evans’ “A Waltz for Debby.” The encore is an explosive take on another Oscar original, “Blues Etude.” None other than Duke Ellington tagged Peterson with the title “the Maharajah of the keyboard,” and the moniker was well earned. With eight Grammy awards and over 200 albums of his own, Peterson’s amazing ability to temper his own magnificence as a leader and soloist to be able to provide totally empathetic and subtle accompaniment to other musicians and vocalists –  especially in his guitar-piano-bass trios with the likes of Herb Ellis and Ray Brown – made him a contributor to hundreds of other outstanding recordings, most notably as the virtual “house pianist” for his longtime manager Norman Granz’s Verve and Pablo Records. A professional since the age of 14, the Canadian born Peterson passed away at the age of 82 in 2007. He was married to Kelly Peterson for twenty years, and she traveled the world with him. She was crucial to his continued playing and performing after a stroke in 1993 compromised his right hand. She now represents his Estate, producing and curating what is hopefully a series of previously unreleased or under-distributed work over the next few years. Podcast 872 is my conversation with Kelly, as we talk about the legacy of Oscar Peterson, not just as a performer, but as a composer as well. We talk about his legendary collaborations with Pass, Ellis, Brown and more, and why musicians stayed with him for long stretches of time. Musical selections from A Time for Love include “How High the Moon” and “Blues Etude.”

It's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

From Mad Magazine, circa 1960 - still gets a giggle sixty years later: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”  

It's not the Christmas season until my wife Nancy and I hear "The Santaland Diaries," David Sedaris' always hilarious account of his time as a costumed Elf named Crumpet at Macy's flagship department store in New York. Classic.  One of my favorite parts of the story comes when Crumpet, asked to sing a Christmas carol by the store Santa, decides to sing "Away in a Manger" as if he was Billie Holiday. Click here, since you have to hear it to believe it.   

We continue to lose talented jazz masters at an alarming rate.  All of the musicians featured in this podcast will be terribly missed. Take some time to listen to "Noted in Passing 2021" featuring the music of some of my favorite musicians who are now gone, but never forgotten so long as we can hear their music: Barry Harris - " Uno Dos Tres" Chick Corea (with the Akoustic Band) - "Humpty Dumpty" Chris Barber (with Eddie Durham +  Jazz & Blues Band) - "Jack Teagarden Blues" Curtis Fuller - "Be-Back Ta-Reckla" Mario Pavone (with Dialectic Trio +1) - "Philosophy Series" Pat Martino - "Dearborn Walk" Slide Hampton - "Little Sunflower" Dr. Lonnie Smith, - "Too Damn Hot" Pee Wee Ellis (with the WDR Big Band) - "The Prophet" Jerry Grannelli (with the Trio) - "Your Mind is On Vacation" Freddie Redd (with the Quartet) - "Time to Smile" Ralph Peterson Jr.,  - "I Want to Be There For You" Time and space prevent sharing more music and memories from George Mrasz, performer-critic Greg Tate, promoter and pianist George Wein, Milford Graves, Rick Laird (bass with Mahavishnu Orchestra), David Frishberg, Jon Hassell, Jeff Chambers, producer Bob Porter, and Sonny Simmons. Stephen Sondheim is rarely mentioned in a jazz context, but he was the greatest Broadway composer of the second half of the 20th century, if not the greatest composer in all genres during this time. I will miss his brilliance every day. 

As I do every year, this Podcast is "A Few of My Favorite Things" from 2021. It is not intended on being a Top Ten list - I do that for the Jazz Journalist Association, where I posted a list of 14 - but rather a grouping of recordings that got repeat play in my house, making me take notice among the many recordings I receive.  While 2021 got off to a very rocky start here in the USA, there was much to be optimistic about in jazz recordings that came across my desk during the past twelve months. Further, music and  musicians seem to have returned to our stages and clubs, and regardless of mutating viruses, perhaps to stay. This year, I had the pleasure of hearing and rehearing the following stellar albums: New Things From Old Friends: Andrew Cyrille Quartet - The News Charles Lloyd & the Marvels - Tone Poem Kenny Garrett - Sounds of the Ancestors Todd Cochran TC3 - Then & Again, Here & Now Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Soundprints - Other Worlds   Players Rising and Coming Into Their Own: Johnathan Blake - Homeward Bound Veronica Swift - The Bitter Earth Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future James Brandon Lews/Red Lily Quintet - Jesup Wagon   Collaborations and One-Offs: Troy Roberts & Tim Jago - Best Buddies Archie Shepp & Jason Moran - Let My People Go Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra - Promises Jane Ira Bloom and Allison Miller - Tues Days Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge with Gary Bartz - JID006 (Jazz is Dead)   Archival or Reissues: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller - In Harmony Roy Brooks - Understanding Bill Evans - Behind the Dikes: The 1969 Netherlands Recordings Lee Morgan - The Complete Live at the Lighthouse   Tributes or Reimagination of Older Material: Harold Mabern - Mabern Plays Coltrane Terence Blanchard featuring E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet - Absence Nigel Price Organ Trio - Wes Reimagined Chris Pattishall - Zodiac Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio - Songs From My Father   Musical selections appearing in the Podcast include: Charles Lloyd & the Marvels - "Anthem" Johnathan Blake - "Abiyoyo" Allison Miller & Jane Ira Bloom - "Tues Day" Lee Morgan - "Speedball" Terence Blanchard featuring E-Collective & Turtle Island Quartet - "The Elders"

Every December since 1980, Paul Winter and his colleagues have celebrated the Winter Solstice at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine with a feast of music from cultures around the world. Over these past 40 years, Paul Winter’s Solstice Celebration has become New York’s favorite holiday alternative to the Nutcracker and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, as well as becoming a “can’t miss” for lovers of Jazz and New Age music. This December, with their beloved cathedral closed for renovation, the 42nd Annual Winter Solstice Celebration will be a comprehensive video retrospective available to a worldwide audience. Entitled SOLSTICE SAGA, Paul Winter's 42nd Annual Winter Solstice Celebration will feature iconic performances from this legendary event’s four decades. This one-of-a-kind video will premiere as a livestream via Stellar at 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, December 17; 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 18; and 2:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, December 19. In keeping with the inclusivist embrace of the solstice and the welcoming, intercultural, ecumenical tradition of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, SOLSTICE SAGA will include performances by 12 special guests, including Brazil’s Ivan Lins and Fabiana Cozza; Russia’s Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble; Gary Brooker, lead singer of Procol Harum; Ireland’s Davy Spillane and Nóirín Ní Riain; Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary; and Abdoulaye Diabaté of Mali, along with the African drumming and dancing of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre. Paul Winter Consort players include Paul Winter on soprano sax, cellist Eugene Friesen, double-reed master Paul McCandless (formerly of Oregon fame), keyboardists Paul Halley and Paul Sullivan; flutist Rhonda Larson; drummers Jamey Haddad (Paul Simon) and Ted Moore; bassist Eliot Wadopian and gospel singer Theresa Thomason. From the early days of his college jazz sextet, which toured 23 countries of Latin America for the State Department and performed the first-ever jazz concert at the White House for the Kennedys in 1962, to his later ensemble, the Paul Winter Consort, Paul Winter’s concert tours and recording expeditions have taken him to 52 countries and to wilderness areas on six continents, where he has traveled on rafts, dog sleds, mules, kayaks, tugboats and Land Rovers. He has recorded over 50 albums, of which seven have been honored with Grammy Awards. Podcast 869 is my conversation with Paul, as we talk about the history of the Winter Solstice shows, how he “invented” New Age music, and how his travels in Latin America forever changed his musical approach. Musical selections include "Sun Singer" from Light of the Sun and "A Bun Dance" from Paul's Sextet Recordings Count Me In 1962-1963. More information about Paul Winter's 41st Annual Winter Solstice Celebration is available at the Stellar Tickets website.

Perhaps you are decorating your house for the holidays. Or wrapping gifts. Hanging with family and friends. Enjoying some seasonal food or libations.  Have I got a musical soundtrack for you! Yes, it's the return of Straight No Chaser's "Nuthin' But Christmas Jazz" podcast, an hour of curated Christmas music for your enjoyment.  This year's podcast features: Stan Kenton - "The Twelve Days of Christmas" Kat Edmonson - "Happy Holiday" Duke Pearson - "Go Tell It On a Mountain" 3D Jazz Trio - "I Wonder as I Wander" Sharon Irving - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Al DiMeola - "Greensleeves (What Child is This?)" Josie Falbo - "The Christmas Waltz" Kirk Whalum - "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" Diana Krall & the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - "Let It Snow" Jimmy Smith- "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" Eric Marienthal - "Christmas Time is Here" Shirley Horn - "The Secret of Christmas" Pete Ellman Big Band - "Silver Bells" Dinah Washington - "Silent Night" Gene Harris Quartet - "I'll Be Home for Christmas"  

Sometimes a Christmas jazz album is more than just a holiday treat. That’s the way I heard Merry and Bright,  the latest release from drummer Jeff Hamilton and his trio, bassist Jon Hamar and pianist Tamir Hendelman (Capri Records). Sure the classic tunes of the holiday are there, and there are a few more obscure tunes as well. But once the trio gets things going, the result is simply a solid, swinging performance by a top piano trio. The music on Merry and Bright transcends the Christmas music genre. The album has been twenty plus years in the making, as Jeff tired of hearing versions of holiday classics that he felt were not up to snuff. The tunes were selected from Hamilton’s memories growing up in a family where everyone gathered around the piano and sang Christmas tunes in four-part harmony. Two of the pieces, “Caroling Caroling” and “Bright, Bright the Holly Berries” he learned from The Singers Unlimited, whose textured vocal harmonies are still a staple of Christmas morning listening at Jeff’s home in California. Whether the trio is tackling “Here Comes Santa Claus” with an up-tempo Brazilian beat, or allowing Hamilton’s trademark brush stylings to shine on “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” this album is likely to move into that pantheon of classic Christmas jazz, right next to another album Jeff helped create, Diana Krall’s Christmas Songs. I first spoke with Jeff back in Podcast 755.  His career has spanned almost every type of ensemble - the Big Bands of Woody Herman and Count Basie, the exotic quartet the L.A. 4 with Ray Brown, Bud Shank and Laurondo Almedida, and backing singers from Ella Fitzgerald to Diana Krall to Natalie Cole. Hamilton is both the leader of his this trio as well as one of the founders of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and the Akiko-Hamilton-Dechter trio. In addition to Merry and Bright, Jeff has collaborated on two other albums that have been released this fall. The first is an organ trio album with Matthew Kaminski (L.A. Connection), the Atlanta Braves stadium organist who has achieved cult status after playing jazz standards during the World Series, and guitarist Bruce Forman. The second, Major Influence, pairs Jeff and his long-time rhythm section buddies John Clayton (bass) and Tamir Hendelman (piano) with guitarist Graham Dechter. And just in case you felt he was not working hard enough, Jeff has put together a trio he calls the ”Poll Winners Revisited,” with Forman and Clayton, playing music inspired by, and using the actual instruments played by, the famed trio of Barney Kessell, Ray Brown and Shelly Manner. Musical selections for Podcast 867 feature two tunes from Merry and Bright, “Bright, Bright the Holly Berries” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”

One of the joys of listening to the music of saxophonist Kirk Whalum is diving deeper into the songs he selects and the way he performs them. I point to his series of The Gospel According to Jazz albums, where he interprets and refracts music from the church and gospel tradition through his jazz prism. If you’ve not heard them, stop now and give a listen. So it was with great anticipation that I listened to Kirk’s second holiday-themed release, How Does Christmas Sound? I was not disappointed, since the album eschews seasonal lightweight fair like “Frosty the Snowman” or “Here Comes Santa Claus” for new and older tunes that take both an introspective and soulfully celebratory approach to music of the season. Even his choice of old chestnuts like “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” and “Angels We Have Heard On High” serve as jumping off points for shifting time signatures and arrangements that probe the spiritual side of the music. If, as they say, the reason for the season is the birth of Jesus, then Kirk Whalum answers his musical question with both feet firmly in that camp. A Grammy winner (with twelve nominations), Whalum has been a fixture on the smooth jazz circuit for years. Pop fans may know him best for work with Barbra Streisand and Luther Vandross, but especially for providing the memorable saxophone solo on Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” Jazz fans have enjoyed his collaborations with Joey DeFrancesco, Al Jarreau, Rick Braun, Dave Koz, Chuck Loeb and Norman Brown. Besides recording and touring, Whalum is a professor at Visible Music College in his hometown of Memphis, and an ordained minister with a Masters of Art in Religion. Podcast 866 is my conversation with Kirk, as we discuss the reason for How Does Christmas Sound?, how he allows his religious devotion to shine through in his music, and the difficulties he sometimes faces in sharing those sentiments onstage. Whalum also talks about his two podcasts, “Bible in Your Ear”, in which he invites listeners to hear him read through the Bible in a year, and “Humans Being.” Musical selections from How Does Christmas Sound? Include a dramatic re-reading of "All I Want for Christmas" and “Mary Did You Know?”, the latter powered by a vocal from rising R&B star Chantae Cann.

Straight No Chaser is always on the prowl for new and exciting jazz releases for the Christmas holiday season. This year has a number of wonderful releases, and we’ll be featuring several of the more exciting ones over the next week or so. One of those releases is an EP by singer June Bisantz on the Arabesque label, a collection of unusual, upbeat holiday/winter songs written by Arnold Miller and Connie Pearce for June Christy in 1961. The EP combines a cool-jazz vibe with soulful introspection about the complex emotions evoked by the winter holidays. 7 Shades of Snow was begun in the winter of 2020 at the height of pandemic restrictions, and so eventually the project was conceived, arranged, and recorded remotely in seven separate studios with musicians who had never met - but are now forever connect­ed through this musical adventure. Bisantz’s vocals are ably backed by Jon Burr and his jazz sextet (Burr: bass, Mike Eckroth: piano, James Chirillo: guitar, Brandon Lee: trumpet, Marc Pfaneuf : saxophone, and Alvester Garnett: drums). A talented singer, songwriter, visual artist and educator, Ms. Bisantz had long had a holiday recording among her creative plans. A lover of the holidays with their focus on love and celebration, she understands the holiday season is also a time of reckoning - with the year just past and the new one just ahead. Her search for material led her to make a recording that more than holds its own in the company of albums by singers who might be widely hyped, but not necessarily more accomplished in their artistic output. A native of Connecticut and a featured performer on the Hartford jazz scene, June has toured internationally and performed and recorded with distinguished jazz musicians including Steve Swallow, Paul Brown, Mike Stern, Steve Davis, Lew Soloff, Jerry Neiwood, and Will Lee. Her 2018 collaboration with Alex Nakhimovsky, Love’s Tango, showcased her ability to move between straight ahead, Brazilian and modern jazz. Podcast 865 is my conversation with June Bisantz, as we discuss how she discovered the material for 7 Shades of Snow, the novelty of recording remotely and her upcoming plans to return to live performances. Musical selections from 7 Shades of Snow include ‘   and the classic “The Merriest,” along with “11 Note Samba” from Love’s Tango.  The June Bisantz/Alex Nakhimovsky Quartet will appear at The Side Door in Old Lyme, Connecticut on December 3, 2021. Click here for more information.

The story of Hanukkah is one of revolution and miracles: Greek influence over the Jews in the Land of Israel was getting out of hand. Hellenism was spreading, an affront to Jewish culture and religious practice. When the Greek ruler of the time, Antiochus, forbade Jewish religious practice, a small group of Jews, the Maccabees, revolted. The Maccabees were successful and, as a first order of business, restored the desecrated Holy Temple. The menorah in the Temple needed to be lit. Traditionally, the candelabrum burned continuously. The Temple liberators searched high and low but could find only one vial of olive oil, which seemed to be enough for just one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, which was just enough time to receive a new shipment. To celebrate the miracle, Hanukkah was instituted. Today, Jews everywhere light menorahs on each night of Hanukkah. Traditionally, one candle or flame is lit for each night until the eighth night, when all eight lights shine together. The menorah has a ninth “helper” flame — known as the shamash — used to light the other candles. This is necessary because in Jewish law the Hanukkah lights serve no other purpose than declaring the miracle of the holiday. Jews place the lit menorah in a prominent window in order to fulfill this commandment. Gift giving is now a common practice on Hanukkah, and it is therefore a beloved time for Jewish children. Fried potato pancakes (latkes) and doughnuts (sufganiyot) are traditional fare, and a spinning top (dreidel or sevivon) with four Hebrew letters has become synonymous with the holiday. The letters — nun, gimel, hei, shin — form an acronym for the message of Hanukkah: A great miracle happened there. As a jazzy soundtrack for this year’s festivities, enjoy Podcast 650, which includes tunes of the season by: Don Byron – “Dreidl Song” Event Horizon Jazz – “Maoz Tzur” Kenny Ellis – “Sevivon, Sov, Sov Sov” The Klezmatics – “Do the Latke Flip-Flip” Ben Sidran – “I Have a Little Dreidle” Jon Simon – “Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” Dave Koz – “Eight Candles (A Song for Hanukkah)” The Klezmer Conservatory Band – “Klezmorim At Chanukah” Tim Warfield – “The Dreidel Song”

Every year right after the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US, I post a podcast that serves as sort of a consumer guide to new jazz releases featuring Christmas music. I mean, really - how is the jazz fan to know what is fresh and new out there to listen to as they do there shopping, decorating and general making merry? Here are thirteen  tracks from new release, ranging from artists well known to the general public (Norah Jones) to those well known to jazz cognescente (Robert Irving III, Jeff Hamilton, Rodney Whitaker) to those whose music is not as widely played, but is worthy of a good long listen. So enjoy, and follow the links to the artist or album titles to learn more about each release, and order a copy or two to supplement your holiday music collection. Podcast 864 includes:  Norah Jones – “Christmas Time is Here” from I Dream of Christmas Robert Irving III (feat. Marlene Robsenberg & Ernie Adams) - "We Three Kings" from New Momentum Rodney Whitaker with the Christ Church Cranbrook Choir – “Little Drummer Boy” from Cranbrook Christmas Jazz Carolyn Lee Jones – “I’d Like You for Christmas” from Christmas Time is Here Kirk Whalum – “Angels We Have Heard on High” from How Does Christmas Sound? June Bisantz – “Hang Them On the Tree” from 7 Shades of Snow Jeff Hamilton Trio – “Here Comes Santa Claus” from Warm and Bright Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet – “Santa Dear, Where’s Mine?” from Fools for Yule Pete Ellman Big Band – Title Track from The Twelve Grooves of Christmas Lyn Stanley Big Band - "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" from Dancing in the Holidays  Tanya Wills Quartet - Title Track from Do You Hear What I Hear?  As Is - "O Holy Night"  Jan Daley – “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from Home for Christmas

Prior to 2019, I had just posted two songs that set the mood for Thanksgiving for me - George Benson's "Giblet Gravy" on the night before, to help out those cooking a festive meal, and Diana Krall's version of "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)". The latter, an Irving Berlin masterpiece, is often played for Christmas, but to me it sums up all that the day should be about - sharing with others as we realize the many gifts we are given each day and year. This year, I put those two tunes in an hour plus of music you can dig all through the Thanksgiving holiday. To break it down for you, this podcast has: Setting the mood for the day: Vince Guaraldi - "Thanksgiving Theme" Nicholas Payton - "Home for the Holidays" Sonny Rollins - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) The symbols of the day: Manhattan Brass - "Stuffy Turkey" Wynton Kelly - "Autumn Leaves" The main attraction: Charlie Parker - "Carvin' the Bird" George Benson - "Giblet Gravy" Bernard Purdie with Thara Memory - "Grits & Gravy" Lee Morgan - "Cornbread" Steve Turre - "Ray's Collard Greens" Organissimo - "Pumpkin Pie" And to remember why we are all here: Steve Kuhn Trio with Joe Lovano - "With Gratitude" Diana Krall - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" A Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! 

There is no doubt that Christian McBride is one of the most versatile musicians on the music scene today. His artistry has been documented in recordings and performances with the widest possible range of musicians in the most varied settings and genres one might imagine. His collaborations have been as diverse as duets with the revered classical bassist Edgar Meyer and avant-garde composer and violinist Laurie Anderson; performances with iconic artists like Sting and James Brown; ensembles with his fellow native Philadelphian, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, of The Roots; not to mention a host of jazz masters from Sonny Rollins and Freddie Hubbard to Pat Metheny and the late Chick Corea. Add to that his work as broadcaster, educator, advocate and  steward of New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Jazz Aspen Snowmass, and the Newport Jazz Festival, and you still are just beginning to scratch the surface of his talent and accomplishments. McBride leads a plethora of ensembles, from his Trio and Big Band to the Situation and New Jawn. My favorite is his quintet known as Inside Straight, featuring drummer Carl Allen, saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Eric Reed (who subsequently was replaced by Peter Martin) and vibraphonist Warren Wolf. Together for almost fifteen years, the group’s vast talents are well displayed on the new release on Mack Avenue Records, Live at the Village Vanguard. Recorded during a lengthy run of shows in 2014, the album features compositions by three of the five members, all allowing the band to swing hard. As Christian says in our conversation, he wanted a band that was “Vanguard Ready,” and he seems to have hit the mark once again. When I spoke with McBride, he had just finished performing his large ensemble work "The Movement, Revisited," a four-movement suite dedicated to four of the major figures of the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at NJPAC. We discussed the audience response to the piece, his memories of his first show at the Village Vanguard as an audience member and a performer, and of his friend ship with the late George Wein. We also hear about his plans for the coming months, including a live recording at the Vanguard by the New Jawn, his group featuring Marcus Strickland (saxophone), Josh Evans (trumpet) and Nasheet Watts (drums).  Musical selections in Podcast 863 include “Shade of the Cedar Tree” (which McBride jokingly calls his “hit”) by Inside Straight, and “Brother Malcom,” a track from The Movement, Revisited which is also featured on a fund raising album to benefit the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians’ Emergency Relief Fund. That album, entitled Relief, is a collaborative work by a consortium of major jazz labels – Concord Music Group, Mack Avenue Music Group, Nonesuch Records, Universal Music Group’s Verve Label Group and Blue Note Records, and Warner Music Group – and their recording artists and can be purchased here. Christian McBride and Inside Straight will be performing at the Village Vanguard in New York from November 30 to December 5, and Christian McBride’s New Jawn will appear there December 7 to 12. Tickets may be purchased here.

In 2019 boundary-breaking trombonist Joe Fiedler released Open Sesame, packed with inventive jazz readings of material drawn from his longstanding “day job” as an Emmy-nominated music director and staff arranger for the famed children’s show Sesame Street. The album gave long-time fans of the television show a chance to hear musicians reinterpret tunes that were part of their formative years, including “Rubber Duckie” and “Sing.” Fuzzy and Blue (Multiphonics Music), Fiedler’s second volume of Sesame Street songs, shines still more light on the extraordinary wit and melodic gift of the foundational Sesame Street composers Joe Raposo and Jeffrey Moss, among others. The album boasts the same top-tier lineup as Open Sesame, with a couple of twists. Trumpeter Steven Bernstein, who played on only part of Open Sesame, now becomes an integral cog in a nimble three-horn section, expanding and varying the palette and allowing Fiedler to bring his seasoned orchestration skills to the foreground. Reedman Jeff Lederer plays tenor and clarinet and relies more heavily on soprano sax this time out, helping achieve the ideal blend of colors and registers that Fiedler was seeking.  Drummer Michael Sarin and bassist Sean Conly keep the rhythms locked and creatively churning, from the Dr. John/Professor Longhair vibe of “Fuzzy and Blue” to the reggae feel of “Elmo’s Song” (by Tony Geiss), to the Hugh Masekela-inspired Afropop of “Ladybug’s Picnic.” The ensemble also gets a visit from vocal powerhouse Miles Griffith, the very model of a guest on Sesame Street, to provide fire for "I Am Somebody." A native of Pittsburgh, Fiedler is an accomplished jazz improviser and bandleader with sideman credits including Andrew Hill, Charles Tolliver, Satoko Fujii, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz and a host of others. In addition to his trio and other small-group lineups, Fielder leads the low-brass quartet Big Sackbut (three trombones & tuba), which has released the albums Big Sackbut, Sackbut Stomp and Live in Graz. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in a Children’s Series in 2013 and 2016. He plays lead trombone on the 2021 movie soundtrack album for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, contributing horn orchestrations for five major numbers and underscoring cues as well. Podcast 862 is my first talk with Joe Fielder since his visit in 2012, as we talk about his deep love and respect for the musicians and composers involved in Sesame Street, and how he and his bandmates find new and originals ways of interpreting the songbook. Musical selections from Fuzzy and Blue include the title track, “We Are All Earthlings,” and “I Am Somebody.”  

Of said this of musicians before, but in so many ways, trumpeter Alex Norris is the personification of a working jazz musician. As a sideman, especially in big bands like the Mingus Big Band and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, he is a fixture. He’s called upon to contribute to recordings by legends like George Colligan and Pat Martino. He teaches and gives lessons online. And, when he’s not too busy and wants to relax, he records albums as a leader with his quintet of long-time colleagues. His latest release, Fleet from the Heat, on the SteepleChase label, showcases Alex and his band (tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose, pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Brian Floody) playing the kind of straight-ahead jazz that lovers of mid-Sixties Blue Note recordings will really dig. The band is tight, the compositions (all by Alex) are swinging, and the result is a highly satisfying listen. Podcast 861 is my conversation with Alex, whose wry sense of humor permeates our talk. We talk about why his work schedule has been booked solid, working on Fleet from the Heat during the pandemic, how he writes and structures his tunes, and he recalls his work with the late Pat Martino on the 2017 release Formidable (Note - this conversation took place just prior to Pat's passing). Musical selections from Fleet from the Heat include “Quarandemic “ and the boogaloo “Dude, Where’s My Deli?,” both parts of what Alex calls “The Famous Original Pandemic Suite.” We also hear “On the Stairs” from Martino’s Formidable album, featuring Norris with organist Pat Bianchi, drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. and tenor saxophonist Adam Niewood. 

Heir to a Hindustani classical lineage passed down from his father Partha Chatterjee (and his father’s teacher Pandit Nikhil Banerjee), virtuoso sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee moves into some new territory with the release of Unbounded - Abaad, his new album from the UK-based, South Asian-focused music media platform Sufiscore. The album reflects not only Chatterjee’s mastery of his native musical tongue but also what he calls “his love story with jazz” and his inquisitive approach to music of all kinds, blending a wealth of colors from master musicians around the world. If you are going to try your hand at a fusion of multiple types of music, you’ll need a supporting cast that has gone down that road before. Purbayan wisely reached out to a series of jazz masters who have explored world music for assistance and collaboration - banjo pioneer Béla Fleck (whose duo work with the late Chick Corea was formative for Chatterjee); keyboardist Jordan Rudess of the progressive metal band Dream Theater; longtime Pat Metheny drummer Antonio Sanchez; Snarky Puppy bassist and founder Michael League; and Israeli-born jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen. To this group he added a number of Indian musicians who worked with guitarist John McLaughlin in his innovative acoustic fusion project Shakti, most notably table player Ustad Zakir Hussain. The results are often striking, bringing the feel of jazz-rock fusion timing and speed with modern jazz sensibilities and Indian sense. Take for example “Sukoon — Catharsis,” a marriage of ghazal (sung poetry) and blues that juxtaposes the jazz and Hindustani vocal stylings (respectively) of Thana Alexa and Gayatri Asokan (lyrics by Rehana Qamar). Hussain, Sanchez and League make for a formidable rhythm section, and pianist Carmen Staaf supplies the western jazz harmony. I spoke with Purbayan from Mumbai, where he discussed the genesis of the project - a visit with Pat Metheny - and the way he felt it logical to incorporate Indian classical sound and structure with jazz. Musical selections include "Shanmukhapriya [The Mystic]" and "Intezaar [The Wait]"

As I'm recovering from Hip Replacement Surgery, there will be no new "Spooky Songs" podcast for Hallowe'en this year. However, I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the past treats I've prepared, so feel free to visit the archives and dig on: Podcast 166   Podcast 240 Podcast 309 Podcast 387 - The All-Devil Themed Podcast Podcast 452 Podcast 598 Podcast 644 Be safe out there and enjoy Trick or Treat! 

Podcast 859 is something of a follow-up from Podcast 839 earlier this summer. At that time, saxophonist Jon Irabagon talked about his involvement with a new organization based in Columbus, Ohio. Stephanie Matthews and her business partner, Bruce Halliburton, started "A Tribe For Jazz" in April 2021. It's a new nonprofit that works to market global jazz musicians, but it’s goals are far loftier. Their Vision Statement reads: “Our vision is to advance the future of Jazz for generations by producing content, events and activities that transform, educate and lead to purposeful actions and impactful conversations surrounding the preservation of the genre.” It came into being with a mission to preserve the legacy and advance the future of jazz through storytelling, live and virtual performance, education, and community engagement. In the collaboration between Irabagon and A Tribe for Jazz, Jon is showcased as never before in the innovative performance film Legacy: Jon Irabagon. Directed by Julian Melanson and produced by Ms. Matthews, the film features Irabagon completely solo, in a beautifully lit, artistically shot black-box theater environment, playing original compositions drawn from just about every stage in his career. Throughout the film, he reveals a formidable, deeply felt mastery of the tenor saxophone — arguably jazz’s most iconic instrument. Legacy: Jon Irabagon is both an extended reflection on the lineage of the horn itself, and a statement on Irabagon’s own considerable artistic legacy, still very much  still in formation. Podcast 859 is my conversation with Stephanie Matthews, as we discuss the founding of A Tribe for Jazz, the work with Jon Irabagon, and possible future projects with the likes of Fabian Almazon and Linda May Han Oh . Legacy: Jon Irabagon is available on demand through October 31. Visit here for more information.  

Pianist Helen Sung’s recorded work has grown more esoteric over the past few years – a duet album with trumpeter Marquis Hill (vinyl only) and a collaboration with poet Dana Gioia (Sung With Words). One of her first releases, Sungbird, showed her classical chops. These albums show us a young artist willing to continue to push the envelope and move beyond the sounds of a successful band-oriented effort. On her latest album Quartet+,  Helen is again moving in new directions. While the core of her previous bands – saxophonist and flutist John Ellis and drummer Kendrick Scott – return, she adds bassist David Wong and the strings of the Harlem Quartet. The result is a celebration of the work of influential women composers, crafting new arrangements of tunes by Geri Allen, Carla Bley, Mary Lou Williams, Marian McPartland and Toshiko Akiyoshi. And to make sure she got it right, violinist Regina Carter comes on board as a co-producer. The resulting album allows her to lead this group of musicians to explore new aspects of many of the tunes, never fearing to steer away from the standard structure or style of the originals. A 2021 Guggenheim fellow, Ms. Sung attended Houston’s renowned High School for the Performing & Visual Arts (HSPVA) and continued her classical piano studies at the University of Texas at Austin. As you’ll hear in our conversation, attending a Harry Connick Jr concert made her rethink the way the piano can be played, and she went on to graduate from the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (at the New England Conservatory) and win the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Jazz Piano Competition. It’s been onward and upward since then, as she has released eight previous albums as a leader, and supported Marcus Printup, Ronnie Cuber, Clark Terry and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra on other records. Podcast 858 is my conversation with Helen Sung, as we discuss Quartet+, how she handled the pandemic shut-down, and where she is headed. The next few years promise to be very busy, as she will apply her Guggenheim Fellowship to a multi-movement piece for big band slated for completion in 2022. With a Chamber Music America Digital Residency grant, she’s producing a series of events this year using the tragic recent attacks on the AAPI community as a catalyst for interdisciplinary events with her quartet and a poet, a DJ and an installation artist. Sung also received a New Music USA 2021 Music Creator Development Fund grant for a collaborative project with dancer and neuro-rehabilitation researcher Miriam King to create a dance program with original music for dementia/Alzheimer’s patients. Music selections from Quartet+ include “

Podcast 857 is the second of my two-part conversation with Andrew Cyrille. The last twenty years has seen Andrew obtain some of the exposure that he so richly deserves, as his releases under his own name on ECM, TUM and Soul Note have been rapturously praised, as has been his work with Trio 3, joining Oliver Lake and Reggie Workman for ten albums. Add to this sideman work on albums by Anthony Braxton, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, and David Murray, and you see why he is rarely not working. The News, a quartet album with Bill Frisell, Ben Street and David Virelles, is his latest ECM release.  Podcast 857 takes us back to his time with Cecil Taylor, the pioneering avant-garde pianist who broke and then re-wrote all the rules of piano composition and performance. Andrew was his drummer for eleven years, and during that time, he says that Cecil never told him what to play. Together they made two of Taylor's seminal recordings, Unit Structures and Conquistador! on Blue Note Records.  We also discuss a forthcoming tribute album to Taylor featuring bassist William Parker and trumpeter Enrico Rava, and a new album for Trio3, both planned for 2022. 

A force in improvisation for more than sixty years, Andrew Cyrille has played across the landscape of jazz from Coleman Hawkins’s The Hawk Relaxes to Cecil Taylor’s Unit Structures, led his own bands, and worked extensively with Milford Graves, Walt Dickerson, David Murray, Muhal Richard Abrams, Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman and many, many more. For The News, recorded at Sound on Sound Studio for ECM Records in New Jersey in August 2019, David Virelles was drafted as last-minute replacement for old associate Richard Teitelbaum, whose involvement had been ruled out by ill-health (Teitelbaum has since passed away). Virelles had previously played with Cyrille and bassist Ben Street in contexts including the group Continuum. Gently guiding from the drums, Cyrille gives his revised line-up plenty of freedom while also shaping, subtly, the group’s sonic identity with his flowing sense of pulse. Adding guitarist Bill Frisell, who has recorded with Andrew since 2016, there emerges a daunting quartet.   Frisell is a veteran of many of ECM’s seminal recordings, and his work here makes it clear why. His playing is fluid, almost languid at times and there is no musical situation that he doesn’t maker better with his harmonic choices. This gives Cyrille the room he craves to add the rhythmic interjections that make him so unique. Street is there, as Andrew says in our conversation because “he watches their back” and ensures things move along as needed. The talented Virelles continues to show that his reputation as one of the top pianists around is well deserved. Podcast 856 is the first part of my two-part conversation with Andrew Cyrille. In this first part, Andrew and I discuss the new album, why he chose to record a number of tunes he has previously recorded but in different arrangements, and why each member of the band was so important to the making of The News. Musical selections from the album include the title track, “The News.” Andrew then leads us through the events that he believes made him the musician today. On this Podcast we talk about his formative years, growing up in Brooklyn, and becoming a drummer. Podcast 857 later this week will pick up with his association with Cecil Taylor, and discuss a new album that is forthcoming with Enrico Rava paying tribute to his friend and bandmate for eleven years.

Podcast interviews these days can sound like “How I Spent My Covid Vacation” at times. So many musicians used to traveling, gigging and recording at length became housebound. Some used the time to practice; others learned new instruments or worked on previously back-burnered material. Pianist/Composer Dan Siegel (no relation to your humble host) prepared his 22nd album as a leader, Faraway Places, by reaching out to his favorite players and bringing in a host of top sidemen to breathe life into his project via the internet.  Joining Siegel on the album are saxophonist Eric Marienthal, trumpeter/trombonist Lee Thornburg, guitarist Allen Hinds, acoustic bassist Brian Bromberg, electric bassists Abraham Laboriel and Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, percussionist Lenny Castro, and on two tracks Brazilian vocalist Rogerio Jardim. The material seems divided into three different styles. The first is more accessible, radio friendly and closer to Smooth Jazz. The second is solidly straight ahead, closer to the styles of his past work. Lastly, the addition of accordion by Dan, a hymn-like choir of vocalists and the wordless vocals of Jardim are closer to a Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays collaboration, and have a spiritual feel. Dan began playing piano at the age of eight, and has grown into a composer, pianist, producer and arranger for himself and others, from Herbie Hancock to Philip Bailey to Hugh Masekela. In Podcast 855 we discuss the making of  Faraway Places, talk about his style of composition, and how the West Coast of the US has been fairing as musical life slowly reaches the New Normal. Musical selections include “Old School" and "Some Time Ago."

Dave Holland. Larry Grenadier. Miroslav Vitous. Barre Phillips. Eberhard Weber. Björn Meyer. All of these famous bass players have recorded and released solo bass recordings on the famed ECM label over the years. And now, we can add Marc Johnson to that list.  Overpass, recorded in January and February 2018 at Nacena Studios, in São Paulo, Brazil, was produced by Marc Johnson and his partner in life and music, pianist  Eliane Elias. Johnson entered the studio with the idea of performing solo, but not quite sure of what the final results would sound like. He performed pieces that have been a standard part of his repertoire for more than forty years, like “Love Theme from Spartacus” and “Nardis,” both staples from his time in the Bill Evans Trio. Then there were other standards like Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance”, plus a reworked version of his tune from the Bass Desires album, “Samurai Fly.” Lastly, there are improvised pieces that took shape in the studio. The result is a tribute not just to Marc’s improvisatory skills, but his intense sense of melody on the bass. The pristine sound allows the listener to feel Johnson’s physicality with the bass, and hear not only the melody and harmony, but the sound of strings and wood being used to make those sounds. A product of the famous University of North Texas jazz bands, Johnson was playing with Bill Evans in the pianist’s final trio at the age of 25. Since then, he has been the sideman of choice for the likes of Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Lyle Mays, Enrico Pieranunzi and of course, Ms. Elias. . As a leader, he has recorded more than ten albums under his own name, including two classic albums for ECM,  Bass Desires (with John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Peter Erskine) and Shades of Jade (Lovano, Scofield, Elias, Joey Baron and Alain Mallet). Marc and I had previously spoken for the podcast almost ten years ago, so we were overdue for a conversation. Podcast 854 rectifies that situation as we talk about what motivated Marc to record a solo bass album, and how Overpass came together. We also talk about a forthcoming live album from the Bill Evans Trio on Resonance Records, and share insights into the Music from Man of La Mancha album he worked on with Eliane Elias, recorded in 1995 but shelved and finally released in 2018 on Concord Records. Musical selections from Overpass include “Nardis” and “Yin and Yang,” and from Music from Man of La Mancha, “The Barber’s Song.”

With the release of Sing to the World on the St. Petersburg, Russia label Rainy Days Records pianist Benito Gonzalez takes a stellar step into the future of his jazz journey. He’s assembled an impressive team of collaborators to perform the ten tunes, including Christian McBride, Essiet Okon Essiet, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and Nicholas Payton as well as rising stars Russian drummer Sasha Mashin, trumpeter Josh Evans and saxophonist Makar Kashitsyn. Gonzalez describes the album as a musical exploration into the concept of freedom, one that recognizes the dignity of us all as individuals. Music, he says in our conversation, is the way he communicates, and with which he hopes to make a change in the world. The opening track, “Sounds of Freedom” is inspired by “the troubling situations in our world today. People are looking for freedom in places like my home Venezuela, in Russia, the U.S. People are searching, fighting for freedom.” In addition to his slow-to-upbeat originals, Gonzalez adds to the set list two compositions that have never been recorded by their composers: Roy Hargrove’s soulful “Father” and Jeff “Tain” Watt’s “412.” In our conversation, he describes the relationship he had with the late trumpeter, and also with his current favorite drummer, and how he came to record the tunes. Born in Venezuela, Benito made his way to U.S. by a serendipitous route when an American cultural ambassador caught one of his trio gigs and later invited him to come to Washington, D.C. to play shows with Ghanaian master drummer Okyerema Asante.  From there came a stretch with Jackie McLean, and then seven years in Kenny Garrett’s quartet until 2013. After his stint with Garrett, he played with saxophonist Azar Lawrence’s band, then in 2019 was enlisted by saxophone legend Pharoah Sanders to be his pianist/musical director. Sing to the World is his fifth album as a leader. Podcast 853 is my conversation with Benito, as we discuss the new CD, what he seeks in his musical collaborators, and his coming world tour. Musical selections from Sing to the World include “Sounds of Freedom.”

Though jazz composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, who died in 1981, is not as well-known today as contemporaries such as Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Dizzy Gillespie, her musical and spiritual legacy is lately the focus of renewed, and well-deserved, appreciation. She was on the cover of a recent issue of JazzTimes, and earlier this year we had Chris Pattishall on the Podcast discussing his version of her classic “Zodiac Suite” plus her former pupil Bill Cunliffe reminiscing about her. Now, a new biography of Ms. Williams explores the spiritual journey that led her to convert to Catholicism, and to spend the rest of her life sharing her gospel message that “jazz is love.” In Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul (Liturgical Press), Deanna Witkowski, offers a poignant portrait of the pioneering jazz pianist-composer. Ms. Witkowski is a jazz composer, pianist, and interpreter of Williams’s work, whose forthcoming album, Force of Nature (MCG Jazz) features all Williams compositions. She presents the full Mary Lou: “a forward-thinking, breathtakingly original pianist and composer,” who mentored some of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century—including Powell, Charlie Parker, and Art Blakey—and a deeply spiritual person who found solace in the Catholic faith and believed in the healing power of jazz. A liturgical jazz pioneer, Williams composed three Mass settings, and devotional works such as “Black Christ of the Andes,” honoring St. Martin de Porres. In the final years of her life, Williams finally had the chance to fully integrate her spirituality, music, and her teaching in her frequent performances of “Mary Lou’s Mass”, and her history of jazz demonstrations, around the world at at Duke University, where she made her academic home. Deanna is an award-winning jazz pianist and composer who recently relocated to Mary Lou Williams’s hometown of Pittsburgh after spending twenty-three years as a New Yorker. Her seven recordings include the forthcoming Force of Nature (MCG Jazz) featuring all Williams compositions and Makes the Heart to Sing: Jazz Hymns (Tilapia Records), featuring 14 jazz arrangements of classic hymns alongside a companion sheet music book. As a frequent guest music leader, Witkowski has shared her original liturgical jazz in over one hundred churches throughout the United States. Musical selections include one part of the "Zodiac Suite", "Cancer" paired with "Act of Contrition," and "Carcinoma."

A Baby-Boomer like myself recalls when Freda Payne rode high on the Pop Charts with soulful tunes like “Band of Gold,” “Bring the Boys Home,” and “Deeper and Deeper” in the early Seventies. However, I did not know at the time that this sort of Top 40 R&B was an aberration for Ms. Payne – singing jazz was her first love, and her musical goal. Since 2014, when she released Come Back To Me Love, Freda has been touring and spreading the gospel of jazz to her audiences. Seemingly ageless in voice and physical grace, she has a new release, Let There Be Love, which should do even more to bring her to jazz prominence.  A collection of Big Band arrangements from Gordon Goodwin, the album has Freda paired for duets with the likes of Kurt Elling, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Lattimore, and in a sizzling medley of “Moanin’” and “Doodlin’”, fellow Detroit native Dee Dee Bridgewater. An in-demand vocalist in her early teens, Ms. Payne crossed paths with a pre-Motown Berry Gordy Jr. and was offered a spot with Duke Ellington’s band, but her tender age made the gigs untenable. Instead, she cur her teeth singing radio jingles in her native Detroit, and then  worked her way to New York to work with the likes of Quincy Jones. Mid-Sixties tours of Europe led to recording deals, but it wasn’t until she met up with old friend Eddie Holland and decided to sing a few of his soul songs that she hit the charts with her R&B singles. In our conversation, Ms. Payne talks excitedly about her return to her jazz roots, and the circuitous route she took to get there. We talk about the making of Let There Be Love, and especially her input on the recording and singing partners. Musical selections include the “Moanin’” and “Doodlin’” medley with Dee Dee Bridgewater and the title track with Kenny Lattimore.

We live in a nearly unparalleled time for the discovery of previously unreleased and archival music from jazz legends. Just recently we’ve seen important releases from Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, and Roy Brooks, with promises of more from Bill Evans and Art Blakey before the year is out. But the big one drops  Friday October 22, when A Love Supreme – Live in Seattle is released, representing the first club performance of the titular suite by John Coltrane. Due to its length and complexity, Coltrane rarely played “A Love Supreme” live. The Live in Antibes recording of a July 26, 1965, festival show in France was believed to be the only live version captured. However, in October1965 on the culminating evening of a historic week-long run at The Penthouse in Seattle, “A Love Supreme” was played in a more intimate setting. For this gig,  Coltrane expanded his classic quartet by adding Pharoah Sanders on second saxophone and Donald Garrett on second bass. The tape reels containing this performance sat in the private collection of Seattle saxophonist and educator Joe Brazil, heard by a few fortunate musicians and friends-and largely unknown until now. Author and music historian Ashley Kahn literally wrote the book on the Coltrane classic - A Love Supreme: The Making Of John Coltrane's Masterpiece. He wrote the liner notes for this release, and joins us in Podcast 851 to talk about the importance of the performance, the story of how it was recorded, and what we learn about Coltrane and his perspective on his masterwork. You’ll also get to hear a performance of the final movement of the suite, “Psalm.”

When drummer/composer Jared Schonig says he wants to go big, he’s not kidding. The music on Schonig’s debut recordings as a leader on Anzic Records, Two Takes Vol. 1: Quintet & Vol. 2: Big Band are meticulously crafted, played with the freedom, abandon, joy and excellence that only top New York City players seem to truly capture simultaneously. With these recordings, Schonig now joins the growing fellowship of drummers fronting their own bands, from Brian Blade to Johnathan Blake to Tyshawn Sorey, as more and more drummers write and lead the group from behind the kit. As Jared explains in our conversation, he wanted to expand his musical horizons, having made the Wee Trio his primary creative vehicle for a number of years. Two Takes Vol. 1: Quintet, features eight Schonig compositions, interspersed with three “Drum Interludes.” The Quintet features a stellar cast: Marquis Hill on trumpet, Godwin Louis on alto saxophone, Luis Perdomo on piano and Matt Clohesy on bass – a family of players who display a wonderful simpatico throughout the album. Two Takes Vol. 2: Big Band is an audacious creative endeavor. Schonig enlists eight of the most acclaimed big band arrangers/composers working today (whom Schonig has musical relationships and friendships with) – Alan Ferber, Jim McNeely, Mike Holober, Miho Hazama, Darcy James Argue, John Daversa, Laurence Hobgood and Brian Krock – to exercise free reign with his Vol. 1 compositions. The two all-star big bands performing the pieces are comprised of a “who’s who” of jazz artists on the scene, including among others, pianists Dave Cook and Adam Birnbaum, guitarist Nir Felder,  saxophonists Donny McCaslin, Troy Roberts,  Dave Pietro and Jon Gordon, trumpeters Tony Kadleck and Jonathan Powell, and trombonists Marshall Gilkes and Mike Davis. This gives the listener the chance to experience how different musicians deal with the same fundamental compositions but make the pieces their own. Jared has a lot on his plate right now, as the new albums drop he currently holds the drum chair, and is co-orchestrator, for the Broadway hit, “Moulin Rouge,” which should have re-opened by the time this podcast is released.  We talk about all these musical projects and more in Podcast 849, which features both the quintet and Big Band versions of his tune “Sound Evidence” plus Jared backing the singing group Duchess on “Chattanooga Choo-Choo” from their Live at the Jazz Standard album.

It’s not hard to see David Finck as a consummate professional musician. His instrument – the bass – and his knowledge of an extraordinary number of musical styles and genres make him a first call player in jazz, rock and pop circles. Two gigs in August provide perfect examples. Finck was in the pit at Radio City Music Hall for Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s concert, one of  Tony’s final shows. Two weeks later, he was onstage with the rock group the Eagles,  as part of their string section  when they played the Hotel California album from start to finish. From  shows like those to tenure with jazz bands led by Steve Kuhn,  Paquito D’Rivera, Andre Previn, and Tisziji Munoz , David has played it all. You may not be aware, but that’s him on the plethora of standards albums pop and Broadway stars have released in the past two decades, including those by Natalie Cole, Sinead O’Connor, Linda Eder and Rod Stewart. Bassic Instinct is Finck’s latest album as a leader,  following the 2019 Burton Avenue Music release, Bassically Jazz, It’s an all-new collection of jazz tunes and original compositions, spanning genres from straight ahead jazz to Brazilian-influenced tunes and Latin beats. Finck is joined by a bevy of talented collaborators including Andy Snitzer, Quinn Johnson, Bob Mann, Mike Davis, Meg Ruby and others. Vocal features include Melissa Errico, Kelly Mittleman, Téka Penteriche and Trist Curless. Podcast 848 is my conversation with David, as we discuss his wide ranging styles of playing,  and how the new album came together during the pandemic. He reminisces about some of  his collaborators, and recalls working with the late Claudio Roditi and  Kenny Rankin, as well as a strange session with Jon Benjamin of Bob’s Burgers fame. Musical selections from Bassic Instinct include the title track and “Tico Tico No Fuba.”  

Jason Miles and his group Kind of New had big plans for 2020. Their funky new album, Black Magic, was released by Ropeadope to critical acclaim in spring 2020, as the world braced for lockdown. Tour plans in Europe to perform the music were canceled, and Jason, like all of us, found himself at home looking for positive ways to get through this unusual time. Revisiting the album, he decided to to add tracks to the existing album to continue the message of the importance and vitality of the work. Along with the core band of Gene Lake (Drums) Reggie Washington (Bass) Jay Rodriguez (Sax, Flute), Miles added 3 new tracks. The first is a live track from the original sessions, “It’s About Time” with Phillip Dizack on Trumpet, plus two new studio tracks: “1974” featuring the legendary Randy Brecker on Trumpet, and “Kind of Miles” featuring Trumpeter Russell Gunn. Jason also finished producing the first full-length album for singer Rebecca Angel, Love Life Choices. The pandemic nixed any large studio plans, but Miles was able to use his many connections to get contributions sent in from his Kind of New rhythm section and by the likes of guitarist Romero Lubambo and trumpeter/flugelhornist Dennis Angel.  Podcast 847 is my conversation with Jason, as we talk about the reappearance of Black Magic, his times working with Miles Davis and Marcus Miller on the Tutu and Amandla albums, and his forthcoming book, The Extraordinary Journey of Jason Miles: A Musical Biography, which is based on his touring show of the same title. Musical selections include “Kind of Miles” from Black Magic, and “For What It’s Worth” from Rebecca Angel’s Love Life Choices.

We need more music. That’s true almost anytime, but it rings even truer in the world we live in today An that’s where Joey DeFrancesco comes in, bringing us More Music, his latest release on Mack Avenue Records. The legendary organ player has expanded his recorded legacy over the past five years, releasing the politically charged Project Freedom and the intensely spiritual In the Key of the Universe. In addition, Joey and his band backed Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Van Morrison on a pair of soulful albums on the Sony Legacy label. More Music brings a new trio of Philly players, Drummer Michael Ode is still around, but the versatile Lucas Brown, playing both organ and guitar, adds a new dimension to the band. In addition, Joey steps out from behind the organ to sing, play his trumpet and piano, and for the first time, saxophone as well. The result is an album of ten originals plus a tastefully crooned cover of his friend Mario Romano’s ballad “And If You Please.” The saxophone Joey plays belonged to his grandfather, a reed man who played with the Dorsey Brothers back in the day. A gold-plated Conn NWII from 1925, Joey told me the heartwarming story of how he came to play the classic sax. Podcast 846 is my conversation with Joey D, as we discuss how More Music was planned out and recorded during the pandemic, why he has been working on his saxophone for the past three years, and the enjoyment of his new trio’s musical flexibility on stage. We also talk about his collaboration with Christian McBride, For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue Records), a Big Band album that pays homage to the famous recordings organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery made in the mid-Sixties.  Musical selections from More Music include “And If You Please” and organ battle between Joey and Lucas, “Where to Go.”

One of the finest bass players of the past fifty years has passed away. George Mraz (1944-2021) had been seriously ill after surgery a few years back, and never truly recovered. I was inspired to prepare this podcast after reading a Facebook comment by bassist Todd Coolman. He wrote: “There is not much I can add to the abundant love, respect, and sadness shown in this forum as a result of the death of George Mraz. I can say that his playing and musicianship always inspired me to try my best to become a better musician and bassist, and I will miss his presence, as it always reminds me of what true excellence is. If there is an afterlife, I am sure he will reunite with the giants of the music that he regularly associated with in this life. I can only imagine how beautiful their music must be. Thank you, George, for showing us the way, and R. I. P.” Mraz was a linchpin of rhythm sections for the likes of Sir Roland Hanna, Oscar Peterson, Pepper , the Thad Jones\Mel Lewis Orchestra, Tommy Flanagan and Joe Lovano for decades. He also recorded ten albums under his own name, and six more with the New York Jaz Quartet, which he co-founded. Born in Czechoslovakia, he heard jazz from the Voice of America Radio programs, and after graduating from the Prague Institute began gigging in jazz clubs in Munich. He moved to Boston in 1968 on scholarship from the Berklee School of Music, and almost immediately found himself in demand. Mraz was a linchpin of rhythm sections for the likes of Sir Roland Hanna, Oscar Peterson, Pepper Adams, the Thad Jones\Mel Lewis Orchestra, Tommy Flanagan and Joe Lovano for decades. He also recorded ten albums under his own name, and six more with the New York Jaz Quartet, which he co-founded. Podcast 845 pays tribute to the late, great George Mraz and features a cross section of music from his career, including: George Mraz – “Infant Eyes” Joe Lovano – “Alone Together” John Abercrombie Trio – “In Your Own Sweet Way” New York Jazz Quartet – “A Romp in the Woods Somewhere” Chet Baker – “All Blues” Yelena Eckemoff Quartet – “Radiance” Art Pepper – “My Friend John” Charles Mingus – “Better Git Hit In Your Soul” Sir Roland Hanna and George Mraz – “Clair de Lune”

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) is beginning its live, in-person programming in the coming week (see Podcast     for a preview) and in six weeks will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival, showcasing an all-star lineup of the country’s best musicians. Held in and around NJPAC from Nov 6-20, this year’s programing has a little something for everyone, including the New Jersey premiere of Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited. The Festival begins with the Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet and Nimbus Dance presenting the world premiere of “Raucous Caucus Tango.” There will be well-known crossover artists like Chris Botti (November 12) and Chaka Khan (November 11), a killer double bill of new NEA Jazz Master Dianne Reeves with the all-star group Artemis (November 13) and a bittersweet tribute by Anat Cohen and the Newport All-Stars to the late George Wein, who passed away after this preview was recorded (November 15). The Festival includes the 10th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, this year hosted by McBride and Ms. Reeves, with guest judges Steve Williams, Jazzmeia Horn, John Pizzarelli, and the ageless Sheila Jordan. I spoke with NJPAC’s Executive Vice President & Executive Producer David Rodriguez this summer to get the overview of this important jazz festival. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was a full-time musician on the road with groups ranging from Isaac Hayes to Tito Puente to the Rochester Philharmonic. Prior to NJPAC, David was CEO of BergenPAC, where he created a partnership with Bennett Studios and collaborated on recordings and live broadcasts from BergenPAC’s stage of kd lang, Tony Bennett and Steve Martin. Rodriguez was then chief executive of the Apollo Theatre, where he produced six seasons of “Showtime at the Apollo” and several other shows. Podcast 844 is our conversation, as we discuss the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, with musical selections from Chaka Khan (“Be-Bop Medley”) and Dianne Reeves (“Feels So Good (Lifted”).

Jazz supergroup The Cookers announce their return to the scene with their first album in five years, Look Out! The band is currently composed of Billy Harper (tenor sax), Cecil McBee (bass), George Cables (piano), Eddie Henderson and David Weiss (trumpet), plus two newly minted Jazz Masters from the National Endowment for the Arts - drummer Billy Hart and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison. Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each of these guys helped facilitate the process as members of some of the most important bands of the era. Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee Morgan’s last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach’s Quartet and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper. NEA Jazz Master Hart also accompanied Stan Getz and Charles Lloyd. The younger Harrison, born and raised in New Orleans, LA, has performed with Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Notorious BIG, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Esperanza Spalding, Dr. John, and Herbie Hancock.  Recorded at legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s studio at Englewood Cliffs, NJ, Look Out! ’s seven pieces highlight the ability of each bandmember-composer to create themes that are worthy of reinvestigation, a major aspect of the jazz aesthetic. The lead single “Somalia” is a superlative Billy Harper number from the early ‘90s that is a prime examples of a personal thematic language that is deeply rooted in black sacred music traditions but also conjoined to a variety of other vocabularies, above all the propulsion of African grooves and chants. Elsewhere on the record, titles by bassist Cecil McBee ("Mutima," "Cat’s Out Of The Bag") and pianist George Cables ("Traveling Lady," "The Mystery Of Monifa Brown," "AKA Reggie") underline the strength of the composers in the band. I spoke with Donald Harrison only a few weeks after he learned of his honor as an NEA Jazz Master. Podcast 843 is our conversation, as we discuss what the honor means to him, how he came to be in The Cookers, and how he integrates old and new music into his many projects. Musical selections include the McBee composition "Cat's Out the Bag" from Look Out! and "One of a Kind" from Donald's highly respected album Nouveau Swing. 

Kate McGarry’s 2018 collaboration with life and stage partner Keith Ganz, The Subject Tonight Is Love was a song cycle that addressed love in its many different forms and iterations. From Rodgers and Hart to the Beatles to their own tunes, the album was uniformly wonderful, and featured many of their long-time musical collaborators, most notably the musical human Swiss army knife, Gary Versace, and drummer Obed Calvaire. Hunkered down in their home in Durham, North Carolina to wait out the pandemic, the two turned to songs they had been considering recording for almost a decade. The result is another song cycle, this time taking the listener from dark to light, mirroring the road the world has been traveling for the past year.  What to Wear in the Dark features vibrant, jazz-fueled rearrangements of songs by iconic songwriters of the 70's, including their unique takes on tunes from Steely Dan, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and George Harrison. Their usual case of top-fight musicians for this release includes Versace, trumpeter Ron Miles, bassist Sean Smith and drummers Calvaire and Clarence Penn, among others. The album is full of startling interpretations of songs most boomers have come to know and love. While the standard “Dancing in the Dark” gets a chilly reading, the songs and arrangements gets progressively warmer and dare I say, lighter, as the album goes on. By the time a plaintive take on “Desperado” arrives, the album is ready to peak in intensity, highlighted by following tracks - the multipart vocal arrangement of “On the Road to Find Out,” vibrant versions of “Anthem ” and “Here Comes the Sun,” and the capper, the McGarry take on a Hafiz poem, “It Happens All the Time in Heaven.” A three time Grammy nominee, Kate has toured and recorded with jazz illuminati Fred Hersch, Kurt Elling, Maria Schneider, John Hollenbeck, Billy Childs, Luciana Souza, and Theo Bleckmann. The Subject Tonight Is Love earned both Kate and Keith Grammy nominations in 2019, and I suspect that the new album will garner them similar acclaim. Podcast 842 is my conversation with Kate and Keith, as we discuss their time during the pandemic, the selection and arranging of the tunes for What to Wear in the Dark, and their plans for touring in the near future. Musical selections include “Dancing in the Dark,” and Steely Dan’s “Barrytown.”

Podcast 841 is Part Two of my two-part conversation with saxophonist Kenny Garrett.  His latest album, released August 27th on Mack Avenue Records, is entitled Sounds of the Ancestors, and as the title suggests, it’s a musical trip through Kenny’s past, as he digs into the sounds that have moved him in the past, and chased them from his hometown of Detroit to the Caribbean and Africa and back. He will be heading home to Detroit to play the 2021 Detroit Jazz Festival September 3-6. Garrett has performed with many jazz greats throughout his career. He speaks warmly of his mentors Bill Wiggins and Marcus Belgrave, without whom he feels he would not have been able to make the leap to the Duke Ellington Orchestra at a young age. Kenny has had a rare chance to listen to himself circa 1991 this summer, with the release of Merci Miles! Live at Vienne, a live album that Miles Davis recorded less than three months  before his death at the age of 65. The Davis band for this show was a sextet of Miles on trumpet, Garrett on saxophone, Deron Johnson on keyboards, Richard Patterson on bass, Joseph Foley on guitar, and Ricky Wellman on drums. The recording captures a more stripped-down sound for the group, but allows the wonderful extended Garrett solos on the likes of “Human Nature” to shine. Kenny talks about his time with Miles (see photo) and the band’s goals and sound with me. We also explore the two Prince tunes that are on the recording, one of which, the blues based “Jail Bait” is included here. Kenny also speaks fondly of his friend and sometime bandmate Chick Corea, with whom he recorded all-star albums like Remembering Bud Powell with Wallace Roney, Roy Haynes and Christian McBride, and the epic Five Peace Band Live, with John McLaughlin, McBride and Vinnie Colaiuta. We talk about the lessons he learned from Chick, and hear one of my favorite Corea tunes, “Bud Powell.”

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett makes some of the most uplifting, joyous music on the planet. Whether he is playing his music on  the bandstand with some of the greatest performers in jazz history – Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Marcus Miller, and Chick Corea – or writing and recording his own music with his band, this is music charged with a positive message and vibe. He’s well aware of what I speak – his album titles include Black Hope, Happy People and Do Your Dance!. His latest album, released today on Mack Avenue Records, is entitled Sounds of the Ancestors, and as the title suggests, it’s a musical trip through Kenny’s past, as he digs into the sounds that have moved him in the past, and chased them from his hometown of Detroit to the Caribbean and Africa. Garrett’s band - – pianist Vernell Brown, Jr., bassist Corcoran Holt, drummer Ronald Bruner and percussionist Rudy Bird – once again supplies the lift for Garrett saxophone, driving tunes like “It’s Time to Come Home” and “For Art’s Sake.” Garrett has wisely augmented the group on tracks to bring in master percussionists like drummer Lenny White (Return to Forever), conguero Pedrito Martinez, and batá percussionist Dreiser Durruthy, who supply the necessary rhythmic boost on their cameo appearances. Singers Dwight Trible, Jean Baylor, Linny Smith, Chris Ashley Anthony and Sheherazade Holman, as well as Garrett himself, bring more texture, color and healing sounds with their prayerful vocals. In Part One of a two-part conversation, Kenny and I talk about the thought process behind, and the journey to write and record Sounds of the Ancestors. Always articulate, Kenny discusses the song structure and goals in writing for certain musicians and to capture certain sounds. Always the student, Garrett tells of how he keeps finding ways to learn more about his instrument and the sounds he can make. He speaks warmly of his hometown of Detroit, and how he looks forward to performing there in the 2021 Detroit Jazz Festival next weekend. Musical selections include his tribute to the late great trumpeter Roy Hargrove, appropriately entitled “Hargrove,” from Sounds of the Ancestors, and “Haynes Here”, written for drummer Roy Haynes and released in 2012 on his album Seeds from the Underground. Kenny Garrett will be one of the headliners of the 2021 Detroit Jazz Festival, held Labor Day Weekend, September 3-6. The event has pivoted to a virtual live format that will be live streamed for your enjoyment. More information can be found here.

The loss of Lyle Mays in early 2020 after a lengthy illness deprived the jazz world of a brilliant composer and performer. Although he had been away from music for over a decade, his niece Aubrey Johnson, herself a talented jazz performer, told me that he never stopped working on his craft, or tinkering with compositions. This month sees the release of Eberhard, Lyle’s self-professed “humble tribute” to the great German bassist Eberhard Weber, a former Mays collaborator. The “mini-symphony” was originally composed for the Zeltsman Marimba Festival in 2009, where it received a lengthy standing ovation. Ten years later, Mays recorded the work in L.A. studios over five days, creating what we now know was his final recording. He brought with him an astounding group of musicians, many of them associated with him in the past. They included Mays on an array of keyboards and synthesizers, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassists Steve Rodby and Jimmy Johnson, percussionists Alex Acuna and Jimmy Branley, marimba player Wade Culbreath, organist Mitch Forman, and guitarist Bill Frisell. Wordless vocals were supplied by Ms. Johnson, Rosana Eckert and Gary Eckert, recalling the sound of Mays’ work with the Pat Metheny Group. Aubrey Johnson is the gatekeeper for the Lyle Mays Estate, handling this now posthumous release along with other aspects of Mays’ career.  She is a New York-based vocalist, composer, and educator who specializes in jazz, Brazilian, and creative contemporary music with and without words. She holds a Master of Music degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory. She has performed and recorded with ensembles such as Fred Hersch’s Pocket Orchestra, Sara Serpa’s City Fragments, John Zorn’s Mycale Vocal Quartet, Joe Phillips’ Numinous Ensemble, and Andrew Rathbun’s Large Ensemble, while also working with her own group. She released Unraveled in 2020 and will finally host a CD release part at Rockwood Music Hall in October. Podcast 839 is my conversation with Aubrey Johnson about Eberhard, and her recollections of her Uncle Lyle’s career, particularly his intense drive for musical growth and perfectionism. We also discuss her views on jazz vocalists as musicians, and we hear the title track from her CD, Unraveled.

It's past the midpoint in summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for what may still be lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? Plus, Saint Roch's name is to be invoked to avoid plagues, so need I say anything more? The Romans associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've now done eight previous Dog Day postings, Podcast 292, Podcast 225, Podcast 442, Podcast 492 , Podcast 546, Podcast 588, Podcast 632 and Podcast 695 if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There may be a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they said on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get. Podcast 838 features the following uninterrupted hour plus of music, all with summer themes, featuring: Joey Alexander - "Summer Rising" John Brown - "When Summer Comes" Madeleine Peyroux - "The Summer Wind" Jon Irabagon - "100 Summers" Horace Silver - "Summer in Central Park" Kurt Rosenwinkel - "Summer Song" Earl Klugh - "Summer Nights" Patti Austin - "Summer Breeze" Lonnie Liston Smith - "Summer Days" Gilad Hekselman - "The Summer of Laughs and Tears" Gil Paris - "One Summer"

At just 20 years old, Matthew Whitaker has already shared his powerful story and ascent to the biggest stages in jazz with 60 Minutes and The Today Show; but on the young star pianist’s new album Connections (on Resilience Music Alliance), he takes a bold step forward in defining for himself, on his own terms and in his own words, what it truly means to be Matthew Whitaker. After being born three months premature and blind, Whitaker has become perhaps the ultimate piano prodigy, recording and playing on stages all over the world before the age of ten. His new album allows him to share his musical connections with his friends and mentors (Jon Batiste, Regina Carter, Johnathan Blake, producer Derrick Hodge), the legends he studies like Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea and Dave Brubeck, and the public at large. Songs like “Stop Fighting” “Acceptance” and “It Will Be Okay” make powerful statements about the state of the world, showing his support for the Black Lives Movement while encompassing solidarity with the worldwide protests against unnecessary violence and bullying. Podcast 837 is my conversation with Matthew, recorded the day Connections dropped. He discusses his song selection, his desire to continue studying (he begins his third year at Julliard this fall, the first blind jazz student in their history) and to adapt his love of all music – jazz, gospel, R&B, and more into his music. Musical selections include “Bye-Ya,” his duet with Jon Batiste, “Spain,” and “Stop Fighting.”

“The harmonic language of jazz, as well as that of the Great American Songbook, is certainly rich -- look how much has come out of it -- but it’s circumscribed. I started wanting to hear something else” – Patricia Barber Singer/Pianist/Composer Patricia Barber has found success mixing cutting edge projects like her 2019 release Higher, which featured an art song cycle “Angels, Birds and I…,” with her unique takes on popular music and the Great American Songbook.  Her latest release on Index Records, Clique, is a selection of classic songs from the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe, peppered with an occasional pop nugget or Barber original. The result is highly memorable, and a joy for those who can’t get enough of her unique phrasing and song styles. Always one of the most literate jazz musicians of her generation, she has built on her early takes on tunes as deliciously different as “She’s a Lady” or “Black Magic Woman,” moving to an album length deep dive into the work of Cole Porter. The recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship in 2003, she moved into deeper waters with her 2006 album Mythologies. In 2019 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honor only a handful of jazz artists have received (including Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock). The recording has state of the art sound quality, allowing the listener to get deep into the sounds that Ms. Barber and her band, especially bassist Patrick Mulcahy, make in interpreting these songs. Whether she is re-examining “This Town,” a song associated with Frank Sinatra or leading the band through  a tongue-in-cheek “The in Crowd” and an instrumental romp on “Straight No Chaser,” there is plenty of Barber magic to enjoy. Podcast 836 is my conversation with Patricia Barber, who had lost power at her rural retreat just before our call, putting the kibosh on a planned Zoom meeting. We talk about the making of Clique, how the pandemic has allowed her to explore writing prose for the first time, and her next planned public appearance, a benefit concert in September at her home. Musical selections include the instrumental “Straight No Chaser,” “This Town,” and a haunting take on Stevie Wonder’s “All in Love is Fair.”

Is the current trend of live jazz performances going to continue through the Fall? Large presenters are certainly moving forward as if they will be swinging along. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) is welcoming live, in-person jazz back to its stage this Fall beginning with Grammy Award-winning vocalist Gregory Porter (Sep 24). The TD Jazz Series continues in the Fall with “Salsa Meets Jazz” (Sep 25), saxophonist Boney James (Oct 14), and vocal powerhouse duo Tierney Sutton and Ann Hampton Calloway (Oct 15). Celebrating its 10th anniversary is the annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival showcasing an all-star lineup of the country’s best musicians, held Nov 6-20, including the New Jersey premiere of Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited. For a complete schedule, along with information about the programs, visit NJPAC.org/jazz.            I spoke with NJPAC’s Executive Vice President & Executive Producer David Rodriguez at the end of July to learn more. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was a full-time musician on the road with groups ranging from Isaac Hayes to Tito Puente to the Rochester Philharmonic. Prior to NJPAC, David was CEO of BergenPAC, where he created a partnership with Bennett Studios and collaborated on recordings and live broadcasts from BergenPAC’s stage of kd lang, Tony Bennett and Steve Martin. Rodriguez was then chief executive of the legendary Apollo Theatre, where he produced six seasons of “Showtime at the Apollo” and several other shows. Podcast 835 is our conversation, as we discuss the coming Fall season, which includes the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, an event of national importance, including the 10th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Musical selections include tunes from performers Gregory Porter (“Everything You Touch Turns to Gold”) and Tierney Sutton (“Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”), as well as Jazzmeia Horn (“No More”), a former Jazz Vocal Competition winner, and a judge this year.  

If there is a jazz version of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, it might well be Beneath Missouri Skies: Pat Metheny in Kansas City 1964-1972 by Carolyn Glenn Brewer. Ms. Brewer, a jazz musician, writer and former educator has a lifelong connection with the Greater Kansas City area. This makes her uniquely qualified to tell the story of a certain place and a certain time, and how the musicians and places where they played help the musical formation of Pat Metheny. A native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, just southeast of Kansas City, Metheny started playing in pizza parlors at age fourteen. By the time he graduated from high school he was the first-call guitarist for Kansas City jazz clubs, private clubs, and jazz festivals. Now 66, he attributes his early success to the local musical environment he was brought up in and the players and teachers who nurtured his talent and welcomed him into the jazz community. Carolyn shows how his keen sense of ensemble had its genesis in his school band under the guidance of a beloved band director, Keith House and blossomed in community bands and jam sessions. Drawn from news accounts, archival material, interviews, and remembrances, to which the author had unique access, Beneath Missouri Skies allows us to debate the theory of nature versus nurture in the creation of a jazz legend. Podcast 834 is my conversation with Carolyn Glenn Brewer, as we discuss the people and places so important to the formation of Metheny’s unique talents. As a tribute to his home state, we end the podcast with Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and Bob Moses performing “Missouri Uncompromised” from the classic Bright Size Life album, recorded just 3 1/2 years after Pat graduated from Lee’s Summit High School.

Like many New Yorkers, when COVID-19 shut down much of their the world, saxophonist Jon Irabagon and his family decided it would be best  if they left their city home for a quieter, more secure environment.  Unlike almost all New Yorkers, for Jon it meant moving to western South Dakota, the home of his in-laws. Two weeks of quarantine turned into a month away from home, then three months, and eventually almost eight months out of New York. During that time, Jon found Falling Rock, a canyon on the edge of the Black Hills National Forest, just a few miles outside of town. He began a five hour a day, seven days a week, seven-month long “residency” there, hiking to different locations in the canyon and composing and improvising there, using the different natural reverbs and nature as a partner and collaborator for his tenor and soprano sax. A number of projects are destined to come from this period of creativity, and the first is his album of solo improvisations on the compositions of Charlie Parker, entitled Bird With Streams. At times, Irabagon sees to strip the tunes of all melody and bring our rhythms; other times the music is strikingly melodic. He plays with and without a mouthpiece, or with just a mouthpiece, to challenge himself to bring new and different aspects to the music, and his own playing. Irabagon and his playing will appear in a number of settings over the next five months. Bird With Streams will be followed by a film, Legacy, produced by and premiering on the website of A Tribe for Jazz in September. Later in the year, a new quartet album featuring Matt Mitchell, Chris Lightcap and Dan Weiss will be released. That group has recently been on the road, and Jon hopes for more dates as the CD nears release. While all of this is happening, a 2019 recording of Jon as part of the 3dom Factor, a trio of Irabagon, drummer/percussionist Barry Altschul and bassist Joe Fonda is being released on the Not Two label. That album, entitled Long Tall Sunshine, allows listeners to renew their interest in Jon as a trio musician, playing five of Altschul’s expansive compositions in a live setting, allowing him to showcase his sharp improvisational instincts, playing off and with a percussive backing. Podcast 833 is my conversation with Jon Irabagon, as he discusses the creation of Bird With Streams, his admiration of and desire to play with Barry Altschul, and how the music and philosophy of Sonny Rollins seems to permeate his latest projects. He also previews the Legacy film project, and talks about the upcoming quartet album and tour. Musical selections from Bird With Streams include “Now’s the Time,” “Blues for Alice” and “Anthropology,” and from Long Tall Sunshine includes “Irina.”

Pianist/composer Arturo O'Farrill was as locked down as any of us during the pandemic that shut the door on live performances over the last 18 months. However, he and his compatriots at the nonprofit Afro Latin Jazz Alliance used new technology and a whole lot of hard work to create  "ALJA Digital Village," streaming programming that reached more than 1 million people in over 25 countries and raised urgently needed funds for New York/New Jersey-based jazz musicians (over $100,000 was raised).  Spotlighting ten compositions culled from over 50 online concerts, O’Farrill has released Virtual Birdland, an album featuring O'Farrill and his acclaimed 18-person Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing with an array of special guests. Each Virtual Birdland session was recorded remotely from the safety of each artist’s homes, and built instrument by instrument. The album contains everything from favorites from their Latin jazz repertoire, to newly commissioned work (O’Farrill’s “Gulab Jamón”) to guest tunes like Paquito D'Rivera's "Samba for Carmen" (written for the inimitable Carmen McRae), for which he joined the festivities. Podcast 831 is my conversation with Arturo O’Farrill, as we dig deep into his feelings of why he and his group felt it necessary to create the streaming series, as well as where they are headed now that better times seem to be here. We also spent time talking about the film Fandango at the Wall, directed by Varda Bar-Kar. The film follows Arturo to Veracruz, Mexico, where he meets and jams with the masters of son jarocho and celebrates the joys of making music that is given freely and unsparingly. The documentary, which is streaming on HBO Max, addresses walls and borders that separate people, politically, culturally and on socio-economic lines, and the way in which music can bring people together. Arturo also takes time to reminisce about bassist Andy Gonzalez, who was lost to COVID-19 last year, along with other friends and fellow musicians we lost. Musical selections from Virtual Birdland include “Gulab Jamón” and "Samba for Carmen." Arturo O'Farrill will perform a new concert/livestreaming series at the Soapbox Gallery (636 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY). His inaugural performance will be a solo recital and the series will feature O'Farrill in an array of formats including trio, quartet, quintet, and small orchestra. Forthcoming concerts will be listed at soapboxgallery.org.  

The second Record Store Day of 2021 came and went this past weekend, and left in its wake some exciting archival releases from our old friend Zev Feldman and his cohorts at Resonance Records. Two of the albums that dropped on July 17 are of particular note. The first is In Harmony, a rare duet recording of trumpeter Roy Hargrove and pianist Mulgrew Miller. Both jazz titans passed away far too soon, so to hear them performing at the top of their respective games is a real treat. Co-produced by Feldman and Larry Clothier with executive producer George Klabin, In Harmony is the first posthumous Hargrove release, prepared with assistance from the Hargrove family and Aida Brandes-Hargrove, President of Roy Hargrove Legacy. Recorded in front of approving audiences at Merkin Hall in New York City (January 15, 2006) and Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (November 9, 2007), the standards dominated sets go a long way toward further cementing the legacies of Hargrove (gone in 2018 at the age of 49) and Miller (who passed away in 2013 at the age of 57). The second release of importance is Understanding, a 3 lp set of lengthy unreleased performances by drummer Roy Brooks, who assembled a crack band of Woody Shaw, Carlos Garnett, Cecil McBee and Harold Mabern for the live recording. The project came about as a desire by Reel to Real Recordings to make a positive contribution to Black Lives Matter and was produced with the cooperation of McBee, Garnett and the estates of Roy Brooks, Harold Mabern and Woody Shaw. In his younger days in Detroit, Brooks started off drumming with Yusef Lateef. He played with Horace Silver from 1959-64, including on the classic album Song for My Father; in 1963 he released his first album as a leader. Following this he freelanced in New York City through the 1960s and early 1970s, playing with Lateef again (1967-70), Sonny Stitt, Lee Morgan, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Junior Cook, Blue Mitchell, Charles McPherson, Pharoah Sanders (1970), Wes Montgomery, Dollar Brand, Jackie McLean, James Moody (1970-72), Charles Mingus (1972-73), and Milt Jackson. His 1970 album The Free Slave featured Cecil McBee and Woody Shaw. Later in 1970 he joined Max Roach's ensemble M'Boom, and in 1972 put together the ensemble The Artistic Truth. You can read more out Roy Brooks and the importance of this release in Brad Faberman’s timely article in the New York Times. Zev will also give us a sneak peak into other releases coming later this year, especially The Complete Live at the Lighthouse, the 4 1/2 hours of live music recorded by Lee Morgan at the California nightclub over a series of weekend dates in July 1970.

Vince Mendoza has been at the forefront of the Jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 30 years. He has written scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, extended compositions for chamber and symphonic settings while his jazz composing credits read like a “who's who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today.  He has 6 Grammy awards and 34 nominations. Mendoza's arranging has appeared on many critically acclaimed projects that include dozens of albums with song writing legends and vocalists such as Björk, Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, Elvis Costello, Al Jarreau, Robert Glasper, Bobby McFerrin, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, Sting and Joni Mitchell.  He is the composer in residence with the West Deutsche Rundfunk in Koln. Mendoza is also the Conductor Laureate of the Netherlands Metropole Orkest, of which he was Chief Conductor for 9 seasons. However, he calls his latest release, Freedom is Everything, “a tectonic shift” in how he composes for large ensembles. The five movement “Concerto for Orchestra,” which he began in 2016, eschews some musical traditions, and adds a rhythm section by Antonio Sanchez and Derrick Hodge to the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and soloists like Joshua Redman. Recorded partly live and then overdubbed due to the pandemic. it makes a significant musical statement. Further, this is the most overtly political piece Mendoza has composed, as he found the unsettling events that began in the 2016 presidential elections, and the protests and related violence that followed becoming part of his artistic process.  The resulting work is another touchstone in the genre of “Third Stream” music, the amalgamation of European Art music and American Jazz pioneered by the late Gunther Schuller. Add to that the rapping of the Roots' Black Thought to the final Concerto movement, and you have a truly unique 21st century work.  Podcast 830 is my conversation with Vince (we last spoke back in August 2019 for Podcast 693) as he discusses the long road to writing, arranging and recording (during a pandemic) Freedom is Everything. Musical selections include the fourth movement of the "Concerto for Orchestra" featuring a moving solo by saxophonist Joshua Redman.  

I’ve been following Joel Frahm since his days in the jazz program at the storied Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. Since then, he has assumed his position as one of the leading lights on the tenor sax, releasing seven albums of his lyrical sound as a leader, and serving as a sideman for some of jazz’s best, including former classmate Brad Mehldau, pianist Bill Charlap, and notably with singers Dianne Schuur, Freddy Cole, Jane Monheit and more. The Bright Side is his latest release, his first in a trio setting. He is backed by Dan Loomis on bass, and Ernesto Cervini on drums. and the CD is the culmination of a musical partnership that has developed over the course of many tours and recording sessions over the last decade. The material is all original, composed by the members of the band, the first time Frahm has released an album without a cover of a jazz standard. Podcast 829 is my conversation with Joel Frahm, as we talk about The Bright Side, his forthcoming move to Nashville, and why he so enjoys collaborating with vocalists. Musical selections from The Bright Side include “Bee Line” and “Blow Poppa Joe”, the latter a tribute to one of his influences, Joe Henderson, and written as a contrafact over the chord changes of “Inner Urge” plus “Temptation,” a track from Joel’s collaboration with the late Freddy Cole from the Grammy nominated album The Mood is You.

Late last spring,  artist Jim Watt and jazz trumpeter Antione Drye began hosting Jazz at The Shop, a bi-weekly donation-only outdoor jazz series at Watt’s Asbury Park studio. For many, and despite their world-class talent, it was their first opportunity to play since the world shut down in March. Onlookers seemed utterly awed by the level of the music. In all, $30,000 was raised over ten performances and all proceeds went to support the performers. Watt is building on that success with his project 1000w. “The opportunity was as much about the ability to play with peers in front of a live audience as it was about the financial,” said Watt. “I was inspired to create 1000w to continue to financially help musicians as well as to create a magical collaboration between painting, music and filmmaking.”  Along with the creation of art and music, is the making of a film to be directed by Danny Clinch. In his storied career, Clinch has captured portraits and documented the live performances of some of the greatest musicians of our time, and his work has appeared in publications including Vanity Fair, Spin, The New Yorker, The New York Times and Rolling Stone. To assist in making certain money ends up in the right hands.  jazz luminaries Wynton Marsalis, Bill Frisell, and Jimmy Owens are joining him, Drye, photographer/filmmaker Danny Clinch and artistic director/producer David Spelman to act as an advisory board to the 1000w project’s goal of distributing funds -- collected through the sale of Watt’s art -- to jazz musicians who have suffered during the pandemic. Watt is creating a series of 1000 ink washes in the monochromatic Japanese Sumi ink and water as a jazz ensemble led by Drye improvise as Watt’s paints in real time. Footage of the making of the ink washes from a fixed overhead camera and Clinch’s handheld filming will be the raw material for the making of a film -- an artistic expression inspired by expressive nature of the washes. Spelman will be scoring the film and the art work is being sold through Watt’s New York City gallery, Jim Kempner Fine Art. Thru the sale of the ink washes, $100,000 will be donated directly to the jazz community, which has been especially hard hit during the pandemic with the closure of most venues.  Podcast 828 is my conversation with Jim Watt, and we talk about his artwork and his desire to help the jazz community in this time of financial need. More information can be found on the 1000w project here. The next performance of "1000 Watts" featuring Bill Frisell, Jim Watt, The Antoine Drye Trio (Featuring Frisell & Kyle Benford on bass and drums) & Danny Clinch will take place at Collab, 309 Starr Street, Brooklyn NY, 11237 this coming Thursday, July 8, 2021, 8:00 PM. Suggest donation of $20.

Benjamin Sherman ‘Scatman’ Crothers (1910-1986) was a truly diverse star of the stage, film, and television. He first started performing in clubs as a singer and drummer in his teens, and wound up performing on Chicago’s speak-easy circuit in the latter part of the ‘Roaring 20’s.’ In 1931, Crothers found himself hosting his own radio show on WFMK in Dayton, Ohio, where he became well known for scatting over instrumental tracks on the air. Billing himself as ‘Scat Man’, he formed his own trio, Scat Man and His Cats, and toured the South extensively. In 1934, he performed at the world famous Cotton Club for the first time, and in 1935 he made his first appearance on film in a short called Symphony In Black featuring Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. He would go on to act in 45 more motion pictures, including The Shining, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Silver Streak, and Lady Sings The Blues. In 1943, Scatman moved to Hollywood, California, and in 1948 became one of the first African Americans to land a recurring role on a network TV show: Paramount’s Dixie Showboat. Over the next three decades, Scatman appeared in hundreds of TV programs. Crothers was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Blvd. Walk of Fame, located in front of the famed Egyptian Theater. In 1975, after thirty years of recording for labels like RCA, Capitol, Decca, and Motown,  Crothers met record producer/composer Andrew A. Melzer. Together, they recorded a collection of songs that are finally being released by Panda Digital. Groovin’ with… Scatman captures Crothers in his element alongside studio veterans and jazz legends like Ray Brown, Earl Palmer and Victor Feldman. This colorful and entertaining album includes beautiful pop standards like “You’re Pretty”, a couple of comedic dance numbers, and even a tribute to a character he played on NBC’s Chico and The Man (a ribald “Louie is Your Garbage Man.”) Podcast 826 is my conversation with Andrew Melzer as we discuss how he met Scatman, the making of the album, and Melzer’s plans to release more hidden treasures from his personal vault. Muscial selections include “Scatman's,” “Louie is Your Garbage Man,” and “Stanley (Does It All)” for The Shining director and part-time drummer Stanley Kubrick.

The careers of jazz musicians Troy Roberts and Tim Jago have run scarily parallel. Both born and raised in Australia, they both initially re-located to the US to study at the prestigious University of Miami Frost School of Music. Multi-instrumentalist Roberts and guitarist Jago have remained close as they have carved out careers as in-demand sideman for the likes of Joey DeFrancesco, Aretha Franklin, Orrin Evans, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Christian McBride, John Scofield and Terence Blanchard. They are both members of Roberts’ Nu-Jive group and have separately made recordings as leaders. And, just to keep the symmetry going, both have been members of the Frost School of Music faculty. They are together again on Best Buddies, an album that allows them to jointly front a quartet with Australian roots.  Ben Vanderwal, one of the most in-demand jazz drummers in Australia, and bassist Karl Florisson round out the group. Best Buddies is a collection of tunes written by Roberts, Jago and the members of the band, in the long-honored style of contrafacts, where a new melody is composed over the existing harmonic structure of various well-known jazz standards. The results are tunes like Roberts’ “Pho Twenny.” a ballad treatment over Gene de Paul’s jazz standard, “I’ll Remember April,” and Jago’s version of the greatest source of contrafacts, Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” here under the title "Chythm Ranges." Podcast 825 is my talk with both Troy and Tim, as we talk about their long friendship, the roots of their collaboration on Best Buddies, and how they reinterpret classic harmonic structures to create new tunes. Musical selections include "Convertible Burt" from their collaboration Nu-Jive 5, plus two tunes from Best Buddies, Troy's "Halfway House in C Major" and Tim's "A New Porpoise."

It's a pleasure to be able to say that there is a two day live jazz festival happening this weekend, June 25-26, in upstate New York. After a one-year hiatus, the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival is back! Scaled down in size due to health restrictions, nonetheless Danny Melnick, the festival producer is happy with the results. Any festival that presents Christian McBridge, Dianne Reeves, Joey Alexander, Cecile McLoren Salvant, Artemis, and Al DiMeola is bound to be a winner.  Podcast 827 is my annual conversation with Danny, as he talks about the long road to return he and his team have taken to get live music back on stage. Musical highlights of the podcast include Christian McBride's New Jawn performing "Walkin' Funny" from their debut CD and Artemis playing "Big Top" from their eponymous album of last year.  Acts scheduled to appear: SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021 Christian McBride New Jawn Christian McBride, bass Marcus Strickland, saxophones Josh Evans, trumpet Nasheet Waits, drums Dianne Reeves Dianne Reeves, vocals Romero Lubambo, guitar Itaiguara Brandao, bass Ms. Nêgah Santos, percussion Joey Alexander Joey Alexander, piano Larry Grenadier, bass Kendrick Scott, drums Hot Club of Saratoga Chuck Kish, guitar, vocals Jonathan Greene, clarinet Tucker Callander, violin Dylan Perrillo, bass, vocals Brad Brose, guitar, banjo Julia Posin, vocals SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021 Cecile McLorin Salvant Cecile McLorin Salvant, vocals Sullivan Fortner, piano Rogerio Boccato, percussion Marvin Sewell, guitar Dayna Stephens, flute, EWI (electronic wind instrument) Artemis Renee Rosnes, piano, musical director Ingrid Jensen, trumpet Nicole Glover, tenor saxophone Noriko Ueda, bass Allison Miller, drums Al Di Meola Al Di Meola, guitar Garland Nelson’s Joyful Noise Garland Nelson, voice Annette Harris, voice Georgia Jones, voice Chris Dollard, voice Patricia Burke, voice Azzaam Hameed, piano Al Brisbane, bass George Spencer, drums

Let’s trace the line of great tenor saxophone players, from the likes of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster to Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and James Moody and then to Stan Getz, Paul Desmond and John Coltrane. From there the many diverse threads of jazz lead us to Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Grover Washington Jr , and Archie Shepp, right up to Joshua Redman, Kenny Garrett and Kamasi Washington. Squarely in the middle of this lineage has to be the name of Jerry Bergonzi. For the past fifty years, Bergonzi has often been considered, as Michael Brecker once said, ”the best tenor player in the world.” Whether we hear him on his solo work, his participation in later iterations of the Dave Brubeck Quartet and Generations of Brubeck, or sideman gigs with Joey Calderazzo, George Gruntz and even Miles Davis, his body of work rivals that of many contemporary masters. What separates Jerry from many other players is his massive contribution to jazz education. His pedagogy at the New England Conservatory and his series of books – Inside Improvisation - have inspired a generation of jazz musicians, and there is no indication that his influence is waning as he releases his latest CD, Straight Gonz. The album was recorded live in Denmark’s Dexter Jazz Club, and finds Bergonzi working once again with the Modern Jazz Trio. Long-time collaborators, there is great chemistry when he takes the bandstand with pianist Carl Winther, bassist Johnny Aman and drummer Anders Mogensen. The album showcases four Bergonzi originals, as well as covers of classics “Body and Soul” and “All of You.” Podcast 824 is my conversation with Jerry, as we talk about how the pandemic affected his students at NEC, his extensive backlog of tunes, and how he just got in under the wire to record the new CD before Europe locked down.  Musical selections from Straight Gonz include "Xtra Xtra" and "Don't Look Back."

Podcast 823 is the second of my two-part conversation with pianist Todd Cochran, who has ended an 8 year hiatus to release Then and Again, Here & Now by the TC3. That group, led by Cochran on piano, features his long-time collaborators John Leftwich on bass and Michael Carvin on drums. Composed mostly of jazz standards, it is a deeply spiritual take on songs we all know so well, performed at a high level by veteran performers looking to get inside material they have internalized. In Part One of our conversation, Todd spoke at length about the new album, and in Part Two, we look back at his lengthy career, featuring his take on performing and recording with legendary vibes player Bobby Hutcherson and on his electric period of Soul and Funk of the early Seventies. Musical selections include the TC3 version of Hutcherson's "Little B's Poem" and Todd's oft-sampled tune under his name of Bayete, "Free Angela (Thoughts . . . And All I've Got To Say)" from Worlds Around the Sun. 

Todd Cochran’s lengthy career has taken him from work with masters like Bobby Hutcherson and Freddie Hubbard, through groundbreaking electric and jazz-soul sounds under his name and under this Afrocentric name Bayeté, to backing rock acts from Santana to Peter Gabriel to Joan Armatrading. He has continued his first love of composing classical music, and has successfully scored films and television shows. And then, for eight years, there was almost nothing. What he termed his "extended hiatus" has ended dramatically with the release this week of the aptly named Then and Again, Here & Now (Sunnyside Records) by the TC3, a trio composed of Cochran on piano, bassist John Leftwich and drummer Michael Carvin. The album goes deep into the soul of standards by Gershwin, Ellington, Monk, Brubeck and even Bach. The result is always stirring, and sometimes revelatory. The trio gets deep into the energy that flows from great jazz compositions, reinterpreting tunes that would come across as just another cover in the hands of less intuitive musicians. And their solos – especially those from bassist Leftwich – are always stunning. Even a listener like me who prides himself on digging piano trios can find new and wonderful things to hear on Then and Again, Here & Now. Cochran began classical piano study and performance as early as eight years old. His cousin introduced him to jazz at thirteen, and Cochran found a parallel, magnetizing pulse. He began to revisit his parents’ collection of Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal recordings, transcribing and analyzing them so he could apply their lessons to his own music. It wasn’t long before Cochran was reaching out to local jazz leaders and becoming a mainstay of the burgeoning Bay Area music scene of the late sixties and early seventies. He found himself backing the likes of John Handy, Woody Shaw, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Herbie Hancock, Julian Priester, and Eddie Henderson. By 1971 he was arranging, performing on and composing most of Bobby Hutcherson’s classic Head On, and then moving to become a key figure in the electric jazz being honed by Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi, collaborating with members Hancock and Julian Priester. Under the name Bayeté, Cochran released Worlds Around the Sun in 197>, which included the oft-sampled “For Angela”, a tune that became part of Santana’s repertoire (check out the version on the classic live Lotus album). Podcast 822 is the first of a two-part conversation with Todd Cochran, as we discuss why he ended his hiatus from recording and performing jazz, why he chose the vehicle of a piano trio to record classic jazz material. The talk is deeply personal, and Todd shares his spiritual love of music and musical conversation throughout our conversation. The second part of the talk, where we discuss Cochran’s past, particularly his collaborations with Bobby Hutcherson. Musical selections from  Then and Again, Here & Now include "Bemsha Swing" and  “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”

Sixty-plus years ago, J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding released Jay and Kai, an album that set the standard for twin trombone jazz (to be fair, the pair did not appear on all the tracks - Wayne Andre and Carl Fontana filled in for J.J. on one track). There have not been a plethora of two trombone bands since those sessions, so its a pleasure to hear Road Trip, the latest from Slide Attack, a band fronted by trombonists Howard Levy and Alan Goidel.  Friends since their school days, the pair have brought in their steady rhythm section of Hiroshi Yamazaki on piano, Michael Goetz on bass and Chuck Zeuren on drums to ably fill out the band. The album is all new material, with tunes written by Levy, Goidel and Yamazaki.  Howard and Alan joined me for the interview, and we discussed the genesis of Slide Attack, their love for straight-ahead jazz, and their experiences working in different types of bands. Musical selections from Road Trip include Levy's "Struttin'" and "Owens," and the title track, composed by Goidel. 

Podcast 820 is a little different from some previous postings. I’m happy to bring you a conversation with a noted jazz musician, but rather than talk to him about his latest release, we’ll be talking about his Podcast. Noted bassist Todd Coolman has recently jumped into the world of podcasting with “The Cool Toddcast,” where he converses with jazz notables and shares his thoughts on all things jazz. Todd has been a mainstay in the world of jazz for more than forty years, and he has performed with the likes of Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Stan Getz, Renee Rosnes and many others.  You may known best for his 26-year association with the legendary James Moody, with whom he won a Grammy Award in 2011 for "Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group" for 4B. Beyond his work as a sideman, he has released four albums as a leader, the most recent of which is Collectables in 2016. The Director of Jazz Studies at Purchase College in New York, he is the author of two method books related to jazz bass playing; The Bass Tradition and The Bottom Line. Our conversation touches on the creation of his podcast, where he hopes it might leader him in the future, and what he hopes listeners will enjoy. We also talk about his time with Moody, and about his Grammy award for Best Album Notes in 1991 for Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968. Musical selections include the standard “Along Came Betty” from James Moody’s 4B.

It’s always a pleasure to talk to a jazz artist who has just released their first recording as a bandleader or solo artist. There is a certain excitement in discovering something new, and the energy in our conversation is usually palpable. When you release your first recording as a leader when you have been a gigging musician for nearly thirty-five years and are no stranger to backing others in the studio, there is even more excitement. And so it is with pianist Ray Gallon, who released Make Your Move , his debut recording as a leader earlier this year. Although Gallon’s resume is full of appearances and recordings with the likes of instrumentalists Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson, and Harry “Sweets” Edison, as well as singers Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, Joe Williams, Chaka Khan, and Jane Monheit, this is his first as bandleader. Make Your Move is a piano trio album, and Gallon has chosen two of the best on the New York scene to back him up. Drummer Kenny Washington (well known for anchoring trios like those led by Bill Charlap) is an old friend of Gallon’s and bassist David Wong (Roy Haynes, The Heath Brothers, Clark Terry, Illinois Jacquet, Benny Green, Eric Reed, Wynton Marsalis, and many others) is a mainstay on the bandstand. As an interesting aside, all three of these artists were born and raised in New York City, something of a rarity. The album is mostly composed of Ray’s own tunes, many written years ago and key parts of his stage performances.  These vary from tributes to his mentors (“Hanks a Lot” for pianist Hank Jones) and a few odd time signature or structural outliers that are pleasers (“Out of Whack”). Two of the tunes have been recorded previously by the Harper Brothers and T.S. Monk, but are presented here in their stripped-down protean versions. Podcast 819 is my conversation with Ray Gallon as we talk about what took him so long to make his recording debut with his trio, the nature of his tunes and how he has reclaimed them on Make Your Move, and his history with his bandmates, going back to his teens. Musical selections include "Crawdaddy" and "Hanks a Lot."

Dave Shelton is something of a latecomer when it comes to playing jazz professionally. He excelled in both the clarinet and piano in high school, winning top honors in several state-wide competitions . At Washington University in St. Louis  he  multi-tasked, studying classical piano while playing on the varsity football team and getting both a BA and MBA.  While he began playing at local restaurants and pubs there, he left full-time music behind when he moved to Chicago and made a career in venture capital.  After attending workshops and private study with several of Chicago's highly regarded jazz teachers - Joan Hickey, Alan Swain, Gary Swerdlow and Larry Novak. - he ventured out again. His first  publicly released album was Christmas Magic...Through the Eyes of a Child, which included several tracks with vocalist Beth Kuhn.   Beth and David, along with the members of his trio, have recently collaborated on another project, Drift,  which includes the trio plus some vocal tracks, and has three of Dave's originals along with a smart selection of jazz and pop standards.  Podcast 818 is my conversation with Dave Shelton, and he praises his collaborators Mike Staron (bass) and Rick Shandling (drums) as well as Ms. Kuhn. We talk about the Chicago jazz scene, and how he selects pop tunes that will work as jazz improvisations. Musical selections include Ms. Kuhn on "Where or When", the Shelton-penned title track, and a moving rendition of "New York State of Mind."

More than 15 years after his last release as a leader, saxophonist Rick Margitza made his long-awaited return a few months back with the release of Sacred Hearts, on Le Coq Records. There is a tinge of melancholy, and a sense of a composer dealing with the pains of loss and joys of everyday life in these newly recorded tunes. Sacred Hearts marks the recording debut of his Paris-based quartet - pianist Manuel Rocheman, bassist Peter Giron and drummer Jeff Boudreaux. Margitza relocated to the City of Lights in 2013, and has enjoyed weekly gigs – pre-COVID -  with the group for a number of years, honing the tight camaraderie that can be heard throughout this set. The core band is also supplemented by guitarist and banjo player Oliver Louvel, percussionist Xavier Desandre Navarre, and vocalists Chloe Cailleton and Pierre de Bethmann. The wordless vocals the latter pair contribute reminds a listener of the work of Pat Metheny a decade or so ago, and in our conversation, Rick acknowledges the influence. Margitza came to prominence as a sideman with Maynard Ferguson and Flora Purim in the Eighties, and then got rave notices for his time with Miles Davis during some of the legendary trumpeter’s final recordings and gigs. As a leader, Rick recorded for Blue Note in the Nineties, and now has more than a dozen titles to his name. He continues to be in demand as a sideman as well, recording and performing with the likes of the Maria Schneider Orchestra, John Fedchock’s Big Band, Dave Douglas and Eliane Elias. Podcast 817 is my conversation with Rick – please excuse some of the sound issues from our long-distance call – as we talk about Sacred Hearts and his signing with the Le Coq Records imprint. Rick also shares a story or two about his times with Miles Davis. Musical selections include the title track from Sacred Hearts,  plus “Widow’s Walk” from Cheap Thrills - The Music of Rick Margitza, released last year from Chuck Bergeron and his South Florida Jazz Orchestra, and “Jo-Jo,” the Margitza performance from Miles Davis’ Amandla.

In Podcast 815, saxophonist Vince Herring talked about his recent health struggles, and his enthusiastic new release on Smoke Sessions Records, entitled Preaching to the Choir.  At 56 years of age, he has a lengthy resume, including time with legendary jazz musicians like Lionel Hampton, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Jack DeJohnette and especially Nat Adderley and Cedar Walton. With over twenty albums as a leader and well over two hundred as a sideman, he stands as one of our finest hard bop inspired players. Podcast 816 is Part Two of our conversation, as he talks about his Bird at 100 project with Gary Bartz and Bobby Watson, and reminisces about his time with Adderley, Blakey and Walton. Musical selections include "Lover Man" from Bird at 100 and 

2020 was not kind to most of us. It was even more unkind to Vincent Herring. Returning to New York from a gig in Las Vegas, he contracted COVID on the flight. Despite the relatively minor effects of the virus, there would be more. A few weeks later he began feeling pain in his joints. A blood test later and his doctor told him he had developed rheumatoid arthritis as a result of his COVID exposure. Chronic joint pain can be a death knell for a musician – it has ended careers, especially for pianists – so Herring entered the studio to record a new album feeling strong but unsure of his future. He began taking a cocktail of medications and played through the pain as best he could. The result is an unexpectedly joyous album, Preaching to the Choir, on Smoke Sessions Records. No one would have blamed Vincent if he was not looking on the bright side as he wrote tunes and recorded them with a few pop classics and standards. But that was not in his nature, and the music is full of optimism, and as he explains in our conversation, music you can tap your foot to. Whether burning it up with Wes Montgomery’s “Fried Pies,” the call and response brilliance of the title track, or wringing emotion from the ballad “Hello” (written by Lionel Richie), Herring is in top form. And his band - pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Johnathan Blake – is nothing short of sensational. Podcast 815 is the first of a two-part podcast interview with Vincent Herring. In Part One, we talk about his health struggle and how it influenced the music on Preaching to the Choir.  In Part Two, we’ll talk about his love of the music of Charlie Parker, and the tribute album he recorded live with Gary Bartz and Bobby Watson, Bird at 100. Vince also shares memories of his times with Nat Adderly, Art Blakey and Cedar Walton.

Saxophonist Tobias Meinhart has been living in New York for the past decade, often summering in his native Bavaria or in Berlin. That is, until the COVID-19 pandemic closed off the E.U. from overseas travelers, leaving him on the outside looking in. During the pandemic, he used his time to work on new compositions, and he shared his frustrations as to the state of his ever-smaller world on his Instagram account (be sure to check it out – great stuff). Out of this period comes his new album, The Painter, on Sunnyside Records. It finds him in fine form, fronting a  core quartet with Eden Ladin (piano), Matt Penman (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums). This group is joined by Tobias' former mentor Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and his Brooklyn  neighbor, Charles Altura on guitar.   Guitar has been a hallmark of Meinhart’s work, and we discussed in our conversation the various bands that have influenced him in making music with that sound. He name checked the likes of Scofield/Lovano and Mark Turner’s recordings with Kurt Rosenwinkel. Rosenwinkel is a recent collaborator of Tobias’, having been part of his band for the recording of Berlin People in 2019. Originally from a small town in rural Bavaria, Tobias began his musical life as a drummer before switching to the saxophone at age thirteen. He found inspiration in his grandfather, a classically trained bassist who began playing jazz in many of the U.S. Army clubs after World War Two. In his studies in Europe he came under the mentorship of Wolfgang Muthspeil and Jorge Rossy, who helped push him to move to the US after graduation. He now has six albums out under his own name, and plans to record a live album with his Berlin People band this summer. Podcast 814 is my conversation with Tobias Meinhart, as we discuss the writing and recording of The Painter, and his inspiration in growing his music. Musical selections from the album include the title track and “Dreamers,” his take on the classic “You Stepped Out of a Dream.”

Podcast 813 completes my two-part conversation with pianist Bill Cunliffe, whose latest release, Trio features bassist John Patitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta joining him for a set of standards.  Bill had two master musicians as mentors during his formative years - drummer Buddy Rich, who became one of his first employers, and pianist Mary Lou Williams, his teacher at Duke University. I couldn't let our talk end without asking Bill for some stories about both, and he does not disappoint in this podcast.  We also talk about his students and music education at Cal State, and how he sees the state of music education today. 

Sometimes the must exciting jazz recordings come from coincidence. Trio, the recent release on the new Le Coq Records imprint, is one of those coincidences. Veteran pianist Bill Cunliffe has been acting as something of a house arranger and musical director for many of the newly launched imprint’s projects, and when he and the highly sought-after bassist John Patitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta found themselves with a few extra hours of studio time after working on an Andy James vocal session, label founder/producer Piero Pata urged them to record a set of standards off the cuff, sans music or lead sheets. Trio is a piano trio album for those who like their music swinging, with sharp interplay and crisp renditions of tunes with strong melody. Most of the tracks were recorded in one take, with all three musicians taking their turns to shine. A graduate of Duke University, where he studied with the legendary Mary Lou Williams, he launched his career as pianist and arranger with the Buddy Rich Big Band. Since then, Cunliffe has worked with such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Benny Golson and James Moody, while establishing himself as a solo artist and bandleader with more than a dozen albums under his name. He won a Grammy award in 2010 for his arrangement of Oscar Peterson 's "West Side Story Medley." Bill currently is a Professor of Music at Cal State-Fullerton School of Music. Podcast 812 is the first of my two-part conversation with Bill Cunliffe. In Part One, we talk about the Le Coq label and his Trio album. Part Two, later this week, will allow us to hear some of Bill’s stories of working with Buddy Rich, and of studying with Mary Lou Williams. Musical selections from Trio include “We Three" and the ballad "Laura." plus there is a track from Andy James' debut CD for Le Coq, Tu Amor., "Night and Day."

Fifteen years ago, French-born musician Yohan Giaume began to immerse himself in different foreign cultures mainly guided by his love for the music of the African diaspora. He explored Cuba, South America, Morocco, Europe and different places throughout the United States. Immersing himself in different musical traditions, he found a "home away from home" in New Orleans. There he made an unexpected discovery: the story and music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a Louisiana romantic Creole composer and pianist, who had taken almost the same route in his travels as Giaume has two centuries apart. During Gottschalk’s time, he was one of the first, if not the first, American composer to inspirationally embrace Afro-Creole music. Heavily inspired by Afro-creole folk songs that his Haitian nanny sang to him when he was child, Gottschalk’s pioneering music has not been in the musical vanguard for years. Enter Giaume and his album Whisper of a Shadow, Opus 1. The 11 tracks on the album represent Giaume’s first album as a bandleader with original compositions and arrangements which seek to interact with Gottschalk’s sources of inspiration, re-imagined in a contemporary fashion. Helping him bridge the gap between the old and new is a who’s who of New Orleans musicians – clarinetist Evan Christopher (who also co-directed the compositional interpretations with Yohan), drummer Herlin Riley, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, and bassist Roland Guerin. To that was added pianist Aaron Diehl, a French string quartet, poet Chuck Perkins to supply spoken word commentary, and an array of Caribbean percussionists and singers, as well as Louisiana based trombonists and tubists. The result is music with feet squarely in art music and jazz, the old and the new. I spoke with Yohan by Zoom from his home in Paris, and we discussed the long road to the completion of Whisper of a Shadow, Opus 1, what he learned from his studies of the life and music of Gottschalk and how he hopes the second opus of this project will take him to other musical traditions. Musical selections from the album include "Life Circle Part 2 - Birth" and "Cold Facts."

Sammy Stein is a noted columnist, reviewer and author, writing about music, mostly jazz, but also other genres. She is the International Editor for the Jazz Journalists Association. Her books include Women In Jazz, which won the Jazz Times Distaff Award, made their Gearhead list and was Phace Magazines' Music Book of The Year. She has run a music festival and also worked on several radio shows, including the acclaimed Women In Jazz series for Jazzbites. Her most recent book tackles a subject that haunts so many of us: the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the lives and careers of musicians. Pause, Play, Repeat is commentary and interviews with musicians from various genres, including the likes of Ivo Perelman and Champion Fulton from the world of jazz. Through insightful discussions, Sammy gets her subjects to not only tell of the difficulties they have faced – economic, professional, emotional – but also the positive things that have come out of cancelled gigs and lockdowns. It’s an illuminating read. Podcast 810 is my conversation with Sammy Stein, as we discuss her books, and the many artists who have shared insight with her over the years, including the legendary Sheila Jordan (a musical selection from Ms. Jordan is included, her iconic take on “Date Dere”). For more information about Ms. Stein and to order copies of her books, please check out her website here.

Steve Slagle is certainly an artist up for meeting a challenge. The veteran saxophone/flute player had been set to record a new album in the early Summer of 2020, but the complete shut down of live and recorded music due to COVID-19 put a stop to that. However, always looking for a way to get his music heard, he found that in the Fall he was able to reserve the large Sear Sound, Studio A on 48th Street in Manhattan. And he further found he could secure the exact musicians he felt were needed for the recording of what became his new release, Nascentia. The album features Slagle backed with top players - Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Bruce Barth (piano), Ugonna Okegwo (bass), and Jason Tiemann (drums). The lineup allows Slagle to have the trombone take a lower voice, with his alto sax and Pelt’s trumpet filling in the top, creating unique textures. Nascentia features the title suite of five tunes, plus other Slagle originals, including two poignant tributes to collaborators who have passed on  - “A Friend In Need (for Michael Brecker)” and Harold Marbern’s “I Remember Britt” for the late Britt Woodman. Slagle attended Berklee College of Music and received a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. His first gig upon arriving in New York was with the legendary Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra, mostly playing the thriving salsa clubs in the five boroughs.  Since then, he has toured and recorded with Ray Barretto, Steve Kuhn, Carla Bley and more. Besides leading his own combos, he has had long working relationships with guitarists Mike Stern and Dave Stryker, plus playing, arranging and writing for the Mingus Big Band and Joe Lovano’s Nonet. Podcast 809 is my conversation with Steve, as we talk about Nascentia, including taking a deep dive into several of the tunes, plus get to hear his memories of working with Lovano, Stern, Jaco Pastorius, and Dr. John. You’ll get a chance to hear “All Up In It,” the rousing tune that starts the title suite.  Steve Slagle will be performing at Smalls Jazz Club in Manhattan tonight, and you can stream in live here.

Live performances have been at a premium these many pandemic-plagued months. A new live recording may be even rarer. But in October 2020, veteran saxophonist Jim Snidero found himself with an opportunity he couldn’t pass up – a chance to play a live gig at the famed Deer Head Inn in Pennsylvania and record it for the Savant imprint. He put together a top quartet for the performance, including Orrin Evans (piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Joe Farnsworth (drums). The result is his first live album in over thirty years, appropriately entitled Live at the Deer Head Inn. Given the short notice he and his band had to prepare for the gig, the setlist was studded with standards, including two tunes associated with Charlie Parker - “Now’s the Time” and “My Old Flame” - that were especially moving given the appearance of Kim Parker at the show. A pair of Jerome Kern songs are featured, “Yesterdays” and “Ol’ Man River,” the latter introduced by a brief but timely statement by Snidero in support of Black Lives Matter. It’s a swinging set, and lovers of straight-ahead, bebop and hard bop will want to add Live at the Deer Head Inn to their collections. Jim Snidero is a veteran recording artist with over 20 titles on EMI, Criss Cross, Milestone, and Savant labels, among others. A follower of Phil Woods and Dave Liebman, his sideman credits include the Mingus Big Band, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Palmieri, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Brother Jack McDuff and more. He is one of the most influential jazz authors in jazz education history, with his best-selling Jazz Conception book series (Advance Music) translated into four languages. His new series The Essence of Bebop promises to be another major contribution to jazz education. He is on the faculty at The New School, and has served as a visiting professor at both Princeton University and Indiana University. Podcast 808 is my conversation with Jim Snidero, as we discuss the new album, his time with Frank Sinatra and the lessons he learned from the Chairman of the Board, and his recent albums Project K and Waves of Calm. Musical selections include “Now's the Time" from Live at the Deer Head Inn and the title track from Waves of Calm.

Veronica Swift’s second album has been hugely anticipated. Heck, she was on the cover of Downbeat in the November issue, months before her latest collection of tunes was ready for release. This Bitter Earth (Mack Avenue Records), takes on song-cycle characteristics as Swift tackles sexism [“How Lovely to Be a Woman”], domestic abuse [“He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)”], racism/ xenophobia [“You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”] and the dangers of fake news [“The Sports Page”].Accompanied by her regular team of kindred spirts that includes pianist Emmet Cohen, guitarist Armand Hirsch and flutist Aaron Johnson, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and drummer Bryan Carter, Swift curates material that covers multiple genres, including jazz, American musicals, vintage R&B and contemporary rock. Individually, there is much to enjoy on each track, as Veronica brings her special approach to phrasing and innuendo to each selection. However, when listened to as a curated, cohesive unit, This Bitter Earth becomes something special. There is a deeper meaning, sometimes a feeling of foreboding and sometimes even chilling, as she sings of male-female relationships that take a turn toward the violent. Going from an almost insidious “How Lucky to Be a Woman” and then on to “The Man I Love” to “The Dangerous Type” to “Trust in Me” (from The Jungle Book) and then to Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s controversial “He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)” is a long, hard road that seems to lead to domestic abuse, but she tempers the mood as she lets the irony ooze out of her voice, often singing against the subject matter. When we get to “As Long as He Needs Me,” sung by the doomed Nancy in Oliver!, the dramatic irony intensely permeates both her arrangement and phrasing. Strong stuff, and brilliantly done by both Veronica and her bandmates. Raised in Charlottesville, Virginia by her parents – pianist Hod O’Brien and singer Stephanie Nakasian – she recorded her first album, Veronica’s House of Jazz, when she was only nine years old and played major venues such as Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City by the time she was eleven. . After high school, she attended the University of Miami, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2016. Her debut album on Mack Avenue Records Confessions was a smash, earning her many “Best of” list nods. This Bitter Earth seems to be taking her to even higher heights.  Podcast 807 is my conversation with Veronica Swift, as we discuss the new album, her collaborations with Emmet Cohen, and her love for a wide variety of music, ranging from jazz to pop (she calls Laura Nyro “a badass”) to her rock opera and film projects. Musical selections from This Bitter Earth include “How Lucky to Be a Woman” and “As Long As He Needs Me.”

Lisa Hilton and her longstanding band mates Rudy Royston (drums), Luques Curtis (bass) and JD Allen (tenor sax), had just finished the first half of their tour for their 2020 album, Chalkboard Destiny, when the corona virus forced a shutdown of the tour and sent Lisa back to her home in California. Using her creativity in new and different ways, she composed new material, and when there was a chance for Royston and Curtis to join her for a one day recording session later in the year, they jumped at the chance. The result is More Than Another Day. Her music has always been strong on melody and rhythmically interesting, and the new album is no exception. Without Allen or any of her previous collaborators, Lisa is forced to carry more of the harmonic and melodic weight that her last few records, and she does so with a flourish. Whether it’s the upbeat and swinging “Retro Road Trip,” the prescient “Karma Chaos" or her take on Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, the trio is always swinging, adding Latin feel here, Brazilian sway there, and always a touch of the blues. Podcast 806 is my conversation with Lisa Hilton, as we discuss her latest album, how she sees her musical life changed by the pandemic, and how she hopes to return to her work playing music with the sight impaired at the Perkins School for the Blind in the near future. More than just a performer, Lisa composes much of her material, leads the band, produces the recordings and releases them on her own label. Musical selections from More Than Another Day include “Karma Chaos” and “Retro Road Trip.”

Listeners to the Straight No Chaser podcast know that there are a few styles and instrumental configurations of jazz recordings that always catch my ear. I’m a sucker for Brazilian jazz, for piano trios, groups led by bassists, and by organ players. In the last regard, I hadn’t caught up with the music of Brian Charette as a band leader (but loved him as part of John Ellis' Double Wide group), and Podcast 805 remedies that oversight. Charette is a  Downbeat Rising Star on the organ, and a regular on their Critic's Poll, as well as a columnist for magazines like Keyboard and Electronic Musician. He’s worked with top artists in seemingly every genre including Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Kahn, and NEA Jazz Master, saxophonist George Coleman. He has two recent releases, greatly varied in sound. During the lock-down days of the pandemic, he utilized his knowledge of electronic music and programmed music machinery to take his organ some places I’ve never heard them go, collecting the pieces on a solo album called Like the Sun  Recorded live in the studio without overdubs, he calls the album “Kraftwerk meets Harlem juke joint”. He’s back in a group setting on the brand-new release on the SteepleChase label, Power from the Air. While there are some familiar organ sounds on this album, Charette has grafted a wind ensemble (Itai Kriss – flute, Mike DiRubbo - alto sax, Kenny Brooks - tenor sax, and Karel Ruzicka - bass clarinet) onto his more traditional organ rhythm section anchored by drummer Brian Fisher. The result creates musical surprises that can move not only your feet, but more often than not, your mind as well.  Podcast 805 is my conversation with Brian Charette, and musical selections from both albums are featured ,including the title track from Like the Sun, and  the incendiary “Fried Birds” and  more meditative "As If to Say" from Power from the Air.

In Part Two of my conversation with Danish composer-guitarist Jakob Bro, we discuss the influence of saxophone great Lee Konitz on Jakob's music, and delve into his latest release on ECM, Uma Elmo. Musical selections from the new album include his tribute to Konitz "Music for Black Pigeons," and the melodic "Sound Flower." Bro also shares news of his coming recording projects, including plans for a live album at the Village Vanguard in late November this year with Mark Turner, Thomas Morgan and Andrew Cyrille. 

Danish guitarist-composer Jakob Bro continues to redefine the sound of the guitar in small ensembles with the release of Uma Elmo, his fifth album as a leader for ECM. For this release, he presents a new trio featuring Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy. While Jakob had played with Rossy in the past, the three musicians had never played together before their arrival in Lugano to record. Without the beat of bass or drums, the trio plays in a shifting and often mesmerizing space, bringing out new facets in older Bro tunes as well as new materials. Bro reaches back to his collaboration with Paul Motian thirteen years ago to reinterpret  “Reconstructing a Dream,” while he pays tribute to other legendary collaborators with “To Stanko” for trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and “Music for Black Pigeons” for saxophone legend Lee Konitz.  Jakob feels strongly that playing with talent a generation or more removed from his own has been crucial to his development, and he speaks at length about his time with all three of these departed masters. Born in 1978 in a small town in Denmark, Jakob came to prominence with his time in Paul Motian’s groundbreaking Electric Bebop Band, and then followed that with a spot in Stanko’s Dark Eyes quintet. Since emerging as a leader in his own right, he has (and continues to) record with in the trio setting with Thomas Morgan and Joey Baron, and in quartets with Mark Turner, Joey Baron and Thomas Morgan, and with Palle Mikkelborg, Morgan and Rossy.   In Part One of this two part conversation, Jakob and I discuss the making of Uma Elmo (titled after the middle names of his two young children), his memories of getting his big break with Paul Motian and why the sound of even one note from Tomasz Stanko can move him. Musical selections in Part One include “To Stanko” from Uma Elmo.  

Bobby Watson had been scheduled for another busy year in 2020, before it all fell apart in short order last winter. However, listeners are able to hear him on two exception releases last year. One was Keepin’ It Real (Smoke Sessions) with a reconstituted version of his Horizon band, while the other was an epic blowing session with fellow sax giants Vincent Herring and Gary Bartz on Bird at 100. Ironically, Watson has found himself with more time than ever to listen to and contemplate music and how to play it. After 20 years as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and decades more as an educator at institutions like Manhattan School of Music, the New School, and William Paterson University, Watson retired from academia this year. As one of the keepers of Hard Bop’s funky flames, Bobby continues to show that he can – well, keep it real. Keepin’ It Real lets Watson lead a band he calls “New Horizon,” and features trumpeters Josh Evans or Giveton Gelin, pianist Victor Gould, drummer Victor Jones and of course, bassist Curtis Lundy, whose relationship with Watson dates back to their college days at the University of Miami. The album is full of the kind of fiery solos and tight melodies we have come to expect from Bobby, with the band particularly inspired on the Charlie Parker inspired “Mohawk,” Jackie McLean’s “Condition Blue,” and especially his dedication to the late pianist John Hicks, “One for John (747).” Bird at 100 was one of my selections as “A Few of My Favorite Things” for 2020.  The three great veteran sax players – Herring, Bartz and Watson – do more than just cover Parker tunes. Bobby contributed his Bird tribute by rewriting “Confirmation” as “Bird-ish,” in addition to working through Parker standards like “Lover Man” and a burning rendition of “Klactoveedsedstene.” Podcast 802 is my first conversation in just over seven years with Bobby Watson, as we discuss the making of these two albums, his long collaboration with Curtis Lundy, his love of melody in his playing. Bobby also gives what is now a fitting epitaph for the late Ralph Peterson Jr., as he discusses why Ralph was able to channel the sound and stylings of Art Blakey so well. Musical selections from  Keepin’ It Real include “One for John (747)” and Miles Davis’ “Flamenco Sketches,” plus “Bird-ish” from Bird at 100.

“There’s a good trumpet player in George Gruntz’s band I heard at the Berlin Jazz Festival. He can play his ass off. If I was picking a trumpet player, I would pick him. He can play anything.” - Miles Davis, talking about Franco Ambrosetti in 1987.  The ageless Franco Ambrosetti has kept himself very busy the past few years. In 2019, he put together his dream band - John Scofield on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, Uri Caine on piano and Jack DeJohnette on drums - and recorded Long Waves, a wonderful mix of standards and originals.  Franco enjoyed working with these masters so intensely that he brought them all back again last year when he wanted to record an all-ballads album. The result, Lost Within You, rivals any comparable release of the past decade or so for soul and sensitivity.  Ambrosetti recorded Lost Within You with three different piano players - Caine, Renee Rosnes, and in a rare appearance, DeJohnette as well. Again the album mixes standards like "Body and Soul," "People Time," and Horace Silver's "Peace" with originals. For a band that has been deprived of the chance to tour extensively due to geography and prior commitments, the tightness of their sound and generous spirit within their solos is nothing short of wonderful.  Ambrosetti plays mostly flugelhorn on the new record, a nod to his advancing age - he will turn 80 this December - but also to the mellow sound that he gets from his horn.   Podcast 801 kicks off the month of March with my conversation with Franco, as we talk about the two albums, his affinity for ballads, and what he has learned playing with his father and son. Musical selections include "You Taught My Heart to Sing" and the Borges-inspired "Dreams of a Butterfly from Lost Within You, and a terrific take of "On Green Dolphin Street" from Long Waves. 

In a recent podcast, we talked about jazz musicians who look forward by looking back. This podcast, featuring pianist Chris Pattishall shows another facet of that idea. Pattishall’s debut CD, Zodiac, is his take on the legendary Mary Lou Williams’ “Zodiac Suite.” Pattishall became aware of Ms. Williams while living in Durham, North Carolina, where the Duke University Center for Black Studies is named after the eminent jazz pianist and composer. He has immersed himself in the piece for a number of years now, and with the release of his version of Zodiac, he takes something from the past and places it squarely in the present, if not the future. Much of that comes not just from his playing and arranging, but from his collaboration with producer Rafiq Bhatia, and an ensemble of close allies – Jamison Ross (drums), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Ruben Fox (saxophone), and Marty Jaffe (bass). The sound of the performance is striking, as producer Bhatia and Pattishall work to create soundscapes with the music being made, a subtle manipulation that nonetheless sets the work apart from a mere tribute recording. A student of pianists Marcus Roberts and Harold Mabern, Pattishall has had ample time to digest the canon of jazz piano greats, digging past the more conventional, exterior details towards deeper facets of artists that are eclectic and provocatively irregular. It’s not surprising that he touts Thelonious Monk as his greatest inspiration. Podcast 800 is my conversation with Chris Pattishall, and we discuss the Zodiac project, how he finds inspiration from film, literature and music other than jazz, and what he plans next in a post-pandemic world. Musical selections from the album include “Cancer” and “Capricorn.”

We last left Eddie Henderson discussing his latest releases, both on his own (Shuffle and Deal) and with the super-group The Cookers. But there was no way I was going to end my conversation with Dr. Eddie at that. Not with his resume.  Much of Podcast 799 is a discussion of Eddie's development as a teenager and his membership in the groundbreaking electric jazz group Mwandishi. Although the group only lasted for 3 years before imploding under financial constraints, the group has left a legacy that has only grown in importance over the years. The band was Herbie Hancock on electric piano and Fender Rhodes, Henderson on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Bernie Maupin on  flute, clarinet and piccolo, Billy Hart on drums and Buster Williams on acoustic and electric bass.  Henderson's first few solo albums were extensions of Mwandishi, and they remain cornerstones in the jazz fusion canon. A handful of those tracks are so funky that they have been sampled by Jay-Z and Kanye West, among others.  Musical selections from Podcast 799 include a special edit of Mwandishi's "You'll Know When You Get There," from Herbie Hancock's The Warner Brothers Years 1969-1972, as well as "Cyclops" written by James Mtume and found on Henderson's 1977 album Mahal. That album featured most of the players from Mwandishi, as well as others that made up Hancock's more success follow-up band, the Headhunters. 

“I want the audience to really feel the music and start moving. Jazz started as dance music in the first place, so I want to bring that element back into the music. The telltale common denominator when people are really enjoying themselves is when they feel like they want to get up and dance. Not the European concept of listening to music, just sitting still and static, shushing people and politely clapping at the end of the tune. No! I thought it was supposed to be fun. That’s the way I grew up.” – Dr. Eddie Henderson  During the locked-down months of Summer 2020, two albums by Dr. Eddie Henderson helped get me through some tough times. The title of one – Be Cool – speaks volumes, while the other – Shuffle and Deal – was a collection of his patented mix of ballads and hard bop tunes that have made him an in demand player for 50 years. The son of a vocalist father and a mother who danced at the Cotton Club, young Eddie received his first trumpet lesson from Louis Armstrong. His physician step-father's coterie of friends and patients included Miles Davis, who provided the fledgling trumpeter with some typically sharp-toned mentorship. Henderson’s own remarkable career has included tenures with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and especially with Herbie Hancock’s legendary Mwandishi band, along with his successful parallel life as a psychiatrist in the Bay Area. Shuffle and Deal is the kind of session straight-ahead jazz fans dream of - a stellar quintet composed of players who are all band leaders in their own right: Henderson, pianist Kenny Barron, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Mike Clark.  Classic ballads like “Over the Rainbow” and “God Bless the Child” are mixed with originals by Eddie, Barron and Harrison with nary a wrong turn. This album cooks! And “cook” is the namesake of the supergroup that Eddie has been with for the past the past ten years, The Cookers. The core members are all former band mates and personal friends of Henderson. Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper was a member of groups led by Lee Morgan and Max Roach and served a two-year stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; drummer Billy Hart was also the Mwandishi band; pianist George Cables played alongside Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper; and bassist Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd's famed 1960s quartet with Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette. They're joined by arranger and de facto leader David Weiss and a few rotating members including Donald Harrison. Part One of this special two-part conversation with Eddie Henderson concentrates on his latest releases as a solo artist and with the Cookers, as we discuss the joys of playing with old friends, how he brings something of himself to every improvisation in which he is involved, and what he looks for after all these years in choosing tunes. Musical selections include “God Bless the Child” from Shuffle and Deal, Kenny Barron’s “Smoke Screen” from Be Cool, and “Croquet Ballet” from The Cookers’ Cast the First Stone. Be sure to catch Part Two of our conversation, as Dr. Henderson talks about his time with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi Band, and his own forays into fusion in the 1970’s.  

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to do something different. Most year's I post an hour plus of music appropriate for the holiday, allowing you to download and enjoy the uninterrupted jazz as you celebrate with your valentine.  This year I asked myself - what if instead, I asked someone else to come up with a play list? In fact, what if I asked a jazz musician to make a list, and zero in on a singer with an instrumental background as well.   Enter Laila Biali. Singer-songwriter and pianist Laila Biali has performed on prestigious stages from New York City's Carnegie Hall to Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts. Known for a vocal sound that covers many different shadings and genres, Ms. Biali has recently received a 2020 SOCAN Music Songwriting Award plus the 2019 JUNO (Canada's GRAMMY) for Vocal Jazz Album. She has also toured with pop icon, Sting, and currently hosts a national radio show on CBC Music. Her list shows just how eclectic is her taste in music. The tunes she picked are: "A Case of You" - Joni Mitchell "Brought to My Senses" and "When We Dance" - Sting "I Know You By Heart" - Eva Cassidy "I Loves You, Porgy" - Keith Jarrett (solo piano version) "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" - Lauryn Hill "If Love is Overrated" - Gregory Porter "In Your Eyes" - Peter Gabriel "Vous êtes Mon Coeur (You Are My Heart)" - Gungor "More Than Words" - Extreme "All Is Full of Love" - Björk So in Podcast 797 we discuss her selections, particularly the jazz tunes. You'll hear some of the tunes in the podcast, most notably her intimate acoustic cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," captured live off the floor at Revolution Recording Studios. This heartfelt interpretation, created with Valentine's Day in mind, features George Koller on upright bass and Laila's husband Ben Wittman on djembe. 

Vocalist Jacqui Naylor is best known for her ability to interpret a diverse repertoire, bringing together music from different genres and generations. On her new CD The Long Game, she moves from jazz arrangements of rock classics from David Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Coldplay to Latin-tinged treatments of standards from Kurt Weill, Jimmy Van Heusen and Ray Henderson. Interwoven throughout are the singer’s own compositions, written with her partner, pianist, guitarist and arranger, Art Khu. Her band - bassist Jon Evans (Tori Amos, Paula Cole, Sarah McLachlan),  drummer Josh Jones (Don Cherry, Omar Sosa, Steve Coleman) and Khu are as tight as ever, and show great restraint in their playing, leaving Jacqui’s voice center stage. Ms. Naylor gained notoriety with an arranging technique she coined “acoustic smashing,” where she sings the lyrics and melody of a jazz standard over the groove of a well-known rock anthem or vice versa. “Acoustic Smashing marks a turning point in her career,” wrote The Wall Street Journal. On The Long Game, this technique can be heard as she sings “Fix You” from Coldplay while the band plays a Miles Davis-inspired “It Never Entered My Mind.” On previous recordings, Naylor included the Rodgers and Hart classic, “My Funny Valentine”, sung over AC/DC’s “Back In Black”, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Surrey With The Fringe On Top” over George Benson’s “Breezin’,” and the Gershwin Brothers’ “Summertime” over the groove of The Allman Brothers Band’s  “Whipping Post.” Podcast 796 is my conversation with Jacqui as we discuss her band, the new CD, and her series of streaming concerts she has branded as “Home2Home.” Musical selections from The Long Game include “Like Someone in Love,” “Space Oddity,” and “Fix You.” Her webcast "album release party" will be streamed tomorrow evening at 8:00 EST. Sign up here. 

Another one of my long overdue conversations took place last week when I finally got to chat with Orrin Evans. One of the most versatile and exciting musicians around today, Orrin is nominated for a second Grammy Award for his latest release with his powerful Captain Black Big Band, The Intangible Between. Evans has advanced his career shuffling between various musical entourages, from the Big Band to his smaller groups like Tarbaby (recording with Eric Revis, Nasheet Watts, and Stacy Dillard or Oliver Lake) and trios with artists from Christian McBride and Kariem Riggins to Dave King and Reid Anderson in The Bad Plus. In between are his quartets and quintets, often featuring Revis or Ben Wolfe on bass, Watts or Donald Edwards on drums and the likes of Sean Jones, Larry McKenna and J.D. Allen on sax. His latest iteration of the Captain Black Big Band features both new and old friends: Troy Roberts (tenor sax), Dillard (tenor and soprano sax), Immanuel Wilkins (alto and soprano sax), Todd Bashore (flute and alto sax), Caleb Wheeler Curtis (alto sax), Jones, Josh Lawrence and Thomas Marriott (trumpet), David Gibson, Stafford Hunter and Reggie Watkins (trombone), Dylan Reis, Revis, Luques Curtis and Madison Rast (bass), Mark Whitfield Jr., Anwar Marshall and Jason Brown (drums). The album kicks off with “Proclaim Liberty, ” a timely tune brought to the Band by Josh Lawrence, and kicked into overdrive by solos from rising star Immanuel Wilkins. From there, the Band goes from strength to strength, including the Monk classic “Off Minor” (arranged by Lawrence) and the long “Tough Love,” featuring poetry and spoken word that takes the album to another level.    Podcast 795 is my conversation with Orrin Evans, as we discuss The Intangible Between, his entrance into The Bad Plus, what he looks for in band members, and more. Musical selections include Proclaim Liberty ” and “Off Minor”, plus one of three versions of the standard “All the Things You Are” from his recent trio album The Evolution of Oneself, and “The Red Door,” one of the tunes he has contributed to The Bad Plus repertoire.

Saxophonist Joe Lovano never ceases to amaze, as his compositions, performance and style continue to grow and evolve as he moves from project to project. Whether he is leading his US5 Quintet in Bird-like flights of fancy, or co-leading the Shorter-esque Sound Prints with trumpeter Dave Douglas, Lovano finds ways to constantly give us more, and better, music as the years go on. His second album with his group Trio Tapestry, Garden of Expression (on ECM Records), builds on the harmonically open, rhythmically free, and spiritually involving music he recorded on 2019’s eponymous debut. The group is Lovano on tenor and soprano saxophones, tarogato, and gongs; Marilyn Crispell on piano; and Carmen Castaldi providing color on drums. The record sounds as great as you might hope, made in the highly responsive acoustics of the Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI in Lugano, Switzerland under the direction of Manfred Eicher. All of the tunes on Garden of Expression are written by Lovano, and while they are of a hushed, shimmering sound, they have strong melodies and a haunting effect on the listener. In our spirited talk, Joe favorably compares the present trio and its sound to the music he made, over a period of 30 years, in Paul Motian’s trio with Bill Frisell. Those classic recordings of everything from show tunes to avant-garde themes were also made by a bass-less band, and in the absence of a rhythmic pulse on the bottom, there is room for exploration of time and tension that make the recording exceptional. Podcast 794 is my conversation with Joe, recorded the day after a heavy snowstorm blanketed his home in New York State with more than a foot of snow. We talk about Garden of Expression and Trio Tapestry, as well as his recent recording with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio on ECM, Arctic Riff, his plans for life after the pandemic is over (hint – Newport 2021, anyone?), and previews a new Sound Prints album due this spring on Greenleaf Records.  Musical selections include "West of the Moon" and "Dream on That" from Garden of Expression, the Lovano-penned "On the Other Side" from Arctic Riff, and "Powerhouse" from the US5 release Folk Art.  Joe Lovano will be live streaming from the Village Vanguard with Tyshawn Sorey & Bill Frisell on February 5 and 6. Both sets will be available for 24 hours each.

Last week we talked with Zev Feldman about the release of three previously unknown recordings on Resonance Records late last year. This week, we take a deep dive into Love You Madly: Live at Bubba's with pianist Monty Alexander.  Accompanying Alexander on this spirited live date are bassist Paul Berner (Lionel Hampton Orchestra), drummer Duffy Jackson (Milt Jackson, Benny Carter), and percussionist Robert Thomas, Jr. (Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Carlos Santana). Drawn from Alexander’s personal collection, the vigorous, imaginative performances were recorded at the titular Fort Lauderdale, FL, nightclub on Aug. 6, 1982. The recording engineer was the late Mack Emerman, legendary founder of Miami’s Criteria Recording Studios, the state-of-the-art facility where the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers Band, and Aretha Franklin, among many others, had cut some of their biggest pop hits. The Kingston, Jamaica-born pianist had lived in Miami since his family moved there in 1961, and had known Emerman, a jazz buff who had played trumpet in his alma mater Duke University’s big band, for many years. Emerman brought the Criteria Mobile Recording Truck to Bubba's that night, and made these recordings, which he had passed on to Monty after the gig. The album has flawless sound, and as with other Resonance packages, has extensive liner notes, interviews, and photographs. Podcast 793 is my talk with Monty Alexander, and musical selections from Love You Madly: Live at Bubba's include "Samba de Orfeu" and "Arthur's Theme," the Academy Award winning tune written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen.

Emmet Cohen is a jazz musician who finds his future by mining the lessons of the jazz past. There is little about this pianist/composer’s recordings and compositions that speaks of pure nostalgia. Instead, he and his tight trio find modern inspiration in the styles, performances, and artists of the jazz canon to create their take on modern music. The title of his first release on Mack Avenue Records, Future Stride, tells you much of what I mean. It features his versions of classic tunes recorded by Louis Armstrong, Art Tatum and Willie “The Lion” Smith, and songs written by Rodgers and Hart, Duke Ellington and Sammy Cahn. On one track he is digging into the stride piano tradition, and another playing more modern music with his longtime rhythm section partners, bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole, along with two of modern jazz’s most progressive voices, trumpeter Marquis Hill and saxophonist Melissa Aldana. All in all, Future Stride is a portrait of an artist with one foot in the past, and another in the present, all the while facing forward to a jazz future, standing on the shoulders of giants. Podcast 792 is my conversation with Emmet, as we discuss the making of Future Stride, and he discusses his “Master Legacy Series” of albums with the likes of the Heath Brothers, Benny Golson and especially Ron Carter. We also talk about the Monday night webcasts he and his friends have been posting during the pandemic, and his work on the new album from his friend and collaborator Veronica Swift, entitled This Bitter Earth. Musical selections from Future Stride include “My Heart Stood Still” and “Toast to Lo,” the latter a tribute to the late drummer Lawrence “Lo” Leathers, who died tragically in June 2019. From the Master Legacy Series, Volume 2 collaboration with Evan Sherman and Ron Carter comes Cohen’s arrangement of the Jewish prayer “Hatzi Kaddish.” There will be a webcast album release show for Future Stride can be found on Emmet’s Facebook page and website on Monday evening, February 1 at 7:30 pm EST.

January 29 marks the release date of Migrations of Silence, an ambitious new 10-disc boxed set of all new and original music by bassist/composer William Parker. Parker, who has spent much of the past fifty years pushing the musical envelope with the likes of Cecil Taylor, David S. Ware, Hamid Drake and Peter Brötzmann, plays music that often defies category or genre. His music touches on everything from the blues to free jazz to European art music. Migrations of Silence contains not only solo piano and vocal pieces but instrumental and vocal suites with female voices, string ensembles, and ancient wind instruments. Perhaps the best way for the average listener to get into this engaging music is by listening to my conversation with critic and academic Cisco Bradley, who has written the first biography on Parker's life and career entitled Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker (Duke University Press).That book is officially set for a February 12 release. Francis (Cisco) Bradley is a scholar of social and cultural history at the Pratt Institute. Throughout his career, his interests have settled on the historical agency exhibited by people marginalized by global or local forces who face myriad challenges including dislocation, cultural destruction, social alienation, or structural or physical violence. Since settling in Brooklyn, Professor Bradley has added a new sub-field to his myriad interests, that of the history of avant-garde jazz in Brooklyn. This project has led him to study the underbelly of New York City, gentrification, structural violence, and avant-garde art forms and how they relate to a far-flung, diverse, globally-drawn community of artists and their social and cultural networks. His website www.jazzrightnow.com chronicles much of his work in this regard. Podcast 791 is my conversation with Cisco Bradley on William Parker, and features "Leone" from the newly released Migrations of Silence and "Sweet Breeze" by Parker's band Raining on the Moon, a live track from his anthology Wood Flute Song. 

It’s always a pleasure to have Zev Feldman on the show. Known as “the Jazz Detective,” Feldman has helped bring to light some of the finest unheard music played by jazz masters from John Coltrane to Bill Evans to Sonny Rollins. His projects can be found on a number of labels, but most often on Resonance Records, a division of Rising Jazz Stars, Inc. a California 501(c) (3) non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz stars and advance the cause of jazz. Record Store Day 2020 found the release of a series of albums that revival the best that Feldman has ever worked on. Drawn from Jack DeJohnette’s personal archives, Live at Ronnie Scott’s comprises 20 scintillating tracks captured during the Bill Evans Trio’s month-long 1968 residency at the eponymous saxophonist-impresario’s Soho club. Recordings by the Evans-Eddie Gomez-DeJohnette lineup are as prized as they are rare. DeJohnette was an especially simpatico accompanist for Evans, for he had been a pianist before taking up the drums. Despite their chemistry, the trio played together for a mere six months. During their stay at Scott’s, Miles Davis stopped in to check out the band, and the trumpeter swiftly recruited DeJohnette for his new group. That group, of course, helped change the course of jazz by plugging in and becoming one of the great electric bands of all time. By the end of 1968, Marty Morell was hired by Evans as his replacement, and he drummed behind the pianist through 1974. At the same time, Live at Ronnie Scott’s appeared, so did Rollins in Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings, a 3 LP-2 CD release from the legendary Sonny Rollins. The material is comprised of three different previously unissued performances with bassist Ruud Jacobs and drummer Han Bennink in May of 1967 at Vara Studio in Hilversum, the Arnhem Academy of Visual Arts in Arnhem, and a televised performance at the Go-Go Club in Loosdrecht. This represents a fallow period in Sonny’s career, as he did not record for years after his short stint at Impulse Records, so to find these performances is a real boon for jazz fans. Completing the trifecta was Love You Madly: Live at Bubba’s from pianist Monty Alexander. Performing with an augmented trio of bassist Paul Berner, drummer Duffy Jackson, and percussionist Robert Thomas, Jr., Monty had been recorded by Mack Emerman, legendary founder of Miami’s Criteria Recording Studios on his mobile truck. The tapes were given to Alexander some time after the 1982 gig and had remained in his personal archives until now. We’ll hear more about that recording from Monty himself in a future podcast. Podcast 790 is my conversation with Zev about these three releases, as well as a preview of some new material coming out this year. Musical selections include two songs from Live at Ronnie Scott's . the first of two versions of "You're Gonna Hear From Me" and "For Heaven's Sake;" from Rollins in Holland we hear Miles Davis' "Four" and from Love You Madly - Live at Bubba's comes Monty Alexander performing "Swamp Fire."

As America stands at a political crossroads this coming week with the inauguration of a new President, Wynton Marsalis has written and recorded a timely collection of songs that beg to be heard, The Democracy! Suite was composed by Marsalis during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis as a response to the political, social, and economic struggles facing our nation. This swinging and stimulating instrumental rumination on both the issues that have recently dominated our lives, as well as the beauty that could emerge from a collective effort to create a better future, is played by a septet Wynton chose from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. During the lockdown, Marsalis, Ted Nash (alto and soprano saxophones, flute), Walter Blanding (tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet), Elliot Mason (trombone), Dan Nimmer (piano). Carlos Henriquez (bass), and Obed Calvaire (drums, tambourine) convened in The Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. The piece was recorded (socially distanced) there as a digital album and a concert film that virtually “toured” performing arts centers, helping them to engage their audiences and raise revenue during what has been a difficult time for presenters and musicians alike. Ted Nash was an important part of The Democracy! Suite, as he is on most JALC recordings. He is also one of the busiest, splitting his time between JALC and his own trio, quartet, quintet, double quartet and Big Band. Receiving two Grammy Awards, the Big Band’s Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom is Nash’s most significant work. Inspired by great political speeches of the 20th century dealing with the theme of freedom, it is rich with social and political awareness. He is a founder of the Jazz Composer’s Collective, he has been featured as a sideman with the likes of Louis Bellson, Ben Allison, Freddie Hubbard, Wycliffe Gordon and Joe Lovano. Nash and I talk about the The Democracy! Suite and Presidential Suite, and how Nash adapts to the different requirements of his very different bands and outside projects. Musical selections from The Democracy! Suite include “Ballot Box Bounce” and from the Presidential Suite is Andrew Young reading the words of Nelson Mandela, and then the Ted Nash Big Band performing "The Time for the Healing of the Wounds - Mandela."

Blue Engine Records, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s in-house record label continues to bring us musical recordings the show the many facets of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s sound and repertoire. In late 2020 they released A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration, which accompanied a PBS broadcast premiere of a concert film by the same name, bringing us the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s fresh arrangements of classic Sesame Street songs. Often recorded by jazz artists - most recently Delfeayo Marsalis and the Sesame Street musical director Joe Fiedler - the recording reveals the timeless appeal of music by the likes of Joe Raposo, Christopher Cerf and Tony Geiss. Recorded in front of a sold-out audience at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater, the concert assembles a star-studded lineup of Sesame Street characters —including Elmo, Abby, Big Bird, Bert & Ernie, and many more—to perform beloved tunes like “Rubber Duckie,” “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon,” and "Elmo's Song."  For our purposes, the star-studded lineup was composed of the musicians who saluted the show. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis, the musical director of JALC, has been a frequent guest on Sesame Street, and he is featured on a number of tunes on the recording, as are JALC stalwarts like Marcus Printup, Victor Goines, Chris Crenshaw, Ted Nash and Sherman Irby.  But JALC trumpeter Kenny Rampton has the distinction of not only being a JALC regular, but also a member of the Sesame Street band, recording new music for the show every week, Rampton joined JALC in 2010, and when not performing there, he is often heard with the Mingus Big Band. The Mingus Orchestra, the Mingus Dynasty, George Gruntz’ Concert Jazz Band, and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. A veteran of the Ray Charles Orchestra, Bebo Valdez’ Latin Jazz All-Stars and bands featuring Charles Earland and Jimmy McGriff, he also leads his own sextet, releasing his first solo album Moon Over Babylon. Podcast 788 features my conversation with Kenny, as we talk about how JALC (and he) has faired during these difficult times, and he shares what he considers to be the most important things a musician can do to make a solid career in the business. Musical selections from the album include two tunes that Kenny arranged, “Sesame Street Theme (Sunny Day),” and “Elmo’s Tune,” as well as one he has a solo on, “One of These Things,” where he gets to share center stage with Oscar the Grouch.

The great jazz clubs of the 1940's and 1950's are fondly remembered, but what do we actually have to show from that era? There are live recordings for sure, but how do we try to recapture the magic that happened inside those hallowed halls?   In Sittin' In: Jazz Clubs of the 1940s and 1950s (Harper Design), Grammy-nominated historian, archivist, author, and record executive Jeff Gold offers an unprecedented look inside the jazz clubs from this era across the United States. In exclusive interviews, iconic musicians Sonny Rollins and Quincy Jones as well as preeminent jazz historian Dan Morgenstern give first-person accounts of the clubs that Rollins called “a paradisiacal place to be.”   Decades before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, jazz clubs were among the first places in Jim Crow America where Black and white people mixed in audiences and onstage. Drawing on an incredible trove of photos and memorabilia, most of which have never been seen before, Gold gives us a glimpse at a world that was rich in culture, music, dining, fashion, and more. There is a fascinating selection of hundreds of souvenir photos from clubs across the United States to give a clubgoer’s perspective on a vital side of the jazz club experience that’s rarely been seen before now.   Podcast 787 is my conversation with Jeff Gold, as we talk about how he acquired access to such incredible material, and how he went about letting the world back into both famous and obscure clubs of the past. Musical selections include a recording of Thelonius Monk's "52nd Street Theme" from the Royal Roost in 1948, as performed by Charlie Parker (sax), Miles Davis (trumpet), Curly Russell (bass), and Tadd Dameron Ipiano).  

I can't imagine there would be much traveling on this COVID-19 New Year's Eve, but if so, please take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Official SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"  It was written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the now controversial holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's version comes from the very talented Jaqui Naylor. She has a new album coming out in early 2021, and check here for a Podcast interview soon. If you'd like to see as well as hear her sing this classic, click here.  Check back to previous year's New Year's Eve postings for other renditions, including those by John Pizzarelli, Lea Delaria and Nancy Wilson. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all. This coming year - 2021 - will be the first Post-Trump year in America for some time. Let's wish each other all good things.  

2020 was an especially cruel year for jazz musicians, and we lost so many talented masters this year that I don't think I have completely grasped the impact their passing will have. A few we lost to COVID-19, others simply to old age. Some of the eleven musicians I honor in Podcast 786 were friends, and others were true idols of mine. All will be terribly missed. Take some time to listen to "Noted in Passing 2020" featuring the music of: Wallace Roney (pictured above)- "Children of the Light" from Jazz Jimmy Health - "Fashion or Passion" from Love Letters Lee Konitz - "317 East 32nd" from Costumes are Mandatory with Ethan Iverson, Larry Grenadier and Jorge Rossy.  Annie Ross - "Love for Sale" from Sings a Hatful of Songs McCoy Tyner - "Blues on the Corner" from The Real McCoy Tony Allen - "A Night in Tunisia" from A Tribute to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Freddy Cole - "Don't Change Your Mind About Me" from This is the Life Jimmy Cobb - The Title Track from The Meeting Gary Peacock - "In Walked Po'" from Just So Happens with Bill Frisell Ellis Marsalis - "Lulu's Back in Town" from Loved Ones with Branford Marsalis Jeff Clayton - "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" from The L.A. Treasures Project with the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra Time prevents me from including the music of the late Diane Moser, Andy Gonzalez, Henry Grimes, Candido Camero, Stanley Cowell, Steve Grossman, Stanley Crouch, Helen Jones Woods, Eddie Gale, Vic Juris, Richie Cole, Jymie Merritt, Jack Sheldon, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ray Mantilla, Larry Willis, Manu Dibango, Richard Wyans and Ginger Baker.  I also lost my uncle Arthur Freed to COVID-19. He was one of the earliest influences on my musical taste, and in who's bedroom I first heard - and was appalled by - Bitches Brew. I will miss him very much. 

Jazz history is replete with brothers who played and recorded with one another over their careers. I can quickly think of the Montgomery Brothers (Wes and Monk), the Heath Brothers (Jimmy, Tootie and Percy), Randy and Michael Brecker, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, and Winard and Philip Harper. So many others only played or recorded together from time to time – think the many Marsalis Brothers or Elvin, Thad and Hank Jones. On The Circle (from the celebrated Canadian jazz label Justin Time), Canadian jazz explorers Jim and Chet Doxas celebrate this bond of brotherhood by delving into the musical worlds that they have been exploring together since they were children. It represents their upbringing in a musical home, their years spent on the Montreal jazz and pop scene, and their arrival onto jazz stages around the world. Pianist Marc Copland and bassist, Adrian Vedady join Chet on saxophone and Jim on drums for their first formal recorded outing as the Doxas Brothers. Besides each other, they’ve worked with Carla Bley, Oliver Jones, Dave Douglas, John Abercrombie, Steve Swallow, Joe Lovano, and many more. Chet’s own album Rich in Symbols—featuring Douglas and guitarist Matthew Stevens, among others—was nominated for a Juno Award in 2018. Jim has played with Copland and Vedady as a trio for several years; adding his brother to the lineup was a logical next step. When asked to pick their favorite compositions on the album, Jim chose the elegiac “Fourteen Daughters,” while Chet picked the spiritual “Uno a la Vez.” In many ways, these two tunes are indicative of the sound and structure of the album - excellent modern jazz, with the distinctive sound of Copland’s piano at the core of many of the pieces. Podcast 784 is my conversation with Jim and Chet Doxas, as we talk about the making of The Circle, how they have matured as composers and bandleaders over the years, and the state of the jazz scene in their native Montreal. Jim talks about his time working with Oliver Jones and Hank Jones for the album Pleased to Meet You in 2010, and both share insight into their next projects. Musical selections from The Circle include “Fourteen Daughters,” and “Uno a la Vez.” 

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevalent this time of year, and so the Official Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace" written by Horace Silver,. Here is a wonderful duet version of the song, as performed by the François Moutin (bass) & Kavita Shah (Vocals) Duo from their Interplay album. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic more than fifty years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

It's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

For years I've been sharing this with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. It never gets old. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

As I do every year, this Podcast is "A Few of My Favorite Things" from 2020. It is not intended on being a Top Ten list - I do that for the Jazz Journalist Association - but rather a grouping of recordings that got repeat play in my house, making me take notice among the many recordings I receive.  While 2020 seemed to be a cursed year for many reasons, there was much to be optimistic about in jazz recordings that came across my desk during the past twelve months. And while the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic may strike jazz particularly hard – the closing of the Jazz Standard in New York as perhaps the harbinger of things to come in 2021 – here’s hoping that the music and the musicians will return to our stages and clubs soon, and that all may indeed to right with the music world sooner rather than later. This year, I had the pleasure of hearing and rehearing the following stellar albums: New Things from Old Friends Maria Schneider Orchestra – Data Lords Rudresh Mahanthappa – Hero Trio Wolfgang Muthspiel – Angular Blues Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – Axiom Artemis - Artemis   Players Coming Into Their Own or Receiving Wider Acclaim Oded Tzur – Here Be Dragons Brian Landrus – The Deep Below Immanuel Wilkins – Omega Nduduzo Makhathini - Modes of Communication: Letters From the Underworlds Thana Alexa – Oma   Collaborations Redman Mehldau McBride Blade – RoundAgain Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade – Trilogy 2 Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio featuring Jonathan Blake – Without Deception Kurt Elling and Danilo Perez – Secrets are the Best Stories Aquiles Navarro & Tcheser Holmes – Heritage of the Invisible II   Archival or Reissue Release Bill Evans – Live at Ronnie Scott’s Sonny Rollins – Rollins in Holland Paul Desmond – The 1975 Toronto Recordings Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – Just Coolin’ Thelonious Monk – Palo Alto   Tribute Recordings Lakecia Benjamin – Pursuance: The Coltranes Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, Gary Bartz – Bird at 100 Gil Scott-Herron & Makaya McCraven – We’re New Again – A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven Christian McBride Big Band – For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver Dave Douglas – Dizzy Atmosphere For “Player of the Year,” the musician who did the most while appearing on the most different albums in the year, there is a tie. Christian McBride seemed to be on a release every month in 2020, putting out both his Big Band album and the long-delayed The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons, plus appearing on Joshua Redman and Chick Corea’s releases indicated above. You could also find Christian on Diana Krall’s This Dream of You, and even with one of his idols, Bootsy Collins, on the funk master’s The Power of One. But we must not overlook the presence of drummer Chad Taylor on the long-awaited Good Days from the Chicago Underground Quartet; the rousing duo recording Live at Willisan with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis; and Eric Revis’ outstanding Slipknots Through a Looking Glass.  Add to that Chad’s own The Daily Biological from his trio of Brian Settles and Neil Podgurski, and you had an amazing run of top-flight performances. A welcome trend of the year was the continued diffusion of great jazz coming from locations other than New York and Los Angeles. Chicago continues to produce some of the most cutting edge jazz of the year, from the beat manipulation of Makaya McCraven and Chad Taylor to keys of Greg Spero to the guitar wizardry of Jeff Parker. South Africa began exporting more top notch music than it had in years, and London continues to shine as an incubator for exciting new sounds. Lastly, let’s give a tip of the hat to musical documentaries that were released this year (mostly directly to streaming) like Michael Murphy’s Up From the Streets about New Orleans musicians and music hosted by Terence Blanchard,  James Erskine’s Billie, Alex Winter’s Zappa, Sam Osborn and Nick Capezzera’s Universe, about the orchestral jazz suite by Wayne Shorter—written in 1966 for Miles Davis but never performed—finally brought to the stage by the late Wallace Roney, and the wonderful re-release of the iconic Jazz On a Summer’s Day, the sixty year old film featuring the acts appearing in the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. Musical selections featuring in this podcast include: Rudresh Mahanthappa – “Red Cross” from Hero Trio Immanuel Wilkins – “The Dreamer” from Omega Redman Mehldau McBride Blade – “Undertow” from RoundAgain Thelonious Monk – “Ruby, My Dear” from Palo Alto Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, Gary Bartz – “Bird Lives” from Bird at 100

A Christmas tradition in our house is listening to David Sedaris read his hilarious essay, “Santaland Diaries.”  An abbreviated version of his some-what exaggerated memories of working as a Christmas Elf in Macy’s Department Store in New York first was heard on NPR’s Morning Edition in 1992. Since then it has grown to be a long-form essay in his collection Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice. I’ve seen Joe Mantello’s stage adaption for one actor a few times. For me, Sedaris’ humor is always dead on, and this piece never fails to have me giggling or roaring with laughter.  Sedaris is something of a jazz buff. A recent interview with him in JazzTimes allowed the author to talk about his inherited love of jazz from his father, a man with whom Sedaris rarely seemed to have anything in common.  This is probably not a surprise to “Santaland Diaries” fanatics like me, who wait in anticipation for his Billie Holiday impression every time we listen to the audio version, read with great pathos by Sedaris. JazzTimes quizzed him on this: You became famous for your Billie Holiday impersonation which was in “Santaland Diaries” and a few other stories. Did you do it as a kid?I started doing it when I was young. Did you do other singers?  I tried. I do a really awful Esther Phillips. I was with my friend Ronnie in San Francisco, and I was trying to sing “Shangri-La,” and it’s embarrassing that it’s so bad. I would love to be able to sing like Esther Phillips. The Billie Holiday impression became an albatross for you, with people wanting you to do it on command. I don’t do it anymore. You know how you think you sound in your head, but then you hear it? I heard a recording and I thought, “That’s awful.” I think I did it on [NPR’s] Fresh Air years ago. What I tried to do is her singing Madonna songs or Christmas tunes or commercial jingles—stuff you’d never have heard her do. I stopped doing it because I felt like a trained seal. Plus, I didn’t feel like people were really that familiar with her. They’d say, “Do Billie,” and I would think, “You don’t even have a right to call her by her first name. I bet you can’t name three songs that she did.” It just didn’t feel right to me. To people who don’t really know what she sounds like, sure it sounds OK. But not to people who really know her music. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the excerpt from the “Santaland Diaries” when David, in his guise as Crumpet the Elf, decides to show a pushy Santa what singing “Away in a Manger” can really sound like. That carol will never be the same.

Every year I post an hour plus of Christmas jazz to enjoy as you go about your merry business during the holiday season. While 2020 will be a little different due to the pandemic, there are still stockings to hang, trees to trim, and egg nog to consume (maybe a little more than usual). This year, the theme is Christmas music played on the guitar, "A Six String Christmas." I've got performances old and new, so check it out and enjoy: Charlie Hunter - "Christmas Time is Here" Pat Martino - "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" Mark Whitfield - "Those Soulful Jingle Bells" John Scofield - "Chipmunk Christmas" Fareed Haque - "Deck the Halls" Frank Vignola Quartet - "Jingle Bells" Al Di Meola - "Carol of the Bells" Bill Smith and Jim Hall - "Greensleeves" Charlie Byrd - "Silent Night/Carol of the Bells" John Pizzarelli - "Sleigh Ride" Kenny Burrell - "Merry Christmas Baby" Larry Carlton - "My Favorite Things/We Three Kings" Stanley Jordan - "Silent Night"  

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, so please check out a previous podcast, entitled "Jazz for Spinning the Dreidel" and enjoy a jazzy soundtrack for this year’s festivities, including tunes of the season by: Don Byron – “Dreidl Song” Event Horizon Jazz – “Maoz Tzur” Kenny Ellis – “Sevivon, Sov, Sov Sov” The Klezmatics – “Do the Latke Flip-Flip” Ben Sidran – “I Have a Little Dreidle” Jon Simon – “Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” Dave Koz – “Eight Candles (A Song for Hanukkah)” The Klezmer Conservatory Band – “Klezmorim At Chanukah” Tim Warfield – “The Dreidel Song”

When your band’s motto is “Fiercely swinging on purpose, with purpose,” you’ve probably got something special to share with the jazz world. That’s definitely the case with the 3D Jazz Trio, who has released perhaps the finest album of new Christmas jazz this year, Christmas in 3D. Formerly known as 3Divas, based on their common membership in the famous DIVA Jazz Orchestra, the trio gives us their take on all things Christmas here – religious and secular, old and new, as well as the delightfully offbeat. The common denominator? All their versions of these classic tunes swing like mad and exude a great sense of holiday spirit and cheer. Put it under your favorite jazz lover's tree. 3D Jazz Trio are: Jackie Warren (piano), Amy Shook (bass & fiddle), and Sherrie Maricle (drums). They met in May of 2014 at the Cleveland Playhouse while playing in the DIVA Jazz Orchestra as part of Maurice Hines’ award-winning show Tappin’ Thru Life. From their first shared downbeat, they became kindred swinging spirits. They keep a busy touring schedule - rudely interrupted this year - and have released two albums in 2020, I Love To See You Smile in January, and now Christmas in 3D. I had the pleasure of having all three members of the group on the line for our conversation, and they swapped stories and anecdotes about the making of Christmas in 3D, how they arrange tunes that are so well known to the public, and how they chose to record, among all possible tunes, "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)," a song recorded by John Denver and Alan Jackson. Musical selections from Christmas in 3D both feature Amy Shook, as she takes the melody on bass for “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and provides the fiddle on "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)." From their I Love To See You Smile album comes “L.O.V.E.,” dedicated to Maurice Hines.

Miles Davis once famously challenged Dave Brubeck, "Your band don't swing, but you do." I'm not sure that's quite true, but as we look back on the life of Dave Brubeck, born this December 6th 100 years ago today, it is something to consider.  Of the important jazz musicians who came out of the 1950's, Dave Brubeck wrote and played the piano, making music that personified "Cool Jazz," the laidback sound the blew in from California with the likes of Chet Baker, Brubeck, and Gerry Mulligan. It was something of a mirror image to the hard bop that became popular at the time, coming off as thoughtful and calm instead of sweaty and danceable.  Brubeck never played music that was down and dirty that way, but he could swing when he wanted to. However, today he is best known for much of his groundbreaking work with writing and playing in different time signatures (something he borrowed from Max Roach) to create the classic Time Out in 1959.  He found other "gimmicks" as well - his Dave Digs Disney opened up the door to exploring more of the studio signature tunes, and his tours of college campuses, with resulting live albums (Jazz at Oberlin, Jazz Goes to College) paved the way for greater exposure to the boomers coming of age during the fifties. When he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1954, with the cover title "The joints are really flipping" more than a few African-American veterans of the bandstand must have gritted their teeth as they read: Pianist David Brubeck, described by fans as a wigging cat with a far-out wail and by more conventional critics as probably the most exciting new jazz artist at work today, has strong ideas about how his audiences should behave while he plays.... Brubeck seemed to build his music from European Art Music more than the Delta Blues, but he had a great sense of knowing the songs to carry forward, as well as how to write original material in any number of genres. He stood up for his fellow musicians as well, passing on lucrative southern gigs when his integrated band was told they could not eat and sleep in the same places. He wrote at least one standard, "In Your Own Sweet Way." and had a jukebox hit with his quartet's recording of hte Paul Desmond Composition, "Take Five." Brubeck was a favorite of my late father's, so I dedicate this Podcast to him, as you enjoy an hour of Dave Brubeck, tunes that he wrote and tunes that he interpreted or brought to the public, including: "Blue Rondo a la Turk" "It's a Raggy Waltz" "In Your Own Sweet Way" "Cassandra" "Dizzy's Dream" "Deep in a Dream" "Forty Days" "The Duke" "Balcony Rock" "Three to Get Ready (Outtake)" "Take Five"

Looking to pick up some new jazz music for the Christmas season. Well, be sure to check this sampler of some of the best choices for new Christmas music this season. There's so much to choose from, with new albums from Warren Wolf and Brian Bromberg on Mack Avenue Records (What? No "Christmas on Mack Avenue" this year?); a compilation of Peggy Lee's classic Christmas music; and vocal albums from Nils Landgren, Amber Weekes, and Jamie Cullum. Add to it a pair of one-offs from Norah Jones and Laila Biali, and you've got quite a selection from which to choose.  Maybe the best of the bunch is the hard swinging Christmas in 3D from the 3D Jazz Trio. A separate podcast will feature a conversation with the three women who make up this top-flight group, with more music to share. Podcast 782 includes selections of New Music for Christmas, including: Warren Wolf - "This Christmas" from Christmas Vibes Amber Weekes - "The Christmas Waltz" from The Gathering Brian Bromberg - "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" from Celebrate Me Home: The Holiday Sessions Nils Landgren - "Just Another Christmas Song" from Christmas with My Friends VII Peggy Lee - "Sana Claus is Coming to Town" from Ultimate Christmas Norah Jones - "It's Not Christmas 'Til You Come Home" (Recorded At Spotify Studios NYC) 3D Jazz Trio - "Winter Wonderland" from Christmas in 3D Laila Biali - "Silent Night." See her upcoming virtual concert "Christmas in the Chapel", happening Dec 6 . Jamie Cullum - "How Do You Fly?" from The Pianoman at Christmas Warren Wolf - "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Christmas Vibes Nils Landgren - "Feliz Navidad" from Christmas with My Friends VII Amber Weekes - "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from The Gathering Brian Bromberg - "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from Celebrate Me Home: The Holiday Sessions Peggy Lee - "White Christmas" from Ultimate Christmas And while you can't listen to it here, be sure to check out this great duet with Jon Batiste and Daniel Brooks ("Taystee" from Orange is the New Black) on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

There have been two hallmarks—standards, if you will—that have been a part of every Billy Childs album. The first is the journey he’s traveled as a composer. He has always written music and to great acclaim: he has received five Grammy Awards and 16 nominations, many for composition and arrangement. Presently in continual demand for symphonic and chamber commissions, he has also innovated a collection of compositions for jazz instrumentation and strings that is unique in the American music lexicon: a genre he refers to as jazz/chamber music. But for the second hallmark, Childs has always been a player, too—having cultivated his jazz voice in the working bands of trombonist J.J. Johnson and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. He’s behind the piano on Acceptance, his latest release on Mack Avenue Records. Childs thrives on group improvisation and has recruited fellow master musicians—saxophonist Steve Wilson, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric Harland—as the core ensemble for this collection. Acceptance reflects many aspects of Childs’ life and career. From hearing Brazilian jazz in his parent’s house comes “Dori,” his tribute to  Brazilian composer Dori Caymmi. His days hanging out in LA led to “Leimert Park,” which he composed with bassist Paul Jackson and drummer Mike Clark, the innovative and groundbreaking rhythm section on Herbie Hancock’s Thrust in the early 70s. A Langston Hughes poem inspired “Quiet Girl,” which Childs recorded on his first album, Take For Example This….on the Windham Hill label and recasts now. Regrettably, Childs’ four recordings on that label are out of print and not easily accessible. Podcast 779 is my conversation with Mr. Childs, as we explore the Acceptance album and get his take on the jazz scene in his native Los Angeles during these COVID days and nights as well as learn about his formative musical experiences (Hint – you might not believe one of them!). Musical selections include the title track from Acceptance and "Do You Know My Name," featuring a haunting vocal by Alicia Olatuja. 

I posted this in 2019, but its even more relevant in this pandemic world of 2020: For past Thanksgivings, I've just posted two songs that set the mood for me - George Benson's "Giblet Gravy" on the night before, to help  out those cooking a festive meal, and Diana Krall's version of "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)". The latter, an Irving Berlin masterpiece, is often played for Christmas, but to me it sums up all that the day should be about - sharing with others as we realize the many gifts we are given each day and year. This year, I put those two tunes in an hour plus of music you can dig all through the Thanksgiving holiday. To break it down for you: Setting the mood for the day: Vince Guaraldi - "Thanksgiving Theme" Nicholas Payton - "Home for the Holidays" Sonny Rollins - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) The symbols of the day: Manhattan Brass - "Stuffy Turkey" Wynton Kelly - "Autumn Leaves" The main attraction: Charlie Parker - "Carvin' the Bird" George Benson - "Giblet Gravy" Bernard Purdie with Thara Memory - "Grits & Gravy" Lee Morgan - "Cornbread" Steve Turre - "Ray's Collard Greens" Organissimo - "Pumpkin Pie" And to remember why we are all here: Steve Kuhn Trio with Joe Lovano - "With Gratitude" Diana Krall - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" A Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!          https://straightnochaserjazz.libsyn.com/podcast-714-songs-for-stuffy-turkey-thanksgiving-2019

Podcast 778 completes my two-part conversation with Maria Schneider. A recipient of almost every award given for composing, arranging and conducting, Ms. Schneider has moved to the forefront of genre-bending music. Whether it’s the work she did with David Bowie on “Sue (or In A Season of Crime,” her thrilling new work Data Lords, or her collaborations with classical music giants like Dawn Upshaw, there does not seem to be anything that she cannot do when she sets her mind to it. One of my favorite of her works, Concert in the Garden from 2004, was selected for induction into the National Recording Registry last year, the same year she was honored as an NEA Jazz Master. And just as this Podcast was being released, she received news that she had two more Grammy nominations to her credit, both for Data Lords, including Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition for "Sputnik." Part Two allows you to hear Maria talk about her experiences growing up in Minnesota, her exposure to music by friends and mentors, including the legendary Gil Evans  and why she continues to be a strong advocate for musicians’ rights, testifying in Congress and writing well-thought out arguments in the press. Ms. Schneider prefers to limit the amount of her music that we can feature in the podcast, so there will be short sections from “Wyrfgy” from her first album, Evanescence, released in 1994; and “Sanzerin” from Data Lords, her most recent. Maria and her Orchestra have made appearances at the Jazz Standard in New York a Thanksgiving tradition. Unable to appear live this year, she premieres some never-before-seen videos from their 2019 Jazz Standard Thanksgiving run along with recording footage from their Data Lords. For the first time ever, Maria and several members of her Orchestra will reunite for some post-Thanksgiving camaraderie on Zoon. You can join the festivities on Friday, November 27th at 7:30 p.m. EST  via www.mariaschneider.com or on Facebook. The presentation will be streamable at your leisure through Monday, November 30th at 12 noon EST.  

With the release earlier this year of Data Lords, a two-disc opus, Maria Schneider stepped up her battle with the giants of the technological world. An outspoken critic of companies like Amazon, Google and YouTube, Ms. Schneider has been standing up for citizens’ rights to maintain their online privacy and personal information, as well as artists’ rights to control and monetize their work through copyright and contractual protection. Data Lords is at least partially her attempt to let her music do some more of the talking. The music alternates from the foreboding, dark and gnarly sounds on the first disc, to the more pastoral and inspirational on the second. The great cast of musicians that Maria assembles use their talents in very specific ways to bring life to her music. Ben Monder’s electric guitar alternately drones and snarls, while Steve Wilson and Donny McCaslin on alto and tenor sax respectively, can soar above the band, or lead a crashing response to shifting rhythms. There’s a lot to digest here, and it calls for repeated listening, and reading Maria’s liner notes doesn’t hurt. It’s a beautiful package, as we have come to expect from Ms. Schneider’s output on ArtistShare and one of the best albums of the year. Podcast 777 is the first of two conversations with Maria Schneider. Part One concentrates on the making of, and philosophy behind, Data Lords. Ms. Schneider prefers to limit the amount of her music that we can feature in the podcast, so there will be short sections of the pieces “A World Lost” and “Bluebird,” as well as from her collaboration with David Bowie on “Sue (or In A Season of Crime,”  Podcast 778 will complete the conversation later in the week, as we talk about her experiences growing up in Minnesota, her exposure to music by friends and mentors, and why she continues to advocate for musicians’ rights in 2020. Maria and her Orchestra have made appearances at the Jazz Standard in New York a Thanksgiving tradition. Unable to appear live this year, she premieres some never-before-seen videos from their 2019 Jazz Standard Thanksgiving run along with recording footage from their Data Lords. For the first time ever, Maria and several members of her Orchestra will reunite for some post-Thanksgiving camaraderie on Zoon. You can join the festivities on Friday, November 27th at 7:30 p.m. EST  via www.mariaschneider.com or on Facebook. The presentation will be streamable at your leisure through Monday, November 30th at 12 noon EST.

Here is Part Two of my recent conversation with the legendary Michael Cuscuna. While Part One concentrated on the recent offerings of the Photography of Francis Wolff, Part Two is all about Cuscuna's limited edition archival releases on Mosaic Records.  2020 has been a good year for the label. Of particular interest to me was the release of The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings by saxophonist Paul Desmond.  Portions of these live recordings have leaked out before, but we've never had a chance to hear all of the music Desmond made with his quartet of guitarist Ed Bickert, bassist Don Thompson and drummer Jerry Fuller at the Bourbon Street Jazz Club in Toronto in March 1975. The results are lyrical saxophone heaven.  Earlier in the year Cuscuna reached into big band history for the Complete Woody Herman Decca, Mars, MGM Sessions (1943-54).  He also helped curate The Savory Collection (1935-1940) which features newly found or rare recordings from the John Kirby Sextet and live radio broadcasts including Count Basie, Chick Webb and Coleman Hawkins.  All are limited editions on CD. Musical selections for Podcast 776 include an alternate take of "Well You Needn't" from Mosaic's collection of The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Thelonious Monk; "Line for Lyons" from Paul Desmond and The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings; and a Charlie Parker on "Yardbird Suite" from one of Cuscuna's real coups, The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker. 

"Francis Wolff's images of musicians at work are so relaxed and intimate that they capture the spirit not just of the moment but also the era." - Herbie Hancock It was a real treat to get to spend some time on the telephone with Michael Cuscuna, the legendary jazz record producer, discographer, writer and entrepreneur a few weeks ago. For the past fifty years, Michael has been one of a handful of individuals who have served as the keepers of the flame for jazz, most notably in his creation of archival box sets and previously unreleased material from the beginning of jazz on his Mosaic Records imprint. His work with the Blue Note label alone has given him a place in any hall of fame. As part of his work with Blue Note, Cuscuna and his business partner, the late Charlie Louria, became stewards of the photography of Francis Wolff. The work of Wolff, an immigrant from Nazi Germany, became one of the defining aspects of any Blue Note album, and many photographs have become iconic. Fans have a chance to peruse Wolff’s work at the Mosaic Records Images website. Those seeking a closer look can revel in Jazz Images of Francis Wolff,  published earlier this year and featuring 150 images and an insightful introduction by Ashley Kahn. Michael and I spoke about Francis Wolff, his life and legacy and those amazing black and white photographs that graced so many Blue Note album covers. As always, his knowledge is encyclopedic, and he gives us all some additional information on the photographs and their subjects. Mosaic Records Images continues to offer fans the chance to purchase limited edition museum quality prints, as well as more recent offerings like prints of contact sheets from historic sessions, and prints on metal. Podcast 775 is Part One of a two part podcast conversation. Musical selections to compliment the talk include Clifford Brown’s sextet featuring Percy Heath and Art Blakey with an alternate take of  “Cherokee” from Brownie Speaks: The Complete Blue Note Collection and Grant Green performing “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” from Feelin’ the Spirit.  Part Two will talk about recent Mosaic Record releases, as well as some upcoming albums.

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day here in America, and I can think of no better way to honor men and women who served their country in uniform that helping to shine the light on some music made by servicemen almost 75 years ago.  Jason Burt always knew his grandfather, Ralph Burt had served in the Pacific in World War II, and that he had helped develop is craft as a musician while overseas as part of the 746th Far East Air Force Band. However Jason did not know of the collection of recordings made in the field by his grandfather, many of them made just hundreds of yards from military conflict and danger.  Those recordings, having been mastered and digitized by four-time Grammy-award-winning sound engineer Gavin Lurssen and Japanese sound engineer Hiroyuki Sanada. are now available as Sentimental Journey and are available for purchase on the Apple iTunes store starting Nov. 11, on Amazon, or the band’s website, https://746thfeaf.com/music. There is substantial surface noise, as the recordings were made on wire in the field, and then transferred to 78 RPM recordings after the war. However, the enthusiastic sounds shine through, and it would be easy to forget that these tunes are being played by young men in a battle zone, thousands of miles from home. Jason talks with me for Podcast 774, and tells the story of the project, and you'll get a chance to hear the title track, "Sentimental Journey," and a track featuring Ralph Burt, Jason's grandfather at his finest, "Trumpet Rhapsody."

After almost forty years and twenty-five albums as a collaborative jazz group, the Yellowjackets are not a group that rest on their laurels. The group has had continued success, won a number of Grammy Awards, and been a fixture on the Fusion, Smooth Jazz and other charts for years. Their last two albums have shown the band is still forging ahead with innovative and challenging artistic statements. In 2018 they collaborated with vocalist Luciana Souza on Raising Our Voice, an album that defied most genre classifications. This week brings the release of Jackets XL, which finds the band reimagining old tunes and bringing some new material to a collaboration with the superb WDR Big Band of Cologne, Germany. Yellowjacket founder Bob Mintzer has served as the WDR Big Band principal conductor since 2016, and he felt it was a natural collaboration.  Along with Yellowjackets keyboardist Russell Ferrante (also a founding member), drummer Will Kennedy and electric bassist Dane Alderson they recorded an album that may surprise some longtime Jackets fans. Mintzer rearranged seven of the ten tunes on the album, along with two arrangements by Vince Mendoza. Mendoza has a long history with the WDR Big Band, and today serves as its composer in residence. Ferrante chipped in as well, and the trio have turned some Yellowjacket favorites into new and exciting tunes. For example, “Mile High,” a fan favorite from the 80’s loses its pop sheen and comes across as a more modern big band sound. Both Bob Mintzer and Russell Ferrante joined me in conversation for Podcast 773, an engaging talk about how old friends continue to grow and engage in new sounds for their musical outlet. Mintzer and Ferrante are also teaching at USC, and share insight into the state of jazz education there during this COVID pandemic. Musical selections from Jackets XL include “Mile High,” “Revelation,” and new tune “One Day.”

In this COVID-riddled world, Hallowe'en will not be the same. Our community here in Western Massachusetts has not banned Trick or Treat, so Nancy and I will do the social distance thing and leave trays of candy out in the driveway for those kids (and kids at heart) who come out Saturday night  The spirit of Hallowe'en lives on in this Podcast, which celebrates the evening with jazz tunes that have one thing in common - the word "Monster" in the title. These range from the percussive "The Glorious Monster" by Max Roach's M'Boom and the Gene Krupa-Buddy Rich drum duel of "The Monster" to tunes by guitar masters like John Scofield ("I Brake for Monster Booty"), Al DiMeola ("Invention of the Monsters") and Bill Frisell ("Bob's Monster").  The exception to the rule is to include Jimmy Smith's take on "The Theme from 'The Munsters'," from his 1965 album Monster, as arranged by Oliver Nelson.  Musical selections for Podcast 772 include: Duke Ellington - "Night Creature, Stalking Monster" Max Roach's M'Boom - "The Glorious Monster" Jamie Cullum - "Monster" Al DiMeola - "Invention of the Monsters" John Scofield - "I Break for Monster Booty" Los Africanos - "Monster Party" Bill Frisell - "Bob's Monster" Bud Shank - "Dance of the Sea Monsters" Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich - "The Monster" Jimmy Smith - "The Theme from 'The Munsters'"

Those following the music of trumpeter Michael Sarian over the past few years will have a pleasant surprise when they listen to New Aurora.  Known for his septet Michael Sarian & The Chabones and big band The Big Chabones, the latest release from the New York based musician finds him fronting a four piece acoustic group, and playing flugelhorn in a manner that recalls ECM legends Kenny Wheeler, Enrico Rava, and Tomasz Stańko.  Born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina from the age of one, Sarian brings all of his musical influences into play on New Aurora, including his Armenia heritage. Michael arranged two pieces by Komitas, the celebrated Armenian monk, composer, musicologist, and founder of the Armenian national school of music (who last year celebrated his 150th birthday) for the record. He speaks eloquently in our conversation about the joys of the simple melodies and changing rhythms inherent in Armenian music.  The pared down band is made up of Sarian on trumpet  and flugelhorn, Santiago Leibson on piano, and Dayeon Seok on drums. Bass is split between Marty Kenney and Matt Pavolka. Musical selections from New Aurora include his compositions "Mountains" and "The Morning After," as well as a duet with Leibson on Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now."

New-York based jazz trombonist Matt Haviland has been in demand as a performer and featured soloist with some of the top names in jazz since the early 1980s.  His horn has been an important part of large groups like those led by Maria Schneider and Steven Bernstein, as well as the Mingus Big Band. He is a regular member of the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra, Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra, Peter Leitch’s New Life Orchestra, and Diane Moser’s Composer’s Big Band. But Podcast 770 lets us talk to Matt about his latest solo release, Something to Say, where he steps out to front a top notch band. Old friends like David Kikoski (piano), Vincent Herring (sax) and Ugonna Okegwo (bass) are joined by new collaborator Johnathan Blake (drums) to present a crackling mix of Haviland originals and carefully curated covers from Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson. To that core he adds Mark Gross (alto sax) and Bill Mobley (trumpet) for a few tunes to create a mighty frontline that can rival any band.  Podcast 770 features insight into the tunes on  Something to Say.  Musical selections include Haviland tunes "Graham Benjamin" (for his son) and "Fillet of Soul."

Harold López-Nussa has been successfully making records that blur the lines between straight-ahead jazz, Latin Jazz and Cuban folk music for years now.  His latest release on Mack Avenue, Te Lo Dije (the title roughly translates to "I Told You" pushes those boundries even further.  López-Nussa once again has his favorite musicians working with him: Julio César González (Bass), his brother Ruy Adrían López-Nussa (Drums, Percussion) and Mayquel González (Trumpet). WIth a handful of guests to fill out the sound where needed, most notably accordanist Vincent Peirani, the band moves from traditional forms of Cuban music to sounds from France ("Windmills of Your Mind") and even Reggaeton ("JazzTón"). Harold is is his usual flashy self, able to lay down a lightning run, but able to use his touch to bring across the emotion at the core of his native sounds.  This is López-Nussa's third album since signing with Mack Avenue in 2016. I first became aware of his talent when he wrote for, and played on, the 90 Miles project recorded in Cuba by David Sanchez, Stefon Harris and Christian Scott (now Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah) in 2010. On Podcast 769 we get to talk with Harold about life in Cuba during the pandemic, the making of Te Lo Dije, and why he tries to make new and different music on each album. Musical selections include "Windmills of Your Mind," "Jazzton," and from  90 Miles, his composition "E'cha."

As the follow-up to his GRAMMY-winning big band album, Back to the Sunset, Cuban-born drummer, composer, educator, and 2011 MacArthur Genius Fellow Dafnis Prieto returns to a smaller group release called Transparency, on his independent music label, Dafnison Music. Prieto's fearless Sextet features a top-shelf lineup, including Román Filiú (alto sax), Alex Norris (trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (tenor sax), Alex Brown (piano), and Johannes Weidenmueller (bass).   Transparency is the third release by the Dafnis Prieto Sextet, following 2008's Taking the Soul for a Walk and 2015's  Triangles and Circles. The album includes nine tracks, with all new compositions by Prieto and an arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's classic, "Con Alma." The album, produced by GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Eric Oberstein (Prieto's collaborator on Back to the Sunset), and engineered by GRAMMY winner Mike Marciano, was recorded in NYC in early March 2020 just prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, following a four-night run at the world-famous Jazz Standard.   The music delights in not falling into any one genre, matching the spark of a Latin beat with Jazz Messenger-like pop.  The three horn lineup is treated as if it were a "small big band" Dafnis explained, and the arrangements for the two saxes and trumpet do not disappoint,   Dafnis and I discussed the writing of his original tunes,  and how the Frost School at the University of Miami, where he teaches, is handling the COVID outbreak, as well as his feelings on his native Cuba and his place in a long line of great Cuban percussionists. Musical selections include "Lazy Blues," "Feed the Lions," and "Con Alma."  

" I view Kenny as the most unique composer and pianist of his generation. Because he died young and avoided the spotlight, his brilliant compositions have been overlooked for too long" - Noah Haidu On the occasion of what would have been Kenny Kirkland's 65th birthday, pianist Noah Haidu is getting ready to release the first endeavor dedicated entirely to Kirkland’s original music. Noah's CD, Doctone (Sunnyside Records) will have a release party and trio concert at the Bop Stop in Cleveland tonight A short film Noah has prepared on Kenny's life will be shown as well.  Doctone, featuring pianist Haidu with Billy Hart, Steve Wilson, Gary Thomas, Todd Coolman, Jon Irabagon and Daniel Sadownick, will be formally released on Friday.  That same day, October 2,"The Music of Kenny Kirkland," a livestream from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, will take place, and features a concert and interviews with Haidu, saxophonist Steve Wilson, bassist Todd Coolman, and drummer Billy Hart, as well as film excerpts. And if that is not enough, there is also an original book about Kirkland’s life coming, featuring interviews with Sting, Jason Moran, Billy Hart, Delfeayo Marsalis, Jeff "Tain” Watts, Ronnie Burrage, Rodney Jones, Steve Wilson, Mark Sherman, Todd Coolman and Kenny’s brother, among others. In early 2019 Haidu  had begun to tour with a new band featuring Billy Hart and Tod Coolman and the inception of this trio gave Haidu the opportunity to present a fresh repertoire centered around Kirkland’s original compositions. Hart had a strong connection with the music. Kenny had been on his first two recording dates as a leader and they had played together during the 1970’s on various fusion, Afro-Latin, and avant-garde projects.   By summer 2019 the band decided to record nine of Kenny’s songs over a couple of days. The sessions were documented on video, and the musicians talked throughout about their relationship to Kenny and his music. Hart recalled the origins of some of the pieces and shared that he was having an “emotional reaction” to recording the music. Steve Wilson talked about the inspiration he felt when first hearing Kirkland with the Wynton Marsalis Quintet in the early 1980’s and how that band had inspired him and his contemporaries. The results are now available for us all to enjoy. Podcast 676 is my conversation with Noah, as we talk about the origins of the project, what he learned from delving into the life and music of Kenny Kirkland, and how he hopes the project to continue to grow over time. Musical selections from Doctone include Kirkland tunes "Blasphemy,", "Chambers of Tain," and "Mr. JC."

We are almost three-quarters of the way through the dumpster-fire that has been 2020, and Christian McBride has done more than his share to try to keep our minds on new music. No less than three of the top releases of this troubled year have his imprint, with a new release coming out this week.  Early in the year we finally got the long-awaited recording of his multi-part suite The Movement Revisisted: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons, dropping just as the battle of racial justice was once again hitting the headlines.  This summer saw the 25th anniversary of the release of Joshua Redman's first album, celebrated by reuniting Redman, McBride, Brad Mehldau and Brian Blade for a new album RoundAgain.  For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue Records) is a big Band album that pays homage to the famous recordings organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery made in the mid-Sixties.  Those albums were both quartet and Big Band sessions, arranged and led by Oliver Nelson. McBride has brought together his award-winning Big Band again, and put together a crack quartet to front it - himself on bass, Mark Whitfield on guitar, long-time drummer Quincy Phillips and -finally - organist Joey DeFrancesco. McBride and DeFrancesco are running buddies from their school days in Philadelphia, bur For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver marks the first time they have made an album-length collaboration.  Whether the Big Band is killing it on a bluesy "Night Train" or a stomping "Milestones," or the quartet is playing originals like Joey D's "Don Is" or a redo of Whitfield's "Medgar Evans Blues," there is plenty of the funky sound that Smith and Montgomery made to the max 55 years ago. DeFrancesco is in particularly good form, continuing his run of top-notch work over the past few years. Podcast 766 is my conversation with the always affable McBride, as we talk about the three recordings that came out this year, his upcoming collaboration with funk legend Bootsy Collins, and the tough decisions he has had to make regarding the Newport Jazz Festival and NJPac, where he serves as Jazz Advisor. Musical selections include "Road Song" and "Night Train" from For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver, "Rumble in the Jungle" from The Movement Revisisted, and his composition "Floppy Diss" from RoundAgain. 

I trust you have enjoyed the first two parts of my three-part conversation with bassist Mark Egan and drummer Danny Gottlieb this week. Mark and Danny have released Electric Blue this week, their first recorded duo project, on Egan's Wavetone imprint.  Check it out on CD, streaming, or high-quality vinyl to see what one of the most important rhythm sections of the electric era are up to today.  Mark and Danny came to public acclaim as members of the original Pat Metheny Group, and appeared together with Pat and the late Lyle Mays on the classic self-titled "white album" and follow-up American Garage.  Much of Podcast 765 is made up of Danny and Mark riffing on their days in the PMG, with plenty of tales of early gigs and life on the road. Both of those albums were on ECM Records, and Mark talks about how working with Manfred Eicher helped create the template he still follows on his own record label releases.  Musical selections for this podcast include "Jaco" from Pat Metheny Group, and "Down the Road" from Electric Blue. 

Podcast 764 is Part Two of my three part conversation with Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb. Having been partners in rhythm for almost fifty years, their latest release, Electric Blue, is their first recorded set of duets.  Part One was a detailed discussion of the making of Electric Blue, and the approaches bassist Egan and percussionist Gottlieb take in making recordings. Part Two continues the conversation where we left off, discussing the two's collaborations with other jazz and pop artists over the years, most notably their time in the Gil Evan Orchestra. There are also stories about playing with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and their collaborations with guitarist John Abercrombie, especially on Mark Egan's album As We Speak. They also reminisce about their days as students at the University of Miami, at a time when the possibilities for music seemed endless. Musical selections in this podcast include a recording of "Strange Fruit" made by the Gil Evans Orchestra during a live performance with Sting from 1987 in Perugia, Italy, and a remake of Egan's tune "Three Way Mirror," originally for his fusion group Elements, and here from As We Speak. Part Three will come at the end of the week! 

After nearly 50 years of playing music together, going back to their days as students at the University of Miami through their years of touring and recording as members of the original Pat Metheny Group, with the Gil Evans Monday Night Orchestra, exploring new tones and textures with their band Elements and heading up their own individual projects, bassist Mark Egan and Danny Gottlieb have forged an indelible chemistry that transcends time and notes on a page. On their first-ever duo recording, Electric Blue, the longtime musical partners showcase their rare empathy in a revealing stripped-down setting of just drums and bass. ” From the entrancing “Back and Forth” to the jauntily swinging “Cabareté,” the loping, lazy groover “Down the Road, the rubato soundscape “Blue Sound Bath,” the visceral funk of “Hookey” and the meditative closer “Offering,” Egan and Gottlieb showcase the results of their long musical partnership. With Egan’s distinctive singing fretless bass carrying the melodies and his layers of overdubbed fretted basses providing the harmonic content and Gottlieb shifting gears intuitively from ultra-sensitive (as on the stirring improv piece “Come What May” or the airy “Offering”) to all-out slamming mode (as on “Hookey” and the exhilarating title track), the interactive team can turn on a dime while evoking myriad spirits along the way. Talking with Mark and Danny was so engaging, and so illuminating, that our conversation became three separate podcasts. First comes 763, with the two rhythm aces talking about the making of Electric Blue, and featuring tracks “Back and Forth,” “Hooky,” and the title track. The podcast ends with the two reminiscing about their time with Gil Evans, and that is where Part Two will begin as well.

August 29 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Parker, Jr., best known to music fans as Charlie Parker, or simply "Bird." From his birth in Kansas City, Kansas to his untimely death at the age of 35, Parkerwas insgtrumental in re-creainge and establishing the music we call jazz. Regrettably, his early death from hard living and abusing drugs may also have perpetuated a stereotype of self-destructive black musicians.  In his topnotch blog JazzWax, writer Marc Myers recently addressed the Parker Centennial with five postings that try to illuminate how it was that Bird forever changed jazz.   I recoommend you read them all, and listen to his muscial examples. Here are the highlights: First and foremost was Parker's invention of "bebop" with his running mate, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Defined now as  music "characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure," bebop turned jazz from the big band sound of extensive charts to perform dance music and featured soloists, to music that required physical, musical and mental dexterity with which to improvise.  The core of bebop was Parker's inventive use of high speed improvisation using the chord changes of songbook standards. Most of the songs that became bebop standards were new songs written over the chord changes of older jazz tunes or Braodway standards. "Groovin' High" was based on an old Paul Whiteman song; "Dexterity," "Moose the Mooch," and "Steeplechase" come from Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm." Parker also turned the blues from something considered crude in  execution and structure to music that was a seductive, lyrical form.  He also became perhaps the first to united jazz and pop songs with a series of pioneering albums backed with strings.  Most interestingly was Myers view that Parker inadvertently helped launch the American Civil Rights movement among jazz musicians.: "By inventing bebop, which relied on sophisticated improvisational skills, Parker created a Black idiom that placed a focus on exceptional Black artists and their talent... As a result, a distinct sense of pride flowered among Black modern jazz artists in the late 1940s and early '50, and many became emboldened to demand equal rights and justice."  Podcast 762 is a selection of some of my - and hopefully your - favorite Parker tunes. I've intentionally added a few live tracks to show the length and breadth of Parker's soloing, which as awesome as it was, is often cut short by the recordings of the day. Musical selections are all attributed to Charlie Parker except where indicated, and include: "Donna Lee" "Star Eyes" "Tico Tico" - Charlie Parker & Machito "Hot House" "Relaxin' at Camarillo" "Loverman" "Ornithology" "Ah-Leu-Cha" "Dizzy Atmosphere" "Ko-Ko" "Groovin' High" - Barry Ulanov And His All Star Metronome Jazzmen "Confirmation (Take 3)" "Blues for Norman" - Jazz at the Philharmonic - Al Killian, Howard McGhee, Charlie Parker, Willie Smith, Lester Young, Arnold Ross, Billy Hadnott, Lee Young "A Night in Tunisia" - The Quintet - Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell, Max Roach

When bandleader/composer/arranger John Beasley began to reimagine the music of Thelonious through the vehicle of his inventive, versatile MONK’estra, it might have been easy to assume that he had created a continuing homage to one of jazz’s singular talents. Perhaps it would morph into something like the Mingus Big Band? But if that is what you thought, you would have been wrong. While both MONK’estra, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 garnered a pair of Grammy Award nominations apiece alongside widespread critical acclaim, the MONK’estra veers off in new directions on newest release, MONK’estra Plays John Beasley, on Mack Avenue Records. As the title implies, this time out the band shifts focus to its fearless leader’s own compositions and piano playing, alongside a quartet of Monk classics and a tune apiece by Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. MONK’estra Plays John Beasley brings the keyboardist full circle in more ways than one. While the two preceding albums focused more on Beasley’s arranging talent, he’s featured playing the piano on every track. Additionally, besides casting the lens of his brilliant ensemble on his own music for the first time, the album also reunites Beasley with several now-formidable artists with whom he performed with in his formative years nearly three decades ago. Reconfiguring the MONK’estra into a number of smaller combinations, Beasley brings together such peers and mentors as bassist John Patitucci and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, his bandmates in the early 90s quartet Audio Mind and Patitucci’s bands; organ great Joey DeFrancesco, whose footsteps he followed into the Miles Davis band in 1989; and legendary flutist Hubert Laws, who hired a 20-year old Beasley and Patitucci to play Carnegie Hall. MONK’estra Plays John Beasley is the latest reinvention in a career full of them. Beasley worked with iconic trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis while still in his 20s and has gone on to play with such greats as Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Steely Dan, Chaka Khan and Christian McBride. He serves as Music Director for the Herbie Hancock institute’s globe-spanning International Jazz Day concerts while touring the world with the MONK’estra. Along the way, Beasley has garnered five Grammy Award nominations and an Emmy Award. Podcast 761 is my conversation with John Beasley, as we discuss the flexible nature of the MONK’estra and its players; the inspiration for several of the Beasley compositions they recorded, and how the recent pandemic has allowed him to rethink his place in the universe. He also talks about the importance of Charlie Parker, as Beasley was to have been instrumental in Centennial concerts to celebrate Bird’s birthday. Musical selections from Monk'estra Plays John Beasley include the Monk compositions "Rhythmn-A-Ning/Evidence," and two Beasley originals, "Five Spot" and "Masekela."

Gregg August’s latest work could not be more timely. It’s entitled Dialogues on Race, Volume 1 and quite frankly, is there a more important topic for the world to be having a conversation about today? Using his experience as a classical musician, and modern classical composer, he has taken a broad subject and used various musical devices to illuminate this difficult matter. The death of Emmit Till becomes a touchstone for the work, as do poems from African-American writers. Now available on CD and double-vinyl LP as well as digitally via Iacuessa Records, Dialogues on Race is an album a decade in the making, the original evening-length suite having been commissioned by the Jerome Foundation and New York’s Jazz Gallery for a powerful 2009 premiere. August gradually refined the dozen pieces of Dialogues on Race for the subsequent recording sessions and assembled an ideal cast of voices: singers Frank Lacy , Shelley Washington and Forest Van Dyke , along with narrator Wayne Smith . The main poetic inspiration for Dialogues on Race was Marilyn Nelson’s “Your Only Child,” in which she compares the suffering of Mamie Till to Mary, Mother of Christ. August’s melody for that poem winds through the entire suite, including three different versions of that song: one sung by Lacy in a jazz style, another voiced by Washington in a reverential context and a third in an album-concluding instrumental rendition with August on solo arco bass. August wisely brought in some first call musicians to support the work, including JD Allen, (saxophone), John Bailey (trumpet), John Ellis (soprano saxophone), Rafi Malkiel (trombone) and Luis Perdomo (piano), along, with the Latin percussion of Mauricio Herrera and hard-grooving drums of Donald Edwards.  On the otherworldly “Mamie’s Reflections,” the album also features the moving voice of Emmett Till’s mother reflecting on the infamous 1955 lynching of her son in Mississippi, her recollections set to a collective improvisation with bass clarinet, tuba and the visceral undertow of August’s arco bass. Gregg has been tabbed a Rising Star on bass in the DownBeat Critics Poll in 2017, 2015 and 2013. He has performed widely as a member of the JD Allen Trio, recording nine acclaimed albums with the group, as well as working extensively with Arturo O’Farrill’s Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, including five Grammy-winning recordings. He is on faculty at New York University and the University of Connecticut, as well as the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival.   Podcast 760 is a deep dive into the marking of Dialogues on Race and includes musical selections, including “Your Only Child (first statement, male singer)” featuring the vocals of Frank Lacy, and “Sherbet (Just to be certain that the doubt stays on our side of the fence)” which kicks off the album.

David Gilmore’s second album for Criss Cross, From Here to Here, is just his sixth release as a bandleader. This seems to be a criminal lack of material, as Gilmore has spent the past 35 years as a key member of performances and recording sessions with the likes of Steve Coleman, Randy Brecker, Christian McBride, Cassandra Wilson and Wayne Shorter. Gilmore began his career as part of the M-Base Collective, and soon found himself in great demand, both as a jazz player and backing pop and rock acts as well. His latest album features his playing with a topnotch quartet, composed of Luis Perdomo (piano), Brad Jones (bass) and E.J. Strickland (drums). Made up of eight previously unrecorded Gilmore compositions, both old and new, plus a pair of nontraditional covers from the likes of Sam River Podcast 759 is my conversation with David, as we discuss From Here to Here, and his past work with Wayne Escoffery (The Humble Warrior was released this spring), Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter and even his time backing pop singer Joss Stone. Musical selections include the Bill Evans classic “Interplay” and “Metaverse,” plus “Benedictus” from Wayne Escoffery, “On the Milky Way Express” from Wayne Shorter’s Grammy-winning High Life, and Joss Stone’s “Super Duper Love,” recorded at the gigantic Live 8 Festival in London, England.

I crossed another "I've really got to talk to this cat" off my list earlier this summer when I finally got to interview bassist Martin Wind on the occasion of his new release White Noise.  Martin has been the rock of the rhythm section for groups led by Matt Wilson and Dena Derose for years, as well as recording a few albums under his own name.  White Noise is a most unusal trio album - bass, guitar and flugelhorn. And the players are, like Martin, some of the finest jazz players Europe has produced. Philip Catherine is on guitar, and his inimitable style shines through, whether he is comping or letting a solo rip from his acoustic guitar. Rounding out the group is the ageless Ack von Rooyen, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this fall.  The result is a wonderfully soothing, and yet dynamic set of tunes. WInd has chosen standards as the jumping off point for three of the collaborations, but two Wind compositions are the highlights. "The Dream" was written for a collaboration with Pat Metheny, but Catherine is more than up to the task. And "Genius and a Saint," written to honor the memory of Martin's friend Bob Bowen, is simultaneously elegaic and uplifting.  Musical selections from White Noise include the title track, Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" and the moving "Genius and a Saint," plus "Cruise Blues" from the Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts album An Attitude for Gratitude. 

I’ve been a big fan of the Ropeadope Experiment series, beginning back in June 2001 with The Philadelphia Experiment - featuring ?uestlove, Christian McBride, and Uri Caine with special guest Pat Martino. The Detroit Experiment, produced by Aaron Luis Levinson and Carl Craig, followed soon after with a stellar cast including Amp Fiddler, Geri Allen, Karriem Riggins and many more. 2007 saw the release of The Harlem Experiment, once again produced by Levinson, which dug into a crossover blend of Latin Jazz and Funk with a diverse cast including Steven Bernstein, Carlos Alomar, Don Byron, Taj Mahal, Olu Dara, Queen Esther, and Steve Berrios. Now we are poised to hear The Chicago Experiment, born of collaborations organized by Greg Spero and his hometown friends Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, Irvin Pierce, Jeff Parker, and Darryl Jones.  Mentored by the great Herbie Hancock, Greg Spero has been making improvisational music that is difficult to categorize. Touring as keyboardist for pop singer Halsey as she made her big move on the charts gave him the range of experience and confidence on any stage. With his Spirit Fingers bandmates, bassist Max Gerl, drummer Mike Mitchell and guitarist Dario Chiazzolino, he picks and chooses from the sounds of fusion and groove and takes off into pop and Hip-Hop exploration. The addition of some guest artists, plus singers like Judi Jackson make Peace, their latest release, worth repeated listening. Greg’s Tiny Records’ Tiny Rooms Sessions have spawned some further musical stews, and the latest single from that project “Easily Offended” has just been released. Podcast 757 is my conversation with Greg, as we talk about the widely diverse musical projects he has been working on, and hear “Maxwell Street” form The Chicago Experiment, plus tracks from Peace, and “Easily Offended.”

In keeping with our recent podcasts about piano trios, Podcast 755 is a converation with veteran drum legend Jeff Hamilton. His career has spanned almost every type of ensemble - the Big Bands of Woody Herman and Count Basie, the exotic quartet the L.A. 4 with Ray Brown, Bud Shank and Laurondo Almedida, and backing singers from Ella Fitzgerald to Diana Krall to Natalie Cole.    He has two working trios right now, and Catch Me If You Can is the latest with pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Jon Hamar. It's a classic swinging trio, mixing rearranged versions of Big Band standards like "Moonray" and "Big Dipper" with band originals.  Whether its the uptempo title track, ballads like "The Pond" or Brazilian tunes like "Lapinha," the playing is top-notch, and the group sound is always memorable.   Hamilton is both the leader of his own trio as well as well as one of the founders of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and the Akiko-Hamilton-Dechter trio. An always-in-demand drummer, Hamilton calls Los Angeles home, and as been waiting out the recent pandemic teaching and giving master classes.     We talked about the new album at length, as well as sharing stories about Jeff's past gigs with Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Brown, Diana Krall and more. Musical selections from Catch Me If You Can include the title tracks, "Moonray" and "Lapinha," along with "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" from the Hamilton Trio's recording with the late Wilfred Brimley, and "Williwaw" from the L.A. 4 album Watch What Happens.     

It's past the midpoint in what has been a hot and sticky summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for these remaining lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've now done eight previous Dog Day postings, Podcast 292, Podcast 225, Podcast 442, Podcast 492 , Podcast 546, Podcast 588 , Podcast 632  and Podcast 695, if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There may be a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they said on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get, but of course - do it while socially distancing.  Podcast 756 features the following uninterrupted hour of music, all with summer or summery activites and themes, featuring a few new tunes I've recently received from upcoming or imminent releases: Allegra Levy - "Samba de Beach" The Rippingtons - "One Summer Night in Brazil" Spyro Gyra - "Summer Fling" Till Broenner - "Summer Breeze" Sarah Jane Cion - "Summer Night" Jimmy Smith - "Picknickin'" The Greyboy Allstars - "Warm Brass" Wes Montgomery - "Green Leaves of Summer" Susi Hyldgaard - "In the Summertime" Black Magic Orchestra - "Ocean Beach" Stan Getz - "A Summer Afternoon" Rufus Reid - "Summer's Shadow" Phil Woods Quintet - "Summertime"

One of the best piano trios you might not have heard much of over the past fifteen years has been the group lead by pianist Denny Zeitlin. With Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums, the three top-notch musicians have recorded five wonderful albums for the Sunnyside label. Living on opposite coasts of the US, the trio interacts sporadically, making the wonder of their live performances all the more delightful.  Live at Mezzrow is their latest release, and it is a topnotch collection of standards and Zeitlin originals. From classics like "Dancing in the Dark" to tunes by Billy Strayhorn and Wayne Shorter, the group finds ways to bring new nuance to familiar tunes. Whether it's reharmonizing or rethinking a melody, Zeitlin continues to show why he is a top interpreter.  Now in his early eighties, he has built two careers simultaeously - as a pianist, and as a practicing psychiatrist, having earned his MD from Johns Hopkins in 1964. A native of Chicago, Zeitlin has shown himself to be comfortable working on avant-garde projects with drummer George Marsh, solo piano interpretations of the Great American Songbook, and with a number of trios over the years. He wrote and recorded the electronic-acoustic symphonic score for the critically acclaimed remake of Invasion of he Body Snatchers in 1978. Podcast 752 is my conversation with Denny, as we discuss what makes his trio with Williams and Wilson so special, how he searches to find new elements in classic tunes, and the manner in which his study of psychiatry has illuminated his work as an improviser.  Musical selections from Live at Mezzrow include "The Man I Love" and a Zeitlin original, "10 Bar Tune."

This weekend should have been the annual Newport Jazz Festival. Regrettably, the worldwide pandemic that has stopped liver performances everywhere has made it impossible for the Festival organizers and Artistic Director Christian McBride to go forward.  Summer just isn't summer for me without the great jazz festivals I normally attend, or for that matter from simple one-off local shows on the Town Green. This is a m ost difficult time for performers, for those who put on festivals, and those who attend. Here's hopeing things are better for 2021. So my suggestion is to listen to Podcast 754, composed of an hour of music from Newport Jazz Festivals of the past while sitting outisde enjoying the weather. We go from the Festival's memorable performances from the Fifties by Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Ray Charles (pictured above), Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie to Stan Getz in the Sixties, ending with recent performances. Musical selections inclulde: Thelonious Monk - "Blue Monk" Duke Ellington - "Jeep's Blues" Ray Charles - "Blues Watz" Miles Davis - "Seven Steps to Heaven" Dizzy Gillespie - "Manteca" Stan Getz Quartet - "Sweet Rain" Joe Lovano Quartet - "Big Ben" Herbie Hancock - "Actual Proof" James Carter Organ Trio - "Pour Que Ma Vie Demeure"  

On “World Music Day”, June 21, a day that celebrated the contributions of musicians worldwide, a group called the Music Workers Alliance launched an unemployment countdown clock, ominously counting the days until July 31, when enhanced unemployment benefits (the extra $600 weekly called FPUC - Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation) are set to expire. Each day of the countdown, MWA published a story from a music worker about how they are coping with a broken unemployment system since the live performance shut down due to the pandemic, a.k.a. “the day the music died.” These stories show that the $600 of the FPUC is a critical lifeline for music workers, most of whom face another year without live performance and touring. The stories introduce you to workers who have lost their livelihood, help explain some of the challenges of an industry that will continue to be shut down for the foreseeable future, and asks the question: who cares for the artist? You can view music workers pandemic unemployment stories on their social media and on their website.  Music Workers Alliance is an organization of, by, and for independent musicians and DJs. It’s mission is to further Musician/DJ empowerment through collective economic and political action. MWA members are affiliated with Arts for Art, Building Beats, Indie Musicians Caucus and the Jazz Advisory Committee of Local 802 AFM, MOMENT NYC, Musicians for Musicians, NYC Artist Coalition, Sound Mind Collective, Underground Producers Alliance and many other organizations. I spoke with two members of the MWA steering committee, Olympia Kazi and Jerome Harris on June 28th, with just three days remaining until the FPUC is set to expire. Our talk illuminates the many issues facing performing artists today – not just musicians, but those in the theatre, dance, and other performing arts, and also those who make their livelihood in the support industries of lighting design, choreography, catering, and yes, even ticket taking. Please take a moment to forward this Podcast to your Senators and Representatives. As my guests indicated, elected official place great importance on the comments of their constituency, and a tweet, email or Facebook or Instagram posting that tags your elected official will call their attention to this crucial issue.

The centennial celebration of Peggy Lee’s birth continues to be commemorated with new music releases and the airing of an updated documentary. Honoring one of the 20thcentury’s most important musical influences in the world of jazz and popular music, and in conjunction with UMe/Capitol, the Peggy Lee Estate recently released The Capital Transcriptions 1946-1949 and the airing of an updated edition of “Fever: The Music of Peggy Lee” partnership with American Public Television. During the 1940s, Capitol’s Transcription Library Service produced records exclusively for radio airplay and not commercial sale. From 1946-1949, Peggy Lee, backed mostly by a small jazz group, recorded masters for the Capitol Transcription Library Service. The Capitol Transcriptions 1946-1949, features 55 songs making their worldwide digital debut and includes two early Peggy Lee compositions, “Don’t Be So Mean To Baby” and “I Don’t Know Enough About You.” “Fever: The Music of Peggy Lee”, which originally aired in 2004, has been newly updated for the centennial commemoration. The 60-minute PBS program, which will air in select markets in mid-July and premieres in most areas the week of August 29, explores her life and songs as told in her own words, though vintage interviews and performances. Check local listings for air dates and times.  This year has already seen the release of Ultimate Peggy Lee, a pristine and carefully curated career retrospective that features her hits, five songs she co-wrote, as well as the previously unreleased “Try A Little Tenderness,” which makes its world debut 57 years after it was recorded. Also recently released is Peggy Lee Decca Rarities, a 31-song digital-only collection of artistically and commercially successful recordings over her career with Decca Records. Eleven of the featured tracks were co-composed by Lee, among these are seven songs co-written by Lee and Sonny Burke for Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, some of which did not make the final film. Though long associated with Capitol Records, Peggy Lee recorded with Decca for five years (1952-1956). Born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, she was christened Peggy Lee in 1937 by a local North Dakota deejay. A 13-time GRAMMY Award-nominee, Peggy Lee helped redefine what it meant to be a female singer with her captivating voice, which continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. Her compositions and recordings, including “It’s A Good Day,” “I Don’t Know Enough About You” and “I Love Being Here With You,” can be heard today in countless television shows and feature films. Best known for such songs as “Is That All There Is?,” “Fever,” “Why Don’t You Do Right,” and “I’m A Woman,” which made her a jazz and pop legend, she recorded over 50 albums and amassed over 100 chart entries. She won the GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance for her 1969 hit “Is That All There Is?” In 1995, she received the GRAMMY’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Coined “the female Frank Sinatra” by Tony Bennett, Miss Lee did something few of her male counterparts ever attempted: she wrote songs. As one of the foremothers of the singer-songwriter school, Lee ranks among the most successful female singer-songwriters in the annals of American popular music. Over her remarkable seven-decade career, singer, songwriter and composer Peggy Lee wrote over 250 songs and recorded over 1,100 masters. Podcast 751 is my conversation with Peggy’s granddaughter, Holly Foster Wells, who is responsible for preserving Miss Lee’s musical legacy (and doing a fine job of it!). We talk about her memories of her famous grandmother, and talk about Miss Lee’s career in film, recording and songwriting, as well as her famous litigation with the Walt Disney Company over royalties for the home video release of “Lady and the Tramp.” Musical selections include "Old Trusty," a track intended for “Lady and the Tramp” and now found on Peggy Lee Decca Rarities and four of her best loved tunes that can be found on the Ultimate Pggy Lee album, "I Don't Know Enough About You," "He's a Tramp," her Grammy winning "Is That All There Is?," and for my money, the definitive version of "Black Coffee."

It’s been a pleasure to watch pianist Christian Sands grow as a composer, musician and bandleader. By the time he was ready to graduate from Manhattan School of Music, he had released three trio albums and been nominated for a Latin Grammy as part of the School’s  Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, led by Bobby Sanabria. Tabbed by Christian McBride to be part of his quintet Insight Straight, Sands quickly became known as one of finest young pianists of his generation. Be Water is his fourth release on the Mack Avenue label, and it finds him to mature as an artist.  His compositions show him willing to take chances, and the band he has assembled for the sessions is top notch. Anchored by long-time collaborator Yasushi Nakamura (bass) and drummer Clarence Penn, he continues to bring in ace players like guitarist Marvin Sewell, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, trumpeter Sean Jones and trombonist Steve Davis. On one piece, the ensemble is supplemented by a string quartet featuring Sara Caswell, Tomoko Akaboshi, Benni von Gutzeit and Eleanor Norton. Sands is more than just a top jazz musician – he is a jazz fan. Out conversation is peppered with his enthusiasm for his musicians, and for others he he has had a chance to work with, including drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and singer Gregory Porter.  Further, he has spent much of the past few years helping preserve the legacy of pianist Erroll Garner, both by performing Garner’s works with his High-Wire Trio (with  bassist Luques Curtis, and drummer Terreon Gully) and serving as Creative Ambassador for the Erroll Garner Jazz Project at the University of Pittsburgh. Podcast 750 is my conversation with Christian Sands, as we talk about his many projects, including the making of Be Water. Musical selections from the album include one of two songs entitled “Be Water”, plus “Still”, a tune featuring Marvin Sewell, and a cover of the Blind Faith classic “Can’t Find My Way Home.”  From Nat King Cole & Me, his recording with Gregory Porter, comes “Pick Yourself Up.”

It's always a delight to speak with alto sax star Rudresh Mahanthappa. Possessed of a deep knowledge and deeper interest in a wide variety of topics, he brings a wry sense of humor to any discussion we have had.  The release of his Hero Trio album is well worth talking about. Backed by longtime collaborators Francois Moutin (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums), Rudresh pays homage to some of the musicians he has respected and felt influenced by over the years. The artists can be as widely varied, from Charlie Parker to Johnny Cash to Stevie Wonder.  The three members of the group work their magic on these borrowed tunes, playing with harmonics, and timing, as well as existing melodies. The results are often magical, as the songs soon become thier own.  The Covid-19 cancellations have hit Mahanthappa hard. Not only is he not playing gigs to support Hero Trio, but he was set to co-lead the official Charlie Parker Centennial tribute tour with Teri Lynne Carrington. Planned to span the globe during 2020, we will be lucky if we get to see the show sometime in 2021. the director of the jazz program at Princeton, Rudresh also faces the possibility of restricted contact with students for the 2020-21 year.  Podcast 749 is my conversation with Rudresh, as we discuss the making of Hero Trio, how he is spending his free time now that his tours and Princeton teaching is on hiatus, and some new multi-media projects he has planned with visual artist Eric Dyer. Musical selections from Hero Trio include "Ring of Fire," "I'll Remember April." and "Red Cross."

Back on January 20th - and doesn't that seem like a year or so ago? - I posted Podcast 720, which featured Cathy RIch, the daughter of legendary drummer Buddy Rich, talking about her father, and the posthumous release of Just in Time: The Final Recording, a live set recorded at Ronnie Scott's in London. At that time, we also talked about the publication of Buddy Rich -One of a Kind: The Making of The World’s Greatest Drummer, a biography by Pelle Berglund. Five months later, I have Dr. Bruce Klauber on the show to discuss the book, which is a strikingly detailed history of Rich's career. And what a carrer it was! From vaudeville through swing and bop, and more, Rich was at the center of almost every major historical event in jazz history. Many of those he played with - from Bunny Berigan, Artie Shaw, and Tommy Dorsey through Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonious Monk and beyond - were not well known to me, and so the book becomes an important guide. Rich is a complex figure, and the stories of his temper and stubborness often overshadow his generosity, love for jazz, and support for those he cared for. This book gives us a chance to see beyond the tough-guy veneer he carefully cultivated, and perhaps get a glimpse of the real man.  Dr. Klauber is an unabashed fan of Rich, and of the great drummers of the swing period in particular. He is the biographer of jazz great Gene Krupa, and writer/producer of the Warner Brothers “Jazz Legends” DVD series,  As a drummer, he has played with dozens of jazz giants, including Al Grey, Milt Buckner, Pepper Adams, Jerry Dodgian, Charlie Ventura, and singers Anita O’Day and Joanie Sommers.   Podcast 748 is my conversation with Bruce, as we discuss the ups and downs of the career of Buddy Rich, and how the book came to be. Musical selections from Buddy RIch as a sideman and leader include: Ella Fitzgerald, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich - "Basin Street Blues" and Buck Clayton, Trummy Young, Willie Smith, Flip Phillips, Kenny Kersey, Benny Fonville, Buddy Rich - "Bell Boy Blues," both from The Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic on Verve: 1944-1949. Charlie Parker - "Just Friends" from Charlie Parker with Strings. Buddy Rich - "Solo 4 (Live from Sacramento, CA, 1977)" from The Solos. 

What is a musician to do when he can't play in front of audiences? Or if her studio time has been cancelled?  And how does he or she deal with the lack of supporting musicians? If you are Ben Goldberg, you use this time to create "Plague Diary", a musical diary of new material posted every day to Bandcamp.  Existing only as a series of digital downloads (althugh purchasers can stream it on Bandcamp as well), Plague Diary can be heard as one artist's questioning of how to express himself in difficult times. Goldberg puts himself on a daily deadline, and delivers something well worth listening to every day. The pieces range from a little over a minute to well over ten minutes in time. Sometimes the recordings are just Goldberg on his clarinet, and others feature his treatments using delay pedals, key boards and synths. For the most part, the titles are merely the dates of the posting. One piece - posted on June 4 - is entitled "8:46" and honors George Floyd by having Goldberg struggle simply to breathe through his clarinet.  I last featured Ben five years ago when he released the deeply felt Orphic Machine, which featured him with long-time collaborator Kenny Wolleson, along with standouts like Myra Medford, Nels Cline, Ches Smith, Ron Miles and Greg Cohen. He continues to be busy making recordings, some of which we discuss in the Podcast.  Musical selections from Plague Diary include "March 23," "April 5," and "May 10 - for Elissa Goldberg."

Whether its on baritone sax, alto flute or bass clarinet, Dr. Brian Landrus is among the most exciting players and composers around. Just over forty years old, and a newly minted Ph.D. from Rutgers University, Brian has been made several of the most interesting recording of the past few years. From The Deep Below in 2015, his large ensemble work Generations in 2017 and the new release For Now, Landrus writes, arranges and performs music that marks him as a talent to keep watching and listening to.  For Now is at it's core a quartet recording, featuring topnotch collaborators like Fred Hersch (piano), Drew Gress (bass) and Billy Hart (drums). Trumpeter Mike Rodriguez joins in on a few tracks, as does a string section made up of Sara Caswell (violin), Joyce Hamman (violin), Lois Martin (viola) and Jody Redhage-Ferber (cello).  The music wears its heart on its sleeve, featuring intimate performances of moving, emotional music.  Landrus has now released ten albums as a leader, and recorded with large ensembles like the Gil Evans Project and those led by Ken Schaphorst, Frank Carlberg and NIcholas Urie. Named a "Rising Star" on Baritone Sax and Bass Clarinet by Downbeat, you may have caught him on stage with the Maria Schneider Orchestra or the Darcy James Argue's Secret Society at jazz festivals in the past year or so.  Podcast 745 is my conversation with Brian, as we discuss the making of For Now, and features musical selections including Landrus compositions "The Signs" and "The Night of Change," plus a moving duet with Fred Hersch on Thelonious Monk's "Ruby My Dear."

Jimmy Cobb, one of the most important drummers in jazz from the 1950's on, has died at the age of 91. The cause was lung cancer.  Had he only played on Kind of Blue, the 1959 masterpiece from the Miles Davis Sextet, his mark in the jazz world would have been made. His subtle pulse, all brushes, cymbals and snare, make the music from that historic day breathe, and along with his running mate Paul Chambers on bass, anchored the music, letting Miles, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly and pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly the necessary room to take flight.  But Cobb played on other memorable Miles albums as well, most notably Sketches of Spain.  Coltrane brought him (and Kelly to join Chambers) in for his sublime touch on the classic ballad "Naima."  Kelly, Chambers and Cobb made a number of top albums as the Wynton Kelly Trio, and a classic when the backed Wes Montgomery in Smokin' at the Half Note.  I had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy as he led Cobb's Mob through a set of hard bop tunes one evening. Well into his eighties then, he seemed ageless behind the drum set, ready to call for one more tune at any time. He will be missed.  Musical selections for Podcast 746 include: Miles Davis - "Two Bass Hit" from Miles Davis at Newport: 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series vol. 4  Wynton Kelly Trio - "The Surrey With the Fringe On Top" from Wynton Kelly!  Jimmy Cobb's Mob - title track from Cobb's Groove Pat Martino - "Oleo" from Desperado John Coltrane - "Naima" from Giant Steps Jimmy Cobb - "Composition 101" from The Original Mob Sarah Vaughan - "I Could Write a Book" from Live at Rosy's Cannonball Adderley - "Fuller Bop Man" from Cannonball Adderley's Sharpshooters Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio - "Four on Six" from  Smokin' at the Half Note.  Jimmu Cobb - "John Charles" from Cobb's Corner Miles Davis - "All Blues" from Kind of Blue  

Here's Part Two of my conversation with Chris Crenshaw, a top trombonist and one of the many fascinating musicians who make up the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. In this Podcast, Chris, talks about more recent releases on Blue Engine Records from the JLCO archives, including their take on Duke Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige and Handful of Keys, a collection of tunes featuring guest piano players like Myra Melford, Helen Sung, Dan Nimmer and Joey Alexander.  He also clues us in on a future release from the Georgia Horns, with fellow Peach Staters Marcus Printup, Stantawn Kendrick, Kenny Banks, Jr., Kevin Smith, and Brandon McCrae.  We also talk about Chris' contributions to "Shuffle Along," the Broadway musical that earned ten Tony Award nominations.  Musical selections in this Podcast include "Emancipation Celebration" from Black, Brown and Beige and Joey Alexander's take on "Very Early" with the JLCO from Handful of Keys,.

Blue Engine Records, the label operated by Jazz at Lincoln Center, continues to release more exciting music for us to enjoy. Reaching into their rich archives of performances form the past four years, they have recently released two albums that feature one of their top trombonists, Christopher Crenshaw. The Fifties: A Prism was a highlight of the 2017-2018 season. A suite written in six parts by Crenshaw, the work attempts to highlight some of the many musical genres and styles of one of Jazz's golden ages, the 1950's. From Latin to Modal to Big Band to Avant-Garde, Crenshaw and the JLCO view the time as through a prism, refracting historic movements and themes into a contemporary work of art.  Crenshaw also contributed to the JLCO tribute to University of Kansas basketball, Rock Chalk Suite, composing the opening tune in honor of James Naismith, the founder of basketball.  He also added a vocal to "The Truth," in honor of Paul Pierce.  Crenshaw has been a mainstay of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for the better part of fourteen years, writing, performing and arranging for the group. Outside of JLCO, he founded the Georgia Horns, with fellow Peach Staters Marcus Printup, Stantawn Kendrick, Kenny Banks, Jr., Kevin Smith, and Brandon McCrae.  Chris was an integral part of "Shuffle Along," the musical that earned ten Tony Award nominations.  Part One of my conversation with Chris Crenshaw covers the creation and recording of The Fifties: A Prism and Rock Chalk Suite.  Part Two will feature Chris' take on the mission of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, as well as his other projects and pending work.  Musical selections in the Podcast include "Just A-Slidin'" and "Unorthodox Sketches" from The Fifties: A Prism, and "The Y's Guy" from Rock Chalk Suite.  

If we were not living through the nightmare of COVID-19, promoter Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment would be busy with jazz shows across the world, and would be gearing up for presenting the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival.  But these are strange days indeed, and Danny finds that all of his hard work has gone for naught. At least for the foreseeable future, there will be no live music to hear and see in person. Podcast 742 is my conversation with Danny, as he talks about the state of live performance, music streaming and the futures of jazz clubs and musicians. In addition, he is working on two projects worthy of attention. The first is participating in the creation of the Jazz Coalition. Jazz Coalition aims to unite the global jazz community by welcoming  industry professionals, musicians, and supporters into an inclusive network. In an effort to boost collective morale during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jazz Coalition is mobilizing to support artists by awarding juried $1,000.00 commissions for the creation of new works.  Members of the Jazz Coalition - and anyone can become a member for the cost of $100.00 - can nominate artists for commissions. Artists like Terri Lyne Carrington  and Joshua Redman will serve on a panel to make the awards. Melnick has worked with Justice Aid for years, assisting the social justice fund raising organization by curating benefit concerts. In the absence of live shows today, he is helping with their first online benefit concert, "Voices to Protect the Vote," with proceeds going to the nonpartisan Election Protection organization. The concert will take  place on Monday May 18 at 7:00 on Justice Aid's YouTube channel and feature artists from varying genres, including David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Paula Cole, and Blue Note vocalist Kandace Springs. The show is hosted by Rita Houston, NYC’s WFUV (90.7) Program Director  There is no new music to feature in the Podcast, so on a note of optimism, I end with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt performing "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Enjoy. 

We've lost another giant. Lee Konitz, the alto sax player whose career spanned from bebop in the clubs of Broadway to the present has passed away from COVID-19 related issues. he was 92. One of the players introduced to me by my father, Konitz found a way to do it all during his 70 odd years in jazz. He helped invent improvisational jazz with Lenny Tristano and Wayne Marsh. He pioneered "Cool Jazz" with Miles Davis on The Birth of the Cool and in sessions with Gerry Mulligan. There seemed to be no one he would not take a gig or session with, and turn them inside out playing ballads and uptempo swingers alike.  Whether the collaborator was Ornette Coleman or Dave Bruneck, Stan Kenton or Charles Mingus, the results were always memorable Blessed with a wry sense of humor (he loved to title compositions with his name in them, as in "Subconscious Lee") and an intense work ethic, Konitz's legacy included an NEA Jazz Master designation.  I had the pleasure of catching a duet session with his long-time pianist Dan Tepfer at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston back in 2015, preceded by a conversation with Tim Hagens on his career in music. Lee was warm, funny and man, could he play. A most wonderful afternoon.  Podcast 741 is an hour plus of the music of Lee Konitz, as a band leader and collaborator, These are not necessarily his greatest performances, but rather those that mean something to me, while covering seventy years of legendary music.  Musical selections include: Lee Konitz - "Five, Four and Three" Lee Konitz - "Subconscious Lee" Miles Davis - "Godchild (Live at the Royal Roost)" Lee Konitz & Wayne Marsh -"Lennie Bird" Lee Konitz /Bill Frisell /Gary Peacock /Joey Baron; - "Stella by Starlight" Dave Pile - "The Doors of Perception" Lee Konitz & the Gerry Mulligan Quartet - "Broadway" Ethan Iverson, Lee Konitz, Larry Grenadier & Jorge Rossy - "Blueberry Ice Cream Take 2" Lennie Tristano - "Intuition" Lee Konitz - "Lover Man" Lee Konitz - "Blues for Bird" Lee Konitz & Dan Tepfer - "Body and Soul"

A lengthy conversation with Wolfgang Muthspiel has been a long overdue podcast to prepare for my listeners. The Austrian born guitarist, composer and record label owner has been among the most dynamic guitarists of recent years, and has made some shining albums for ECM. His latest release, Angular Blues, is a return to the trio format, following two acclaimed quintet releases. Wolfgang once again has long-time collaborator Brian Blade on drums; but instead of his usual running buddy, Larry Grenadier, on bass, this time it's Scott Colley, whose unique sound helps imbue this trio with its own dynamic. Muthspiel recorded Angular Blues on both electric and nylon-string acoustic guitar, bringing a different sonic quality to the various tracks. There is a tremendous sense of conversation among these three stellar musicians, as Blade and Colley bring much more than rhythmic and harmonic support to the guitar.  Most of the tunes are originals, but for the first time on an ECM release, Wolfgang brings his version of two standards, "Everything I Love" and "I'll Remember April." He mostly eschews guitar effects here, with the notable exception of his “Kanon” recordings, where his delay allows him to converse with himself. Muthspiel has released almost an album a year since 2007, including trio settings with Slava Grigoryan and Ralph Towner, Blade and Grenadier, and Andi Scherer and Grenadier. His most recent ECM releases were star-studded quintet albums featuring Ambrose Akinmusire, Brad Mehldau, Grenadier and Eric Harland. Muthspiel is a graduate of “Gary Burton University,” having held the guitar spot occupied by legends from Larry Coryell to Pat Metheny. John Scofield to Julian Lage. His most recent performances have been larger scale pieces, working with orchestras in Europe. Podcast 740 is an hour-long presentation, as Wolfgang talks about the making of Angular Blues, what he looks for in his sidemen, and his past recordings with his brother Christian, Gary Burton and others. Musical selections include the title track from Angular Blues, “Everything I Love” and “Kanon in 5/4;” “Nowhere” from his collaboration with singer Rebekka Bakken, Daily Mirror, on his Material Records label; “Tiznit” from his collaboration with his brother called Muthspiel & Muthspiel; and “Take Another Look” with the Gary Burton Quintet from Cool Nights.

Wallace Roney, one of the top trumpet players in the world today, died this week from complications from COVID-19. He was 59.  Roney was one of the "Young Lions" that invigorated straight ahead jazz in the 1990's. Chosen by Miles Davis as his heir apparent, he was a close friend and collaborator with Miles from 1985 until Davis' death in 1991.  He spent time with Art Blakey and Tony Williams, and learned to bring younger musicians to the bandstand from them.  Wallace's sound was strikingly similar to that of Davis, but in time he became known for his own style, sound and compositions. He recorded more than twenty albums as a band leader, often with his then-wife pianist Geri Allen and brother saxophonist Antoine Roney.  In the past few years, he worked extensively, and not always successfully, to bring Wayne Shorter's "Universe" to the public. That work, written for Miles but never recorded by him, was performed in a number of high profile concerts, but the recording of it remains unfortunately unreleased.  I was pleased to call Wallace a friend, and he made several appearances on Straight No Chaser.  His final visit came in September 2019,, talking about his final release  Blue Dawn  Blue Nights.  We emailed a few weeks ago, and now he is gone.  But his music will live on forever, and Podcast 739 is a selection of some of my favorite tunes he recorded as a band leader or sideman. They include: Wallace Roney - "Opus One Point Five" Wallace Roney - "Children of the Light" Wallace Roney - "Elegy" Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams and Wallace Roney - "So What" (live) Wallace Roney - "The Pharoah" Chick Corea & Friends - "Bud Powell" Wallace Roney - "Wolfbane" Wallace Roney Quintet - "Geri" Wallace Roney - "I Will Always Love You"

Felipe Salles lives a few towns away from me in Western Massachusetts, but his latest album tackles a subject that concerns people from all over the Western hemisphere. The New Immigrant Experience, written and conducted by Salles with the 18-piece Interconnections Ensemble, is a powerful new multimedia work inspired by the lives of “Dreamers,” the almost seven hundred thousand individuals currently protected by DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Written by Salles –who emigrated from Brazil to the United States in 1995 – and developed with the aid of a Guggenheim fellowship, the work uses speech cadences and melodic motifs based on key words as its main source of musical material. The compelling and personal stories it tells were collected through interviews Salles conducted with a group of nine Dreamers during the summer of 2018. Videos of the interviews were created by Fernanda Faya, and eventually incorporated into a multimedia presentation. A DVD of the work is included in the physical purchase. The work premiered in April 2018 at performances in New York City and Massachusetts, and was subsequently recorded in the studio. A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Felipe Salles has been an active musician in the US since 1995, working and recording with prominent jazz artists including Randy Brecker, David Liebman, Lionel Loueke, Duduka Da Fonseca, Maucha Adnet, Luciana Souza, and Bob Moses. He has toured extensively in Europe, North and South America, India and Australia, as a sideman and as a leader of his own group. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by some of the top groups in the world including The Metropole Orchestra, UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra, and the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. Salles has released seven critically acclaimed recordings as a leader, making DownBeat Magazine best albums of the year list in 2013, 2014, 2017 and again in 2019. The Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble features : saxes/woodwinds Jonathan Ball, alto and soprano saxes, flute, piccolo; Mike Caudill, tenor and soprano saxes, flute, clarinet, electronic effects; Rick DiMuzio, tenor sax, clarinet (Kevin Sun will be performing the CD release dates); Tyler Burchfield, bari sax, bass clarinet, clarinet; trumpets/ flugelhorns Jeff Holmes; Don Clough; Yuta Yamaguchi; Eric Smith, electronic effects; Doug Olsen; trombones Clayton DeWalt; Randy Pingrey (George Murphy will be performing the CD release dates); Bulut Gülen; Angel Subero, bass trombone; pianist Nando Michelin; guitarist Kevin Grudecki; vibraphonist Ryan Fedak; bassist Keala Kaumeheiwa; and drummer/percussionist Bertram Lehmann. Musical selections from The New Immigrant Experience include "Did You Eat..." and "It's Just Lines on the Ground."

I liked Lakecia Benjamin’s first two CDs. They were fun - funky and swinging. But they were not that memorable. I love her new CD. Pursuance: The Coltranes, pays homage to two of the greatest musical innovators of the 20th century, John and Alice Coltrane. That’s some pretty tough company to put yourself near, given the married couple are among the greatest improvisers and creators of spiritual jazz. By wisely bringing together new and old jazz masters – from her mentor (and the album’s co-producer) Reggie Workman, who was a regular Coltrane collaborator, and his peers Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, Regina Carter, and Dee Dee Bridgewater to Ms. Benjamin’s generational stars Meshell Ndgecello, Steve Wilson, Marc Cary, Keyon Harrold, Marcus Strickland, Brandee Younger and Jazzmeia Horn, Lakecia has created a perfect storm of talent and desire. The result is truly memorable. Ms. Benjamin has studied and played with Workman and Coltrane alumnus Rashied Ali, so she has the background to build upon. What was not apparent form her previous recordings was the depth of her sax playing, which captures the spirit of the adventurous couple without trying to mimic or copy their tone or style. Among her strengths are mixing lyrics and spoken word with her playing, most notably on “Acknowledgement” from A Love Supreme. Dee Dee Bridgewater and hip-hop pioneers The Last Poets allow Lakecia to take the tune to new places, all of them thrilling. Pursuance is a strong and memorable album, featuring exciting takes on seven John Coltrane tunes, and six from Alice.   Lakecia has been a major part of singer Gregory Porter’s band for the past few years, and she has appeared with Stevie Wonder , the David Murray Big Band , Vanessa Rubin , James "Blood" Ulmer and Craig (TV’s “The Office”) Robinson and the Nasty Delicious . Benjamin’s usual set up with her band, Lakecia Benjamin and Soul Squad , presents music that is immersed in the vintage sounds of James Brown , Maceo Parker , Sly and the Family Stone and the Meters as well as classic jazz. Podcast 737 is my conversation with Lakecia Benjamin, where she remembers first hearing the Coltranes (spoiler alert – she heard Alice first), her delight at bringing multigenerational talent to play on the album, and what she plans on telling people – like me – who are surprised by sudden turn in her recorded work. Musical selections from Pursuance: The Coltranes includes “Liberia”, featuring her old instructor Gary Bartz; “Central Park West,” featuring Jazzmeia Horn; “Acknowledgement”; and “Om Shanti,” featuring Georgie Anne Muldrow and Meshell Ndegecello.  

The works of William Shakespeare and the jazz world have had a limited connection. Sure, Duke Ellington released Such Sweet Thunder, a twelve-part suite based on Shakespeare’s work in 1957, and Dame Cleo Laine recorded the moving Shakespeare and All that Jazz with her husband Sir John Dankworth in 1964. There is a somewhat obscure but very interesting album from singer Maxine Sullivan entitled Sullivan, Shakespeare, Hyman in 1971. But other than the occasional track here and there, and some tours (most notably saxophonist Andy Sheppard’s collaboration with French pianist Guillaume de Chassy and drummer Christophe Marguet called “Shakespeare Songs”), there has not been much of the Bard in the jazz beat lately. Pianist-Composer Daniel Kelly and singer Frederick Johnson lead a group that seeks to correct that. Shakespeare in Jazz: All the World’s a Song is an engaging, participatory celebration of Shakespeare's work, where a swinging band takes on some of his greatest works. Throughout the concert, audience members join the jazz group, and sing along to catchy, original songs based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, Hamlet and many more. Be sure to check YouTube or Daniel’s webpage to check it out yourself. Daniel Kelly has explored the meeting place of music with literature, visual art and journalism. Besides releasing five CDs of original compositions, he has performed with Grammy-award winning jazz legends Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, and a long list of jazz musicians from Dave Liebman and Sheila Jordan to  Don Byron and Donny McCaslin. He has created three concert performances that transcend mere jazz – “Shakespeare in Jazz;” “Rakonto,” an oral history of locals across America that is unique to each city or town where he appears; and “Blind Visionaries,” a collaborative work with sight-impaired photographers. Frederick Johnson has spent the past 35 years presenting concerts and giving seminars on the power of creative expression as a tool for personal wellbeing and healing. He has shared the stage with legends like Chick Corea, Roy Haynes, Kenny Garrett, John Scofield, and Christian McBride. Podcast 736 is my conversation with both Daniel and Frederick, as we talk about how “Shakespeare in Jazz” works onstage, as well as how Daniel’s other projects are performed. Two recent performances from the show, “I Do Wonder Everywhere,” and “Double Double Toil Trouble,” both recorded at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center last week are featured. Since the two musical performances have not been published in this format before, I want to ensure that all listeners know that all copyrights in the underlying material and the performances belong to Mr. Kelly. This Podcast is dedicated to my Shakespeare professor, Virginia Mason Vaughan, Professor Emerita at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, for inspiring in me a passion for Shakespeare and his work.

Trumpeter Jason Palmer has been near the top of my list of people to feature on Straight No Chaser for several years now. As a sideman working with Mark Turner and Noah Preminger, he made huge contributions to some of their top recordings, and last week he dropped his fourteenth album as a bandleader. The Concert: 12 Musings for Isabella is a live recording made possible by Jimmy Katz’s Giant Step Arts, as was Palmer’s 2019 album Rhyme & Reason.  The recording features a quintet including Turner on saxophone, and top notch players Joel Ross (vibes), Edward Perez (bass), and Kendrick Scott (drums). Each track on the album is title taken from a specific artwork stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Massachusetts thirty years ago. That robbery, which remains unsolved to this day, took masterpieces from Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and Degas, among others, valued in excess of $500 million Palmer and Turner are outstanding together, working with and against one another to coax the difficult compositions into full bloom. Ross never fails to add his flourishes to the tunes, and Pererz and Scott manage to be both rock solid and flexible in the rhythms and time signatures, which can get thorny from time to time. Hailing from High Point, North Carolina (yes, the birthplace of John Coltrane), Palmer has been a Boston fixture since his time at the New England Conservatory and Berklee School of Music, He is an Assistant Professor of Ensembles and Brass at Berklee, and as a board member at JazzBoston. Jason is also a regular at jam sessions across Boston, most notably Wally’s Café Jazz Club, which has been going strong for more than seventy years.  Podcast 735 is my conversation with Jason Palmer, as we talk about the inspiration for the new album, his collaborations with Mark Turner, and the Boston jazz scene. Musical selections include the title track, named after the most valuable of the stolen paintings, Vermeer’s “The Concert” and “An Ancient Chinese Gu.”

A common thread runs through the next few podcasts that will appear on Straight No Chaser. Each has a talented jazz composer and performer who found creative inspiration from sources other than music itself. In the next few days you will hear conversations with Jason Palmer, whose latest album was inspired by works of art stolen from the Isabella Gardner Museum 30 years ago. You can also hear from Daniel Kelly and Frederick Johnson, who compose and perform tunes based on the works of William Shakespeare. Vibraphonist and composer Christian Tamburr’s latest project is The Awakening, which he touts as “Sounds for Sculpture”. The project features 10 original compositions by Tamburr inspired by 10 bronze sculptures by renowned sculptor Seward Johnson. After collaborating with Johnson’s wife on a project, Tamburr became aware of Johnson’s large public works. Inspiration struck, and he began to create a new experiential dimension through music to accompany these pieces, while maintaining openness for individual interpretation. The music premiered for three nights and six shows in August of 2019 at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center in New York to full houses and rave reviews. The ensemble, which recorded the album prior to the premier in July, features Double-Grammy nominated vocalist Clint Holmes and Tony Award nominated sound designer/percussionist Michael Dobson. A 6-time Downbeat Magazine “Critics Choice” Top Rising Star recipient, Tamburr has led his own critically acclaimed ensemble around the globe with headline performances at such venues as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the Newport Jazz Festival and many more. Christian’s work as a composer and creative development consultant has resulted in multiple large-scale stage productions for clients such as Cirque du Soleil, The Palazzo Hotel in Las Vegas, Penn & Teller, GOOGLE and many more. Podcast 734 is my conversation with Christian Tamburr, as we discuss several of the pieces that make up The Awakening, including the title track and “Jazz Dreams.”

Today is the 90th birthday of our greatest living composer of Broadway musicals, Stephen Sondheim. His career has spanned the past sixty odd Broadway seasons, during which he wrote or co-wrote many of the most important, influential and successful shows in history. He collaborated on two classics as lyricist – first with Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story – 1957) and then Jule Styne (Gypsy – 1959), before creating A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, his first work of both music and lyrics. He struggled to find continued success for the rest of the Sixties, producing the admired Anyone Can Whistle, but no real hits. From 1970 on, he worked with producer Harold Prince on a series of innovative musicals that made him a legend – the hits Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Pacific Overtures (1976), and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979) and the unsuccessful Merrily We Roll Along (1981). With James Lapine as a collaborator, he rebounded with three more classics: Sunday in the Park With George (1984) which won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Into the Woods (1987) and Passion (1994).  He wrote the music for two Warren Beatty movies, Reds and Dick Tracey, the latter of which won him an Academy Award. Since then, he has only sporadically produced new work for the New York stage, most notably Assassins (1990 – Broadway debut 2004). COVID-19 notwithstanding, his musicals West Side Story, Assassins and Company are all expected to be running in New York this season, In all, Sondheim has won eight Tony Awards, eight Grammy awards, an Oscar and even an Edgar award for Best Mystery Novel for The Last of Sheila, which he co-write with his friend Anthony Perkins. While Broadway songs have been the basis for the Great American Songbook, Sondheim’s work, save for the omnipresent “Send In the Clowns” has often been overlooked by jazz musicians. He has been accused of failing to write “hummable tunes” and working with harmonies that do not lend themselves to improvisation. Recent recordings of his work by jazz musicians, most notably Cyrille Aimee’s Move On – A Sondheim Adventure in 2019, show that this may well be changing, and we can look forward to more interpretations in the future. Podcast 733 is my birthday tribute to Stephen Sondheim, featuring jazz versions of some of my favorite Sondheim compositions, including: Grover Washington, Jr. – “Every Day a Little Death” – A Little Night Music Melissa Errico – “Children and Art” – Sunday in the Park With George Sean Jones, Orrins Evans, Luques Curtis, Obed Calvaire  - “Not While I’m Around” - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Cyrille Aimee – “With So Little to Be Sure of” - Anyone Can Whistle Jim Hall – “What Can You Lose?”- Dick Tracey Sarah Vaughan – “Send In the Clowns” - A Little Night Music Herbie Hancock – “Color and Light” – Sunday in the Park With George Dianne Reeves – “I Remember” – Evening Primrose Trotter Trio – “Broadway Baby” – Follies Nancy Wilson and Terence Blanchard – “Anyone Can Whistle” – Anyone Can Whistle Wayne Shorter and Holly Cole – “Losing My Mind” – Follies Tierney Sutton Band – “Somewhere” – West Side Story

Bria Skonberg has been one of the most exciting new artists of the past few years, combining a deep love of “hot jazz” with a desire to expand her sphere of knowledge. The latest result of this search is Nothing Never Happens, produced by Grammy-winner Eli Wolf.   While Bria’s singing and trumpet solos are clearly the center of attention, this is very much a “band album.” Ma. Skonberg’s working band of recent years – pianist Mathis Picard, bassist Devin Starks and drummer Darrian Douglas – are aided on a few tracks with some great guests:  saxophonist Patrick Bartley, Hammond B3 master Jon Cowherd, and guitar great Doug Wamble. There are five Skonberg originals, the best of which is an aching version of one of the older tunes in her repertoire, “So is the Day.” She does a Sinatra-esque cover of “Bang Bang” and lets her love of eighties pop come across with a burning take on Queen’s “I Want to Break Free.” Born in Chilimack, British Columbia, Bria Skonberg developed a love of the music of Louis Armstrong and other early jazz legends. Aided by a voice the lends itself to torchy ballads, she quickly showed herself ready to carry the flame for music of the first few decades of the twentieth century. Nothing Never Happens takes her writing along a different path, and her playing continues to grow and develop deeper levels of nuance. Podcast 732 is my conversation with Bria Skonberg, as she laughs off the idea that her music can be put in any one category, talks about the New York Hot Jazz Camp set for mid-April, and her plans for new paths to take her art. Musical selections from Nothing Never Happens include "So is the Day" and "I Want to Break Free."

Lynne Arriale is one of today’s leading practitioners of the art of the piano trio. One of our most melodic performers, she has released 15 albums as a leader, of which 75% are trio recordings. Her latest, Chimes of Freedom, continues the collaboration with bassist Jasper Somson that began on the fine 2018 release Give Us These Days. To round out the group, Ms. Arriale wisely chose drummer E.J. Strickland, who brings not only his great touch, but also a sly sense of where to slide the right fill in at the right time. The album has topical themes – the tenacity of the human spirit, the plight of immigrants to America, and the ideas of liberty and justice. The track “3 Million Steps” was named when Lynne looked up how many steps it would take to walk from Guatemala to the Texas border of United States. Other Arriale originals are similarly titled- “The Dreamers”, “The Whole Truth”, “Lady Liberty.” Yet the sense of yearning that comes across from the music is never desperate but rather uplifting. Ms. Arriale brought singer K.J. Denhert in to sing two of our great folk-rock lyricists' work – Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” and Paul Simon’s “American Tune.” The latter gets a terrific reading here, with the wistful narrator leaving us not with a feeling of cynicism, but rather hope for better times. even as she tries to "get some rest". Podcast 732 is my conversation with Lynne Arriale, as we discuss the making of the album, why she enjoys the trio setting as much as she does, and when she knows a modern pop song is ripe for interpretation. Musical selections from Chimes of Freedom include "Journey", "American Tune", and "3 Million Steps."

McCoy Tyner, the pianist who anchored the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, passed away at his home in Philadelphia last week. He was 81. Tyner became one of the most important and influential piano players of the second half of the twentieth century, primarily due to his work with Coltrane. He played with great physicality, as well as a keen sense of harmony. Arguably, without Tyner’s left hand playing “block chords” and his timing keeping the band in hand, there would not have been the type of masterpieces that the Coltrane “Classic Quartet” produced. Tyner was more than John Coltrane’s right hand man. Had he only been a session player for Blue Note Records – which he did on a regular basis while playing with Coltrane – he would still have a place in Jazz history. In 1964 alone, his appeared on seminal releases from Joe Henderson (In N’ Out, Inner Urge), Milt Jackson (Spanish Fly),  Lee Morgan (Tom Cat!), Wayne Shorter (Night Dreamer, Juju), Stanley Turrentine (Mr. Natural), Freddie Hubbard (Blue Spirits). Grant Green (Matador, Solid), and Art Blakey (A Jazz Message).   As a leader, he recorded more than seventy albums, primarily for the Milestone label. His first album as a leader for Blue Note, The Real McCoy, may have been his finest, a quartet record with Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Elvin Jones. There was no genre of jazz he did not perform brilliantly, from Latin Jazz to large and small ensembles. His final album, released ten years ago, was a solo recording. To try to catch the breadth of his recordings, enjoy this hour plus tribute to McCoy Tyner, including the following musical selections: John Coltrane Quartet - "After the Rain" McCoy Tyner - "Song of the New World" McCoy Tyner & Bobby Hutcherson - "Dearly Beloved" McCoy Tyner - "Once I Loved" McCoy Tyner - "Search for Peace" Lee Morgan - "Twlight Mist" Joe Henderson - "Blue Bossa" John Coltrane Quartet - "Spiritual" (Live at the Village Vanguard) McCoy Tyner - "After the Rain"

"It has been said that a Scotchman has not seen the world until he has seen Edinburgh; and I think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi Gras in New Orleans." - Mark Twain Today is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras day. I'm in New England, a long way from the festivities in body, but I'm with them in spirit. And nothing gets me going like a good hour plus of music from New Orleans' finest musicians. So, let the good times roll, and let's enjoy Podcast 729, with musical selections including: Fats Domino - "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" Nicholas Payton - "Wild Man Blues" Bo Dollis & Monk Boudreaux; - "Jockomo Jockomo" Preservation Hall Jazz Band - "My Bucket Has a Hole in It" David Baptiste & The Gladiators; - "Funky Soul (Part 1) Dumpstaphunk - "Dancin' to the Truth" Al Belletto Big Band; - "Jazznocracy" Dr. John with the Donald Harrison Band - "Funky New Orleans" Henry Butler - "Hey Now Baby" Dirty Dozen Brass Band - "Do It Fluid" Jon Batiste - "Kenner Boogie" Earl King - "Street Parade" Tim Laughlin - "King of the Mardi Gras" Neville Brothers - "Meet De Boys On the Battlefront" Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Now that Dayna Stephens seems fully recovered from the life-threatening illness (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis) that limited his touring for years, it’s a pleasure to see him getting the chance to make the recordings he has dreamed of making. His latest CD, Liberty, is his first full-scale trio session, bringing back two of his longest tenured sidemen, bassist Ben Street and drummer Eric Harland. The result is a bracing album of adventurous performances. Allowing these three the space to interact and solo is always a pleasure.  The album reaches into some of his best tunes of the past, and allows a resetting and reimagining of them for these three masters. He’ll be unveiling the new album with his trio on the West Coast this coming week, before returning to New York and Europe for the spring. He has been busy on other projects as well, and this fall will see the release of a live quartet album recorded at the Village Vanguard. Later this spring he will be in Israel for a week performing with Tami Hendelman and Sean Jones on a program of the music of Miles Davis.  I spoke to Dayna about his various projects, as well as his excitement at recording Liberty at Rudy Van Gelder’s famous studio in New Jersey. Musical selections from the new CD include “Lost and Found”, “Kwooked Stweet” (which is based on John Coltrane’s “Straight Street”) and “Wil’s Way”

Lyle Mays played an important role in my jazz education. For people looking for innovative music in the Seventies, the music of the Pat Metheny Group, co-founded by Metheny and Mays, was a revalation. From the soaring sound of their self-titled "White Album" on ECM through their evolution as a band - and they WERE a band - that mixed electric jazz, rock, world and folk influences into a sound unlike any I had ever heard. While Pat was the center of attention, Lyle was quietly the part that held things together, playing piano and keyboards to form the foundation for his guitarist's explorations. He co-wrote tunes for the Group, many of which were among their finest. It was his orchestrations, arrangements, and harmonization for the band. As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, a collaboration with Metheny was a revelation to me, taking me places I did not know were possible musically.  When Joni MItchell assembled an all-star jazz band to back her on tour in 1979, it was no surprise that she picked Metheny and Mays to join Jaco Pastorius, Michael Brecker, and Don Alias on the bandstand.. He was in demand as a sideman, recording with acts as diverse as Bob Moses, Earth, Wind & Fire and Rickie Lee Jones.  Mays recorded and performed as a solo act as well, and in the years after he left the Metheny Group, he produced a topnotch body of work,. His first two releases were electric in the Metheny Group vein, but he also recorded a piano trio album (Fictionary) and wrote classical music as well.  But he publicly did less and less, and valued his privacy and quiet. He passed away earlier this week from a recurring illness at the age of  66. My friend John Michaels had this to say about Lyle Mays' music: At the end f his gorgeous solo on "San Lorenzo" from the album Travels, it gets really quiet and a fan yells out "As always, Lyle."  That sums it up for me.  Amen. He will be missed. Listen to a sampling of his music, including: "Before You Go" from Street Dreams "It's For You" with Pat Metheny from As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls "Something Left Unsaid" from Fictionary "Slink" from Lyle Mays "Beat 70" with the Pat Metheny Group from Letter from Home "Third Wind" with the Pat Metheny Group from The Road to You "Woodstock" with Joni Mitchell from Shadows and Light "Procession" from Solo: Improvisations for Expanded Piano "San Lorenzo" with the Pat Metheny Group from Travels

Some consider Valentine's Day a "Hallmark Holiday" designed to extract money for cards, flowers and chocolate. Others consider it a day to celebrate the glory of love,  Either way, you probably are aware of the day, like it or not.  In the Straight No Chaser effort to make Valentine's Day a bit easier for our loyal listeners, here is the annual Valentine's Day Mix. Scan through the archives by searching the word "Valentine" to find a mess more of uninterrupted hours of romance-tinged jazz. Download them, stream them, burn them to CD. I make the mood - the rest is up to you.  This year, I've chosen to pick from music that has been released in the past few months, or are about to be released as you read this. The tunes are either old or new romantic tunes, mostly standards, and the performers are artists who are well-known, or should be soon.  Enjoy Podcast 726 for Valentine's Day. with musical selections: Champion Fulton & Corey Weeds - "Fly Me to the Moon" George Coleman Quartet - "Prelude to a Kiss" Harold Mabern - "Lover Man" Marc Jordan - "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" Emmet Cohen featuring Benny Golson & Albert "Tootie" Heath -                              "Embraceable You" Marc  Copland, Joey Baron, Drew Gress; - "And I Love Her" Trijntje Oosterhuis; - "Lady In My Life" Jeremy Pelt - "I'll Never Stop Loving You" Shannon Gunn - "Rainbow Connection" Kevyn Lettau; - "I Burn for You" Oded Tzur - "Can't Help Falling In Love With You"

The first truly memorable release of 2020 comes out on ECM tomorrow when Here Be Dragons  drops.  The third album by Israeli saxophonist Oded Tzur and his quartet, it is a melodic and sometimes transcendent album, contemplative with a shimmering beauty that belies the intensity that lies just below the surface. Oded’s international group features fellow Israeli Nitai Hershkovits on piano, Greek bassist and long-time collaborator Petros Klampanis and US drummer Johnathan Blake. Hershkovits, who took over the piano role in Tzur’s group from Shai Maestro, first came to wider attention as a member of bassist Avishai Cohen’s groups.  Japan’s CD Journal called them “a Coltrane Quartet for the 21st century.” High praise indeed. One of the things I found most interesting about Here Be Dragons is Oded’s use of the Indian musical form of the raga as the base for many of his compositions. He has said his goal was to develop a “miniature raga” over a moving bass, juxtaposing two musical concepts from the East and West. We talk at length about the raga, which he compares to the Blues in spirit and structure. Be sure to listen closely. He learned much about Indian music from the legendary Indian flutist Chaurasia, who taught him to literally to play between the notes, moving and sliding on the saxophone to capture the spirt and mystery of the raga. Oded has his own term for this type of playing, “the Middle Path.” Podcast 725 is my conversation with Oded Tzur, one of the most enjoyable this year. Musical selections from Here Be Dragons include the title track, “Miniature 1” and believe it or not, “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.”

Since winning the Thelonius Monk International Jazz Bass Competition in 2009, Ben Williams has been one of the brightest young stars in the jazz firmament. He has released two albums of his own (State of Art and Coming of Age), and recorded with Stefon Harris, Steve Wilson, and especially Pat Metheny. He anchored the rhythm section of the Unity Band with Antonio Sanchez, and won a Grammy for their first release in 2013.  I last saw Ben playing in Jose James' band on the Bill Withers tribute tour, and he was knocking them dead every night. He found a kindred spirit in James, who enticed him to record a new album on James' Rainbow Blonde label. Williams wrote, played and sings on this release, I Am a Man, which has a Neosoul/Marvin Gaye-ish feel to much of the album. He doesn't sacrifice his jazz chops though, bring long-time collaborators Marcus Strickland and Jamire Willams back, along with keyboardist Kris Bowers, guitarist David Rosenthal, percussionist Bendji Allonce, trumpeter Kenyon Harrold, flutist Anne Drummond, and drummer  Justin Brown. I Am a Man is a sophisticated protest album, taking the theme of protest and making it something uniquely musical. Listeners can here echoes of historic marches and modern day #BlackLives Matter protests in tunes like "The Death of Emmit Till", "Come Home" and of course, "We Shall Overcome." Podcast 724 is my conversation with Ben, as we talk about the genesis of I Am a Man, how he added singing to his bass playing, and what he learned from his time with Pat Metheny. Musical selections include "March On", "If You Hear Me" and "Come Home" from I Am a Man and from the Unity Band album, my favorite track, "Roofdogs."

Anyone who listens to this podcast on a regular basis knows that I am a huge fan of the Allman Brothers Band. For me, this rock and blues band incorporates jazz elements into their music better than any other, all without the need for adding top session players (Steely Dan) or a horn section (Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago).  They were as influenced by Miles Davis and John Coltrane as they were Bobby “Blue” Bland and T-Bone Walker. Way back in Podcast 451, I commemorated their final run of shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York with jazz versions of their classic tunes. It would be more than five years later that a full album tribute to the music of the Allman Brothers Band would appear, recorded by The Big Band of Brothers. This is a 15 piece big band salute entitled A Jazz Celebration of the Allman Brothers Band and as the ABB would have said, it finds the musicians “hittin’ the note” on ten classics. The brainchild of producer John Harvey, a group of crack musicians spent three days in Bates Brothers Recording in Hueytown, Alabama. Working on arrangements from songs that were recorded on the first two Allman Brothers Band studio albums, released within ten months of each other beginning in the autumn of 1969, they captured the harmonic and rhythmic complexities of tunes like “Whipping Post”, “Dreams” and especially “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” Guests like trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, singers Ruthie Foster and Marc Broussard, and former ABB guitarist Jack Pearson add to the intensity of the recordings. Harvey worked hand in hand with Mark Lanter, a professor of jazz studies at the University of Alabama and Charles Driebe in producing the album, getting arrangements and handling the talent logistics that are crucial in a project with so many performers. They chose a “live in the studio” feel for the recordings, limiting overdubs whenever possible. Podcast 723 is my conversation with John Harvey and Mark Lanter, as we discuss the 12 year history of the project, and why they felt the music of the Allman Brothers Band needed a big band treatment. Musical selections from A Jazz Celebration of the Allman Brothers Band include "Don’t Want You No More" featuring Wycliffe Gordon; "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed"  and "Don't Keep Me Wondering" featuring Ruthie Foster.

The passing of Jimmy Heath this past weekend at the age of 93 means that we have not just lost a great sax player and composer, but that one of the few living links to the birth of modern jazz is gone. Nicknamed "Little Bird" because of his technical abilities that recalled those of Charlie Parker, Heath played in big bands in the late Forties and early Fifties, both his own (where he hired John Coltrane, Ray Bryant and Benny Golson, among others) and with Dizzy Gillespie. His career suffered a detour with arrests for heroin possession, and he served time through the second half of the fifties. Ironically, it was during that time that his talents as a composer and arranger became stronger, and the word was soon out as to his abilities. In addition to writing jazz standards like "Gingerbread Boy" and "C.T.A.", both recorded during his tenure with Miles Davis, he became an important part of bands with Milt Jackson, Art Farmer and Kenny Dorham. With his older brother Percy (of MJQ fame) and younger brother Tootie, he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975.  For me, this was much of his finest recorded work, particularly the lengthy "Smilin' Billy Suite". I had the pleasure of hanging with the three legends before and after their performance at the Hartford Jazz Festival, and was enthralled with the stories they would tell.  Podcast 722 is my tribute to Jimmy Heath, and features musical selections: "Gingerbread Boy" - with the Jazz Orchestra of The Concertgebouw "The Thumper" "Bruh Slim" "I Should Care" "Keep Love Alive" - with The Heath Brothers "The Rio Dawn" - with The Heath Brothers "Smilin' Billy Suite" - with The Heath Brothers "C.T.A. (Take Two)" - with Miles Davis

Jazz at Lincoln Center has spent much of the past three years aggresively attempting to expand their reach in the world of jazz. While it is already the home of one of the finest collection of musicians on the planet, via it’s label Blue Engine Records there have  been new studio and live recordings as well as archival recordings from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s performance history that date back to 1987 and are part of the R. Theodore Ammon Archives and Music Library. One of the most exciting performances from a few years back has finally been released, with the appearance of Sherman Irby’s Inferno. The talented alto sax player-composer-arranger had the premiere of his ballet score back in 2012, with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tackling his swinging, impressionistic piece. Coming from a long interest in Dante’s The Divine Comedy, Irby meticulously crafted a score that takes the listener into the Nine Circles of Hell and back. Rather than a dissonant, scarified piece of music, Irby succeeds by using the best the JLCO has to offer, always swinging, always tackling its heady subject matter with a wink and a nod. Sherman Irby has been a mainstay of the JLCO off and on for the past twenty-five years. When not holding down the alto sax chair there, he has been a sideman for the likes of Elvin Jones, Roy Hargrove and Marcus Roberts. As a bandleader, he has a half dozen releases under his own name. The most recent release, with his band Momentum (trombonist Vincent Gardner, pianist Eric Reed, bassist Gerald Cannon and drummer Willie Jones III) was Cerulean Canvas, on his Black Warrior label. I spoke with Sherman about the making of Inferno for Podcast 721, and he shared insights into the scoring, structuring and performance of his first ballet score. Musical selections from Inferno include the piece’s overture, “Lost”, which features Joe Temperley on baritone saxophone; and one of the six movements, “The City of Dis”, featuring solos by Walter Blanding (soprano saxophone and oboe), and Ted Nash (flute). From Irby’s tenure with Roy Hargrove comes “Peri” a track form the strings album, Moment to Moment.

More than thirty years after the Rolling Stones’ Mobile Recording Studio recorded the show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, fans of the late, great Buddy Rich are finally getting a chance to hear Just in Time; The Final Recording. Rich is leading a big band composed of many of the leading lights of his final touring group: Matt Harris on piano; Rob Amster on double bass; Trumpets including Eric Miyashiro, Kevin Richardson, Greg Gisbert, and Dana Watson; Trombones including Rick Trager, Tom Garling, Jim Martin; and Saxophones including Bob Bowlby, Mike Rubino, Steve Marcus, Chris Bacas, and Jay Craig. Buddy’s daughter Cathy was also there that night to lend her vocals to “Twisted”. The album recording is crisp and hot, as are the arrangements and band performances. Whether the band is playing old favorites like “The Trolley Song” or “Love for Sale” or jamming hard on the closing “Good News”, this is an album worthy of the legend of Buddy Rich. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1917 to a show business family, Rich began drumming at only 18 months old and by 1921 was known as “Traps, the Drum Wonder” whilst performing with his parents’ vaudeville act. His performance routine soon took on tap dancing, singing and comedy, and he became the second highest paid child performer of the mid-1920s. By 1938, Rich had discovered jazz and was playing with clarinetist Joe Marsala’s group, before going on to perform with Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey’s big bands. He led his own band in 1945-1947, financially backed by Frank Sinatra, which did not take off, before touring with the Jazz at the Philharmonic. He recorded with countless stars for Verve during the 1950s, including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Art Tatum. In 1966, Buddy Rich finally managed to put together his own successful big band, which under different guises became his main group for the next 20 odd years. These outfits - which featured young, unknown players - won over a new generation of jazz listeners. Rich also introduced rock and pop arrangements into the band’s repertoire, demonstrating his ability to adapt to his audience’s changing tastes.  Rich fans also have been given a glimpse into Rich’s life from the publication of Buddy Rich -One of a Kind: The Making of The World’s Greatest Drummer, a biography by Pelle Berglund. Park of the Hudson Music series of releases, the book attempts to get the Rich story right, and is aided by some previously unavailable photos. Buddy’s daughter Cathy spoke with me about her father, the release of Just in Time; The Final Recording and her thoughts on the Berglund biography. Musical selections for Podcast 720 include the CD opener “Wind Machine” and a memorable turn on “The Beat Goes On” by a prepubescent Cathy and Buddy’s band from 1967’s Big Swing Face.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music. Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument. -        Martin Luther King, Jr., in a letter used for the program in the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival Today America honors the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, and given that just 50 years ago this fall he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, I created a jazz-driven sonic collage using portions of that speech. Podcast 406 includes appropriate musical selections including: Bobby Watson & the "I Have a Dream" Project - "MLK on Jazz (Love Transforming)" from Check Cashing Day. Clifford Jordan – “Martin Luther King, Jr. / I Know Love” from Zodiac: The Music of Cecil Payne. Paul Dunham, Tony Bianco – “Reverend King” from Thank You to John Coltrane. John Coltrane – “Alabama (Takes 4 and 5)” from The Complete Impulse Recordings. Kendrick Scott Oracle – “I Have a Dream” from Conviction. Oliver Nelson – “Martin Was a Man, A Real Man” from A Dream Deferred.

Most years, this first Straight No Chaser posting is of "Let's Start the New Year Right" by Irving Berlin, sung by that great crooner (and underrated influence on all jazz singers), Bing Crosby. But 2020 is not going to be a normal year. It may well be the most important year of my lifetime here in the USA,. A presidential election year. And I don't mind one bit getting a little political, and making it clear that Donald Trump must be voted out of office. Will he still BE in office in November? More than likely. So it will be up to all American who care about this country and its citizens to get to the polls and vote this miserable excuse for a president (lower case) out of office. And so, the first posting of the year is of the Sam Cooke classic of the Civil Rights era, "A Change is Gonna Come".  This is a moving instrumental version by Noah Preminger from his Meditations on Freedom CD.  But the lyrics set the perfect sentiment for my dream of a better America starting in 2020, and here they are: I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river I've been running ev'r since It's been a long time, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die 'Cause I don't know what's up there, beyond the sky It's been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will I go to the movie and I go downtown Somebody keep tellin' me don't hang around It's been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will Then I go to my brother And I say brother help me please But he winds up knockin' me Back down on my knees, oh There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long But now I think I'm able to carry on It's been a long, a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will Say Amen.

To all who are traveling on an evening that often becomes "amateur night" take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Official SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"  It was written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the now controversial holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's version comes from guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli and his album Let's Share Christmas. Check back to previous year's New Year's Eve postings for other renditions, including those by Lea Delaria and Nancy Wilson. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all. This coming year - 2020 - is one of the most important in the history of my struggling country, the United States of America. It's a Presidential election year, and my  deepest wishes for the New Year are that a change is gonna come. 

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevalent this time of year, and so the Official Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace" written by Horace Silver,. This year, as we did last year, here is a wonderful duet version of the song, as performed by the François Moutin (bass) & Kavita Shah (Vocals) Duo from their Interplay album. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic more than fifty years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

t's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

For years I've been sharing this with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. It never gets old. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

A Christmas tradition in our house is listening to David Sedaris read his hilarious essay, “Santaland Diaries.”  An abbreviated version of his some-what exaggerated memories of working as a Christmas Elf in Macy’s Department Store in New York first was heard on NPR’s Morning Edition in 1992. Since then it has grown to be a long-form essay in his collection Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice. I’ve seen Joe Mantello’s stage adaption for one actor a few times. For me, Sedaris’ humor is always dead on, and this piece never fails to have me giggling or roaring with laughter.  Sedaris is something of a jazz buff. A recent interview with him in JazzTimes allowed the author to talk about his inherited love of jazz from his father, a man with whom Sedaris rarely seemed to have anything in common.  This is probably not a surprise to “Santaland Diaries” fanatics like me, who wait in anticipation for his Billie Holiday impression every time we listen to the audio version, read with great pathos by Sedaris. JazzTimes quizzed him on this: You became famous for your Billie Holiday impersonation which was in “Santaland Diaries” and a few other stories. Did you do it as a kid?I started doing it when I was young. Did you do other singers?  I tried. I do a really awful Esther Phillips. I was with my friend Ronnie in San Francisco, and I was trying to sing “Shangri-La,” and it’s embarrassing that it’s so bad. I would love to be able to sing like Esther Phillips. The Billie Holiday impression became an albatross for you, with people wanting you to do it on command. I don’t do it anymore. You know how you think you sound in your head, but then you hear it? I heard a recording and I thought, “That’s awful.” I think I did it on [NPR’s] Fresh Air years ago. What I tried to do is her singing Madonna songs or Christmas tunes or commercial jingles—stuff you’d never have heard her do. I stopped doing it because I felt like a trained seal. Plus, I didn’t feel like people were really that familiar with her. They’d say, “Do Billie,” and I would think, “You don’t even have a right to call her by her first name. I bet you can’t name three songs that she did.” It just didn’t feel right to me. To people who don’t really know what she sounds like, sure it sounds OK. But not to people who really know her music. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the excerpt from the “Santaland Diaries” when David, in his guise as Crumpet the Elf, decides to show a pushy Santa what singing “Away in a Manger” can really sound like. That carol will never be the same.

This is the Christmas jazz mix I am giving on CD to members of my band AXIS and other friends this season. No Smooth Jazz, no modern masters - just the classic jazz sound form the best Christmas Jazz albums of the past. For more on some of the albums these tunes are sourced form, be sure to check out Marc Myers' JazzWax blog and his Christmas Hall of Fame selections.  Enjoy nearly 80 uninterrupted moments of Yuletide magic from: June Christy - "The Merriest" Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Christmas TIme is Here" Kenny Burrell - "Merry Christmas Baby" John Coltrane Quartet - "Greensleeves (What Child is This?)" Ella Fitzgerald - "The Secret of Christmas" Chet Baker - "First Noel" Ellis Marsalis - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" Duke Pearson - "Sleigh Ride" Ramsey Lewis Trio  "Here Comes Santa Claus" Charlie Parker - "White Christmas" Sonny Rollins - "Winter Wonderland" Duke Ellington and His Orchestra - "Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy)" Louis Armstrong - "Christmas in New Orleans" Hank Jones - "Dear Mister Santa Claus" Eartha Kitt - "Santa Baby" Bobby Timmons - "Deck the Halls" Bill Evans - "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" Urbie Green - "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Nancy Wilson - "The Christmas Waltz" Roland Kirk - "We Free (Three) Kings" Jimmy Smith - "Silent Night"

As I do every year, this Podcast is "A Few of My Favorite Things" form 2019. It is not intended on being a Top Ten list - I do that for the Jazz Journalist Association - but rather a grouping of recordings that got repeat play in my house, making me take notice over the many recordings I receive.  This year, I had the pleasure of hearing the following stellar albums: NEW THINGS FROM OLD FRIENDS Branford Marsalis Quartet - "The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul" Al Foster - "Inspirations and Dedications" Ethan Iverson Quartet with Tom Harrell - "Common Practices" Joey DeFrancesco - "In the Key of the Universe" Ralph Alessi - "Imaginary Friends" PLAYERS COMING INTO THEIR OWN OR HITTING THEIR STRIDE Melissa Aldana - "Visions" Veronica Swift - "Confessions" Yotam Silberstein - "Future Memories" Johnathan Blake - "Trion" Joel Ross - "KingMaker" COLLABORATIONS Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez - "Duologue" Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan - "Epistrophy" Avishai Cohen & Yonathan Avishai - "Playing the Room" Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade - "Trilogy 2" Dave Holland/Zakir Hussain/Chris Potter  - "Good Hope" ARCHIVAL OR REISSUE RECORDINGS John Coltrane - "Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings" John Coltrane - "Blue World" Stan Getz - "Getz at the Gate:The Stan Getz Quartet Live at the Village Gate" Nat King Cole - "Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) " Alice Coltrane - "Live at the Berkley Community Theater 1972" TRIBUTE RECORDINGS Cyrille Aimee - "MOVE ON - A Sondheim Adventure" Miguel Zenon - "Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera" Monty Alexander - "Wareika Hill - Rastamonk Vibrations" George Benson - "Walking To New Orleans: Remembering Chuck Berry And Fats Domino" Poncho Sanchez - "Trane's Delight" As always, there were other things well worth noting. This year would include the documentary "Miles Davis: The Birth of the Cool"; books by Sammy Stein "Women in Jazz" and Ted Giola "Music - A Subversive History"; Quincy Jones' Qwest TV; and the return of David Sanborn to video with his streaming "Sanborn Sessions." Musical selections in Podcast 718 include: Branford Marsalis Quartet - "The Windup" Joel Ross - "With Whom Do You Learn Trust" Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade - "Pastime Paradise" John Coltrane - "Blue World" Poncho Sanchez - "Blue Trane"

Over the past four decades, composer, improviser and percussionist Adam Rudolph has been hailed as "a pioneer in world music" by the New York Times and "a master percussionist" by Downbeats magazine. He has released more than 30 recordings under his own name featuring his groundbreaking compositions and tradition-bridging percussion work. Rudolph composes for his ensembles Moving Pictures, Hu Vibrational, and Go: Organic Orchestra, a 30-piece group for which he has developed an original music notation and conducting system, teaching and conducting hundreds of musicians worldwide in his concept. Rudolph has performed with Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, Pharaoh Sanders, Muhal Richard Abrams, Shankar, Wadada Leo Smith, Philip Glass, Jon Hassel, Omar Sosa and Fred Anderson. He toured and recorded extensively for 25-years with the legendary Yusef Lateef. The latest iteration of the Go Organic Orchestra has teamed with the Brooklyn Raga Massive for a deep dive into Rudolph’s way of interpreting music. Using the classical music of Northern and Sothern India as a leaping off point, this large ensemble makes music that defies easy categorization. It’s no wonder that the resulting recording, Ragmala - A Garden of Ragas has been called a “Bitches Brew for the 21st century.” Rudolph will be joined by an orchestra of 35 musicians for an album release concert on Friday, December 13 at the Live@365 Series, Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY, 365 5th Ave, NYC.  Podcast 717 is a terrific companion to the three record, two CD Ragmala (click here for more) and a great way of preparing if you are headed to the show. Rudolph finds a way to bring across his difficult musical concepts to a less knowledgeable listener, and you can hear two selections from the recording, “Rotations” and “Thirteen Moons” as well. Adam Rudolph’s Go: Organic Orchestra & Brooklyn Raga Massive in New York City Premiere of RAGMALA will be Friday, December 13 at CUNY’s Live@365, 365 5th Avenue at 34th Street, NYC

A few years back I watched the documentary Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, which told the story of the Jewish songwriters who have written the soundtrack to Christmas celebrations for almost a century. Some of the most famous songs of the Yuletide season, from “The Christmas Song” and “White Christmas” to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” were all composed at least partially by Jewish songwriters. Many were immigrants to America from Eastern Europe, and had made a new home here, These songs may have been their way of trying to fit in here in the New World, and a way to express the importance of the season. Amidst the Christmas recordings released this year, a solo guitar album by Peter Curtis stands out. Not only for its musical excellence – and there is plenty of that here – but also for its thematic unity. All the songs were written or co-written by Jews. Christmas with your Jewish Boyfriend is a baker’s dozen of tunes arranged and re-harmonized by Curtis to give them a new feel. There is also his original, the title track, written by the Jewish Curtis for his non-Jewish girlfriend. Curtis’ research in choosing songs was extensive, and he not only performs this material live, but gives lectures on the subject as well. Curtis received his Bachelor of Music degree Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music, a Masters of Music degree from Yale University, and a Doctor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance and Literature with minor fields in Ethnomusicology and Music History from Indiana University.  He has recorded with a quartet (Swing State) and been a sideman for the likes of Claudia Acuna, James Carter, Freddy Cole, Taj Mahal, and James Moody. If you enjoy Christmas with your Jewish Boyfriend – and I believe you will – check out his postings on YouTube for an early taste of his next recording projects, a song for each month of the year.     Podcast 716 is my conversation with Peter as we dig in deep into the stories of the Jewish-American songwriters and their Christmas compositions. I promise you’ll learn more about “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” than you ever thought you would. Musical selections from Christmas with your Jewish Boyfriend include “The Christmas Song”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, a unique “Silver Bells played on his “B-Bender” Telecaster, and “Santa Baby.”

If you are looking to find some new music for celebrating the Yuletide, please allow me to provide you with a cross-section of new or recent releases that will help make your spirits bright. Podcast 715 is nearly an hour of music from the following artists and albums, many of which may have flown beneath your radar as you look for new tunes: Dave Koz with Jonathan Butler - "It's Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas" from Gifts of the Season. Check out Podcast 713 for comments from Koz and Friends on this album and his current Christmas tour, which co-stars Michael Longton, Butler, Melissa Manchester and more.  Noelle & Maria - "Do You Hear What I Hear?" from Merry Christmas, My Dear. Pianist/arranger Noel Freidline and vocalist Maria Howell collaborate as "Noel & Maria" to bring a seasonal classic to life in a new way. Michael Lington - "Last Christmas (feat. Philippe Saisse)" from A Foreign Affair Christmas. Vibes and Smooth Sax make this version of the Wham! tune a jazzy joy.  Kandace Springs - "(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag" from Holidays Rule Vol.2. This compilation of various genres of music came out a couple of years ago, but Ms. Springs has been a talked-about singer since her latest Blue Note release.  Check her out.  Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - "What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin') (ft. Catherine Russell) from Big Band Holidays II. JALC has put out a couple of fine Christmas albums over the past few years - this one, with a few songs by Grammy-Nominee Catherine Russell is among the best.  Robyn Hale - "Christmas Go Away." Tongue in cheek? Who knows! But this track it would go great after the Miles Davis/Bob Dorough classic misanthropic anthem "Blue Xmas" on a mixtape or playlist.  Lake Street Dive - "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" from Holidays Rule Vol. 2.  The music of these former Berklee School of Music students is impossible to categorize, but this mambo-ed up version of the kid classic fits perfectly on a jazzy playlist.  Dave Stryker and the Eight Track Band - "Christmas Time is Here" from Eight Track Christmas. Check out Podcast 705 to hear more of this top notch album and about the great guitarist behind the music. John Basile - "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" from Silent Night. Another great guitar player has released a super selection of Christmas tunes with a Brazilian lilt, digging deep for songs like "Toyland" and "A Child is Born."  Peter Curtis - "The Christmas Song" from Christmas With Your Jewish Boyfriend.  More about this talented guitarist and this really fun album, which picks only Christmas songs written by Jews, in a podcast coming soon. But pick it up now.  Brenda Brown - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Life Among Giants.  Perhaps my favorite Christmas song gets just the right amount of pathos from the talented Ms. Brown.  Michael Lington - "O Holy Night (featuring Russ Freeman" from A Foreign Affair Christmas.  Enjoy another track from Michael's CD, this time with a smooth solo by Rippingtons veteran guitarist Russ Freeman.  Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis - "O Tannenbaum (ft. Aretha Franklin) from Big Band Holidays II. Actually a wonderful solo performance by Aretha on piano from back in 2015, but never released until now. Hard not to get a bit misty hearing that voice once again. Jonathan Butler - "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from Merry Christmas to You.  We began with Jonathan joining Dave Koz, and we close with a track from his own Christmas album. His sound is so unique that it makes even the tiredest Christmas song seem fresh and vibrant.  Happy Shopping! 

For past Thanksgivings, I've just posted two songs that set the mood for me - George Benson's "Giblet Gravy" on the night before, to help  out those cooking a festive meal, and Diana Krall's version of "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)". The latter, an Irving Berlin masterpiece, is often played for Christmas, but to me it sums up all that the day should be about - sharing with others as we realize the many gifts we are given each day and year. This year, I put those two tunes in an hour plus of music you can dig all through the Thanksgiving holiday. To break it down for you: Setting the mood for the day: Vince Guaraldi - "Thanksgiving Theme" Nicholas Payton - "Home for the Holidays" Sonny Rollins - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep) The symbols of the day: Manhattan Brass - "Stuffy Turkey" Wynton Kelly - "Autumn Leaves" The main attraction: Charlie Parker - "Carvin' the Bird" George Benson - "Giblet Gravy" Bernard Purdie with Thara Memory - "Grits & Gravy" Lee Morgan - "Cornbread" Steve Turre - "Ray's Collard Greens" Organissimo - "Pumpkin Pie" And to remember why we are all here: Steve Kuhn Trio with Joe Lovano - "With Gratitude" Diana Krall - "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" A Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!   

One of the reasons I continue to record this music and tour every year is that the holidays are a reminder for all of us about the things that matter. It’s a time when we seem more capable of living our best lives. It’s easy to get off course during the rest of the year, especially the way the world is these days with all of its antagonism and intolerance. The holidays help bring us back to center.” – Dave Koz If it’s approaching December 1, then it must be time for either a new Dave Koz Christmas CD, or a Holiday tour. Lucky us in 2019 – we get both. Since 1997’s December Makes Me Feel This Way, saxophonist Koz has released five CDs of music for the holiday season featuring his distinctive sax sound. His latest release, Gifts of the Season, is the 6th in the series, and features the talents of Jonathan Butler (guitar and vocals), Melissa Manchester (vocals), Michael Lington (sax) and Chris Walker (bass). Produced by Darren Rahn (Wayman Tisdale, Bob James), the album brings a buoyant, soul/funk/pop feel to Christmas classics across different eras, and sheds new light on their rich musicality and lyrical depth. All of the artists who contributed to Gifts of the Season are onboard for the tour that begins in Sarasota Florida on Friday November 29. Koz calls the tour “not for the faint of heart”, as the group will spread holiday cheer across the States in 22 shows over 25 nights. Go to www.davekoz.com to see if they will be in your area over the next month. Koz’s Gifts of the Season is a slightly different take on Christmas music, compared to albums like The 25th of December and A Smooth Jazz Christmas. Perhaps it is producer Rahn’s funkier touch, or maybe that Koz is just interested in bringing a new and different sounds to songs we all know too well. But in any event, this is less a “brandy by the fireplace” album than a “Dancing around the Christmas Tree” affair. Saxophonist Lington, a native of Denmark, also has a new Christmas CD, A Foreign Affair Christmas, where he calls on friends as varied as Vine Gill, Russ Freeman and Rick Braun to take on Christmas classics like “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” Melissa Manchester, a Grammy winning pop singer with hits like “Midnight Blue”, “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and “You Should Heart How She Talks About You” doesn’t have a Christmas album to promote. However, she has a memorable guest appearance on Koz’s album with a slowed down “All I Want For Christmas is You”, plus a guest duet with Keb’ Mo’ on his latest release of “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.” Podcast 713 is full of conversations I had with Koz, Lington and Ms. Manchester. The Podcast is highlighted by musical selections from their recent holiday recordings: Koz’s nondenominational “Prayer for Peace”” and an EDM-inspired take on “Winter Wonderland”; the Scandinavian Christmas standard “A Child is Born in Bethlehem” by Lington along with his take on the Donny Hathaway classic “This Christmas” sung by Vince Gill; and Koz and Ms. Manchester on “All I Want for Christmas is You” as well as her duet with Keb’ Mo’ on “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.”

An in-demand sidewoman on the jazz scenes of both New York City and her native Nuremberg, Germany, drummer Mareike Wiening asserts her talents as composer, player and bandleader on Metropolis Paradise, her first full-length CD and debut on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music label. Ms. Wiening's latest outing features her steady bassist Johannes Felscher, outstanding Toronto-born guitarist Alex Goodman (winner of the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival Guitar Competition in 2014) and veteran tenor saxophonist Rich Perry (longstanding member of the Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra).   Pianist Dan Tepfer (longtime collaborator with alto sax legend Lee Konitz) was a last-minute replacement for Wiening's regular pianist Glenn Zaleski, who had suffered a broken elbow from a bike accident seven days before the recording took place. "I wanted to reschedule," said Wiening, "but a day later I learned that we were going to be the very last session to be recorded at Systems Two. It was a big dream for me to record at the legendary Systems Two Studio in Brooklyn, so rescheduling wasn't an option anymore.”   While Mareike's highly interactive drumming fuels this spirited session, it's the breadth and depth of her eight challenging compositions, along with her gift for melody and lyricism, that truly predominate throughout Metropolis Paradise. And her stellar sidemen rise to the occasion with impeccable execution and inspired soloing from track to track.  Mareike began studying piano at age five and participated in classical competitions in Germany until she was 16. She began exploring the drums for the first time then, later playing in the German Jazz Youth Orchestra. Thanks to a two-year scholarship from Germany, in 2012 she moved to New York to study at New York University, where she studied with veteran drummer Tony Moreno. During her second year at NYU she began studying with vibraphone ace Stefon Harris, a pivotal period in her musical and compositional development. As a member of the band, Mareike is the steady pulse of the group, rarely reaching for excessive fills or solos. This serves her collaborators well, especially Tepfer, one of the finest pianists of the day. Her compositions bear out her classical background, rarely swinging out or following a straight ahead approach, Instead, each tune on Metropolis Paradise is subtly crafted and recorded, from waltzes to introspective pieces with interesting and shifting time signatures. Podcast 712 is my conversation with Mareike Wiening, as we discuss her background and the tunes on the CD, including the waltz time “For a Good Day”;  “Viewpoints”; the upbeat “Relations”; and "Free At Last," originally written for a commission in 2018 and making the musical comparison between Martin Luther’s "About the Freedom of a Christian Man” and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech.

It was only a matter of time before Randy Brecker and Ada Rovatti made a record together. Married for almost twenty years, they have played together in the Brecker Brothers Reunion Band and other projects, but it has taken years for them to play together in a project devoted to Ada’s work. Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond is the result, and it includes not only the legendary trumpter Brecker and saxophonist-composer Ms. Rovatti but also their 10-year-old daughter Stella in a vocal cameo appearance on one track. A versatile core group of pianist David Kikoski, bassist Alex Claffy and drummer Rodney Holmes, with guest appearances by keyboardist Jim Beard, guitarist Adam Rogers and Brazilian percussionist Café ably backs the pair. Randy Brecker is no stranger to listeners of this Podcast, having been featured previously in Podcasts 502 and 677. He and his brother Michael helped create the world of fusion and electric jazz in the Seventies, and Randy has carried the torch for the brothers after Michael’s untimely death from leukemia in 2007. Ms. Rovatti had shuttled between Italy and the US for years, studying at the Berklee School of Music and honing her craft in big bands lead by the likes of Phil Woods, Lee Konitz and Bob Mintzer.  It was in another big band, this time lead by Randy Brecker that the pair met. They have collaborated on several CDs since then, including the Grammy winning 34th and Lex. Ada has released five CDs on her own, while contributing sax to albums by the likes of John McLaughlin (Industrial Zen). Constantly writing new tunes, she wrote all of the selections on Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond with styles ranging from straight ahead (“The Baggage”) to electric jazz (“Britches Blue”) to the ethereal (“Mirror”). Podcast 711 is my conversation with Ada Rovatti and Randy Brecker, as we discuss the recording of Brecker Plays Rovatti: Sacred Bond, including background on Ada’s compositions and approach to recording with her husband. Musical selections include “Reverence”, a tune dedicated to the late Aretha Franklin; “Britches Blue”; and the title track “Sacred Bond.”

Forty plus years into their recording and performing career, Spyro Gyra still finds new ways to surprise a listener. Having been a formative band in the fusion scene and then again in the sound that became associated with their time at GRP Records, the band could have every reason to rest on their laurels. However, the past few decades have found the band moving deeper into World Music (A Foreign Affair), deeply improvisational music recorded with no preconceptions in coming into the studio (The Rhinebeck Sessions) and now, with Vinyl Tap, an album of covers of the tunes they grew up hearing. Rather than tackling Coltrane or Monk, these are reimaginings of songs by Cream, Blind Faith, War, and of course, The Beatles, Saxophonist Jay Beckenstein, one of two members of the band remaining since their recording debut in 1978, (the other is keyboardist Tom Schuman), speaks with me about Vinyl Tap, stressing the collaborative nature of the preparation and recording. The band has only released four studio albums in the past ten years, after releasing nearly an album a year for thirty years, and Beckenstein shares what the band looks for in making a recording and how they continue to be a strong touring act, booked solid across Europe, the Middle East and the US for most of the remainder of the year. Musical selections from Vinyl Tap on Podcast 711 include “Sunshine of Your Love”, which features a killer bassline by Scott Ambush and topnotch guitar from Julio Fernandez; “What a Fool Believes”, which is given a different beat and feel by drummer Lionel Cordew and keyboardist Schuman; and “Stolen Moments”, the sole jazz based cover on the album, which allows Beckenstein’s sax to soar, as it does on so much of the album.  “Catching the Sun”, one of Jay’s compositions that have come to define Spyro Gyra is also included.

Looking for some spooky jazz sounds for the Hallowe’en holiday? Look on further! Off and on for the run of this podcast, I have been preparing what I call “Spooky Songs” for a semi-annual podcast. Maybe the song titles are scary – “Witchcraft” anyone? – or maybe it’s the sounds or spirit. In any event, here is a list of links to download to make your holiday all the scarier – and cooler, too. Click to listen, or right click to download podcasts from: 2018, 2017, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007

On November 1 and 2, the jazz world will celebrate 50 years of the monumentally influential ECM Records, rightfully called “one of the defining sound-worlds of the past half-century of recorded music” by the New Yorker. Founded by producer Manfred Eicher in Munich in 1969 and still under his artistic leadership, ECM Records has released some of the definitive jazz recordings of the past half century, and continues to set new directions in music and sound. The show, to be held at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, boasts an outstanding lineup of performers with ties to the label, including Meredith Monk, Joe Lovano, Craig Taborn, Vijay Iyer, Avishai Cohen, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Frisell, Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Wadada Leo Smith, Anja Lechner, Ethan Iverson, Enrico Rava, Egberto Gismonti, Matthew Garrison, and Jack DeJohnette - ECM’s most recorded artist to date. This 50-year anniversary celebration will be a proper salute to a record label that, with an unwavering commitment to quality, has contributed so uniquely and extensively to contemporary music. Ethan Iverson will be performing each night, as part of a duo with Mark Turner. After albums with Billy Hart and Turner on ECM, Iverson recently released his first recording as a leader on the label, entitled Common Practice. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, the album is mostly standards performed by an outstanding quartet – Iverson on piano, Ben Street on bass, Eric McPherson on drums and Tom Harrell on trumpet.  A few Iverson originals, both blues, fill out a recording that revives old chestnuts like “The Man I Love” and “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You” with intriguing harmonies and puts Harrell’s warm sound front and center. Iverson, who separated from his influential group The Bad Plus in 2017, is one of the most articulate members of the jazz community. His playing, recently as a member of the Billy Hart Quartet with Turner and Street, and a trio with Al Foster and Ron Carter, is always expressive and energetic without clichés with which lesser pianists might resort. His essays are illuminating and well-written (check out his Do the Math if you have not already), and show his true love of jazz. My conversation with Ethan begins with his take on the ECM sound and history, and moves through topics from his recent CD to his coming performances with the Mark Morris Dance Group in the Beatles-inspired Pepperland to his next plans for recording. Musical selections – all from ECM recordings - include “Yesterday’s Bouquet” from Iverson and Turner’s Temporary Kings CD and “Sentimental Journey” and “Philadelphia Creamer” from Common Practice.

Resonance Records has lead an archival revolution over the past decade, digging up long lost or previously unknown recordings from the likes of Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery and Stan Getz. But Zev Feldman and George Klaban’s largest, and perhaps most important project is just about to be released. Released in partnership with the Nat King Cole estate, Resonance Records’ Hittin’ The Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) is the first large-scale collection of the pivotal early recordings of Nat’s 29-year recording career. Most tracks are receiving their first official release in this meticulously restored set of original live-to-disk recordings. The box-set will be available on November 1. The project is available as a definitive 7CD and limited-edition 10LP collection draws upon a wide range of sources, including many newly-discovered tracks unearthed for the first time from archives located all over the world. As befitting the importance of its subject, it will include an extensive 60+ page booklet with rare photographs; essays by acclaimed author Will Friedwald and guitarist Nick Rossi (with a special focus on Trio member Oscar Moore); interviews and testimonials from Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, John Pizzarelli, Freddy Cole, Michael Feinstein and many others. The idea for Hittin’ The Ramp grew out of a conversation Feldman had with the music writer/historian  Friedwald, who as an offshoot of a biography he is writing with Jordan Taylor, suggested that Resonance undertake the project to help restore Cole’s early musical history. The years in question on these recordings were mostly ignored prior to now, and both men feel that listening to Cole during his formative years will allow listeners to see his influences and growth as a piano player and songwriter in a new light. For Podcast 708 I was fortunate enough to assemble Feldman, Friedwald, Taylor and Matt Lutthans (who are all co-producers along with Seth Berg)  for a freewheeling discussion of the history of the project, as well as inside stories on the discovery and restoration of a number of rare and exciting tracks. Their enthusiasm for the project shines through the conversation, making it one of the most enjoyable I have ever conducted. Musical selections from Hittin’ The Ramp include “Slender, Tender and Tall”; “Trompin” (a special type of jukebox-only release for Cinematone circa 1939), “;“Vine Street Jump” from 1940; and the set’s closing tune, a close to fully realized take on the Cole classic “Straighten Up and Fly Right.”

The Dream Thief is the first ECM release by pianist Shai Maestro as a leader, and it presents the Israeli pianist fronting the latest incarnation of his uncommonly interactive, atmospherically expansive trio. The group now features new drummer Ofri Nehemya, a fellow Israeli, and its bassist from the start, Jorge Roeder, a native of Peru. Beyond the trio, the album also includes several searching solo performances by Maestro. It seems only appropriate that Shai be part of a major celebration of ECM's 50th anniversary on November 1 and 2. "ECM RECORDS AT 50" which will feature Vjiay Iyer, Bill Frisell, Ehtan Iverson (watch for a podcast interview with him shortly) and many more at the Rose Theater in New York City. Maestro, who made his first ECM appearance on vocalist Theo Bleckmann’s 2017 album Elegy, made a name for himself playing in Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen’s popular band from 2006 to 2011. A resident of Brooklyn and a dual Israeli and American citizen, the pianist also played in star drummer Mark Guiliana’s quartet and has recently worked in a duo with saxophonist Chris Potter. After four trio albums with Roeder and drummer Ziv Ravitz, Maestro drafted Nehemya into the group, which gathered to record The Dream Thief at the studio in Lugano with ECM’s mastermind, Manfred Eicher. The result is a quintessentially ECM record – the quiet, probing tones of the group: the intensity of instrumental passages, and use of musical colours to bring across what Shai so aptly calls the musical truth. The solo pieces – most notably his unique takes on the Israeli song “My Second Childhood” and the standard “The Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” – show the growth Maestro continues to show as an interpreter. His compositions, especially the constantly shifting “New River, New Water”, are open enough to allow the trio room for exploration, but always have a fine sense of melody, recalling ECM’s ubiquitous Keith Jarrett. Bassist Roeder can have his hands full with music that stretches him in a number if different ways, but he always seems more than up to the task. Podcast 707 is my conversation with Shai Maestro, as we discuss the making of The Dream Thief, what it’s like to record with Manfred Eicher on the ECM label, and what he learned from his tenure with Avishai Cohen, and from his continued association with drummer Mark Guiliana. Musical selections include “What Else Needs to Happen (For Ana)”, a tune dedicated to the memory of saxophonist Jimmy Greene’s daughter, who lost her life in the shootings at Newtown, CT; “Choral”;“New River, New Water”; and “The Foolish Things (Remind Me of You).” The Shai Maestro Trio appears at the Jazz Standard in New York on October 29-30, 2019 with Special Guest trumpeter Philip Dizack. The group will play two shows each evening, at 7:30 and 9:30.

Fifty years ago today, Led Zeppelin released their second album as a group, appropriately enough entitled Led Zeppelin II. Recorded earlier in 1969, it was released just 10 months after their eponymous debut album. The band’s first number one album, it also contained their biggest hit single, “Whole Lotta Love”, a transmogrification of Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love”, the Small Faces “You Need Loving”, through the prism of a dizzying display of special effects. Jazz musicians have never turned to the Zeppelin catalogue as inspiration as often as many of their musicals peers. However, that does not mean there are not some heavy jazz covers, as well as some intriguing approaches taken to the band’s music. Podcast 705 celebrates the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin II with forty minutes of jazz versions of the work of Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham. The first tunes come from Led Zeppelin II, and the rest from various other releases. Musical selections include: James Taylor Quartet – “Whole Lotta Love” Lizz Wright – “Thank You” Bonerama – “Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman}” Joshua Redman – “The Crunge” Wave Mechanics Union - “The Rain Song” Cyro Baptista – “Immigrant Song” Stanley Jordan – “Stairway to Heaven”

I crossed another name off my “I gotta talk to this guy/girl” list this month when I finally had a chance to have a conversation with guitarist Dave Stryker. I first came to admire Dave’s tasty playing during his tenure with Jack McDuff, and then with Stanley Turrentine during the Eighties. Since then he has carved out a spot for himself as a top player, both as a leader (more than an album a year for the past 30 years) and a sideman with the likes of Craig Handy, Javon Jackson and Don Braden. He has had a lengthy collaboration with saxophonist Steve Slagle, recording as the Stryker/Slagle Band or under Steve’s name for more than 12 releases in total. But perhaps I’ve never enjoyed him as much as I have since he began the “Eight Track” series of recordings. Beginning in 2014, Stryker has used the Rock, Pop and Soul tunes of the Seventies (hence the allusion to the now defunct 8-track tape) as leaping off points for interpretation and improvisation. His core band for the series has been built around organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter, with a rotating cast of vibes players rounding out the quartet. For his latest releases, Eight Track III and Eight Track Christmas, that chair is held by the always inventive Stefon Harris. Together, the group brings their approach to material as diverse as Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic”,  Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and the Carpenters’  “We’ve Only Just Begun.” Eight Track Christmas is full of inspired and witty takes on classics like “Frosty the Snowman” – here presented as “Soulful Frosty” – and contemporary favorites like Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas War is Over).” Podcast 705 is my conversation with Dave Stryker, as we discuss the genesis of the “Eight Track” series and the formation of the Eight Track Band.  Stryker shares reminisces of his time with McDuff and Turrentine, as well as insight into his sound and approach to playing guitar after forty plus years as a touring musician. Musical selections include "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", Pretzel Logic" and "Joy Inside My Tears" from Eight Track III and "Soulful Frosty" and Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here" from Eight Track Christmas.

Today marks the centennial of the birth of perhaps the most influential drummer - if not the most influential band leader - of the second half of the 20th century. I speak of Art Blakey.  His career spanned all of modern jazz, from learning in the big bands of Fletcher Henderson and Billy Eckstine to cutting contests with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. After a conversion to Islam in the late Forties (briefly changing his name to Abdullah Ibn Buhaina) he came to basically invent what we call Hard Bop, first with Horace Silver, and then with a constantly changing group of musicians known as the Jazz Messengers. He helped make the Blue Note label the wonder that it became. To be a member of the Jazz Messengers was the ultimate validation of a young jazz musician. From the late Fifties until his final iteration with Blakey's death in 1990, he mentored the likes of  Silver, Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Benny Golson, Jymie Merritt, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Reggie Workman, Gary Bartz, Woody Shaw, John Hicks, Stanley Clarke, George Cables, Valery Ponomarev, Bobby Watson, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Donald Harrison, Mulgrew Miller, Wallace Roney, Kenny Garrett, Robin Eubanks, Javon Jackson, Benny Green, Peter Washington, Brian Lynch, Geoff Keezer, and Steve Davis, among many others. Have mercy! Blakey was known for forcing his band members to experiment and grow, making sure they wrote tunes and brought them in for the band to record. His own talents are estimable - check out monster chops on "The Freedom Rider" - but his ability to create a band, mold a sound, and develop talent was his greatest legacy. Most of the selections for the Podcast come from Jazz Messenger recordings, but I would be remiss if I did not dig into some of Buhaina's sideman gigs as well, given that was in demand by the greatest, from Miles to Monk, Coltrane to Rollins. About 70 minutes of his music presented here includes: "Hammerhead" "In Walked Bud" with Thelonious Monk "The Freedom Rider" "Along Came Betty" "Caravan" "Dig" with Miles Davis, Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins "All the Things You Are" with Johnny Griffin, John Coltrane, Hank   Mobley and Lee Morgan "Bu's Delight" "Sportin' Crowd" and of course,  "Moanin'"

Jazz and theatre as art forms have not intersected that often. One thinks of The Connection, a play form the 1950’s featuring music from Freddie Redd and performances onstage by Redd and a young Jackie McLean as one outstanding exception. More recently, Sideman and Blue Paradise dealt with jazz and musicians, but without original music. In his new play (A)loft Modulation, playwright Jaymes Jorsling brings to life 821 Sixth Avenue as it was during the 1950s and ’60s: a dilapidated five-floor walk-up in Manhattan’s seedy flower district that was an after-hours haunt of musicians, artists, junkies, and prostitutes. The world premiere Off-Broadway is in previews now, and opens on September 26. The dramatic production will feature a live jazz band led by saxophonist Jonathan Beshay, improvising nightly. Directed by award-winner Christopher McElroen, the play also features composed jazz piano by Gerald Clayton. The subject matter of (A)loft Modulation is fascinating. In 1955 W. Eugene Smith, a celebrated photographer, quit his job at Life magazine, and left his wife and four children in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. In search of greater freedom and artistic license, he moved into a dilapidated loft building in Manhattan's flower district - at the time a seedy, unsavory neighborhood. Smith's neighbor was Hall Overton, a teacher of classical theory and composition at The Julliard School of Music. Their adjoining lofts were the late night haunts of some of the biggest names in jazz (Charles Mingus, Zoot Sims, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk) painting (Salvador Dali, David X. Young), and of countless other fascinating characters. Smith turned his documentary impulses toward his chaotic surroundings, making 40,000 pictures of life in the loft between 1957-1965. He also wired the entire building like a surreptitious recording studio and made 4,500 hours of audio tape, capturing anyone and everyone who wandered through.  For thirteen years Sam Stephenson - writer, instructor and director of the Jazz Loft Project at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies - researched Smith's life. This resulted in over 5,000 discs of material from the loft and culminated in a book, The Jazz Loft Project, and NPR radio series, and a traveling exhibition which opened at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in 2010. Jaymes Jorsling has taken the story to the next level. In 2015 he was commissioned by Duke University to write the script for Gerald Clayton's sprawling oeuvre Piedmont Blues: A Search for Salvation (the piece is now touring internationally). There he met and worked with Stephenson, and from there, his creative process took the story to the stage. He has workshopped his writings with Classical Theatre of Harlem, LAByrinth Theatre Company, HIP-HOP Theater Festival, New Federal, Inneract Productions, etc. He is a 4x finalist for the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights' Conference, and was a fellow there in 2010. He has been a finalist for the LARK's Playwrights Week and was nominated for their prestigious PONY award. As an Artist-in-Residence at Brown University, he worked on his play trilogy "...Insufficient Funds..." named from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have A Dream” Speech. (The trilogy addresses where America is headed, unless fairness and freedom become as inalienable as they are obliged to be). Podcast 701 is my conversation with Jaymes, a huge jazz fan, and an astute judge of racial politics and the ability of art to build bridges between oft-divided societies. We discussed the genesis of (A)loft Modulation, and his hopes for the production, as well as his views on art, music and how he hopes his art can help America heal its wounds of racism and distrust. (A)loft Modulation is presented by the american vicarious. Performances will begin September 26 in the Mezzanine Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres for a run scheduled through October 27.   For tickets and more information visit  theamericanvicarious.org.

For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and arranger. Head of the Manhattan School of Music’s jazz voice department for eighteen years, he is now Professor of Voice at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Peter and iconic jazz pianist and composer Kenny Werner have joined forces on Somewhere, a collection of lush ballads for voice, string orchestra and jazz trio. The album, dominated by original compositions with a timeless feel, has a late-night vibe that is accentuated by Eldridge’s striking baritone and Werner’s outstanding arrangements. Eldridge is never short of work: his quartet featuring Ulysses Owens on drums, Jesse Lewis on guitar and Matt Aronoff, bass; is currently on tour and he also plays live with Foolish Hearts, a duo with Aronoff. Eldridge is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. The group continues to be among the top jazz vocal groups in the world, and has just released a new album, Reminiscing in Tempo   . On the more contemporary side, Peter is also a member of the vocal group MOSS, alongside Kate McGarry, Theo Bleckmann, Lauren Kinhan and Luciana Souza (and now vocalist Jo Lawry). Podcast 702 is my conversation with Peter, as we discuss the long road Somewhere took to completion,  the challenges of singing new tunes with an orchestra, and what he teaches (and learns from) his students at Berklee. Musical selections from Somewhere include "Autumn in Three", "Day is Done (Diego's Waltz" and the classic  "You Don't Know Me" plus "Round, Round, Round (Blue Rondo a La Turk)" from New York Voice's latest, Reminiscing in Tempo.

Wallace Roney has been a significant force on the scene ever since he emerged at Ali’s Alley at the age of sixteen with Philly Joe Jones. Roney has been featured on impressive work with McCoy Tyner, Dizzy Gillespie, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, and Ornette Coleman. As a member of the Tony Williams Quintet, Wallace took on the responsibility of infusing the band with his fire and innovativeness and won the attention of his idol, Miles Davis. His long-standing association with the jazz icon culminated in the recording of the Grammy award-winning, Quincy Jones-conducted, Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux. Following Miles’ death, Roney paid tribute to his mentor by joining Davis’ former running partners Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Williams for a classic tribute album and tour as VSOP. But Wallace has moved from beneath the shadow of Miles Davis to become his own uncompromising musician. Whether touring and recording with old friends like Lenny White, Patrice Rushen and Buster Williams (A Place in Time), or  building new extended bands to bring to life Shorter’s long-shelved masterpiece “Universe”, Roney has proven he is his own man.  Just as so many other master musicians have sought new blood to keep their music fresh, Blue Dawn – Blue Nights, his new CD from HighNote, finds Roney in the role of mentor to a group of talented younger musicians. Saxophonist Emilio Modeste, pianist Oscar Williams II, bassist Paul Cuffari, and his fifteen year old nephew, drummer Kojo Odu Roney contribute not only their talent, but their material to this hot new release. For all the new talent and sounds, there is a throw-back quality to Blue Dawn – Blue Nights as well - the album was recorded by engineer Maureen Sickler at the board of Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary New Jersey studio. Wallace and I talked about the new CD, why he enjoys working with younger musicians, and his opinion of the much-discussed documentary about Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool. Musical selections from Blue Dawn – Blue Nights include "Wolfbane", "Why Should There Be Stars" and "Elliptical"plus "RJ" from VSOP's A Tribute to Miles.

Living in the Northeast US, it is easy to forget that there is a big, wonderful world of jazz musicians outside the orbit of New York, Boston and the DC area. Prime example – drummer/composer Jay Lawrence, a resident of Utah who put out a CD recently that went under my radar. Thankfully, Sonic Paragon has come to the top of a large pile of releases, and the rewards are many. Begin with a murders’ row of jazz greats backing Jay: bassist John Patitucci, pianist Renee Rosnes, saxophonist Harry Allen and three – count ‘em three – rotating guitar slingers in Romero Lubambo, Anthony Wilson and Yotam Silberstein. Trumpeter Terell Stafford guests on  four tracks as well. Most of the tracks are originals, many by Lawrence. All have a relaxed, breezy feel, but that can be deceptive – there are interesting harmonization and chords, plus successful takes on various musical styles. Add together some interesting covers to rework – songbook classics like “What’ll I Do” and “Maria” and classic rock in Jimi Hendrix’s “Crosstown Traffic” – and there is much to like here. Take “Tchoupitoulas”, a tribute to New Orleans Second Lines. First come that bouncing, percussive beat from Lawrence, supported by Silberstein’s guitar. Then there is the drive of Allen and Stafford, competing with handclaps for attention as they lock in together and then go their own ways to solo. All in all, a great number.  Born and raised in the shadows of the performance spaces of Reno and Lake Tahoe, and a former Las Vegas resident, Lawrence has been working as a musician since the age of 15. From those casino shows backing pop, rock and country acts to film scores, Broadway show orchestra pits and all sorts of jazz styles, Jay has made a life in music. Podcast 698 is my conversation with Jay, as we discuss the making of Sonic Paragon, the jazz scene in Utah, and his interest in music education. The Drummer’s Workbook, his book of instruction, is available at his website. Musical selections include “Tchoupitoulas”, “Crosstown Traffic” and "From Nadir To Zenith", written to honor his wife’s successful battle with cancer.

This coming weekend, August 25-27, the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel, will host the semifinals and finals of the first Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition. Eight selected aspiring talented musicians will arrive in Eilat to participate in the semi-final round on the morning of the second day of the festival. Only three will continue to the final round performance to be held on the main stage as part of the festival program. The three finalists will appear in front of a live audience and a panel of judges to compete for up to $12,500.00 in prize money and international acclaim while carrying on the flame of Michael Brecker’s legacy. The panel of judges of this inaugural competition includes acclaimed musicians Ron Carter, Kenny Garrett, Donny McCaslin and Eli Degibri. Numerous saxophonists aged 16-30 from around the globe applied to participate in this one of a kind competition. Inspired by the legacy of legendary saxophone player, Michael Brecker, this competition is a joint initiative created by many including the Red Sea Jazz Festival artistic director, Degibri, and chairman of the Friends Association, Yuri Guy-Ron, in collaboration with the Brecker family including Michael’s widow, Susan, and his long-time manager, Darryl Pitt. The competition would not have been possible without the generosity of Herb Alpert, and the Municipality of Eilat itself. Judges Melissa Aldano, Marcus Strickland and Ben Wendel selected the following eight players to travel to Eilat: Artem Badenko, Niall Cade, Nathan Bellott, Alex Hahn, Sheridan Hitchcock, Sean Payne, Daniel Varga, and Alex Weitz. In 2007, at the age of 57, the great musician Michael Brecker passed away from cancer. His legacy as a composer, tenor saxophonist and 15-time Grammy winner is awe-inspiring. Regarded as the natural successor of saxophonist John Coltrane, his virtuoso playing has had a profound influence on generations of musicians. From his pioneering work in Fusion with his brother Randy in Dreams and the Brecker Brother; to his performances on over 700 albums as a leader or sideman, Michael was the preeminent first call saxophonist in the world for more than twenty years. As you will here in the podcast conversation with Susan Brecker and Darryl Pitt, he was also a giving, sharing individual who never turned down a young player’s requests for guidance or provide feedback to anyone sending him an unsolicited tape of their playing. Podcast 697 is my conversation about the Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition with Susan and Darryl, as we discuss the genesis of the project; why the Red Sea Festival is the natural place for its initial culmination; and plans for the future, which is likely a bi- or tri-annual competition.  Musical selections from the great Michael Brecker include "Talking To Myself" from Don't Try This at Home, and "Loose Threads" from his final CD, Pilgrimage. 

In Podcast 665 in February, Ashley Kahn joined me to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the recording of Miles Davis’ In A Silent Way. Considered the start of Miles’ “Electric Period”, the album was a progenitor of fusion, jazz-rock and ambient music. Our conversation then shifted to the making of Bitches Brew, the highly divisive and innovative double album he would record 6 months later.  Having returned from performing with some of his new band members in Antibes, he recorded in Columbia Studios in New York form August 19-21, 1969. As a point of reference, the Woodstock Festival had ended just the day before. Podcast 696 is that talk, as Ashley addresses the influences that lead Miles and his band – the core of which was Wayne Shorter, Dave Holland, Chick Corea and Jack DeJohnette, supplemented by the likes of Bernie Maupin on bass clarinet, Joe Zawinul and Larry Young on electric piano, John McLaughlin on guitar, Harvey Brooks on bass, and Lenny White, Don Alias, Billy Cobham, Juma Santos and Airto Moreira on drums and percussion, came to record what is no recognized as a masterpiece. The album would be released on March 30, 1970. We also discuss whether, to paraphrase critic Stanley Crouch, Bitches Brew represents “the most brilliant sellout in the history of jazz.” Ashley believes otherwise, as do I. To me, Bitches Brew was the perfect storm of the times. Electric music had taken over the popular consciousness, R&B and Soul music had begun morphing into funk in the hands of Sly Stone (and his bassist Larry Graham) and James Brown, and there was increasing acceptance of the cross-pollination of musical styles. Think of the sounds the Jimi Hendrix was making at Woodstock and with his Band of Gypsies to see how experimentation had blossomed at the time. Add to that the development of increased studio technology and savvy, and it seemed almost inevitable that a musical visionary like Miles Davis would make his move toward electric music. Bitches Brew also marked an early use of “the studio as instrument” as producer Teo Macero made tape loops, varying effects and intense edits to re-structure the recorded versions of the compositions. For example, the 20 minute track called “Pharaoh’s Dance” that took up the first side of the double album was constructed with 19 distinct edits by Macero. Along with my talk with Ashley, Podcast 696 features excerpts from the Bitches Brew sessions, including “John McLaughlin” and an edited version of the title track, ”Bitches Brew" plus an edit of "Call It Anything" from the Davis Group's (Davis, Gary Bartz, Jarrett, Corea, Holland, DeJohnette and Airto) performance at the Isle of Wight Rock Festival a little over a year after Bitches Brews was recorded.

It's past the midpoint in summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for these lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've now done seven previous Dog Day postings, Podcast 292, Podcast 225, Podcast 442, Podcast 492 , Podcast 546, Podcast 588 and Podcast 632. if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There may be a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they said on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get. Podcast 69_ features the following uninterrupted hour of music, all with summer or relaxing themes, featuring a few new tunes I've recently received from upcoming or imminent releases: Voctave – “The Summer Knows” Amina Figarova – “Cool Breeze” Amy Cervini – “Once Upon a Summertime” Ray Brown, John Clayton, Christian McBride – “Summertime” Chieli Minucci – “Endless Summer” Pat Metheny Group – “Every Summer Night” Lisa Hilton - "Sunset at the Beach" Jenny Scheinman and Allison Miller's Parlor Games - "Fake Weather" Richard "Groove" Holmes - "Sweatin'" Philippe Saisse Acoustique Trio – “Summer Breeze” Dave Stryker – “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” James Taylor Quartet – “Summer Song”

One of the most memorable performances at the 2019 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival was given by singer Veronica Swift. Backed by pianist Emmet Cohen’s trio, she transported the crowd with songs that recalled the thirties and forties, but were thoroughly modern in her approach and style. With charisma to spare, she gave notice that she was someone to watch for. This week Mack Avenue Records releases Veronica’s latest CD, Confessions. At the age of 25, she has recorded a handful of previous works, making her recording debut at the precocious age of nine with saxophonist Richie Cole. Recorded with either Cohen’s trio (bassist Russell Hall and drummer Kyle Poole) or the group lead by Benny Green (bassist David Wong and drummer Carl Allen), she has reached out for some memorable tunes that not only showcase her voice and range, but fit her persona as well. It’s one of the best vocal CDs of the year. The daughter of the late pianist Hod O'Brien (Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Oscar Pettiford) and singer Stephanie Nakasian (more than a dozen CD releases as leader or guest), Ms. Swift was raised in Charlottesville, where her mother taught at the University of Virginia. A graduate of the Frost School at the University of Miami, she was runner-up in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Competition. Since then, she has toured as featured vocalist with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Chris Botti  and headlined top festivals like the annual Telluride Jazz Festival. Podcast 694 is my conversation with Veronica, as we discuss how she picks tunes to cover, her personal and professional relationship with her mother, and her plans for moving beyond the sometimes stifling label of “jazz singer”. Musical selections from Confessions include “You’re Gonna Hear From Me”, “I’m Hip”, and her own “I Hope She Makes You Happy.”

Way back in 2011, my year end podcast picked Nights on Earth, Vince Mendoza’s dazzling, sweeping work as one of the most Notable Releases of that year.  Since then, the six-time Grammy winner left his position as conductor of the Metropole Orchestra and has arranged, scored, or conducted more than thirty pop, classical and jazz albums.    His latest release is a collaboration with the Temple University Studio Orchestra, aided by soloists Terell Stafford on trumpet and Dick Oatts on alto saxophone. Constant Renaissance was written by Mendoza as a remembrance of the City of Philadelphia’s place in jazz history, and its ability to continually reinvent itself in producing musicians of a high level.  The compact three movement suite is dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane, all of whom called Philadelphia home during crucial times in their musical development. As with Nights on Earth, the music is panoramic in style and scope, the style distinctly Vince’s, but calling to mind the finest work of Gil Evans or the larger Ellington ensembles. Approaching his 58th birthday, Mendoza is constantly working, and when we talked had a number of projects in motion. His work with jazz ensembles, from the large Metropole Orchestra and WDR Big Band to more compact groups like Al DiMeola’s World Sinfonia keep him constantly in demand. Vocalists, particularly female vocalists like Madeline Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Janis Siegel, and Diana Krall flock to him to arranger and conduct their projects.  His most notable work with a singer was the two Grammy winning albums with Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now (2000), and Travelogue (2002). Podcast 693 is my conversation with Vince Mendoza, as he walks us through the art of arrangement, and tells inside stories of the making of Constant Renaissance, Nights on Earth, and albums with Elvis Costello and Ms. Mitchell. Musical selections include the first movement of Constant Renaissance, entitled “Bebop Elation” and dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie; “Gracias” from Nights on Earth, featuring the playing of John Scofield, Alan Pasqua, Larry Goldings, Jimmy Johnson, Luis Conte and vocalist Lorraine Perry; Elvis Costello’s reworking of Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count” as the title track from My Flame Burns Blue; and “Woodstock” from Joni Mitchell’s Travelogue.

If you think you haven’t heard the music of saxophonist Tim Ries, think again. Besides his years of touring with Maynard Ferguson and other stalwarts, plus eight CDs as leader or co-leader, he has held down the saxophone and keyboard chairs with the Rolling Stones for the past 21 years. Currently on tour with the Stones across America, he plays the lead on classics like “Miss You” to stadiums full of classic rock fans every night.   Given how busy he can be, it might not be a surprise that his latest solo work, Life Changes, was recorded 14 years ago, and just now seeing the light of day. Released on Ropeadope Records, the album features a who’s who of top players. Hard to believe that sessions with Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Larry Goldings, Grégoire Maret, James Genus and Scott Colley have gone unheard. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Tim waited to release it as his mother was very ill during the recording, and sadly passed soon after its completion, and then he found himself with competing recording projects.   Ries plays tenor and soprano sax, mixing his sound with solos from Maret on Chromatic Harmonica and Frisell on his signature guitar sounds. The classic “Monk’s Dream” becomes an album highlight when he matches Goldings’ keyboards and Frisell’s guitar note for note. Ries’ originals show his various influences and musical interests, moving from the Brazilian-influenced “For Elis” to the soulful “It’s Magic” to the straight-ahead sound of “Late Last Night.”   Podcast 693 is my conversation with Tim, as we discuss Life Changes, his work onstage with the Rolling Stones, and his upcoming musical projects (hint: he claims to have several hundred songs written and ready to record). Musical selections from Life Changes include the title reack, “Late Last Night” and “Bella’s Lullaby”, with a vocal cameo from his daughter. And for a special treat, there is an audience recording of “Miss You” from the Stones’ June 21st concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field.   Be sure to catch Tim’s sextet at the Jazz Standard August 6th, and his Rolling Stones Project with Bernard Fowler on August 7th.

The 65th Newport Jazz Festival, presented by Natixis Investment Managers, will take place August 2-4, and artistic director Christian McBride has once again done a fine job in curating a well-rounded musical experience for Festival goers. Just as last year he mixed things up with Living Color and Parliament Funkadelic (both of whose members have their share of jazz cred), this year’s lineup moves from all facets of jazz to World Music, and the rapper Common. The full lineup, which performs on three outdoor stages and an indoor intimate setting as well,  is as follows: Friday Aug 2, 2019: Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Bad Plus,  Sun Ra Arkestra with Marshall Allen, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Women of the World, Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society , Billy Hart Quartet with Ethan Iverson, Mark Turner and Ben Street, Tia Fuller, Dayna Stephens Group, Mwenso and the Shakes, Tom Oren, Mark Stryker, Ben Morris, Alphonso Horne and the Gotham Kings, Domi and JD Beck, Kandace Springs, and Gary Bartz with Ravi Coltrane and Charles Tolliver. Later in the evening, Jon Batiste & Friends – Cirinee Beiley Rae, PJ Morton, ELEW and Ethan Iverson – will play at the International Tennis Hall of fame in the annual separately ticketed event. Saturday Aug 3, 2019: Kamasi Washington, Hancock/McBride/Colauita, Dianne Reeves with Peter Martin, Romero Lubambo, Reginald Veal, And Terreon Gully; Dee Dee Bridgewater, Buika, Ron Carter Trio, Jenny Schienman & Alison Miller’s Parlor Game, Makaya McCraven, Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles, Ghost-Note, Joel Ross, Hailu Mergia, Laurin Talese, Ralph Peterson and the Messenger Legacy, James Francies’ Flight, Royal Bopsters featuring Sheila Jordan, Brandon Goldberg, Laurin Talese and Brian Marsella. Sunday Aug 4, 2019: Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective, PJ Morton, Sons of Kemet, Cecile McLorin Salvant, ELEW, Marcus Strickland Twi-Life, Smithsoneon, , Christian Sands and Helen Sung, Tadataka Unno, Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Aaron Diehl, In Common: Walter Smith III, Matt Stevens, Joel Ross, Harish Raghavan, and Kendrick Scott, Camila Meza and The Nectar Orchestra, Sammy Miller And The Congregation, Common, Tank and the Bangas,, Lauren Sevian, Marika Hughes, Matana Roberts, and Eric Wurzelbacher.  A pretty good weekend, huh? In addition, there will be the local college bands performing and authors discussing their jazz related books. It’s one of the best weekends of the year. Podcast 691 is my preview of the Festival, featuring musical selections from some of the acts performing at Newport, including: Tia Fuller's Diamond Cut - "Soul Eyes" The Bad Plus - "Hurricane Birds" Joe Ross' Good Vibes - "It's Already Too Late" Dee Dee Bridgewater - "Try a Little Tenderness" Sons of Kemet - "Going Home" Cecile McLorin Salvant - "The Gentleman is a Dope"

Steve Cole has just released a new CD on Mack Avenue Records, entitled Gratitude. It is an extremely enjoyable and positive collection of tunes, inspired by the saxophonist’s recent realization of the goodness of others, stemming from health issues in his family.  Co-produced with longtime collaborator and fellow saxophonist David Mann, Gratitude shows Cole’s musical growth, moving beyond the sound that made him successful as a solo artist, and and with the super-group trio The Sax Pack. The ensemble on Gratitude includes his regular rhythm section, bassist Lamar Jones and drummer Khari Parker, along with guitarist Bernd Schoenhart, organist Ricky Peterson and horn players Trevor Neumann and Dan Levine. Mann contributed the album’s heartfelt title track, and Sax Pack pal Marcus Anderson delivered the funky “Can’t Get Enough.” Cole wrote the remaining tunes, which were inspired not just by his new found feelings of appreciation, but for locations he loves to play (“Soho”, “Toronto”). Podcast 690 is my conversation with Steve, as we talk about the inspirations for the new album, his delight in rediscovering older tunes live, and his plans for a recording date with The Sax Pack in the near future. Musical selections include the title track from Gratitude, plus “Can’t Get Enough” and the mysteriously titled “Five6oh83.”

America’s Independence Day – July 4 – has been marked on Straight No Chaser by an annual recitation of the Declaration of Independence and a playing of Ray Charles’ version of “America the Beautiful.” But as I prepared the same post this year, I realized that it was inappropriate. It was inappropriate because this is a year when America is more divided, more bitterly turned against one another than ever before in my lifetime, often a shadow of its former self. I never dreamed that the America I wake in every day these days would be the America I left to my son and grandsons. So this year, I prepared a Podcast which intends to bring across in music the great frustrations so many of us feel about America. I begin once again with “America the Beautiful” – a song sung by an African-American (Ray Charles), the son of a sharecropper, with lyrics written by a woman (Katherine Lee Bates) and music by a man (Samuel A. Ward). But the message must be refracted through the lens of the rest of the songs I have chosen, all questioning whether we are crowning our good with brotherhood in 2019, and if there is a chance we can regain some of our common sense and grace: Noah Preminger – “A Change is Gonna Come” from Meditations on Freedom Delfeayo Marsalis presents the Uptown Orchestra – the Title Track from Make America Great Again! Wadada Leo Smith – “America, Pts. 1-3” from Ten Freedom Summers Brad Mehldau – “The Prophet is a Fool” from Finding Gabriel Ratetet – “Red State, Blue State” from Arctic The Dirty Dozen Band featuring Chuck D – the Title Track from What’s Going On Charlie Haden and the Liberation Orchestra – “This is Not America” from Not In Our Name I end with an element of hope – but not a lot of faith: Mavis Staples – “Build a Bridge” from If All I Was Was Black Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - “The Star Spangled Banner” from Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Note: This version of "The Star Spangled Banner" was arranged during the Battle of Wadi Al-Battle in Iraq in1991and was recorded a day after the battle started.)

The American Pianists Association nurtures the artistic growth of America's top young pianists by focusing on creative expression and career development. Its largest and most prestigious support is given through a biennial competition known as the American Pianists Awards to discover the best aspiring young American jazz or classical pianists. The unique and innovative competitions span 13 months and provide a platform to deeply engage musical artists in a variety of creative formats and settings. Winners receive cash and two-years of career advancement and support valued at over $100,000, making this one of the most coveted prizes in the music world and the largest for American jazz pianists. Past winners of the jazz competition include well-known names like Aaron Parks, Sullivan Fortner, Dan Tepfer, Aaron Diehl, and Adam Birnbaum. The 2019 competition finished earlier this year, and the winner was Emmet Cohen, a two-time prior finalist. As a recipient of the Cole Porter Fellowship, he will receive, among other prizes and support, a recording contract with Mack Avenue Records. Other finalists in the 2019 competition were Kenny Banks, Jr; Keelan Dimick; Dave Meder and Billy Test. Dr. Joel Harrison serves as President/CEO and Artistic Director of the APA. His duties at APA include the oversight of all artistic programs, most especially the American Pianists Awards, relationships with collaborative organizations, strategic planning, staff development and oversight, Board communications, community and external relationships, fundraising, and representing APA to a national and international constituency. Podcast 688 is my conversation with Dr. Harrison, as we discuss the lengthy and thorough process of choosing a winner of the APA, his thoughts on this year’s winner (including a selection from Emmet Cohen’s album with Ron Carter, “All of You“) and what judges look for in their winner.  

California native Alex Sill began playing guitar and piano at age 12 and progressed quickly, eventually earning a top spot in Lee Ritenour’s international Six String Theory Competition. Inspired by the likes of Larry Koonse, who suggested Sill enroll at CalArts, and shredder Steve Vai, who has said that “Alex Sill is one of those rare talented individuals that has all the elements in place,” he continues to grow and improve. Sill’s debut album, Experiences: Real and Imaginary not only shows him to be a promising jazz guitarist and composer, but also allows Alex to share some of his deepest thoughts and philosophy on the symbiosis of music and the mind. Simply put, Alex finds that Carl Jung’s concept of archetypes - inherited common human behavior patterns that represent themselves psychologically as images. Music, he insisted, brings these instinctively understood human tropes and myths to bear. The result is an often cinematic set of tunes, touching legendary Hollywood (“The Ballad of James Dean”); the Los Angeles landscape (“Chaparral”) and even iconic celebrities (“Jackie”). The sound of the recording is exception – it was recorded with Sill’s primarily L.A.-based musicians, including saxophonists Danny Janklow and Jacob Scesney, trumpeter Mike Cottone, pianists Otmaro Ruiz and Vardan Ovsepian, bassist Benjamin J. Shepherd and drummer Gene Coye. Sill’s mentor and friend Dave Grusin, the legendary keyboardist-composer and a renowned writer of film scores, appears on five tracks. The influence of Grusin and engineer Bill Schnee (Aja), is clear, bring back some of the best of the GRP sound to Sill’s original compositions. While he is building a reputation as a leader, Alex is also in demand as a sideman, touring Japan and elsewhere with Simon Phillips’ Protocol. The ace drummer/percussionist (Jeff Beck, Stanley Clarke, 801, Toto) tapped Sill after seeing him at one of several tributes to their mutual idol, the late, great Alan Holdsworth, where Alex held his own with Holdsworth band veterans Virgil Donati, Jimmy Johnson, Steve Hunt, Joel Taylor and Chad Wackerman. Podcast 687 is my conversation with Alex Sill, as we talk about Experiences: Real and Imaginary; his musical philosophy, and his fascinating family background involving his father’s times as a co-founder of the Philles Records label with Phil Spector. Musical selections include: “Gaucho's Theme" and "Jackie".

About 18 months ago, I had a conversation with photographer Jimmy Katz, about his new non-profit project Giant Step Arts. Katz, along with his wife Dena, planned to select artists for whom they wish to stage and record premiere performances, then provide them with CDs and digital downloads of the gigs and ownership of the masters. Click here to listen to that Podcast. The initial project came to fruition, and Trion, drummer Johnathan Blake’s 2-CD set with Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Chris Potter on tenor saxophone is here. The trio played for two nights at the Jazz Gallery in New York, and the results are top notch. Whether they are working out interesting arrangements to familiar melodies (including Potter’s flights of fancy on the Police’s “Synchronicity I”) or bending a be-bop standard like “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” to their will, these three show their abilities to dig deep and deliver the goods. Blake has become an in-demand collaborator, playing regularly with Tom Harrell, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Kenny Barron’s groups, and garnering Grammy nominations for his recordings with the Mingus Big Band. Trion is his second album as a leader, and by continuing to surround himself with worthy foils, and he shows all signs of becoming a force to be reckoned with in the near future. Podcast 686 is my conversation with Johnathan, as we talk about the musical influences of his father, violinist John Blake, and the making of Trion. Musical selections include "Blue Heart" and "West Berkley Street"

For this jazz fan, the official start of summer comes on June 29-30 in Saratoga Springs, when the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival takes place in the vernal confines of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  It’s a weekend of music on two stages, plus great food, a curated art show, and some of the best vibes of the season. Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live has been curating the Festival for years, and once again has done a masterful job of bringing jazz, blues, R&B and World music to the stages. This year’s lineup  for June 29 includes an Amphitheatre roster of the legendary George Benson; the 50th Anniversary of Cuba’s Los Van Van; singer Kandace Springs; the James Carter Organ Trio; the Mercy Project featuring Jon Cowherd, Steve Cardenas, John Patitucci and Brian Blade; and Prince alum Donna Grantis. The Charles R. Wood "Jazz Discovery" Stage – my favorite place to park in a lawn chair and listen -  features Antonio Sánchez & Migration; Lionel Loueke & Raul Midón; Veronica Swift with The Emmet Cohen Trio; Black Art Jazz Collective featuring Wayne Escoffery, Jeremy Pelt, and James Burton; and Joe Locke's Subtle Disguise. On Sunday we get to do it all over with the Festival premier of Norah Jones; crowd favorites Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue; the Django Festival All-Stars with special guests Edmar Castañeda & Grace Kelly; the Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers & Gregory Hutchinson; and one of my top picks,  the Joey DeFrancesco Trio featuring Billy Hart. The Charles R. Wood "Jazz Discovery" Stage will feature blues singer Ruthie Foster;Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom featuring Jenny Scheinman, Carmen Staaf, Kirk Knuffke, Ben Goldberg and Todd Sickafoose; New Orleans’ Cha Was; South Korean signer Youn Sun Nah; Joel Harrison's Angel Band featuring Jon Cowherd, Jaleel Shaw, Stephan Crump and Brian Blade and local heroes Kansas Smitty's House Band. Podcast 685 is my preview of the festival with Danny Melnick, as we talk about his selection of artists and he tips us to many of his favorite acts. Musical selections include: George Benson - "I Hear You Knocking" from Walking to New Orleans Joe Locke - "Motherless Children" from Subtle Disguise Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom - "Vine and Vein" from Glitter Wolf Ruthie Foster - "Working Women" from Joy Comes Back

It’s always a pleasure to hear a new release from Catherine Russell. One of our most versatile and consistently interesting vocalists, Ms. Russell has become the standard bearer for a particular type of jazz, carrying the torch for the songs of the Twenties, Thirties and Forties that might have slipped away without her stewardship. A student of songs, she comes by her interest in 20th century tunes naturally:  her father, the late Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist/bandleader/arranger/composer, and Louis Armstrong’s long-time collaborator and musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering bassist/guitarist/vocalist and holder of advanced degrees from Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music, who performed with International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Mary Lou Williams, and Ruth Brown. As a singer who is also a graduate of American Academy of Dramatic Arts, it should come as no surprise that Catherine has a significant role in the recent film Bolden, portraying New Orleans madame Lalique Lill, singing "Make Me A Pallet On The Floor." With the release of her latest CD, Alone Together, she breathes life into Swing Era tunes, both the well-known (“How Deep is the Ocean”, the title track) and more obscure (“He May Be Your Dog But He’s Wearing My Collar”). She’s been fortunate to have the same core band for the better part of ten years, and once again she can count on the support of guitarist Matt Munisteri, pianist Mark Shane, bassist Tal Ronen, and drummer Mark McLean.  The result is no exercise in nostalgia, but rather another in a series of successes by an experienced singer who knows how to pick a tune and what to do with it. Podcast 684 is my conversation with Catherine Russell as we discuss her song selection for Alone Together, her participation in the Bolden film, and her very busy summer of touring. She will be serving as musical director for a special one night concert: Remembering The Holmes Brothers, featuring Sherman Holmes, Joan Osborne, Amy Helm, and Chris Bruce on June 18th  at the City Winery in New York, and sing at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing in Damrosch Park on July 3rd as part of the Sisterhood of Swing Seven led by Bria Skonberg. Later in the season and into the fall she will rejoin old friend Donald Fagen in the post-Walter Becker version of Steely Dan. Musical selections for Podcast 684 include “He May Be Your Dog But He’s Wearing My Collar”; Louis Jourdan's "Early in the Morning" plus "Make Me A Pallet On The Floor" from the Bolden soundtrack and “Babylon Sisters” from Steely Dan’s Alive in America release in 1995.

Herlin Riley was more than satisfied with his career as one of the top drummers in jazz. Having worked with the likes of Ahmad Jamal in the mid-Eighties, he achieved recognition as Wynton Marsalis’ drummer in the second iteration of the trumpeter’s great groups in the Eighties and Nineties. It’s Riley you hear on the Pulitzer Prize winning Blood on the Fields, and he is the core of the group playing on the epic Live at the Village Vanguard mega-set. He followed Marsalis to Jazz at Lincoln Center, and participated in many of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s early successes. Since 2000, Herlin has also stepped out as a leader in his own right. After two releases on the Criss Cross label, he signed with Mack Avenue, and now has followed 2016’s New Direction with Perpetual Optimism.  Taking a page from Art Blakey’s play book, the 62 year old has surrounded himself with musicians half his age, including Godwin Louis (sax); Bruce Harris (trumpet); Russell Hall (bass) and most notably, pianist Emmet Cohen. The in-demand Cohen recently was awarded the Cole Porter Fellowship by the American Pianist Awards. More on that in a future podcast. Perpetual Optimism allows Riley to mix his own compositions – and these are well-above average tunes in a post-bop mood – with tunes that allow him to honor those who came before him. Whether he is leading the band through a 5/4 take on “Wang Dang Doodle” or tipping his cap to an elder, Ellis Marsalis, with a cover of “Twelve’s It.”  He brings his own flourishes to “Stella by Starlight”, allowing his young Turks to follow his lead in breathing new life into an old standard. Podcast 683 is my conversation with Herlin Riley, as we discuss his band, the album, and the legacy of the New Orleans drummer in the jazz world. Musical selections from Perpetual Optimism include “Touched” and “Wang Dang Doodle”, plus “Down Home with Homey”, a Wynton Marsalis tune featuring Riley from Uptown Ruler: Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, Vol. 2 in 1988.

I first caught a glimpse of Dr. John on ABC's "In Concert" TV Series in the early 1970's. Cat Stevens had an episode entitled "Moon & Star" and featured Linda Ronstadt and Dr. John as guests. Was there ever a greater opposite than the Night Tripper than the laid-back Cat? Decked out in feathers and spangles, throwing glitter as he worked his way through the audience, this guy was a SIGHT. And then he opened his mouth to sing a cover of Stevens' "Pop Star", and what came out was gravely, soulful and to my ears, irresistible. Dr. John - born Malcom John Rebennack Jr, aka Mac Rebennack - was nothing short of a legend. He carried the torch of New Orleans piano players that started with Jellyroll Morton and came tp include Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, James Booker and eventually Henry Butler, and Jon Batiste. Mac played that wonderful gumbo of soul, blues, jazz, funk and rock that to me was inseparable from New Orleans.  I saw him a few times live - once on a quad bill with Storyville, the Neville Brothers and B.B. King, and he never disappointed. Telling stories, cracking jokes, talking that mix of Nawlins patois and voodoo mumbo-jumbo - there was no one quite like Dr. John. To honor his passing yesterday of a heart attack at the age o 77, enjoy an hour plus of his music. These selections concentrate on his recordings of standards, jazz classics, and New Orleans piano. The Night Tripper's last crawl is done,but his music lives on. Musical selections include: "Iko Iko" "We Gettin' There (with Terence Blanchard)" "Come Rain or Come Shine" "Memories of Professor Longhair" "Little Liza Jane" "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You" "Medley: Just a Closer Walk With Thee/Didn't he Ramble?" "Swanee River Boogie" "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say" "In a Sentimental Mood" "Blue Skies" "Dippermouth Blues" "It Don't Mean a THing (If It Ain't Got that Swing)" "St. James Infirmary" "Sweet Home New Orleans"    

Thirty-six years have passed since Todd Barkan’s historic San Francisco jazz club Keystone Korner closed its doors. From 1972 to 1983, greats like Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Bobby Hutcherson, Stan Getz and Max Roach, among countless others, played there. The venue continues to live on in written history and through a series of seminal albums recorded live in the Vallejo Street nightclub. In the nearly four decades since, Barkan has further cemented his legacy in jazz as a record producer and an operator of clubs in New York (and, from 1990-1993, of Keystone Korner Tokyo). Now, at 72, the newly minted Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts is ready to give Keystone Korner another go—and it’s happening in Baltimore, Maryland. Keystone Korner Baltimore, a collaboration between Barkan and Washington D.C. chef Robert Wiedmaier, is now open at 1350 Lancaster St., in Harbor East. The venue will seat up to 180 people, with tiers for premium and more affordable pricing. “My goal is to create something that’s long-lasting for the city of Baltimore, and is a healing place where the music comes first, where we can celebrate the music together,” Barkan said. Barkan said his club will honor Baltimore’s history of jazz dating back to the 1940s through the 1960s, when Pennsylvania Avenue’s jazz clubs hosted premier homegrown and national talent. The new Keystone Korner will include shrines to the late Ethel Ennis, “the first lady of Baltimore jazz” who ran Ethel’s Place in Mount Royal with her husband during the 1980s, and to the Left Bank Jazz Society, which brought the likes of John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Herbie Hancock and many others at The Famous Ballroom from 1967 to 1985. Podcast 681 features Todd talking about what made him get back to the front lines of a jazz club and why he thinks this is the right time for jazz clubs in America, and reminisces about the old days at the Keystone Korner on the West Coast.

If you listened to my podcast interview with Randy Brecker last month, you heard him praise the work of arranger/composer Lisa Maxwell, and got an early listen to a track from her upcoming CD Shiny!. That release, an All-Star Big Band recording under the name of Lisa Maxwell’s Jazz Orchestra, available on May 17th. Shiny! is dedicated to the memory of Lisa’s long-time friend and mentor, trumpet ace Lew Soloff, who made important recordings with Carla Bley, Gil Evans, and most profitably, as a member of Blood, Sweat & Tears. He died suddenly of an apparent heart attack in 2015. The album in many ways is the perfect tribute to Soloff, a perennial first-call player in Big Bands throughout his career. Lisa not only wrote and arranged stirring – and toe tapping – pieces in his memory, but put together a who’s who of jazz greats who gigged with Lew in the Seventies and Eighties. These include Brecker (trumpet, who held that chair in Blood, Sweat & Tears before departing for the Horace Silver’s group) , “Blue” Lou Marini (sax), Tom “Bones” Malone (trombone), Paul Shaffer (keys), Mike Stern (guitar), Will Lee, David Finck and  Mark Egan (bass), and Donny Gottlieb (drums). To that group are added the likes of Claire Daley (sax), Ben Perowsky (drums), Leni Stern (guitar) and singer Kenya Hathaway to make a memorable group. Maxwell cut her arranging teeth as an orchestrator on some of your favorite cartoons of the Nineties, including “Pinky and the Brain.” She studied with renowned arranger Dick Grove in Studio City, California and with Herb Pomeroy on a Quincy Jones Arranging scholarship at Berklee.  As a sax player, she was featured on tours by, among others, Guns ‘N Roses on their monster Use Your Illusion tour, one of the longest in rock history, playing 194 shows in 27 countries from 1991 to 1993. Shiny! often has the sound of those great Seventies recordings, replete with wah-wah pedals on the trumpet, Fender Rhodes and some stinging guitar solos. Other times, in the moving arrangement of the standard “We’ll Be Together Again” or in the swinging “Israel”, the band could be any of the heavyweight Big Bands working today, with Maxwell providing tight arrangements that showcase the solos of Marini, Brecker, Roger Rosenberg and on French Horn, John Clark. Podcast 680 is my conversation with Lisa Maxwell, as we talk about her career as a composer and arranger, her friendship with Lew Soloff, and how she handles being a “female arranger” or musician in the jazz world. Musical selections from Shiny! includes the title track; “Son of Creeper”, a tune written by her late friend Hiram Bullock; “Israel” and a remixed version of "Shiny!" by her friend Mocean Worker. 

2019 will mark 400 years since Africans were first brought to the Jamestown, VA settlement in 1619 by the Dutch as slaves. They were brought to the Americas to aid in the very profitable agricultural industry during the 17th through 19th centuries, continuing in bondage until an estimated 4 million slaves were freed after the Civil War. The effects of slavery reverberated from the Reconstruction period (1865-1877), through the Civil rights apex a century later (1960s, and some – myself included - consider that this disturbing past still echoes today. Bassist/composer, Avery Sharpe has become, in his words, “the history guy” in jazz today. For the past decade or so he has worked on long-form compositions that use jazz as a means of exploring African-American history. Among his latest works have been those honoring Jesse Owens (“Running Man”), Sojourner Truth (“Ain’t I a Woman”) and Sister Rosetta Tharpe (“Sharpe Meets Tharpe”). His new CD, 400, will remember and tell the story of  400 years of America’s history through his art. With music heavily laden with the overtones of Spirituals, Gospel, Blues, and Jazz and Classical idioms, Sharpe tells this story with great confidence, and with great aplomb. He wisely has chosen some top players to work with him on the hour long piece, including Don Braden (sax), Duane Eubanks (trombone), Ronnie Burrage (drums),  Zaccai Curtis (piano) and Kevin Eubanks (guitar). Avery was, of course, a longtime member of the legendary McCoy Tyner’s Trio for over 20 years, making over 20 recordings with Tyner. His performing, recording, and composition credits reads like a who’s who in Jazz, from Dizzy Gillespie to Yusef Lateef to Wynton Marsalis. Besides playing bass and writing, he serves as Artist Associate in Jazz Bass, and Jazz Coach at Williams College and is Faculty Advisor for the Williams Gospel Choir and affiliated faculty for Africana Studies. Podcast 679 is my conversation with Avery, as we talk about how 400 came to be, how he chose his fellow musicians, and how his mother’s influence put him on the road to a life in music. Musical selections from 400 include: "Fiddler", "Antebellum" and "A New Music."

International Jazz Day is celebrated in Sydney, Australia this year, although there will be events around the World. Since the first International Jazz Day concerts in Paris, New Orleans and the floor of the United Nations in New York in 2012. I had the pleasure of attending the show in New York, and it was spectacular. This year's listed artists performing "Down Under" will include: Cieavash Arian (Iran), William Barton (Australia), Dee Dee Bridgewater (USA), Till Brönner (Germany), A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russian Federation), Eli Degibri (Israel), Kurt Elling (USA), Matthew Jodrell (Australia), Ledisi (USA), Eijiro Nakagawa (Japan), Mark Nightingale (United Kingdom), Chico Pinheiro (Brazil), Tineke Postma (Netherlands), Eric Reed (USA), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Nathan Schreiber (Australia), Somi (USA), Lizz Wright (USA), Tarek Yamani (Lebanon). More artists are expected to be announced. Podcast 678 gives you an hour plus of jazz from around the globe including: Melissa Aldana (Chile) & the Crash Trio (Cuba) - "Peace,Love & Music" Pedrito Martinez Group (Cuba) - "Habana Dreams" Wolfgang Muthspeil (Austria) - "With a Little Help from My Friends" Gary Burton (America) and Makoto Ozone (Japan) - "O Gran Amor" Cyrille Aimee (France) - "Estrellitas Y Duendes" Ron Carter (America) and Richard Galliano (France) - "Ballade Pour Marion" Edward Simon (Venezuela) - "The Messenger" Anat Cohen (Israel) - "Espinha deBacalhua" Vijay Iyer (American, of Indian descent) - "When History Sleeps" Egberto Gismonti (Brazil) - "Kalimba" Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Andrew Cyrille (American; Andrew of Haitian descent) - "We Pray" The 2019 All-Star Global Concert will be webcast for free on jazzday.com, unesco.org, YouTube and Facebook at 15:00 UTC / 11:00 New York / 16:00 Paris on Tuesday, April 30.

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Randy Brecker in the past for this Podcast, going back to 2015.  The ace trumpet and flugelhorn player will celebrate his 75th birthday next year, but he is still going strong. The past few months have seen a number of large ensemble works featuring his inimitable style, with more to come shortly. Rocks, a hot recording of Brecker with the NDR Big Band-The Hamburg Jazz Orchestra, with special guests David Sanborn, Ada Rovatti and Wolfgang Haffner was released in late February. Beyond the killer solos you expect from this group of players, fans of Randy Brecker compositions from different periods in his career will be excited to listen to some new arrangement by Jörg Achim Keller.  An expanded and remastered version of Zappa in New York was recently released, giving fans of the four-night run at the Palladium in New York between Christmas and New Year’s 1976 new music to hear. This 40th anniversary edition includes versions of every song played during the famous engagement, with many of them previously unheard. Brecker, with his brother Michael (tenor sax, flute), was the linchpin of the horn section for these shows, along with Tom “Bones” Malone (trombone), Ronnie Cuber (baritone sax), and “Blue Lou” Marini (alton sax). In May, Shiny!, a tribute to Brecker’s old friend Lew Soloff will be released, with Randy having a key role in Lisa Maxwell’s Jazz Orchestra.  A song in memory of Soloff, “Ludie” is included in the podcast as an advance treat. Watch for a podcast interview with Lisa Maxwell in May. On May 16, the Tribeca Performing Arts Center will host a “Salute to Randy Brecker” featuring Randy joining Peter and Will Anderson (reeds), Veronica Swift (vocals), and jazz masters George Cables (piano), Buster Williams (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). And finally, later in the year. Brecker Plays Rovatti will be released, featuring 10 new Ada Rovatti compositions. For this CD. Randy is backed by Dave Kikoski, Alex Claffy, Rodney Holmes and Café! with special appearances by Jim Beard and Adam Rogers. Randy and I talk about all of this and more during podcast 677, featuring musical selections from Rocks (“Squids” featuring Frank Delle and “The Dipshit” featuring Sanborn); Zappa in New York (“America Drinks”) and Shiny! (“Ludie”).

It seems that most of the world’s religions have spring holidays. In fact, celebrating the beginning of spring may be among the oldest seasonal holidays in human culture. The earliest reference we have to such a holiday comes to us from Babylon, 2400 BCE. The city of Ur apparently had a celebration dedicated to the moon and the spring equinox which was held some time during our months of March or April. For Christianity, today is Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, culminating in the commemoration of the Passion with the celebration of Easter. The Jewish 8 day celebration of Passover begins on this coming Friday, commemorating the Exodus of the Israeliites from Egypt. For Buddhists, spring is significant mainly for its connection with events in the life of the Buddha. Hindus celebrate the birth of the lord Rama with the festival known as Rama Navami. Native Americans celebrate the Yaqui Deer dance this week, a ceremony intended to integrate ancient rites of the Yaqui people of Arizona with the Christian Easter Rituals. According to Muslim tradition, Nis Sha-ban is the time when Allah Approaches the earth to call humanity to repentance and grant forgiveness off sins. The Bahai faith begins a celebration called Ridvan, commemorating the twelve days that Baha u llah spent in the garden of Ridvan during his exile from Baghdad. With all of these religious events happening in a 10-14 day period, it has been the Straight No Chaser tradition to assemble a Podcast of Spiritual Jazz to honor and embrace the spiritual aspects of life. Podcast 676 is no exception, with musical selections including: Sun Ra – “God is More Than Love Can Ever Be” Mark Feldman, Uri Caine, Greg Cohen & Joey Baron – “Chabad Nigun” Raul Midon – “Peace on Earth” Joe DeFrancesco – “The Creator Has a Master Plan” Tony Scott – “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna” Solomon Sori – “Songs of Praise to God” Russell Malone and Jimmy Owens – “We Have a Friend in Jesus” Tierney Sutton Band – “Amazing Grace” For those interested in previous Podcasts of Spiritual Jazz, please click the links that follow to listen to Podcasts 178, 215, 341, 422, 472, 525 and 617.

With the release of Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! today, drummer/composer Mark Guiliana pushes further than ever against the boundaries of musical classification. Is it jazz? Is it electronica? Is it progressive rock? More importantly – does it matter what we call it? The latest Beat Music product from Guiliana builds on the strengths of his twin releases in 2014, My Life Starts Now and Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations. On those albums Mark skillfully used the vocabulary of electronica on jazz compositions and improvisations, resulting in an always interesting hybrid. By his admission, Beat Music: The Los Angeles Improvisations relied heavily on sound and rhythmic experiments. With Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music!, the pieces are more completely composed, and Guiliana’s crew of exceptional musicians, including Donnie McCaslin Group members Jason Lindner (keyboards) and Tim Lefebvre (bass) and electronicists Troy Zeigler and Steve Wall eschew traditional improvisational techniques, while make the most of the material. Guiliana’s approach to sound and space here echoes his work on David Bowie’s swansong album Blackstar.  A few tracks recall Bowie’s Eno experiments Low and Heroes.  Mark even dabbles in Dub with bass player Stu Brooks. Even more intriguing is his use of the spoken word, often merely as a textural device, allowing the timbre of the voice to be another instrument, but on “ BONES”, in a moving, elegiac manner. Podcast 675 is my conversation with Mark Guiliana, as we discuss the new CD, his European tour plans, and his past work with bassist Avishai Cohen and as a member of the Donnie McCaslin Group. Musical selections from Beat Music! Beat Music! Beat Music! Include “GIRL”, “HOME”, and “BONES” plus “One for Mark” from Avishai Cohen’s 2006 album Continuo; and the rocking “Great Destroyer” from the McCaslin Group’s recent release, Blow.

Podcast 674 is a long overdue conversation with Israeli guitarist Yotam Silberstein.  Since he was a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition in 2005, Yotam has shown himself to be more than just another guitar ace, but also a top interpreter of the music of South America, most notably Brazil.  With the release of The Village last year, he seemed ready to show that he could handle any facet of jazz with intelligence, wit and style. Future Memories shows this was the case. Yotam has assembled a band that has toured with this material for a year or more, and the result is an increased tightness and perceptiveness. The band - Victor Goncalves (Piano, accordion, Percussion), Glenn Zaleski (Fender Rohes, Piano), and Daniel Dor (Drums, Percussion) – has been made even better with the addition of the Brazilia-loving bassist John Patitucci. Yotam was part of Patitucci’s trio release entitled Irmaos De Fe, and the pair continues to build a highly beneficial relationship. Yotam and I discussed how an Israeli-born musician came to adopt Brazilian music; what sort of gear he uses to create the varied sounds and textures that make Future Memories so continually interesting; and what he learned from his tenure with the likes of Jimmy Health, the late Roy Hargrove, and especially Monty Alexander. Music selections from Future Memories include the title track and “Choro Negro”; and Monty Alexnader’s Harlem-Kingston Express’ recording of “Freddie Freeloader (Riddim)” from their Live at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola, NYC CD.

As a purely amateur electric bass player, one of my heroes is John Patitucci. The Brooklyn-born bass player has been at the top of the electric bass and acoustic double bass call list for some 35 years now, and in the process has become part of legendary groups. He has released 14 albums under his own name as leader, and participated on dozens of others, including albums with Al Di Meola, Herbie Hancock, Danilo Perez, Edward Simon, Lee Ritenour, and Kurt Elling. However, Patitucci will likely best be known as the bass player for Chick Corea’s Elektric and Akoustic Bands, beginning in the mid-Eighties; and then as part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet for the past twenty years. The latter group, with Perez and Brian Blade supporting Shorter, has earned critical hosannas as one of the greatest improvisational bands of the 21st Century. While Wayne is no longer touring, Patitucci, Perez and Blade will continue as a trio under the name Children of the Light, the title of their 2015 release. His last release, Brooklyn, gave John the chance to showcase his electric playing, predominately on the 6-string hollow-body bass from Yamaha that has become something of a trademark. This week he releases, Soul of the Bass, his first solo bass album. Featuring both electric and acoustic bass recordings, some multi-tracked, it may well be the most intimate thing Patitucci has done. The song selection ranges from his own tunes, most coming from improvisations that he developed into fully conceived pieces for bass, to pieces by Bach (“Allemande from the Cell Suite No,5). It’s not truly “solo”, in that on one funky track, “The Call” he is joined by drummer Nate Smith; he has vocal assistance from his daughters on a track; and is supported by a cello/bass choir featuring his wife Sachi. John will debut the new CD with a performance in an appropriately intimate venue, the Zurcher Gallery, 33 Bleecker Street, New York on Friday April 5th. The streaming versions of Soul of the Bass will be available that day; the CD comes out two weeks later. Podcast 673 is my delightful conversation with John Patitucci, in which we discuss the genesis of the new album; the story of his new “old” double bass that he used for much of the recording; and tales of his times with Shorter and Corea, as well as remembrances of Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove. Musical selections from Soul of the Bass include “The Call” and “Earth Tones”, plus selections from the Chick Corea Elektric Band (“Got a Match?”) and the Grammy-winning  Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall project that matched John with Herbie Hancock, Brecker, Hargrove, and Blade in a salute to the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. (“Naima”).

The SFJazz Collective continues to be one of the most accomplished and exciting larger ensembles performing and recording in jazz today. An octet, the group operates democratically, choosing songs and arrangements together, rather than following a bandleader. Given that the current Collective lineup is made up of ALL bandleaders - Miguel Zenon, David Sanchez, Etienne Charles, Robin Eubanks, Warren Wolf, Edward Simon, Matt Brewer, and Obed Calvaire – that’s probably for the best. The Collective is currently on tour with a rotating repertoire – some nights the music of Miles Davis, and other nights the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.  Previous tours had celebrating the music of artists like Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk and Stevie Wonder. Etienne Charles and Matt Brewer are the newest members of the Collective, and I had the chance to speak with Etienne about the group, and also about his newest solo project Carnival – The Sound of a People, Volume 1. The new CD is a result of Etienne’s Guggenheim Fellowship, sending him back to his native Trinidad to record new and traditional music celebrating the island’s carnival celebration. He also made field recordings, giving a documentary feel to a set of music that is guaranteed to move your feet. And he promises multiple volumes before he finishes the project. In addition to these two undertakings, Etienne has branched out into producing and writing for others. His arrangements are appearing on several singers releases this year, and he served as a producer, composer, arranger, trumpeter and percussionist on Petite Afrique by Somi, which won Outstanding Jazz Album at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards. Podcast 672 is my conversation with Etienne Charles, featuring Charles’ arrangements of “Garoto” and “Ligia” from the SFJazz Collective album Live SFJazz Center 2018 -  The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim; the Collective’s recording of “Tutu” from a concert held at the Philarmonie de Paris, in Paris, France on November 8, 2018; and “Moko Jumbie”  from the newly released Carnival – The Sound of a People, Volume 1.

‘Who are you, where have you been, and why am I just hearing you now?’ That question seems to be a common thread running through the rising career of singer Quiana Lynell. A transplanted New Orleans resident via Texas, her musical world was strictly gospel music until she attended school in Louisiana.  She earned her degree in Vocal Performance, concentrating on classical music.  Expanding her musical horizons, she worked the New Orleans scene while keeping her day job at AT&T, and then caught a break and began teaching at Loyola University. Word of mouth got her onstage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where Terence Blanchard was knocked out by her jazz sensibilities and strong singing. He took her to Europe on his next tour, and helped mentor her. From there it was a short leap to her victory in the 2017 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and a recording contract.. A Little Love, her new CD on the Concord label allows her to show her continued growth as an artist. Produced by Brian Michel Bacchus (Gregory Porter, Lizz Wright), a man who knows a thing or two about how to present the best side of a jazz singer, A Little Love lets Quiana cover tunes ranging from the soul of Donny Hathaway and Irma Thomas to jazz classics from the Gershwins, Duke Ellington and Dr. Billy Taylor.  Backed by a top-notch band of Cyrus Chestnut on piano; long-time collaborator Jamison Ross on drums; Ed Cherry on guitars; George DeLancey on bass; and Monte Croft on vibes the result is a showcase for a real emerging talent.  Quiana will be on the road with her trio through the summer, including a spot at the 2019 Playboy Jazz Festival in Los Angeles in June.  Seems like more people will be asking that question again and again: ‘Who are you, where have you been, and why am I just hearing you now?’ Podcast 671 is my conversation with Quiana Lynell, as we talk about her journey to a major label recording, her work with Terence Blanchard, and how she views the business side of her musical career. Musical selections from A Little Love include "They All Laughed" featuring Jamison Ross on vocals with her; “Come Sunday / I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)”;and “Sing Out, March On.”’

With the release of Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women, Alicia Olatuja has raised the bar once again on what she might offer the music world. Since she caused a commotion as a featured vocalist at Barak Obama’s Second Inauguration in 2013, she has released two CDs, including the exceptional debut album Timeless; and toured consistently, including being an anchor of Billy Childs’ Laura Nyro project and Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Songs of Freedom project. The new CD, which comes on the heels of the CD release of Songs of Freedom, has Ms. Olatuja creating thematic projects that bring across the many facets of female life and times, brought to song by some of the finest female writers of the time. When I caught some of her set at the Newport Jazz Festival last summer, her version of Joni Mitchell’s “Cherokee Louise” was a riveting piece of musical theater. She was in total command of the song, tackling issues of racism and sexual assault with sensitivity and yet with bravado. There is much of that spirit on Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women. From her multi-tracked acapella take of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” to the fiery version of “People Make the World Go ‘Round” these are not simple cover versions. It helps that she contributes a number of savvy arrangements, and brings in the likes of Childs and Etienne Charles for more. Her backing band is nothing short of top-notch, with long-time collaborator Owens on drums;  Sullivan Fortner on piano; Ben Williams on bass;  Dayna Stephens on sax and Jeremy Pelt on trumpet.  The result is a whole far more than these significant pieces. Podcast 670 is my conversation with Alicia, as we talk about the tunes that make up Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women; her collaborations with Childs and Owens; and her memories of the Obama Inauguration performance. Musical selections from Intuition: Songs from the Minds of Women include “Cherokee Louise”; her own composition "Just Wait", and  “People Make the World Go ‘Round”; and from Songs of Freedom. Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

A brief history of the Mardi Gras celebration, courtesy of a hotel blog post: Mardi Gras was first brought to New Orleans by French settlers in 1699. The first party was recorded to been held at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Later accounts of celebrations in New Orleans in the 1700s include mention of music, cross-dressing, music and masks. The inclusion of parades years later became a big part of the celebrations. In 1856, New Orleans' first “krewe”, the Mystic Krewe of Comus, was founded. It was created after six Anglo-American businessmen decided they needed a more elevated way to celebrate Mardi Gras. The Krewe of Comus brought elaborate floats, costumes and music to the scene. They also brought torches, or “flambeaux,” which are still a staple of night parades today. The Mardi Gras colors of purple, yellow and green were originally taken from the Rex Krewe, who came into the parade scene in 1872. Another big part of Mardi Gras is eating good, so look out for specials of gumbo, jambalaya and other Nola favorites in local restaurants. And that colorful bread eaten before Ash Wednesday? King’s Bread is circular bread made out of brioche and is typically baked with a small bean or plastic baby inside. Whoever gets the bread with the little bean may be “king” for the day, but has to provide the next year’s King Bread. And oh yes – the MUSIC! New Orleans is one great steaming pot of musical gumbo, with sources from music the African slaves brought through the Caribbean; French-Canadian sounds that would not be out of place at the Grand Old Opry; and what we now think of as good ol’ Soul, R&B and Rock & Roll. The jazz comes from brass bands, from those imitating what became unfortunately tagged as “Dixieland” and even modern improvisation. It is, simply put; the best scene one can hope to find in a few square miles. If you can’t go to the Mardi Gras, the next best thing is to whip up some jambalaya and turn up Podcast 670 nice and loud. Dance around your kitchen. Let the good times roll, baby! Because tomorrow is Lent, and the tradition of abstinence begins.  Musical selections from a handful of Nevilles, a couple of Marsalises and more, include: Wynton Marsalis – “New Orleans Bump” Wycliffe Gordon – “Lil’ Liza Jane” Art Neville and Aaron Neville – “Go to the Mardi Gras” Jambalaya Brass Band – “Congo Square” Kermit Ruffins – “Monday Night in New Orleans” Bob Brookmeyer – “King Porter Stomp” Cyril Neville – “Second Line Soca” The Meters – “Hand Clapping Song” Jon Batiste – “Saint James Infirmary Blues” Rebirth Brass Band – “What Goes Around Comes Around” Ivan Neville & Cris Jacobs – “Dance for Me Mama” Delfeayo Marsalis – “Put Your Right Foot Forward” Wild Magnolias – “Handa Wanda” Dr. John – “Sweet Home New Orleans”

Performer! Producer! Musical Director! Arranger! Composer! Educator! Ulysses Owens Jr checks all the boxes as he continues to develop and grow his career in jazz.  Since his graduation from Juilliard as a member of its jazz inaugural class in 2001, he has been in demand as drummer and musical director. You are likely familiar with his contributions to recordings with Christian McBride’s Trio and Big Band, the latter of which won him his second Grammy Award. His first Grammy came in 2010 for his work with Kurt Elling on his live album Dedicated to You. Songs of Freedom is his fifth album as bandleader, not including four others with the New Century Jazz Quintet, which he leads with pianist Takesh Ohbayashi.  The new album is the culmination of a four year project that began as his production at the Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center of a tribute to the music of Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, and Joni Mitchell.  As musical director, he led vocalists Alicia Olatuja, Theo Bleckmann, and Dee Dee Bridgewater in a sold out show. A rousing success, the show toured, gaining further momentum. Now, we have the CD, a release on the DiskUnion Japan Label. The ten tracks on Songs of Freedom allow Owens and his collaborators to explore the personal freedoms of expression, enfranchisement, representation and love. Ms. Bridgewater is gone, but in her stead is a fiery turn by Rene Marie, and a promising appearance by the up-and-coming singer Joanna Majoko.  Olatuja and Bleckmann, both long-time friends and collaborators are revelations. Ms. Olatuja brings new facets to “Both Sides Now” and a sense of both foreboding and hopefulness with Nina Simone’s “Everything Must Change.” Bleckmann, who Ulysses delights in calling “weird”, sings two lesser known tunes - Randy Newman’s “Baltimore”, associated with Ms. Simone, and Joni Mitchell’s obscure “Borderline” from her Turbulent Indigo album. Both of the songs were written more than 25 years ago, but in the hands of Bleckmann  and Owens’ band, their lyrical themes and content seem as if ripped from today’s headlines. Podcast 669 is my conversation with Ulysses Owens, Jr., in which we discuss the evolution of the Songs of Freedom project; why he enjoys playing with singers so often; and his involvement in a series of new projects, including those by Steve Wilson and Elling. Musical selections from Songs of Freedom include “Everything Must Change”, “Baltimore”, “Borderline” and Joanna Majoko singing “Freedom Day” plus a track from the Christian McBride Big Band’s The Good Feeling CD, “Brother Mister.”

No album title in recent memory was more to the point than the Branford Marsalis Quartet’s 2012 release Four MFs Playin’ Tunes. That CD was filled with the kind of great give and take that only musicians steeped in tradition, and heady enough to work off and with each other could make. The core of the band – Saxophonist Marsalis, bassist Eric Revis and pianist Joey Calderazzo – has been together for more than twenty years, while drummer Justin Faulkner just celebrated a decade with the group. We haven’t had a pure quartet album since then, as Marsalis and crew backed singer Kurt Elling in recording and touring in support of their collaboration Upward Spiral. That drought is over with the release of The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul.  A true group effort, the album allows room to showcase the different band members’ strengths and talents, always towards a cohesive sound. Branford stressed the importance of having players who actually “like” playing jazz, as opposed to those looking for “vehicles for improvisation” against which they can solo and flex their chops. Calderazzo and Revis each wrote two strong tunes for the project – with Calderazzo’s “Conversation Among the Ruins” and Revis’ “Dance of the Evil Toys” two of the finest. There are also two well-chosen covers – Keith Jarrett’s “The Windup,” which gets a great re-working and Andrew Hill’s “Snake Hip Waltz”, brought to the band by Eric Revis. During the course of our conversation, we discussed the making of The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, plus reminisced about Marsalis’ jazz/hip-hop project Buckshot LeFonque and talked about what he brings to his playing when he works with singers, and in performing classical music. Marsalis had a reunion of sorts with members of the Grateful Dead touring as Dead & Company last summer at the Lock’n Festival, reprising some of the tunes he played in a classic 1990 date at Nassau Coliseum in New York. That show, often rated as one of the Dead’s best, was released as Wake Up to Find Out. Musical selections for Podcast 667 include “Conversation Among the Ruins” and “Snake Hip Waltz”, plus a portion of “Bird Song” from the Lock’n show on August 26, 2018.

I first fell in love with the music of Joey DeFrancesco  twenty years ago, when I booked him on an epic Organ Summit triple bill with the late Charles Earland and Dr. Lonnie Smith for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz.  What an evening that was! Significantly younger than the other greats sharing the stage that night, he more than held his own, and seemed as excited as any fan in attendance to be part of a very special event. Since then, DeFrancesco has perhaps done more than anyone to expand the manner in which the organ can be played in jazz. Not only has he recorded “traditional” organ trio recordings with guitar and drums, but he has put together musical tributes for some of his favorite musicians (Horace Silver, Michael Jackson); been a sideman for John McLaughlin and Corey Weeds; played with the Count Basie Orchestra; and released the exciting and politically charged album Project Freedom, credited to Joey DeFrancesco + The People. By augmenting his trio with saxophonist Troy Roberts, it seemed that Joey had turned a new corner in his musical progression. His latest CD, In the Key of the Universe is proof that he has.  Rather than retain the core players from his Trio, DeFrancesco brought back from previous sessions the legendary Billy Hart on drums;  Sammy Figueroa on percussion; and Roberts on  a variety of saxes, and even bass(!) to anchor a band that is filled out by the ageless Pharaoh Sanders on sax. While there is plenty of swing on In the Key of the Universe, musically it represents a long look into the intersection of Spiritual Jazz and Groove. A listener needs to go no further than Joey’s take on Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan.”  Originally recorded fifty years ago this month, DeFrancesco’s take is as third as long as the epic piece, and finds new ways to reinterpret a standard. In the Key of the Universe reimagines the sound of the organ in this kind of music, and as a whole shows that DeFrancesco is willing and ready to stretch his talents once again. Joey has also been in the news for his collaboration with another legend – Van Morrison. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Irish singer had released more than an album a year of jazz, blues and soul, much of it cover material before he hooked up with DeFrancesco and his group. In 2018, he teamed with Joey’s band of Michael Ode, Dan Wilson and Troy Roberts for You’re Driving Me Crazy, an album that reinterpreted some Van classics like “The Way Young Lovers Do” as jazz standards, and played chestnuts like “Miss Otis Regrets” with a new swing. A critical success, a second album, The Prophet Speaks, an R&B and Blues influenced set, was released in early December. Podcast 666 gives us a chance to hear about Joey’s collaborations with the two legends – Pharaoh and Van – plus talk about the future of jazz organ, and allows him to reminisce about his high school days in late 80’s Philadelphia, when he shared bandstands with the teenage Christian McBride and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and jammed with the likes of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots) and future members of Boyz II Men. Musical selections from In the Key of the Universe include the title track and "I first fell in love with the music of Joey DeFrancesco twenty years ago, when I booked him on an epic Organ Summit triple bill with the late Charles Earland and Dr. Lonnie Smith for the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz. What an evening that was! Significantly younger than the other greats sharing the stage that night, he more than held his own, and seemed as excited as any fan in attendance to be part of a very special event. Since then, DeFrancesco has perhaps done more than anyone to expand the manner in which the organ can be played in jazz. Not only has he recorded “traditional” organ trio recordings with guitar and drums, but he has put together musical tributes for some of his favorite musicians (Horace Silver, Michael Jackson); been a sideman for John McLaughlin and Corey Weeds; played with the Count Basie Orchestra; and released the exciting and politically charged album Project Freedom, credited to Joey DeFrancesco + The People. By augmenting his trio with saxophonist Troy Roberts, it seemed that Joey had turned a new corner in his musical progression. His latest CD, In the Key of the Universe is proof that he has. Rather than retain the core players from his Trio, DeFrancesco brought back from previous sessions the legendary Billy Hart on drums; Sammy Figueroa on percussion; and Roberts on a variety of saxes, and even bass(!) to anchor a band that is filled out by the ageless Pharaoh Sanders on sax. While there is plenty of swing on In the Key of the Universe, musically it represents a long look into the intersection of Spiritual Jazz and Groove. A listener needs to go no further than Joey’s take on Sanders’ “The Creator Has a Master Plan.” Originally recorded fifty years ago this month, DeFrancesco’s take is as third as long as the epic piece, and finds new ways to reinterpret a standard. In the Key of the Universe reimagines the sound of the organ in this kind of music, and as a whole shows that DeFrancesco is willing and ready to stretch his talents once again. Joey has also been in the news for his collaboration with another legend – Van Morrison. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Irish singer had released more than an album a year of jazz, blues and soul, much of it cover material before he hooked up with DeFrancesco and his group. In 2018, he teamed with Joey’s band of Michael Ode, Dan Wilson and Troy Roberts for You’re Driving Me Crazy, an album that reinterpreted some Van classics like “The Way Young Lovers Do” as jazz standards, and played chestnuts like “Miss Otis Regrets” with a new swing. A critical success, a second album, The Prophet Speaks, an R&B and Blues influenced set, was released in early December. Podcast 666 gives us a chance to hear about Joey’s collaborations with the two legends – Pharoah and Van – plus talk about the future of jazz organ, and allows him to reminisce about his high school days in late 80’s Philadelphia, when he shared bandstands with the teenage Christian McBride and Kurt Rosenwinkel, and jammed with the likes of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (The Roots) and future members of Boyz II Men. Musical selections from In the Key of the Universe include the title track and "Vibrations in Blue", plus Van and Joey’s take on Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “Gonna Send You Back to Where I Got You From” from The Prophet Speaks.  

Almost exactly two years ago, I spoke with French singer Cyrille Aimee about her second album for Mack Avenue, Let’s Get Lost. It had been recorded with her long-time collaborators, the Surreal Band, and carved out a spot for her as a new voice to be reckoned with on the jazz scene. Fast forward two years, and like most artists worth their salt, Cyrille has grown and changed. Breaking with the band, she moved to New Orleans, began participating in the Scene, and immersed herself in the music of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. She had recorded his “Live Alone and Like It” on Let’s Get Lost, and was anxious to learn more. Finding that most jazz musicians she knew were unfamiliar with his work outside of his outlier “hits” like “Send in the Clowns”, Cyrille poured through his lyrics, and yet stayed away from cast recordings or other singer’s versions to bring her own fresh approach to the tunes. The result is the aptly named Move On: A Sondheim Adventure.  It is one of the few albums where Sondheim is acknowledged as a crucial part of The Great American Songbook (maybe called Part Two?) and yet modern in every way. Cyrille dug deep into the Sondheim archives, and came up with tracks from unproduced musicals (“Climb High” and “They Ask me Why I Believe in You”); cult favorites (“Take Me to the World” from Evening Primrose and “So Many People” from Saturday Night; and the oft-recorded tunes like Sweeney Todd’s “Not While I’m Around” and Company’s closing tune, “Being Alive.” But what makes this the adventure the title promises are the arrangements Cyrille wrote, often in collaboration with keyboardist Assaf Gleziar.  Putting her unique voice to good use - sometimes chirpy, sometimes purring – Sondheim’s tunes show new facets by changes of tempo, style and texture. The album closing “With So Little to Be Sure Of” is given a samba beat, and both “Being Alive” and “Take Me to the World” benefit from up-tempo speeds. Clearly her time in New Orleans is at work here. The ballads, particularly “Loving You” are polished and smooth, moving to the ears. Podcast 665 is my latest conversation with Cyrille Aimee, as she shares her Sondheim adventure with us. Musical selections from the CD include “With So Little to Be Sure Of,”  “I Remember”, “Loving You”, and “Take Me to the World.”

Fifty years ago today – February 18, 1969 - Miles Davis and a group of musicians entered Columbia Studio B in New York City for a three hour session that eventually became his first true “electric album”, In A Silent Way. It’s fair to say that the album remains one of the most startling and influential jazz albums of all time, one of the first times that electric instruments met truly adventurous jazz musicians, and the resulting music was manipulated by the nascent studio technology of the day. Who better to take us through the story of In A Silent Way than the renowned author and educator Ashley Kahn? The author of definitive books on Davis’ Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, and a Grammy winning writer of liner notes, Kahn is a professor of music history and criticism at the Tisch School at NYU. I’ve been lucky to have him on the show before, and he once again gives a fascinating perspective to Davis’ work. In A Silent Way came less than six months after the fracturing and then dissolution of Miles’ Second Great Quintet. Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams had begun working more diligently on their own electric projects (Mwandashi and Lifetime, respectively) and Ron Carter sought session work to make up for the lack of revenue due to the reduction in Davis’ touring schedule.  Hancock and Carter left the quintet during the sessions that became Filles de Kilimanjaro, and Chick Corea and Dave Holland replaced them.  By the end of 1968, Davis’ group had morphed and grown, with Davis, Wayne Shorter (sax), Joe Zawinul (organ, electric piano), Corea and a returning Hancock (electric piano) joined by Holland (bass) and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Tony Williams returned to replace DeJohnette for In A Silent Way, and in a crucial addition, the 27 year old guitar whiz John McLaughlin came on board as well. The recording that day, as Mr. Kahn points out, was more about feel and atmosphere than following specific harmonics. Once recorded, it was turned over to Davis’ producer Teo Macero, who cut and pasted the recording tape, doubling up and looping portions to accentuate the ambience and groove of the session. The result was four compositions that were re-arranged into side-long jams on the vinyl record – “Shhh” and “Peaceful” written by Davis, and “In A Silent Way” and “It’s About That Time” based on a composition by Zawinul, although the latter is credited solely to Davis. The band (with Joe Chambers replacing Williams) returned two days later, but those recordings would be shelved and did not see the light of day until Mosaic Records’ The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (September 1968-February 1969) appeared, an indispensable three CD set. Podcast 664 is my conversation with Ashley Kahn, with musical selections including “Frelon Brun (Brown Hornet)” from Filles de Kilimanjaro; “Shhh” from the first part of three segmented jam “Shhh/Peaceful/Shhh” on Side One of In A Silent Way; and an early take of “In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time” that made its way to Side Two’s “In A Silent Way/It’s About That Time/In A Silent Way.” If you enjoyed hearing Mr. Kahn, you'll be pleased to know he will back for an August podcast celebrating the 50th anniversary of the recording of Davis' electric magnum opus, Bitches Brew. 

This is Part Two of my conversation with bass great Larry Grenadier. Part One was primarily about the release of his first solo bass album, The Gleaners on ECM Records. This podcast allows me to get into some stories about the many great recordings and bands he has played with over the past thirty years. For most of his career, Grenadier has been one third of the Brad Mehldau Trio, first with Jorge Rossy and now with Jeff Ballard. This piano trio returned “The Art of the Trio” to the jazz nomenclature with their telepathic sense of making music, and their ability to play pop tunes from Soundgarden, Radiohead and Nick Drake with the same reverence and harmonic inventiveness they brought to jazz standards. Over the course of our talk, Larry reminisces about playing with a number of great artists. A partial list of those artists we discussed follows, with corresponding musical selections from the podcast, including: Charles Lloyd’s band during his ECM “comeback period”, which began in the late Eighties and built through the next two decades. On the title track from The Water is Wide (2000), Larry was part of a dream band featuring Lloyd, Mehldau, guitarist John Abercrombie and drummer Billy Higgins. He joined with Chris Potter for his 2013 ECM release The Sirens, from which “Wine Dark Sea” appears. The band had an unusual configuration – two pianos, played by Craig Taborn and David Virelles, plus Grenadier on bass, Potter on saxophone and bass clarinet and Eric Harland on drums. One of the Brad Mehldau Trio’s favorite encores is this cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic “Hey Joe.” This version, from the 2012 release Where Do you Start, features Mehldau, Grenadier and Jeff Ballard (drums). Larry recorded four releases that featured Pat Metheny, two with the Mehldau Trio joining Pat to create a quartet, and Metheny’s Trio from 2000 with drummer Bill Stewart. “(Go) Get It” won Metheny a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Stewart remains a collaborator for Grenadier, most recently in the 2018 CD Band Menu. A trio recording, this time it matches Grenadier and Stewart with rising star Walter Smith III on saxophone. “Good Goat” comes from that album.

If you make a list of the top bass players in the business today, Larry Grenadier needs to be at, or near, the never top. A consummate sideman, he has been an important member of a who’s who of bands over his more than three decade career. From early days as a prodigy playing with sax icons Joe Henderson and Stan Getz to what has been decades performing alongside pianist Brad Mehldau; from extended experiences working with the likes of Paul Motian, Charles Lloyd and Pat Metheny to co-leading the cooperative trio Fly (with Mark Turner and Jeff Ballard) and quartet Hudson (with John Scofield, John Medeski and Jack DeJohnette) there seems to be no jazz configuration he not been an integral part of. This week another chapter in Larry’s recording career is opened, as ECM Records releases Grenadier’s first album of solo bass, The Gleaners.  Both plucking and bowing, he digs deep into both his own compositions and pieces by George Gershwin, John Coltrane, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Paul Motian, and his wife, and frequent collaborator, the singer-songwriter Rebecca Martin. The results are quite moving, and not just to a bass geek like me. Grenadier lets the melodies of the pieces come front and center, while he works his harmonic and rhythmic magic to frame the tunes in unique ways. Whether it’s the pulse of Motion’s “The Owl of Cranston” or more familiar tempo of “My Man’s Gone Now” from Porgy & Bess, Larry moves his pieces through time, adding his unique flourishes from his double bass playing. Podcast 662 is the first of two podcasts with Larry Grenadier. This first part allows us to talk in depth about The Gleaners, and how he approached and executed a solo project after so many sessions in the rhythm section. Part Two, which appears later this weekend, will feature conversations about some of his many recording sessions, from ECM sessions with Fly, Charles Lloyd and Chris Potter, to his long-time collaborations with Brad Mehldau and Pat Metheny. Musical selections for Part One include “Oceanic”, “Gone Like the Season Does”, “Pettiford”, and “Compassion/The Owl of Cranston.”

This year, I’ve decided to post my annual Valentine’s Day podcast a few days early, so you can have time to get in the mood. Heaven knows it’s a little harder these days, with the state of the world seemingly going toward hate rather than love. Curious about the origins of Valentine’s Day as a day to publicly celebrate romance? Check this out: The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady). This year’s musical selections concentrate on recent releases, so while some of the tunes are familiar, these versions might not be. Share this hour plus of music with someone you love! Blue Standard – “L-O-V-E” Cannonball Adderly – “The Way You Look Tonight” Stanley Clarke – “Overjoyed” Jeanne Lee & Ran Blake – “Just Squeeze Me” Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy – “I Only Have Eyes for You” Cyrille Aimee – “Marry Me a Little” Steve Davis – “Song for My Love” Jimmy Scott – “Embraceable You” Barry Harris Trio - “Stranger in Paradise” Etta Jones featuring the Cedar Walton Trio – “This Guy’s in Love with You” Stan Getz – “Prelude to a Kiss” Steve Cole – “Our Love” Dave Koz – “More Today Than Yesterday” For more Valentine's Day podcasts, please visit the website and search key word "Valentine."

The connections between guitarists Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pedro Martins is the stuff of movie scripts. Growing up in Brazil, Martins studied Rosenwinkel’ s recordings. A chance meeting with his idol shortly thereafter pushed Pedro to continue his jazz studies. In 2015, Martins participated in the Socar Guitar Competition at the 49th Montreux Jazz Festival which was judged by – Kurt Rosenwinkel. Winning the top prize, the two promised to stay in touch.  When Rosenwinkel began his Brazilia flavored project Caipi several years later, Pedro submitted an early demo of a song he wrote. That tune ended up on the album, as did Martins, who became a featured member of Rosenwinkel’ s Caipi band and contributed guitar, keyboards and voice on the 2017 album. Rosenwinkel promptly signed Pedro to his Heartcore label, and this month VOX, Martins’ first solo recording is released, produced by and featuring contributions from – Kurt Rosenwinkel. A winning mix of Brazilia, pop, and jazz, VOX is buoyed by Martins’ versatility, playing guitar, piano/synths, bass, drums, percussion, flute and singing. Jazz cred is boosted by an all-star cast of supporting musicians primarily recruited by Rosenwinkel: Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter, Kyle Crane, Federico Heliodoro, Antonio Loureiro, and Oscar Azevedo. The lush production allows the textures and moods of the tunes to shine, and there is much to enjoy on the disc. Podcast 660 is my conversation with Pedro Martins, including musical selections from VOX, including "Origem" which features Rosenwinkel and Brad Mehldau; "Faces" which features Chris Potter; and "B Side".

Much like was said about Bruce Springsteen 15 years earlier, it sometimes seems that if Joshua Redman had not existed, the jazz press would have had to make him up. The story is too perfect – the son of noted African-American jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman and dancer/librarian Renee Shedroff  who was, the daughter of Polish Immigrant Jews, picks up the clarinet and saxophone before his tenth birthday, and excels at both.  He listens to earth, Wind & Fire and Led Zeppelin as often as he hears John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. He stars as part of the award-winning Berkeley (CA) High School Jazz Ensemble, but chooses to go to Harvard to study Social Studies rather than music. Graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1991, he is accepted at Yale Law School, but defers admission for one year to hang with friends in Brooklyn. He quickly becomes immersed in the New York jazz scene, and begins gigging with legends that played with his father, like Charlie Haden and Billy Higgins, while carving out a place for himself in a new generation of young lions like Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Brad Mehldau and Mark Turner.  That year, he wins the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, and puts the law behind him to begin recording on his own with Warner Brothers. By the spring of 1993, he has released his first record, and received his first Grammy nomination. For the next 25 years, Joshua Redman has been one of the leading players, composers and visionaries in the world of jazz. The 18 albums he has released under his name (20 if you count two as a member of James Farm) have shown him able to make memorable music with every type of band. From classic Trios, Quartets and Quintets, to piano-less groups, to the groove-oriented Elastic Band to recording long-form composition and music with strings, Redman is an artist whose every move is worth serious consideration. His arrival as an artist coincided with my own deeper discovery of jazz. As a result, he has always been one of my leading lights in the music. I’ve had the pleasure to see him perform live with a number of different groups and settings, the last time with the Still Dreaming Band at the Newport Jazz Festival this past summer.  One of the first dates I took my now-wife Nancy on was to see Joshua at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA.  She came in a confirmed non-jazz fan. She left – well not a true believer, but moved at the musical possibilities that Redman and his quartet showed her. Podcast 660 celebrates the 50th birthday of Joshua Redman with an hour plus of music from across his recorded career. I could fill up another hour on his sideman credentials, but that’s for another time.  Enjoy these musical selections, many of which are my favorite Redman tunes, beginning with the first track on his debut album: “Blues on Sunday” from Joshua Redman “Make Sure You’re Sure” from Wish “Chill” from Moodswing “Cat Battles” from Freedom in the Groove “Last Rites of Rock ‘n Roll” from Beyond “Jazz Crimes” from Elastic “I’m an Old Cowhand” from Back East “Final Hour” from Walking Shadows “Soul Dance” from Trios Live “Friend or Foe” from The Bad Plus Joshua Redman “St. Thomas” from Spirit of the Moment – Live at the Village Vanguard

The story of The Seasons, Ben Wendel’s fine CD released late last year, is absolutely fascinating. It’s a story of artistic discovery and whimsy, and it ends with a top-notch band playing top-notch music. It begins in 2015, when saxophonist-bassoonist-composer Wendel heard a set of twelve piano pieces written and released in a music magazine each month by Tchaikovsky in 1876. Inspired by this idea of subscription oriented art, he composed and released twelve original jazz chamber duets – one a month - in video format on YouTube with modern luminaries such as Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Gilad Hekselman, Eric Harland, Matt Brewer, Julian Lage, Ambrose Akinmusire, among others. Fast forward to 2018. Wendel has the rare opportunity to be in residence at the Village Vanguard in New York for a week.  Having never recorded or released commercially the 12 pieces of music making up the song-cycle, he decided to reach out to a number of musicians who participated in the video project. The result – an all-star group now called The Seasons Band, and featuring Aaron Parks (piano), Gilad Hekselman (guitar), Matt Brewer (bass) and Eric Harland (drums).  The music in quintet form was so compelling that the five went right from that run of Vanguard shows to the recording studio. Using the video versions of the 12 tunes as a leaping off points, the group uses their great individual talents to make The Seasons a group effort. Whether it is Harland working his rhythmic magic on difficult time signatures (“May” is in 9/8) or Parks making tunes either be contemplative (“December”) or joyous (“April”), there is much to admire here. Wendel, who plays both sax and bassoon on the recording, knows when to take off and when to let the band cook along, which he does with great success. Podcast 65_ is my conversation with Ben Wendel, where we discuss the genesis of The Seasons, the run of touring dates this group has scheduled, and what his “other group”, Kneebody has planned for this year (hint: a lot!). Musical selections include “May” and “September” from The Seasons.

After pianist Alfredo Rodriguez arranged to get percussion master Pedrito Martinez to appear on a few tracks of his 2014 Mack Avenue release The Invasion Parade, it seemed inevitable that they would collaborate further. Both born and raised in Cuba, Pedrito is a decade older than Alfredo, but they displayed a natural feel for playing together, and bring out the best in one another.  Duologue is the album that shows just how much the two can do together. Stripping things down to just the pair, they prove the old adage that one plus one sometimes equals three. If not more! The lyrical compositions of Rodriguez were recorded as demos and emailed to Martinez, who then Wrote lyrics and percussion notes. Sometimes, Pedrito would respond as quickly as thirty minutes after receipt of a tune. The pair then took their material to the studio for four days, and had their Rodriguez’s mentor Quincy Jones do his things to polish the production. The results are alternately introspective and fiercely outgoing. From the melodic “Mariposa” and “Cosas del Amor,” to the chanting that kicks the dance-friendly “Africa” into gear, the record never fails to thrill.  My conversation with the two was a delight. Rarely have I had two collaborators more enamored of working together, and full of praise for the other. Their sincere love of playing music, and making an audience happy, shines through as we talked. The pair will be touring in support of the album, making each stop a must-see event. Podcast 657 is my conversation with  Alfredo Rodriguez and Pedrito Martinez, including musical selections “Africa”, “Cosa del Amor”, and their Michael Jackson meets Havana cover of "Thriller.

For the past five years, we’ve had a rare chance to hear the music of a kinder, gentler Jamie Saft. The prolific keyboardist-composer-producer-entrepreneur is known for his long association with the downtown aesthetic of John Zorn and Tzadik Records, and for bringing the sound of everything from death metal to dub into the jazz scene. Recording primarily for the RareNoise label for the past few years, he continues to show new and engrossing facets of his musical personality, whether in traditional formats like the piano trio, or with his fiercely improvisational group Slobber Pup. His trio recordings with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte have been as mainstream as anything we’ve heard from Saft. Starting with The New Standard in 2014 and continuing with 2017’s trio plus Iggy Pop recording Loneliness Road, Saft has brought his compositional style to a far more traditional format than one might expect from him. The results have been striking, and moving in a way I didn’t always find in his more avant-garde recordings. That pattern continues with the release of You Don’t Know the Life, which finds the trio of Saft, Swallow and Previte moving on to the sound of the organ trio. The is a unique group, and their strengths in avant-garde improvisation serve them well as they give us their take on the time honored Hammond sound. Swallow has to stand in for what is usually an electric guitar, and the result is marvelous – he sounds as good, if not better than ever providing his melodic, but supportive basslines. Previte is more than up to the task to play the necessary shuffles his take on groove, making what could be a cliché into something uniquely his. Saft moves from the Hammond to harpsichord (Bill Evans’ “Re: The Person I Know”) to the Whitehall Organ to obtain differing sounds and textures to bring out new facets in the material. And what great material! From jazz classics like the Evans tune and “Moonlight in Vermont” (!) to Bacharach & David (“Alfie”) to the title track, a rethinking of a pre-Z.Z.Top Billy Gibbons psychedelic guitar freak-out from the late 60’s. The highlight for me is the closest thing to soul-jazz on the album, soul-jazz “Stable Manifold.” Podcast 656 gives you the chance to hear me speak with both Jamie Saft and Bobby Previte about their collaborations, and the nature of improvisational music in the hands of three masters of thier instruments. Musical selections include Roswell Rudd’s “Ode to a Green Frisbee”, “Re: The Person I Know”, and “Alfie”.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music. Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument. -        Martin Luther King, Jr., in a letter used for the program in the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival Today America honors the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, and given that just 50 years ago this fall he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, I created a jazz-driven sonic collage using portions of that speech. Podcast 406 includes appropriate musical selections including: Bobby Watson & the "I Have a Dream" Project - "MLK on Jazz (Love Transforming)" from Check Cashing Day. Clifford Jordan – “Martin Luther King, Jr. / I Know Love” from Zodiac: The Music of Cecil Payne. Paul Dunham, Tony Bianco – “Reverend King” from Thank You to John Coltrane. John Coltrane – “Alabama (Takes 4 and 5)” from The Complete Impulse Recordings. Kendrick Scott Oracle – “I Have a Dream” from Conviction. Oliver Nelson – “Martin Was a Man, A Real Man” from A Dream Deferred.

I have always associated Joe Lovano with the Blue Note label. For 25+ years, he recorded as a leader with that august label, primarily due to his friendship with the late Bruce Lundvall. But at the same time, Lovano was a fixture at ECM, recording as sideman for John Abercrombie, Paul Motian, Marc Johnson and Steve Kuhn.  The results are many of my favorite jazz recordings of the past few decades. It was only a matter of time before he would record with Manfred Eicher as a leader, and one of the first releases of 2019 is his top-notch debut with the label, Trio Tapestry.  Leading a bass-less trio, Lovano has recorded a lyrical CD with ECM veteran Marilyn Crispell and drummer Carmen Castaldi. Listeners may recall Castaldi recorded with Lovano on the tenor sax player’s album Viva Caruso in 2001. Trio Tapestry requires close listening for all of its charms to become clear. In our telephone conversation, Lovano pointed out repeatedly that this trio was based on the conversational nature of the trio format.  Each player was required to fulfill his or her roles by often eschewing the traditional duties of a rhythm section member or provider of melody, and bring to the intimate Lovano tunes their gifts as musicians and improvisers.     The Trio has a heavy touring schedule for the first half of the year, the highlight of which may come on March 15 in San Francisco, when Lovano leads Trio Tapestry and a second trio with Bill Frisell and Tyshawn Sorey at the SFJAZZ Center Podcast 6__ is my conversation with Joe Lovano, where we discuss his history at ECM and Blue Note, how Trio Tapestry came together, and why he continues to play, write and record music in different styles and genres well into his sixties. Musical selections from Trio Tapestry include "Razzle Dazzle", "Rare Beauty" and "The Smiling Dog".    

1959 has always been one of my favorite years. It gave us “Ben-Hur”, the Guggenheim Museum, Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Twilight Zone”.  John Kennedy started his campaign for President. Heck, I was BORN in 1959. It was an auspicious year for jazz recordings as well. Before the new decade started, classics such as Kind of Blue, Giant Steps, Time Out, The Shape of Jazz to Come, Mingus Ah Um and Sketches of Spain were all released. So influential are these albums that I truly don’t need to identify the artists who recorded them. Natalie Weiner is captivated by the year as well. You can follow her ambitious “The 1959 Project” online as she gives us images and words from each day of that auspicious year. She gives us the highlights of course, when these superb albums were recorded and released, but also the club runs of artists, complete with photos of the patrons attending the clubs, and the fashion, styles and panache of the time. Natalie is best known as a former Associate Editor at Billboard magazine, and now a contributor to that publication as well as writing fro SBNation a top notch on-line sports site. But she played in her high school and college marching band, plays the bass, and covers jazz with great feeling and insight. Her recent written piece on the Roy Hargrove Tribute concert at Lincoln Center was not only insightful, but moving in a way few pieces of its type are. Check her out on Twitter (@NatalieWeiner) for great running commentary on everything from the Seattle Seahawks to Modal Jazz. The first podcast of 2019, Podcast 654, is my conversation with Natalie as we discuss the 1959 Project, how she feels it is coming along, where she goes from here, and her other jazz related projects. Musical accompaniment includes a 1959 recording of John Coltrane and Milt Jackson's "Three Little Words" from Bags & Trane, and the title track from Roy Hargrove and RH Factor's album Hardgroove. 

We lost a number of major talents in the jazz world this year, but perhaps none were more of a shock than the passing of trumpeter Roy Hargrove at the age of 49. Far too young, with way too much music left inside him. Just last week we lost singer Nancy Wilson. Well-known performers we list this year include saxophonists Nathan Davis, Charles Neville and Sonny Fortune; pianists Randy Weston and Henry Butler; and singer Rebecca Parris.  Other noted in passing include: Clarinetist Perry Robinson; Guitarists Calvin Newborn, Coco Schuman, and Gyula Babos; Pianists Masahiro Sayama, Tommy Banks, Jack Reilly, and Brian Browne; Critic Alum Morgan; Bassists Roman Grinev, Wayne Dockery, Fedor Freso, and Norman Edge; Singers Marlene VerPlanck, Audrey Morris, Theryl DeClouet (Galactic), and Theresa Hightower; Saxophonists Asmuund Bjorken, Peter Guidi, Hamiet Bluiett, Chuck Wilson, and Roger Neumann; Producers Boy Jarvis (Herbie Hancock), and Heiner Stadler; Vibraphonist Jerzy Milian; Drummers Charlie Rice and John Von Ohlen; and Trombonist Bill Watrous. Outside of the jazz world, people who have had an influence on me and on my life for various reasons who died this year include Paul Allen of Microsoft fame; Actors Harry Anderson and Burt Reynolds; Directors Milos Forman and Stephen Bochco; AM Disc Jockey Dan Ingram; Singers Aretha Franklin and Dolores O’Riordan;  Writers Tom Wolfe, Anita Shreve, Dr. Stephen Hawking, William Goldman, and Neil Simon; Comic Book legend Stan Lee; and Robert Plotnick, the owner of the former Bleecker Bob’s record store in Greenwich Village.

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevalent this time of year, and so the Official Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace" written by Horace Silver,. This year we have a wonderful duet version of the song, as performed by the François Moutin (bass) & Kavita Shah (Vocals) Duo form their Interplay album. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic fifty-two years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

t's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

For years I've been sharing this with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. It never gets old. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

A Christmas tradition in our house is listening to David Sedaris read his hilarious essay, “Santaland Diaries.”  An abbreviated version of his some-what exaggerated memories of working as a Christmas Elf in Macy’s Department Store in New York first was heard on NPR’s Morning Addition in 1992. Since then it has grown to be a long-form essay in his collections Barrel Fever and Holidays on Ice. I’ve seen Joe Mantello’s stage adaption for one actor a few times. For me, Sedaris’ humor is always dead on, and this piece never fails to have me giggling or roaring with laughter.  Sedaris is something of a jazz buff. A recent interview with him in JazzTimes allowed the author to talk about his inherited love of jazz from his father, a man with whom Sedaris rarely seemed to have anything in common.  This is probably not a surprise to “Santaland Diaries” fanatics like me, who wait in anticipation for his Billie Holiday impression every time we listen to the audio version, read with great pathos by Sedaris. JazzTimes quizzed him on this: You became famous for your Billie Holiday impersonation which was in “Santaland Diaries” and a few other stories. Did you do it as a kid? I started doing it when I was young. Did you do other singers?  I tried. I do a really awful Esther Phillips. I was with my friend Ronnie in San Francisco, and I was trying to sing “Shangri-La,” and it’s embarrassing that it’s so bad. I would love to be able to sing like Esther Phillips. The Billie Holiday impression became an albatross for you, with people wanting you to do it on command. I don’t do it anymore. You know how you think you sound in your head, but then you hear it? I heard a recording and I thought, “That’s awful.” I think I did it on [NPR’s] Fresh Air years ago. What I tried to do is her singing Madonna songs or Christmas tunes or commercial jingles—stuff you’d never have heard her do. I stopped doing it because I felt like a trained seal. Plus, I didn’t feel like people were really that familiar with her. They’d say, “Do Billie,” and I would think, “You don’t even have a right to call her by her first name. I bet you can’t name three songs that she did.” It just didn’t feel right to me. To people who don’t really know what she sounds like, sure it sounds OK. But not to people who really know her music. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the excerpt from the “Santaland Diaries” when David, in his guise as Crumpet the Elf, decides to show a pushy Santa what singing “Away in a Manger” can really sound like. That carol will never be the same.

It’s the time of the year when all the “Best Of” lists start to appear, and Straight No Chaser is no exception. Well, maybe a little exception, since I prefer to call this Podcast “A Few of My Favorite Things 2018.” I decided a few years back that it wasn’t prudent to compare a new release by say, Kamasi Washington to an archival release by say, Dexter Gordon, and say which is “better.”  Instead, I have created a few flexible categories that allow me to feature twenty-five or so of the releases that I played and re-played during the year, and that spoke to me for one reason or another. And so I present my list for this past year: New Things from Old Friends Brad Mehldau Trio – Seymour Reads the Constitution! Kenny Barron Quintet – Concentric Circles Rudy Royston – Flatbed Buggy Wayne Shorter - Emanon Bill Frisell – Music IS   Rising Stars and New Faces Kamasi Washington – Heaven and Earth Ambrose Akinmusire – Origami Harvest Christian Sands – Facing Dragons GoGo Penguin – A Humdrum Star Sons of Kemet – Your Queen is a Reptile   Tribute Albums Jose James – Lean On Me Bobby Sanabria/Multiverse Big Band – West Side Story Reimagined Frank Kimbrough – Monk’s Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk Allan Harris – The Genius of Eddie Jefferson Eli Degibri – Soul Station: A Tribute to Hank Mobley   Reissues and Archival Releases John Coltrane – Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album Grant Green – Funk in France: From Paris to Antibes (1969-1970) Charles Mingus – Jazz in Detroit Miles Davis & John Coltrane – The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 Erroll Garner - Nightconcert   Collaborations Charles Lloyd & the Marvels with Lucinda Williams – Vanished Gardens Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco – You’re Driving Me Crazy R+R=Now – Collagically Speaking Mark Turner/Ethan Iverson – Temporary Kings Brad Mehldau and Charlie Haden – Long Ago and Far Away My "most valuable player" this year is guitarist Mary Halvorson, a talent gaining wider and wider exposure with each passing year. This year her discography blew up, as she was leading or assisting with no fewer than nine titles: Joe Morris and Mary Halvorson- Traversing Orbits (Rogue Art, 2018); Ingrid Laubrock- Contemporary Chaos Practices (Intakt Records, 2018); Various Artists- A Day in the Life: Impressions of Pepper (Verve Records, 2018) ; Robbie Lee and Mary Halvorson- Seed Triangular (New Amsterdam, 2018); Mary Halvorson with Bill Frisell- The Maid With The Flaxen Hair: A Tribute to Johnny Smith (Tzadik Records, 2018) ; Thumbscrew- Ours (Cuneiform Records,2018); Thumbscrew- Theirs (Cuneiform Records, 2018); Mary Halvorson- Code Girl (Firehouse 12 Records, 2018) ; and María Grand- Magdalena (Biophilia Records, 2018). In addition, let me add a special mention for Nate Chinen, for his exceptional book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century. It’s an outstanding read, and will likely become one of the definitive resource guides for jazz as we move deeper into the 21st century. Put it on your Christmas list; give it to a friend. Podcast 653 allows you a chance to hear some of my favorite things, including: Brad Mehldau Trio – "Spiral" -  Seymour Reads the Constitution! Just before this exception album came out I caught the Trio – pianist Brad Mehldau, drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier – at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts, not far from where I live. They blew me away with their serious deconstructions of tunes, from jazz standards to “Hey Joe.” The album more than lives up to that great night. Christian Sands – "Fight for Freedom" -  Facing Dragons. He’s no longer that piano player who go his break with Christian McBride, Instead, he stands as one of our most exciting young performers and composers. And even more than that, he has assumed an important position working with the Erroll Garner archives, which helped allow Nightconcert to be released, increasing Garner’s already formidable rep. Jose James – "Better Off Dead"- Lean On Me. He refuses to stand firmly in the world of jazz, but he moves in too many direction to be classified as R&B or soul. His tribute to Bill Withers was a highlight of this summer’s Newport Jazz Festival, and the recording is just as strong. Grant Green – "Sonnymoon for Two" -  Funk in France: From Paris to Antibes (1969-1970). In a time when we are blessed with dozens of top notch recordings finally seeing the light of day, the word that Zev Feldman and the Resonance label has done is phenomenal. This year say a series of superb archival releases, all beautifully remastered and packaged. Two of those came from guitar great Grant Green. I found the two CD release of never heard shows from France as he was moving away from a pure jazz sound to funk to be the more exciting. Mark Turner/Ethan Iverson – "Myron's World" - Temporary Kings. Ethan Iverson’s decision to move on from The Bad Plus this year was a major source of gossip and conjecture this year. Orrin Evans seems to have brought his own special talents to that trio, and Iverson continues to work in different settings. This strong duo recording with saxophonist Turner was a new and different way to enjoy the always heady Iverson’s work. 

As promised, this is the second Christmas Jazz podcast of 2018. As I began choosing tunes, I realized that if you poke around enough, you can find some lesser known Christmas songs, whether they are from artists writing an original tune for their Christmas album;  perhaps something from the gospel or liturgical canon; or a jazz version of an R&B or Pop classic. In any event, I kept looking until I found an hour plus of Christmas jazz that is unfamiliar to your ear. Who knows – they just might become some of your new favorites. How many “Rudolph”s can one person take after all? And so Podcast 652 is “The Lesser Known Christmas Jazz Show”, and features: Nils Landgren – “Christmas Is” Aaron Diehl – “Christmas Star” Susie Arioli – “Call Collect on Christmas” Wynton Marsalis – “Mary Had a Baby” Duke Pearson – “Old Fashioned Christmas” Les McCann – “Merry Christmas Baby” Scott Healy-Glenn Alexander Quarter – “Christmas Day” Kurt Elling – “The Snow is Deep on the Ground/Snowfall” Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O – “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” Harry Connick Jr. – “I Pray On Christmas” John Pizzarelli – “Let’s Share Christmas” Tianna Hall & Chris Cortez – “The Angels” Manhattan Transfer – “Caroling, Caroling” Bobby Watson – “Vauncing Chimes”

Christmas jazz, Christmas jazz. You love it, you hate it. But this time of year it’s ubiquitous, and we at Straight No Chaser embrace it as a seasonal joy. This year we bring you two different Christmas Jazz podcasts to give you uninterrupted holiday music as you go about your fa-la-la-ing and dashing through the snow. The first is a collection from some of my favorite Christmas jazz albums, including tracks from Diana Krall, Jimmy Smith, Kurt Elling, George Conerdy and Oscar Peterson.  I even threw in a track from A Joey Alexander Christmas, one of this year’s best new holiday CDs. The second, posting later this week is a collection of lesser-heard holiday tunes, with titles like “Call Collect on Christmas” and “Old Fashioned Christmas.” And so Podcast 651 brings you tidings of comfort and joy from Nancy and me to you, featuring familiar tunes like: Diana Krall – “Christmas Time is Here” Mark Whitfield – “Those Soulful Jingle Bells” Tony Bennett – “The Christmas Waltz” Joey Alexander – “O Come All Ye Faithful” Rene Marie – “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” Jimmy Smith – “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” Stanley Jordan – “Silent Night” Dianne Reeves – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” George Conerdy – “Away in a Manger” Yellowjackets – “Deck the Halls” Kurt Elling – “We Three Kings” Oscar Peterson – “White Christmas” India.Arie & Joe Sample – “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” New York Jazz Trio – “A Holly Jolly Christmas”

The story of Hanukkah is one of revolution and miracles: Greek influence over the Jews in the Land of Israel was getting out of hand. Hellenism was spreading, an affront to Jewish culture and religious practice. When the Greek ruler of the time, Antiochus, forbade Jewish religious practice, a small group of Jews, the Maccabees, revolted. The Maccabees were successful and, as a first order of business, restored the desecrated Holy Temple. The menorah in the Temple needed to be lit. Traditionally, the candelabrum burned continuously. The Temple liberators searched high and low but could find only one vial of olive oil, which seemed to be enough for just one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days, which was just enough time to receive a new shipment. To celebrate the miracle, Hanukkah was instituted. Today, Jews everywhere light menorahs on each night of Hanukkah. Traditionally, one candle or flame is lit for each night until the eighth night, when all eight lights shine together. The menorah has a ninth “helper” flame — known as the shamash — used to light the other candles. This is necessary because in Jewish law the Hanukkah lights serve no other purpose than declaring the miracle of the holiday. Jews place the lit menorah in a prominent window in order to fulfill this commandment. Gift giving is now a common practice on Hanukkah, and it is therefore a beloved time for Jewish children. Fried potato pancakes (latkes) and doughnuts (sufganiyot) are traditional fare, and a spinning top (dreidel or sevivon) with four Hebrew letters has become synonymous with the holiday. The letters — nun, gimel, hei, shin — form an acronym for the message of Hanukkah: A great miracle happened there. As a jazzy soundtrack for this year’s festivities, enjoy Podcast 650, which includes tunes of the season by: Don Byron – “Dreidl Song” Event Horizon Jazz – “Maoz Tzur” Kenny Ellis – “Sevivon, Sov, Sov Sov” The Klezmatics – “Do the Latke Flip-Flip” Ben Sidran – “I Have a Little Dreidle” Jon Simon – “Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” Dave Koz – “Eight Candles (A Song for Hanukkah)” The Klezmer Conservatory Band – “Klezmorim At Chanukah” Tim Warfield – “The Dreidel Song”

Jazz musicians are always looking for new and different ways to create sounds and textures to create music. One way is to use a non-traditional musical lineup – think Gerry Mulligan’s drummer-less quartet or recent groups sans bass like the Paul Motion-Joe Lovano-Bill Frisell or Vijay Iyer-Steve Lehman-Tyshawn Sorey trios. For six years, Sound Underground has used the unconventional lineup of saxophonist David Leon, trumpeter Alec Aldred and guitarist Jonah Udall to make intriguing chamber jazz. Their latest release, Power of Three, gives them yet another chance to reconfigure and reimagine how jazz can sound. Collaborators since they were roommates at the Frost School of Music in Miami, the three create music that is challenging, and yet its intimacy lends itself to repeated listenings. No instrument is required to follow its traditional utility – for example, Udall’s guitar is not there exclusively to comp under solos before he takes his own turn. That duty may fall to the saxophone or one tune, or the trumpet on another. Further, their musical influences are so diverse - from Cool Jazz to modern chamber music, to Americana and Balkan folk music – that nothing seems to fall into a routine or musical rut. I spoke with the three members of the group after Power of Three had its CD debut party at Lethe Lounge in New York, where the album was recorded in a day’s time this summer. We spoke of how the three members write and arrange – all the songs are originals, and all player contribute tunes – and how improvisation enters the picture, Musical selections from Power of Three include Alec Aldred’s“ Restful Rapture”, Jonah Udall’s “Demon Dance” and David Leon’s “Sun Stealer.”

“Voodoo” as a term brings to mind New Orleans witches, animal sacrifices to raise the dead and other bogus representations of a serious spiritual following. With Spiritwalker, a wonderful mix of jazz, Haitian folk, hip-hop and dance music, Haitian-American singer-songwriter Malou Beauvoir goes a long way to setting the record straight about “Vaudou”. And you can dance to it! First a businesswoman, then a singer-actor, Ms. Beauvoir came to the spiritual practice late in life, when she learned at the feet of her uncle Max Beauvoir, a biochemist and high-ranking Vaudou priest, who ushered her into the island’s profound spiritual traditions. She considers herself a natural Vaudou priestess or mambo, a word that implies an ongoing quest for knowledge in the Vaudou belief system. Wisely taking her musical sensibilities to the studio with a multicultural band, the results are in many ways not categorizable.  There are musicians with Haitian  backgrounds (multi-instrumentalists Chico Boyer, Cheff Loncher; and Paul Beaubrun;  percussionists Sirgo Decius and Jean Guy Rene), as well as from Cuba (pianist Axel Laugart), Japan (pianist Yayoi Ikawa, guitarist Hiroyuki Yamada) and the U.S. (guitarist Jon Gordon, bassist Calvin Jones, and Haitian-American drummer Gashford Guillaume). With Malou taking the vocal leads, Spiritwalker becomes a short (36 minutes!) but deeply enjoyable musical journey. Podcast 468 is my conversation with Malou Beauvoir, and we take a fair amount of time talking Vaudou and her background before we dig into tracks from Spiritwalker, including "Simbi Dlo”and “Rasenbleman.” The album’s closing track, a jazz take on the Haitian classic “Papa Damballah” was originally recorded for her 2016 album Is This Love and features a more traditional jazz sound, supplied by Andy Ezrin (piano), Ben Whitman (drums, percussion), David Finck (bass) and Bobby Mann (guitar).

One of today’s masters of the vibraphone, Joe Locke continues to record albums that go beyond mere technical artistry. Sure, he can play the vibes with the best of them, but his last two albums, 2015’s Love is a Pendulum and the just released Subtle Disguise, allow him to find new and interesting ways to write, play and record his music. While Love is a Pendulum had a structured five-movement suite as it’s center, Subtle Disguise is more of a “band album”, as Locke leads an exciting quartet through tunes that range from the blues to modern jazz. The band – Locke on vibes; Jim Ridl on piano; Lorin Cohen on bass; and Samvel Sarkisyan on drums – has meshed brilliantly, Whether they are playing electric instruments on tunes like “Red Cloud” or “Blondie Roundabout” or acoustic on the title track or “Make Me Feel Like It’s Raining,” there is a tightness that makes the material shine. Of course, when you add guest artists like Adam Rogers on guitar and David Binney on alto, there are even more opportunities for the textures and harmonies of Locke’s compositions to stand out. A pair of singers are part of the album’s two highlights - Raul Midón’s vocals on Bob Dylan’s rarity “Who Killed Davey Moore?” and the up and coming talent Alina Engibaryan on the album closer, “A Little More Each Day.” Locke has a solid history of working with vocalists, and he knows how to get the best from these two. Podcast 468 is my conversation with Joe Locke, as we not only talk about Subtle Disguise, but also his past recordings and performances with the artists as varied as Ron Carter, Jim Rotondi and Dr. Eddie Henderson to Cecil Taylor to the Beastie Boys (on Hello Nasty). Musical selections from the new CD include “Who Killed Davey Moore?”, “Blondie Roundabout” and “A Little More Each Day.”

Today is the 75th birthday anniversary of Joni Mitchell, one of my musical idols. I’ve done several podcasts of jazz versions of Joni’s music in the past, most notably on her 70th birthday (see Podcasts  389, 390, 391). Well, here’s one more. What is it about her music that lends itself to jazz interpretation? Perhaps it’s her unusual (open) tunings and use of chords that attract jazz musicians. One author found that she has used at leasts 60 different tunings across her career, 80 if you count the use of a capo on her guitar. As for her choice of chords, another wrote: Though many (but by no means all) of Joni’s songs are defined by a single key, few use the traditional major or minor modes in their pure state. She is much more likely to use Aeolian, Dorian or Mixolydian modal bases, with their special quality due to the lowered seventh scale-degree, and their different arrangement of harmonies around the tonal centre. Of course she writes great melodies as well, and her lyrics allow for a range of interpretation from singers. In short, she is one of the handful of popular music composers of the rock era – along with Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, and perhaps Bob Dylan and Randy Newman – whose work will be imagined and reimagined by jazz artists for some time to come. Music selections for Podcast 646 include: John Handy – “The Hissing of Summer Lawns” Sophie Milman – “Be Cool” Lisa Hilton – “Both Sides, Now” (alternate take) Laurie Antonioli – “A Woman of Heart and Mind” DeJohnette, Grenadier, Medeski & Scofield as 'Hudson' -               “Woodstock” (live October 14, 2017) Tierney Sutton – “Little Green” Herbie Hancock – “Sweet Bird” Debra Mann – “Urge for Going” Lucia Souza – “Down to You”

The passing of Roy Hargrove this past weekend at the age of 49 comes as an unwelcome shock. Hargrove, who died of cardiac arrest brought on by kidney disease, had carved out a spot for himself in the jazz world with music that was particularly important to me. His loss to the music world is virtually immeasurable. As one of the young lions that followed the arrival of Wynton Marsalis on the scene, Hargrove was a peer of Joshua Redman, Antonio Hart, Carl Allen, Stephen Scott and Christian McBride, and recorded with all of them. Having cut his teeth with Bobby Watson in 1988, He quickly made a name for himself as leader with eight albums in five years for the Novus imprint. By then he was in demand for recording and tours by legends like Sonny Rollins, Jackie McLean, Jimmy Smith and Shirley Horn. But what made Hargrove so special for me was the way he took his deep rooted sense of the history of the jazz trumpet and made it into a truly contemporary musical instrument. At the same time he was writing his own tunes and breathing new life into standards by Monk and Parker, he was affiliated with a collective called the Soulquarians, a wonderful merger of hip-hop, neo-soul and jazz with artists like Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Questlove, and Common. He brought his jazz sensibility to their recordings, and they allowed him to expand his sound by creating the RH Factor, a group that allowed him to play jazz-funk with hip-hop stylings. His two Grammy award wins stand as a testament to his versatility. The first came on the striking Habana project with his multicultural band Crisol. There Hargrove took electric jazz and melded it into the Afro-Cuban sound created by one of his idols, Dizzy Gillespie, creating something that smacked of tradition, but was very new in deed. Teaming with Herbie Hancock and Michael Brecker in 2002, he received his second Grammy for the live album Directions in Music, where he had the responsibility to sit in the Miles Davis chair in a dense reimagining of the work of Davis and John Coltrane. It was an album with a sound that clearly hearkened back to the acoustic quintets of the late Fifties, but never seemed anything other than progressive in execution. It remains one of my favorite albums of the time. I missed Hargrove’s final Newport Jazz Festival appearance this summer, choosing to stay out of the pouring rain rather than brave the elements and stand in the now swampy field in front of the Main Stage. I hear he was excellent that day. He was never anything less. Podcast 645 attempts to give you a feel for the great diversity of Roy Hargrove recorded output, featuring his many styles, and with recordings as both a leader and sideman. The tribute includes: Roy Hargrove - “Premonition” from Diamond in the Rough Roy Hargrove - “End of a Love Affair” from Approaching Standards Christian McBride – “The Shade of the Cedar” from Getting’ To It Roy Hargrove -“Mambo for Roy” from Cristol Habana Roy Hargrove & the RH Factor – “Juicy” from Hard Groove Roy Hargrove and Antonio Hart – “Work Song” from The London Sessions Roy Hargrove Quintet – “The Stinger” from Earfood Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove – “The Sorcerer” from Directions in Music

It’s that time of year – the leaves are falling, the wind is picking up, and sweaters are coming out of the closet. Hallowe’en is upon us, and trick or treat will come on Wednesday of this week. Nancy and I have been cutting down on candy for ourselves, which means more for the costumed creatures who come to the door her in Western Massachusetts. It’s also time for the semi-annual Spooky Song Titles podcast. You can find previous year collections on the podcast website by searching the word “Spooky”. This year’s spooky song selection includes: Eartha Kitt – “I Want to Be Evil” Buster Williams Trio – “Ouija Board” Jackie McLean – “Ghost Town” Lambert, Hendricks and Ross – “Hallowe’en Spooks” Peter Erskine – “E.S.P.” Nnenna Freelon – “Superstition” Jean-Luc Ponty – “King Kong” Miles Davis – “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down” (Take Six) Patricia Barber – “Witchcraft” Billie Holiday – “Ghost of Yesterday”  

Although he was born in Texas, Rudy Royston was raised and educated in Denver, Colorado, and it was there that he was mentored by trumpeter Ron Miles, and made a name for himself in the area’s fertile jazz, gospel and alternative rock scenes. After supporting himself as a public school music teacher, Royston came east to study at the prestigious Rutgers University music programs, studying percussion with Victor Lewis (Woody Shaw, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz). In just over a decade, Rudy has made himself into a first-call drummer, playing and recording with the likes of Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Ravi Coltrane, and Branford Marsalis. Since 2012 he has appeared on at least six CDs a year, both as a band leader and a sideman on memorable CDs by JD Allen (Radio Flyer), Rudresh Mahanthappa (Birdcalls) and Dave Douglas (Be Still).  2018 is no different. Besides contributing to the latest releases of Theo Hill, Lewis Porter and JD Allen, he has been part of his wife Shamie Royston’s quintet on the swinging Beautiful Liar, and his third CD as a leader, Flatbed Buggy. The CD is one of this year’s finest, primarily due to the strong material Royston has brought to his musicians, and the almost cinematic way their textures and melodies carry the song along. Royston has put together a fascinating collection of instruments here to join his drums – John Ellis on bass clarinet as well as sax; Gary Versace on accordion; Hank Roberts on cello; and Joe Martin on bass. As Rudy points out in our talk, these are mostly lower register instruments, and the results can be mournful at some times, but more often project a sense of longing and discovery. And all with one drum solo on the whole CD! Podcast 643 is my conversation with Rudy Royston as we talk about the genesis of Flatbed Buggy, how he chose his musicians for such a special project, and what he loves about playing with his wife Shamie and JD Allen.  Musical selections from Flatbed Buggy include the title track and “Soul Train,” plus the title track from Shamie Royston’s Beautiful Liar.

I don’t mind letting you know that Ben Allison is one of my favorite people in the jazz universe these days. He is a top notch composer, a first-call bassist, and an experienced producer with his own label, Sonic Camera. He maintains a busy schedule as an educator at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, as he has for more than twenty years. A founder and former artistic director of the Jazz Composer’s Collective, he has been a vocal supporter of artist’s rights. He now serves as President of the New York Chapter of the Recording Academy, the sponsors of the Grammy Awards. He’s articulate, and talking with him always makes for great conversation. Oh, and he makes some pretty great albums. Quiet Revolution began as a vinyl only subscription release on Newelle Records, but the rights to the recording reverted to Allison (as they do for all artists recording for the label) and he has now released that drummer-less trio session with additional material on CD and download. Long-time collaborator Steve Cardenas is on guitar, and Ted Nash plays saxophone on the album, which is intended to pay homage to the music made by Jim Hall and Jimmy Guiffre. The CD allows each of the players to contribute a tune, while taking classic Hall compositions like “All Across the City” and Guiffre gems like “The Train and the River” and breathing new life into them. These are musicians who play together closely, and have a strong sense of where to place that next note or phrase. Without percussion to keep time or supply a pulse, the group nonetheless hangs together brilliantly, with Cardenas particularly memorable on “Move It” and Allison’s “Sleeping Tiger.” Podcast 642 is my conversation with Ben Allison about Quiet Revolution and a number of his other projects. Musical selections include "Waltz New", "The Train and The River" and "Sleeping Tiger."

Aaron Parks seems to be destined to be one of those pianists who chooses projects (or has projects choose him) that become great sessions or performances. Whether we listen to him with the bands led by Terence Blanchard or Kurt Rosenwinkel; as a member of James Farm with Joshua Redman, Matt Penman and Eric Harland; on his great quartet album Invisible Cinema; or playing classic trio or solo piano (Arborescence), Parks always seems in the middle of something particularly notable. Aaron Parks Little Big finds him building a new band, one more collaborative in nature that some of his earlier sideman gigs. Parks plays piano, and fills out the band with Greg Tuohey on guitar; David 'DJ' Ginyard, a veteran of Blanchard’s E-Collective, on bass; and Tommy Crane on drums.  Aaron is drawn to the sound of electric guitar (he has recorded with Rosenwinkel, Mike Moreno, Lage Lund) and this album is no different, although Tuohey strays from classic jazz guitar sound to really rip it up on “   .“ Ginyard is given room to stretch, moving from mere timekeeper to an active participation in the improvisation of the group. Crane is restrained, but shows glimmers of flash when the time is right. All in all, this is a solid album by a working group, and a working group that hopefully will continue to grow together. Podcast 641 is my conversation with Aaron Parks, as we talk about his search for the right sound for the new CD’s tunes, what each member of the group brings to the table, and what the future holds not just for this group, but himself and James Farm. Musical selections from Aaron Parks Little Big include “Digital Society" and "Small Planet."  

By her own admission, Luciana Souza records very slowly, with multiple years passing between her albums. We last spoke in 2012, when she had released two new CDs, The Book of Chet and a continuation of her collaborative series, Duos III. She is one of our finest singers, particularly in interpreting lyrics in both her native Portuguese and English. A lover of poetry, she has written lyrics from a number of poets’ work and put them to music, including Elizabeth Bishop in 2000, Pablo Neruda in 2004, and now Leonard Cohen, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. She adds three new songs of her own, showing her talents run to more than just her vocals. Recorded with just the intimate sound of guitarist Chico Pinheiro and bassist Scott Colley, The Book of Longing is a plaintive album, full of the emotions the title would suggest. The Book of Longing is her 12th CD as a leader, and her sixth for the Sunnyside label. Besides her writing, arranging and singing on these releases, she has become a much-in-demand featured vocalist from artists ranging from Steve Kuhn, Donny McCaslin and John Patitucci to South American countrymen Edward Simon, Oscar Castro-Neves and Guillermo Klein. She was part of the Grammy Award winning album with Herbie Hancock, River – The Joni Letters in 2008.  Her recent collaborations have included Andrew Rathbun’s The Atwood Suites (check out the podcast interview here) and the Yellowjackets’ Raising Our Voice (check out the podcast interview here).  She is off to Europe with the latter in October, and then returning to tour the US with her group for the rest of the year. Podcast 640 is my conversation with Luciana, as we talk about the challenges and joys of putting poetry to music, how her producer (and husband) Larry Klein helps to shape her sound, and what he enjoyed about her recent collaborations with Russell Ferrante and the Yellowjackets. Music selections from The Book of Longing include “The Book” and “Remember,” and “Solitude” co-written with Ferrante from Raising Our Voice.

It was almost ten years ago that I got the chance to spend some time talking with Randy Weston prior to an appearance at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It was a delightful conversation, as Weston spoke candidly about his travels across Africa and the many great musicians with whom he had the pleasure to play piano. When Weston passed away last weekend at the ripe old age of 92, jazz lost one of its greatest musical ambassadors. Weston was one of many jazz musicians who came out of the army after World War II, and quickly established himself as a force, initially as an R&B/Blues piano player with the likes of Bull Moose Jackson (who also helped launch the careers of John Coltrane and Benny Golson). Falling under the spell first of Earl “Fatha” Hines and then of Thelonious Monk’s music, Weston was not long for that genre. By 1954 he had recorded his first album as a bandleader for Riverside Records. Weston had a life-long interest in the diversity of Africa, and the musical connections he found with players across the continent were deep.  He spend time there in the 1960’s, first on his own, then appearing on a State Department Tour, and finally living in Morocco from 1969 to 1972. He owned the African Rhythm Club in Tangier, collaborating musically with the Gnawan Musicians. His memoir, African Rhythms is essential reading for creating a sense of place and time.   Perhaps more than any other modern jazz musician, Weston worked to synthesize the music he found in Africa with the jazz he learned and loved. He found common ground in the shared poly-rhythms and harmonies, incorporating them in his music. The results were always creatively satisfying, must notably Music from the New African Nations Featuring The High Life, an album he made a few years after his first visit to Africa; and The Spirits of Our Ancestors, which brought in African musicians to play with jazz masters like Dizzy Gillespie and Pharaoh Sanders. His best-selling album was the slick Blue Moses on CTI records, matching Weston with the likes of Grover Washington, Jr. and Hubert Laws. He often said he did not care much for the final result of that release, but he seemed to love its commercial success nonetheless. As a composer, Weston had several tunes that became jazz standards – “Hi-Fly”, “Berkshire Blues” and “Little Niles” all have made their way into the canon. He was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2001.   Active even in his final years, Weston left his mark on anyone who cared deeply about music, especially those seeking the intersection between jazz and what we now call “world music” Podcast 639 is my musical tribute to Randy Weston. Musical selections include:  “Hi-Fly” from Live at the Five Spot “Berkshire Blues” from Monterey ‘66 “Little Niles” from Little Niles “Ifrane” from Blue Moses “Chalabati” from The Splendid Gnawa Musicians of Morocco “Blues to Africa” from Music from the New African Nations Featuring The High Life “Niger Mambo” from Music from the New African Nations Featuring The High Life “Blues Moses” from The Spirits of Our Ancestors  “Love, The Mystery of” from The Storyteller

Few groups still working on the jazz scene can boast of the longevity of the Yellowjackets. Their first recording sessions were backing guitarist Robben Ford in 1977. Their first CD as a group was released in 1981, and 17 Grammy nominations (2 wins), 26 albums and almost 40 years later, they are still going strong. The cornerstone of the band remains its keyboard player Russell Ferrante, the sole member left form that 1981 release. However, for the past 25 years or so, his main man has been saxophonist Bob Mintzer, who brought a much needed straight ahead jazz sound to the group in the 1990’s. The current lineup of the Yellowjackets includes drummer Will Kennedy, and latest member Dane Alderson on bass. For their latest CD, Raising Our Voice, they added a new member – Brazilian singer Luciana Souza. A much in demand voice, Luciana has 6 Grammy nominations to her credit, plus a win for her contribution to Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters.  Her contributions to the new album are substantial, and see, to have brought the band down a new avenue of musical exploration. Podcast 638 is my conversation with Russell Ferrante, as we discuss the band’s legacy, the making of Raising Our Voice, and share a few stories about his stint in Joni Mitchell’s band. Musical selections include "Mutuality" and "Quiet".

The thought of Steve Turre inevitably conjures the image of a master of at least two instruments – the trombone, and sea shells (most notably the conch). It’s the former that takes center stage on his latest release, The Very Thought of You (Smoke Sessions Records). A collection primarily of ballads, the CD allows Turre to put together a great band to showcase his abilities on the gentler side of his expression. Turre is joined on The Very Thought of You by pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Buster Williams, and drummer Willie Jones III, supplemented on four of the pieces by a string octet conducted by veteran arranger Marty Sheller. An outstanding pair of guests, legendary tenor saxophonist George Coleman and guitar great Russell Malone, both lend their breathtaking mastery to the music as well. Together, they take classic material like “Never Let Me Go” and “The Shadow of Your Smile” and put a new sheen on the tunes, making old chestnuts relevant again. There are few genres of music Steve Turre has not left his mark on. From touring with Ray Charles and Woody Shaw; to his tenure in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and innovative collaborations with Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Lester Bowie; and his ground-breaking use of conch shells as musical instruments, Turre has shown there is almost nothing he can’t do, and do well. He has spent the last 35 years holding down a chair as a member of the Saturday Night Live band, and shows no sign of slowing down now. Podcast 637 is my conversation with Steve Turre, as we talk about The Very Thought of You; the place that trombone has in the bands he has performed with, and what he learned from playing with the many greats. Musical selections include the title track, "No Regrets", and "Yardbird Suite."

The amazingly versatile Bob James has taken on – and succeeded admirably with – most of the jazz genres of the past fifty years. During that time, James recorded has free jazz (Bold Conceptions), arranged for and accompanied Sarah Vaughn, and then was a key participant in the jazz-soul fusion that was CTI Records. As a writer, producer, arranger, and finally, recording artist, he made a major contribution to the label’s funky sound. His recordings of “Nautilus” and his version of “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” are among the most sampled recordings in the hip-hop canon.  He scored the TV series “Taxi”, and had a hit with its theme song, “Angela”. With pals David Sanborn and Earl Klugh, he has made some of the best-selling and most honored jazz-pop albums ever. His smooth jazz super group Fourplay seems to get better as it ages. Now in his seventies, James has gone back to the stylings from the very beginning of his career and released Espresso, a piano trio album. Bob took  the band he has toured with for the past year or so – veteran drummer Billy Kilson and bass wunderkind Michael Palazzo – into a California studio, The result is an album composed mainly of James originals, along with two well-thought out covers. No one will confuse this trio with Bill Evans and his sidemen, but then that’s not where they are going. Whether it’s the Ramsey Lewis inspired “Topside”, the bluesy “Bulgogi” or the wink-and-a-smile nod to his past on “Submarine”, this is thoroughly engaging and often exciting music. Best of all is the complex and musically evolving “Mojito Ride”, where each member of the group takes his turn in driving the harmonies into different and engaging places. Podcast 636 is my conversation with Bob James as we talk about the Espresso album, the challenges of the piano trio format and in interpreting this music on stage. Musical selections include “Mojito Ride”, “Topside”, “Submarine” and “Mr. Magic.”

Before he was twelve years old, Davell Crawford had been crowned “the Piano Price of New Orleans,” for his ability to seamlessly incorporate the sounds of the church, the streets and the New Orleans songbook. The godson of the iconic Roberta Flack and the grandson of the great vocalist/pianist/composer James “Sugar Boy” Crawford (of “Jock-A-Mo”  a.k.a “Iko Iko” fame), that heritage and his innate love of performing made him an heir apparent to New Orleans pianists Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, James Booker,  Huey “Piano” Smith and Dr. John. Displaced by Hurricane Katrina and driven by his desire to move beyond the sometimes insular world of New Orleans musicians, Davell moved east a decade ago, finally settling in Manhattan. Now past forty years old, he records and performs less than in the past, picking and choosing his projects. Well choose he has, and from September 1-5 he will lead a crackerjack band in a tribute to one of his New Orleans heroes, Fats Domino. Walking to New Orleans features Davell leading the band on piano, backed by members of the Fats Domino Band, and supported on vocals by Cyril Neville and on drums by the incomparable Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. They can be seen in the intimate atmosphere of the City Winery franchises in Nashville (September 1), New York City (September 4) and Boston (September 5). I spoke with Davell about the legacy of Fats Domino, how he prepares for the show, and when we might see more performances from him. Musical selections include Davell’s rendition of "Don't Ever Be Blue."

"Jazz is the ultimate common denominator of the American musical style." –Leonard Bernstein Today would have been the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), a towering figure in American musical history. If he had only been the master of one area of music – the stage, the screen, the concert hall, television – his legend would have been assured. Instead, he mastered them all.  Much of his fame derived from his long tenure as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, from his conducting of concerts with most of the world's leading orchestras, and from his music. He wrote for Broadway (West Side Story,collaborating with Stephen Sondheim – pictured above), Peter Pan,Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town); the Movies (On the Waterfront); Ballet (Fancy Free); and for the Classical canon, his Mass, and Jeremiah Symphony. He also wrote a range of other compositions, including two more symphonies and many shorter chamber and solo works. The orchestral version of the overture from Candide is a staple of concerts around the world. Bernstein was the first conductor to give a series of television lectures on classical music, starting in 1954 and continuing until his death. He was a skilled pianist, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Bernstein conduct two Brahms symphonies with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the symphony’s summer home of Tanglewood in the Berkshires, a place that had a special place in Bernstein’s heart. He championed American composers like Copland and Ives, as well as Europeans like Messiaen, Mahler, Nielson and especially Gustav Mahler. It is fair to say that none of the work of these now acknowledged masters would have become staples of concerts across America without his tireless support. Bernstein was immersed in jazz from his youth, working as a jazz pianist in his teenage years and directing a swing band at a summer camp. His 1939 undergraduate thesis at Harvard, “The Absorption of Race Elements into American Music,” argued that jazz is at the foundation of all American composition, and his initial post-graduate employment included transcribing jazz for a music publisher, exposing the young composer to the inner workings of the improviser’s art. Click here to listen to Bernstein’s 1956 recording What is Jazz?    Podcast 634 is my tribute to Leonard Bernstein, as jazz artists both new and old have recorded and rearranged his tunes. Obviously, this small sampling is heavy on West Side Story, but also features songs from Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town and “Big Stuff, sung by Billie Holiday. That latter tune was written with Lady Day in mind as an introduction to his ballet score Fancy Free (choreographed by Jerome Robbins, who would also create the dances for West Side Story) but not recorded by Ms. Holiday until months after the ballet premiered in 1946. Musical selections include: Stan Kenton & His Orchestra - "I Feel Pretty" Oscar Peterson Trio - "Something's Coming" Sue Halloran & Ken Hitchcock - "I Can Cook Too" European Jazz Trio - "Maria" Don Byron - "Glitter and Be Gay" Bill Charlap Trio - "Ohio" Kurt Elling - "Lonely Town" Oliver Nelson - "Cool" Billie Holiday - "Big Stuff" Manny Albam - "Tonight" Mark Whitfield - "Some Other Time" Carmen McRae - "It's Love"

McCoy Tyner left his long-time collaborator John Coltrane in 1965, as the band began moving deeper into atonal avant-garde music, the “Classic Quartet” often supplemented by extra percussion that seemed to negate the need for Tyner’s contributions.  Already a known commodity as a session man for the top labels, for the next few years he continued his sideman work at Blue Note, recording a series of albums with Stanley Turrentine (including The Spoiler) and Hank Mobley (including A Caddy for Daddy). In 1967 he began a particularly fruitful period of recording, making seven albums over the next four years as a leader, beginning with the classic The Real McCoy.  He made two topnotch albums in 1968. He recorded Time for Tyner on May 17, 1968 at Van Gelder Studios, an album with a chamber-jazz feel. The band was a quartet that featured Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums. Composed of three McCoy originals and three covers, it would pale in comparison to the star power and musical adventurousness that Expansions would display three months later. At the same Van Gelder Studios, on August 23, 1968, Tyner brought together the same core rhythm group from Time for Tyner, but this time added some of the big guns of the Blue Note jazz roster – Woody Shaw on trumpet, Gary Bartz on alto sax, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, and Ron Carter on cello.  Expansions had five tracks, four of them originals, including three tunes that stretched over ten minutes each.  The result would be described as “stimulating music (that) falls between advanced hard bop and the avant-garde, pushing and pulling at the boundaries of modern mainstream jazz.” The album was not released until almost two years later, seeing the light of day in June 1970. Why? Likely it was that the label was not pushing noncommercial jazz in the late Sixties, seeing the possibilities for cashing in on the fusion sound that Columbia was putting out with Miles Davis and later the Mahavishnu Orchestra; and the CTI jazz-R&B-fusion sound. By that time, Tyner had moved on from Blue Note, and begun a decade-long partnership with Milestone Records, where he would make some of his finest and most adventurous albums.

Is Stevie Wonder the most covered popular artist in the jazz world? From the singers to the pianists, with a hefty number of Flutes, Saxes and Clarinets thrown in, it seems as if his tunes are the backbone of what we might call the New Standards. And why not? Not only are they well known, but almost always highly melodic, with insightful lyrics. Throw in that Stevie’s been known to use some interesting changes in his harmonies – he favors the black keys on the piano, so there are a lot of flats and sharps – and he is a natural for jazz musicians to use as a stepping off point. A debut CD from James Austin Jr. is the latest all-Stevie tribute album. Songs in the Key of Wonder belongs near the top of the list for straight-ahead fans, as the young pianist leads his group through ten tunes from the Wonder songbook. Kudos to James not only for his arrangements, but for his song selection. Tunes like “Lately” and especially “Tuesday Heartbreak” are far less covered than say, “All is Fair in Love”, and he makes the most of them. A Chicago native, Austin has been mentored by the legendary Barry Harris, and his love of bebop shines through on many of this solos. Now living and working in New York, he’s been making a name of himself on the scene, not only for his playing but for his work as musical director for singer Alexis Morrast. Working with a mix and match group of musicians including Ben Rubens and David Williams on bass, Kobie Watkins on drums, Jarrard Harris on sax, Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, Austin never takes the easy way out in presenting familiar tunes. If “Isn’t She Lovely” has been overdone to the point of muzak, James still finds ways to take the familiar melody new places. He wisely kick-starts two tunes with the addition of Chicago native and guitar ace Bobby Broom (Sonny Rollins, David Murray). Podcast 633 is my conversation with James Austin Jr., as he talks about the universality of Stevie Wonder’s music, how he narrowed down his selection of tunes to only ten, and some plans for the near future. Musical selections from Songs in the Key of Wonder include “Tuesday Heartbreak”, “Lately” and “Part-Time Lover.”

It's past the midpoint in summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for what we can only hope will be lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've done six previous Dog Day postings,  Podcast 292, Podcast 225,  Podcast 442,   Podcast 492 , Podcast 546 and Podcast 588.  if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There's a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they sat on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get. Music for Podcast 632 includes: Frank Sinatra - "Something Wonderful Happens in Summer" Joe Pass - "Summer Night" Jimmy Greene - "Last Summer" Hubert Laws - "Summer of '75" John Klemmer - "Summer Song" Jonathan Butler - "100 Degrees South" Jimmy Smith - "On the Sunny Side of the Street" Kenny Burrell & Grover Washington Jr. - "Summertime" Jim Hall & the David Matthews Orchestra - "Summerwaltz" Joshua Redman-Pat Metheny Quartet featuring Joe Sample - "St. Thomas" Joe Sanders - "The Things We Did Last Summer"

If summer begins with the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, then it reaches its apex with the Newport Jazz Festival. Year after year, for three days at Fort Adams State Park in lovely Newport, Rhode Island, three stages (and more!) are constantly filled with the best performers the world of jazz has to offer. This year is no exception. Artistic Director Christian McBride has helped provide us with an exception lineup, topped each day with Charles Lloyd leading a different group, in honor of his 80th birthday. Artists include: Friday, August 3, 2018: Charlies Lloyd’s Sangam with Zakir Hussain and Eric Harland; R+R=NOW with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Taylor McFerrin & Justin Tyson; Still Dreaming with Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley and Brian Blade; Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles; Marquis Hill Blacktet; Alicia Olatuja; BADBADNOTGOOD; The DIVA Jazz Orchestra; Living Colour; Sonnymoon; Rudresh Mahanthappa Indo-Pak Coalition; Tony Allen; Michel Camilo; Matthew Shipp Trio. Saturday, August 4, 2018: Charles Lloyd New Quartet with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland; Pat Metheny with Antonio Sanchez, Linda May Han Oh & Gwilym Simcock; Andra Day; Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers; Jon Batiste; Laurie Anderson & Christian McBride; Harold Mabern & Eric Alexander; Roy Hargrove; Charenée Wade; Trio 3 (Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille); Grace Kelly; Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves; Louis Cole Big Band Blowout; Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl.  Sunday, August 5, 2018:  Charles Lloyd & Friends featuring Lucinda Williams with Jason Moran, Marvin Sewell, Stuart Mathis, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland; Artemis featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, Renee Rosnes, Anat Cohen, Melissa Aldana, Ingrid Jensen, Noriko Ueda & Allison Miller; Ambrose Akinmusire’s Origami Harvest; George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic; Gregory Porter; GoGo Penguin; Nicole Mitchell’s Dusty Wings; Harold Lopez-Nussa Trio; James Carter Organ Trio; Black Art Jazz Collective; Jane Bunnett & Maqueque; Jazzmeia Horn; Nate Smith + KINFOLK. Podcast 631 previews the Newport Jazz Festival, with musical highlights from artists attending the three day event, including: Still Dreaming with Joshua Redman, Ron Miles, Scott Colley and Brian Blade – “It’s Not the Same” R+R=NOW with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Derrick Hodge, Taylor McFerrin & Justin Tyson – “Colors in the Dark” Harold Mabern with Eric Alexander – “The Chief” Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl – “Thunderhead” Charles Lloyd & The Marvels with Lucinda Williams – “Dust” Parliament  – “Proof is in the Pudding”

One of the most influential – and yet to my mind, underrated – jazz pianists of our time would have been 100 years old today. Hank Jones is constantly named by some of our finest jazz musicians as a key influence, and today in honor of the Centennial of his birth, you get an hour plus of his music. One of seven children, Jones was raised in a musical family. His mother Olivia Jones sang; his two older sisters studied piano; and his two younger brothers—Thad, a trumpeter, and Elvin, a drummer—have both earned their place in the jazz pantheon. A fixture on the New York scene by 1944, Jones honed his craft in the bands of Lucky Thompson, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Eckstine and John Kirby. In autumn 1947, he began touring in Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic package, and from 1948 to 1953 he was accompanist for Ella Fitzgerald. Jones recorded more than 60 albums under his own name, and countless others as a sideman, including Cannonball Adderley 's Something Else with Miles Davis.  On May 19, 1962, he played piano as actress Marilyn Monroe sang her famous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" song to president John F. Kennedy. The 1970’s found him creating the Great Jazz Trio, originally with Davis alumni Ron Carter and Tony Williams, then later with Buster Williams and Eddie Gomez replacing Carter, and Al Foster, and Jimmy Cobb replacing Williams. I could go on and on, but it’s far better to listen to Hank Jones than talk about him. Podcast 630 features Hank as leader, accompanist and sideman, solo and in groups. Enjoy: The Great Jazz Trio - "We Could Make Such Beautiful Music Together" Hank Jones & Frank Wess - "Hankerin'" Cannonball Adderley - "Bangoon" Hank Jones, Christian McBride & Jimmy Cobb - "Stella by Starlight" Hank Jones - "Blues in My Heart" Hank Jones - Sophisticated Lady" Joe Lovano - "Bird's Eye View" The Great Jazz Trio - "Long Ago and Far Away" Charlie Parker - "The Song is You" Ella Fitzgerald, Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich - "I'm Just a Lucky So and So" The Great Jazz Trio - "Wind Flower" Hank Jones and Charlie Haden - "Give Me That Old Time Religion"

One of the highlights of the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival was the performance of singer José James, who led his band in Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers. I suspect he will also bring the house down at the Newport Jazz Festival on Saturday August 4, when he’ll be one of the headliners. Click here for more info on the Festival, brought to us by presenting sponsor Natixis Investment Managers. In addition to his set on Saturday afternoon, fans can catch him opening for Pat Metheny  on Friday evening August 3rd at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Tickets for that event, the main fundraising effort of charitable arms that run the festival, are almost sold out, with some lawn seats still available. Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers will be released in the fall on Blue Note Records, but fans of James know of his love for the 80 year old R&B legend from the medleys he has integrated into his sets from time to time. José dug deep into the Withers catalogue for classic tunes like “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Lean On Me” and “Just the Two of Us”, as well as lesser known deep cuts like “Family Table” and “Better Off Dead.” Videos of José and his band performing some of the cuts that will make up the CD can be viewed here. Podcast 629 is my conversation with José James, as we talk about what draws him to the music of Bill Withers, how he chose the songs for the CD, and his feelings toward the Newport Jazz Festival. Material from Lean On Me: José James Celebrates Bill Withers is not available at this time, so enjoy Withers himself singing “Family Table” and "Hello Like Before".

I’m a big fan of piano trios – the interplay between three rhythm instruments, the resulting melodies and dissonances, the way soloists weave within one another to create something greater than themselves. trioKAIT does all of that, and does it well - but this is a different kind of piano trio. The same has been said about the Bad Plus, E.S.T. and other groups that came before them, but the group made up of piano and keyboardist Kait Dunton, electric bassist Cooper Appelt, and drummer Jake Reed brings what has aptly been called “a modern, tight and groovy sound to the piano trio format.” trioKAIT 2 is their latest CD, and first to bring electric instruments like the Fender Rhodes or the Wurlitzer to their sound. The cover photo has the group under a starry sky, and themes of space, distance, and the nature of sound are all a big part of the album’s allure. Whether it’s the funky vintage sound of “O.C.D.” or a spacey take on the classic “Pure Imagination”, the trio’s musical approach continues to grow and evolve. Podcast 628 is my conversation with Kait Dunton, who before her solo and group career began in earnest, was a member of Snarky Puppy as the band was cutting their teeth. You can hear her on thier second CD, The World is Getting Smaller. We talk about the evolution of the trioKAIT sound, how the new – to her – instruments allow her to take different approaches to writing and recording, and how the group’s fans are reacting to their musical growth.  Musical selections from trioKAIT 2 include “O.C.D.”, “In Our Space“ and “Pure Imagination.”

I last spoke to bassist Brian Bromberg two years ago, when his first album in almost four years, Full Circle, marked a strong return to the scene.  Since then Brian has been busy on the touring front, as well as lending his talents to CDs from among others, his long-time collaborator Gary Meek (see Podcast 599). His latest CD, Thicker Than Water, is a throwback of sorts to his large ensemble CDs It Is What It Is and Compared to That, full of funky grooves and up-tempo tunes. Made up of thirteen Bromberg originals, Thicker Than Water collects favorite collaborators like Randy Brecker, Everett Harp, Paul Jackson, Jr.. Gary  Meek, and in one final funky solo, the late George Duke. Bromberg has shown himself to be a master of Double Bass and Electric Bass, and the new CD allows him to play no fewer than eleven different basses to create its sound. From the throwback sound of "Minneapolis 1987" to more current beats brought to Brian by his nephew Zach Bromberg, the CD is not just a party for your ears, but a tonic for your soul. As Brian says in our conversation, he doesn't just want to get your booty off the seat - he wants to expand your mind as well. Podcast 627 is my talk with Brian, as we talk about the different sounds and textures he gets from different basses, the making of the new CD, why he misses the late George Duke, and his new live group, the Unapologetically Funky Big Bombastic Band. Musical selections from Thicker Than Water include “Minneapolis 1987”, the title track, and “Uh-Huh” as well as “Spiritual for Iris” from Meek’s Originals CD from 2017, which BRomberg produced.

History may show that we are living in the golden age of the jazz archival release. During the past ten years, advances in technology, and the desire of a few dedicated individuals (think Zev Feldman at Resonance) have brought listeners “new” recordings from legends like Bill Evans, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk, and especially John Coltrane and Miles Davis. The Erroll Garner Jazz Project at the Erroll Garner archive at the University of Pittsburgh has played an important role in finding and lovingly releasing the work of the late pianist. Nightconcert, which was released on July 13th, presents Garner at the peak of his genius, recorded at a midnight concert in November 1964 at The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with an audience of 2000 highly enthusiastic and enraptured people of all ages. Joined by his rhythm section of bassist Eddie Calhoun and drummer Kelly Martin, with whom he’d been playing for nearly a decade, the performance that night is captured on this album, which features eight never-before-heard Garner song interpretations, including a newly discovered original. This is the third new Garner release from the Garner Estate through Octave Music since its relaunch in 2015; the first, The Complete Concert by the Sea, was named 2016 historical record of the year by the Jazz Journalist Association and nominated for a GRAMMY® Award and an NAACP Image Award. It was produced by the late and deeply missed master jazz pianist Geri Allen, along with four-time GRAMMY® Award-winner, Steve Rosenthal. The second release, Ready Take One, a collection of previously unreleased studio recordings that was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album, was produced by Allen, Rosenthal and Peter Lockhart. Nightconcert is produced by Lockhart, Rosenthal and pianist/composer Christian Sands in his new role as Creative Ambassador for the Erroll Garner Jazz Project. The performances draw heavily on the Great American Songbook, always Garner’s greatest strength as an interpreter. The romp through “Cheek to Cheek” is a delight, and there are strong takes on “Where or When” and “On Green Dolphin Street.” Garner’s signature introductory phrases are on display, taking the listener into the pianist's thought process as he makes the determination of when to move into the melody, and bring the band in with him. This is another valuable recording that continues to add to Garner’s legacy, as well as an important document for the emergence of Garner’s composition “That Amsterdam Swing”, a previously unreleased, and worthy addition to his canon. Podcast 626 is my conversation with two key participants in the Erroll Garner Project – producer Peter Lockhart and Susan Greenberg, the niece of Garner’s long-time manager and executrix of his estate, Martha Glaser, who became responsible for the archive upon her aunt's death. We’ll talk about the new CD, and listen to a few tracks from the album, one of the year’s greatest discoveries.

American Independence Day 2018. While it seems with every day there is less and less to celebrate about the state of our country today, nonetheless we should never fail to recall the brave words that were written by our forefathers in Philadelphia in 1776: When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury: For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies: For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the worhority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. The official Straight No Chaser song of Independence Day is Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful". It seems strangely appropriate that we in the 21st century are able to listen to a recording made in the 20th century, featuring a blind African-American man singing a song with lyrics by a white woman (Katherine Lee Bates), with melody based on a 19th century hymn written by a white man (Samuel Ward). Enjoy!

When I last spoke with Edward Simon, he was on the road with the SFJazz Collective, and was stopping near me in Amherst, Massachusetts. Simon, a native of Venezuela who has become a first call pianist and a bandleader in his own right, has gone on since then to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NAACP Image Award for his Latin American Songbook.  His growth as a composer, performer and leader is clear in his latest release, Sorrows & Triumphs. The new CD allows Simon to make a number of different stylistic choices, with the constant the musical partners of his quartet Afinidad, composed of David Binney (alto sax); Scott Colley (bass) and Brian Blade (drummer). These tremendous musicians, all bandleaders themselves, make harmonically challenging, yet lush and melodic music from Simon’s compositions, which take the form of two works commissioned by Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works program.  What separates Sorrows & Triumphs from his previous releases are the contributions of his guests, from singer Gretchen Parlato to guitarist Adam Rogers to the chamber quintet Imani Winds.  The result transcends label or category. Simon is still the anchor of the rhythm section of the SFJazz Collective, which is finishing off its latest CD before a European tour this fall.  The group continues to evolve, and the latest lineup includes Miguel Zenon and David Sanchez (sax), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Robin Eubanks (trombone), Warren Wolf (vibes), Matt Brewer (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums). Podcast 625 is my conversation with Edward, as we discuss the new CD, the SFJazz Collective's new season - in which they will take on the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim - and his plans for his next projects. Musical selections from Sorrows & Triumphs include "Triumphs", "Venezuela Unida" and"Chant".  

When we talk about the top jazz drummers of the past fifty years, particularly in the area of jazz-funk and fusion, the short list of real greats has to include Mike Clark. Already a veteran jazz drummer by the time Herbie Hancock picked him for his immortal Headhunters band, Clark wrote the book on jazz-funk, and went on to play in almost all genres of jazz, blues and funk. His credits range from Hancock, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Eddie and Joe Henderson and Larry Coryell to Christian McBride, John Scofield, Nicholas Payton, and Donald Harrison. With the Headhunters, he recorded “God Made Me Funky”, a classic slice of jazz-funk that has one of the most sampled drum breaks in history. Not one to rest on his laurels, Clark is still going strong. He has been part of the Grant Green Tribute Band fronted by the guitar legend’s son Grant Jr; and he is recording with his groups the Wolff & Clark Expedition and Venture, as well as part of Eddie Henderson’s group on Be Cool. His album with longtime friend Delbert Bump, Retro Report, is an organ trio CD that shows he has barely missed a beat behind the kit, even as he approaches the age of 72. Retro Report is a real treat not only for Clark fans, but for fans of the Hammond Organ sound. Delbert Bump is an underrated master of the B-3, and with young gun Elias Lucero on guitar, the trio covers both classic tunes and originals with verve, grit and – dare we say it – funk. Saxophonist Rob Dixon drops in on the classic “Honky Tonk” and Vince Denham lends tenor and soprano sax support for “More Chicken.” Podcast 643 is my talk with Mike, as we discuss the making of Retro Report as well as his time with Hancock, Guaraldi and more. Musical selections from Retro Report include “Chicken”, “Alice in Wonderland”, and  “Well You Needn’t” as well as “Spank-A-Lee” from Herbie Hancock’s Thrust, and “Funk Loft” from Eddie Henderson’s Be Cool.

Summer can officially begin! The 2018 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th, 2018 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. As always there is a stellar lineup, and this year a few scheduling changes have made the festival even more fan-friendly. For the first time in the Festival’s 41-year history, performances will begin at 11 a.m. on the newly built Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” stage. Performances on the amphitheater stage will begin at 3 p.m. This will create less overlap, and more opportunity for fans to see and hear a greater variety of music. And what music it will be! Saturday’s Main Stage will feature Chris Botti; Herbie Hancock; José James celebrating the music of Bill Withers; piano wunderkind Joey Alexander; and the Anat Cohen Tentet. The Jazz Discovery Stage will present Lakecia Benjamin and SoulSquad; the Alfredo Rodriguez & Pedrito Martinez Duo; Keyon Harrold; critical darling singer Jazzmeia Horn; a tribute to the music of New Orleans @ 300 featuring Evan Christopher, David Torkanowsky & Shannon Powell and the Christian Sands Trio. Sunday’s Main Stage attempts to top opening night with a vocal heavy lineup of Jon Batiste with The Dap-Kings; Gregory Porter; the ageless Mavis Staples; and the powerful project entitled TEN: Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, Nicholas Payton. The Jazz Discovery Stage will not disappoint – come hear Scott Sharrard & the Brickyard Band; Deva Mahal;  the Cuban Jazz sounds of Jane Bunnett & Maqueque; The Jazz Passengers 30th Anniversary Show; a killer trio of Mark Whitfield, Ben Allison, & Billy Drummond; and Sammy Miller & The Congregation. I spoke with Danny Melnick, the Festival  Promoter and the President of Absolutely Live, and as always he gave us the inside scoop on the weekend, including his picks for the most interesting acts to catch. Musical selections for Podcast 623 include: Joey Alexander – "Moment's Notice" Jazzmeia Horn – "The Peacocks" Christian Sands Trio - "Bud's Tune" Mavis Staples – "If All I Was Was Black" Jane Bunnett & Maqueque - "Canto a Babba"

Riddle me this… What do these recordings all have in common, besides classic recording artists: “Boogie Chillun” by John Lee Hooker; “Back in the USA” by the MC5; “Mothership Connection” by Parliament; “Theme from Shaft” by Isaac Hayes; and “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye. The answer? They were all recorded in United Sound Systems Recording Studios  Established in Detroit, Michigan in 1933 by Jimmy Siracuse, it became the first independent and full service major recording studio in the nation and created a platform which gave artists, musicians, writers, and producers the ability to record music, cut the record and get airplay without being signed to a major label. As you can tell from our opening quiz, top players, particularly those from the urban centers of the Midwest, made United Sound Systems the place to be for decades. On December 21st 1947 Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, and Max Roach recorded four Parker compositions for Savoy Records at United Sound System. Parker's Quintet was in town for two weeks, performing and backing Sarah Vaughan at the El Sino Club. The story goes that that Parker hustled to lay down four sides before the 1948 recording ban was to go into effect. As with most of the great, old studios, age and innovation had left United Sound in a bad way. Seven decades after the Parker sessions, Producer Ron Skinner and Recording Engineer Nick Bonin came to the control room of Studio B, at United Sound Systems to pay homage to those recordings, bring a group of musicians calling themselves the Detroit Bop Quintet. Using information from the few folks still alive who had worked at United Sound and what they could gather form research, the two attempted to make a recording in similar situations to those the Parker band faced in 1947. This meant standing in the same places, using comparable microphones and as much analog gear as could be assembled. For specifics, check this out. Podcast 622 is my conversation with Ron Skinner, as we learn about the history of United Sound Systems Recording Studios, and how he made these wonderful recordings. Musical selections include “Bluebird” from the new recordings and “Bird Gets the Worm" from the Parker sessions in 1947.

To honor those who gave their lives defending America, the Straight No Chaser song of Memorial Day is Joe Zawinul’s “Unknown Soldier.” Recorded by Zawinul with Weather Report for their I Sing the Body Electric album in 1972, the band at that time was Wayne Shorter on sax, Zawinul on keyboards (and synthesizer for  one of the first times), Miroslav Vitous on bass, Eric Gravatt on drums and Dom Um Romao on percussion. Guests on “Unknown Soldier” included Hubert Laws on flute; Andrew White on English horn; Wilmer Wise on trumpets; and the voices of Tolande Bavan, Chapmen Roberts and Joshie Armstrong. The tune was recorded in November 1971 in Columbia Studios, New York. The unknown soldier of the title comes from Zawinul’s childhood memories of World War II in Europe. He said in an interview: In 1945 my cousin and I buried two German soldiers who had been dead a long time, in very bad shape. One guy was rolled over by a tank. We opened their uniforms to break off their name tags, but on one of them there wasn’t any tag. It’s that same old concept of the unknown soldier. That’s what I thought when I wrote this, with the prayers in there–it’s partially a recall of that night I told you about, September 10, 1944, when Vienna was burning, people were crying, buried underneath the ruins. An orchestral version of the tune can be found as part of Zawinul’s symphony, Stories of the Danube, a recording that took the nuts and bolts of many of his jazz classics to make a large ensemble work, including “Pharaoh’s Dance” from Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew.. Click here to listen to "Unknown Soldier."

Flutist Jamie Baum has created one of the first truly exception jazz recordings of 2018 with the release of Bridges, performed by the Jamie Baum Septet +. A Guggenheim Fellow, Ms. Baum has deftly merged what we classify as “World Music” with jazz in a way that honors both genres. By taking sounds from the Jewish liturgical music of her childhood, and finding common ground with Muslim/Arabic and Hundi/South Asian music, Jamie has created something truly unique. Having traveled extensively, and been captivated by Nepal, she allows the sounds of these locales to seep deeply into her music. The large ensemble is top notch. Amir El-Saffar (trumpet) burst onto a wider stage last year with the release of his Rivers of Sound: Not Two CD and his approach to the music are at the core of Bridges. Ms. Baum wisely added Sam Sadigursky (alto sax, bass clarinet) and Chris Komer (French horn) to the front line, producing sounds, colors and texture that seem to come from sources well beyond the four musicians. The rhythm section – guitarist Brad Shepik (who shreds on some tunes, lays back on others), pianist John Escreet, bassist Zack Lober and drummer Jeff Hirschfeld is given the task of bridging the gap (sorry for the pun!) between traditional beats and more intricate time signatures  and tones. The result is truly inspiring. Jamie Baum has been a fixture on both Critic’s and Reader’s Polls for the past decade as a flutist and band leader. Besides the Septet +, she leads the Short Stores sextet (featuring Gregoire Maret and Gilad Hekselman); the quintet Yard Byard: The Jaki Byard Project (featuring Adam Kolker) and her own quartet and quintet of varying personnel. As an educator, she continues to influence budding musicians from her teaching posts at Manhattan School of Music and New School, and with her “A Fear Free Approach to Improvisation for the Classically-Trained Musician” clinics. Podcast 621 is my conversation with Jamie, featuring musical selections from Bridges including “Honoring Nepal: The Shiva Suite Pt.1”, “Song Without Words”, and “Joyful Lament.”

It’s a great joy for me to find recordings that I’ve not heard before. Maybe they are vintage, maybe brand new but from small labels or self-released. There are a number of blogs much better than mine in doing this kind of crate-digging, especially Marc Myers’ JazzWax. Check it out now!  It took singer E.J. Decker’s latest release - Bluer Than Velvet: The Prysock Project – to introduce me to the music of Arthur Prysock. From 1994 until the late-Eighties, this deep-voiced singer released hit singles and more than forty albums, including exception releases with the Count Basie and Buddy Johnson Orchestras. He sang jazz, country, gospel and even had a stray disco hit. At the age of 63, he picked up his first two Grammy nominations.I was surprised to learn it was his silky smooth tones that sang the Löwenbräu” beer commercial (“Tonight is kind of special…tonight, tonight, let it be Löwenbräu.” He passed away in 1997, having retired to Hamilton, Bermuda. One listen to E.J.’s voice – a deep, mellow, resonant instrument – and you can see why Arthur Prysock would be a musical influence for him. Coming from a family with musical ties – his dad briefly sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra – Decker spent hours listening to his brother’s Rock and R&B and his Dad’s Jazz albums, eventually finding his own voice as a singer.  Bluer Than Velvet: The Prysock Project allows him to pay homage to an unfortunately overlooked artist. In the New York scene E.J. may be as well known for producing and performing in The September Concert: The Heart of Jazz for 9/11, an annual free concert dedicated to the memory and spirit of those lost in the terrorist attacks of September 11. Hundreds of top jazz musicians have performed over the ten years Decker presented the concert. Podcast 620 is my conversation with E.J., featuring tunes from Bluer Than Velvet: The Prysock Project including “On the Street Where You Live” and “Autumn in New York.”

As an English major at Clark University (Class of '77) I spent many a fond moment with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Virginia Vaughan discussing the Immortal Bard, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare's birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23, St. George's Day. He was born 452 years ago today. And whither, you might ask, does this great writer intersect with Jazz? Look no further than the 1964 album by Cleo Laine, Shakespeare and All That Jazz, arranged and written for her by her husband, Sir John Dankworth. Dankworth adapted sonnets and portions of the plays to create an artistically satisfying work. Many of the tunes are written by Dankworth, but he also picks from the Ellington-Strayhorn canon for "My Love is as a Fever (Sonnet 147)" a portion of the suite they composed entitled Such Sweet Thunder. Of particular interest are the tracks which feature Kenny Wheeler on trumpet. For those interested in an updated take on this album, check out Christina Drapkin's version.

The genesis of musical composition comes from so many sources and muses, books have been written on the topic. For Toronto native Andrew Rathbun, a talented saxophonist, composer and educator, that source has routinely been poetry. In 1998, his recording Jade set to music the verse of Cathy Song, while his 2000 follow-up True Stories focused on the work of fellow Canadian Margaret Atwood.  The Atwood Suites returns to the poetry of Ms. Atwood, but with the music written and performed by the Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble. The challenges of writing for a big band have been met with a great sense of grounding and flourish. Not only does the music sweep and soar in many passages, but the inclusion of top soloists like trumpet player Tim Hagans, guitarist Nate Radley and drummer Bill Stewart guarantees that the feeling of jazz is never glossed over.  Add to this 20+ group of musicians the noted singer Luciana Souza, who with Aubrey Johnson lends vocals to some of the two suites that make up the first of two CDs, most notably the three movements that make up “Two Islands.” Rathbun does not limit himself to writing and directing projects like The Atwood Suites. He plays sax in any number of groups, performing across the Midwest, with too infrequent visits to New York. As Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Rathbun has the opportunity to work with his students and share his gifts as performer and composer. Podcast 619 is my conversation with Andrew, coming after two feverish days of teaching in anticipation of a brief trip to South America. We discussed the ideas for The Atwood Suites, his experiences working with Ms. Souza and the late Kenny Wheeler on other projects, and his take on jazz education in the Midwest. Musical selections include “V” and “Two Islands II”, the latter of which features Luciana Souza’s vocals.

I can’t say that I often turned to the music of Cecil Taylor when I wanted something to listen to. To me, Taylor, one of the three great avant-garde pioneers (along with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane) did not make music that was in any way welcoming or accessible. But what he did do, often playing his piano as anything other than an instrument capable of melody, opened up worlds of possibilities for two generations of jazz musicians. I wandered through the retrospective “Open Plan: Cecil Taylor” at the new Whitney Museum in New York a few years back, and was amazed at the breadth of his work – from solo piano to large ensemble to collaborations in poetry, film and especially dance. He wrote poetry himself, and integrated it often in his live performances.  From the late Fifties and early Sixties small groups; to his solo piano performances in the late Sixties and early Seventies; to his Big Bands in the past decades, Taylor never seemed to repeat himself, or fail to push the musical envelope further and further.  His passing last week in his home in Brooklyn, NY at the age of 89 marks the end of a long and influential era in jazz. Podcast 618 is a far from complete overview of Taylor’s music, mostly from live performances found in the epic box set of his solo piano recordings made in Berlin thirty years ago. Musical selections, some edited, include: “Conquistador” “Riobec 4” “The Great Bear” “Chimes” “Stone Parts 1-3” “The Old Canal” “Stone Part 4”

The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together. Writing a song about celebrating a Christian holiday was not an anomaly for the Jewish composer Berlin. Born in 1888 into a Russian Jewish family who came to New York City to escape religious persecution when he was five years old, Irving Berlin quickly shed his religious roots and fell in love with America. He became an American citizen when he was 29. "Patriotism was Irving Berlin's true religion," writes biographer Laurence Bergreen in As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin (1990). Irving Berlin was "not a religious person," according to his daughter Mary Ellin. Relating the story of Irving's marriage to Ellin Mackay in 1926, whose devout father had a deep reluctance to welcome a "lower-class" Jew into the wealthy Catholic family. Once they had children, Mrs. Berlin did try to keep up a minimal appearance of religious tradition. Mary Ellin writes that her unbelieving parents "had their first bad fight when my mother suggested raising me as a Catholic . . . ." The Berlins had three daughters. "Both our parents," Mary Ellin recalls, "would pass down to their children the moral and ethical values common to all great religions; give us a sense of what was right and what was wrong; raise us not to be good Jews or good Catholics or good whatever else you might care to cite, but to be good (or try to be) human beings. . . . When we grew up, she said, we would be free to choose--if we knew what was best for us, the religion of our husband. . . . It wouldn't quite work out, when we 'grew up,' as my mother hoped. All three of us would share our father's agnosticism and sidestep our husband's faiths." The man who wrote "White Christmas" actually hated Christmas. "Many years later," Mary Ellin writes, "when Christmas was celebrated irregularly in my parents' house, if at all, my mother said, almost casually, 'Oh, you know, I hated Christmas, we both hated Christmas. We only did it for you children.' " Christmas, for Irving Berlin, was not a religious holiday: it was an American holiday. He simply needed a melody in 1940 for a show called Holiday Inn, an escapist "American way of life" musical (when all hell was breaking loose in Europe) which called for a song for each holiday. The words to "White Christmas" are not about the birth of a savior-god: they are about winter, the real reason for the season. Read more about Irving Berlin, religion and patriotism here.

One of my favorite holidays is the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover As the first Seder is tonight, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses, I've gone into the category of music that was called "Negro Spirituals" when I was in school, and picked "Go Down Moses" Versions of the song seem to go back to 1862, when it was called "Oh! Let My People Go (The Song of the Contrabands)". The opening verse was published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872. It's easy to see the coded message in the lyrics - "Israel" in the lyrics stands in for African-Americans oppressed by slavery and recism, and "Egypt" as their oppressors. The seminal recording of the song is likely Paul Robeson's version from 1958, which became a rallying cry for those fighting for civil rights in the American South. Click here to listen to Louis Armstrong's version of the spiritual, taken from his Louis and the Good Book album. Armstrong recorded the song in February 1959 with Sy Oliver's Orchestra. Armstrong had jsut finished his popular Porgy & Bess album with Ella Fitzgerald, and entered the studio to record a series of spirituals and religious-tinged music. Among those in the band were Trummy Young on trombone, Hank D'Amico and Nicky Tagg on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano and Barrett Deems on drums. In Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong   biographer Terry Teachout quotes an outspoken Armstrong as being a great friend of the Jewish people, who he felt gave him a break in his youth when his fellow African-Americans would not. He wore a Star of David around his neck for most of his life.

The fine blog Any Major Dude with Half a Heart (dig that Steely Dan reference) has always gone deep into the crates for goodies, usually of the soul variety. For Holy Thursday, celebrated by Catholics around the world, he has a real winner. Visit his page for the late David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday". As he said on his blog: Well, it is Holy Thursday, and while this orchestral jazz track might not feed your pieties, it should at least get your toes tapping. That does not mean that the title is irreverent. Axelrod, son of a leftist activist who grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood, wrote and recorded several musical works referencing religion. In 1971 he arranged a jazz-rock interpretation of Handel’s Messiah and in 1993 he titled a work on the Holocaust a “requiem”. I have read that Holy Thursday also featured in Grand Theft Auto V, a game I’ve never played but the soundtracks of which seem quite excellent. Axelrod has had a massive influence on jazz, in particular fusion. He produced legends such as Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley (including his big hit Mercy, Mercy, Mercy), as well as avant gardists The Electric Prunes. For another posting I did on this tune, click here.

The start of Holy Week for the Christian faith is my cue to put together a podcast of Spiritual Jazz. Whether it has specific religious overtones, as songs in this year's podcast do when referencing the Muslim or Jewish faith; or are built on Spirituals from the African-American lexicon, this is some of the most thrilling and moving music around, It can also be among the most challenging, as traditional melody or harmony can go out the window as the jazz musician searches for meaning or expression in different ways. In any event, I hope you give this Podcast 617 a good listen, and perhaps find some things that you want to explore further. Podcast 617 features: Don Sebesky - "Psalm 150" Alice Coltrane - "Oh Allah" Doug Cairn - "G-d is One" GoGo Penguin - "Prayer" Brad Mehldau - "Prayer for Healing" Don Byron & the New Gospel Quartet - "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" Afro-Semitic Experience - "Hinei Mah ToV" Shelly Manne - "Infinity" Banquet of the Spirits - "Tahareil" John McLaughlin & Shakti - "Kriti" James Weidman - "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel"

Mark Murphy’s latest CD, Pocketful of Rainbows, continues a trend of merging the singer-songwriter sense with jazz sensibilities. On one level, there is Mark’s smooth voice and lilting acoustic guitar performing songs written by Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams. On another there is the richness and subtlety that the finest jazz musicians – like drummer Jeff Ballard, keyboardist Jon Cowherd, and electric guitarist Gilad Hekselman - bring to the arrangements and execution of the tunes. Add guest shots by bassist Larry Grenadier, saxophonist Dayna Stephens and violinist Sara Caswell and you have a CD that is full of depth and richness. It might be easy to compare Mark’s approach to that of great Brazilian singers like João Gilberto or crossover artist Michael Franks, but that would be too easy. Yes, there are echoes of their sound on his vocals, but there is more happening here. Whether it’s that New Orleans flavor that is brought to “Hey Good Lookin’” or the wonderful reading of the title track, a little known Elvis Presley recording, Murphy is intent in bringing his own special flavor to the material. Murphy is an educator as well as musician, and his music school in South Orange, New Jersey is one of the largest music schools in the Greater New York area, with almost forty music teachers. Appropriately enough, many genres of music are taught, as Mark Murphy shares his wide ranging talents with his students. Podcast 618 is my conversation with Mark, and features musical selections from Pocketful of Rainbows, including “Hey Good Lookin’,” the title track, and the Murphy original “Conversations.”

While Winter may officially be dead today, it sure doesn't seem like Spring in my neck of the woods. Here in Western Massachusetts we're bracing for another heavy winter storm tomorrow, the fourth in the past month. It seems like the song of the day will be "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year". Or maybe "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most"? I think it's Michael Franks' recording of "Why It Ain't Spring" that fits my mood best. But here is an hour of jazz with Spring themes to enjoy and make you think of fonder, softer, warmer days to come. All of the previously mentioned tunes are here, along with some with which you might not yet be familiar. Podcast 615 features: Tony Bennett - "Spring is Here" Kenny Dorham - "Poetic Spring" Stanley Turrentine - "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" Meredith D'Ambrosio - "Spring in Manhattan" Ramsey Lewis - "Blue Spring"   Sarah Vaughan - "It Might as Well Be Spring" Donald Brown featuring Wallace Roney - "You Must Believe in Spring" Larry Coryell & Michael Urbaniak - "A Quiet Day in Spring" Sarah Vaughan - "Spring Will be a Little Late this Year" Kenny Dorham - "Passion Spring" Ellen Honert - "Spring" Michael Franks - "Why It Ain't Spring" Diane Reeves - "Some Other Spring"  

A new album from vocalist Kurt Elling always gives his listeners a chance to follow him further on his unique musical journey.  The 13-time Grammy nominee (he won in 2009 for his tribute to the classic album John Coltrane and  Johnny Hartman, entitled Dedicated to You) never fails to go deeper into the musical canon in search of tunes to interpret, as well as instrumentals for which he can add lyrics. A student of poetry, philosophy and religion, as well as of jazz history, Elling’s latest release, The Questions allows his to delve into issues which affect him - and us – in his special way. While it didn’t start out that way, The Questions became an album of songs that alternately ask and attempt to answer existential questions that have always been at the core of human thought. When he records his version of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”, the questions asked and enigmatic answers given seem to be ripped from today’s headlines, and then are followed by the seemingly incongruous “A Happy Thought.”  The give and take of the themes may be the philosophical core of the album, but its Elling’s way of adding a lyric, interpreting a song, or allowing his band and guest soloists room to shine that makes The Questions a triumph. Perhaps no tune on the strong album better illustrates Elling’s talent that his version of Jaco Pastorious’ well-known tune “Three Views of a Secret”, first recorded on Jaco’s Word of Mouth album in 1981. In Elling’s hands it’s now “A Secret in Three Views” with his lyrics inspired by a poem from the 13th century mystic Rumi. His voice is the lead instrument in more than ways that the typical singer, as he moves from his baritone to higher ranges and back as if he were a saxophone, and the musical tension and release does the late bass master Jaco proud. Podcast 614 is my conversation with Kurt Elling, as we discuss the new album; his continued collaboration with Branford Marsalis that began with last year’s The Upward Spiral; and how the current political climate influenced his work. Musical selections include “A Secret in Three Views,” plus his take on Peter Gabriel’s “Washing of the Water” and Paul Simon’s “American Tune.”

In keeping with the theme of presenting spiritual music performed by jazz artists this week, here is "Crucifixion", a traditional spiritual with a copyright credited to its arranger, Jester Hairston. Hairston (1901-2000) was a prolific composer and arranger of African-American music. In addiiton to dozens of arrangments still in use today, he composed what is now considered a Christmas standard, "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. Seven years later, he penned the universally known "Amen" for Sidney Poitier's film "Lilies of the Valley". That song has gone on to be recorded by hundred of artists, most notably the Impressions in 1964. It's worth pointing out that an up-tempo version of the song, "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons in 1969 had six seconds of its drum solo sampled as what is referred to as the "Amen Break", a sample credited with launching the drum and bass movement, and included in rock, hip-hop and soul tracks for several decades. Click here to listen to David Murray's version of the venerable tune, from the 1988 Spirituals album. Murray recorded this pensive, rather straight ahead (for Murray) version with a quartet including Murray on sax, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson, Jr. on drums.

You don’t pass up and opportunity to speak with Bill Frisell. The legendary guitar player has been among the most talented and versatile musicians of the past twenty years, performing in almost any jazz idiom, his trademark telecaster creating a sound that is uniquely his.  Most of Frisell’s recorded output for the past few years has been composed of albums written by others (All We Are Saying, Guitar in the Space Age!) or larger scope pieces like the string-laden Big Sur or The Mockingbird with the Gnostic Trio. His last release, Small Town, a moving series of duets with bassist Thomas Morgan recorded live at the Village Vanguard for ECM, may have been a hint that even more intimate work was forthcoming. Music Is (OKeh/Sony) is the first solo album for Frisell in almost twenty years, and gives us a chance to hear his re-imagining of memorable early compositions like “Pretty Stars” and “Rambler” is a stripped down setting. Whether it’s just Frisell on his telecaster or an acoustic guitar, or whether he adds the pedals, delays and loops that were his early calling card, the result is an album of startling beautiful music. I say “startling” since the wonderful clarity of sound allows the silence to be as important a sound as any loop effect. Frisell approaches the tunes with an honest simplicity, that “sit and pick on the front porch” feel that belies his harmonic complexity. His newer tunes – most notably “Go Happy Lucky” – are standouts, as is the new take on “Ron Carter.” In our conversation, Frisell revealed that the choice of tunes and setting was not so much a mid-life crisis or intentional re-examination of his catalogue as it was the result of a series of nights played at the soon to be closed The Stone in the East Village of New York. Intent on allowing himself to take chances and play music he had put aside or ignored for years lead him to book Time in old friend Tucker Martine’s Flora Recording and Playback studio in Portland, Oregon, and brought favorite collaborator Lee Townsend in to produce. Podcast 613 is our conversation, showing Bill Frisell to be a modest and unassuming musician, even after all his years of success. Musical selections include "Rambler', "Go Happy Lucky" and "Pretty Stars."

Whether you think its a commercial enterprise or a day for the expression of true love, you have to admit - Valentine's Day is everywhere. So on a day like this - and it's mid-week this year, making celebration just a tad harder than usual - how about an hour of jazz guaranteed to bring out the lover in you and your partner(s)? Then Podcast 612 is for you - and the musical selections include: Steve Tyrell - "A Song for You" Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra - "Lover Man (O Where Can You Be?)" Jackie McLean - "I'll Keep Loving You" Tamuz Nissam - "Just Squeeze Me" Fred Hersch Trio - "The Star Crossed Lovers" Stan Getz - "Soul Eyes" Norman Brown - "Sending My Love" Horace Silver - "Kiss me Right" Roy Haynes Trio - "Prelude to a Kiss" Keith Jarrett - "When I Fall in Love" Kate McGarry Trio - "My Funny Valentine"

It feels earlier than ever, but Mardi Gras is sweeping New Orleans with the greatest party in America once again. The great food, great crowds, parades, costumes, liquor... and the music! Oh that music! Which brings once again to the time to bring you an hour plus of New Orleans' finest in Podcast 611. Bon Ton Roulez! Musical selections include: Jambalaya Brass Band - "Congo Square" Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - "New Orleanian Love Song" Donald Harrison - "Cissy Strut" Dirty Dozen Brass Band - "Bongo Beep" Lee Dorsey - "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further" Galactic (featuring Allen Toussaint) - "Bacchus" Irvin Mayfield - "Ninth Ward Blues" Trombone Shorty - "In the 6th" Harry Connick Jr - "Oh My NOLA" Hot 8 Brass Band - "New Orleans, After the City" Allen Toussaint - "Po' Boy Walk" Nicholas Payton - "Wild Man Blues" The Gaturs - "Gator Bait" Rebirth Brass Band - "What Goes Around Comes Around" Wynton Marsalis - "Down Home with Homey"    

With six critically acclaimed CDs and a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal CD Kate McGarry has become recognized as a jazz artist who brings authenticity and vitality to every song regardless of genre. Downbeat Magazine cited McGarry as 'Rising Star' vocalist for the past 9 years, including a recent  #1 Rising Star Female Vocalist. In addition to her own work, her 2013 collaboration with John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Songs I Like A Lot, was lauded as a milestone in contemporary vocal jazz, receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Arrangement For A Vocalist. Collaborations with Ryan Truesdel and Jeremy Fox have resulted in great learning opportunities as well as additional Grammy nominations, awards and accolades.  Kate currently lives in Durham North Carolina with husband/guitarist Keith Ganz. The couple have teamed with Gary Versace as the Kate McGarry Trio to release The Subject Tonight is Love, an ambitious exploration of love in different ways and moods. Mixing a variety os sounds, and textures, and featuring Ms. McGarry’s always beguiling vocal story-telling, the CD is among her finest moments. The Trio will play two sets at the Jazz Standard in New York on Valentine’s Day, in what is sure to be a very hot ticket. I spoke with Kate and Keith by telephone from their home in Durham, where they were digging out from an unusual winter storm. We talked about the ways The Subject Tonight is Love came together, how they approach classic tunes, and about her work with great arrangers like Hollenback, Fox and Truesdell. Musical selections include “Mr. Sparkle/What A Difference a Day Made”, “Secret Love” and “Climb Down/Whiskey You’re the Devil” from The Subject Tonight is Love and “Wichita Lineman” from John Hollenbeck’s Songs I Like A Lot CD.

One of the oft-overlooked stars of the ECM roster is pianist Bobo Stenson. The Swedish composer-performer has been the anchor of a series of outstanding piano trios over the past forty years, and his latest band has produced one of his finest recordings yet, Contra la Indecision mixes originals with 20th century classical music re-imaginings, all with that distinctive ECM sound. Stenson has been working with Anders Jormin (Double Bass) and Jon Fält (Drums) for more than a decade, and they continue to create music that uses their instruments not in the proto-typical hard swinging style, nor in the sometimes bombastic approach of groups like the Bad Plus. Instead, this is well thought-out introspective jazz, moving with a pulse rather than a crash. Bobo has played with most of the heavies of the ECM canon over the years, including Jan Garbarek, Don Cherry, Paul Motian, and Tomasz Stanko. He was a key member of the group that rejuvenated Charles Lloyd, making five great albums from 1989 to 1996, Bassist Jormin played on four of those releases, most notably the stirring Canto. I spoke with Bobo on the day Cancion Contra la Indecision was formally released, and we talked about how the trio records and how he integrates pieces by Bartok and Satie into the album, He spoke warmly of his time with Charles Lloyd. Podcast 607 is my conversation with Bobo Stenson, featuring musical selections from  Contra la Indecision, including “Doubt Thou the Stars” and “Wedding Song from Poniky ”, along with Anders Jormin’s “Little Peace” from the Charles Lloyd Quartet’s All My Relations CD.

We kick off Black History Month with a conversation with pianist-organist-composer James Weidman, who plumbs the depth of the Negro Spiritual, the "sorrow songs" of slavery on his new album Spiritual Impressions. "Impressions" is an important word, as he and his band, featuring vocalist Ruth Naomi Floyd, spin new and different arrangements for familiar tunes. In the hands of this group, even a classic like "Wade in the Water" comes off as something new. Weidman has a long history of working with spiritual music, including the fine duet album he made with Jay Hoggard a few years back Songs of Spiritual Love. An original member of Joe Lovano's US 5 group, and accompanist for Abbey Lincoln, he has played many roles, and continues to grow and hone his art. Podcast 609 is our conversation, with musical selections "Wade in the Water" and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" from Spiritual Impressions, plus a track from Tamuz Nissim's new CD Echoes of a Heartbeat, "Melody Shade", on which Weidman played piano.

Renowned photographer and recording engineer Jimmy Katz is launching Giant Step Arts, an innovative, artist-focused non-profit organization with a very simple goal - to help jazz musicians get the support they need for their most creative work. Giant Step Arts will launch with two nights at New York City’s Jazz Gallery on January 21-22, presenting four sets by The Johnathan Blake Trio featuring saxophonist Chris Potter and bassist Linda Oh Giant Step Arts will present unique live performances by some of today’s most innovative jazz artists, sharing their Intimacy and emotional intensity with the audience. A renowned engineer, Katz will also record the concerts, print CDs and provide digital downloads directly to the musicians to sell themselves. In addition, the musicians will be well-compensated for their performances and own their own masters. Photography will also play a key role in every Giant Step Arts presentation with supporting slideshows or gallery exhibitions that will be focused on visually revealing the inner nature of each artist. I spoke with Jimmy as the project was coming close to fruition.  As an award-winning photographer he is no stranger to the jazz scene, having documented the lives and music of the most illustrious jazz musicians performing in New York City over the past two and a half decades. We talked about his lifetime love of jazz, and how he hopes Giant Steps Arts will be the catalyst for some of the most memorable and exciting music of the future. Giant Steps Arts is a nonprofit organization and can donate through Fractured Atlas.

To honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King on the anniversary of his birth, here is the Official Straight No Chaser song of the holiday - “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” as recorded by Oliver Nelson in 1969. The band for the recording included Nelson, Pearl Kaufmann and Roger Kellaway (piano); Chuck Domanico (bass); John Guerin and Roy Haynes (drums); Frank Stroizer and John Gross (sax) and Bob Bryant (trumpet).  Perhaps no time in recent memory is it more necessary for all Americans to consider Dr. King's legacy, and state of race relations in the United States than today. “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” was released on Nelson’s Black, Brown and Beautiful album in 1970 on the Flying Dutchman label. Considered to be one of Nelson’s hippest releases, the album continued Nelson’s move from blues-based jazz arrangements to cinematic, nearly stream-of-consciousness concept albums. With tracks with titles like “Lamb of God” and “I Hope in Time a Change Will Come”, and the sounds of sirens, rioting and unrest, the album comes across as a deeply felt response to Dr. King’s assassination. Even hipper – and more controversial – was the completely nude torso of a lovely black woman on the cover, coming close to a full frontal reveal. For a previous podcast tribute to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, click here. For a 2008 podcast of tunes from Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, Grant Green, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver, and the Blind Boys of Alabama that are appropriate for the day, click here., and for a 2014 Podcast, click here.

New Year's Day - a day of hangovers, resolution writing, college football games, and general recovery. Nancy and I are off to her Cousin Jimmy's open house for an afternoon of family, cut-throat board games, college bowl games that actually matter, and polite grazing of potluck. A happy new year to one and all - let's toast 2014 with a verse or two of "Let's Start the New Year Right" by Irving Berlin, sung here by that great crooner (and underrated influence on all jazz singers), Bing Crosby: One minute to midnight, one minute to go One minute to say good-bye before we say hello Let's start the new year right, twelve o'clock tonight When they dim the light, let's begin Kissing the old year out Kissing the new year in Let's watch the old year die with a fond good-bye And our hopes as high as a kite How can our love go wrong if We start the new year right?

To all who are traveling on an evening that often becomes "amateur night" take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Official SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"  It was written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's singer is Lea DeLaria, who may be best known  to you as a member of the stellar cast of Orange is the New Black. Her album Be A Santa is well worth a listen during the holiday season. Check back to previous year's New Year's Eve postings for other renditions. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all. 2018 HAS to be a better year than 2017, right? Of course I sais that last year about 2017.  Optimism!!!

2017 has again been a cruel year for musical passings. The jazz world lost more than its share of  legendary artists, including singers Jon Hendricks, Keely Smith and Al Jarreau; pianist Muhal Richard Abrams; drummers Sonny Murray and Ben Riley (Thelonious Monk); pianist Geri Allen; producer-arranger David Axelrod; flautist Dave Valentin; drummer Mickey Roker (MJQ); saxophonist Arthur Blythe and pioneering electric guitarist Larry Coryell. Others noted in passing include trombonist Roswell Rudd; producer George Avakian; singer-pianist Barbara Carroll; guitarist Chuck Loeb; singer Della Reese; bandleader Larry Elgart; Brazilian percussionist Laudir de Oliveira (Sergio Mendes, Marcus Valle); drummer-singer Grady Tate; DJ Helen Borgers; trombonist Wendell Eugene; trumpeter Rod Mason; photographers Terry Cryer and Chuck Stewart; percussionist Charles “Bobo” Shaw (Black Artists’ Group); and South African singer Thandi Klaasen. Also, producer Tommy LiPuma; writer Nat Hentoff; pianists Fumio Karashima, Avo Uvezian, Egil Kapstad, and Graham Wood; producer Eric Miller; bassists Don Payne, John Shifflett, and Sal Cuevas (Fania All-Stars); and singers Aloysius Gordon, Chris Murrell (Count Basie), Ray Phiri, and Frank Holder. Also, guitarist Bern Nix (Ornette Coleman); drummer Bill Dowdy (Three Sounds); trumpeter Phil Cohran (Sun Ra, AACM); saxophonist-educator Andy McGhee (Lionel Hampton); saxophonists Stan Robinson, Dave Pell, Lou Gare, and Atle Hammer; drummer Kim Plainfield; avant-garde pianist and composer Tom McClung; guitarist Errol Dyers and pianist Theo Bophela. Among those non-musical individuals who left this mortal coil and had an effect on my life during their time here were: poets Derek Walcott and John Ashberry; playwright Sam Shepard; journalists Jimmy Breslin and Lillian Ross; authors Michael Bond (“Paddington Bear”) and  Robert Pirsig (“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”); actors Adam West (“Batman”), Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Guillaume, Nelson Ellis (“True Blood”),Bill Paxton, Joseph Bologna, Miguel Ferrer, John Heard, Roger Moore, Dick Gautier (“Get Smart”), John Hurt, and Harry Dean Stanton; musicians Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Tom Petty, J. Geils, Walter Becker (Steely Dan), David Cassidy, Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Malcolm Young (AC/DC), Glen Campbell, Barbara Cook, Gregg Allman and Butch Trucks (Allman Brothers Band) and Clyde Stubblefield (drummer for James Brown); film director Jonathan Demme; baseball players Don Baylor and Roy Halliday; comedians Jerry Lewis, Dick Gregory and Don Rickles; game show host Monty Hall; magazine publisher High Hefner; and essayist John Berger (“Ways of Seeing”). All will be missed.  

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevalent this time of year, and so the Official Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace" written by Horace Silver, and sung by Norah Jones. This year we have a live version recorded by Norah from the Deluxe version of her latest CD, Day Breaks, which marked her return to creating a jazz sound. A video of Norah playing "Peace" cab ne found here. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic fifty-one years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

It's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

My friend Frank found this for me, and I wanted to be sure to share it with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

It’s time once again for me to close out the year with my annual “A Few of My Favorite Things” podcast. This is the chance I get to go back through the music I have had the privilege to listen to during the year, and present some of my favorites to you. I prefer not to think of this as a true “Best of” list, but rather a way of commenting and making recommendations to you on those that caught my fancy and earned repeat playings on my stereo in 2017. I created five somewhat arbitrary categories for my presentation to allow me to highlight veteran performers, newcomers, tribute albums or projects, special collaborations, and reissued or archival releases. This year was especially difficult, and I think  you’ll enjoy my choices. And they are: New Things from Old Friends Matt Wilson – Salt and Honey: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg Sean Jones – Live from Jazz at the Bistro Jimmy Greene -  Flowers: Beautiful Life, Volume 2 Jane Ira Bloom – Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson Rudresh Mahanthappa’s Indo-Pak Coalition - Agrima Those Hitting Their Stride Tyshawn Storey - Verilisimitude Brian Landrus Orchestra - Generations Noah Preminger – Meditations on Freedom Linda May Han Oh – Walk Against the Wind Christian Sands - Reach Tributes to Musical Greats John Beasley’s Monk’estra - `Monk’estra, Vol. 2 Organissimo – B3atles: A Soulful Tribute to the Fab Four Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, feat. Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis – The Music of John Lewis Various Artists – For Oscar, With Love Gregory Porter – Nat King Cole & Me Reissue or Archival Jaco Pastorious – Truth, Liberty & Soul – Live in NYC: The Complete 1983 NPR Jazz Alive! Recording Wes Montgomery – In Paris: The Definitive ORTF Recording Stan Getz Quartet – Newport Jazz Festival 1964 Alice Coltrane - World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane  Thelonious Monk - Les Liasones Dangeruese Collaborations Omer Avital and Avi Avital – Avital Meets Avital  Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, and Bobby Previte with Iggy Pop – Loneliness Road Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau - Chris Thile & Brad Mehldau Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonclaves- Outra Coisa  Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield – Hudson 2017 was also the year that JazzTimes magazine’s readers chose “Straight No Chaser” as Best Podcast for the first time. This was an honor beyond anything I had hoped when I started this project more than a decade ago. To me, it means that I’m doing something right on my end, and I hope I can keep doing it well into the future. A Happy New Year to you all! Musical selections for Podcast 606 include: Matt Wilson - "As  Wave Follows Wave" from Salt and Honey: Music Inspired by the Poetry of Carl Sandburg Brian Landrus Orchestra - "Arise" from Generations Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, feat. Jon Batiste and Wynton Marsalis – "Spanish Steps" from The Music of John Lewis Alice Coltrane - "Rama Rama" from World Spirituality Classics 1: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane  Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield – "Up on Cripple Creek" from Hudson

Straight No Chaser is getting into the holiday spirit with this Podcast post! I don’t call it “Nuthin’ But Christmas” for nuthin ‘ – here’s an hour of Christmas themed jazz for you to enjoy while running those holiday errands, decorating the house, or best of all, sitting before a fire and sipping a cocktail with a loved one. This year’s mix includes tracks from some new Holiday releases like Champian Fulton’s Christmas with Champian and Leslie Odom Jr.’s Simply Christmas; a pair from recent takes on the Great American Songbook (Seal’s Standards and Gregory Porter’s Nat King Cole & Me) and a bunch of my favorites from over the years, from Sidney Bechet to Chet Baker to Eric Reed. I even include a few tracks that don’t necessarily scream “Christmas!”, like Ted Rosenthal’s “Snowscape”. We’ve got pianos and we’ve got vocals, a bit of gospel and some Nawlins spice from Dr. John. I think you’re going to enjoy it! In case you want to queue up a plethora of past Christmas podcasts, going all the way back to 2009, click through here to get Podcasts 555, 512, 511, 400, 324, 248, 199 and 172. This year’s Podcast includes: Champian Fulton – “Christmas Time is Here” Wycliffe Gordon - “Greensleeves (What Child is This?)” Ted Rosenthal Trio – “Snowscape” Dr. John – “Silent Night” Paul Bley with Charles Mingus and Art Blakey – “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Leslie Odom Jr. – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” Sidney Bechet – “Spirit Holiday” Stan Kenton – “We Three Kings of Orient Are” Warren Barker – “Itty Bitty Baby (A Christmas Spiritual}” Seal – “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” Diana Krall with the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra – “White Christmas” Benny Green – “A Merrier Christmas” Jimmy McGriff – “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” Chet Baker – “Winter Wonderland (78 Take)” Eric Reed – “Santa Baby” Gregory Porter – “The Christmas Song”

Whether you are looking for a stocking stuffer, an Eighth Night of Chanukah gift, or just want to give yourself a cool present, here are some newly released holiday CDs that are worth parking under the tree or in the shadow of the menorah: Podcast 605 will givr you a listen to Champian Fulton’s Christmas, With Champian which allows the underrated vocalist a chance to lend her talents to some Yuletide staples. I also give you a taste of Leslie Odom, Jr.’s Simply Christmas, which features the Hamilton alumnus in a soulful mood. Dave Koz & Friends 20th Anniversary Christmas is the sixth holiday CD the smooth sax player has released. Joined by long time collaborators Rick Braun, Peter White and especially David Benoit, Koz has again carved out a special place in the jazz holiday pantheon. If you like his sound let me point you toward Luke Sellick’s Christmas EP. The Canadian multi-instrumentalist is joined by singer Sheena Rattai for a few tunes, and the sole problem with the release is that it’s too darn short! C’mon Luke – let’s have a full CD next time! This is way too enjoyable for just a handful of tracks. Herb Alpert has enjoyed something of a revival these past few years, and he brings together a 45 piece orchestra and 32 voice choir for The Christmas Wish. If it’s not the jazziest Herb has been, it is nice to hear that familiar trumpet sound on Christmas classics. Lastly, Ultimate Christmas is not a new collection from Frank Sinatra, but it is a great sampler of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ holiday tunes. Particularly enjoyable are lesser played tunes like “I Wouldn’t Trade Christmas” and “A Baby Just Like You” That will be sure to make spirits bright. But wait - a Chanukah Jazz CD? Really? Oh yes – Eyal Vilner and his Big Band have recorded a wonderful mix of Jewish, Afro-Cuban, Middle Eastern and Brazilians sounds on Hanukkah, an album that uses traditional Hanukkah tunes as jumping off points for musical exploration. A real winner.

The use of poetry by jazz artists as inspiration or collaboration is one of the most welcome trends of the past few years. There is often a great link between the poet and the musician, as they play with shaded tones and meanings, textures and allusions, following or breaking rules as suits their artistic goals.  Jane Ira Bloom’s Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson matches one of our great soprano sax players with the timeless poetry of one of America’s greatest – and most enigmatic – poets, with great success. Ms. Bloom has found inspiration of her music in the visual arts and dance before, and the written word suits her as a leaping off point for composition and performance. Backed by her long-time band - Dawn Clement on piano; Mark Helias on bass; and Bobby Previte on drums – the new music has much of the bouncing sounds we have come to expect from Jane, sometimes playful and at other times with a sense of meditation. Her rhythm section steps it up on tracks like “Big Bill” and “Mind Gray River.” It all comes together perfectly with “Hymn: You Wish You Had Eyes in Your Pages,” with each instrumentalist “preaching” their say to great effect. Wild Lines wisely comes as a double CD set, with actress Deborah Rush providing narration over the tracks to make a different listening experience, one that enhances the music and brings home the thematic elements perfectly. For me, this is one of the best releases of the year. Podcast 604 is my conversation with Jane Ira Bloom, as we discuss the project, her life-long connection with the soprano sax, and she tells the story of the time the band performed this music in Emily Dickinson’s home, with moving results. Musical selections from Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson include “Hymn: You Wish You Had Eyes in Your Pages,” ”One Note for One Bird,” and with Deborah Rush, “A Star Not Far Enough.”

Adam Rudolph continues to create new and wonderful soundscapes with every project in which he gets involved. This year has seen him finish his trilogy that began with U: Vibrational presents The Epic Botanical Beat Suite, by releasing Morphic Resonances and The Glare of the Tiger. While each of these three albums has a different vibe, and is performed by different musicians, there is a commonality in the music’s spirit, yearning quality and intellect. This is modern music written and played at a very high level, whether performed by string quartets and solos in Morphic Resonances, or his post-fusion electric band Moving Pictures in The Glare of the Tiger. Rudolph has been mixing what we might call World Music with jazz and Western Art Music for years. His study of African drumming and Indonesian music led him to become a top hand drummer, bringing third world sounds to the music in his head. What that actually is can be hard to describe.  Liner notes for The Glare of the Tiger reference the works of Ornette Coleman, Yosef Lateef, Roy Haynes, Don Cherry, Sam Rivers, and even Jon Hassell as leaping off points for its content, and you wouldn’t be wrong if you heard a little electric Miles Davis, Shakti and even Brian Eno in there as well.  Our conversation touches on a wide variety of musical influences, from the music of the Mbuti pygmies of the African rainforest, to the late Muhal Richard Abrams and the A.A.C.M. to his long-time friend, the late Yusef Lateef. Podcast 603 features our conversation as well as selections from The Glare of the Tiger including "Rotations" and "Dialogics" and “Coincidentia Oppositorum” from Morphic Resonances. I think you will find this a heady, if stimulating,  conversation.

Roswell Rudd is an undisputed master of the trombone. For me, he is that rare musician who can simultaneously straddle two wildly different musical worlds. He can keep one foot firmly in the musical school where he started, playing Dixieland and Standards; while at the same time being able to play Free Jazz with the wildest cats out there today.  As he moves through his Eighties, he is still a force to be reckoned with. Now with the RareNoise label, and recording at Avant-wizard Jamie Saft’s studio in the bucolic Upstate New York, Rudd has participated in two excellent new albums. The first is the Free Jazz inspired and highly improvised quartet release Strength & Power. Roswell seems right at home with pianist Saft, bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Bazals Pandi, players young enough to be his actual children, as opposed to his musical children. It’s an album that grows on you with repeated listenings, as it becomes clear how well the four listen and respond to one another. Embrace goes in another direction entirely. Recording with double bassist Ken Filiano, and pianist Lafayette Harris in a drummer-less trio, he has singer Fay Victor to carry the melodies of eight classics, ranging from Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” to Ellington and Strayhorn’s “Something to Live For” to “House of the Rising Sun.” All seem to follow in a traditional manner, yet the arrangements, particularly Rudd’s solos and Ms. Victor’s readings of the lyrics, make them stand out. Podcast 602 is my conversation with Roswell Rudd, as we talk about the two albums, and he remembers his classic records with the likes of Archie Shepp. Musical selections include “Something to Live For,” "Can't We Be Friends," and “Pannonica” from Embrace, the "The Bedroom" from Strength & Power.

Dave Bennett’s first album for the Mack Avenue label, Don’t Be That Way, established the clarinetist as a talented throwback, the kind of player who could still get you excited to hear “Sing. Sing, Sing” for the umpteenth time. A great entertainer, where he shows his prowess on guitar and piano, Bennett still had to show me that he could do more than bring swing into the 21st century. Blood Moon, his latest release, does just that, and more.  More than half of the CD is made up of Bennett compositions, written with his long-time arranger Shelly Berger. They range from the moody “Heavy Heart” and the title track to the delightful Nawlins infused “Down in Honky Tonk Town”, they show Bennett stretching himself, and becoming a more fully rounded artist. His covers are of tunes that are all too often recorded – did we really need another “Hallelujah”, even if there hadn’t been one for clarinet? Nevertheless, he and his band find a way to make even “In My Life” fresh. Podcast 601 is my conversation with Dave, as we talk about the new CD, the audience he has developed, and how he came to love swing music. Musical selections from Blood Moon the title track, “Heavy Heart,” “Down in Honky Tonk Town,” and “In My Life.”

I can’t think of a musician with whom I’d rather celebrate Podcast 600 than Rudresh Mahanthappa. Long one of jazz’s top saxophone players, he has helped build a jazz program at Princeton University, while helping raise a young family. He’s also extremely articulate, and a delightful person with whom to have a give and take conversation. Rudresh toured steadily behind his last CD, Bird Calls, which was universally praised. I chose it as one of the best releases of 2015, and have been patiently waiting to see what he would do next. So, it’s a thrill to see that he has returned to his collaboration with Rez Abbasi and Dan Weiss known as the Indo-Pak coalition.  They released Apti in 2008, and have played live, but not recorded as a trio since then. Agrima is their new release, and it reflects the musical growth the three players have experienced over the years. The Indian beats and sounds are still there, but now electronic effects have made Rez’s guitar and Rudresh’s alto sound like a myriad of instruments. Weiss, already a tabla master, has added drum kit to some of the tracks, bringing a more Western sound. When Rudresh says he wants people to listen to Agrima as if it were a rock record, he’s not far from the truth. Podcast 600 let’s Rudresh explain how the group works together, and how they arrived at this modified sound. Musical selections from Agrima include the title track, “Snap” and “Revati.”  

Hearty congratulations go out to those who were honored with Grammy Award nominations today. In the Jazz categories, the nominees are: Best Improvised Jazz Solo • “Can't Remember Why” - Sara Caswell, soloist • “Dance Of Shiva” - Billy Childs, soloist • “Whisper Not” - Fred Hersch, soloist • “Miles Beyond” - John McLaughlin, soloist • “Ilimba” - Chris Potter, soloist Best Jazz Vocal Album • The Journey - The Baylor Project • A Social Call - Jazzmeia Horn • Bad Ass And Blind - Raul Midón • Porter Plays Porter - Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King • Dreams And Daggers - Cécile McLorin Salvant Best Jazz Instrumental Album • Uptown, Downtown - Bill Charlap Trio • Rebirth - Billy Childs • Project Freedom - Joey DeFrancesco & The People • Open Book - Fred Hersch • The Dreamer Is The Dream - Chris Potter Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album • MONK'estra Vol. 2 - John Beasley • Jigsaw - Alan Ferber Big Band • Bringin' It - Christian McBride Big Band • Homecoming - Vince Mendoza & WDR Big Band Cologne • Whispers On The Wind - Chuck Owen And The Jazz Surge Best Latin Jazz Album • Hybrido - From Rio To Wayne Shorter - Antonio Adolfo • Oddara - Jane Bunnett & Maqueque • Outra Coisa - The Music Of Moacir Santos - Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves • Típico - Miguel Zenón • Jazz Tango - Pablo Ziegler Trio   Jazz-related nominations in other categories included nods for Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge, Jeff Lorber Fusion and Antonio Sanchez in Best Contemporary Instrumental Album; Chuck Owen, John Beasley, Nate Smith and Chris Walden in Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella; and Jorge Calandrelli, Joel McNeely, and the team of Shelly Berg, Gregg Field, Gordon Goodwin & Clint Holmes in Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. Jim Anderson, Darcy Proper and Jane Ira Bloom grabbed a nomination for Surround Sound Album for Early Americans, and Anat Cohen picked up a second nomination for World Music for "Rosa Dos Ventos" from her collaboration with Trio Brasileiro,

We all have much to be thankful for today, and so let us begin the day by sharing the sentiments of this song, written by Irving Berlin and sung here by Diana Krall, the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Thanksgiving Day: When I'm worried and I can't sleep I count my blessings instead of sheep And I fall asleep counting my blessings When my bankroll is getting small I think of when I had none at all And I fall asleep counting my blessings I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds If you're worried and you can't sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds If you're worried and you can't sleep Just count your blessings instead of sheep And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

Twenty-four hours to go before the big Thanksgiving feast! What would go better with some turkey than some "Giblet Gravy", courtesy of guitarist George Benson. Those who only know Benson from his smooth jazz or Top 40 recordings don't realize that he was one of the funkiest and fastest guitar slingers in his early days. Here he plays with a team of top notch musicians in 1968 sessions, including Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Pepper Adams (sax) and Billy Cobham (drums). It's worth noting that three of the four - and Benson as well - are all Miles Davis Alumni. Click here for a tune well suited to those last minute preparations around the kitchen. Cue it up and let the gravy fly!

When you look at Gary Meek’s name on this podcast, you might wonder if you had heard him play before. The answer is an emphatic yes – a session and sideman par excellence, Meek has spent most of his career playing saxophone and other reed instruments for the likes of Airto Moreira & Flora Purim, Jeff Lorber, Brian Bromberg, and Dave Weckl. As a leader, he now has six albums to his credit, the most recent of which, Originals, has given him an opportunity to not only showcase his chops, but his song writing abilities. Meek was able to call upon his many friends and connections to put together a top-notch band to interpret his tunes. It begins with drummer Terri Lynne Carrington, a fellow teacher at Monterey Jazz programs, and continues with bassist Bromberg, pianist Mitchell Forman, and guitarist Bruce Forman. Throw in guest spots by Randy Brecker, Michael Lent, and Airto and you’ve got a killer lineup playing great tunes. Podcast 599 features my conversation with Gary as we talk about his new CD, his use of local musicians from the Monterey area for live gigs, and even how he came to contribute a solo for Green Day’s Warning album.  Musical selections from Originals include “What Happened to My Good Shoes?”, “Suite for Maureen” (dedicated to his wife), and “Mr. D.G.”, a tribute to the late Dave Grolnick.  From his days with Airto and Flora Purim comes “Banana Jam”, a track from the star-studded Killer Bees album, a disc that featured Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Mark Egan, Stanley Clarke, Hiram Bullock - and Gary Meek.

After something of a hiatus, Podcast 598 marks the return to Straight no Chaser of another set of Spooky Songs for Hallowe’en. Some years I’ve focused on a theme (2014 had a Devils theme), and other years it’s just been a grab bag of musical tricks and treats. If you are interested in checking out previous year’s selections for a Hallowe’en soundtrack, you can download Podcasts 452, 387 , 309 , and 240 .  Here’s hoping all your candy is chocolate, your tricks are few, and your treats many. Musical selections include the very spooky: Nina Simone - "I Put a Spell On You" Jackie McLean - "Frankenstein" Albert Ayler - "Ghosts" Rosemary Clooney - "The Wobblin' Goblin" Troy Roberts - "Trick or Treat (Featuring Jeff Tain Watts, Silvano Monasterios & Chris Smith)" Medeski, Martin & Wood - "Dracula" Dom Minasi - "The Vampire's Revenge" Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra - "The Horror of Dracula"

If you are a fan of the female trio Duchess – and readers of this blog know that I am among them – you know that the three talented ladies who make up the band also have solo careers.  One of them, Hilary Gardner, has just released a set of duets with pianist Ehud Asherie on Anzic Records entitled The Late Set. The title is apt, as the record is permeated by that late night club feel, as the signer and her accompanist make beautiful music. Hilary and Ehud have carefully chosen selections by the masters of the Great American Songbook – Rodgers & Hart, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin – but have chosen tunes that are often hidden gems.  When was the last time you heard “A Ship Without a Sail” by Rodgers & Hart, or the lesser known Arlen-Truman Capote collaboration “I Never Has Seen Snow”? Both are here, and they both are given first-class treatment. Hilary is currently on tour promoting The Late Set, and working with Duchess for an early December gig at the Jazz Standard in New York. Here’s hoping there’s more exciting music coming our way. Podcast 597 is my conversation with Hilary Gardner, including musical selections from The Late Set, including yearning takes on “After You’ve Gone” and “I Never Has Seen Snow”; and the witty “Everything I’ve Got.” For good measure, there is a tune from the latest Duchess CD Laughing at Life featuring Hilary’s lead on the Ray Charles cover “Hallelujah I Love Him So.”

Someone on my Facebook feed recently lamented that while we have had epic celebrations of the Birthday Centennials this year of Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonious Monk, the fact that this is Dizzy Gillespie’s Birthday Centennial seems to have gone under the radar. It’s been suggested that the heartbreaking story of his friend Charlie Parker, culminating in Bird’s early death, has pushed Gillespie to the back burner when most folks think about be-bop and that great period of jazz exploration. Allow me to be one of the first to correct that omission: Born John Birks Gillespie on October 21, 1917, “Dizzy” helped create the sound we call Be-Bop with his running mate Parker in the 1930’s. He became a crucial figure in jazz, known as much for his onstage antics, bent trumpet and expanded cheeks as his unique sound and approach to music, most particularly the art of soloing. Later, he would be one of the first to give Latin Jazz wider exposure, particularly what became known as “Afro-Cuban” jazz. Timeless Gillespie compositions such as “Manteca,” “Guachi Guaro (Soul Sauce),” and of course “A Night in Tunisia,” show how important he was to this sound. Dizzy eventually became an ambassador for jazz, touring the world on behalf of the United States to share his music, and learn from other musicians and cultures. He died at the age of 75, but his legacy continues. The Jon Faddis-led Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Band, whose rotating membership celebrates his life and music plays on and on. Trumpeter and educator Ted Chubb re-joins us for Podcast 594, as he talks about Dizzy’s career, music and importance in jazz history. Musical selections include: “Manteca” from At Newport “Oo-Yah-Koo” from The Complete RCA Vicreturns to SNC tor Recordings “Salt Peanuts” from The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever – Jazz at Massey Hall “Con Alma” from Bird Songs  “Groovin’ High”

It hasn’t looked much like autumn here in Western Massachusetts until very recently. Here we are almost a month into the season, and Columbus Day weekend has come and gone. The colors just haven’t had the type of vibrancy that we have come to expect. With Hallowe’en just ten days or so away, here’s hoping for some late leaf peeing opportunities. Autumn has been a popular subject for jazz compositions over the years, from the ever popular “Autumn Leaves” and “Autumn in New York” to some newer tunes of distinction. So, without further ado, here is Podcast 593,  your Autumn soundtrack spectacular, including: Kurt Elling - "Autumn Serenade" Steve Khan - "An Eye Over Autumn (For Folon)" Spyro Gyra - "Autumn of Our Love" Art Porter - "Autumn in Europe" Stacey Kent - "'Tis Autumn" Danilo Perez - "Another Autumn" Phil Woods - "Autumn Thieves" Sonny Rollins - "Autumn Nocturne" Ella Fitzgerald - "Early Autumn" Michael Colombie - "Autumn Land" John Coltrane - "Autumn Leaves"

Yesterday was Podcast 595, a celebration of the music of Thelonious Monk, as played by Monk solo, and in various groups. Today, it’s Podcast 596, where some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time tackle some of the greatest jazz compositions of all time. Enjoy!   Musical selections include:  Paul Motian - “Ruby My Dear” from Monk in Motian Danilo Perez - “Bright Mississippi” from PanaMonk John Beasley - “Criss Cross” from MONKestra, Vol. 2 Steve Lacey - “Four in One” from Steve Lacey Plays Thelonious Monk Brad Mehldau - “Monk’s Mood” from 10 Years Solo Live Bobby McFerrin - “’Round Midnight” from ‘Round Midnight (Soundtrack Recording) Wynton Marsalis Septet - “Evidence” from Live at the Village Vanguard T.S. Monk - “Ugly Beauty” from Monk on Monk Peter Bernstein - “Crepuscule with Nelly/We See” from Signs Live! Miles Davis - “Straight No Chaser” from Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4  

One hundred years ago today, the man who would forever change the way jazz piano was played was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Thelonious Sphere Monk would go on to be that rare artist whose career spanned almost all of the important historical genres, and who earned the right to be called the “Genius of Modern Music.” But it took a long time for the world to catch up with him. Monk’s family moved to Manhattan when he was four years old, and by his early teens, he was playing stride piano in rent parties and organ at church services. At 18 he had dropped out of high school to pursue music, and had his own group. When drummer Kenny “Klook” Clarke tapped him to join the house band as pianist at the renowned Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem in 1941, his career seemed to be taking off for good. Minton’s became ground zero for the Bebop Revolution, which Monk helped create with Charlie “Bird” Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Mary Lou Williams, Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell. His approach to timing and harmony quickly passed Bebop’s signature stylings, as he added his signature use of an active right hand, interspersing wildly different chords and phrasings. Rather than re-write standards (think the Rhythm Changes) he wrote new and exciting compositions that were known for incorporating slower tempos and imaginative use of space and harmonics, including the classic “’Round Midnight.” Yet it would be years before he was regularly playing outside of New York (with Coleman Hawkins) and not until 1947 that he got to cut his first recordings for Blue Note. He recorded there for five years, making classic recordings that were nonetheless considered commercial failures at the time. In August of 1951, he was falsely arrested for narcotics possession (allegedly covering for Powell) and stripped of his all-important cabaret card. Without that card, he was banned from New York clubs, a crippling financial blow. He still managed a great recorded output, sitting in on memorable sessions with Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, and eventually recording for the Prestige and Riverside labels. Arguably, it was not until 1957, when he got his card back, that he became truly well-known. He had a long residency at the It Club with John Coltrane, and finally achieved some modicum of fame. By 1961, he had formed the great quartet built around saxophonist Charlie Rouse, and three years later became the third jazz musician in history to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.  He continued to write and record actively, both for himself and others, until his death in 1982, two weeks after suffering a stroke. If today many think of Monk mostly as an eccentric, a genius with strange tics and habits, they miss the great joy in listening to the way he plays the most basic melody, making it so that the listener almost always can tell that it is uniquely Monk. Podcast 595 honors the Monk Centennial with an hour of music from across the spectrum of his career. Today the music is played by Monk, solo and with his many groups. Tomorrow, the same tunes are interpreted by many of jazz’s greatest players, from Miles Davis to Paul Motian to John Beasley’s MONK’estra. Musical selections are:  “Ruby My Dear” “Bright Mississippi” “Criss Cross” “Four in One” “Monk’s Mood” “’Round Midnight” “Evidence” “Ugly Beauty” “Crepuscule with Nelly” “We See”  “Straight No Chaser”

New and innovative ways to distribute music has been utilized by any number of jazz entrepreneurs over the past few years. Think of new and exciting models like SmallsLIVE, a repository of live club performances that can be accessed live or from archives through streaming, or Newvelle Records, with its limited vinyl-only releases by subscription. Add to the list JazzPress.com. The new venture is a subscription service that releases albums curated exclusively for them by jazz musicians, and attempts to merge the old school experience of holding a record sleeve to read liner notes with 21st century listening habits. The plan is for a monthly music selection to be delivered to subscribers via downloadable MP3 files (the music can also be streamed from their website), while artwork and related materials – from photos to lead sheets - are shipped to the subscriber by “snail mail.” Additional digital content will be available on their website and delivered via email. I spoke with Paul Bey about this exciting model, and he shared his enthusiasm for the project. A long-time jazz lover with a background in digital marketing and analysis, he sees his collaboration with musicians as a perfect way to merge his vocation and avocation. Established musicians, including his friend Kenyatta Beasley, have been working with Paul, and the results will see the light of day this month. Podcast 592 is my conversation with Paul, and an edited musical selection from the first release featuring Kenyatta Beasley’s “Skull Duggery“ is included. For more information on subscribing to JazzPress.com, click here.  

The music of Israeli-born saxophonist Uri Gurvich weaves a wonderful tapestry of world-wide sounds. Sure, the music in distinctly jazz, but Uri and his quartet, which has been performing together for the past decade, features some of the most prominent voices on the international jazz scene. Besides the Tel Aviv native Gurvich, he has played for more than a decade with Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese, known for his work with Esperanza Spalding; Bulgarian bassist Peter Slavov, a member of Joe Lovano's Us Five; and the Cuban drummer Francisco Mela, who holds the much-coveted drum chair in the McCoy Tyner's trio. Through their first two albums (both released on the Tzadik label), the group has woven sounds from the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South America into something truly fascinating. On their latest release, Kinship, they have taken it to the next level. Each member of the band makes unique contributions, whether it’s using Middle Eastern modes or Brazilian beats. Together they take “Go Down Moses”, so important to both Jews and African-Americans, to a different and personal place.  This is a CD full of interesting twists and turns, and highly enjoyable. I spoke with Uri about the new CD, how he sources the far-reaching material the band plays, and his upcoming performances with a large ensemble backing the legendary drummer Billy Cobham. Musical selections in Podcast 591 include “Ha'im Ha'im”; “Twelve Tribes”; “El Chubut” and “Go Down Moses.”

Jazz musicians have drawn on a myriad of sources for tunes with which they can hone their craft. Whether its Broadway shows, the Great American Songbook, or European Art music, inspiration can stroke from any source. Chicago-based bassist Joe Policastro and his Trio (guitarist Dave Miller, and drummer Mikel Avery) have made current pop songs and the entire score of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story the basis of their last two albums. With the release of Screen Sounds, they have expanded to television and motion picture soundtracks, Their selections stay away from the tried and true, tackling soap operas, samurai classics and even the themes from Twin Peaks and Taxi. The results are refreshing, as they more often than not turn expectations on their head. Policastro is active as a composer and arranger, and besides this swinging trio, he leads and co-leads the Gerry Mulligan tribute ensembles, Jeru, and the Mulligan Mosaics Big Band, both for which he has extensively written and arranged. As an educator, he has been a Ravinia Jazz Mentor, a Lecturer of Jazz Studies at DePaul University, a bass instructor at Morton College and the Chicago Academy for the Arts, and he is currently a jazz director at the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. You can catch the trio at the Chicago club Pops for Champagne every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Podcast 589 is my conversation with Joe, as we talk about how the Trio deconstructs familiar themes into something new and exciting. Musical Selections include “Nadia’s Theme (The Young and the Restless)”, “Angela (Theme from Taxi)” “Summer Kisses, Winter Dreams” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”( or as one listener said to Policastro, “that song from Shrek”).

One of last year’s finest releases was John Beasley’s Big Band album MONK’estra, Vol. 1. A master arranger, Beasley put together a who’s who of musicians to turn the Thelonious Monk library of tunes into something more innovative and thought provoking than they had been in years. A pair of Grammy nominations followed, so it was hoped that an encore set would soon appear. Wait no longer. MONK’estra, Vol. 2 is here, and it was well worth the wait. Digging deeper into the Monk  catalogue, and allowing members of the band and select special guests to stretch out a bit have made this is a delight. Whether it’s Dontae Winslow turning “Brake’s Sake” into a whirlwind with his trumpet solo and rap interlude; a sultry “Dear Ruby” artfully sung by Dianne Reeves; or the innovative medley of “Ugly Beauty” and “Pannonica”, this is an album that rewards a careful listener at every turn. We’ve come to expect this sort of top notch work from John Beasley, who has earned acclaim for his work as Music Director for The Thelonious Monk Institute gala concerts. Every April 30th, he produces and directs the International Jazz Day concert in a global city bringing together all-star jazz artists to perform. The White House concert "Jazz at the White House" earned Beasley an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction. Beyond his direction and arranging, he writes and records television and movie scores, and finds time to work in small ensembles as well.  He has been part of touring bands for Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Sergio Mendes, as well as rock bands like Steely Dan. He never ceases to amaze. Podcast 590 is my conversation with John about the MONK’estra, which I had the pleasure of seeing live at the venerable Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London earlier this summer. Musical selections from the new CD include “Brake’s Sake”, “Ugly Beauty/Pannonica” and “Evidence”.

It's past the midpoint in summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for these lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Apologies to Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've done five previous Dog Day postings,  Podcast 292, Podcast 225,  Podcast 442,   Podcast 492 and Podcast 546.  if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There's a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. As they sat on Game of Thrones, "Winter is Coming", so let's grab all the warmth we can get. Podcast 588 features the following uninterrupted hour of music, all with summer or relaxing themes, featuring a few new tunes I've recently received from upcoming or imminent releases: Dave Valentin - "Passion Fruit" Elan Trotman's Tropicality - "100 Degrees" Bob Baldwin - "Hot Fun in the Sun" Euge Groove - "Let's Chill" Thievery Corporation - "Decollage" Sheryl Bailey - "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" Benny Carter - "Summer Serenade" Cyrus Chestnut - "Easy Living" Russell Malone - "Time for the Dancers" Bob Baldwin - "Summer's Over"  

If the question is, what bass player has played with Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner for a longer period of time than anyone else, the answer would be… Gerald Cannon. Yes, the name might not be as familiar to you as those of his iconic bandmates, but for the past thirty years, Cannon has been the bass mainstay for bands led by Roy Hargrove, Jones (until his death in 2004) and currently with Tyner. He’s recorded with the likes of Hargrove (and his string-laden Moment to Moment album), Jeremy Pelt, Russell Malone, and Steve Turre. His eponymous first solo album was released in 2003, so his latest CD, Combinations, is a long overdue treat. It only takes the few opening moments of “Every Man is a King,” with Cannon soloing artfully before bringing in the band, to see that he is carrying the torch for the kind of bass playing that his mentors and idols mastered. You hear Ron Carter, Ray Brown, Sam Jones, and especially Milt Hinton in his subtle groove, firm control and melodious touch. After decades of being the sideman for top players, he’s allowing them to return the favor on Combinations, and so there are strong contributions from old friends Gary Bartz, Malone, Turre, Steve Slagle and  especially drummer Francisco Mela. Mela holds down the drummer’s chair in Mc Coy Tyner’s group, and the chemistry he and Cannon have developed over the years shines through on any number of tunes. Podcast 587 is my conversation with Gerald, as he talks about the new CD, and tells wonderful stories about what he learned from his time with Hargrove, Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner. He also speaks wistfully about the late Geri Allen, as Cannon was one of the final musicians to play with her before her untimely death earlier this year. Musical selections from Combinations include the Cannon penned “Amanda’s Bossa” (written for his late mother); “Every Man is a King;” and the classic “Prelude to a Kiss”, which features solos by Russell Malone and Steve Slagle.

Seventy-five years ago today, one of the great drummers and percussionists of the modern jazz era was born in Chicago, Illinois. Jack DeJohnette has gone on to play with most of the important jazz musicians who lean toward the genres of the avant-garde and fusion, syncopating the wildest electric music and most controlled acoustic sounds of our time. DeJohnette cut his teeth in the Chicago Avant-Garde, playing with musicians who would form the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Roscoe Mitchell, Richard Abrams) and Sun Ra. He moved to New York in 1965, and became a member of the genre-defying Charles Lloyd Quartet that included pianist Keith Jarrett.  After stints with Bill Evans and Stan Getz, DeJohnette was tapped by Miles Davis to replace Tony Williams in Davis’ forays into electric music. t’s DeJohnette as the primary drummer on the classic Bitches’ Brew, as well as on the incendiary live albums recorded at the Fillmore East and West. Any of the controversial Davis recordings from 1969 to 1971 – and there are many – showcase the importance of DeJohnette as the anchor of an often unstructured and even undisciplined sound that revolutionized jazz. DeJohnette left Davis and began a series of projects that often featured him as leader. His most memorable recordings were on the ECM label, and those bands – the Gateway Trio with John Abercrombie and Dave Holland;  the quartets Directions and New Directions;  and especially Special Edition with the first major recordings of David Murray, Arthur Blythe, and Chico Freeman – are all the stuff of jazz legend. No less impressive was his reunion with Keith Jarrett, as the core of Jarrett’s Standards Trio with Gary Peacock, a chair he still occupies after some twenty recordings (The Complete Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note is required listening). His work on Pat Metheny’s 80-81 allowed the guitarist to move to the next level in exploring his sound.  He remains a major force to this day, most recently as a crucial member of the super-group Hudson with John Scofield, Larry Grenadier and John Medeski. Perhaps my favorite DeJohnette album is Parallel Realities, a joyful album from 1990 with Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock. The live album   Parallel Realities Live added Dave Holland to the mix, and the quartet memorably reaches into the Hancock and Metheny repertoire. So happy birthday Jack and here is a little over an hour of music from the many sessions he has recorded, both as leader and sideman. Musical selections include: Special Edition –  Title Track from Tin Can Alley Jack DeJohnette -  “Nine Over Reggae” from Parallel Realities Miles Davis – “Double Image” from The Complete Bitches’ Brew Jack DeJohnette – “Museum of Time from Made in Chicago Joe Henderson – “Isotope” from Power to the People Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci & Danilo Perez –“Ode to MJQ” from Music We Are Keith Jarrett – “It Never Entered My Mind” from Standards, Vol. 1 Trio Beyond – “Emergency” from Saudades

It was about 18 months ago that I spoke with pianist-singer Ariel Pocock (check Podcast 505) about her long-delayed first album, Touchstone. A graduate of the prestigious University of Miami Frost School of Music and a double-award winner at the Essentially Ellington Competition at Lincoln Center for Outstanding Pianist and Outstanding Vocalist, Ariel and her first album showed real promise, and I was pleased when Living in Twilight (Justin Time Records) came across my desk. The album shows her growth as a pianist, as she leads a working trio composed of Jim Doxas (drums) and Adrian Vedady (bass) through jazz standards, pop covers, and a few originals as well. If her singing is not on par with her ability on the keys – she flexes some muscle on Fender Rhodes as well as piano – that’s a small criticism for a 24 year old just coming into her own.  Whether it’s rearranged takes on “So in Love” and “The Very Thought of You;” originals like “Gonzalo’s Melody” (a shout-out to the great Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba); her take on tunes by pop singers Adele and Sufjan Stevens; or Brasilia-tinged numbers like “Saudações”, Ariel has put together an album that shows she’s ready to take her talents to the next level. Podcast 585 is my conversation with Ariel, featuring musical selections “Gonzalo’s Melody,” “500 Miles High,” “Saudações,” and “Someone Like You".

The Summer Jazz Festival season is in full swing, and the first weekend in August will bring us  the Newport Jazz Festival (presented by Natixis) August 4-6 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. One of the oldest and most important Jazz Festivals in the US, this year’s festival seems to be building on the injections of young talent and new ways of presenting music that marked the past few year’s triumphs. Newport has three stages (four if you count the intimate Storyville for solo performers) that keep the music and fun going from 11 am to around dusk each day. Fort Adams State Park has waterfront vistas, and the entire area makes for a wonderful summer’s day. Friday is still a relatively new day of presentation, and features a wide variety of top talent, including Béla Fleck & The Flecktones;  Maceo Parker; Cécile McLorin Salvant; Naturally 7; Leslie Odom, Jr. (of Hamilton fame); Joey DeFrancesco + The People; Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith; Amir ElSaffar's Rivers of Sound Orchestra; Christian Sands Quartet w. Gilad Hekselman,Yasushi Nakamura & Jerome Jennings; One for All (Jim Rotondi, Steve Davis, Eric Alexander, David Hazeltine, John Webber & Joe Farnsworth); Evan Christopher Clarinet Road & New Orleans Brass; the Rodriguez Brothers; the Jimmy Greene Quartet (w. Kevin Hays, Ben Williams & Otis Brown III) and the George Burton Quintet (w. Tim Warfield, Jason Palmer, Pablo Menares & Wayne Smith Jr.). Saturday features Snarky Puppy; Branford Marsalis Quartet;  Rhiannon Giddens; Christian McBride Big Band; Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo & Monk featuring Danilo Perez, Chris Potter, Avishai Cohen, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street & Adam Cruz; Henry Threadgill Zooid; Vijay Iyer Sextet; Antonio Sanchez & Migration; DJ Logic's Project Logic; Benny Golson Quartet (w. Mike LeDonne, Buster Williams & Carl Allen); Uri Caine Trio (w. Mark Helias & Clarence Penn); and Dominick Farinacci. The loss of Geri Allen this summer caused a shift in personnel for the planned trio that would have included Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding. Taking over for Ms. Allen will be a group of different pianists paying tribute to her talent and grace, including Vijay Iyer and Christian Sands. And if all that is not enough, Sunday brings it home with The Roots; Andra Day; Maria Schneider Orchestra; Hudson: Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, John Medeski & Larry Grenadier; The Philadelphia Experiment: Questlove, Christian McBride, Uri Caine; Jason Moran: Fats Waller Dance Party; Tim Berne's Snakeoil; Bokanté f. Michael League & Malika Tirolien; Theo Croker; the Cyrus Chestnut Trio and the Sean Jones Quintet (w. Brian Hogans, Orrin Evans, Luques Curtis & Obed Calvaire). I had the chance to preview the festival with promoter Danny Melnick and Podcast 584 is my conversation with him, including musical selections from Festival Artists like: One for Al – “D’s Blues” Rhiannon Giddens with Bhi Bhiman – “Freedom Highway” Benny Golson – “Killer Joe” Antonio Sanchez & Migration- “Channels of Energy” The Philadelphia Experiment – “Ain’t It the Truth”

American Independence Day 2014. Nancy and I will celebrate in England but back here at home, others celebrate with cookouts, fireworks and concerts, but often fail to recall the brave words that were written by our forefathers in Philadelphia in 1776: When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury: For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies: For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. The official Straight No Chaser song of Independence Day is Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful". It seems strangely appropriate that we in the 21st century are able to listen to a recording made in the 20th century, featuring a blind African-American man singing a song with lyrics by a white woman (Katherine Lee Bates), with melody based on a 19th century hymn written by a white man (Samuel Ward). Enjoy!

There will be no podcasts posted for the next few weeks, as Nancy and I head “across the pond” to England for a much needed change of scene.  The British jazz scene has more than its share of history and current artists of note. Some may be obvious to you, while others less so. So, what better way to kick off my vacation than giving you an hour plus of music from jazz artists hailing from the UK? The sound varies wildly from the straight ahead of Marian McPartland to the traditional of Tubby Hayes' big band to the Hip-Hop-tinged tunes of Courtney Pine. Selections include: Dudley Moore Trio – “Chimes” Dave Holland Quartet – “Go Fly a Kite” Jamie Cullum – “High & Dry” (live version) John McLaughlin – ‘The Dark Prince” John Dankworth – “The Artful Dodger” Cleo Laine – “Sign No More Ladies” Marian McPartland – “It’s So Peaceful in the Country” Tubby Hayes Orchestra - "Song for a Sad Lady" Courtney Pine – “Modern Day Jazz” Barb Jungr - "Tomorrow is a Long Time"  Philip Catherine - "

The passing this week of pianist Geri Allen has taken the jazz world by surprise. Still at the top of her game as performer, composer and educator at the age of 60, it seemed that few knew of her illness, and even fewer of its severity. She will be sorely missed. Her legacy is substantial – 19 albums as a leader; dozens more as sideperson for the likes of Paul Motian, Steve Coleman, Oliver Lake, and Ornette Coleman; a thriving jazz department at the University of Pittsburgh. Musically, her style grew and evolved over the years. A product of the Detroit school system, she integrated the classic Detroit jazz sound she learned from her mentor Marchs Belgrave with 80’s avant-garde and progressive sounds as a charter member of the influential M-Base Collective (Greg Osby, Cassandra Wilson, Steve Coleman). Much of Charles Lloyd's comback can be traced to Geri's support. To me, she shone brightest in her trio recordings, bringing her into contact with Motian and Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland, and most recently, David Murray and Terri Lynne Carrington. Even more importantly, Geri was that rare person who went out of her way to touch people, with both her music and with her words. She will be missed by her students, her fellow musicians, and all others who were lucky enough to have made her acquaintance, even for a moment. Dr. Hankus Netsky, chair, Contemporary Improvisation and former chair of Jazz Studies at the New England Conservatory forwarded these words about her to me and other members of the jazz world:. Like much of the musical world, New England Conservatory mourns the loss of pianist, scholar, and educator Geri Allen who taught at NEC in the early 1990s.  A consummate musician in every respect, Geri was a gentle but demanding teacher who encouraged her students to broaden their listening, hone every aspect of their musical skills, and develop their classical technique. She brought a serious diligence to everything she engaged in and championed a truly global perspective on the African-American contribution to twentieth century music.  Besides her immersion in the musical world of Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Eric Dolphy, it seemed like her playing could go in virtually any direction, for example when she accompanied Betty Carter or recorded with Ornette Coleman.  Her years at NEC were like a dream for me and her students (and I remember well when her daughter Laila was born in 1990 since I believe it was the same week as my first daughter, Leah!).  One of my favorite moments from that time was her duo performance in Jordan Hall with bassist and cellist Dave Holland, who also served on our faculty in that era.  We stayed in touch over the years and, most recently, I was glad to be able to connect her to author Mark Slobin, who has been working on a book about the connection between musicians who attended Detroit's public schools and the international music scene.  Her memory will truly be a blessing for all of us who knew her. Podcast 582 is my musical tribute to Ms. Allen, including selections from the many recordings she made as a leader and supporting others: Geri Allen - "Feed the Fire" from Some Aspects of Water Wallace Roney – “In Her Family” from Misterios Geri Allen, Charlie Haden & Paul Motian - "First Song" from In The Year Of The Dragon Geri Allen - "The Smart Set" (with Marcus Belgrave) from Grand River Crossings Charles Lloyd -  Title Track from Jumping the Creek Geri Allen - "Black Bottom" from The Life of a Song  Paul Motian Trio – "Trinkle Tinkle“” from Monk in Motian Geri Allen - "Silence and Song" from The Nurturer   Geri Allen - "The Eyes Have It" from Eyes... In The Back Of Your Head   Geri Allen - "Portraits and Dreams (reprise)" from Timeless-  Portraits And Dreams

I’ve wanted to have Sean Jones on the show for a long time. A talented trumpeter and composer, he was mentored by the greatest of all trumpet teachers, William “Prof” Fielder at Rutgers University. After graduating, he quickly became a fixture in New York big bands, most notably the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Based on a strong showing at a Gerald Wilson Orchestra recording session for Mack Avenue Records, Jones was inked to a solo contract with the label at the age of 26. Live at the Jazz Bistro is his eighth release for the label, and their collaboration is still going strong. The live CD gives us a chance to hear Sean in both quartet and quintet settings. He is blessed by having a core group of musicians who have stayed together for more than eleven years. Each group is anchored by long-time collaborator (and newly minted member of the Bad Plus) Orrin Evans on piano,  Luques Curtis holds down the bass, while Obed Calvaire is the drummer on the quartet sessions, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on the quintet. Brian Hogans (alto and soprano saxophones) contributes both strong material (the moving “Piscean Dichotomy”) and great emotional resonance to the band. Podcast 58_ is my conversation with Sean, as we discuss the new CD, how he gauges an audience in picking tunes to play live, and how he met Gerald Wilson, who helped launch his career. Musical selections from  Live at the Jazz Bistro include “Piscean Dichotomy”, “Prof” and “Doc’s Holiday”, plus a track from the Gerald Wilson Orchestra album Legacy, entitled “A Night at the El Grotto”.

"Ted Chubb is a very talented trumpeter, composer, improviser, bandleader and educator. Ted is the total package, and most of all, he is just one great guy." - Christian McBride Ted Chubb’s Gratified Never Satisfied allows the seasoned New Jersey trumpeter a chance to broaden his horizons, and he makes the most of it. Backed by a band that can sound throwback at one moment and perfectly modern in another, Chubb’s collection of four original tunes and four well-chosen covers should allow him some well-deserved wider recognition. Chubb, along with Bruce Williams (alto sax); Seth Johnson (guitar); Oscar Perez (piano and Fender Rhodes); Tom Dicarlo (bass); and Jerome Jennings (drums), makes the material on the CD sound immediately familiar, using Perez’s Fender Rhodes and Johnson’s guitar to great effect. That highly electric sound is mitigated by the straight ahead sound of Chubb’s trumpet, which hits the mark without adornment or electronic flourish. On the ten minute plus “Space”, the result is – well, spacey – and then on “Tuesday” it's wistful and a tad romantic. Known as a co-leader of the quartet New Tricks, and an in-demand member of major big bands, Ted is also a major contributor to jazz education, with the New Jersey-based Jazz House Kids, a community arts organization—run by singer Melissa Walker and her husband Christian McBride—exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz.  Podcast 579 is my conversation with Ted, as we discuss the new CD, his tenure in trumpeter Wallace Roney’s Orchestra and drummer Winard Harper’s band, and what he learned from spending time in the pit of a touring Broadway show. Musical selections from Gratified Never Satisfied include the title track, homage to his mentor William B. “Prof” Fielder; “Tuesday” and Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple.”

If it’s June, then it must be time for the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, at the lovely SPAC in Saratoga Springs, New York. 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the weekend-long event, and it promises to live up to past triumphs once again. The festival has two stages, the Amphitheatre for headliners, and the newly-renovated Gazebo Stage for up-and-coming and under the radar talent. Saturday June 24th features Chaka Khan (who had to bail from last year’s festival); Grammy darling Jacob Collier, venerable violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, the exciting singer Cecile McLoren Savant and the all-star tribute act Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy, Mongo, and Monk featuring Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jason Palmer, Josh Roseman, Roman Diaz, Ben Street and Adam Cruz. Gazebo highlights will include the Dave Stryker Organ Quartet featuring Eric Alexander, Jared Gold and McClenty Hunter; singer Barbara Fasano and the Aruan Ortiz Trio. Sunday has an even stronger lineup, if that seems possible. The Amphitheatre will feature the first festival appearance of the Gipsy Kings; the Maceo Parker’s To Ray, With Love featuring the Ray Charles Orchestra & The Raelettes; the latest “supergroup” Hudson, composed of Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski and John Scofield; new NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater; a return visit from teen blues guitar whiz Quinn Sullivan; and Cuban jazz from Jane Bunnett & Maqueque. The Gazebo highlights include two top young groups - Adam O'Farrill's Stranger Days and the Noah Preminger/Jason Palmer Quartet, along with Snarky Puppy member Cory Henry’s side project The Funk Apostles. Danny Melnick and I talked about the festival for Podcast 580, which all the inside scoop on the weekend and the music you will hear. Featured musical selections include: Maceo Parker – “Hit the Road Jack” from Roots and Grooves Dave Stryker – “Blues Strut” from Blues to the Bone IV Jane Bunnett & Maqueque –  “Song for Haiti” from Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Hudson (Jack DeJohnette. Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield) – “Tony Then Jack” from Hudson Adam O’Farrill - “Alligator Get the Blues” from Stranger Days

A Musical Celebration of Life for the renowned Latin jazz flautist Dave Valentin will take place Monday, June 12, beginning at 6 PM at Saint Peter’s Church, 619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street in Manhattan. The Grammy Award winning-artist passed on March 8 after a long illness at 64 years of age. In addition to remarks from family and friends, Valentin’s long time group will perform, led by pianist / musical director Bill O’Connell, with bassist Lincoln Goines, drummer Robby Ameen, and percussionist Sammy Figueroa. Additional musicians expected to perform include flutists Andrea Brachfeld, Connie Grossman and Karen Joseph, as well as trombonist Papo Vázquez and other artists to be announced. Heralded as “the Pied Piper of the Bronx,” Dave Valentin was born of Puerto Rican parents in 1952 and lived his entire life in the borough. He was the first artist to be signed to the popular GRP recording label, beginning in 1979, and he made some fifteen recordings as a leader, helping shape the label’s sound. In 2002, he won a Grammy Award with vibraphonist Dave Samuels and saxophonist / clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera for the Caribbean Jazz Project’s recording The Gathering. I had the pleasure of speaking with Bill O’Connell about Dave Valentin and his legacy for Podcast 578. O’Connell became a fixture in the New York Latin jazz and salsa scene that was flowering in the city in the 1970s. Eventually he joined the legendary Mongo Santamaria’s Latin jazz group in 1977 and began a three year run as his keyboardist. Bill kept his hand in straight ahead jazz as well, playing with Sonny Rollins and Chet Baker, and building relationships with Charles Fambrough and Jon Lucien that would lead to a number of recordings as a sideman. O’Connell was introduced to Valentin in 1981 at a GRP session, and was by his side as music director and keyboardist through the release of 15 albums. Podcast 578 features the music of Dave Valentin and Bill O’Connell, including the title track from Bill’s latest album, Monk’s Cha-Cha. Valentin selections include"Love LIght in Flight" and "Oasis" from Jungle Garden There is no admission charge to the service, and seating is general admission. Donations can be made in Dave Valentin’s memory to Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education in the Bronx or the Jazz Foundation of America. For more information, please contact the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture at (718) 518-4455.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing – easily the best name in jazz these days – is a quartet that has one foot securely in the past, while another in the adventurous future. Ever since the band came together in 2003, MoPDtK – easily the best acronym in jazz these days – has ventured into areas of classic jazz from the 20’s and 30’s, spinning familiar styles into something new and different with their avant-garde leanings. Heck, they even had the nerve to record their version of Miles Davis’ classic Kind of Blue in 2014, doing a note for note recreation of the best-selling jazz album of all time. Clearly, MoPDtK –lead by Moppa Elliott (bass); Jon Irabagon (sax); and Kevin Shea (drums) have no lack of confidence – or sense of humor. Their latest release, Loafer’s Hollow, continues their mischievous tradition of naming their albums after fictitious towns in Pennsylvania. The band enlarged to a septet for last year’s Red Hot, and with a bit of a personnel change, they tackle their material with the same instrumental lineup. Trumpet legend Steve Bernstein takes the seat that Peter Evans had held for years, and pianist Rob Stabinsky, bass trombonist Dave Taylor and banjo player Brandon Seabrook all add new and sometimes startling colors and textures on their instruments. Loafer’s Hollow is effectively a rethinking of the Swing era, as tunes – and yes, the songs are titled as homage to Moppa’s favorite writers. Tunes like "Bloomsburg (For James Joyce)" and "Kilgore (For Kurt Vonnegut)" are stylistically of that time period, but feature different keys, time signatures and solos than one might make Count Basie faint. When they get more introspective, as in "Meridian (For Cormac McCarthy)" interesting rhythms and harmonies show the band owes more to the Avant-Garde than ballroom classics. Podcast 577 is my conversation with Moppa as he speaks openly on the various configurations of MoPDtK, future projects and how the writes. Musical selections include "Honey Hole", "Kilgore (For Kurt Vonnegut)", and "Hi-Nella" from Loafer’s Hollow and "Blue in Green" from their Kind of Blue project. 

I’ve pointed out before that we may be living through a golden age for trombone players in the world of jazz. Over the past few years rising stars like Ryan Keberle, Joel Yennior, Charlie Halloran and Michael Dease have joined the ranks of talents like Wycliffe Gordon, Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre and the legendary Roswell Rudd. These guys lead bands, not just hold down a chair in a big band horn section. Add another name to their ranks – John Yao. His latest small-group CD, Presence, is aptly titled, as he makes his presence felt right from the get-go, leading his quintet through a number of jazz styles and approaches. Boosted by saxophonist Jon Irabagon, the group tackles Yao compositions that vary from the avant-garde leaning “M Howard” to the straight ahead “Bouncey’s Bounce,” with fine results. Ably assisted by a rhythm section of Randy Ingram (Piano), Peter Brendler (Bass) and Shawn Baltazor (Drums), Yao’s trombone step out in front, but just as often finds a place in the band’s mix, creating a most enjoyable CD. Podcast 576 is my conversation with John, as we discuss the new CD, his larger “17 piece instrument”, and his place in such institutions as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Arturo O'Farrill's Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. Musical selections include “Tight Rope”, “Fuzzy Logic”, and “Bouncey’s Bounce.”

Is Kathleen Potton’s new album a tribute to a tyrannical Roman emperor? She’s quick to laugh that off. NERO, her debut CD which is available this week, is intended to be a nod to the great female singer-songwriters she has learned to admire.  The Australian born Potton became entranced with the music of Laura Nyro after hearing Billy Child’s CD Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro last year, and found some people pronounced the late singer-songwriter’s last name the American “Nee-ro” instead of the British “Nie-ro.” An album title was born. Rather than cover Ms. Nyro’s work, Kathleen’s CD is almost entirely her own material, music which has the smooth polish and shine of some “Smooth Jazz” singers, but none of the overblown arrangements or saccharin vocal stylings. Instead, there is a sense of intimacy, and the listener is drawn in, her sense of phrasing belying her age. The sole cover on the album is of another of her musical idols, Joni Mitchell. “Chelsea Morning” is one of the less popular tunes recorded by jazz singers looking for the obligatory Joni cover, and Ms. Potton makes the most of the song’s stops and starts, staying fairly faithful to the original, but spinning it just enough to make it hers. Podcast 575 is my conversation with Kathleen Potton, as we talk about NERO, the jazz scene in her native Australia, and how her live versions of some of her tunes vary from the recorded version. Musical Selections include her cover of Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning" and “Love Not Lovin’.”

Ever since I learned of the amazing breath of his talents with his stint in the Pat Metheny Group, I’ve been a fan of Cuong Vu. A trumpet player with a decidedly avant-garde style, Cuong is able to use his talents in any number of ways. Whether he is leading one of his groups, or serving as sideman for Metheny, Dave Douglas, and Myra Melford; or guesting on a David Bowie session, his presence seems to raise the game of all who are playing with him. Born in Saigon, Cuong Vu immigrated to Seattle with his family in 1975.He went east for college, and after completing studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston, he moved to New York in 1994 and began his career. As a leader, Cuong has released eight recordings, many making critics’ lists of the 10 best recordings of their respective years. In 2002 and 2006, Cuong was a recipient of the Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album (Speaking of Now and This Way Up) as a member of the Pat Metheny Group. He currently chairs the Department of Jazz Studies at the University of Washington, where Cuong was awarded the University of Washington’s prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award and is a Donald E. Petersen Endowed Fellow. Cuong’s latest project is a return collaboration with guitarist Bill Frisell. In 2005 they worked together on Mostly Residual, and continued a friendly relationship. When Frisell wanted to present a musical tribute to his mentor, composer-arranger Michael Gibbs, Cuong invited him to work on the project and perform at the University of Washington. The resulting CD, Ballet (The Music of Michael Gibbs) adds the great guitarist to Cuong’s core band for some shifting, moody often ethereal music. The 4tet – Frisell, Cuong, Luke Bergman (bass) and Ted Poor (drums) – tackle a sampling of Gibbs’ oeuvre (most enjoyably, “Blue Comedy”, made famous by Gary Burton) but always make them distinctively their own with their arrangements and subtle interplay.  Podcast 574 is my conversation with Cuong, as we discuss Ballet, his continuing association with Pat Metheny, and the state of students these days (his answers may surprise you!). Musical selections include tunes from  Ballet (The Music of Michael Gibbs) and Cjuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny. 

I’m saying it here and now – Reach is the album that makes Christian Sands a star. Those “in the know” in jazz are already familiar with the 28 year old pianist, who has been a key member of Christian McBride’s Inside Straight band for the past five years.  With the release of his first album for Mack Records (also McBride’s home), he shows that he is ready to be a leader in his own right.\ It was inevitable, as Sands has been tapped by Ben Williams, McBride, Ulysses Owens and Latin Jazz stars Los Hombres Calientes and Bobby Sanabria for gigs and recordings. Reach showcases Sands talents as a front-line pianist, leading a core group that includes bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Marcus Baylor.  Rather than attempt a classic piano trio recording, a number of his long-time friends and contemporaries make notable appearances, most notably guitarist Gilad Hekselman, reed man Marcus Strickland, and even his old boss McBride. The album covers a wide variety of styles, touching on Latin Jazz (“Óyeme”), Hip-Hop (“Gangstalude”), Ballads (“Somewhere Out There”), Soul (“Use Me”) and even a touch of electronica (“Freefall”), CDs this stylistically diverse often fail to be uniformly strong and interesting. Reach is that wonderful exception, as Sands takes the various styles through the prism of his talent, and the end result is nothing less than exceptional jazz. Check out my favorite track, “Song of the Rainbow People,” which takes the piano trio format through a number of changes, producing a shimmering, soulful result. Podcast 572 is my conversation with Christian Sands, as we discuss our Southern Connecticut roots, the mentorship he was provided by Dr. Billy Taylor, and the differences in playing with perhaps the two best bass players on the planet today – Ben Williams and Christian McBride.  Musical selections include “Song of the Rainbow People,” “Freefall,” “Gangstalude,”and “Dream Train” from his work with Christian McBride & Inside Straight on the CD People Music.

The idea of International Jazz Day is just so wonderful/ Imagine for one day, artists from all over the globe, playing a universal language of music, to celebrate the sheet joys of playing something TOGETHER. It is what the world needs now, my friends. This Sunday, April 30, International Jazz Day will culminate with the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert live from Havana Cuba streamed on www.jazzday.com at 9 PM ET. Podcast 573 celebrates artists from around the world playing music that transcends borders, boundaries, countries and nations. It is just over an hour of jazz from:   John Yao - "Fuzzy Logic" Chano Dominguez - "Gracias a la vida" Uri Gurvich - "Alfombra Magic" Ivan Lins - "She Walks This Earth" Yotam Silberstein - " O Vôo da mosca" Duduka Da Fonseca - "Song For Claudio" David Hazeltine - "A.D. Bossa" Wolfgang Haffner - "Hello" Cyro Baptista - "Menina" Miroslav Vitouš  -  "Scarlet Reflections" Cyrille Aimée -  "Estrellitas Y Duendes" Gene Ess - "Blues For Two" Ferenc Snétberger -  "Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Live)"

 My first exposure to Ella Fitzgerald was in a television commercial for Memorex audio recording tape. Their slogan was “Is it live or is it Memorex?” and the ad showed Ella breaking a glass with her incredible singing voice. Then a recording of her voice on a Memorex cassette was played, and again the glass was shattered. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate her not just for the amazing power of her voice, but its extreme musicality, warmth, soul and wit. She could go from a torchy ballad to a scatting jam session in a moment, and excelled at both.  In my mind, no one touches her as a singer. Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the First Lady of Song.  Born in Newport News, Virginia, she moved to Yonkers, New York with her mother. She had a difficult childhood, suffering abandonment and abuse, ending with a stint in an orphanage and state reformatory for girls. Her physical appearance was gawky and ungainly, and her clothing often disheveled during these trying times. But she was also a gifted dancer, a keen student of music, and a devotee of the singer Connee Boswell, an early pioneer of jazz singing. While she honed her craft in the church, her big break came when she won the famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem at the age of 17. Originally planning to dance, she sang two songs and won first prize of $25. Two weeks later she was singing professionally, and within a few months was the female vocalist for the Chick Webb Orchestra, with whom she would have her first hits. Her signature tune “A-Tisket A-Tasket”, written by Ella and  Al Feldman, came a few years later and cemented her status as a major jazz singer through the end of the big band era and through bop. She made some of her finest recordings in the early fifties as part of Jazz at the Philharmonic, and with Louis Armstrong, including the seminal Porgy and Bess. But Ella went beyond being a “jazz singer”. Beginning in 1956, she began recording a series of albums for Verve that was released over eight years. Each one was a “song book” of a major American composer of popular tunes – Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Together this body of work stands as the encyclopedia of what we today call the Great American Songbook. No less a singer than Frank Sinatra considered the albums to be the final word on interpretations of these songs, and he refused to allow record labels to release any of his albums in a similar fashion. Perhaps the ultimate compliment came posthumously from Frank Rich, when he wrote that in the Songbook series Fitzgerald "performed a cultural transaction as extraordinary as Elvis' contemporaneous integration of white and African American soul. Here was a black woman popularizing urban songs often written by immigrant Jews to a national audience of predominantly white Christians.” In 1958 she became the first African-American to win a Grammy award, one for the Ellington songbook and one for the Berlin songbook. Ella would eventually win 13 Grammys along with a Lifetime Achievement Award. As jazz fell out of favor in the Sixties, and her record labels either dropped her or failed, she remained a top stage attraction. She performed on a regular basis through the Seventies, including a memorable series of shows with Sinatra and Count Basie in Las Vegas and on Broadway. Diabetes eventually took their toll on Ella, and she was repeatedly hospitalized through the Eighties. Her last public performance came at Carnegie Hall in 1991. Shortly thereafter, both her legs were eventually amputated below the knee. She died at home in California at the age of 79. While there are hundreds of recordings I could have chosen for a Centennial Podcast tribute, here are some of my favorites, including selections from the Songbooks, live recordings and a duet with Louis Armstrong: "A-Tisket A-Tasket" "(If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (Mr. Pagininni)" "Black Coffee" "Summertime" with Louis Armstrong "Mack the Knife" "How High the Moon" "Too Darn Hot" "Miss Otis Regrets" "This Time the Dream's On Me" "Love is Here to Stay" "Let's Do It" "Oh Lady Be Good" "Blue Skies" "Someone to Watch Over Me"

I’m a huge fan of the greasy, soulful sound of the Hammond B-3 organ. Few instruments have so distinct a sonic impression, and even fewer have such an iconic physical presence on stage, particularly when paired with the famous rotating Leslie speaker. Ever since Medeski, Martin & Wood deconstructed the organ trio, there have been fewer traditional practitioners of the art making recordings. Gary Versace has recorded some fine albums, but the disbanding of Soulive and the Deep Blue Organ Trio have left a void that only a band like organissimo can continue to fill. The Michigan-based trio, composed of Jim Alfredson (Hammond B3 Organ); Larry Barris (Guitar) and  Randy Marsh (Drums) are perhaps the finest example of the soul jazz sound that was a popular and critical sensation in the Fifties and Sixties. In more than fifteen years, they have been the type of group that attracts devoted jazz fans, jam band devotees and neo-soul followers in close to equal number. Their concerts can be one-part jazz revival and two-parts dance marathon. Their recorded output has been mostly original tunes, but their latest CD goes down quite a different road. Abbey Road, if you will. B3tles - A Soulful Tribute To The Fab Four is not just a great organ trio record, but perhaps the finest Beatles tribute album by a jazz artist since George Benson’s The Other Side of Abbey Road in 1970. In the great tradition of jazz arrangers and improvisers, the memorable melodies of John, Paul, George and Ringo are always there, but the tunes are often refashioned by using different time signatures and styles. “Can’t Buy Me Love” is a blues shuffle, “Taxman” is taken at 7/8 and “All You Need is Love” swings between 5/4 and ¾. I spoke with of Jim Alfredson about the new CD, which was recorded in his home studio, and how they chose from the Beatles catalogue, their process for innovation, and even what saxophone player – living or dead – with whom he would most want to perform. Hint – he made a number of recordings with a famous female Hammond B-3 player. Music selections include “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Within You Without You” and “Taxman.”

This is music for the ages, and a story for the ages as well. Trumpet great Wallace Roney and his orchestra pay tribute to Newark jazz legend Wayne Shorter with the first full performance of Universe, a long-lost composition originally created for Miles Davis by Shorter. Wallace has termed hearing composition to be like finding missing gospels in the Dead Sea Scrolls, so important is the music as both an historical and a living piece of art. Roney, of course, is the sole trumpet player that Miles Davis chose to mentor, and who joined and supported the legend on stage at his final performances in Montreux. When the members of Miles’ Second Great Quintet – Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams – wanted to tour in honor of their fallen leader, it was Roney who had the imposing task of taking the trumpet sear. Since then he has established himself as one of the finest players around, as well as a solid composer, and a great bandleader. His current group, featuring Buster Williams (bass), Lenny White (drums) and Patrice Rushen (keyboards and piano) is among the tightest bands around. I’ve been friendly with Wallace for a number of years now, since the late Bob Belden introduced us. During that time, and for a number of years before, Wallace has sought to bring Universe to the stage, and make a permanent recording, He seems finally ready to present both. The story of how Universe came to be, how Wayne Shorter determined that only Roney could do it justice, and the importance of the piece are the core of Podcast 569. The story is classic, and its supplemented with Wallace performing with Shorter, Hancock, Carter and Williams on the Quintet classic “Pinocchio”, Roney and his larger ensemble performing an unreleased take of one of the parts from Davis’ Aura, and “Air Dancing” from the latest Roney album, A Place in Time.

The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together. Writing a song about celebrating a Christian holiday was not an anomaly for the Jewish composer Berlin. Born in 1888 into a Russian Jewish family who came to New York City to escape religious persecution when he was five years old, Irving Berlin quickly shed his religious roots and fell in love with America. He became an American citizen when he was 29. "Patriotism was Irving Berlin's true religion," writes biographer Laurence Bergreen in As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin (1990). Irving Berlin was "not a religious person," according to his daughter Mary Ellin. Relating the story of Irving's marriage to Ellin Mackay in 1926, whose devout father had a deep reluctance to welcome a "lower-class" Jew into the wealthy Catholic family. Once they had children, Mrs. Berlin did try to keep up a minimal appearance of religious tradition. Mary Ellin writes that her unbelieving parents "had their first bad fight when my mother suggested raising me as a Catholic . . . ." The Berlins had three daughters. "Both our parents," Mary Ellin recalls, "would pass down to their children the moral and ethical values common to all great religions; give us a sense of what was right and what was wrong; raise us not to be good Jews or good Catholics or good whatever else you might care to cite, but to be good (or try to be) human beings. . . . When we grew up, she said, we would be free to choose--if we knew what was best for us, the religion of our husband. . . . It wouldn't quite work out, when we 'grew up,' as my mother hoped. All three of us would share our father's agnosticism and sidestep our husband's faiths." The man who wrote "White Christmas" actually hated Christmas. "Many years later," Mary Ellin writes, "when Christmas was celebrated irregularly in my parents' house, if at all, my mother said, almost casually, 'Oh, you know, I hated Christmas, we both hated Christmas. We only did it for you children.' " Christmas, for Irving Berlin, was not a religious holiday: it was an American holiday. He simply needed a melody in 1940 for a show called Holiday Inn, an escapist "American way of life" musical (when all hell was breaking loose in Europe) which called for a song for each holiday. The words to "White Christmas" are not about the birth of a savior-god: they are about winter, the real reason for the season. Read more about Irving Berlin, religion and patriotism here.

n keeping with the theme of presenting spiritual music performed by jazz artists this week, here is "Crucifixion", a traditional spiritual with a copyright credited to its arranger, Jester Hairston. Hairston (1901-2000) was a prolific composer and arranger of African-American music. In addiiton to dozens of arrangments still in use today, he composed what is now considered a Christmas standard, "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. Seven years later, he penned the universally known "Amen" for Sidney Poitier's film "Lilies of the Valley". That song has gone on to be recorded by hundred of artists, most notably the Impressions in 1964. It's worth pointing out that an up-tempo version of the song, "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons in 1969 had six seconds of its drum solo sampled as what is referred to as the "Amen Break", a sample credited with launching the drum and bass movement, and included in rock, hip-hop and soul tracks for several decades. Click here to listen to David Murray's version of the venerable tune, from the 1988 Spirituals album. Murray recorded this pensive, rather straight ahead (for Murray) version with a quartet including Murray on sax, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson, Jr. on drums.

The fine blog Any Major Dude with Half a Heart (dig that Steely Dan reference) has always gone deep into the crates for goodies, usually of the soul variety. For Holy Thursday, celebrated by Catholics around the world, he has a real winner. Visit his page for the late David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday". As he said on his blog: Well, it is Holy Thursday, and while this orchestral jazz track might not feed your pieties, it should at least get your toes tapping. That does not mean that the title is irreverent. Axelrod, son of a leftist activist who grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood, wrote and recorded several musical works referencing religion. In 1971 he arranged a jazz-rock interpretation of Handel’s Messiah and in 1993 he titled a work on the Holocaust a “requiem”. I have read that Holy Thursday also featured in Grand Theft Auto V, a game I’ve never played but the soundtracks of which seem quite excellent. Axelrod has had a massive influence on jazz, in particular fusion. He produced legends such as Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley (including his big hit Mercy, Mercy, Mercy), as well as avant gardists The Electric Prunes. For another posting I did on this tune, click here.

One of my favorite holidays is the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover As the first Seder is tonight, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses, I've gone into the category of music that was called "Negro Spirituals" when I was in school, and picked "Go Down Moses" Versions of the song seem to go back to 1862, when it was called "Oh! Let My People Go (The Song of the Contrabands)". The openign verse was published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872. It's easy to see the coded message in the lyrics - "Israel" in the lyrics stands in for African-Americans oppressed by slavery and recism, and "Egypt" as their oppressors. The seminal recording of the song is likely Paul Robeson's version from 1958, which became a rallying cry for those fighting for civil rights in the American South. Click here to listen to Louis Armstrong's version of the spiritual, taken from his Louis and the Good Book album. Armstrong recorded the song in February 1959 with Sy Oliver's Orchestra. Armstrong had jsut finished his popular Porgy & Bess album with Ella Fitzgerald, and entered the studio to record a series of spirituals and religious-tinged music. Among those in the band were Trummy Young on trombone, Hank D'Amico and Nicky Tagg on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano and Barrett Deems on drums. In Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong   biographer Terry Teachout quotes an outspoken Armstrong as being a great friend of the Jewish people, who he felt gave him a break in his youth when his fellow African-Americans would not. He wore a Star of David around his neck for most of his life.

The Spring is truly the season of spiritual awakening and celebration. Holy week for those of the Christian faith is underway, as today is Palm Sunday. The oldest of Jewish celebrations, Passover, begins with the first seder tomorrow night. The festival of Vaisaki, celebrated by Hindus is this week, just as Theravada, the New Year festival for Theravada Buddhists, is celebrated.Buddhists celebrated the birth of the Buddha in Japan last week, as their Water holidays follow this week. Soon will begin the Baha'i festival of Ridvan, and Pagan/Wiccan followers commemorate the end of the Celtic Tree Month Alder and beginning of the Celtic Tree Month of Willow.  It’s a blessing that these festivals of many faiths all come in the early Spring , reminding us of the great similarities and wonderful differences that make up these faiths. Perhaps this year, more than any other in the six decades I have been alive, the world needs to find that commonality of spirit.  In order to celebrate this season of spirituality, I offer my annual podcast of jazz with a spiritual strain to bring us together in a universal language. Podcast 568 is an hour of music, including: Kenny Barron Trio - "Prayer" Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci & Danilo Perez - "Earth Prayer" Mahavishnu Orchestra - "Hymn to Him" Rene Marie - "Blessings Eric Revis Trio - "Prayer" Podcasts from  2016(, 2015,  2014,  2013, 2011, and 2010),  can be found by clicking the link.

Singer Marilyn Scott carefully resists being defined by easy labels. She is thrown into the Smooth or Contemporary Jazz category because she works closely with West Coast collaborators Bob Mintzer, Russ Ferrante and Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets). By the same token, she is a strong interpreter of the Great American Songbook, and not afraid to thrown in a Bob Dylan or Peter Gabriel tune for good measure, putting her squarely in Straight Ahead mode. And she doesn’t just sing – her albums are dotted with her original compositions as well. Standard Blue, her latest CD, is her first in almost ten years, other than her fine Christmas release in 2014. Her voice is as entrancing as ever, and Ferrante’s arrangements of blues based tunes are always intriguing. From lesser recorded vocal versions of the Strayhorn-Ellington “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” to their little heard “Day Dreaming” to a raucous “The Joint is Jumping” that closes the album, Marilyn and her crack band never fail to deliver in the true jazz tradition. Podcast 566 is my conversation with Marilyn, as we talk about song selection, and her many collaborators on Standard Blue including Michael Landau on guitar, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet and Minter’s turn on the bass clarinet. Song selections include “The Joint is Jumping”, “Day Dreaming”, “I Wouldn’t Change It” and Bob Dylan’s “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” from 2006’s Innocent of Nothin

It shouldn’t take Women’s History Month for us to appreciate and enjoy the music of female jazz musicians.  Particularly in the last two decades, women have moved from “female performer” to “performer” in their own right, as both leaders and side players.  Women were there at the birth of jazz, and singers like Bessie Smith, and pianists like Lil Hardin Armstrong (who wrote “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue”) and Lovie Austin were leaders in their own right before the end of the Roaring Twenties. Valaida Snow was a top trumpet player during this time.   During WWII, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were way more than a novelty act, playing hot jazz and swing as well as any man. The names of Anna Mae Winburn, Closa Bryant, Carline Ray Russell (mother of singer Catherine Russell) and more deserve to be held in far higher esteem than they are today. Check out the film “International Sweethearts of Rhythm” to see and hear them in their prime.   The great female singers of jazz’s gold age – Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald – helped define the Great American Songbook, just as Nina Simone, Betty Carter and Shirley Horn helped deconstruct it. Melba Williams was a first-call trombonist for Randy Weston and Dizzy Gillespie. The likes of Mary Lou Williams, Marian McPartland, and Shirley Scott, and later Carla Bley and Alice Coltrane showed that women could swing, but also be adventurous and part of the avant-garde.   It would be foolish to think that sexism does not exist in the world of jazz, just as racism and homophobia are still issues preventing artists from taking the bandstand and doing their best. But violinist Regina Carter; bassists Linda Oh and Esperanza Spalding; pianists Kris Davis, Helen Sung, Hiromi and Toshiko Akiyoshi; drummers Terri Lynn Carrington, Cindy Blackman Santana and Alison Miller; guitarist Mary Halvorsen, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen (pictured); her sister trombonist Christine Jensen; and big band leader Maria Schneider are all at, or near the top of their game today. Singers like Diana Krall and Karen Allyson are accomplished pianists as well as vocalists. Stacey Kent plays guitar on her many recordings. Cassandra Wilson plays any number of instruments in her various bands.   Apologies to all those who I failed to mention. Podcast 565 features an hour plus of music from some of my favorite women in jazz – enjoy!   Kris Davis Trio – “Waiting for You to Grow” Cassandra Wilson – “Billie’s Blues” Linda Oh – “Shutterspeed Dreams” Rene Marie – “Stronger Than You Think” Ingrid Jensen – “Ninety-One” Mary Halverson Octet – “Spirit Splitter (no. 54) Helen Sung - “Alphabet Street” Cyrille Aimee – “There’s a Lull in My Life” Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra – “Blue Yonder” Marilyn Crispell and Gerry Hemingway – “Table of Changes” Yelena Eckemoff – “Rising From Within” Esperanza Spalding – “Unconditional Love (Alternate Version)”

Near the top of the list entitled “Why haven’t I talked to these musicians?” is the name of Lisa Hilton. A pianist and composer whose classical background has influenced her very modern approach to the keyboard, she has continued to produce a series of top-notch group CDs. With over twenty CDs released as a leader, she never fails gather some of the finest talent around to complete her musical vision. 2016 saw Lisa releasing two CDs – Nocturnal, a quintet album, and Day & Night, a solo recording. Nocturnal is a joy to hear, as she plays with and off a killer band – Gregg August on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, J.D. Allen on sax and Terell Stafford on trumpet.  The band breathes life into standards like “Willow Weep for Me’, while Hilton originals like “Whirlywind” and “Seduction” (which also appears in a reimagined version on Day & Night) give the band a strong melodic base from which to stretch out. Ms. Hilton has been known to throw a curveball or two in her song selection, and here the surprise is the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”  Day & Night allows Lisa to keep the spotlight for herself, and she does not disappoint. She has both the chops and soul to keep you constantly listening. The album has nine originals, along with a take on Cole Porter’s “Begin the Beguine” that erases any thoughts of how that song might be played from your memory. It’s that good. I spoke with Lisa about the two albums, as well as her philanthropic projects of helping blind students at the Perkins School of the Blind, Camp Bloomfield for the blind in California, and at the adaptive music lab for visually impaired musicians at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Musical selections from Day & Night include “Begin the Beguine” and “Caffeinated Culture”, and selections from Nocturnal include “Seduction” and “Where is My Mind?”    

OK, what's the most popular symbol of Valentine's Day? Uh - Cupid? Well....no. Try again. Uh....a heart? Bingo! And so Podcast 563 is our annual Valentine's Day mixtape, and this year the theme is - hearts. Each song has "heart" in the title, and it's a pretty spiffy group of tunes if I do say so myself. Feel free to download and burn this one to a CD for that last minute Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie. Forgot a gift? Problem solved. You're welcome. Podcast 563 features:  John Pizzarelli - "Oh How My Heart Beats for You" Art Farmer & Tommy Flanagan - "My Heart Skips a Beat" Bob Belden Ensemble - "Straight to My Heart" Michael Franks - "Heart Like an Open Book" Bob James - "I Feel a Song (in My Heart)" Marquis Hill - "My Foolish Heart" Keith Jarrett - "My Foolish Heart" Sonny Clark  "With a Song in My Heart" McCoy Tyner - "You Taught My Heart to Sing" Stacey Kent - "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" Lester Young and Nat King Cole - "Peg O' My Heart" Kenny Dorham - "My Heart Stood Still"  

Seven-time Grammy award winning singer Al Jarreau died on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He had recently been ill, and had cancelled his touring plans. Jarreau was 76 years old. Jarreau is one of the few artists to have won Grammys in three separate categories — jazz, pop and R&B. He is ability to perform the most difficult vocalese stylings could easily slide into his more mainstream songs, making him the type of performer who attracts fans to jazz. He was one of the few jazz musicians to perform on the “We Are the World” single for Live Aid. Jarreau earned a B.S. in Psychology and a Masters’ Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation, before moving to music full time in 1969. He quickly developed a strong following, following the likes of Jon Hendricks with his vocalese.  It was not until a 1976 performance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live, however that he broke through to a wider audience; releasing his hit album We Got By that next week. He recorded ten albums for Warner Brothers/Reprise, including the Grammy winning All Fly Home, Breakin’ Away and Heaven and Earth. His song “Moonlighting” was the theme for the popular television series starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis. He had been in declining health since 2010, canceling shows due to respiratory illness and exhaustion. He had not recorded an album since 2014’s tribute to his long-time collaborator and friend George Duke, My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke. Podcast 564 is my tribute to Al, with almost an hour of his tunes, showing his R&B and jazz chops, and including: “My Favorite Things” “Let’s Stay Together” “We’re in this Love Together” “My Foolish Heart” “Sophisticated Lady” “Grandma’s Hands” “Churchyheart (Backyard Ritual)” “Take Five” “Spain (I Can Recall)” “Compared to What” “Mornin’” “Agua de Berber” “Moonlighting”

It’s always a pleasure to speak with saxophonist Miguel Zenón, a musician who has impeccable academic, bandstand and compositional credentials. One of an increasing number of jazz musicians who have been awarded a Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowship, the latter more commonly known as the "Genius Grant”, Miguel’s music continues to grow and expand its horizons. For example, his last CD, Identities are Changeable was the recorded version of multimedia presentation about the Puerto Rican immigrant community in the United States. All the music on the album was written around a series of interviews with several individuals, all of them New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent. The narrative created by these conversations gave birth to all the compositions on the record, with audio excerpts from the interviews weaving in and out each piece, and then executed by an expanded ensemble. Nominated for a Grammy, it showed Zenón at his most innovative. Tipico is a return to the quartet sound that first brought Miguel to the world’s attention. His long-time collaborators - Luis Perdomo (piano), Hans Glawischnig (bass) and Henry Cole (drums) - play a key part in the album, with Perdomo in particular supplying some stunning solos. Zenón is on the road with the Quartet now, and will also be seen with the ever-entertaining SFJAZZ Collective soon. A founding member of the group, their repertory performances are focused on music associated with or inspired by Miles Davis for the Spring tour. A CD will be released shortly. Podcast 562 is my conversation with Miguel, where we discuss how the new CD came to be, how the SFJAZZ Collective stays fresh, and how his continued philanthropic efforts in his native Puerto Rico, Caravana Cultural , is progressing. Musical selections from Tipico include “Academia”, “Sangre de mi Sangre” and “Entre las Raises”.  

I first heard Troy Roberts when he appeared in auspicious company at the first International Jazz Day at the United Nations in New York in 2012. There shared the stage with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Richard Bona, Vinnie Colaiuta and Zakir Hussein and more than held his own. Since then, the West Australia-born, saxophonist has won 3 consecutive DownBeat Jazz Soloist Awards, a Grammy Nomination medal, and become a regular member of both the Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts Quartet and Watts’ ‘Blue 5’, as well as a key part of Joey DeFrancesco’s new quartet, ‘The People’. His 7th record as a leader, Tales & Tones (Inner Circle Music) builds on his past two stellar releases, and matches him with his long-time collaborator Silvano Monasterios on piano, as well as the one-two punch from Wynton and Branford Marsalis bands, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Watts. Roberts is capable of playing any number of styles at a high level. His two albums with his Nu-Jive 5 showed he could hit classic R&B and soul sounds, and Tales & Tones comes across as something of a classic quartet album. Given his solid rhythm section, Troy wisely intersperses his solos – some of which, like on “Mr. Pinonoock,” are soaring and inspiring – with band play, and Monasterios’ restrained playing creates mood and color that Hurst and Watts bring out with their flourishes.  Not that Silvano can’t cook – check out the frenetic playing on “Boozy Bluesy” that ends the album. Podcast 561 is my conversation with Troy Roberts, and we discuss how a nice boy from Perth got into jazz, how Tales & Tones came to be, and how he fits his own work in with the many sideman gigs he takes. Musical selections from Tales & Tones include "Pickapoppy", "Boozy Bluesy" and "Take the A Train".

Do we have a more diverse singer today than Theo Bleckmann?  The German born singer and composer’s recordings range from albums of Las Vegas standards, Weimar art songs, newly-arranged songs by Charles Ives (with jazz/rock collective Kneebody); and his acclaimed Hello Earth - the Music of Kate Bush.  You may also have heard Bleckmann on jazz recordings by Ambrose Akinmusire and Julia Hülsmann, but also with Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson and Michael Tilson Thomas. Yet, he considers himself first and foremost a jazz singer. His newly formed Elegy Quintet composed of Snai Maestro [piano], Chris Tordini [bass], John Hollenbeck [drums] and Ben Monder [guitar] has just their new CD, appropriately entitled Elegy. As with so many projects on the label, ECM label head and founder, Manfred Eicher, was the producer. In so many ways, Theo is the consummate ECM vocalist – he uses spacing with great dexterity, allowing silence and a slow turn of a phrase to be key components of his sound. Clearly, he is well suited for a label that advertises their music is “the most beautiful sound next to silence”. Whether turning Stephen Sondheim’s “Comedy Tonight” on its head or supplying wordless vocals for “Fields”, Bleckmann’s voice commands your attention at all times. Podcast 560 is my conversation with Theo, where we discuss his early interest in music, how jazz compares to classical and pop music in his approach, and what it was like to record with the legendary Eicher on projects. Musical selections from Elegy include “Comedy Tonight”, the title track and “To Be Shown to Monks at a Certain Temple.”   

With the release of Meditations on Freedom, Noah Preminger takes a stand against what he perceives as difficult, even dangerous times to be an artist, to say nothing of an American.  While it’s the third album featuring the tenor player’s current quartet - Jason Palmer (trumpet), Kim Cass (double-bass) and Ian Froman (drums) – it’s his first to take classic protest songs and mix them with his own compositions that reflect the tumultuous times in which we live. It only took a few weeks from the project’s genesis – a political conversation with his friends and engineer Jimmy Katz – until the band had completed a series of urgent, one take tunes. Whether covering Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke or George Harrison, or his own topically titled work – “The 99 Percent,” “Women’s March,” “Mother Earth,” “Broken Treaties,” “We Have a Dream,”- there is great power, emotion, and even a little bit of hope in the album. I talked with Noah way back in Podcast 380, and since then he has grown in stature and artistic spirit. Preminger’s previous albums Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground and Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar justly earned wide acclaim for their emotional intensity and individualist engagement with the blues. He followed those with a set showcasing his more intimate, romantic side with a collection of ballads, Some Other Time, released exclusively as a vinyl LP by Newvelle Records. He recorded this with a dream band featuring old collaborator Ben Monder, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Billy Hart. Podcast 559 is my conversation with Noah, as we discuss the latest album, how he feels he can make a statement in the Trump era, and where his talents will lead him next. Musical selections include “The 99 Percent,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth,” and “Broken Treaties”.

Israel is producing some of the finest jazz musicians outside of the US these days. Israeli guitarists are particularly prolific, including artists like Roni Ben-Hur, Gilad Hekselman, Oren Neiman, and Tel-Aviv native Yotam Silberstein.   Silberstein is something of a prodigy, having picked up the guitar at ten, and having won the “Israeli Jazz Player of The Year” title by the age of 21. Since coming to New York in 2005 to study at the New School, he has been a finalist at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition, and released albums under his own name and with others. His mentors included James Moody and Jimmy Heath, leading to gigs in their ensembles. Released under the name “Yotam,” his critically acclaimed releases Resonance and Brasil on the Jazz Legacy Productions label set the stage for his work with Monty Alexander’s Grammy-nominated Harlem-Kingston Express Live! The Village represents a chance for Yotam to not only lead an exciting quartet, but also to produce the work. Using Kickstarter, he raised more than enough money to allow him to bring his friends Aaron Goldberg on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Greg Hutchinson on drums. The result is full of the wonderful interplay between musicians we have come to love from Yotam. With eleven original compositions, those who loved the Blue Note guitar sounds of artists like Grant Green will find much to enjoy on this CD. Podcast 558 is my conversation with Yotam as he describes the Kickstarter process, relates stories of the recording of The Village, and talks about his gigs with Monty Alexander and his upcoming appearance as part of John Patitucci’s Trio on the album Irmaos De Fe that will be out in February on Newvelle Records. Musical selections include "Nocturno", "Stav", anf "Changes" from The Village and "Compassion" from Harlem-Kingston Express Live!  

Serendipity - the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. No word can better describe the series of events that brought singer Kendra Shank and pianist Geoffrey Keezer together a few years back. A cancelled flight prevented Ms. Shank's regular pianist, Frank Kimbrough, from making a West Coast gig. Learning Keezer was in town, and with just 30 minutes to spare before hitting the stage, the pair showed instant chemistry, and wowed the audience. Fast forward to two January’s ago, and again Kendra needs a pianist, this time on the East Coast, and Keezer is in town playing a run of shows with Chris Botti. They played a duo performance in a friend's apartment, which fortunately was recorded and now is available as Half Moon (Ride Symbol recordings). Kendra Shank has been a “musician’s singer” for year. Rather than just wrap herself around a classic tune, she uses her musical training on guitar, piano and percussion to drive her vocal interpretations. Her mentors include Bob Dorough, Shirley Horn, and especially, Abbey Lincoln. Since 2000 she has lead a working quartet of first call musicians, including pianist Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Tony Moreno. Their three recordings – sometimes supplemented by guitarist Ben Monder and reedman Billy Drewes - and have mixed Kendra originals and classic tunes, bridging the Great American Songbook with the Singer-Songwriter oeuvre of the Sixties and Seventies (Ms. Shank herself began as a folk singer-guitarist in Seattle). Half Moon gives listeners a chance to experience Kendra in an intimate setting, highlighting not only her vocal prowess, but her musicality, as she improvises with Keezer on standards like “Alone Together” and newer tunes like Jeremy Siskind’s “Kneel”.  Her wordless vocals on Cedar Walton’s “Life’s Mosaic” shows she can match anyone on the scene today in her ability to wring nuance and emotion from a jazz tune. Podcast 557 iis my conversation with Kendra Shank, as we discuss her background, her approach to tunes, and why she and Geoffrey Keezer have developed such great rapport. Musical selections from Half Moon include the title track, “Healing Song”, “Kneel” and “When Love Was You and Me”, the last of which comes from a chart written by Abbey Lincoln. The medley “Reflections in Blue/Blue Skies” comes from her 2008 album Mosaic, with her quartet, Drewes and Monder.  Kendra Shank and Geoffrey Keezer will perform two sets at Mezzrow in New York City on Monday January 9, 2017, at 8:00 and 9:30.

To all who are traveling on an evening that often becomes "amateur night" take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Official SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"  It was written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's singer is Nancy Wilson. Check back to previous year's New Year's Eve postings for other renditions. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all. 2017 HAS to be a better year than 2016, right?

You’ve been reading the “best of” lists for the past few weeks in the press and online, but here at Straight No Chaser we take a slightly different approach to list making. Rather than presume to match artist against artist, album against album, we try to give you a list of those 2016 releases that made the greatest impression or were in the heaviest rotation throughout the year. I created five different categories within which to share my favorite things with you. It seems only fair that the work of a new artist – say the Hot Sardines – should not be matched up against that of an experienced veteran like Fred Hersch for purposes of comparison. And given that 2016 was the Year of the Resonance label treasure trove of unreleased recordings from the likes of Bill Evans, Larry Young and Sarah Vaughan, how can those masters of the genre be compared with the genre-busting work of Donny McCaslin and Theo Croker? So, here are a few of my favorite things from 2016: Great New Things from Old Friends Avishai Cohen – Into the Silence Herlin Riley – New Direction Warren Wolf – Convergence Donny McCaslin – Beyond Now Fred Hersch Trio – Sunday Night at the Vanguard  New Artists and Those Hitting Their Stride Theo Croker – Escape Velocity Julian Lage – Arclight The Hot Sardines – French Fries and Champagne Daniel Freedman – Imagine That Marquis Hill – The Way We Play  Memorable Reissues, Compilations, and Posthumous or Archival Albums Larry Young – Larry Young in Paris: The Ortf Recordings Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – All My Yesterdays Sarah Vaughn – Live at Rosy’s Bill Evans – Some Other Time: The Lost Session from the Black Forest Erroll Garner – Ready Take One  Tribute Albums of Note Miles Davis & Robert Glasper - Everything’s Beautiful John Beasley – MONKestra, Volume One Dave Stryker – Eight Tracks II Catherine Russell – Harlem on My Mind Brian Lynch - Presents Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Interpretation On The Music Of Woody Shaw Reunions and Collaborations of Note Jack DeJohnette/Ravi Coltrane/Matt Garrison – Movement Dave Holland/Chris Potter/Lionel Loeuke/Eric Harland – Aziza Phil Woods and Greg Abate – Kindred Spirits Ron Carter and Vitoria Maldonado – Brasil L.I.K.E. Branford Marsalis Quartet & Kurt Elling – The Upward Spiral I traditionally chose a "Most Valuable Player", meaning someone who has either appeared on multiple albums or released multiple works that show their abilities as leader, sideman, composer or arranger. This year the "MVP" is Wadada Leo Smith, for his outstanding collaboration with Vijay Iyer, A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke, both as a recording and for the great live performances they gave together, and for Smith's sweeping jazz work America's National Parks, with his Golden Gate Quartet. Jazz finishes 2016 in surprisingly good shape. Jazz was in the movie theatres more than ever, with documentaries on John Coltrane and Rahsaan Roland Kirk in the art houses, and with fictional films based on the lives of Miles Davis and Chet Baker at the multiplex.  David Bowie’s final album, while not a jazz release, brought the Donny McCaslin Group in as a perfect backing band for the Thin White Duke’s final musical statement. Hip-Hop artists continue to find inspiration in jazz, and jazz artists are bringing the freshness and excitement of Hip-hop to the their music, just as their predecessors did with rock music in the late Sixties.  Veterans like John Scofield and Bill Frisell reached for Country music roots on their latest CDs, and Dave Holland’s super group Aziza brought back the fury of fusion.  Norah Jones released a jazz-based album that will hopefully bring Wayne Shorter and Brian Blade to millions more music lovers. Henry Threadgill on a well-deserved Pulitzer Prize for music. Artists like Terence Blanchard and Tyshawn Sorey stretched jazz and opera into a new hybrid. Wynton Marsalis finished a symphony that will debut in New York next month. While far too many of the jazz masters of the past are going to that Great Bandstand in the Sky, younger players are moving in and up to take jazz in some new and exciting directions. From pre-teen Joey Alexander to new Young Lions like Kamasi Washington and Marquis Hill, the music seem to be in good hands. If you did not read Nate Chinen's insightful piece in the Sunday New York Times a week or so back, check it out here - he makes a good case for where the music has come from, and where it might go and why. Furthermore, the Black Lives movement, and the racist overtones of the new Trump administration may be lighting a fire under jazz musicians just as the Civil Rights movement did in the late Fifties. What that will mean remains to be seen, but it is greatly anticipated in the new year, Podcast 556 features musical selections from each category, including: Donny McCaslin - "Warszawa" Hot Sardines - "People Will Say We're in Love" Larry Young - "Trane of Thought" Dave Stryker - "Time of the Season" Branford Marsalis Quartet & Kurt Telling - 'Doxy"

2016 has been the most devastating of years in recent memory, and not just because of the horrendous results of the October US elections. More great musicians have passed away this year than I have ever recalled, and their loss is felt daily in my life. Our annual Noted in Passing feature is far too long. In a category beyond jazz - indeed beyond popular music itself – were the losses of Prince and David Bowie, Maurice White and Sir George Martin. I honor their memories still, and you can listen to tribute Podcasts where highlighted. Also gone in 2016 were pianist Paul Bley; trumpeter Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros; organist Alan Haven; Tower of Power’s trumpeter and founder Mic Gillette; pianist Bryce Rohde; saxophonist Harald Devold; trumpeter John Chilton; bandleader Joe Cabot; arranger Claus Ogerman; percussionist Naná Vasconcelos; drummerJoe Ascione; trumpeter Sidney Mear; singer Roger Cicero; and symphonic jazz composer David Baker. Also, producing legend Rudy Van Gelder; trumpeter Joe Shepley; singer Don Francks; saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya; saxophonist and educator Pete Yellin; guitarist Doug Raney; trombonist Buster Cooper; trumpeter Paul Smoker; drummer Randy Jones; pianist Willy Andresen; keyboardist Bernie Worrell; bandleader Mike Pedicin; saxophonist Charles Davis; guitarist Roland Prince; bassist Dominic Duval; and saxophonist Allan Barnes (BlackByrds). Also bassist Bob Cranshaw (pictured); pianists Don Friedman, Derek Smith,  and Connie Crothers; vibes master Bobby Hutcherson; guitarist Louis Stewart; harmonica legend TootsThielemans; pianist Karel Růžička; trumpeter Mike Daniels; pianist and singer Mose Allison; singer Shirley Bunnie Foy; saxophonist Gato Barbieri; singer Natalie Cole and drummer Joe Harris. Outside of jazz, individuals whose lives had impacted mine in some way or another include boxer Muhammad Ali; hockey player Gordie Howe;  newscaster Morley Safer; poet-composer-singer Leonard Cohen,  soul men Billy Paul and Mack Rice; rockers Scotty Moore; Rob Wasserman; Greg Lake; Paul Kantner; Leon Russell; Keith Emerson; Dan Hicks; George Michael; and Glenn Frey; country singers Merle Haggard and Guy Clark; conductor Neville Marriner; NPR broadcast Craig Windham; sportscasters Jim Simpson, Craig Sager and Joe Garagiola; actors Gene Wilder; Alan Rickman, Patty Duke, Fyvish Finkel; Florence Henderson; and Kenny Baker (R2D2); singer Marnie Nixon, the dubbed-in voice of great movie musicals; basketball coach Pat Summitt and point guard Dwayne “Pearl” Washington; Golfer Arnold Palmer; writers Michael Herr; Harper Lee; Pat Conroy; Umberto Eco and Elie Wiesel; and playwright Edward Albee. Perhaps most deeply felt was the loss of my father-in-law Alfred Dellapenna, who would regale me with stories of seeing the original big bands in western Massachusetts dance halls. He will be greatly missed by all who knew “Big Al”..

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevalent this time of year, and so the Official Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace" written by Horace Silver, and sung by Norah Jones. This year we have a new version recorded by Norah from her latest CD, Day Breaks, which marked her return to creating a jazz sound. Avideo of Norah playing "Peace" cab ne found here. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic fifty-one years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

The Eight Crazy Nights of Chanukah are upon us, and so I bring you some jazz for the occasion – Don Byron’s take on “Dreidl Song” from his 1993 album Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz. Katz – who was born Meyer Myron Katz in 1909 - was a legendary musician and comedian specializing in the type of humor that would eventually characterize the “Borscht Belt” of the Catskills. A meeting with Spike Jones in 1947 led Katz to make a career decision that proved fruitful: Katz soon decided to make an English-Yiddish comedy record. Having written the lyrics to Haim afen Range years ago, he had it approved by RCA. He quickly wrote another song for the flip side, Yiddish Square Dance, and had his friend Al Sack sketch out the melody for it and set Haim afen Range to music as well. The original run of 10,000 copies released in New York City sold in three days, and RCA received orders for 25,000 more. Katz then went on to parodize Tico, Tico with Tickle, Tickle, and backed this new record with Chloya, a parody of Chloe. He then hired a manager in Los Angeles, and in 1947 performed in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights, a largely Jewish- and Mexican-American neighborhood. In Katz's words, he was a "double-ethnic smash." The death of Yiddish culture on a wide scale basis in the 1950’s forced Katz into broader humor, and he wrote parodies and performed until he passed away in 1985. His son is the award-winning actor Joel Grey, and his granddaughter is Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame. The band is Byron in clarinet; Richie Schwarz on drums and percussion; Uri Caine on piano; Dave Douglas on trumpet; Steve Alcott on bass; Mark Feldman on violin; Josh Roseman on trombone; and J.D. Parran on flute.

It's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

My friend Frank found this for me, and I wanted to be sure to share it with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad, Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad; The chimney was hung in the stocking routine, In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene; The moon and the snow were, like, faking together, Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather, When, what to these peepers should come on real queer, But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer, As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp, When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp, So up to the top of my bandstand they flew, With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too. His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles! His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!” His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E, And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee! He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig, And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big, And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit, And playing it hip, up the chimney he split; And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof, The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof. As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast, Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast. The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers, And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers; He had a weird face, and a solid reet middle That bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle! He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser! And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser! A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail, And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail. He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square, And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!” But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touch Soon gave me the message this cat was “too much!” He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick, And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick. But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz: “A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

For years, I’ve combed through album after album of Christmas songs to bring you podcasts of both beloved and fresh jazz for the holiday. One thing I have noticed during the course of my investigations is the number of tunes that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with the Christmas holiday. So many of the most included tunes on Christmas jazz albums – I’m looking at you “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – are seasonal in nature. They celebrate the winter cold, whether frolicking outside or cuddling inside before a fire. Others take pop songs with appropriate themes - "Get Here" certainly fits the "I'll Be Home for Christmas" mood; "My Favorite Things" - gift giving and receiving. Some artists just choose downright odd selections on their holiday albums. I can see Chet Baker selecting the gospel "Amen", but how did Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" end up on a Chris Botti CD? Or "Scarborough Fair" on Al DiMeola's? Therefore, Podcast 555 is the first of two “Very Jazzy Xmas” podcasts. This one is “The Secular Mix”, and only contains songs that have been included on Christmas albums, but have no mention of Santa, the Nativity, Mistletoe or anything else that smacks of Christmas.   Not that there’s anything wrong with that.   Musical selections include:   Jimmy Smith – “Jingle Bells” Harry Connick Jr – “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” Dave Koz - "Get Here" Norman Brown – “Skating” Shirley Horn – “Winter Wonderland" Chris Bauer- "My Favorite Things" Diana Krall - "Sleigh Ride" Jo Stafford – “Moonlight in Vermont” Ray Charles and Betty Carter - "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" Ramsey Lewis Trio -“Snowfall” Michael Franks – “Watching the Snow” Billie Holiday – “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm " Al DiMeola - "Midwinter Nights" Rosemary Clooney – “Suzy Snowflake”

Fabian Almazan won the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll for Rising Star Pianist, and has worked steadily as a core member of Terence Blanchard’s groups since 2007. Born in Cuba, he began playing classical piano at an early ag4e, but when he and his family fled Cuba, he found himself exposed to new and different music as well. A product of the Brubeck Institute and Manhattan School of Music; Fabian has been mentored by the likes of Kenny Barron and Jason Moran. His two CDs as a leader – Personalities and Rhizome – point to a growing interest in harmonic invention and an intriguing integration of Latin rhythms and more avant-piano sounds. The latter album even added a string quartet to the piano-based band.  Carefully taking control of his musical output, Almazan has announced the creation of Biophilia Records as an outlet for his work, and those of meaningful, imaginative musicians. “Biophilia” means “love of living things”, and label has a distinctly environmental approach to its packaging and distribution. Their artists collaborate with organizations that specialize in conservation, sustainability and outreach initiatives, regularly volunteering in community events. The first release from the label will come in December. from the Awakening Orchestra, with interlude: Atticus Live! - the music of Jesse Lewis. Podcast 554 is my conversation with Fabian, as we discuss the Rhizome Project, his goals for Biophilia, and what it’s like to hold down the piano chair in Terence Blanchard’s band. Musical selections include "The Adventures of Dirt McGillicudy" from the Awakening Orchestra release: "Hugs (Historically Underrepresented Groups)", an Almazan composition on the Terence Blanchard album Choices; and "Take Off" from the Blanchard composed soundtrack of Red Tails.

It was almost twenty-five years ago that saxophonist-composer Patrick Zimmerli recorded six original compositions in sessions that were eventually shelved. He met that day with a few of his musical peers and friends, who today are recognized as some of the most exciting and in-demand players in the jazz world – pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Larry Grenadier, percussionist Satoshi Takeishi, and drummer Tom Rainey. After Zimmerli was pestered for years to release the performances, Shores Against Silence finally saw the light of day this month. The album is a fine example of what Zimmerli brings to his compositions, arrangements and performances – an integration of contemporary classical compositional techniques with modern jazz execution. Whether you are listing to Shores Against Silence, or his recent performance of “Clockworks” backed by pianist Ethan Iverson of the Bad Plus , bassist Chris Tordini  and percussionist John Hollenbeck, or his collaborations with Brad Mehldau or Joshua Redman, the listener is hearing challenging yet engaging and welcoming music. Patrick came onto the national  jazz scene during the fabled 1993 Thelonious Monk competition, when “The Paw”, which opens Shores Against Silence, took top composition honors. Zimmerli was a finalist in the saxophone competition that year, when Joshua Redman and Chris Potter finished first and second. Since then, his reputation as composer and arranger has steadily grown, and he even had the chance to curate of the IN/TER\SECT Festival at Bryant Park this past summer. Podcast 556 is my conversation with Patrick, as he tells the tale of Shores Against Silence, as well as relates playing with the likes of Ben Monder and Joshua Redman. Musical selections include “The Paw”, "Athena" and "Three Dreams of Repose."      

Congratulations to the artists who have received Grammy Award nominations in categories that feature jazz musicians:  Best improvised jazz solo “Countdown” — Joey Alexander, soloist “In Movement” — Ravi Coltrane, soloist “We See” — Fred Hersch, soloist “I Concentrate On You” — Brad Mehldau, soloist “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” — John Scofield, soloist  Best jazz vocal album “Sound of Red” — René Marie “Upward Spiral” — Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling “Take Me to the Alley” — Gregory Porter “Harlem On My Mind” — Catherine Russell “The Sting Variations” — The Tierney Sutton Band  Best jazz instrumental album “Book of Intuition” — Kenny Barron Trio “Dr. Um” — Peter Erskine “Sunday Night at the Vanguard” — The Fred Hersch Trio “Nearness” — Joshua Redman & Brad Mehldau “Country For Old Men” — John Scofield  Best large jazz ensemble album “Real Enemies” — Darcy James Argue's Secret Society “Presents Monk'estra, Vol. 1” — John Beasley “Kaleidoscope Eyes: Music of the Beatles” — John Daversa “All L.A. Band” — Bob Mintzer “Presidential Suite: Eight Variations On Freedom” — Ted Nash Big Band  Best Latin jazz album “Entre Colegas” — Andy González “Madera Latino: A Latin Jazz Perspective on the Music of Woody Shaw” — Brian Lynch & Various Artists “Canto América” — Michael Spiro/Wayne Wallace La Orquesta Sinfonietta “30” — Trio Da Paz “Tribute to Irakere: Live In Marciac” — Chucho Valdés  Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: “Human Nature” — Herb Alpert “When You Wish Upon A Star” — Bill Frisell “Way Back Home Live From Rochester, NY” — Steve Gadd Band “Unspoken” — Chuck Loeb “Culcha Vulcha” — Snarky Puppy Nominees in other categories of interest include: Best instrumental composition -  “Spoken at Midnight" — Ted Nash, composer Best compilation soundtrack for visual media  “Miles Ahead" (Miles Davis & Various Artists) Best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella “Ask Me Now” — John Beasley, arranger "Good Swing Wenceslas" — Sammy Nestico, arranger "Linus & Lucy" — Christian Jacob, arranger “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" — John Daversa, arranger "We Three Kings” — Ted Nash, arranger “You And I" — Jacob Collier, arranger Best arrangement, instruments and vocals “Do You Hear What I Hear?” — Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Featuring Take 6) “Do You Want To Know a Secret” — John Daversa, arranger (John Daversa Featuring Renee Olstead) “Flintstones” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier) “I'm a Fool to Want You” — Alan Broadbent, arranger (Kristin Chenoweth) “Somewhere (Dirty Blvd)” (Extended Version) — Billy Childs & Larry Klein, arrangers (Lang Lang Featuring Lisa Fischer & Jeffrey Wright) David Bowie’s Blackstar, which featured the members of the Donnie McCaslin Group and guitarist Ben Monder, received nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Album.

Matt Slocum’s Black Elk’s Dream was one of the best jazz CDs of 2014. Backed by musicians like Dayna Stephens, Gerald Clayton and Water Smith III, drummer Slocum presented a concept album inspired by the visionary Native American leader Black Elk and the book Black Elk Speaks. The music, whether original or deftly chosen covers, was orchestral in its feel, and packed a punch, either through mixed meters, interesting harmonies or the dynamic solos of the saxophones. With Trio Pacific, Volume 1, Slocum now moves to a stripped down sound, and manages to stand the historical concept of the jazz trio on its head by performing as a drummer, sax (Stephens again) and guitar (Steve Cardenas) threesome. The result is shimmering, subtle and often beautiful music, and proof the Slocum is well on his way to being one of our finest leaders. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in western Wisconsin, Slocum began musical studies on piano before switching to percussion at age 11. While in high school he was introduced to jazz through recordings featuring Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones. He received a full scholarship to attend the University of Southern California where he studied with the great Peter Erskine. Moving to New York a few years later, Slocum has performed and recorded as a leader on four CDs, while serving s sideman for the likes of Seamus Blake, Alan Broadbent, Wynton Marsalis, Linda Oh, Anthony Wilson, Sam Yahel and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Podcast 552 is my conversation with Matt, as we talk about the way Trio Pacific came together, how the lack of preparation led to exciting discoveries in the studio, and what he learned from his time with Peter Erskine. Musical selections from Trio Pacific, Volume 1 include “Passaic”, “I Can’t Believe You’re in Love With Me” and “For Alin”, a song dedicated to his wife.

Scott Morgan has been around the New York jazz scene for more than a decade, but Songs of Life is his debut CD as a leader. After a few listens, the obvious question is: Man, what took you so long? Morgan has a warm, engaging tenor, and his phrasing rivets the listener to the lyrics he is singing, creating a wonderful intimacy. His band – pianist Fred Hersch, bassist Matt Aronoff, tenor saxman Joel Frahm, and drummer Ross Pederson – plays in a sensitive, yet solid, manner, allowing his to ring every drop of emotion he wants from the album’s13 well-chosen tunes. Morgan treats songs from the Pop/Rock era with the same respect as those from Broadway, finding new ways to interpret songs by James Taylor and the Beatles that let them stand up with the Great American Songbook. His lyrics to Hersch’s “Mandevilla” allow the Brazilian flavor of the song to seep through with sensitivity and soul. His duet with Janis Siegel, “I’ll Follow” is an emotional highlight. Podcast 551 is my conversation with Scott, as we discuss the CD, how he selects his material, and what songs he thought might work on Songs of Life, but ended up dropping. His story of how “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” came to be melded with the late Dave Catney's "Little Prayer" in a memorable performance is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. Musical selections from Songs of Life include that medley, Kurt Weill’s  “Lost in the Stars”, “I’ll Follow”, and Lennon and McCartney’s “I Will.” Scott Morgan will play two matinee sets at the Blue Note in New York on November 20th, 2016 at 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.

Columbus Day has become a deeply divisive event in the US. What once was the naive celebration of the "discovery of America" - take that Amerigo Vespucci and the Native Americans - is now marled with protests, given the start of the genocide his arrival in the New World began. But let's go back to a simpler time, like May 1936, when Fats Waller and his Rhythm appeared on a popular radio show, The Magic Key Show, which originated from New York. That day, he performed two tunes - the well-known "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", and the lesser known "Christopher Columbus". The lyrics? Mr.Christopher Columbus/Sailed the sea without a compass/Well, when his men began a rumpus/Up spoke Christopher Columbus He said: "There is land somewhere/So until we get there we will not go wrong/If we sing a swing song/Since the world is round, we'll be safe and sound/'Till our goal is found we'll just keep the rhythm bound Soon the crew was makin' merry/Then came a yell, let's drink to Isabella/Bring on the rum/A music in that all the rumpus/That wise old Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus/Christopher Columbus Maybe not a Shakespearean sonnet, but you get the idea. And as always, Fats knew how to swing.

One of the great delights in modern jazz comes when a talented composer or arranger takes on material which we have come to expect to sound a certain way, or be presented in a certain manner, and turns it upside down, or at least off-kilter. Whether it’s a singer reimagining the way a tune from the Great American Songbook is interpreted (Cassandra Wilson, Kurt Elling); a soloist wringing emotion from a tired chestnut (almost anything Fred Hersch, Brad Mehldau or Keith Jarrett cover) or bringing in sounds from other genres or cultures to make us rethink the very sound of jazz itself (Kamasi Washington, Donnie McCaslin, Robert Glasper), we are listening to new music at a very exciting time. Mehmet Ali Sanlikol fits firmly into this category. As a composer, he brings contemporary classical, straight ahead jazz and the music of his Turkish heritage into a wondrous sonic collision. With his band Whatsnext?, he is allowing us to think twice before putting music into one category or another. Resolution is his new CD, and from the very start, you can tell there is something exciting happening here. “Turkish Second Line” takes the sound of classic New Orleans street music (driven forward by guest soloist Anat Cohen) and merges it with the kind of Turkish dance music that Sanlikol has heard at parties since he was a child in Istanbul. Whether he is pairing scat singing with traditional Turkish singing or adding micro-tonality to big-band charts, Mehmet is making this music uniquely his own. Aided by additional guest soloists David Liebman, Antonio Sanchez and Tiger Okoshi, Whatsnext? rises to the occasion time and time again playing this strong material.  Podcast 550 is my conversation with Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, as we discuss his musical background, and how he seeks to merge the music of his Turkish roots with Jazz. Musical selections from Resolution include the title track, “Turkish Second Line” and “Whirlaround.” \Sanlikol and Whatsnext? will present the new CD at concerts at Joe’s Pub in New York on October 6th, and Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA on October 9th.  

If you listened to Podcast 471 last March, you heard singer/composer Thana Alexa sing the praises of guitarist Gene Ess. Ms. Alexa collaborated with Gene on his two releases, Fractal Attraction and Eternal Monomyth, two of a series of fine albums he has made since leaving the Rashied Ali Quartet over a decade ago. Growing up on a US Army base in Okinawa, Japan, Gene was exposed at an early age to a wide variety of music (his mother is a classical pianist), which goes a long way to explain his sound on electric guitar. A graduate of Berklee School of Music, he arrived in New York after a chance meeting with Rashied Ali. The drummer, who was a member of John Coltrane’s last band and a veteran of sessions with Gary Bartz, Alice Coltrane and David Murray, helped shape Ess’ approach to jazz and to life itself, bringing him closer to Coltrane and his legacy than any text could ever.  Ess traveled the world with Ali, and played with Coltrane alum Reggie Workman; Coltrane’s son Ravi; Carlos Santana and Lonnie Plaxico. He has released six albums under his own name, the most recent of which have added vocals to his already eclectic sound. Ess’ latest CD is Absurdist Theater. He has again brought Ms. Alexa on board to lend her vocals (she also contributes lyrics to two tunes) and assembled a truly diverse band – Cuban pianist Manuel Valera; Japanese bassist Yasushi Nakamura and American Clarence Penn on drums.  Thematically the CD attempts to take the listener on a journey to explore the philosophical idea of absurdism, contrasting our search of meaning in this life with the sheer joy of musical aesthetics. If this all sounds pretty weighty be assured that the music is hardly ponderous and overwrought. Musical selections include “Torii (The Gate)” and Gene’s tribute to Ornette Coleman, “Forkball”.  A CD release party for Absurdist Theater will take place at the Blue Note in New York on September 25th, 2016.

What seems a lifetime ago, I had the opportunity to serve on a panel to award grant money from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts to musical applicants. My group reviewed instrumental music, and one of the members of the panel was none other than Anthony Braxton. For those who are unfamiliar with the name, Mr. Braxton is one of the foremost composers and performers of avant-garde jazz, opera and instrumental music of the past sixty years. Mr. Braxton was at that time serving a as professor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, so his inclusion in the Commission’s deliberations was fortuitous. I could not have asked for a more polite, warm and open person with whom to spend an afternoon, and despite the huge gap in knowledge between himself and the rest of the panel, he generously acknowledged our opinions and was patient in explaining his views. Now just past 70 years old, Mr. Braxton has recorded hundreds of albums during his career. From his time at the AACM in Chicago, to his quartet collaborations with the likes of Chick Corea, Kenny Wheeler, Sam Rivers and Dave Holland (Circle; Conference of the Birds), to Creative Orchestra Music, “Ghost Trance Music,” Trillian Opera and other large and small group improvisations; Mr. Braxton has eschewed any sort of genre or characterization for his daring and challenging music. As a way of exploring his music, most notably his post-1980 compositions and recordings, trumpeter-composer Nate Wooley has devoted the latest issue of his on-line publication, Sound American to Anthony Braxton. Essays written by the foremost scholars and performers of these compositions have made contributions to the site, which you can read now at no cost (although donations are most welcome, and should be made immediately). Complete with streaming samples of Braxton’s music to illustrate the points made by the writers, this is an indispensable guide to those who know and love Anthony Braxton’s work, and a key to entering the world of his sound if you do not. Nate Wooley has become one of jazz’s latest versions of a Renaissance Man, writing about and composing music; performing with his trumpet as part of the downtown free jazz, experimental, rock, and noise scenes; crating his own Pleasure of the Text music label; and generally standing out as one of today’s great improvisational innovators. He has just released two new CDs, the hypnotizing Argonautica, his tribute to and collaboration with mentor Ron Miles (Firehouse 12 Records), and the ecstatic Seven Storey Mountain Von his own label. A the 2016 FCA Grants to Artists Awards recipient from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts , he was awarded $40,000 to use for future work alongside percussionist William Winant, composer Ashley Fure, and legendary vocalist Joan LaBarbara. Podcast 548 is my conversation with Nate about Anthony Braxton, Sound American, and his latest (and coming) musical projects. Musical selections include a Braxton quartet recording including Kenny Wheeler, and Dave Holland(“Opus 60“); "Fifth Meeting" from a trio recording with William Parker and Milford Graves called Beyond Quantum;  an excerpt from one of his "Echo Echo House" Recordings from Three Compositions, and a brief excerpt from Wooley’s Argonautica.

Bobby Hutcherson, a vibraphonist whose adventurous, harmonically challenging playing in the 1960s made him one of the most influential jazz musicians on his instrument, died Aug. 15 at his home in Montara, California at the age of 75. The cause was emphysema. A major player in the halcyon days of Blue Note Records, Hutcherson took the vibes in different directions than his mentors and peers would attempt. For every melodic, lyrical solo he recorded, there were also the dissonant, rhythmic and pulsing sounds of modern jazz in his work. Inspired by the sounds of Milt “Bags” Jackson, the vibes master who helped create “third stream” and chamber jazz, Hutcherson taught himself the demanding instrument, eventually serving as the bridge between the traditional sounds of Red Norvo, Lionel Hampton and Jackson to the contemporary sounds of Gary Burton, Joe Locke and Stefon Harris and more recently, Warren Wolf. Recording for Blue Note Records from 1963 to 1977, Mr. Hutcherson effortlessly moved from hard-bop jazz to more avant-garde styles. Besides the 22 solo albums he released for the label during that time, he served as sideman on some of the most important albums and for cutting edge artists of the day, taking key roles and contributing songs to Jackie McLean’s One Step Beyond; Grant Green’s Idle Moments; Eric Dolphy’s Out to Lunch!; Joe Henderson’s Mode for Joe; and Andrew Hill’s Judgment!. McCoy Tyner counted him as a regular member of his recording ensemble, and he cut sides with the likes of Woody Shaw, Sonny Rollins, Harold Land and Donald Byrd. Born Jan. 27, 1941, in Los Angeles, the son of a brick mason and hairdresser, he moved to New York as he advanced in his craft. A 1967 arrest for buying marijuana cost him his valuable cabaret card, and led him to return to California. He remained there for the rest of his life, writing, recording and assisting in the formation of the SFJazz Collective, a thriving repertory group. He continued to record well into his 70’s, including Enjoy the View for Blue Note and Somewhere in the Night for the Kind of Blue label. Hutcherson was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2010. Podcast 547 is my tribute to Bobby Hutcherson, featuring tunes from his solo albums as well as some of my favorite sideman sessions. Musical selections, many of which Hutcherson wrote, include: Bobby Hutcherson – “Little B’s Poem” from Components Bobby Hutcherson – Title Track from Medina Grant Green – “Django” from Idle Moments Bobby Hutcherson – “Blues Mind Matter” from Stick-Up! Jackie McLean – “Blue Rondo” from One Step Beyond Eric Dolphy – “Something Sweet, Something Tender” from Out to Lunch! Harold Land – “Timetable” from The Peace-Maker Andrew Hill – “Alfred” from Judgment! Bobby Hutcherson – “’For Heaven's Sake" from Enjoy the View

It's summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for these lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Sorry Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've done four previous Dog Day postings,  Podcast 292, Podcast 225,  Podcast 442,  and Podcast 492  if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There's a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. Winter is just around the corner, and I am gonna grab all the warmth I can. Look for me on my deck with Angus and Hamish - and Nancy - and a cold beverage or two. I’ve been learning a bit of mixology, so I think Frozen Whiskey Smash is the drink of the day. Podcast 546 features the following uninterrupted hour of music, featuring a few new tunes I've recently received from upcoming or imminent releases: Rebecca Angel – “Jet Samba” Paul Desmond – “Wave” The 3 Cohens – “Beaches” Holly Cole – “Too Darn Hot” Lou Donaldson – “Hot Dog” Kenny Garrett – “Backyard Groove” Stanley Clarke – “Hot Fun” The Rippingtons – “Flamingo Beach” Pieces of a Dream – “Warm Weather” Kenny Burrell – “Hot Bossa” Jeff Golub – “On the Beach” Project Grand Slam – “The Rescue”

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sergio Pereira starting playing acoustic guitar (violao) at the age of 8 years old, influenced by his older brother who helped him play his first chords and the bossa-nova giants at the time - Joao Gilberto, Tom Jobim, and, Marcus Valle. Growing up in Rio in the 60’s and 70’s contributed tremendously to the energy, groove and rhythms reflected in his music today. Moving to New York in the 80’s, exposed Pereira to an entirely different “scene.” It motivated the guitarist to not only continuing playing the guitar, but to further enhance his knowledge of the music and the instrument itself, which led him to studying with jazz greats including Chuck Wayne, Sal Salvador and Alex Adrian. Beginning in the early 90’s he has been travelling the world extensively, playing with different groups and at countless venues in many different countries in Europe, Africa and beyond. For over 20 years Pereira has been a member of the United Nations Jazz band for which has afforded him the opportunity to perform in various high profile venues. Recently, he returned to his Brazilian roots, working to further broadened his understanding of harmony, improvisation and technique.This has led to the release of his first CD as a leader, Swingando. Recorded in New York City and Brazil, the album includes some of the top musicians in Brazilian jazz today, a veritable who’s who of heavyweights, such as Helio Alves, Teixeira, Nilson Matta, Mauricio Zottarelli, Duduka da Fonseca and Itaiguara Brandao. Podcast 545 is my conversation with Sergio, who spoke with me while setting up his new home in Valencia, Spain, Musical selections include “My Girls” and Chega Ai", both of which features the killer rhythm section of Alves, Matta and da Fonseca; and the the more intimate “Ela.”   

With the whole world’s eyes trained on Rio for the Summer Olympics, it should come as no surprise to readers of that I’m thinking about Brazilian music. Here in America we think primarily of Bossa Nova and Samba, but I also enjoy more esoteric genres like Choro, Forro, and Tropicalissmo. The release last month of two new CDs from Brazilian artists that were not previously on my radar was cause for celebration here at SNC, and the next two podcasts will feature my conversations with saxophonist Livio Almeida and guitarist Sergio Pereira. Livio Almeida is Brazilian saxophone/woodwinds player and composer/arranger. He received his Bachelor in Classical Saxophone in Brasilia, Brazil, and received his second degree at The City College of New York with a BFA in Jazz Performance. You may have heard him in his role in the O’Farrill Brothers Band, or for his solos on recent releases by Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. He also directs a 10 piece band, the only one of its kind in the USA, a “dectet" dedicated to perform large ensemble Brazilian music, with regular residencies at the traditional Zinc Bar and Iridium Jazz Club in New York. Action & Reaction is his second CD as a bandleader, and features his working quartet of Vitor Gonçalves on piano, Eduardo Belo on bass, and Zack O’Farrill on drums. Adam O’Farrill drops in to lend a hand on trumpet as well. Podcast 544 is my conversation with Livio, as we discuss the differences in “Latin Jazz” and “Brazilian Jazz”, what went into his latest CD, and where he plans to take his music next. Musical selections include “Mercado en Domingo" from Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Grammy winning The Offense of the Drum, as well as “Living in the Dark”, “Those (Not So Infant) Eyes”, and the title track “Action & Reaction.”

At the turn of the millennium, saxophonist Chico Freeman left the US for Europe, and embarked on a multi-year journey of exploration, both of music and his soul. He traveled across the continent and to Africa, playing music with different types of musicians, and in different genres.  Quite frankly, he was missed. He hasn't been to the US in quite a while to play,and a player, performer and composer of his stature is not someone we can lose lightly. The son of the great Von Freeman, he was mentored by his Dad and the likes of George Lewis and the members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. From there he has tackled almost any musical style he wanted - playing the blues; funking it up as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section; and leading his own groups through dozens of memorable sessions. Now he's back. In May he released a fine new CD, Spoken Into Existence, with a 4-tet of mostly European musicians. It finds Chico in a gentle, lyrical mood, as he performs five compositions in honor of each of his daughters, among other originals. He wowed them with his Plus-Tet at Dizzy's Coca-Cola earlier this Spring, and now he's on a rare West Coast swing. If you are a left coast jazz fan, don't miss him. Podcast 543 is our conversation, and it's a memorable one. He talks about the new CD, his approach to writing, and tells a few great stories about growing up in a household always full of music. Musical selections from  Spoken Into Existence include "Nia's Quest", Stanley Turrentine's blues "Soft Pedal Blues" and "India Blue".

Dead & Company have been playing stadium shows this summer, but clearly, something is missing from their presentation of the music of the Grateful Dead. Let's pause for a moment and remember that today would have been Jerry Garcia’s 74th birthday, and like so many other fans, I'll spend a few moments contemplating his music. Maybe a few "Scarlet Begonia/Fire on the Mountain" and "Dark Star" tracks are in the cards. How about a "Ripple" as well? Named after composer Jerome Kern, Garcia was a student of American music, whether it was bluegrass, show tunes or the blues. Jerry had a love of jazz, and while the Dead themselves did not dip into the jazz canon all that often, Jerry’s side projects gave him a chance to show his jazz chops. Click here to listen to a recording of Milt Jackson’s “Bag’s Groove” from the 1998 release So What from Garcia and mandolin player David Grisman. Other members of the band were Joe Craven on percussion, Matt Eakle on flute and Jim Kerwin on bass. The latest edition of the GarciaLive project was released last month, and featured Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders live at the Lion's Share on July 5, 1973. Filled with the typical wide variety of tunes (Motown, Country-Rock, Fifties R&B) it also features a fascinating version of "My Funny Valentine", showing that Garcia could reach into the Great AMerican Songbook as well. Check it out here,  

The Newport Jazz Festival continues to reinvent itself from year to year, and attendees at the Festival at Fort Adams State Park Friday, July 29 to Sunday July31 will get a chance to see and hear music from a veritable plethora of musical genres. It’s truly rare, in these days when “Jazz Festivals” are often “jazz” in name only, to be able to celebrate the latest groundbreaking acts and the most venerable classic groups in the same 72 hours. Last year saw promoters George Wein and Danny Melnick expanded the Festival to include a Friday slate of up and coming or avant-garde leaning musicians, ensuring the Festival will remain relevant. In addition, the intimate Storyville allowed solo piano and other instruments for those seeking refuge from larger stages across the compound. As you’ll hear in my conversation with Danny Melnick, acts that allow even the hardest core jazzbo to find something new and exciting are all over the three-day schedule. Friday features New Orleans funk stars Galactic; today’s “It” musician, Kamasi Washington; and acts often missing from festival bills, like Kneebody, Eric Revis, Sullivan Fortner, Steve Coleman and the Five Elements, and Kris Davis. One of my favorites, Tierney Sutton, brings her After Blue Joni Mitchell Project to Newport as well. Saturday has some of the biggest names of the Festival - Gregory Porter; Chick Corea’s Trilogy with Christian McBride and Brian Blade; Anglique Kidjo; and a highly anticipated performance of Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction by the Bad Plus. Crowd pleasers like the John Scofield/Joe Lovano Quartet; Monty Alexander Harlem-Kingston Express; and the Butler, Bernstein & The Hot 9 project are set for the stages, as are the latest projects from veterans Stefon Harris and Dave Liebman. And don’t miss the Festival debut of The Hot Sardines! Sunday wraps things up in style, with headliners like the Charles Lloyd New Quartet with Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland; last year’s sensation Jose James, crossover star Robert Glasper and his Experiment; Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s Stretch Music and a return set from Kamasi Washington. Several of our finest musicians are here with their latest groups: Potter, Holland, Loueke and Harland; Anat Cohen's Clarinet Re-Imagined; the Kenny Barron Trio and bassist Ben Williams & Sound Effect with Gilad Hekselman and Christian Sands. For those who follow this blog, the appearance by west coast brass musicians The Westerlies will be a must-hear. Danny Melnick takes you through the festival with hints on who to see and why he booked them in Podcast 542. Musical selections from acts you’ll catch at the Festival include: “Qb4r“ – Eric Revis “Final Thought“ – Kamasi Washington “Hey Laura” – Gregory Porter (a live version from a BB2 recording earlier this month) “Ghetto Walk” – Robert Glasper featuring Bilal “Dreams“ – Kenny Barron

It would be easy to dismiss The Hot Sardines as a nostalgia novelty act, coming across like Jazz Age Hipsters. But that would be a mistake. A BIG mistake. Like other acts that have come to prominence in the past few years – think Lake Street Dive for example – they have incorporated older sounds and sensibilities into something very contemporary, and at times, downright exciting. Remember when Jazz WAS Pop music? They will help you recall, singing Cole Porter and Robert Palmer side by side. Evan “Bibs” Palazzo and Elizabeth Bougerol lead the group, which has just released their latest CD, French Fries & Champagne, a truly fun romp through a variety of musical styles and sounds. From a straight ahead take on “Running Wild” (immortalized by Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot) to a duet with Alan Cummings (Broadway’s Cabaret and TV’s The Good Wife), to a reimagining of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love”, French Fries & Champagne never fails to bring a tap to your toes and a smile to your face. Palazzo and Ms. Bougerol have strong support from band members Jason Prover (trumpet), Alex Raderman (drums), Nick Myers (saxophone and clarinet), and Mike Sailors (trombone and cornet), and a building reputation as a live act to watch. It’s no wonder they’ve gone from New York Clubs to the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival this coming weekend. More on the Festival later this week. I spoke with Mr. Palazzo and Ms. Bougerol just as French Fries & Champagne was being released. Our conversational topics range from the new CD to the nature of song selection to how the band constructs (and deconstructs) its material. Song selections from the CD include “Running Wild”, “When I Get Low (I Get High”);  and the Title Track.

American Independence Day 2014. We celebrate with cookouts, fireworks and concerts, but often fail to recall the brave words that were written by our forefathers in Philadelphia in 1776: When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury: For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies: For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. The official Straight No Chaser song of Independence Day is Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful". It seems strangely appropriate that we in the 21st century are able to listen to a recording made in the 20th century, featuring a blind African-American man singing a song with lyrics by a white woman (Katherine Lee Bates), with melody based on a 19th century hymn written by a white man (Samuel Ward). Enjoy!

The 39th Freihofer's Jazz Festival will kick off the summer festival season in style at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center this coming weekend. "The Hang" has something for everyone to enjoy, and this year is no exception. Saturday June 25th brings something blue to the Main Stage with Eric Lindell and Shemekia Copeland, before bringing the new (Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah; Joey Alexander) and the old (Pieces of a Dream 40th anniversary tour and a Steps Ahead reunion). The ageless Chaka Khan was forced to cancel her appearance, but the always exciting Isley Brothers will bring their mix of R&B, Funk and Rock to end the evening.The Gazebo Stage will showcase some of today’s best jazz musicians, with sets from the criminally underrated Vincent Herring & the Kings of Swing (featuring Mike LeDonne, David Williams & Carl Allen); singer Karrin Allyson; and relative newcomers Jamison Ross and Elio Villafranca. Sunday’s Main Stage offerings are full of treats for hardline jazz fans: Chick Corea’s award-winning Trilogy featuring Christian McBride & Brian Blade; Bria Skonberg Quintet; Pat Martino Organ Trio plus Horns; and singer Lizz Wright. Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen will bring some New Orleans piano soul to Saratoga, and the man once called “the Greatest Living American Poet” by none other than Bob Dylan (supposedly) - Smokey Robinson - will end the festival in style.  I’m very high on the Sunday Gazebo lineup of up-and-coming stars – pianist Aaron Diehl; singer Alicia Olatuja;  the Skonberg Quintet; and a performance of “LaFayette Suite” featuring Walter Smith III & Laurent Coq. Impresario Danny Melnick and I talked about the festival bookings and what to look for over the weekend in Podcast 540. Musical selections include tunes from Pieces of a Dream ("Fo-Fi-Fo"), Vincent Herring ("Soul Leo"), Lizz Wright ("Coming Home") and Aaron Diehl ("Kat's Dance").

2016 has been a good year for jazz films, from the biopics on Miles Davis and Chet Baker to documentaries like I Called Him Morgan. The latest addition is Adam Kahan’s The Case of the Three Sided Dream, a documentary on the life and times of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Released in early May on just recently available on iTunes, and had a special screening at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas last week. Rahsaan Roland Kirk(1935-1977) was one of several jazz artists – think of John Coltrane, Albert Ayler and Eric Dolphy – who in many ways created the Sixties’ image of the jazz artist as spiritual leader. A seminal figure in the Avant-Garde, he pioneered the use of circular breathing to play as many as three saxophones simultaneously. Blind from birth, he discovered and integrated unusual instruments into his sound, including the nose flute and siren. Ridiculed as much as revered by the general audience, many found Kirk’s onstage theatrics and dress merely window-dressing, rather than components of his complex persona. He was a man of intense will, who not only followed his own muse musically, but had a cutting wit and a strong sense of politics. It was this kind of will that allowed him to overcome a stroke at the age of 40, returning to the stage playing with one hand. A second stroke felled him at the age of 42. Filmmaker Adam Kahan has labored over the film for more thana dozen  years, leaving the project and returning a number of times. The Case of the Three Sided Dream premiered at the 2014 South by Southwest film festival and went on to win Best Documentary at the 2015 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, as well as Best Documentary at the 2015 Soundtrack Cologne festival in Cologne, Germany. It was also named one of the top ten music documentaries of 2014 by Nonfics.com. While The Case of the Three Sided Dream is his first feature, he has also made a number of short documentaries on contemporary visual artists that have played on national television and in festivals internationally I believe the film will go a long toward establishing Kirk as the major musical visionary he truly became. Packed with electrifying archival footage of Kirk and his music, intimate interviews, and inspired animated sequences, the film allows us a rare chance to get into the world of this legend. It’s no wonder that almost forty years after his death, his influence is still being felt, and his compositions continue to be played. Podcast 539 is my conversation with Adam Kahan, featuring musical selections from the inimitable Rahssan Roland Kirk, including "Kirk's Works", "Blue Roi", "Serende to a Cuckoo" and "The Inflated Tear". 

This will be short, and to the point - Chick Corea is having a special birthday, and this is my card to him. Those who read this blog know that it was the music of Chick Corea, first with Return to Forever, and then moving backward in time, with Stan get, that was my first step intot he world of jazz. Check out this posting for more on this. But with Chick turning 75, I wanted to give you all an hour plus of his music, which comes so varied, with so many different collaborators, that I barely scratched the surface of his work with this Podcast. But dig in, and I'm sure you will find music that moves you. Selections for Podcast 538, "Chick Corea @ 75", include: Return to Forever - "Spain" Chick Corea - "Armando’s Rhumba" Chick Corea & Gary Burton - "Hot House" Chick Corea Elektric Band II - "Blue Miles" Corey, Clarke & White - "Senor Mouse" Chick Corea - "Windows" Corea- McBride-Ballard - "Fingerprints" Chick Corea & Origin - "Wigwam" Chick Corea & Hiromi - "Do Mo (Children’s Song #12)" Chick Corea & Friends - "Bud Powell"  

 Short Stories is more than an album title for the latest release from Dominick Farinacci, it’s the overriding theme of a diverse collection of material. The trumpeter has assembled an all-star band as his core collaborators – Larry Goldings on piano, organ and celesta; Christian McBride on double bass; Steely Dan and fusion veterans Steve Gadd on drums and Dean Parks on guitar; and two of the most sought out session men around in Jamey Haddad on percussion, and Gil Goldstein on accordion. Produced by the man who brought us George Benson’s Breezin’, Tommy LiPuma, the album contains wide ranging sounds, song selections and textures.  Trumpeter Farinacci has spent much of his time over the past few years in Qatar and Abu Dhabi as a Global Ambassador from Jazz at Lincoln Center. The experiences have broadened his musical palate, and tunes like “Doha Blues”, with its Middle Eastern shadings and Lebanese vocalizing from Mike Massy show his growth. He’ll reinterpret pop tunes as varied as Tom Waits’ “Soldiers Things”, Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and the Gipsy Kings’ “Bamboleo” with jazz sensibilities, and recalls his musical hero Louis Armstrong on “Black Coffee”.  LiPuma and Farinacci share a Midwestern background, growing up in the Cleveland suburbs. Farinacci moved on to Juilliard on the strength of his appearances with Wynton Marsalis’ Big Band, and has been working mostly with his own band since. Short Stories is his most mature statement to date, and bodes well for the future.  Podcast 536 is my conversation with Dominick, in which we discuss the new record, his times in the Middle East, and his strong support for a number of causes, including supporting returning veterans and the Music & Wellness movement. Musical selections from Short Stories include “Doha Blues”,"Sunshine of Your Love", and "Black Coffee".

The working jazz musician has to wear many different musical hats, sometimes more than one at a time, If that were taken literally, Mac Gollehon would have difficulty walking through any doorway in New York without knocking a few fedoras off the top of his head. His career has taken him from the Latin Jazz Big Bands and Orchestras of Ray Barretto, Héctor Lavoe,  Hilton Ruiz, Larry Harlow, and Charlie Palmieri, to a nine year tenure with Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy band, to studio sessions with David Bowie (Let’s Dance), Duran Duran, Chic, and Mick Jagger. In all, Gollehon can be heard on over 100 gold and platinum and double platinum records. Bet you didn’t know that. This extraordinary cross-section of experience allows him to release his 9th CD, Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics, an intriguing hybrid of Latin Jazz, Caribbean sounds, Hot Jazz and Electronic Dance Music (EDM). While tunes like “No More Drama” and “Exito Obscuridad” sound like club-shaking anthems, his jazz sensibilities show through on “'Il Aceite” and “Elegancia.” There is something for everyone here. Podcast 535 is my conversation with Mac, as we discuss the recording process of the new CD, and he recalls with great humor and pathos his past meetings and recordings with legends like Lavoe, Lester Bowie, Woody Shaw, Miles Davis and David Bowie. That’s Mac’s trumpet solo in the introduction to the title track. Musical selections from Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics include “No More Drama” and “Amor Tragico”, as well as David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and an unreleased recording of Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy performing “Good Morning Heartache” from the Deutschen Jazz Festival in Frankfurt, Germany; October 22, 1999. That entire recording �can be found at Big O's ROIO page on the web, 

Carla Bley turns 80 years old today. Her various creative incarnations - composer, band leader, side person, singer – have all been at the highest level, and she shows no sign of stopping now. So let us now praise Carla Bley. She entered the jazz consciousness as a composer. Encouraged by her first husband, pianist Paul Bley, she wrote strong compositions that were quickly recorded by the likes of Jimmy Guiffre, Don Ellis, George Russell, and most memorably, the Paul Bley Quintet on Barrage. Buoyed by that success, she became an integral part of the Jazz Composers Guild, a musical “think tank” that for ten years was a catalyst for the avant-garde, beginning in the mid-60’s. With trumpeter Michael Mantler, Ms. Bley helped create the Jazz Composers Guild Orchestra, which featured innovative soloists like Pharaoh Sanders, Don Cherry, Larry Coryell, and Cecil Taylor. On her own, she wrote, played organ and piano and conducted Gary Burton’s seminal A Genuine Tong Funeral, an album that predated Bitches Brew as jazz-rock fusion. It was with the Jazz Composers Guild Orchestra that Carla’s most ambitious work was realized – the “chronotransduction” known as Escalator over the Hill, a collaboration with Paul Haines and Mantler. Something of a jazz opera, it took three years to record, finally appearing in 1971 as a 3-record box set with extensive lyrics and liner notes. It is hard today to realize the impact this work had on the music scene, bringing together seemingly disparate genres like European art music and cabaret; free jazz; Indian raga; and improvisatory rock. Artists from Jack Bruce and Linda Ronstadt, to John McLaughlin, Charlie Haden, Gato Barbieri, Roswell Rudd, Paul Motian and of course Ms. Bley and Mantler, brought a difficult and sometimes thrilling score to life. One of the few jazz recordings to catch the eye of Rolling Stone magazine, Jonathan Cott wrote in those pages that the album was “an international musical encounter of the first order.” The next year, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition. Whether she was working with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra; dabbling in rock (Jack Bruce, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Golden Palominos) ; or collaborating with long-time companion Steve Swallow the music she makes could never be pigeon-holed in type or genre, more so than perhaps any artist since Duke Ellington. The albums that she released under her name were constantly shifting sounds – Big Bands, Trios, Sextets and Duets. She re-interprets and reimagines her old work with grace, and continues to write and perform new work of the highest order, often in a keyboard style that is uniquely her own. She continues her satisfying relationship with ECM with the release today of Andando el Tiempo, a trio record with Swallow and one of her favorite saxophonists, Andy Sheppard. It shows an artist still growing, still exploring, still a joy to discover. Let’s celebrate the creative work of Carla Bley with Podcast 537, featuring music selected from the body of work that bears her name as bandleader, including: Carla Bley and Her Remarkable Big Band - "Greasy Gravy" Carla Bley Trio - "Andando el tiempo: Camino al Volv" Carla Bley - "Sing Me Softly of the Blues" Carla Bley and Steve Swallow - "Walking Batteriewoman" Carla Bley and the Lost Chords Quartet - "Three Banana" Carla Bley - "The Girl Who Cried Champagne Parts 1-3" Carla Bley Big Band - "Who Will Rescue You?" Carla Bley Sextet - "Healing Power" Carla Bley - "Nothing"          

Talking with Brian Bromberg can be like drinking from a fire hose. Ask him a question that he fins interesting, and he is off on a lengthy, usually fascinating answer. For that reason, I broke our conversation into two podcasts. Part 2 of Podcast 532 focuses on his lengthy discography, and the slew of projects he has planned for the near future. Bromberg has never stayed with one genre for long. Among my favorites from his catalogue are the highly electric tributes to Jaco Pastorious (Portrait of Jaco) and Jimi Hendrix (Plays Jimi Hendrix) , both of which manage to convey the great sense of wonder and mystery these two ground-breaking artists brought to their music, without trying to mimic or copy their classic licks. A polar opposite is the highly intimate Hands, a collection of double-bass solos on classic tunes from the past and present. Somewhere in between sit his Metal albums, where he plays electric bass (both piccolo and regular). As a budding bass player, I also took the time to ask Brian’s advice for young bass players, and generously gave some very good advice. Check it out. Musical selections for the Podcast includes a piccolo bass version of "Teen Town" from Portrait of Jaco;  “King of Pain” (Hands);and an exciting take on “Voodoo Chile” (Plays Jimi Hendrix).

April 30th is the day set aside as International Jazz Day around the world.  Beginning in 2012, UNESCO set aside the day as a celebration of “the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people.” I was fortunate enough to attend the first International Jazz Day concert on the floor of the United Nations that year. It was a fabulous event, bringing talent form across the globe onstage for memorable performances. Click here for my review of the event. The past few years have had celebratory concerts in Istanbul, Turkey; Osaka, Japan; and Paris, France. The 2016 blow-out will take place in Washington, D.C. Our nation’s capital will join with towns, cities and villages in over 190 countries on all 7 continents to observe International Jazz Day through thousands of performances and programs. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host the 5th anniversary International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at the White House on April 29th, broadcast the next day as a one-hour primetime ABC television special, “Jazz at the White House,” on Saturday evening, April 30th and streamed on the United Nations, UNESCO, U.S. State Department and White House websites. Among those scheduled to appear in D.C. are pianists Joey Alexander, John Beasley (Music Director), Kris Bowers, Chick Corea, Robert Glasper, Herbie Hancock, Danilo Pérez and Chucho Valdés; trumpeters Terence Blanchard, Till Brönner, Hugh Masekela and James Morrison; vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jamie Cullum, Kurt Elling, Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves and Sting; saxophonists Eli Degibri, David Sánchez, Wayne Shorter and Bobby Watson; bassists Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding and Ben Williams; guitarists Buddy Guy, Lionel Loueke, Pat Metheny and Lee Ritenour; drummers Brian Blade, Terri Lyne Carrington and Kendrick Scott; percussionist Zakir Hussain; trombone player Trombone Shorty; and the Rebirth Brass Band. Here at Straight No Chaser, it is our tradition to celebrate International Jazz Day by giving you an hour plus of uninterrupted jazz from artists who hail from the four corners of the earth. It’s a delight to see that performers like Anat Cohen, born in Israel, brilliantly play Brazilian music, while artists from Africa and South America are playing American jazz with their own unique twists and turns. Enjoy Podcast 53_, featuring music from artists including: Avishai Cohen (Israel) - “Muhammad’s Market” Anat Cohen (Israel) - “Beatriz” Abdullah Ibrahim (South Africa) - “Soweto" Vijay Iyer (India) and Wadada Leo Smith (USA) - “Passage” Marcos Varela (Brazil) - “Colinas de Santa Maria” Gato Barbieri (Argentina) -  “Gato Gato” Joachim Kuhn Trio (Germany) - “Blues for Pablo” Tee Mac (Nigeria) - “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Key” Hiromi (Japan) - “What Will Be, Will Be” Darren Barrett (Canada) featuring Warren Wolf (USA) - “The Club Up the Street” Ferenc Snetberger (Hungary) - “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” Cyrille Aimee (France) - “T’es Beau To Sais”  Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gl (Brazil) - 'Tropicalia" Esbjorn Swensson Trio (Sweden) - "Viaticum"

Brian Bromberg’s latest CD, Full Circle, truly lives up to his name. The long-time bass player has been virtually absent from the public for the past four years, as he recovers from a serious back injury the required extensive physical therapy. Now he returns to recorded music, not only playing his trademark piccolo bass (among the many he uses), but also playing drums, the instrument upon which he first cut his musical teeth. Bromberg also takes the opportunity to finally play in a combo with his late father. His Dad – a talented drummer on the East Coast scene who left the big time behind after World War II – never played with Brian during his lifetime, but by overdubbing a bass line onto an old acetate recording, Bromberg finally makes a long-time dream of his come true on two tracks. Bromberg is often grouped into the “smooth jazz sound”, despite lengthy time in the Stan Getz band in the past, The new CD is full of moments that move beyond any one genre, whether it is the Latin Jazz of “Havana Nights” (playfully subtitled “Havana Nagillah”), the straight-ahead sound of “Bernie’s Bop” or the funky cover of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” And as always, there is that piccolo bass, making Bromberg sound as if he were playing electric guitar with the best of them. Podcast 532 is the first of two podcasts with bassist Bromberg. The first part of our conversation centers on his gear and sound, plus the stories behind the new album. Musical selections include “Jazz Me Blues”, “Bernie’s Bop” and “Havana Nights (Havana Nagillah).” The second part of our talk will appear later in the week and will focus on his earlier work and musical progress,

Artist-run organizations are a new and successful trend in the jazz world, and Rob Garcia has been a major force in this new way for jazz to continue and thrive. He is the founder and executive director of an artist-run, non-profit organization called Connection Works, which presents world-class jazz performances and educational events to the Brooklyn community. He is a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, an association of independent artists with a shared commitment to creativity and community. He was also a founding member of the Douglass Street Music Collective, an artist-run rehearsal and performance space, featuring some of New York’s most creative and cutting edge musicians/composers. A top composer, arranger, drummer and band leader, Garcia has released a number of top CDs: Place of Resonance, which features Dave Kikoski and Mike Formanek; Heart's Fire; Perennial with Noah Preminger, Dan Tepfer, and Chris Lightcap; and his latest release, finding love in an oligarchy on a dying planet. This presciently titled album features Preminger, Gary Versace and Masa Kamaguchi, with guest spots from the likes of Joe Lovano, Kate McGarry and Brendan Burke. With song titles as startling as “terror, fear and media” and “guns make killing easy,” you might expect a dissonant, atonal work. Nothing could be further form the truth. In fact, the CD begins with a fairly straight reading of Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer”. While he works intriguing rhythms and drum fills into the tunes, they remain accessible, primarily due to Preminger’s tenor playing. Kate McGarry’s vocals lend a welcome touch to two strong tunes with positive messages, “people are everything” and “the journey is the destination.” The band is tight throughout, and I particularly enjoyed the integration of Kamaguchi’s basslines in a number of tunes. Podcast 530 is my conversation with Rob Garcia, as we talk about the new CD, the Brooklyn Jazz Underground label where he has thrived, and the many artists for whom he has been the main man behind the drum kit. Musical selections from the new CD include “Greenland is turning green”, “the journey is the destination” and the title track, plus "String and Poise" from a previous release, The Drop and the Ocean.  

As an English major at Clark University (Class of '77) I spent many a fond moment with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Virginia Vaughan discussing the Immortal Bard, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare's birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23, St. George's Day. He was born 452 years ago today. And whither, you might ask, does this great writer intersect with Jazz? Look no further than the 1964 album by Cleo Laine, Shakespeare and All That Jazz, arranged and written for her by her husband, Sir John Dankworth. Dankworth adapted sonnets and portions of the plays to create an artistically satisfying work. Many of the tunes are written by Dankworth, but he also picks from the Ellington-Strayhorn canon for "My Love is as a Fever (Sonnet 147)" a portion of the suite they composed entitled Such Sweet Thunder. Of particular interest are the tracks which feature Kenny Wheeler on trumpet. For those interested in an updated take on this album, check out Christina Drapkin's version.

 One of the astounding things that we realize when we contemplate the musical legacy of Prince (1958-2016) is that while he passed away at the age of 57, he had written and recorded music since he was 17. Those forty years of wildly exciting, innovative, profane, uplifting music will be with us always, and we are once again left wondering what might have come as he continued his evolving career. In December 2013, my wife Nancy and I had the chance to get as up close and personal with Prince as I had ever hoped. We had purchased tickets to see his concert at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut (Esperanza Spalding, opening act) and had possibly the most distant seats you could have in that arena. However, minutes before the show started, a representative of His Royal Purpleness came through the nosebleed seats and upgraded us to the second row. A miracle! We spent that evening dancing to the hottest band I’ve ever seen. More than a dozen or more musicians filled the stage, from a choreographed horn section to a hard rock trio, always with Prince in the lead. If he left out a tune that I wanted to hear, I can’t recall it. The years of keeping a low profile had done nothing to slow Prince down; he looked remarkably youthful for his age, and his moves and grooves were as in step as ever. It was truly, as the band sang, a beautiful night.  And now, just as he was returning to relevance, he is gone. His song “Baltimore” released almost a year ago, was one of the few major musical artists’ comments on the unrest in the city and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. He had released two CDs since September 2015, and had been  touring to rave reviews again. As is the custom here at Straight No Chaser, non-jazz artists are celebrated or memorialized with a “Jazzin’ On…” podcast, featuring jazz artists performing their versions of his or her tunes. Past Podcasts like this include honoring Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Radiohead, George Harrison, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and more. Podcast 533 is my tribute to Prince, featuring the following jazz artists and their versions of songs he wrote: Peter Bernstein – “1999” Herbie Hancock – “Thieves in the Temple” Jimmy Scott – “Nothing Compares 2 U” Fareed Haque/Mike Cain – “When 2 R in Love” Bob Belden featuring Tsidii Le Loka – “Little Red Corvette” Miles Davis – “Movie Star” Joshua Redman – “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?” Bob Belden featuring Tsidii Le Loka – “Purple Rain”

One of my favorite holidays is the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover As the first Seder is tonight, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses, I've gone into the category of music that was called "Negro Spirituals" when I was in school, and picked "Go Down Moses" Versions of the song seem to go back to 1862, when it was called "Oh! Let My People Go (The Song of the Contrabands)". The openign verse was published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872. It's easy to see the coded message in the lyrics - "Israel" in the lyrics stands in for African-Americans oppressed by slavery and recism, and "Egypt" as their oppressors. The seminal recording of the song is likely Paul Robeson's version from 1958, which became a rallying cry for those fighting for civil rights in the American South. Click here to listen to Louis Armstrong's version of the spiritual, taken from his Louis and the Good Book album. Armstrong recorded the song in February 1959 with Sy Oliver's Orchestra. Armstrong had jsut finished his popular Porgy & Bess album with Ella Fitzgerald, and entered the studio to record a series of spirituals and religious-tinged music. Among those in the band were Trummy Young on trombone, Hank D'Amico and Nicky Tagg on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano and Barrett Deems on drums. In Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong   biographer Terry Teachout quotes an outspoken Armstrong as being a great friend of the Jewish people, who he felt gave him a break in his youth when his fellow African-Americans would not. He wore a Star of David around his neck for most of his life.

The many musicians who are today identified as veterans of the “Smalls scene” of the 1990’s are truly coming of age. The influential Greenwich Village jazz club was the launching pad twenty plus years ago for some of the top improvisers and composers of today, including Jason Linder, Mark Turner, Avishai Cohen (both the trumpeter and the bassist), Kurt Rosenwinkel, Guillermo Klein, Omar Avital, Seamus Blake and Peter Bernstein. Daniel Freedman backed many of these players on drums and percussion, and with the release of Imagine That, he is firmly establishing himself as a leader and composer in his own right. Born and raised in New York City to a musical family, in high school he studied with master drummers Max Roach, Billy Higgins and Vernel Fournier. Later, he traveled to study drumming in West Africa, Cuba and the Middle East, forging his own unique approach to drumming.  Those who have enjoyed Freedman’s work as a member of Anat Cohen’s band or the collective Third World Love will find much to enjoy in his third CD under his own name. Working with a dream band of Lionel Loueke, Lindner, Avital, and Gilmar Gomes, the sound of Imagine That is a wonderful mix of electric jazz, world beat and dance music.  There is real joy in these tracks, whether from Linder’s shifting soundscapes, Loueke’s crying guitar or the percussive interplay of Avital, Freedman and Gomes. Add to it a guest vocal from Freedman’s former boss Angelique Kidjo, and Imagine That earns the wonder the encompasses its name in spades. Podcast 531 is my conversation with Daniel Freedman, as we discuss the making of the CD, and his adventures playing with Anat Cohen, Third World Love and other members of the burgeoning Anzic label. Music selections from Imagine That include "Determined Soul", "Eastern Elegy" and "The Sisters Dance" plus "Lilia“ from Anat Cohen’s Luminosa and “The Immigrant's Anthem (Sad Song)“ from Third World Love’s CD Songs and Portraits.  

  David Fiuczynski is not your typical guitar hero. Usually playing his double-necked guitar – the lower fretted, the upper fretless – he is capable of making a roaring sound when he wants, but more often he is interested in microtonality. He writes and plays non-western scales that can have exponentially more notes and sounds than the classic 12 tone chromatic octave we all learned in school. In 2012, RareNoise Records released a statement CD, Planet MicroJam that let us all listen in to what “Fuze” was doing at the Berklee College of Music, as director of its Planet MicroJam Institute. A year earlier, he had been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and had begun working on the project that eventually became Flam! Blam! Pan-Asian MicroJam! Inspired equally by the 20th century French classical composer Olivier Messiaen and innovative beat-maker J Dilla, the seven movements that make up the bulk of the CD allow him to craft an exciting musical statement that connects Messiaen’s birdcall compositions with J DIllas’s beats and field recordings ofl bird sounds, filtered through microtonal sounds recalling Gagaku, the ancient court music of Japan, and other Pan-Asian ingredients. This is not easy listening, but this is rewarding, and at times exciting, listening. Fiuczynski is joined on his latest release by former Microjam Institute students Utar Artun on microtonal keyboard, Yazhi Guo on suona (Chinese oboe) and percussion, Helen Sherrah-Davies on violin, Jack Sherman on microtonal keyboard, Justin Schornstein on bass and Alex Bailey on drums. And in a reprise of their collaboration on Gamak a few years back, Rudresh Mahanthappa joins on three tracks with his alto sax. Podcast 529 is my conversation with David Fiuczynski, where he explains his interest in microtonality, how Flam! Blam! came to be, and what he learns from his students at Berklee. Musical selections from the CD include “Flam”, “Loon-y Tunes”, “Oiseaux JDillique", and one tune that Mahanthappa played on, "UiraHappy Jam." A CD release event for the album will take place at Shapeshifter Lab in New York with special guest Rudresh Mahanthappa on April 14.     

If you go to the New York Clubs, you’ve probably seen Tony Lustig capably filling the Baritone Sax chair in Big Bands lead by the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Arturo O'Farrill, Gerald Wilson and, George Gee, amongst others. The release of his quintet album, Taking Flight, allows us to see another side of this talented musician. Lustig has wisely surrounded himself with top musicians, with whom he shares roots from his days at Michigan State and Julliard. The rhythm section - Samora Pinderhughes (piano), Ben Williams (bass), and Ulysses Owens (drums) – is rock steady, and allows the wide variety of tunes to swing, strut or funk along. The unusual pairing of Lustig’s bari (or sometimes bass clarinet) with Michael Dease’s trombone shows off the strong melodies Lustig has written with an entirely different sonic palette than the more traditional alto sax or trumpet. Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Tony was introduced to the world of music through the violin, but when his school failed to offer a strong music program, he took up the alto sax his sister had abandoned. Eventually, this lead to a transition from alto to baritone saxophone, spurred on by his love of the sound and music of Gerry Mulligan.  Like so many other youngsters playing around Detroit over the past four decades he was mentored by, and played with, such local greats as the late Marcus Belgrave and Rodney Whitaker. Podcast 528 is my conversation with Tony, as we talk about his writing style, how he hopes to expand jazz to a larger audience, and his current projects, which includes a Horn Band a la Chicago or Tower of Power with an Indie Rock flavor. Musical selections from Taking Flight include “Change is Comin’”, “Fraytown” (in honor of his hometown in the Detroit suburbs), “Prometheus” and “Burning Grease.”

In 2016, it is safe to say that there are jazz festivals, and then there are jazz festivals. Many events slap the word “jazz” in the title, even though the acts they are presenting may only peripherally have anything to do with jazz – Blues, R&B and Classic Soul headliners are all too common. Other jazz festivals are narrow in their presenting scope – think the smooth jazz and soul jazz that gets presented each winter in the popular Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, Pennsylvania. There is nothing wrong with that festival – in fact, it gets bigger and better every year – but it does not present the kind of cross-section or overview that a modern jazz festival should have.  And there is less curating at festivals as time goes on. To me, that means that the acts are those who are on tour and are making a stop at this particular venue, rather than acts that are coming specifically for this festival, to play especially themed shows, or to match up with new and different talent. Detroit has done this exceedingly well with their “Artist in Residence” program, bringing in a jazz giant to play in a number of different musical configurations and styles over four days. Lastly, should the 2016 jazz festival be a weekend at a gated location – think Newport, Monterey, or Saratoga – or should it be let loose across multiple venues in a city, as in Burlington, Vermont, and to a lesser extent, Detroit? I offer up the PDX Jazz Festival as perhaps the best of all worlds. The 13th annual festival, held in Portland, Oregon, just completed a highly successful ten plus days of entertainment in and around the City of Roses. The event showcases local talent as well as brings in world-caliber players. This year the thematic thread that ran through the festival was the 90thbirthday anniversary of John Coltrane, with curated events that honored his work. As a result, PDX presented the likes of Ravi Coltrane in “Universal Consciousness”, a tribute to his mother Alice Coltrane with bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Geri Allen, harpist Brandee Younger, and drummer Andrew Cyrille.; and Africa/Brass in concert under the direction of Portland Jazz Master Charles Gray, with featured solos by Coltrane. The closing night of the festival may have shown what it does best - three contemporary saxophonists in “The Saxophone Summit Supreme” to play final odes to Coltrane, channeling the spirit of the early 2000s group Saxophone Summit. The collective covered multiple generations, including Jimmy Greene, Devin Phillips, and JD Allen, with backing piano by Orrin Evans. Veteran publicist and jazz lover Don Lucoff is the artistic director of the PDX Jazz Festival, and it was a pleasure to pick his brain as to the ins and outs of curating a financially solvent event. Podcast 527 features our conversation and wrap-up of the festival. Musical selections include a track from Portland native Esperanza Spalding’s new CD, “Fear the Funk” and John Coltrane’s classic “Alabama”.  

Leandro (Gato) Barbieri, a Grammy-winning Latin jazz saxophonist known as much for his wildly evolving styles as his trademark black fedora, died this weekend at the age of 83. While Barbieri will likely be known by most music fans for his wildly instrumental score for the film "Last Tango in Paris,” or for his definitive version of Carlos Santana’s “Europa”, jazz fans may remember a more adventurous and avant-garde saxophonist. While he recorded 35 albums, many that defied easy categorization, for me it was the incredibly fruitful period from 1965-1972 that made him special. Barbieri was a key performer and contributor to seminal work by Don Cherry, Carla Bley (Escalator Over the Hill), Charlie Haden (Liberation Music Orchestra), Gary Burton (A Genuine Tong Funeral) and the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra. That work, along with Last Tango in Paris, lead to his record deal with Impulse! Records in 1973, leading to his four “Chapter” recordings. Some of my favorite albums, these allowed him to deeply explore his Latin Roots, reimagining and reinterpreting the music and sounds through his modern saxophone.  While much of his remaining recorded output veered closer to smooth jazz, it was always deeply felt and had his trademark fiery solos. I had the pleasure of booking Gato in 2002 at the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, just as he had begun a return from recording exile and health issues. Having difficulty with his sight and braving a rain-soaked stage,  I took him by the elbow to the center of the stage, where he received rapturous applause. And then he played, and age, health, and time all fell away. It was a memorable performance by a memorable jazz man. Click here to listen to Gato Barbieri circa November 5, 1972, courtesy of an unreleased ROIO on Big O World Wide It is a show from Berliner Jazztage in Berlin with a band lead by Gato on sax, Lonnie Liston Smith on keyboards, JF Jenny Clarke on bass, Mandrake on percussions, and Han Bennick on drums.

The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together. Writing a song about celebrating a Christian holiday was not an anomaly for the Jewish composer Berlin. Born in 1888 into a Russian Jewish family who came to New York City to escape religious persecution when he was five years old, Irving Berlin quickly shed his religious roots and fell in love with America. He became an American citizen when he was 29. "Patriotism was Irving Berlin's true religion," writes biographer Laurence Bergreen in As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin (1990). Irving Berlin was "not a religious person," according to his daughter Mary Ellin. Relating the story of Irving's marriage to Ellin Mackay in 1926, whose devout father had a deep reluctance to welcome a "lower-class" Jew into the wealthy Catholic family. Once they had children, Mrs. Berlin did try to keep up a minimal appearance of religious tradition. Mary Ellin writes that her unbelieving parents "had their first bad fight when my mother suggested raising me as a Catholic . . . ." The Berlins had three daughters. "Both our parents," Mary Ellin recalls, "would pass down to their children the moral and ethical values common to all great religions; give us a sense of what was right and what was wrong; raise us not to be good Jews or good Catholics or good whatever else you might care to cite, but to be good (or try to be) human beings. . . . When we grew up, she said, we would be free to choose--if we knew what was best for us, the religion of our husband. . . . It wouldn't quite work out, when we 'grew up,' as my mother hoped. All three of us would share our father's agnosticism and sidestep our husband's faiths." The man who wrote "White Christmas" actually hated Christmas. "Many years later," Mary Ellin writes, "when Christmas was celebrated irregularly in my parents' house, if at all, my mother said, almost casually, 'Oh, you know, I hated Christmas, we both hated Christmas. We only did it for you children.' " Christmas, for Irving Berlin, was not a religious holiday: it was an American holiday. He simply needed a melody in 1940 for a show called Holiday Inn, an escapist "American way of life" musical (when all hell was breaking loose in Europe) which called for a song for each holiday. The words to "White Christmas" are not about the birth of a savior-god: they are about winter, the real reason for the season. Read more about Irving Berlin, religion and patriotism here.

In keeping with the theme of presenting spiritual music performed by jazz artists this week, here is "Crucifixion", a traditional spiritual with a copyright credited to its arranger, Jester Hairston. Hairston (1901-2000) was a prolific composer and arranger of African-American music. In addiiton to dozens of arrangments still in use today, he composed what is now considered a Christmas standard, "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. Seven years later, he penned the universally known "Amen" for Sidney Poitier's film "Lilies of the Valley". That song has gone on to be recorded by hundred of artists, most notably the Impressions in 1964. It's worth pointing out that an up-tempo version of the song, "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons in 1969 had six seconds of its drum solo sampled as what is referred to as the "Amen Break", a sample credited with launching the drum and bass movement, and included in rock, hip-hop and soul tracks for several decades. Click here to listen to David Murray's version of the venerable tune, from the 1988 Spirituals album. Murray recorded this pensive, rather straight ahead (for Murray) version with a quartet including Murray on sax, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson, Jr. on drums.

The fine blog Any Major Dude with Half a Heart (dig that Steely Dan reference) has always gone deep into the crates for goodies, usually of the soul variety. For Holy Thursday, celebrated by Catholics around the world, he has a real winner. Visit his page for David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday". As he says on his blog: Well, it is Holy Thursday, and while this orchestral jazz track might not feed your pieties, it should at least get your toes tapping. That does not mean that the title is irreverent. Axelrod, son of a leftist activist who grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood, wrote and recorded several musical works referencing religion. In 1971 he arranged a jazz-rock interpretation of Handel’s Messiah and in 1993 he titled a work on the Holocaust a “requiem”. I have read that Holy Thursday also featured in Grand Theft Auto V, a game I’ve never played but the soundtracks of which seem quite excellent. Axelrod has had a massive influence on jazz, in particular fusion. He produced legends such as Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley (including his big hit Mercy, Mercy, Mercy), as well as avant gardists The Electric Prunes. For another posting I did on this tune, click here.

Marc Copland’s music career started with a sax, but he’s made his name as a pianist. Hailing from Philadelphia, Copland was a peer of Michael Brecker, and the pair often studied and played together. Copland attended Columbia University, where he eventually landed in the influential Chico Hamilton Quartet, meeting lifetime collaborator John Abercrombie in the process. But Marc put down the sax soon after, and began the process of reinventing himself as a pianist. The results were outstanding. Fifteen long years later he was not only in demand on gigs, but he had begun a recording career that has resulted in more than three dozen releases, most recently with Copland playing a key place in the Gary Peacock Trio and John Abercrombie Quartet. Zenith, his latest CD as a leader, is a quartet session featuring his long-time bassist Drew Gess; drummer Joey Baron; and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. The album is full of musically complex and yet welcoming music. Alessi is in something of a career renaissance right now, having released a fine CD on his own this year, Quiver, and he adds much to Copland’s compositions. One interesting addition is the rarely played Duke Ellington composition, “Mystery Song”, which gets an interesting reading here. Podcast 526 is my conversation with Marc Copland, as we discuss the new album and quartet; and his long-time musical relationships with Drew Gess, Peacock and Abercrombie. Musical selections include three tracks from the new CD - "Waterfalls", Mystery Song" and "Sun at the Zenith" as well as recording with John Abercrombie ("Shadow of a Doubt") and Gary Peacock ("Noh Blues").

The Spring is truly the season of spiritual awakening and celebration. Holy week for those of the Christian faith is underway, coming early on the calendar this year. As a result, the Jewish holiday of Purim, rather than Passover, tis this coming week. The festival of Vaisaki, celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs iis their Spring holiday, just as Theravada, the New Year festival for Theravada Buddhists, is celebrated. Soon will begin the Baha'i festival of Ridvan, and Pagan/Wiccan followers commemorate the end of the Celtic Tree Month Alder and beginning of the Celtic Tree Month of Willow.  It’s a blessing that these festivals of many faiths all come in the early Spring , reminding us of the great similarities and wonderful differences that make up these faiths. In order to celebrate this season of spirituality, I offer my annual podcast of jazz with a spiritual strain running through the tunes in Podcast 525 (previous Podcasts can be found for 2015,  2014,  2013, 2011, and 2010), including: Wynton Marsalis - "Psalm 29" Vibration Society - "Spirits Up Above" Pharoah Sanders - "Prince of Peace" Albert Ayler - "Saints" Mark Weinstein - "Mizmor L'David" Marcus Miller - "The Lord's Prayer" Dirty Dozen Brass Band - "Amazing Grace" Winard Harper - "The Prayer" Kamasi Washington - "Seven Prayers" Kirk Whalum - "Love is the Answer" Wynton Marsalis - "Psalm 29"  

Has there more written-about any jazz legend than has been written about Charles Mingus? A cursory review of the Library of Congress catalog finds seventeen titles about the legendary composer/musician, including the Mingus autobiography Beneath the Underdog . Only Miles Davis and Duke Ellington have had more books written about their lives and storied careers. Krin Gabbard has written an important addition to the Mingus canon with the publication of Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus (University of California Press).  While a portion of the book is a chronological biography of Mingus, much of the book veers off into other areas and topics as a way of explaining the importance of the man and his music. For example, one part of the book focuses on Mingus relationship with the “Third Stream” music movement and his place in jazz history; another focuses on his writings, including his poetry. Gabbard is uniquely qualified to shine these varying lights on the Mingus legend. A trumpet player who wrote Hotter than That: The Trumpet, Jazz, and American Culture, he taught and wrote extensively about the cinema during his full-time academic career. He merged these two loves in writing Jammin’ at the Margins: Jazz and the American Cinema and now teaches in the jazz studies program at Columbia University. For Krin, Mingus is among the most towering figures in 20th century American music. Classicly trained on cello, he moved to jazz music and played with virtually every major figure in the history of jazz, starting with New Orleans legends Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory. He played bass in the “Greatest Jazz Concert Ever” at Massey Hall in Toronto, sharing the stage with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and Max Roach.  He recorded with his father-figure Duke Ellington (Money Jungle) , but also with Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, and helped launch the careers of Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, and  Paul Bley. As a composer and bandleader, his works moved from bebop to blues, from ballet scores to orchestral pieces, from in-your-face civil rights protests to moving elegies. At his death from ALS in 1979, he was working with Joni Mitchell on the album that would eventually be called Mingus. Podcast 52_ is my conversation with Krin Gabbard, as we talk about the importance of Mingus, and Krin delves into topics like the “Angry Man of Jazz” handle that haunted Mingus throughout his career; and what Krin sees as the failures of the Mingus album. Musical selections include Mingus performances “Diane”(Mingus Dynasty), “My Jelly Roll Soul” (Blues and Roots), and "Track B – Duet Solo Dancers" (The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady) plus a track from the Joni Mitchell collaboration, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”.

Fifty years ago today, Wayne Shorter led a quartet into – where else? – Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio in Englewood, New Jersey to finish recording one of his classic albums, Adam’s Apple. Present at the sessions – the title track was recorded on February 3rd and then the rest of the album finished in a second session on February 24th – were Shorter on saxophone; fellow Miles Davis band member Herbie Hancock on piano; Reggie Workman on bass; and Joe Chambers on drums. The album may be best known for having the first recording of the Shorter composition “Footprints”, which has become a jazz standard. The song begins as a straightforward 12-bar minor blues format. However, by the ninth bar of the tune, the harmonics have changed dramatically from the typical 1-4-5 format, part of the reason the tune has become a touchstone for jazz players. A year later, during the recording of Miles Smiles, the tune was revamped in style and meter even more, becoming what one critic called “the first overt expression of systemic, African-based cross-rhythm used by a straight ahead jazz group.” Read more about the tune’s musical structure on Peter Spitzer’s Music Blog.

And now for your edification, a brief history of Valentine’s Day, courtesy ofInfoplease.com: The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends. The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day. Which St. Valentine this early pope intended to honor remains a mystery: according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name. Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270. At this stage, the factual ends and the mythic begins. According to one legend, Claudius II had prohibited marriage for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and put to death. Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius, fell in love with the daughter of his jailer. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine." Probably the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on “Eros” (passionate love) but on “agape” (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. In 1969, the Catholic Church revised its liturgical calendar, removing the feast days of saints whose historical origins were questionable. St. Valentine was one of the casualties. It was not until the 14th century that this Christian feast day became definitively associated with love. According to UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine, it was Geoffrey Chaucer who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In 1381, Chaucer composed a poem in honor of the engagement between England's  Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. As was the poetic tradition, Chaucer associated the occasion with a feast day. In "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are linked: For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate. Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass., began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines. The Valentine’s tradition here at Straight No Chaser is to create a mixtape of sorts for you to share with you special someone.  You can find previous mixtapes from2013, 2012, and 2011 on the website along with 2014's selection, Podcast 410 and 2015's Podcast 464. Podcast 524 features the following tunes:  Will Downing - "This Song is For You" Ronnie Laws - "Tonite's the Night" Vince Guaraldi - "It's De-Lovely" John Hollenback - "(They Long to Be) Close to You Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio - "Theme from 'A Man and a Woman'" Sonny Clark - "Someday My Prince Will Come" George Cables - "Naima's Love Song" Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga - "I Can't Give You ANything But Love" Brian Landrus Trio - "I'm a Fool to Want You" Tord Gustavsen - "The Way You Play My Heart" Charles Lloyd & the Marvels with Norah Jones - "You Are So Beautiful" Gregory Porter - "I Fall in Love Too Easily" Archie Shepp - "My Funny Valentine" Download them all today, and give them as a gift on Sunday!

“The way we listen to music today is broken” With that bold statement, pianist/entrepreneur Elan Mehler explained to me the strategy behind Newvelle Records, a new kind of label with a curated repertoire of new music from some of today’s finest jazz musicians. Released only on highest quality vinyl, each album on the Newvelle label is recorded at East Side Sound in New York City by Grammy-winning engineer Mac Urselli, and mastered at famed mastering house Master Disc. Newvelle release will only be available by a unique subscription arrangement, whereby members will receive one brand new record every two months. They will not be choosing selections from a catalogue, but rather will get the release chosen for the label by Mehler and co-founder Jean-Christophe Morisseau. The first year's membership includes new recordings on vinyl from the following top artists, with the first release later this month: Frank Kimbrough Quintet,  Jack DeJohnette Solo Piano;  Noah Preminger Quartet featuring Ben Monder, John Patitucci and Billy Hart; Don Friedman Trio featuring music from Booker Little's seminal albums which featured Don in 1961:Out Front and Victory and Sorrow; Ben Allison Trio featuring Ted Nash and Steve Cardenas; and Leo Genovese Trio featuring Esperanza Spalding and Jack DeJohnette. Newvelle is also an artist-centric label, as the label pays for all costs of the recording up front, has exclusive rights to the recordings on vinyl only for a few years, and then gives the digital masters to the artist to with what he or she wishes. “Our contract is literally a one pager....I would sign it”, joked Mehler. Those interested in learning more about Newvelle should visit their website or participate in their Kickstarter program through February 14th. Podcast 522 features my conversation with Elan Mehler, as he talks about the lable, the new recordings and where he hopes this business model goes in the future. An exclusive first listen to a track from Jack DeJohnette’s solo piano album ("Ode to Satie") is included, as well as previously released recordings from some of the featured artists, including Frank Kimborough (“Blue Smoke“), and Don Friedman playing with Booker Little (“Man of Words“). Click here to watch a video about the label

Today at 12:08 PM It happens a little earlier on the calendar this year, but the goings on in New Orleans are unmistakable.  Mardi Gras! For those interested in the religious significant, “Mardi Gras” is the term for Fat Tuesday, or more appropriately, Shrove Tuesday (“Shrove” coming from the word “shrive”, or “confess”). Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season begins. In New Orleans, the Mardi Gras celebrations begin on Twelfth Night, the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and carry on through Ash Wednesday. Parades and general madness that precede the actual Mardi Gras Day, mostly on the riverfront area and French Quarter fall under the category of “Lundi Gras.” Nancy and I were in New Orleans a week before Mardi Gras last year, and got swept up in the excitement and general bacchanalia that happens there. We even got to take part in a parade by the Krewe of the Cork, a wine, food and fun themed society that strut their stuff in the French Quarter. Click here for a picture from the 2016 Krewe of the Cork parade last month. The three traditional Mardi Gras colors were selected in 1872 to honor the visiting Russian Grand Duke Romanoff whose house colors were purple, green, and gold. Purple represents justice, green represents faith, and gold represents power. So it’s time to let the good times roll wherever you are, and enjoy Podcast 52_, an hour plus of uninterrupted Mew Orleans themed and styled music, featuring: Pete Fountain – "Walking Through New Orleans" Stanton Moore - "Paul Barbarin's Second Line" The Hot 8 Brass Band - "We Shall Walk Through the Streets of the City" Donald Byrd - "House of the Rising Sun" Wild Bill Davidson - "Big Butter and Egg Man" Dr. John - "Dis, Dat Or D'Udda"  Cyrille Neville - "Swamp Funk" Wycliffe Gordon - "Le Marieur" Davell Crawford - "Ooh Wee Sugar" The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - "I Shall Not Be Moved" Kid Ory & His Creole Jazz Band - "Sugar Foot Stomp" Trombone Shorty - 'In the 6th' Wynton Marsalis - "Uptown Ruler" Aaron Neville - "Meetin' at the Building" Jimmy Smith – “When the Saints Go Marching” For prior year Mardi Gras podcasts, click on the year: 2014; 2013; 2011; 2009

Those who think that jazz-rock fusion is gone should think again. If you listen to Naked Truth’s latest CD, Avian Thug, you would think it never left. Naked Truth is a quartet composed of Lorenzo Feliciati (bass), Graham Haynes (trumpet), Roy Powell (keyboard, organ and synthesizers) and Pat Mastelotto (drums and percussion). All four augment their instruments with electronics and effects, and Feliciati is joined by Bill Laswell in post-production to add subtle but successfully arranged effects. The spirit of Electric-era Miles hangs over the recording, especially the rhythmic complexities and textures of Bitches Brew. But this is no homage, nor does it borrow directly from that legendary recording. Rather, these four top improvisers have created music that captures the heart of that sound, but have made I most definitely their own. Haynes electric trumpet would be the easiest to call “Miles-esque”, but he goes beyond Davis’ legendary high-end stabs with Feliciati, a veteran of six other RareNoise Record releases, takes his bass to a less restrictive and less stereotypical place. Not content to groove along, he moves Podcast 520 is my conversation with Lorenzo as we discuss the varying incarnations of Naked Truth, how the band records (hint – not too many takes!) and the making of his well-received KOI CD. Musical selections include "Dancing with the Demons of Reality" from their CD Ouroboros; and "Lazy Elephant", “Rapid Fire” and the title track from Avian Thug. In addition to my conversation with Lorenzo, I got to spend a few minutes with Pat Mastelotto as he prepared to leave his home in Austin for Europe. Naked Truth is another part of his musical evolution – from being a member of the top pop band Mr. Mister; to studio work with the likes of the Sugarcubes, Hall & Oates and XTC; to holding down a drum seat with some of the most important Progressive Rock bands of the past decades, King Crimson, the Flower Kings and KTU, and the Stick Men. He has played with fusion veterans like Eddie Jobson and Allen Holdsworth, and now anchors the rhythm section of Naked Truth.

Another major musical figure of the 1970’s has left us. Maurice White, the major creative force behind Earth, Wind & Fire, passed away yesterday from complications due to Parkinson’s disease.  His band was one of the few groups of the rock era to successfully mix R&B, funk, jazz and rock into a sound that appealed to listeners of all races. White was born in Memphis in 1941, but moved in Chicago in his teens. There he became the house drummer for Chess Records where he backed artists like Etta James, Muddy Waters, and for the jazz-oriented sublabel Argo, Sonny Stitt. It is his sound that propelled classics like “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass and “Summertime” by Billy Stewart up the charts. In 1966 he joined the highly successful (and former Chess artist) Ramsey Lewis to create the second great Lewis Trio that included Cleveland Eaton on bass. White played on the Grammy Award winning “Hold It Right There”, as well as classics like “Wade in the Water.” He departed the Lewis Trio amicably, and would collaborate with his former boss successfully in the future, contributing his talents to “Sun Goddess” and the Urban Knights albums. In 1969 White moved to Los Angeles with his brother, bass player Verdine White, and two friends and began the process of creating a band that would allow him to mix jazz, R&B and rock. Naming the group after his interest in astrology, Earth, Wind & Fire was moderately successful in their initial carnation, most notably recording the soundtrack to the Black Power film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Rearranging band members and signing with Columbia Records, the band recorded one of its signature tunes, “Power” in 1972, a White composition that stands up well against jazz fusion recordings of the day. The band began chart success in 1973, and by 1975 they had become the first Black group to top the Billboard pop singles and album charts with “Shining Star” and That’s the Way of the World. 90 million records later, the band is among the most successful and honored groups of all time. White left the group after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 1995, but continued to be an integral part of the band’s management and production until his death. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and White joined his bandmates onstage. Earth, Wind & Fire was not without its critics. Funk pioneer George Clinton once dismissed them as “Earth, Too Much Wind, Not Enough Fire.” But artists like Miles Davis described Earth, Wind & Fire as his "all-time favorite band" saying, "they have everything (horns, electric guitar, singers and more) in one band". Quincy Jones has proclaimed himself to be the "biggest fan of Earth, Wind & Fire since day one." And Barak Obama hired the band to play the first social event he held upon entering the White House.  

I’ve been planning this podcast since the Fall, when I spoke with trumpeter Randy Brecker about his latest CD, RandyPop! That CD was a reimagining by Randy of just a few of the many rock, soul and funk tunes that he had been called upon to play on over the course of his career. That got me thinking of how many jazz musicians had been called upon by popular musicians for their recordings, going back to the mid-60’s. The passing of Phil Woods made me realize the Podcast was a necessity. So many non-jazz fans learned of the great alto player from his extremely memorable guest work on at least two classic tracks – Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” and Steely Dan’s "Dr. Wu”. Perhaps I could turn more non-jazz fans to the music if they only knew that jazz musicians had been a key component of classic rock tunes over the years. When David Bowie hired the Donny McCaslin Group for his BlackStar album, the deal was done. So Podcast 519 is my first attempt at a retrospective of pop and rock acts that added jazz musicians for key solos or to fill out a particular sound they had in mind. I enjoyed doing this, and I promise that I will do a few more before the year is out. Musical selections for this Podcast, including the artist and the jazz contributor(s) include: The Mamas and the Papas - “California Dreamin’” – Bud Shank, alto flute. The Doors – “Touch Me” – Curtis Amy, sax Ian Hunter – “All-American Alien Boy” – David Sanborn, sax and Jaco Pastorius, bass Lou Reed – “The Bells” – Don Cherry, trumpet Steely Dan – “Aja” – Wayne Shorter, sax; Joe Sample, electric piano; and Larry Carlton, guitar Sting – “Moon Over Bourbon Street” – Branford Marsalis, sax; Kenny Kirkland, piano; and Omar Hakim, drums The Rolling Stones – “Waiting On a Friend” – Sonny Rollins, sax

Since winning the “Triple Crown” of Jazz Vocal Competitions – Montreux Jazz Festival, Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocal Competition and Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition – Cyrille Aimee has been working hard at carving out a special place for her talents in the music world. While she plays and has recorded with her traditional jazz backing group, the Surreal Band, her recordings for Detroit’s Mack Avenue label have eschewed the piano/horn sound of most singers. Instead, she has drawn on her life experiences, growing up the daughter of a Dominican mother and French father in the town of Samois-sux-Seine in France, the home of the annual Django Reinhardt Festival. The result is a multi-guitar approach to jazz sound with a wink at gypsy jazz, an approach that suits her sometimes chirpy vocal style to a T. Let’s Get Lost is her second album for Mack Avenue (after 2014’s It’s a Good Day), and again it mixes originals with her versions of lesser known standards and international sounds. Her band – Adrien Maignard and Michael Valeanu on guitars, Sam Anning on bass and Rajiv Jayaweera on drums – is a tight, well-executed ensemble, and they lift the songs in every way. Her version of the title song, best known as a slightly-up-tempo ballad from Chet Baker, is a good insight into the Aimee approach. Rather than give us yet another cover version of a great song, we get a version that brings to mind flappers and bootleg gin, the tune taken a Charleston-like speed. Podcast 518 is my conversation with Cyrille, where we discuss her musical origins, how she chooses material, and the nature of her sound. Musical selections include a top-notch cover of Stephen Sondheim’s “Live Alone and Like It”, the title track, "Each Day" and her creative collaboration with Valeanu on “Nine More Minutes”.

Multi-instrumentalists are not unusual on the bandstand or in the studio these days. Reed players switch off from clarinet to saxophone, string players move between multi-stringed instruments from around the world. What IS unusual is Mark Weinstein’s multi-instrumental tale. By the age of 14, when he started to play trombone in Erasmus Hall High School, he also tried clarinet and drums. Playing his first professional gig on trombone at 15, he added string bass, a common double in NYC at that time. A few years later, along with Barry Rogers, Weinstein formed Eddie Palmieri’s first trombone section, changing the sound of salsa forever. With his heart in jazz, Weinstein was a major contributor to the development of the salsa trombone playing and arranging. He extended jazz attitudes and techniques in his playing with salsa bands. His arrangements broadened the harmonic base of salsa while introducing folkloric elements for authenticity and depth. Mark continued to record with Eddie Palmieri, with Cal Tjader and with Tito Puente. He toured with Herbie Mann for years, played with Maynard Ferguson, and the big bands of Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, Jones and Lewis, Lionel Hampton, Duke Pearson and Kenny Dorham. In 1967 he wrote and recorded the Afro-Cuban jazz album, Cuban Roots for the legendary salsa producer Al Santiago. Called by many the “Holy Grail of Latin Jazz” due to its rarity today, the album revolutionized Latin jazz; combining authentic folkloric drum ensembles with harmonically complex extended jazz solos and arrangements. Chick Corea was on piano and the rhythm section included the finest and most knowledgeable Latin drummers: Julito Collazo, Tommy Lopez Sr. and Papaito (timbalero with La Sonora Matancera) . And then, a change of heart, a change of lifestyle and a change of career found Mark Weinstein putting away the trombone forever. It took almost ten years before he returned to the music scene. He earned a Ph.D in Philosophy with a specialization in mathematical logic. He became a college professor (and remains so until this day). When he returned to the music scene in 1978 playing the flute, he wrote produced and recorded the Orisha Suites. Slowly her returned to the jazz world, and now has released more than 25 albums of jazz flute, touching on Brazlia, Latin Jazz, Straight Ahead and now, Jewish Themes on his new CD In Jerusalem. Taking classic Hasidic melodies that occurred in liturgy known as “nigun” – wordless melody to sing in preparation of or participation in prayer – he has assembled a group to bring a jazz treatment to ancient music. Joining Mark on the CD are guitarist Steve Peskoff, bassist Gilad Abro, drummer Haim Peskoff (Steve’s son) and percussionist Gilad Dobrecky. Podcast 516 is my conversation with Mark Weinstein about his career, his transition from Trombone to Flute and the new CD. Musical selections from In Jerusalem include: “Reporzaras”, “Mizmor L’David”, “Meir’s Nigun” and a waltz dedicated to his parents “Yaakov U’ Malka.”

To honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King on the anniversary of his birth, here is the Official Straight No Chaser song of the holiday - “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” as recorded by Oliver Nelson in 1969. The band for the recording included Nelson, Pearl Kaufmann and Roger Kellaway (piano); Chuck Domanico (bass); John Guerin and Roy Haynes (drums); Frank Stroizer and John Gross (sax) and Bob Bryant (trumpet). “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” was released on Nelson’s Black, Brown and Beautiful album in 1970 on the Flying Dutchman label. Considered to be one of Nelson’s hippest releases, the album continued Nelson’s move from blues-based jazz arrangements to cinematic, nearly stream-of-consciousness concept albums. With tracks with titles like “Lamb of God” and “I Hope in Time a Change Will Come”, and the sounds of sirens, rioting and unrest, the album comes across as a deeply felt response to Dr. King’s assassination. Even hipper – and more controversial – was the completely nude torso of a lovely black woman on the cover, coming close to a full frontal reveal. For a previous podcast tribute to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, click here. For a 2008 podcast of tunes from Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, Grant Green, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver, and the Blind Boys of Alabama that are appropriate for the day, click here.

To honor the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King on the anniversary of his birth, here is the Official Straight No Chaser song of the holiday - “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” as recorded by Oliver Nelson in 1969. The band for the recording included Nelson, Pearl Kaufmann and Roger Kellaway (piano); Chuck Domanico (bass); John Guerin and Roy Haynes (drums); Frank Stroizer and John Gross (sax) and Bob Bryant (trumpet).  Perhaps no time in recent memory is it more necessary for all Americans to consider Dr. King's legacy, and state of race relations in the United States than today. “Martin was a Man, a Real Man” was released on Nelson’s Black, Brown and Beautiful album in 1970 on the Flying Dutchman label. Considered to be one of Nelson’s hippest releases, the album continued Nelson’s move from blues-based jazz arrangements to cinematic, nearly stream-of-consciousness concept albums. With tracks with titles like “Lamb of God” and “I Hope in Time a Change Will Come”, and the sounds of sirens, rioting and unrest, the album comes across as a deeply felt response to Dr. King’s assassination. Even hipper – and more controversial – was the completely nude torso of a lovely black woman on the cover, coming close to a full frontal reveal. For a previous podcast tribute to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, click here. For a 2008 podcast of tunes from Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra, Grant Green, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver, and the Blind Boys of Alabama that are appropriate for the day, click here., and for a 2014 Podcast, click here.

For those of you who are fans of seminal fusion groups like Weather Report and Steps Ahead, the drumming of Peter Erskine is well ingrained in your musical memory. Erskine moved away from that louder, more frenetic music years ago, becoming a more accomplished jazz drummer, and then beginning a career in film scores, education and musical application development as his interests in music in general grew. For those who needed a prescription for his old music, let me declare firmly - the doctor will see you now. Dr.Um (read it slowly and you'll get the wordplay) is his latest CD, a plugged-in delight that is sitting on top of the Amazon.com Jazz CD charts as I write this posting. Why did Peter return to his fusion background after all this time? Maybe it was all the time he spent immersed in Weather Report lore and music in 2015, having worked on the Jaco Pastorius documentary and the Weather Report box set The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-1981. Regardless of the reason, the CD is a joy, satisfying both the nostalgia of older fans with the sense of exploration and discovery a new generation of music fans should feel with each listen. Erskine's discography is approaching 700 albums at this point, so he has nothing to prove. Yet there is a spirit of joy that permeates Dr. Um, of an artist shining a light on music he wants to share, not afraid to not take himself too seriously, and work with old and new musical friends on a project.   Podcast 517 is my conversation with Peter Erskine, as he discusses the new CD, spins tales of Weather Report, and talks about the rise of music apps. Musical selections include three tracks from Dr. Um, Joe Zawinul's "Bourges Buenos Aires", Erskine's "Hawaiian Bathing Suit" and a radically re-arranged version of Vince Mendoza's "Sprite"; plus Weather Report's "Fast City" from The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-1981.  

Four years ago I posted a review of The Wee Trio’s Ashes to Ashes – A David Bowie Intraspective, and had these comments: Rock Star/actor David Bowie turned 65 earlier this week. One of the great musical chameleons of our time – perhaps only Miles Davis tried more musical styles and guises during his career – he’s unfortunately something of a recluse these days, producing little new work. He’s left a body of recorded projects that dominate my iPod – I go nowhere without Ziggy Stardust, Station to Station, Low and ‘Heroes’.  How things can change! Bowie turns 69 years old today, and rather than resuming to the musical hiatus that ended in 2014, he has released one of his most interesting and talked-about albums since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. Blackstar is also Bowie’s attempt to bring jazz into his music in a bigger way. A saxophone player from way back, Bowie has had jazz flourishes in many tunes, and has hired the likes of Lester Bowie to play trumpet and David Sanborn to play sax for him. However, his 2014 collaboration with the Maria Schneider Orchestra, “Sue (or a Season in Crime)” marked an outright jazz approach to the textures and structures of his longer musical pieces. A key soloist for Ms. Schneider is SNC favorite Donny McCaslin, and working with Bowie on that track (click here for my interview with Donny and his comments on the session) clearly made an impression, since Blackstar features the Donny McCaslin Group as Bowie’s backup band. McCaslin on saxophones, Jason Lindner on keyboards, Tim Lefebvre on electric bass and Mark Guiliana on drums make for formidable foils on the new material. In fact, much of the sound is similar to the past two McCaslin Group albums, Casting for Gravity and Fast Future,  which successfully stretched the boundaries of jazz and electronica, putting texture, beats and effects ahead of chord changes as the center of the listener's experience. Click here for a thorough New York Times article about the collaboration. That said, Blackstar is not a jazz album. Not that that’s a bad thing. In these days a handful of our best, and most adventurous artists are looking to stretch their music beyond genre or type. I think of Robert Glasper, or Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah in jazz; Kendrick Lamar in hip-hop, and any number of electronica artists, an area that drummer Guiliana approached successfully in his Mehliana and Beat Music releases. So Blackstar can be enjoyed for Bowie’s grafting of 21st century jazz sound onto his rock sensibilities. He wisely lets Jason Linder take a big part in the overall sound and Lefebvre’s throbbing bass clearly has been honed to crossover perfection during his tenure with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. McCaslin lets loose with a number of great solos (check out “’Tis a Pity She’s a Whore”, with Bowie audibly registering his wonder), and guest Ben Monder has a winner of a guitar solo on “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” I look forward to repeated listening revealing more musical excitement. Podcast 515 discusses and shares some of the music from Blackstar, as well as features a number of jazz artists performing Bowie’s music. Happy 69th, David, and keep it up. Musical selections in the podcast include: David Bowie (with the Maria Schneider Orchestra) – “Sue (Or in the Season of Crime)” from Nothing Has Changed. David Bowie – “Tis a Pity She was a Whore” from Blackstar Bad Plus – “Life on Mars?” from Prog Robert Glasper Experiment (featuring Bilal) – “Letter to Hermione” from Black Radio The Wee Trio - “Ashes to Ashes” from Ashes to Ashes: A David Bowie Intraspective Dylan Howe – “Warzsawa” from Subterranean: New Designs on Bowie’s Berlin

Yesterday I posted a brief obituary of pianist Paul Bley, who passed away on January 3, 2016. For a musician, a written memorial seems empty. Therefore, here is Podcast 514, nearly an hour of the music of Bley, in varying combos, including a number of solo performances. A first listen to these selections, which admittedly are chosen and programmed somewhat at random, might lead a listener to think Bley a bit cold or analytic. But listen again, particularly in his great trio recordings with Gary Peacock (bass) and Paul Motian (drums) to hear the varying ideas, approaches and heart that permeates his playing. Musical selections include: Paul Bley with Charles Mingus and Art Blakey – “Spontaneous Combustion” from Introducing… Paul Bley – “Once Around the Park” from Fragments Paul Bley – “Seven” from Homage to Carla Paul Bley & Gary Peacock – “Sunrise Sunlight” from Mindset Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, Tony Oxley & John Surman – “Spe-cu-lay-ting” from In the Evening Out  There Paul Bley – “Compassion” from Notes On Ornette Paul Bley – “Late Night Blue” from Blues for Red Paul Bley, Gary Peacock & Paul Motian – “Don’t You Know” from Not Two, Not One Paul Bley – “Mondsee Variations X” from Solo in Mondsee Paul Bley Trio – “Goodbye” from My Standard

Sad news from the family of the great Paul Bley: Paul Bley, renowned jazz pianist, died January 3, 2016 at home with his family. Born November 10, 1932 in Montreal, QC, he began music studies at the age of five.  At 13, he formed the “Buzzy Bley Band.”  At 17, he took over for Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge, invited Charlie Parker to play at the Montreal Jazz Workshop (which he co-founded) made a film with Stan Kenton and then headed to NYC to attend Julliard. His international career has spanned seven decades.  During that time, he released over 100 albums, toured widely, and collaborated with jazz greats including Lester Young, Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Jimmy Giuffre, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Lee Konitz, Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorious and many others. He is considered a master of the trio, but as exemplified by his solo piano albums, Paul Bley is preeminently a pianists' pianist. He always thought in terms larger than himself, helping to form the influential Jazz Composers Guild in New York City in 1964, a a co-operative organization which brought together the likes of Roswell Rudd, Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, his ex-wife Carla Bley and Sun Ra, among other figures who would define the jazz avant-garde. He created what might well be considered the first music video with the multi-media initiative Improvising Artists in the early 1970's, working with videographer Carol Goss to record and preserve live recordings. Before jazz-fusion took place, Paul had investigated the musical possibilities of the Moog synthesizer, releasing albums and performing in halls with the equipment in the late 60's. He is survived by his wife of forty three years, Carol Goss, their daughters, Vanessa Bley and Angelica Palmer, grandchildren Felix and Zoletta Palmer, as well as daughter, Solo Peacock.  Private memorial services will be held in Stuart, FL, Cherry Valley, NY and wherever you play a Paul Bley record. My podcast tribute to his music will appear tomorrow.

Fifty years ago today, a bright new voice on the tenor saxophone began recording his first solo album, in a San Francisco studio. Dewey Redman’s quartet of Redman on tenor sax; Jim Young on piano, Donald Garrett on bass and clarinet, and Eddie Moore on drums recorded five original tunes that day. That session would originally be released on the Fontana label out of the Netherlands, and re-released in the US almost ten years later. Looking for the Black Star was, as might be expected now, a somewhat avant-garde album, full of the pent-up yearning that the 35 year old Redman had collected over the previous years, working as a music teacher and studying Industrial Arts in college. Towards the end of 1959, Redman had moved to San Francisco, a musical choice resulting in an early collaboration with clarinetist Garrett. Redman was well known around music circles for his collaborations with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, with whom he performed in his Fort Worth high school marching band. He later performed with Coleman from 1968 to1972; appearing on the recording New York Is Now! among others. He also played in pianist Keith Jarrett's “American Quartet” from 1971 to 1976, recording 12 highly influential albums, and winning Jazz Album of the Year by Melody Maker in 1978 for The Survivors' Suite. In the mid-70s Redman formed the Quartet Old and New Dreams together with fellow Coleman-alumni Don Cherry Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. They recorded four albums in the period over ten years. Redman also performed and recorded as an accompanying musician with jazz musicians who performed in varying styles within the post-1950s jazz idiom, including drummer Paul Motian and especially guitarist Pat Metheny (80/81 in 1980). Redman passed away in 2006 of liver failure. He is the father of Joshua Redman, the best-selling and critically acclaimed saxophone player who follows in his father’s footsteps. He was also survived by his other son Tariq, and by his wife, Lidija Pedevska-Redman.

New Year's Day - a day of hangovers, resolution writing, college football games, and general recovery. Nancy and I are off to her Cousin Jimmy's open house for an afternoon of family, cut-throat board games, college bowl games that actually matter, and polite grazing of potluck. A happy new year to one and all - let's toast 2014 with a verse or two of "Let's Start the New Year Right" by Irving Berlin, sung here by that great crooner (and underrated influence on all jazz singers), Bing Crosby: One minute to midnight, one minute to goOne minute to say good-bye before we say helloLet's start the new year right, twelve o'clock tonightWhen they dim the light, let's beginKissing the old year outKissing the new year inLet's watch the old year die with a fond good-byeAnd our hopes as high as a kiteHow can our love go wrong ifWe start the new year right?

New Year's Day - a day of hangovers, resolution writing, college football games, and general recovery. Nancy and I are off to her Cousin Jimmy's open house for an afternoon of family, cut-throat board games, football games on TV, and polite grazing of potluck. A happy new year to one and all - let's toast 2014 with a verse or two of "Let's Start the New Year Right" by Irving Berlin, sung here by that great crooner (and underrated influence on all jazz singers), Bing Crosby: One minute to midnight, one minute to go One minute to say good-bye before we say hello Let's start the new year right, twelve o'clock tonight When they dim the light, let's begin Kissing the old year out Kissing the new year in Let's watch the old year die with a fond good-bye And our hopes as high as a kite How can our love go wrong if We start the new year right?

To all who are traveling on an evening that often becomes "amateur night" take extra care and pick that designated driver! A perennial favorite song for New Year's Eve, and the Offical SNC Song of the evening is Frank Loesser's classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"  It was written in 1947, when Loesser was already an accomplished songwriter, having co-written hits like "Two Sleepy People" and "Spring Will Be a Little Late this Year". However, his greatest work was just before him - in 1948 he was asked to score "Where's Charley?" for Broadway, which ran for more than two years. Buoyed by this success, Loesser turned out hits like "Guys and Dolls", "The Most Happy Fella" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". He won two Tony Awards and a Pulizter Prize for Drama for these works. In between, he won an Academy Award for the holiday standard, "Baby It's Cold Outside" from the film "Neptune's Daughter" (1949). Regrettably, Loesser died from cancer at the age of 59 in 1969. This year's singer is Diana Krall from her Christmas Songs CD, an album I tabbed as one of the ten best Christmas jazz albums of all-time a few years back. A happy and healthy New Year to one and all.

The Celestial Band and Choir got a great horn section this year. 2015 was the year we lost some of the great innovators in jazz music. An incomplete list of those who passed away during this calendar year who left a mark on the jazz world include: Ornette Coleman, 85, free jazz saxophonist; Clark Terry, 94, jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist; Phil Woods, 83, jazz and session saxophonist and clarinetist; Bob Belden, 58, jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, producer; Guillermo Rubalcaba, 88, Cuban pianist, bandleader and composer; Ray Warleigh, 76, Australian-born saxophonist and flautist; Wilton Felder, 75, saxophonist of The Crusaders and session bass player (pictured) who created immortal bass lines for Steely Dan and the Jackson Five; Harold Ousley, 86, jazz saxophonist; Hugo Rasmussen, 74, Danish jazz musician; Bob Whitlock, 84, jazz bassist (Gerry Mulligan Quartet); Howard Rumsey, 97, jazz bassist and bandleader; and Van Alexander, 100, songwriter (“A-Tisket, A-Tasket”) , film and TV score composer, arranger. Allen Toussaint, 77, New Orleans legend as piano player, arranger, producer and songwriter; B.B. King, 89, blues legend; Monica Lewis, 93, jazz singer and actress; Buddy Boudreaux, 97, jazz saxophonist and band leader; Harold Battiste, 83, jazz and R&B composer, arranger and musician; Jerome Cooper, 68, free jazz drummer and percussionist. Ortheia Barnes, 70, American R&B and jazz singer; Bruce Lundvall, 79, former head of Blue Note, Elektra and Manhattan labels; Louis Johnson, 60, legendary bassis; Marcus Belgrave, 78, jazz trumpeter and the King of the Detroit Sound; Margo Reed, 73, jazz musician; Eric Allen Doney, 62, musician, musical director (Bob Hope), jazz label founder; and Marty Napoleon, 93, jazz pianist. Orrin Keepnews, 91, jazz producer and writer, co-founder of Riverside Records; Lew Soloff, 71, jazz trumpeter (and with Blood, Sweat & Tears 1968-73); Ted Reinhardt, 62, jazz and prog-rock drummer for Spyro Gyra in their formative years; Paul Jeffrey, 81, jazz saxophonist; John Renbourn, 70, guitarist of British folk-jazz band Pentangle; William Thomas McKinley, 76, jazz composer; Hulon Crayton, 58, smooth jazz saxophonist; Jeff Golub, 59, jazz and pop guitarist; Cynthia Layne, 51, jazz singer,; and Ward Swingle, 87, musician with The Swingle Singers, and Les Double Six. Dave Pike, 77,  vibraphone and marimba player; Kjell Öhman, 72, Swedish jazz musician; Al Aarons, 83, jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player with the Count Basie Band; Judith Hendricks, 78, jazz singer with Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan; Bengt-Arne Wallin, 89, Swedish jazz trumpeter; Willie Akins, 76, jazz saxophonist and academic; Coleridge Goode, 100, Jamaican-born jazz bassist;  Ray Appleton, 74, jazz drummer; Larry Rosen, 75, jazz engineer, producer, record executive; digital downloading pioneer with GRP; Mark Murphy, 83, jazz singer; Nat Peck, 90, jazz trombonist with James Moody;and Lee Shaw, 89, jazz pianist.

Merry Christmas to you all. I am a practicing Jew who does not celebrate Christmas as the birth of the messiah. However, I can appreciate the universal themes of peace, love and understanding that are prevelant this time of year, and so the Offical Straight No Chaser song of Christmas Day is "Peace", written by Horace Silver, and sung by Norah Jones. Considered one of the finest ballads of the hard bop era, "Peace" has a timeless message for us all, as the last few lines of the song show: When you find peace of mind, leave your worries behind Don't say that it can't be done With a new point of view, life's true meaning comes to you And the freedom you seek is won Peace is for everyone Silver first recorded this classic more than fifty years ago, on his Blowin' the Blues Away album, one of the last to feature his classic quintet lineup of trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Louis Hayes. A Merry Christmas to one and all.

It's December 24, which means that once again it's time to break out the Official Straight No Chaser Song of Christmas Eve. It's not really a song, actually, but Louis Armstrong reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas", in his inimitable raspy voice. Recorded on February 26, 1971 at his home in Queens, New York, this ended up being the final recording Armstrong made, before succumbing to a fatal heart attack on July 6th. The poem, written by Clement Moore, is technically titled "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas", was first published in the Troy Sentinel on December 23, 1823. A wonderful article by Peter Christoph tells that St. Nicholas was likely little known outside of the Dutch community when he published the work, setting into motion a cultural tradition still alive today. Further, I was surprised to learn it was Moore who first named the reindeer! Here's hoping you'll be nestled all snug in your beds soon....

My friend Frank found this for me, and I wanted to be sure to share it with you. Originally published in Mad Magazine #52 Jan 1960. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the pad,Not a hipster was swinging, not even old Dad;The chimney was hung in the stocking routine,In hopes that “The Fat Man” would soon make the scene;The moon and the snow were, like, faking together,Which made the scene rock in the Day People weather,When, what to these peepers should come on real queer,But a real crazy sleigh, and eight swinging reindeer,As sidemen in combos pick up as they stomp,When they swing with the beat of a Dixieland romp,So up to the top of my bandstand they flew,With the sleigh full of loot, and St. Nicholas, too.His lids-Man, they sizzled! His dimples were smiles!His cheeks were like “Dizzy’s,” his break was like “Miles!”His puckered-up mouth was, like, blowing flat E,And his chin hid behind a real crazy goatee!He blew not a sound, but skipped right to his gig,And stashed all the stockings, then came on real big,And flashing a sign, like that old “Schnozzle” bit,And playing it hip, up the chimney he split;And then, in a quick riff, I dug on the roof,The jumpin’ and jivin’ of each swinging hoof.As I pulled in my noggin, and turned around fast,Down the chimney came Nick like a hot trumpet blast.The tip of a butt he had snagged in his choppers,And he took a few drags just like all cool be-boppers;He had a weird face, and a solid reet middleThat bounced when he cracked, like a gutbucket fiddle!He was wrapped up to kill, Man, a real kookie dresser!And his rags were, like, way out! Pops! He was a gasser!A sack full of goodies hung down to his tail,And he looked like a postman with “Basie’s” fan mail.He was shaking with meat, meaning he was no square,And I flipped, ‘cause I’d always thought he was “longhair!”But the glint in his eye and the beat in his touchSoon gave me the message this cat was “too much!”He flew to his skids, to his group blew a lick,And they cut out real cool, on a wild frenzied kick.But I heard him sound off, with a razz-a-ma-tazz:“A cool Christmas to all, and, like all of that jazz!”

The newspapers and internet are swarming with critics “Best of 2015” lists right about now, but here at Straight No Chaser we once again take a slightly different approach. I am grateful to get the chance to listen to a great number of jazz-related releases during the course of the year, and rather than attempt to say what is “best” using some sort of rating system (A Christgau grade, perhaps?), I prefer to lay out a list of recordings that I found particularly moving or interesting, or those that I found myself returning to over and over again. The list changes over the course of the year, and follows a strict calendar year receipt basis. To do this in a fair way, I create five different categories, ranging from “Great New Things from Old Friends” to “Reunions and Collaborations of Note”. I do this on the theory that it is simply wrong to compare an expanded re-release of John Coltrane’s groundbreaking album A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters with genre bending CDs like those from newcomer Kamasi Washington or constantly growing players like Donny McCaslin. Is a sophomore album on a major label from Cécile McLorin Salvant comparable to a project by Chris Potter that reflects years of growth? I choose to think the answer is no. So, here are releases that are a few of my favorite things from 2015: Great New Things from Old Friends Maria Schneider – The Thompson Fields Chris Potter Underground Orchestra – Imaginary Cities Antonio Sanchez – Three Times Three Jack DeJohnette– Made in Chicago Charles McPherson – The Journey New Artists and Those Hitting Their Stride Donny McCaslin - Fast Future Cécile McLorin Salvant – For One to Love Kamasi Washington – The Epic Chris Lightcap - Bigmouth Epicenter Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou - Duchess Memorable Reissues, Compilations, and Posthumous or Archival Albums Miles Davis – Miles Davis at Newport: 1955-1975 - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4 Weather Report – The Legendary Live Tapes 1978-1981 John Coltrane - A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters Brad Mehldau – 10 Years Solo Live Erroll Garner – The Complete Concert by the Sea Tribute Albums of Note Cassandra Wilson – Coming Forth By Day Terence Stafford – Brother-Lee Rudresh Mahanthappa – Bird Calls The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble - Circulation: The Music of Gary McFarlane Jose James - Yesterday I Had The Blues - The Music Of Billie Holiday Reunions and Collaborations of Note The Bad Plus and Joshua Redman – The Bad Plus Joshua Redman The Heads of State (Gary Bartz, Buster Williams, Larry Willis, Al Foster) – Search for Peace Bob James & Nathan East – The New Cool John Scofield , Bill Stewart, Joe Lovano, Larry Grenadier – Past Present Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade – Children of Light A few years ago I began naming a “Player of the Year”, honoring those who appear as sidemen on multiple top CDs, as well as leaders of their own groups. For 2012, it was drummer Joey Baron, for 2013, vibes player Warren Wolf., and last year, saxophonist Mark Turner. For this year, the winner is last year’s runner-up, avant-garde sax player Ivo Perelman who released a staggering six CDs in 2015 (some double CD sets), after releasing ten CDs over the previous two years. Other items of Special Note in the world of Jazz in 2015 were: - The continuation of Blue Note Records’ 75th Anniversary Vinyl Initiative, giving another generation a chance to experience jazz on the turntable, with readable liner notes; - The release of a documentary on Jaco Pastorius, and significant progress being made on the Miles Davis biography feature Miles Ahead, with Don Cheadle as the great trumpeter. The completion of documentaries on Weather Report and John Coltrane are promised in 2016, - The increased availability of jazz on streaming services, including Spotify and the new Apple Radio. Here’s hoping royalty payments to artists will catch up to the popularity of the technology..And will Apple Radio wise up and give some of the great jazz tastemakers or musicians their own shows on their service?

Five years ago I posted Podcast 200 in honor of Frank Zappa's 70th birthday. As today would have been his 75th birthday, I'm bringing it back for your enjoyment:  Was Frank Zappa as much of a jazz musician as he was a rock or classical artist? Let’s let Ed Palermo, the noted trombonist, answer the question. Here’s a quote from his essay on FZ’s music: Frank Zappa wasn't what you would call a "jazz musician." In fact, he made fun of jazz and jazz musicians throughout his whole career. But that was Zappa. He derided EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY. You can tell, however, by listening to so much of his music that he really loved jazz. Since I never met him, everything I write about him is conjecture, but listening to a modal masterpiece like "King Kong" proves, at least to my ears, that he had listened to and digested a lot of Miles and Trane.  One thing is certain – Zappa hired the best and most versatile musicians to assist him in executing his demanding compositions, and many of them WERE in fact jazz greats. So, without further ado, let’s get to Podcast 200, a review of some Zappa recordings featuring jazz musicians as sidemen, including:  George Duke on “Big Swifty” from Waka-Jawaka. One of Zappa’s most frequent collaborators, I count more than fifteen releases that included the keyboard player. Here he joins Zappa and Tony Duran on guitars, Sal Marquez on trumpet and chimes, Erroneous (?) on bass and Aynsley Dunbar on drums on a 1972 track. Ernie Watts on “Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus” from The Grand Wazoo. The sax player who starred as a member of Charlie Haden’s Quartet West played woodwinds with Mike Altschul in sessions recorded in 1972. Marquez is joined by Ken Shrover on brass, and the rhythm section remains the same. That’s George Duke on electric piano and vocals.  Jean-Luc Ponty on “It Must Be a Camel” from Hot Rats. The jazz violinist may be best known for his work in the Mahavishnu Orchestra with John McLaughlin, but he was a key member of the group that recorded Hot Rats in 1969, making it one of the first jazz-rock albums ever made. The rest of the band was Ian Underwood on keyboards, Zappa on guitar, bass and percussion, John Guerin (who played with Tom Scott in the LA Express) on drums, and Max Bennett on bass. Zappa would work with Ponty further that year, contributing songs, production and backup for the highly regarded King King: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa.  Vinnie Colaiuta on “Watermelon in Easter Hay” from Joe’s Garage.  The drummer of choice for fusion musicians like Jeff Beck these days, Colaiuta anchored the rhythm section on Zappa’s three album opus. The rest of the band was Zappa, Denny Walley and Warren Cucurullo on guitars, Ike Willis on lead vocals, Peter Wolf on keyboards, Arthur Barro on bass and Ed Mann on percussion. Michael and Randy Brecker on “The Purple Lagoon/Approximate” from Zappa in New York (re-packaged as a portion of Lather). Recorded live at the Palladium in New York during Christmas week 1976, the band had a heavy jazz slant, including the Brecker Brothers, Dave Samuels (vibes), Ronnie Cuber (baritone sax and clarinet), and Terry Bozzio (drums).

Here's an hour plus of uninterrupted jazz, our present to you, intended to get you through that last minute shopping, tree trimming, gift wrapping, and egg nog guzzling. I've mixed in a few of this year's newest Christmas Jazz releases to give you something different, plus a number of old favorites.  Hopefully you have been able to enjoy the Holiday season. Here's hoping Santy is good to you, and that you are good to one another. We need a little Christmas now! Podcast 512 includes: Dave Koz - "Welcoming the Season (Prelude)" Chris Botti (featuring Eric Benet) - "I Really Don't Want Much for Christmas" Russell Malone - "O Christmas Tree" The Singers Unlimited - "Caroling, Caroling" David Benoit - "What Child is This?" Anita O'Day - "One More Christmas" Eric Reed - "I Wonder as I Wander" Chris McDonald Orchestra - "Blue Christmas" Carmen McRae - "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire" Jane Monheit - "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O - "Mele Kalikimaki" John Zorn - "Christmas Time is Here" Seth McFarlane & Norah Jones - "Little Jack Frost Get Lost" Al Jarreau - "White Christmas" Will Downing - "The First Noel" Urbie Green - "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" India.Aire & Joe Sample with Dave Koz and Trombone Shorty - "I've Got My Love to                       Keep Me Warm" John Pizzarelli - "Let's Share Christmas" David Koz - "Welcoming the New Year (Coda)" Looking for more Christmas Jazz here? Check out similarly themed Podcasts from 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and even one from way back in my primitive days of 2006.   

Jazz re-issues and compilations of Christmas tunes are a wonderful way to get nostalgic. So for this Holiday themed Podcast, why not turn back the clock to the 1940's and 1950's - maybe even further - and enjoy some vintage cheer I assembled from a variety of wonderful sources. Is it just me, or do you find that the brass is brassier, the crooning sweeter, and yes, the cheese factor considerable on these older tunes? But it just might bring back a memory or two. If not - go ask your father. Or Grandfather. Or Great-Grandfather..... Podcast 511 includes: Kay Starr - “The Man With the Bag” Ella Fitzgerald – “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney” The Mills Brothers – “You Don’t Have to Be a Santa Claus” Johnny Mercer – “Winter Wonderland” Peggy Lee – “The Christmas Spell” Nat King Cole – “The Happiest Christmas Tree” Les Baxter Orchestra – “Santa Claus Party” Dean Martin – “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” Rosemary Clooney – “Suzy Snowflake” The Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby – “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Frank Sinatra – “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” Eartha Kitt – “Santa Baby” Les Paul – “Jingle Bells” Dean Martin – "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Julie London - "Warm December" Benny Goodman & His Orchestra - "Winter Weather" Louis Prima - "Shake Hands with Santa Claus" Charlie Parker - "White Christmas"  Bullmoose Jackson – “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

In Podcast 491 we took on the question "What Makes Frank Sinatra Great?".  Go to my conversation with Anna Harwell Celenza, as we discuss the various aspects of Sinatra’s career to determine just why he has remained a major cultural figure today, December 12th is the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Francis Albert Sinatra, the pride of Hoboken, New Jersey. Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby may have been more important in the development of jazz singing and recording; Billie Holiday may have been more innovative and moving; and Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan more technically adroit, no one could touch Ol’ Blue Eyes for sheer star power, charisma and yes, vocal prowess. Wisely associating himself with great supporting artists, Sinatra conquered every type of song he attempted. There was backing musicians led by Harry James in 1939 or Tommy Dorsey’s Big Band in the early 1940’s. Later, there was Count Basie’s Band in Las Vegas and two exquisite sessions with Antonio Carlos Jobim in the 1960’s. Arrangements by Nelson Riddle (1953-1959), Billy May (1959 through the mid-60’s) and Gordon Jenkins (the 1970’s) helped make his “sound” and turned his recordings into classics. And oh that voice! At least three of his albums capture the incredible range of drama and emotion his tone could bring perfectly – 1955’s In the Wee Small Hours, 1956’s Songs for Swingin’ Lovers and my favorite, 1958’s Sings for Only the Lonely. No record collection is complete without these discs. Sinatra was also an innovator behind the scenes. He produced the first concept albums in the Fifties, with his travelogue Come Fly With Me in 1959 and the “suicide songs” of 1958’s Sings for Only the Lonely. He took control of his album releases by establishing Reprise Records after he failed to buy Verve Records. Earning the nickname “The Chairman of the Board”, he released his own albums on the imprint along with those by Crosby, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, daughter Nancy Sinatra, and comedians Soupy Sales and Red Foxx. So for Podcast 51_, here is a highly subjective overview of his career - twenty-one tunes from Frank Sinatra in close to chronological order, over four decades – from “I Get a Kick Out of You” in 1954 to the appropriately titled “A Hundred Years From Today” in 1984: “I Get a Kick Out of You” “I Get Along Without You Very Well” “Just One of Those Things” “Night and Day” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” “I Cover the Waterfront” “South of the Border” “One for My Baby (And One for the Road)” “Witchcraft” “On the Sunny Side of the Street” “I Love Paris” “Nancy (With the Laughing Face)” “The House I Live In” “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” “That’s Life” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway” “Manha de Carnaval (A Day in the Life of a Fool)” “Bein’ Green” “Something” “A Hundred Years From Today” Thanks Dad, for all the times you made me listen to Sinatra instead of some trendy pop record I was enamored of. You made me a lifelong fan.

Guitarist Mike Moreo's clean, uncluttered sound s prominently displayed on Lotus, his new CD on Kendrick Scott's World Culture Music. The CD reunites Mike with longtime friends and collaborators Aaron Parks (piano), Doug Weiss (bass) and Eric Harland (drums). For all his talent, Lotus id not a "guitar hero" album, but rather a set of top-notch songs played na straightforward and stirring manner. Originally from Houston, Texas, Moreno began studying music formally at the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, a school renowned for its musical alumni, which includes such luminaries as Jason Moran, Robert Glasper, Brian Michael Cox, Eric Harland, Chris Dave, Kendrick Scott, and Beyoncé. Since moving to New York he has become a guitarist with a unique sound, oe that has led him to play and record with Terence Blanchard, Ralph Bowen, John Ellis, Robert Glasper, Jimmy Greene, Stefon Harris, the Joshua Redman Elastic Band, the Kendrick Scott Oracle, Sam Yahel, and others. He has appeared on three Grammy-nominated recordings. In 2010 both Q-Tip's The Renaissance and Geoffrey Keezzer's Aurea were nominated for Best Album in the Rap and Latin Jazz categories, and in 2008, Eldar's Re-Imagination received the same nomination in the Jazz Category. Podcast 509 is my conversation with Mike, as talks about the pros and cons of releasing music on an independent label, his talented quartet and his work on the latest Kendrick Scott Oracle album. Music includes “The Last Stand”, “Can We Stay Forever” and “Epilogue – The Rise” from Lotus; “The Long Shadow” from the Kendrick Scott Oracle’ We are the Drum; and “Money” from his collaboration with Sam Yahel, Seamus Blake and Ari Hoenig Jazz Side of the Moon.

The Eight Crazy Nights of Chanukah are upon us, and so I bring you some jazz for the occasion – Don Byron’s take on “Dreidl Song” from his 1993 album Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz. Katz – who was born Meyer Myron Katz in 1909 - was a legendary musician and comedian specializing in the type of humor that would eventually characterize the “Borscht Belt” of the Catskills. A meeting with Spike Jones in 1947 led Katz to make a career decision that proved fruitful: Katz soon decided to make an English-Yiddish comedy record. Having written the lyrics to Haim afen Range years ago, he had it approved by RCA. He quickly wrote another song for the flip side, Yiddish Square Dance, and had his friend Al Sack sketch out the melody for it and set Haim afen Range to music as well. The original run of 10,000 copies released in New York City sold in three days, and RCA received orders for 25,000 more. Katz then went on to parodize Tico, Tico with Tickle, Tickle, and backed this new record with Chloya, a parody of Chloe. He then hired a manager in Los Angeles, and in 1947 performed in Los Angeles' Boyle Heights, a largely Jewish- and Mexican-American neighborhood. In Katz's words, he was a "double-ethnic smash." The death of Yiddish culture on a wide scale basis in the 1950’s forced Katz into broader humor, and he wrote parodies and performed until he passed away in 1985. His son is the award-winning actor Joel Grey, and his granddaughter is Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame. The band is Byron in clarinet; Richie Schwarz on drums and percussion; Uri Caine on piano; Dave Douglas on trumpet; Steve Alcott on bass; Mark Feldman on violin; Josh Roseman on trombone; and J.D. Parran on flute.

Reknown jazz drummer Matt Wilson brings us on a joyful and adventurous romp through holiday music with his celebrated Christmas Tree-O during their 16 Days of Christmas North American Tour beginning November 30, 2015.  You've never really heard “You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” or “The Chipmunk Song” until you have heard them served-up with Christmas Tree-O's elfin sense of humor and dazzling musicianship. The band features Wilson with longtime bandmates Jeff Lederer on saxophones and Paul Sikivie on bass. Reviewing their 2010 Palmetto recording Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O, DownBeat declares the group "provides Yuletide greetings so eloquent and mind-bending even the nastiest of Scrooges will want to pay attention."   Behind the humor is a deep grounding in jazz and serious chops. A gifted composer, bandleader, producer and educator, Wilson is renowned for his virtuosic flair as a drummer and his good-vibes positivity as a bandleader, not to mention his facility for collaborating with top musicians across the spectrum of jazz - from the mainstream to the avant-garde and virtually everything in between. When I last saw him onstage, he was pounding the skins in Christian McBride’s Big Band at the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival, his sheer joy at being a part of that group evident as he soloed. One of the things I most enjoy about Matt is his ability to play so many different kinds of music with so many different players. He currently leads the Matt Wilson Quartet, the Arts and Crafts group, Christmas Tree-O, and the Carl Sandburg Project. He is also an integral part of Trio M (with pianist Myra Melford and bassist Mark Dresser) and the new trio Sifter (with Kirk Knuffke and guitarist Mary Halvorson), in addition to his myriad sideman gigs, education initiatives and broadcast projects. Two even newer bands, with young New York and Danish musicians are coming in early 2016, along with releasing a new recording in the spring of 2016 to celebrate his 20th anniversary with Palmetto Records. That recording, titled Beginning of a Memory is dedicated to memory of Wilson's wife Felicia, who passed away in 2014.  Podcast 508 is my conversation with Matt, who is always one of the most engaging, outgoing and yet thoughtful interviews in jazz today. We talk about the Tree-) and how they select music for their sets, his various groups, and he reaches back to talk about his time with Thomas Chapin in the Nineties. Musical selections include three pieces from Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O – “O Come O Come Emmanual”, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and (of course) “The Little Drummer Boy” as well as tracks from the Arts and Crafts Band (“Little Boy with the Sad Eyes“), Trio M (“Naïve Art” with Myra Medford and Mark Dresser) and “Lovellevelllloqui“ from a Thomas Chapin Quartet recording found on the compilation Never Let Me Go - Quartets '95 and '96. 

It was Decembers ago I went whole-hog on the spirit of the season and posted a jazz tune daily in my “25 Days of Jazzmas” extravaganza. Many of you dropped me comments on how much you enjoyed learning about the various tunes and getting a chance to hear some holiday jazz that might normally go unheard. I've made certain that I give the album title from which the songs came, allowing you to grab interesting compilations and individual artist CDs as well. In the spirit of the season, I encourage you to return to those postings of December 2011 to read and enjoy again. And if you are on the lazy side, here is a list of all the songs I uploaded and blogged about, along with direct links to their posting. Enjoy an early present from yours truly, and stay tuned for more Holiday podcasts and postings as the days go on. Chris Bauer – “Christmas Time is Here” from In a Yuletide Groove. Paquito D'Riveraand John Miller – “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” from God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen. Michael Franks – “I Bought You A Plastic Star” from Watching the Show. Dinah Washington – “Silent Night” from The Complete Dinah Washington On Mercury, Vol. 3: 1952-1954. Ranee Lee and Oliver Jones – “The Christmas Waltz” fromA Celebration in Time Joe Williams - "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" from That Holiday Feeling Marcus Roberts Trio – “Winter Wonderland” from Celebrating Christmas.\ Dave Koz – “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” from Ultimate Christmas Urbie Green and His All-Stars – “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” from Cool Yuletide. Bob Dorough and Miles Davis - "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)" from Jingle Bell Swing. (Be sure to go to Podcast 407 and hear Bob talk about his time with Miles - it is a classic story!) Charlie Parker – “White Christmas” from Jingle Bell Jam. Alexis Cole - "Jesus Is the Best Part of Christmas" from The Greatest Gift. Louis Armstrong - "' Zat You, Santa Claus?" from Hipster's Holiday: Vocal Jazz and R&B Classics. Ray Charles – “That Spirit of Christmas” from The Spirit of Christmas. Oscar Peterson – “Away in a Manger” fromAn Oscar Peterson Christmas. Jimmy Smith – “The Christmas Song” from Christmas Cookin’ Duke Pearson – “Jingle Bells” from Merry Ole Soul Frank Sinatra – “Mistletoe and Holly” from The Sinatra Christmas Album. Chet Baker – “The First Noel” from Silent Nights. Vince Guaraldi – “Skating” from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea – “Deck the Halls” from Jingle Bell Swing. The Heath Brothers – “O Little Town of Bethlehem” from A Jazz Christmas.

"Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine.” – Duke Ellington This week marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of William Thomas “Billy” Strayhorn, one of the greatest jazz composers of all-time. Podcast 5__ celebrates the life and works of the man called by man names - "Strays", Swee' Pea","Weely" – and remembered by all who love jazz. Strayhorn was a collaborator – and much more – with Duke Ellington from late 1938 until Strayhorn’s untimely death from cancer in 1967. At one time or another, Strayhorn was Ellington’s arranger, composer, pianist, collaborator and muse. Many have felt that Strayhorn’s arrangements were the reason that the many incarnations of the Ellington band sounded the way they did, and that as a result, he may have been more important than Ellington himself to the creative process. In David Hajdu’s fine biography of Strayhorn, Lush Life, he suggests – but never insists – that Strayhorn may have been deprived of songwriting credits and appreciation by Ellington during their time together. Instead of fighting for recognition, Strayhorn seemed happy to remain in Ellington’s shadow. One of the reasons that Strayhorn may have been content to stay in the background was his homosexuality. Strayhorn was a private person, and was publicly gay, with a small, tight circle of friends to support him. A man about town, Billy was dapper, sophisticated and always ready with a quip, He has been called “the Truman Capote of the jazz world”. But he was also an ardent supporter of civil rights,and developed a friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King, who he immortalized in the song "King Fit the Battle of Alabama" His compositions have survived far longer than he did, and his reputation continues to grow as more musicians discover and reinterpret his works. Here is more than an hour of Billy Strayhorn compositions, and one appreciation, by a variety of artists, including: James Carter – “Take the A Train” Joe Lovano and Hank Jones – “Chelsea Bridge” Don Byron – “Snibor” Jimmy Heath – “Ellington Strayhorn” Chick Corea – “Lush Life” Dianne Reeves – “My Little Brown Book” Duke Ellington – “Flirtbird” Phil Woods Quartet – “Blood Count” Joe Henderson - "Johnny Come Lately" The 14 Jazz Orchestra - "UMMG (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)"

Twenty-four hours to go before the big Thanksgiving feast! What would go better with some turkey than some "Giblet Gravy", courtesy of guitarist George Benson. Those who only know Benson from his smooth jazz or Top 40 recordings don't realize that he was one of the funkiest and fastest guitar slingers in his early days. Here he plays with a team of top notch musicians in 1968 sessions, including Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Pepper Adams (sax) and Billy Cobham (drums). It's worth noting that three of the four - and Benson as well - are all Miles Davis Alumni. Click here for a tune well suited to those last minute preparations around the kitchen. Cue it up and let the gravy fly!

With the possible exception of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, no jazz album has found its way into non-jazz fans’ record collections over the years more than John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Recorded fifty years ago this week in Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, two days of recording resulted in another seismic shift in the world of jazz. On November 20th a two-disc (and deluxe three-disc) version of the album will arrive in stores. A Love Supreme - The Complete Masters will go beyond previously released outtakes to give us studio chatter, false starts and more, creating a complete picture of what happened during hose two mighty days. For those who want to dig deep into Trane's creative process, this is the holy grail. To get further inside the recording of A Love Supreme, check out Podcast 458 when I spoke with journalist Ashley Kahn on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the album's release.  Kahn contributed an essay about Coltrane and the album for the new CD set.

The worlds of classical music and jazz lost a leading light earlier this year when Gunther Schuller passed away at the age of 89. Since the Pulitzer­-winning composer would have celebrated his 90th birthday on November 22, it seems appropriate that two of Boston’s leading musical ensembles—the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and Odyssey Opera— will unite onstage for a special concert honoring his memory. To make it even more special, the concert with be on the campus of the New England Conservatory in Boston, a place he helped build and make flourish over the years. Gil Rose will lead BMOP in two enjoyable narratives for all ages, Schuller’s Journey Into Jazz and The Fisherman and His Wife, joined by Gunther’s sons Ed Schuller (bass) and George Schuller (drums) as special guest artists, and Odyssey Opera, featuring Met Opera regular, mezzo-­soprano Sondra Kelly. Rounding out the program will be Schuller’s sinfonietta work Games. Ranking among the most eclectic of his generation or any other, Schuller combined jazz and classical music in new ways. He was a part of Miles Davis’ The Birth of the Cool project, and took those concepts to a new level with a revolutionary, hybrid style that became known as “Third Stream,” and entered the classical music mainstream. Schuller served as President of the New England Conservatory, where he established a successful degree-­granting jazz program, from 1967-­1977. He made his home in Newton, MA, and passed away on June 21, 2015 in Boston at the age of 89. Whether you consider his work jazz or classical, we must consider Gunther Schuller a giant in 20th century American music. Podcast 505 is my talk with Gil Rose about his late collaborator and friend, featuring musical selections from Schuller’s jazz related history, including “Transformation” from The Birth of the Third Stream, which features jazz stars like Art Farmer (trumpet), Jimmy Knepper (trombone) and Bill Evans (piano); “Variants for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra” from Journey into Jazz; and “The Soul” an excerpt from Charles Mingus’ Epitaph, which Schuller conducted when it finally was performed almost twenty-five years ago. Sunday, November 22 at 3:00 p.m. (pre-­concert talk 2:00 p.m.)  Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, T: Green to Symphony.  General $20-­$50/Students $10. To purchase, contact BMOP at BMOP.org or by telephone 718.324.0396. Also available from the Jordan Hall box office in person or online at tix.com.

This is my 500th podcast. When I started this project as a creative outlet more than ten years ago, I never thought that it would go on so long, and become such an important part of my identity. Thanks to the many generous and welcoming people in the world of jazz, I have gained access to music, gone places I never thought I would go, and met people that I never dreamed I would meet, The podcast is, to paraphrase a Bill Evans album title, a conversation with myself, as I share six songs that trace my jazz education. Dave Brubeck Quartet - “Blue Rondo a la Turk” I begin pretty early - jazz was something that I heard in my playpen. My father, Bert Siegel, was a jazz fan and persistent record collector. He played double bass and accordion as a teenager and college student, and was a huge fan of West Coast Cool Jazz, and “The Chairman of the Board”, Frank Sinatra. Although his bass stood in the living room as a decorative touch rather than a working instrument during most of my life, he stayed a jazz fan. Some of my earliest memories involve hearing the music he played on the Hi-Fi. Steely Dan – “East St. Louis Toodle-oo” By the time I was a teenager, I was into rock music and had inherited my father’s lust for purchasing vinyl, spending much of my spare money down at E.J. Korvette at the Trumbull Shopping Park. Very little of the rock music I bought and listened to appealed to my father. He liked anything that sounded like Simon & Garfunkel or the Moody Blues, so I’d be safe playing cassette tapes of Seals & Crofts or Cat Stevens or even Crosby Stills & Nash in the car when we drove together. He liked Chicago enough to take me and my friends David Speicher and Paul Freidman and I to see them at the New Haven Coliseum, our first rock concert.. Where our tastes started to come together, and where I had my first “a-ha” moment regarding jazz, came when I played my new copy of Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic for him. He liked the band, and pointed out the jazz references – the cop of “Song for My Father”on “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number”, the name-checking of Charlie “Bird” Parker tunes on “Parker’s Band”: You'll be riding by, bareback on your armadillo You'll be grooving high or relaxing at Camarillo There was also a wah-wah filled cover of Duke Ellington’s “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo” that closed the first side of the record. Pretty heady stuff for a 14 year old to digest. Return to Forever – “Majestic Dance” At the start of my junior year in high school, I was hipped to a band that had just played the area called Return to Forever. Apparently they had a 22 year old guitar player named Al DiMeola who put the rock gods of the day to shame.. Something to check out. It was in the Trumbull Public Library, of all places, that I found Romantic Warrior. This music was something entirely new to me. The group played instrumental sounds on electric instruments, and they weren’t afraid to play them loud. I really liked it. Stan Getz – “Captain Marvel” I was listening to Romantic Warrior in my bedroom one evening when Dad came in to check out what the musical ruckus was about. He asked who – actually, I think he said “what” – it was, and I pointed to the borrowed record jacket on the floor. He picked it up and in a few words, changed my musical compass forever. “Oh, sure. Chick Corea. I liked him when he played with Stan Getz. But not this stuff. Listen to it with your earphones, okay?’ I had to get this straight. My Dad – Frank Sinatra-listening, Steely Dan-tolerating Dad – listened to Chick Corea? Liked Chick Corea? He came back into my bedroom a minute later and flipped an album onto my bed. It was a two record reissue on Verve called The Chick Corea/Bill Evans Sessions and had a record’s worth of Corea playing piano in a quartet that included Stan Getz. When I got around to listening to it, I had to admit that it was pretty good. What Chick Corea played then was a far cry from the wild electric sounds he made with Return to Forever, but hey, the record was recorded in 1967, before half of that equipment had been invented. In retrospect, what amazed me the most was that a jazz-rock hero who attracted high school fans like Chick Corea had come from a straight-ahead jazz band that attracted a previous generation. Rock musicians that I listened to and held in high esteem didn’t seem to come from other bands, much less completely other genres. Jeff Beck – “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” Soon after the Great Chick Corea Awakening, I was introduced to two other guitar albums that further changed my musical perspective. My main radio station was New Haven’s WPLR-FM, and their number one album of the year in 1975 (the year I turned 16) was “Blow by Blow” by veteran British guitarist Jeff Beck. Not only had I never heard of Jeff Beck at the time, but the album sounded nothing like anything else on the radio at the time. Completely instrumental, and produced by George Martin of Beatles fame, “Blow by Blow” featured all the toys that ‘70’s guitarists lived for, including the “talk box”. ‘PLR loved Beck’s talk box-infused version of the Beatles “She’s a Woman”, giving it heavy rotation. They played the two songs Stevie Wonder gave Beck as well, the ballad “’Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers” and the jittery “Thelonious”. Hearing these songs between Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and Little Feat in a Stoneman set could be a startling experience. Clearly, electric guitar could go places and makes sounds that I hadn’t thought of before. George Benson – “Breezin’” The other guitar album that reshaped my way of thinking about music, and jazz in particular, I first heard at my friend Brian Tracey’s house. His younger brother was learning to play guitar and had become obsessed with an album by George Benson, called “Breezin’” Benson was a bona fide jazz player, a real guitar hero who had cut seminal soul-jazz albums for Prestige and Blue Note while still in his teens. Perusing my Dad’s record collection one day after being forced to listen to the album over and over at Brian’s house, I found he owned a copy of “White Rabbit”, a Benson album from 1971. “Breezin’” became the first album that I recommended to my Dad and he not only bought, but thought was great. Even today, when some parts of the album seem overly polished and smoothed out, I really enjoy the way Benson’s guitar slides through the strings on the title track, or the way he works through and around Phil Upchurch’s guitar and Ronny Foster’s keyboards. By the time I began college at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, the seeds had been well watered, and jazz was germinating. College buddies turned me on to Pat Metheny (another guitar player), Keith Jarrett (my Dad turned out to already own a copy of “The Koln Concert”) and especially Miles Davis. I saw Grover Washington, Jr play on campus, along with the likes of Phil Woods, Ron Carter and yes, my Dad’s favorite guitar player, Joe Pass. There was a whole world of music to explore. Jazz was cool. I liked jazz. A lot.    

One of the more exciting fresh voices I’ve had the fortune to listen to this year comes from a 22 year old singer-pianist named Ariel Popock. Based currently in North Carolina, she is a graduate of the University of Miami's Frost School of Music and a double-award winner at the Essentially Ellington Competition at Lincoln Center - Outstanding Pianist and the Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Vocalist Award. Touchstone is her debut CD, and it has taken a twisted path to reach jazz fans, starting with a prematurely shortened stay at Verve Records, and ending on the fine Canadian label Justin Time (home of Hank Jones, Rana Lee, Halle Loren and others). Fortunately, Ariel was able to keep her Verve advance, and put the money to good use, assembling a killer band that any musician would die for. Imagine your first recording in a studio with Julian Lage (guitar), Eric Harland (drums), Larry Grenadier (bass), and Seamus Blake (saxophone). Where do you go from there? The CD is a fine mix of standards, pop covers (James Taylor, Randy Newman), and even a Popock original, “Barrell Roll.” All of the arrangements were written by Ariel, and she sings and plays with a straight ahead confidence that belies her age. Podcast 505 is my conversation with Ariel, as we talk about her song selection, how she got the band together, and even what music is on her Spotify list. Musical selections from Touchstone include “Ugly Beauty/Still We Dream”, “Barrell Roll” “When I Fall in Love” and the album’s highlight, “Real Emotional Girl.”

The passing of Phil Woods last month is still being felt in the jazz world. One of Woods’ protégées, alto saxophonist Jim Snidero, will take a moment to honor his long-time mentor and friends this Thursday with a concert called “One for Phil” at the Smoke Jazz and Supper Club in New York City. Snidero’s band – Snidero on Alto Saxophone; Alex Sipiagin on Trumpet; Andy LaVerne on Piano; Ugonna Okegwo on Bass; and Jason Tiemann on Drums – will play three sets at Smoke, in what promises to be a memorable evening. Snidero first met Woods in 1975, and then studied with him until moving to New York in the early 1980's. They kept in contact over the years, with their last visit being this past June. “Phil was the guy that inspired me to commit to the music, and for that, I will always be grateful" states Snidero. "Without question, he was one of the greatest jazz musicians and alto saxophone players of all time". Snidero has been one of the finest alto players in the world over the past thirty-five years, having made his bones as member of an astonishingly wide variety of important groups including The Mingus Big Band, Brother Jack McDuff, Eddie Palmieri and Frank Sinatra’s “East Coast Band.” As a leader, he has released nineteen CDs, including sessions with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette; trumpeters Tom Harrell and Brian Lynch; and pianists Mulgrew Miller and Benny Green. As strong a player as Snidero may be, he may be even more important as a jazz educator. He has written three 11-volume series of jazz etude books keyed to play-along CDs that are becoming the standard for students around the world. He also has produced courses in jazz improvisation and performance for The Jazz Conception Company that earned rave reviews. Podcast 504 is my conversation with Jim, as he talks about his friendship with the late Phil Woods, what aspects of Woods’ playing and personality made him great, and even picks a favorite Woods tune or two. Musical selections for the episode feature Phil Woods performances from across his career, including "Freedom Jazz Dance", a sultry "The Summer Knows", "Chasin' the Bird" and a frenetic take on "Shaw Nuff". From Snidero's latest CD Main Street comes his original composition, "Oxford Square."  Special thanks to my friend Jeff Kirschenbaum for assisting me with selecting representative Woods’ recordings. Sorry I had to pick a different take of "Freedom Jazz Dance", since the one he wanted me to choose was more than 25 minutes long.

“Part of our human consciousness constantly searches and yearns for the divine, unspeakably beautiful, eternal, In my world, I call this place Everblue.” - Yelena Eckemoff I have enjoyed the piano-based jazz albums of Yelena Eckemoff for a number of years now. The Moscow-born pianist was a child prodigy, and had been classically trained at the finest Moscow schools. Her teachers included Anna Pavlovna Kantor, who also trained the celebrated Evgeny Kissin, and she also studied with Galina Nikolaevna Egiazarova at the Piano School of the Moscow State Conservatory. But she also had an ear for jazz, which she has developed more fully since her arrival in the United States about fifteen years ago. Residing with her family in North Carolina, Yelena rarely plays live, and so the series of CDs she has released are her primary creative output. She writes all the material for each CD (except for her latest), and brings in the finest musicians to help her flash out the sounds she hears. These sidemen have included drummer Peter Erskine on her Cold Sun CD; Mark Turner (saxophone), George Mrasz (bass), Joe Locke (vibes) and Billy Hart (drums) for A Touch of Radiance; and now Tore Brunborg (sax) , Arild Anderson (bass) and Jon Christensen (drums) for her latest CD, EverBlue. I’m not the first listener to think that her music would not be out of place on a label like ECM, as it often evokes a sense of serenity and wonder, with pastoral overtones. There is not much swinging on one of her CDs, but her nature-centric compositions are strong, and her fellow musicians flawless. Podcast 503 is my conversation with Yelena, as she tells how she arrived in the US, who her early influences were as she moved into the world of jazz, and how she came to work with so many fabulous musicians. Musical selections from EverBlue include “Sea Breeze” and “Blue Lamp”, and “Pep” is from A Touch of Radiance.

It may be hard for many of us who learned about Jazz from the recordings of Michael and Randy Brecker to accept that Michael is gone, and that Randy will turn 70 years old in November. He must have a recent taste for nostalgia, as he reassembled many of his jazz buddies for a Brecker Brothers Band Reunion CD/DVD set in 2013, and now goes back to his days as a first-call studio “cat“ who could play any music or write any chart a producer or artist needed. Randy’s reputation was well-earned, considering the timeless recordings featuring his trumpet, including iconic albums by Frank Zappa, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, James Brown and Bruce Springsteen. The album is called RandyPOP! and it’s already a favorite of mine. What makes this more than a look back at past glory are the “derangements” of memorable pop tunes by Kenny Werner, who refuses to simply cover a song. Instead, there are key, tempo and meter shifts, along with time to stretch out for memorable solos. And what a band Brecker has put together for this live recording: Werner ( Piano, Keys), David Sanchez (Tenor Saxophone), Adam Rogers (Guitar), John Patitucci (Bass), and Nate Smith (Drums). Brecker’s daughter Amanda lends powerful vocals to several of the tunes, most notably on “New Frontier”, which Werner has dramatically altered in time, making a hard song even more difficult to sing. Watch for a new project from her next year in collaboration with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. Podcast 502 is my conversation with Randy, where he tells some of the best stories you will hear in a podcast this year – how the Brecker Brothers Band came together, why he left Blood, Sweat & Tears before their ultimate commercial success, and fly-on-the-wall accounts of sessions with Parliament (Mothership Connection) and writing horn charts for Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run). Musical selections from RandyPop! include “Let Me Just Follow Behind” (originally recorded by Bette Midler) and a dramatic “Think/I’ve Got a Bag of My Own” medley with spoken intro by Randy. Past glories are highlighted with the Brecker Brothers Band’s “Sneakin’ Up Behind You” and the dynamic horn section of Randy and Michael Brecker, Wayne Andre and David Sanborn playing the classic chart for “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” from Born to Run.

Columbus Day has become a deeply divisive event in the US. What once was the naive celebration of the "discovery of America" - take that Amerigo Vespucci and the Native Americans - is now marled with protests, given the start of the genocide his arrival in the New World began. But let's go back to a simpler time, like May 1936, when Fats Waller and his Rhythm appeared on a popular radio show, The Magic Key Show, which originated from New York. That day, he performed two tunes - the well-known "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", and the lesser known "Christopher Columbus". The lyrics? Mr.Christopher Columbus/Sailed the sea without a compass/Well, when his men began a rumpus/Up spoke Christopher Columbus He said: "There is land somewhere/So until we get there we will not go wrong/If we sing a swing song/Since the world is round, we'll be safe and sound/'Till our goal is found we'll just keep the rhythm bound Soon the crew was makin' merry/Then came a yell, let's drink to Isabella/Bring on the rum/A music in that all the rumpus/That wise old Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus/Christopher Columbus Maybe not a Shakespearean sonnet, but you get the idea. And as always, Fats knew how to swing.  

Had it not been for an assassin’s bullet on December 8, 1980, John Winston Ono Lennon would have turned 75 years old today. Given that we lost him at the age of 40, it gives one pause to think about how much great music we might have received over the years from his genius. It’s easy to argue that Lennon’s memorable work came in a spectacularly creative period of writing and recording that began with 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night and ended with 1971’s Imagine, followed by a general decline, if not outright silence. But what a body of work that gave us! And given the relative strength of the material on his final sessions in 1979 and 1980, there was definitely hope that an older, more mature, and perhaps more dedicated Lennon was far from finished. Alas, we will never know. Jazz musicians have recorded Lennon material almost since it first appeared, and you can check our previous podcasts that have focuses on Beatles music in my previous “Jazzin’ On…” podcasts of the music of George Harrison, Paul McCartney. and two prior John Lennon podcasts, #142 and #196. Podcast 501 features the following tunes written by John Lennon, during both his Beatles period and solo career, including: Laurence Elder - "Imagine"  Wayne Brasel – “Strawberry Fields Forever” Beatlejazz – “Cold Turkey” Bill Frisell – “Mother” Diane Reeves & Cassandra Wilson – “Come Together” Freddie McCoy – “I Am the Walrus” John Basile – “In My Life” Don Randi Trio – “Tomorrow Never Knows” Ramsey Lewis – “Julia” Steve Marcus – “Rain” Arif Mardin – “Glass Onion” Al DiMeola - "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite"  John Pizzarelli – “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”

When I spoke with Bob Belden this spring, I had no idea that it would be the last conversation I would ever have with him. Oe tht he would have with a jazz writer. The outspoken Belden had just returned from a trip to Iran with his band Animation, the first American performer to play there since the Islamic revolution in the late Seventies. He had wrapped work on two new CDs, and performed in a well-reviewed show celebrating the legacy of the Royal Roost club and Miles Davis. And then he was gone, dead of a heart attack on May 20th, after lengthy struggles with various illnesses. His legacy as something of a renaissance man - performer, composer, orchestrator, conductor, arranger, record executive – is considerable, highlighted by Grammy award winning CD The Black Dahlia and the genre-bending Miles from India. He also won Grammys for his liner notes to the box set reissues Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 and Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings. His final recording with Animation, Machine Language, continues the trend he began two years ago with Transparent Heart, both releases on Rare Noise Records. Little about these records can be considered “jazz” in the sense most of us think of it. And that was exactly what Belden had in mind, he told me in that final conversation, calling his music “intimidating” and “adult music”. Jazz as we know it, he said, is “not an intellectual music. Not anymore. It’s basically college music. Music for students…It’s becoming like Colonial Williamsburg, where everyone is expected to play a role. Everyone is expected to imitate someone from the past. You’re the reincarnation of this person and you’re the reincarnation of this person. And so forth. “ Machine Language fits that bill in spades. The group for this session features Belden on saxophone and flute, Peter Clagett on trumpet, Roberto Verastegui on keyboards, Bill Laswell on electric bass, Matt Young on drums and Kurt Elling guesting as narrator. It is intended to be part of a trilogy of work that would attempt to meld music, literature and film into a cohesive form. Regrettably, I doubt we will ever see it finished. Prior to Machine Language, Belden had collaborated on In an Ambient Way, a reinterpretation of Miles Davis’ In a Silent Way, a recording he loved due to its modern recording techniques. The recording was credited to “Powerhouse”, a group composed of Wallace Roney (trumpet), Belden (soprano sax, flute), Oz Noy (guitar), Kevin Hays (Fender Rhodes), Daryl Johns (bass) and Lenny White (drums). So Podcast 499 is a bittersweet one for me, knowing that I will never get to speak again with a man I came to know as a friend. There will be no more emails forwarding news items he found outrageous, no more early listens to work in which he was engrossed. I will miss him. Musical selections include the title track, "Genesis Code" and "A Machine's Dream" from Machine Language and appropriately enough, "End Titles (Master)" from Bob's soundtrack to the movie Three Days of Rain, as played by Jason Moran.

When we list the great piano players of the last fifty years, for some reason Monty Alexander seems too often to be forgotten. In a career spanning five decades, Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song, and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world. Who else can claim working with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Barbara Hendricks, and Bobby McFerrin, but also with Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare. When Clint Eastwood wanted to record the soundtrack to his film Bird, a movie about the life of jazz titan Charlie Parker, it was Monty Alexander he chose to record the piano track. And Alexander is still going strong, having released the second album of his Harlem-Kingston Express band’s material this past spring.  In celebration of the Jamaican jazz icon, pianist Donald Vega has put together a hard swinging compilation of Monty's great, early compositions. With Respect To Monty features an all-star lineup backing Vega, including Anthony Wilson (guitar), Hassan Shakur (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums). Shakur, a long-time Alexander collaborator, lends a welcome tone of authenticity to the group’s tunes. Vega does more than imitate Alexander – he successfully brings out the spirit and joy of the great pianist’s work in these tracks. It helps that he has Wilson’s guitar front and center – this CD s in many ways a testament to his playing, be it soaring leads or supportive comping. Shakur, a long-time Alexander collaborator, lends a welcome tone of authenticity to the group’s covers. Lewis Nash plays like – well, Lewis Nash, which is a high compliment indeed. Podcast 498 is my conversation with Vega, who since he left the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School, where he studied with piano great Kenny Barron, has performed at a very high level. He replaced the late Mulgrew Miller as the pianist for world renowned bassist Ron Carter’s Golden Striker Trio. His last album, Spiritual was a trio recording with the solid-gold rhythm section of bassist Christian McBride and drummer Nash.  Musical selection from With Respect To Monty include "3000 Miles Ago", "The Gathering" and "Mango Rengue."

One of the very first podcasts I did here at Straight No Chaser featured the music of pianist/composer Andrew Hill. It feels appropriate that as I reach the cusp of my 500th podcast, that I stop and appreciate the fiftieth anniversary of the recording of Compulsion, one of Hill’s finest works. By 1965, Hill had recorded with Rashaan Roland Kirk, Hank Mobley and Joe Henderson, and released more than a handful of albums as a bandleader. Compared to say, Black Fire, his 1963 classic, Compulsion seems a very different kind of album. Where Black Fire is a Blue Note session to a tee – a quartet composed of Hill, Joe Henderson, Richard Davis and Roy Haynes – Compulsion begins to explore more adventurous rhythmic ground. Hill explained later that his intention was to "...construct an album expressing the legacy of the Negro tradition," and for that he would need percussion. Compulsion ended up with just four lengthy tracks, full of fascinating improvisation that Hill would develop over the next few years. The band is top notch – Hill on piano, Freddie Hubbard (trumpet, flugelhorn), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet) Cecil McBee (bass), a three-headed monster rhythm section of Joe Chambers (drums), Renaud Simmons (conga), and Nadi Qarmar (percussion), and, for the driving track “Premonition”, Davis returning as a second bass player. The music shows Hill's continued growth as a composer, as he eschews overt melody in favor of harmonic invention and texutre. As a subtly prepared “concept album” with a distinct thematic connection between the four tracks, Compulsion stands as a mature work of art. He would record five more albums for Blue Note in the Sixties, but only two saw the light of day for at least a decade, as the label chose to either sit on them, release them under others' name (Sam Rivers) or put the tracks solely on compilation albums. .

Here in the suburbs of Springfield, Massachusetts, I take moment to reflect on the passing of one of our native sons – alto saxophonist Phil Woods, who passed away yesterday from complications of emphysema at the age of 83. The loss of woods severs another tie that today’s jazz world has with the Be-Bop Generation of the late Thirties and Forties. Woods was one of the players who picked up the mantle of Charlie Parker after Bird’s untimely death. The New York Times reported that Mr. Woods was known to some, “admiringly if a little back-handedly, as ‘the new Bird.’” The association was solidified when he married Parker’s widow, Chan, in 1957. They later divorced. While Woods won four Grammy awards for his jazz recordings, most notably his work on large ensemble sessions, the average music listener knows his unique sound for his work on rock and pop sessions. On the recommendation of the producer Phil Ramone, an old classmate at the Juilliard School, Woods was featured on Paul Simon’s 1975 album, Still Crazy After All These Years, playing a lightning –fast bebop-inflected outro on the song “Have a Good Time.” That same year he played a memorably soaring solo on the Steely Dan’s “Doctor Wu.” Two years later, Phil Woods was chosen to play the classic solo on Mr. Joel’s now-standard ballad “Just the Way You Are.” Bet you didn't know that was the master. I had the pleasure of meeting Phil when he played the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, and found him unassuming, even self-deprecating when he talked about himself or his prodigious talents. He was a man capable of swinging with the best, and yet playing the most silken of ballads. His take on “The Summer Knows” remains my favorite version of that tune. Woods had been active to the end, releasing collaborative albums with younger musicians like Grace Kelly and performing near his home in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Earlier her performed a tribute to the album Charlie Parker With Strings, backed by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He brought his oxygen tank with him onstage.

The Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival—Boston's biggest block party—takes place from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., on Columbus Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and Burke Street in Boston's South End. The outdoor performances, which have drawn as many as 80,000 music fans, are open to the public free of charge. Check here for updates and a full schedule of events. This year’s festival theme is Jazz: the Voice of the People. “Jazz is a universal language that unites cultures and brings communities together,” said John Hailer, president and chief executive officer of Natixis Global Asset Management in the Americas and Asia. “As one of the world’s premier cultural centers, Boston is a natural home to showcase this amazing American musical tradition, and we are proud to partner with Berklee again this year.” The outdoor celebration also features a variety of vendor booths offering foods and crafts from all over the world. “Roxbury's High Notes of Jazz” Roxbury Walk is offering tours throughout the day for a nominal fee, exploring the area around the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival. The site was once the epicenter of music, food, and nightlife for Boston's jazz community during the 1930s through 1950s. Tours will organize from the Discover Roxbury booth at the festival. Musical highlights from multiple outdoor stages include nine-time Grammy-nominated R&B artist Ledisi; tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson with legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb; Marcus Miller; the Mosaic Project, a collective led by three-time Grammy-winning drummer and producer and Beantown artistic director Terri Lyne Carrington, with Philly-based soul/R&B vocalist Jaguar Wright; rising funk bassist Alissia Benveniste and the Funketeers; and many others, including our guest in this podcast, Berklee instructor and guitar ace David Gilmore. David took some time from his schedule to talk with me about Berklee, the Festival and his current musical explorations. Musical selections from Festival artists include tracks from Javon Jackson & We Four (“Freddie Freeloader”); Marcus Miller (“Water Dance”); and Gilmore, here with his band Numerology (“Five, Change”). Tracks from recordings Gilmore made during his career with other artists include Ron Blake (“Sonic Tonic”); Don Byron (“Powerhouse”); and Molè (“Grass”).

Since the launch of Playboy magazine in 1953, two elements have been remarkably consistent: the first is the celebration of the world’s most beautiful & desirable women and the second is its involvement with music.  If we are to believe Hugh Hefner, the Playboy experience was never to have been just about sex—it was about lifestyle. And music—particularly the finest jazz, a personal passion of founder  Hefner’s—has always been an essential component of that lifestyle. While many books have been written about the Playboy organization and the ultimate playboy himself, no book—until this one—has focused specifically on Playboy and the music scene, its impact on popular entertainment (and vice versa), and the fabulous cadre of performers who took to the stages of the mythic Playboy Clubs and Jazz Festivals. For that, we can now turn to Patty Farmer’s Playboy Swings. The highly readable book features candid, in-depth interviews with a multitude of musicians and singers, as well as those involved behind the scenes, as the book moves from the inception of the Playboy Empire through the 1959 jazz festival, to the opening of club after club. From the first issue of the magazine, music enjoyed pride of place, and by 1957, Playboy had launched its “All Star Poll,” in which readers were invited to vote for their favorite musicians and acts. This led to what was, at the time, a rather bold step for the young company: Playboy began to produce records. Now, Playboy was doing more than discussing or reviewing music; it was actually presenting it. Playboy began to sponsor a series of historic jazz festivals, starting with the groundbreaking 1959 Playboy Jazz Festival in Chicago celebrating the magazine’s 5th Anniversary. It was the success of that inaugural jazz festival that gave birth to the idea of the Playboy Club which opened its first doors in Chicago on February 29, 1960.  And once the clubs took hold, it was only natural that they would offer live performances featuring the sort of music the magazine endorsed.  As much as anything—including the clubs’ iconic Bunnies—the music presented at the clubs set the tone of the organization and kept patrons coming back for more. Ms. Farmer, who is something of a “nightclub historian”, and I chatted about this chapter in history that is just now getting exposure. Podcast 495 is our conversation, featuring musical selections that would not have been out of place in Hef’s penthouse, like Frank Sinatra’s “I Get a Kick Out of You”; Al Jarreau’s “Teach Me Tonight”; and Ellis Marsalis’ "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?".

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} "Just call Nathan; it's locked." – Lionel Richie He could only be talking about Nathan East, the man who is credited on more than 2,000 albums and several Grammy-winning songs including "Get Lucky," "Footloose" and "Change the World." Perhaps the most in-demand sideman in jazz and pop today, his career has gone from being a 16-year-old touring with Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra to Grammy Award-winning session player for Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, EricClapton and so many more. Nathan’s latest project is a duet member with a fellow founding member of the contemporary jazz group Fourplay, Bob James.  The New Cool (on Yamaha Entertainment Group of America is the first true duet project for both, as they follow in footsteps of the legendary bass and piano combos like Eddie Gomez and Bill Evans. The album has a gentle sound, a combination of epic melodies (on new and old songs) and soulful tunes. James, the distinguished pianist, and East, an unparalleled bass player, are both known for the meticulousness and originality in their music. Both have made careers alternating between electric and acoustic sounds, so while the listener’s initial reaction might be one of surprise, eventually they win you over, assisted by James’ strong arrangements. James recorded his first solo album 52 years ago and has since composed more than 30 solo albums in the genres of jazz and classical. East released his first solo album in 2014. That self-titled project, also on the Yamaha Entertainment Group label, climbed the charts, setting a record with 26 weeks at No. 1 on the SmoothJazz.com Top 50 chart and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.  East was recently featured in a documentary film entitled For the Record, which is currently streaming on Hulu. Podcast 496 is my conversation with Nathan as we talk gear, how he creates a bassline, and who might be on his very short list of musicians with whom he has not yet played. Musical selections from The New Cool include the classic “How Deep is the Ocean”; Willie Nelson’s “Crazy”, featuring a vocal by Vince Gill; and the original “All Will Be Revealed.” Two of Nathan’s past successes – Fourplay’s “Sebastian” and Eric Clapton’s “Before You Accuse Me (Take a Look at Yourself)” round out the podcast.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Pete McCann is the kind of jazz musician with whose name you might not be familiar, but you almost surely have heard him onstage or on record. The New York jazz scene is deep with players, and while Pete doesn't necessarily hang out in Gotham anymore, he sure seems to get his share of gigs and calls, including those from Kenny Wheeler, Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Patti Austin, Bobby Previte, Brian Blade, and the Maria Schneider Orchestra. He regularly tours as a member of Grace Kelly’s band. He has appeared on over fifity CDs, and as a leader, he has showcased his abilities at straight-ahead, post-bop, avant garde, Latin, and jazz-rock fusion. Range is his latest CD, the follow up to McCann's previous critically-acclaimed releases, Extra Mile (Nineteen-Eight), Most Folks (Omnitone), Parable and You Remind Me of Someone (both on Palmetto). For this release, he has put together a cast of some of New York City's finest musicians; John O'Gallagher (alto sax), Henry Hey (piano, Rhodes and organ), Matt Clohesy (acoustic & electric bass) and Mark Ferber (drums). In many ways his most personal CD, Range features his tributes to mentors and muses of his past, from Kenny Wheeler (“Kenny”) and Lee Konitz (“Rumble”) to Anton Webern (“Dyad Changes”) and Bill Frisell (“To the Mountains”). McCann pulls out all the stops on his solos here, which can range from dancing lines to driving rock chords. Podcast 495 is out conversation, as Pete talks about the new CD, his time with Wheeler, Konitz and Grace Kelly, and his current tour plans. Musical selections include “Kenny” , “Rumble” and “Mustard” from Range; “Something in the Way She Moves” from Melissa Stylianou’s Silent Movie; and “Kiss Away Your Tears“ from Grace Kelly’s Live at Scullers. 

Today is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the celebration of the New Year 5775. The traditional greeting for the day is "L'Shanah Tovah" - "A Good Year". Bassist David Chevan of the Afro-Semitic Experience has been working on some jazzed up versions of music associated with the High Holidays for the past few years. I' ve written before about his CDs Days of Awe and Yizkhor: Music of Memory, both of which are full of traditional materials done in the fascinating way he and his partner, pianist Warren Byrd, have become known for. Click here for a rehearsal recorded. July 29, 2010 featuring Byrd, Chevan, and Cantor Jack Mendelson performing "Avinu Malkeinu", a song asking "Our Father, Our King" for his compassion and blessings for the New Year, Chevan explains about the recording: This recording came to be because about two weeks ago I recorded a rehearsal with Warren Byrd and Cantor Jack Mendelson. One of the pieces we looked at was Avinu Malkeinu. Funny thing about playing standards . . . give a listen, we didn’t even talk this one through, we just began playing and this is what came out! If you listen hard you can hear Jack’s air conditioner puttering away in the background.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} 2015 marks the 80th anniversary of Benny Goodman's famous Palomar concert that started the “Swing Era,” and Israeli-American clarinetist Oran Etkin commemorates the event by bringing together a crack quartet, including Steve Nelson (vibes), Matt Wilson (drums), and Sullivan Fortner (piano) for a creative homage to the groundbreaking quartet of Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa of the 1930s. Praised as a great clarinetist and all-around improviser by the New York Times, Etkin felt a deep connection with Benny Goodman, whose groundbreaking work in redefining the role of the clarinet and challenging the status quo inspired a generation of musicians. The Motema label will release this band’s celebration of the daring and playful spirit of Benny Goodman,  What's New: Reimagining Benny Goodman  next month. The album is a tribute not by recreating his music note for note, but rather by getting, as Etkin told me,  at the essence of who Goodman was and the spirit that he brought to the music, On August 21, 1935, at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, California, Benny Goodman and his quartet performed for thousands of young fans in the live audience and millions more tuning in to a live radio broadcast. Historians today credit this moment as the opening of the Swing Era, In Podcast 493, Etkin talks about this famous gig, and his lifetime fascination with Goodman and his place in musical history. Goodman had begun to perform “hot” arrangements by African-American bandleader Fletcher Henderson—arrangements that departed from the more romantic style of the day by employing loose, upbeat, syncopated rhythms that had been common in African-American jazz ensembles for years, but had been passed over by white orchestras for years. Goodman’s band would often appear well past midnight, EST, on a radio program called Let’s Dance. This may have limited their exposure on the East Coast, but since the show aired  in “prime time” on the West Coast, Goodman would soon discover a huge new fan base there. The story goes that Goodman stuck to relatively staid, stock arrangements during the first part of the Palomar show, and he began to lose the young crowd. Before their return from the first intermission, the band’s drummer, Gene Krupa, is said to have urged Goodman, “If we’re gonna die, Benny, let’s die playing our own thing.” It was at that point that Goodman famously pulled out Henderson’s arrangements along with all the stops on his talented orchestra, to the crowd’s immense delight. The rest, as they say, is history. Podcast 493 is my conversation with Oran, as we talk about how the music of Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman influenced him, and how he and his three talented cohorts went about this project. Musical selections from the new CD include their takes on Goodman standards like "King Porter Stomp", "Dinah", and - of course - "SIng, Sing, Sing", the last in a radical revisionary take. From Oran's Gathering Light CD, you can hear "Gambang Suling", a track influenced by his travel in the Far East and Pacific Rim last year.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} December will make the centennial celebration of the birth of Francis Albert Sinatra – Ol’ Blue Eyes, the Chairman of the Board. Perhaps the most iconic male singer – if not of all genders – of the jazz age, Sinatra made his mark on American culture by excelling as a recording artist, performer and movie actor. From his days as the teen idol who made the bobbysoxers swoon with the Harry James Big Band, through his years of growth as mature interpreter of the Great American Song Book, Sinatra was a one of a kind talent. As part of Tanglewood’s “One Day University” program in Lenox, Massachusetts on Sunday August 23, Anna Harwell Celenza, the Thomas E. Caestecker Professor of Music at Georgetown University and the author of several scholarly books, including Music as Cultural Mission: Explorations of Jesuit Practices in Italy and North America, will lecture on the topic “A Sinatra Centennial: What Made Old Blue Eyes Great?”  Ms. Celenza’s work has also appeared in The Hopkins Review, Musical Quarterly, Nineteenth-Century Music, Notes, The Cambridge Companion to Liszt (2005), and Franz Liszt and His World (2006) and The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington (2014) . In addition to her scholarly work, she has authored a series of award-winning children's books with Charlesbridge Publishing: The Farewell Symphony (2000), Pictures at an Exhibition (2003), The Heroic Symphony (2004), Bach's Goldberg Variations (2005), Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (2006), Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite (2011), Vivaldi's Four Seasons (2012), Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre (2013) and a 14-part syndicated series on Louis Armstrong for the NC Press Foundation. She is currently finishing work on a new scholarly book Jazz Italian Style about Jazz in Italy between the World Wars, as well as two new children's books, one on Louis Armstrong, the other on Mozart. Podcast 491 is my conversation with Ms. Celenza, as we discuss the various aspects of Sinatra’s career to determine just why he has remained a major cultural figure 100 years after his death. Musical selections include “Come Fly with Me”; collaborations with arranger Nelson Riddle on “Sleep Warm” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”; “Something”; and a live version of “Witchcraft” from a show recorded at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas in April 1987.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} It's summer in New England, so why not some summer themed music for these lazy, hot days? Today is August 16th, the feast day of Saint Roch, the patron saint of Dogs, so why not celebrate the "Dog Days"? The Romans referred to the dog days as diēs caniculārēs and associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the "Dog Star" because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog), as well as the brightest star in the night sky. The term "Dog Days" was used earlier by the Greeks in Aristotle's Physics. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, which is no longer true, owing to procession of the equinoxes. The Romans sacrificed a brown dog (Sorry Angus and Hamish, my two miniature dachshunds!) at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. I've done three previous Dog Day postings,  Podcast 292, Podcast 225and Podcast 442,  if you'd like some more summer-themed music. There's a few repeats between these posts, but what the hey. It’s all grooving or relaxing music for soaking in those wonderful warming rays. Winter is just around the corner, and I am gonna grab all the warmth I can. Look for me on my deck with Angus and Hamish - and Nancy - and a cold beverage or two. Podcast 492 features the following uninterrupted hour of music: Chieli Minucci – “Endless Summer” James Taylor Quartet – “Summer Song” Jimmy Smith – “Summertime” Christian McBride – “Summer Soft” Eric Alexander Quartet - "Slow Hot Wind" Jose James – “What A Little Moonlight Can Do” Rufus Reid – “Summer's Shadow” Klaus Paier and Asja Vailcic - “Stirring Summer Storm” Hendrik Meurkens Sambajazz Quartet; - “Summer In San Francisco” Marc Johnson – “Porch Swing” Houston Person – “Medley: That Sunday That Summer (Funny)” Bobby Previte - "Women On the Beach"

With all the hullabaloo over the "final" Grateful Dead shows last month in Santa Clara and Chicago, we might forget that today would have been Jerry Garcia’s 73rd birthday, and like so many other fans, I'll spend a few moments contemplating his music. Maybe a few "Scarlet Begonia/Fire on the Mountain" and "Dark Stars" are in the cards. Definitely a "Bird Song." Named after composer Jerome Kern, Garcia was a student of American music, whether it was bluegrass, show tunes or the blues. Jerry had a love of jazz, and while the Dead themselves did not dip into the jazz canon all that often, Jerry’s side projects gave him a chance to show his jazz chops. Click here to listen to a recording of Milt Jackson’s “Bag’s Groove” from the 1998 release So What from Garcia and mandolin player David Grisman. Other members of the band were Joe Craven on percussion, Matt Eakle on flute and Jim Kerwin on bass

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Last year the venerable Newport Jazz Festival shook off a few cobwebs and let the jazz world know that it was not going to rest on its laurels. The Festival added a third day to the mix and brought more up and coming, avant-garde and student groups to the stages than ever. 2015 promises to be more of the same. Friday has big names like Snarky Puppy and Christian McBride, but also ensembles that will bring ensembles that feature Ambrose Akinmusire, Ben Wendel, Bria Skonberg, Herlin Riley, Johnathan Blake, Mark Turner, Ben Street, Chris Potter and the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra w special guest soloist Sean Jones. Saturday’s headliners Cassandra Wilson, Jon Batiste and Stay Human, and the Maria Schneider Orchestra are virtually eclipsed by a cavalcade of top artists - Irvin Mayfield, Cécile McLorin Salvant with the Aaron Diehl Trio, Pat Martino Organ Trio, José James, Conrad Herwig's Latin Side of Horace Silver featuring Michel Camilo and starring Craig Handy, Kenny Garrett, Wycliffe Gordon, Tom Harrell and especially, Jack DeJohnette's Made in Chicago, which celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) . Sunday wraps things up in style, Jamie Cullum; Arturo Sandoval,;  Dr. John and The Nite Trippers; Mike Stern/Bill Evans Band; Arturo O'Farrill's Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra with special guest Rudresh Mahanthappa; Bill Frisell Trio; Jon Faddis’ Triumph of Trumpets with Marquis Hill, Sean Jones, David Hazeltine, Kiyoshi Kitagawa & Dion Parsons; Billy Childs’ Jazz-Chamber Ensemble with Steve Wilson, Carol Robbins, Larry Koonse and Ari Hoenig; the Fred Hersch Trio; James Carter Sextet; Lou Donaldson Quartet and Jason Lindner’s Now vs. Now. And I didn’t even mention all of the acts. Whew. Podcast 490 lets Danny Melnick, the Festival’s promoter, take us on an inside tour of the Newport Jazz Festival. Musical selections include recordings by Festival artists including Kneebody (“Ready, Set, Go”), Tom Harrell ("After the Game is Over"), Jack DeJohnette's Made in Chicago (“Ten Minutes”), and Dr. John ("I've Got the World On a Dtring"). As there will be a four part discussion commemorating the recent release of a box set of Miles Davis' complete Newport performances, you can also hear "'Round Midnight."

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Grammy-Award Winning Music Historian Ashley Kahn will curate four panel discussions during this coming weekend’s Newport Jazz Festival, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Miles Davis’ debut performance at the venerable jazz festival. The event will allow listeners to here selections from Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4, the most recent release in a series of archival recordings. Among those joining Mr. Kahn on the "Storyville Stage" will be Newport Jazz Festival founder/creator George Wein; New York Times critic Nate Chinen; Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke; Author/critic Bill Milkowski; festival performer's Jon Faddis, Randy Sandke and Mike Stern; Grammy-Award winning producer Steve Berkowitz; and veteran music consultant/packager Nell Mulderry.       It looks like the highlight of the four discussions will come on Sunday, August 2, with Miles & The Electric Guitar.  Fricke, Miles alum guitarist Mike Stern and Milkowski will join moderator Ashley Kahn to discuss and play examples of Miles' long romance and infatuation with the sound of the electric guitar. This first began in the mid-1960s when Miles asked George Benson to sit in a recording session and went into high gear when the rock revolution hit. One of many highlights on Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975 comes from guitarists Reggie Lucas and Pete Cosey’s work in Davis’ mid-seventies electric band.

My wife Nancy celebrates her birthday today, so it's time for my annual posting of a version of the song "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)." This year we have an instrumental version courtesy of Delfeayo Marsalis' CD The Last Southern Gentleman.  Since my old blog site has disappeared as of late, let me re-post one version of the story of this song, as reported by Ida Zeitlin in Modern Screen magazine in 1946. I’m not sure how true this one is, but it’s a doozy! She came running in, her face lighting up as always when she sees her father. Frank scooped her into his arms. “Here’s Nancy with the laughing face—”     “Hey, that’s a cute song title,” said Phil Silvers, who’d dropped in at Frank’s with Jimmy Van Heusen. Jimmy was doodling at the piano. “Lemme write a lyric and run the pros out of town—”     He didn’t mean it. Phil’s that unique bird who doesn’t want to write a lyric. All he wants is to be an employed actor. This lyric he wrote in spite of himself. Because Jimmy grinned up at him and went on doodling, and out of the music little Nancy’s face laughed again, and words began forming inside Phil’s dome.     When it was finished, he sang it for big Nancy, who got all choked up and made the boys send it to Frank in New York. He read it and gulped and introduced it on his next broadcast. Maybe he sang it three times altogether before leaving with Phil and the rest of the gang for the ETO. No one expected the song to be commercial. The boys had written it for their buddy, Frank had put it on the air for Nancy, and now it could be retired to private life.     So they go overseas and the song’s forgotten and comes time for Frank to do his request numbers. “What’ll it be, fellas?”     Twenty thousand guys yell: “Nancy with the Laughing Face—”     Frank looks at Phil and Phil looks at Frank and they’re both thinking: “Wise guy! You put ’em up to this—” But it wasn’t a rib. The Armed Forces Radio Service had taken the song off the air and recorded it on V-discs. It was No. 1 in the Stars and Stripes Hit Parade. Happy Birthday, Nancy! And thanks for marrying me.

Some significant jazz artists have had tragically short careers. Charlie Parker was gone at the age of 34; Billie Holiday at 44. Lee Morgan has been mentioned a number of times recently on this blog as someone who died far too young – 34 years old – but his fifteen years were so jam-packed with classic sides as a leader and sideman that it hardly seems so.  Gary McFarland, a significant force in the jazz world in the 1960s, died in 1971 just after his 38th birthday, the victim of a poisoning. His career lasted just a little over ten years but the music for which he was responsible, as performer, arranger, producer, and label owner, is timeless. And yet for some reason he has slipped from our consciousness. Considered an “adult prodigy” by former Downbeat magazine editor Gene Lees, Gary did not start any formal studies until he was in his late twenties. After winning a Downbeat scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in 1959, McFarland spent just one semester of study there before moving to New York City. Through his connection with trombonist/composer Bob Brookmeyer, McFarland wrote his first professional arrangements for Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band. McFarland would go on to be one of the most important jazz forces of the 1960’s with his compositions, arrangements, recordings, and film and stage scores. He was also a prolific producer and part owner of the SKYE record label along with Cal Tjader and Gabor Szabo. McFarland was also one of the first jazz musicians to include pop and rock material in his recordings and performances. One recording, America the Beautiful: An Account of Its Disappearance, combined elements of jazz, rock and orchestral writing that proved to be a seminal work from that changing pre-fusion period. The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble is dedicated to the preservation of his music. Percussionist Michael Benedict has studied, performed and recorded McFarland’s music ever since meeting Gail McFarland, Gary’s widow, in 1979. Michael and Gail were married for twenty-five years until Gail’s death in 2007. Michael and his stepdaughter, Kerry McFarland, continue to promote Gary’s music to this day. Circulation: The Music of Gary McFarlane, the first recording by the Legacy Ensemble, focuses on McFarland’s most recorded material as well as more obscure, unrecorded selections. Benedict leads the group on drums and is backed by a crackerjack group: Bruce Barth (who also did the arrangements) on piano, Joe Locke on vibes, Sharel Cassity on saxophones, and Mike Lawrence on bass. Those who want to learn and hear more can catch the Legacy Ensemble at The Madison Theatre in Albany New York on July 14th, along with a screening of the documentary This is Gary McFarland, directed by Kristian St. Clair. The film features interviews with Clark Terry, Bob Brookmeyer, Steve Kuhn, Airto Moreira and many more, as well as rare music performances by Bill Evans, Stan Getz and the Gary McFarland Orchestra. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} I recently spoke with Michael Benedict about the CD, the concert and film, and especially about the life and music of Gary McFarlane. Podcast 490 is our conversation, featuring music from McFarland himsef (“Last Rites for the Promised Land”). the Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble (“Dragonhead”, “Summer Day” and “Why Are You Blue”); and Benedict’s band Bopitude ("Three and One") featuring baritone sax star Gary Smulyan.  Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Three months ago I featured a tribute to trumpeter Lee Morgan on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of a number of his finest releases as a bandleader and sideman. A native of Philadelphia, Morgan loaned his trumpet talents to classic albums like John Coltrane’s Blue Train, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messenger’s Moanin’, and Johnny Griffin’s A Blowing Session. He backed artists like Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard and Jackie McLean, while carving out a career as a star in his own right. With the 1963 release of “The Sidewinder,” Morgan even had a jukebox hit. Sadly, less than ten years later he was dead. It only seems natual that Terell Stafford, the trumpet player most closely associated with the City of Philadelphia today would record a tribute album of sorts to Lee Morgan. BrotherLee Love(on Capri Records) again features the trumpeter’s regular quintet with saxophonist Tim Warfield, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Dana Hall. The result is a CD that is moving in many ways, not the least of which is its ability to move your feet.  Stafford picks and chooses carefully through Morgan’s body of work, choosing the well-known (“Speedball”) along with the less heard (“Yes I Can, No You Can’t”). A highlight for me is the ballad “Candy”, with a memorable Stafford solo.  While Stafford may not be a Philadelphia native–he was born in Miami and raised in a suburb of Chicago–he’s become a vocal champion of the city’s storied jazz heritage. Stafford came of musical age on Philadelphia stages, mentored by local legends like Shirley Scott. For the past two decades he’s helped to pass that torch to the next generation through his work as Director of Jazz and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, and he recently established the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, an outstanding big band dedicated to spotlighting the city’s most gifted instrumentalists and composers, past and present. Although he didn’t come to jazz until his early 20s, Stafford was a quick study and was enlisted during his college years to play with saxophonist Bobby Watson’s Horizon. From there he joined McCoy Tyner’s Latin All-Star Band alongside such greats as trombonist Steve Turre, flutist Dave Valentin, and percussionist Jerry Gonzalez. In addition to his work as a leader he’s continued to be an in-demand sideman, including considerable stints with the Clayton Brothers, Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Podcast 488 is my conversation with Terell, as we discuss his admiration for Lee Morgan, the state of students at Temple University, and his memories of playing on some of my favorite albums of the past few years. Musical selections include “Yes I Can, No You Can’t”, “Candy” and Stafford’s composition “Favor” from BrotherLee Love; a cover of Weather Report's "Teen Town"  from Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts CD An Attitude for Gratitude,  and “Shirley's Song“ from Alvin Queen’s I Ain't Looking at You.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The release of Some Places Are Forever Afternoon (11 Places for Richard Hugo) by composer-keyboardist-arranger Wayne Horvitz gives us another opportunity to appreciate the length and breadth with which jazz composition continues to grow and mature. Commissioned with funding from the Shifting Foundation, the CD is a suite of 11 pieces based on a different poem by Richard Hugo. The instrumentation combines two of Horvitz's working ensembles, The Gravitas Quartet and Sweeter Than the Day to great effect (Wayne Horvitz-Piano,  Ron Miles-Trumpet, Peggy Lee-Cello, Sara Schoenbeck-Bassoon, Timothy Young-Guitar, Keith Lowe-Bass and Eric Eagle-Drums.) The CD packaging is glorious, and includes a 26-page booklet with the poems, photos and an essay by the composer. As the suite travels in the Northwest, predominantly this fall,  local readers will read each poem following the performance of the corresponding piece. Many of these readers knew Hugo, and all of them maintain deep connections to the places that inspired the poet, further grounding the composition with a sense of place. Richard Hugo was born in White Center, and lived throughout the Northwest before settling in Missoula, Montana. He taught poetry at the University of Montana, and is the inspiration for a plethora of writers of the west, including James and Lois Welch, William Kittredge, Frances McCue and countless others. Hugo loved to visit the small towns and odd places all through this part of the world, from West Marginal Way to La Push to the Union Bar Grill in rural Montana. He was a great lover of music, and jazz in particular. It is Hugo's enduring love of music, rambling, and the places of the Northwest that inspired Horvitz's interpretation of his work, which honors and celebrates the poet's legacy. Hugo passed away in 1982. Some Places Are Forever Afternoon compares favorably with recent work by the likes of Maria Schneider (The Thompson Fields) as both move effortlessly from the conventions of art music to swinging jazz. Both Horvitz and Ms. Schneider are topnotch arrangers, but they also know where to leave room for their favorite soloists to stretch out. In particular, check out  Ron Miles' memorable trumpet solos. Horvitz has grown from one of the young founding members of the New York Downtown Avant-Jazz Scene (his work with John Zorn, Naked City and other projects on Tzadik, Avanat and Nonesuch label help define an era) to a mature artist who helps the music scene in his adopted home of Seattle, Four years ago, with partners Steve Freeborn and Tia Mathies (of OK Hotel etc.), opened “The Royal Room” in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. The Royal Room’s mission is to create a venue that serves the local community, honors and fosters the diversity and historical culture of Seattle’s south end, while supporting local musicians and encouraging artists to develop new projects. He continues to create pieces of symphony, installations and yes, even gets behind his beloved Hammond B-3 from time to time as well. Podcast 486 is my conversation with Wayne, discussing the genesis of Some Places Are Forever Afternoon (11 Places for Richard Hugo), his writing techniques and his plans for future projects (hint- Bill Frisell is involved!). Music from Some Places Are Forever Afternoon (11 Places for Richard Hugo) is featured "All Weather Is Yours No Matter How Vulgar? (Fairfield)", "Those Who Remain Are the Worst (Three Stops to Ten Sleep)" and "The Beautiful Wives (Missoula Softball Tournament)", along with "Waltz from Woman of Tokyo", a Horvitz composition from The Westerlies, who were featured here last year when they released Wish The Children Would Come On Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz.

I'm a big fan of Marc Myer's top notch blog JazzWax. He writes clearly and eloquently, and often covers topics other sites completely ignore, and his work always leaves a reader ready to run to his record collection and check out something he hasn't heard in years. Or find something new. Today's column commemorates the 60th anniversary of the day Bill Haley & the Comets hit Number One on the Billboard Charts with "Rock Around the Clock." In a thought provoking essay, Myers tells the story of that record's second release as a feature of the Hollywood film The Blackboard Jungle, and how teenagers and adults changed their view of one another in its wake. Jazz was a casualty of that film and indeed, of rock and roll. One telling scene in the movie involved delinquent teenagers smashing a "square" teacher's valued jazz record collection. Myers writes: In that one scene of sacrilege, teens were taught that jazz was a joke and the music of detached, condescending adults—an unfortunate and ignorant lesson that rock musicians still feel guilty about today. Check out the entire column today, and be sure to peruse the site for more great reading (and listening). You'll agree he was the deserved winner of the Jazz Jounalists of America Blog of the Year last month.

Over the years my deep love for the music of the Allman Brothers Band has been featured in a number of postings most recently in Podcast 451. While the flashy guitars and Hammond B-3 may get the glory, its the rhythm section that made this band truly great, and at the heart of that rhythm section is Jaimoe. I'm proud to call him a friend, and to wish him a happy birthday. Born John Johan Johanson in Mississippi 71 years ago, Jaimoe played his way through the Chitlin Circuit into Otis Redding's band, and then through connections at Muscle Shoals, the founding of the Allman Brothers Band. This past fall, the ABB played their final show together, and it was a glorious evening. But that's not the end of the line for this drummer. Jaimoe and his Jasssz Band are on the festival circuit, playing what can truly be called "American music". They combine elements of Jazz, Blues, Rock-n-Roll, and R&B into a unique blend that captures the spirit and stirs the soul. Their repertoire ranges from new interpretations of classic tunes, as well as original songs that are classics in the making. They might go from Coltrane to the ABB's "Dreams", the hot funk of New Orleans' The Meters to the cool of Miles Davis. Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band features as its core Jaimoe on drums, Junior Mack on guitar and vocals, Dave Stoltz on bass, and Mathais Schuber on keyboards. A rotating series of some of the finest horn players of our time, including Jay Collins, Frank Kozyra, Paul Lieberman, Kris Jensen and Richard Boulger, have joined the band from gig to gig. To get anidea of their jazz chops,  click here to listen to the jazz classic "Softly As in a Morning Sunrise". The track opened up a concert dedicated to the memory of the legendary jazz drummer Ed Blackwell in 2007. The CD is available here.

“One reason why people like improvised music is that it’s a direct reflection of life, not something we thought up. It scares you…makes you think you’re going to die for a moment…do you have the courage to play? Can I move out of my desires and wants, and into compositional choices?” – Jerry Granelli At the age of 74, you couldn’t blame Jerry Granelli if he were taking things easy. But not this veteran drummer. What I Hear Now is an appropriate title for his latest CD, as Granelli’s augmented trio plays new music sans piano and guitar, creating horn-centric jazz. Those who have followed Granelli’s career won’t be surprised by these fresh sounds – from the Vince Guaraldi Trio (that’s him on A Charlie Brown Christmas) and Denny Zeitlen Trio to Free Jazz and Psychedelia in ‘60’s San Francisco to sideman gigs with We Five (“You Were on My Mind”) and pre-Family Stone Sly Stone, Granelli has always been ahead of the curve.For those – like me – who are just digging into decades of great music - What I Hear Now is an opportunity to hear an ensemble that owes more to contemporaries like Dewey Redman than to Classic Rock. Check out tunes like “Run Danny Run” for horn action, and “The Swamp” for a tight groove. And who can resist a tune called “Walter White”? Not me!

merican Independence Day 2015. We celebrate with cookouts, fireworks and concerts, but often fail to recall the brave words that were written by our forefathers in Philadelphia in 1776: When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands. He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world: For imposing taxes on us without our consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury: For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies: For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments: For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. The official Straight No Chaser song of Independence Day is Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful". It seems strangely appropriate that we in the 21st century are able to listen to a recording made in the 20th century, featuring a blind African-American man singing a song with lyrics by a white woman (Katherine Lee Bates), with melody based on a 19th century hymn written by a white man (Samuel Ward). Enjoy!

We haven’t had a good jazz super-group in a couple of years now.  The last time I could really put that tag on a group was the Five Peace Band, led by pianist Chick Corea and guitar legend John McLaughlin, who formed their first group together since playing with Miles Davis decades earlier. They added Kenny Garrett on saxophone, Christian McBride on bass, and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums for a terrific one-off album and tour. This year’s candidate for super-group status comes from the appropriately named Heads of State. After years of playing in various combinations, we finally get a working band of saxophonist Gary Bartz, bassist Buster Williams (both Herbie Hancock alumni), pianist Larry Willis and drummer extraordinaire Al Foster. Their debut album, Searching for Peace, is a wonderful mix of standards and Bartz originals, played by masters at the tops of their games.  The band will be headlining some of the biggest festivals this summer, including stops at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Main Stage at Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival on Sunday June 29th. I spoke with Buster Williams about the group, and he shared his enthusiasm for the working band. Williams is among our most durable and innovative bass players, mastering the art of double bass accompaniment for singers like Dakota Staton, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and  Betty Carter; and holding down the groove for artists like McCoy Tyner, Dexter Gordon, Roy Ayers, Stanley Turrentine, and his early mentors,  Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt.  He backed Miles Davis, and then with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi Sextet, he helped revolutionize electric bass playing with classics like “Tell Me a Bedtime Story.” Williams was nominated for a Grammy Award for his work with pianist Hank Jones and drummer Tony Williams on Love For Sale, the first of Jones’ records credited to the appropriately named  "The Great Jazz Trio." Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Podcast 486 is my conversation with Buster, as he talks not only about the new CD, but recalls the recoding of a number of his great back catalogue, including the classic Jewel in the Lotus CD with Bernie Maupin. Musical selections include “Impressions”, “Crazy She Calls Me” and the Bartz-penned “Uncle Bubba” from Searching for Peace; “Past is Past” from Jewel in the Lotus; the title track from Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda; and  Nancy Wilson signing the blues on “(They Call It) Stormy Monday” from her Something Wonderful CD.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} “Prolific” would be an understatement to describe the recorded output of saxophone player Ivo Perelman. Over the past 30 months, Ivo has released at least ten CDs under his own name on the Leo Records Label, most of them fascinating avant-garde improvisations on the tenor sax.  His output almost came to a sudden halt last year when he began to experience pain and bleeding from his mouth. He discovered that he had damaged his larynx by the heavy use of notes in high registers, exacerbated by the use of equipment that was not conducive to his schedule.  He was forced to take a break, but luckily found that rest and a change in gear fixed the potentially career-ending injury. During this hiatus, he began listening to opera, particularly singers who had suffered similar problems with their larynx. This led him to re-discover the music of Maria Calls, diva par excellence. He soon had a “new hero”, and the style and fire of her recordings led to his new double-CD Callas, featuring one of Perelman’s longtime collaborators, Matthew Shipp on piano. That might be a lot for most musicians, but Ivo released two other CDs last week as well. Tenorhood is his opportunity to salute the spirit of his favorite tenor sax players, from Ben Webster to Sonny Rollins, and from John Coltrane to Albert Ayler. Taking a page from Coltrane’s book, the CD is a set of duets with drummer Whit Dickey, and rather than recording say, “Oleo” as a tribute to Rollins, he instead channels Sonny’s spirit and approach in an improvised portrait of both the man and the player. Lastly, and perhaps most adventurously, Perelman recorded Counterpoint, a trio setting with two masters of avant-garde string sounds – violinist Mat Maneri and guitarist Joe Morris. The result is a dynamic – and challenging to the ear - series of improvised conversations between three masters, at times sounding quite unlike anything I have ever heard. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Podcast 484 is my conversation with Ivo Perelman, as he discusses his background and his growth as a musician from his childhood in Brazil through his short stint at Berklee ending with his new home in New York. Musical selections from the new CDs include the opening “Part 1” from Counterpoint;  “Tosca” titled in honor of one of Maria Calls’ greatest roles from Callas; and a tribute to one of the great saxophonist of our time, “For Coltrane” from Tenorhood.

If it’s the start of summer, then it must be time for the Summer Jazz Festival season to begin in earnest, and for me that means the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 27-28.  This year’s festival keeps with prior year’s thematic goals of presenting both marquee names and the up-and-coming stars of tomorrow, jazz next to classic R&B and blues. “The Hang,” and the Festival has come to be called, is in a wonderful setting. A USA Today and 10 Best readers’ poll has given Saratoga Performing Arts Center the distinction of being named Best Outdoor Music Venue in the country. Add to the fine acoustics of the main stage the intimacy of the Gazebo Stage plus world class food and arts & crafts, and you have got all the elements for a great weekend. Saturday has what I see as the stronger of the two days.  The Main Stage will be graced by Theo Croker, Monty Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express, Pedrito Martinez, the Christian McBride Big Band, the Al DiMeola Electric Band, Cassandra Wilson, and Frankie Beverly & Maze. The Gazebo has an ace lineup including Croker; Mike LeDonne Groover Quartet featuring Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, and Joe Farnsworth; Duchess featuring Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou; Steve Wilson and Wilsonian’s Grain featuring Orrin Evans, Ugonna Okegwo, and Bill Stewart; and the Omer Avital Quartet. On Sunday they do it all over again, with a highly diverse Main Stage lineup including Etienne Charles; Django Festival All-Stars including Samsom Schmitt, Pierre Blanchard, and Ludovic Beier ;  Super group the Heads of State featuring Gary Bartz, Larry Willis, Buster Williams, and Al Foster; bluesmeisters Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters; Snarky Puppy, and a one-two closing punch of the neo-soul of Erykah Badu and the Latin fire of Sheila E.  The Gazebo Stage will host Charles; the Yosvary Terry Quartet featuring Osmany Paredes, Yunior Terry, and Obed Calvaire ; KellyLee Evans; the Benny Green Trio with David Wong and Rodney Green; and Sonny Knight & the Lakers. Podcast 485 features promoter Danny Melnick taking us through the various artists, and giving you the background you need to more completely enjoy the festival. Musical selections from artists performing at the festival include: Duchess – “There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears” from Duchess. Money Alexander’s Harlem-Kingston Express – “Regulator (Reggae-Later)” from Harlem-Kingston Express Volume 2: The River Rolls On. Al DiMeola – Title Track from Elysium. Cassandra Wilson – “Good Morning Heartache” from Coming Forth By Da The Heads of State – “Soulstice” from Searching for Peace. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Snarky Puppy with The Metropole Orchestra – “Flight” from Sylva

The Official Straight No Chaser Song of Father’s Day is, of course, Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father”. A hard bop classic, the original was released in 1965 and featured Silver on piano, Joe Henderson playing the unmistakable melody on sax, Carmell Jones doubling Henderson on trumpet, Teddy Smith on bass and Paul Humphries on drums. It’s got a Brazilian flavor to it, a Bossa Nova bounce that has become a well-deserved standard. The cover artwork pictured here features a photograph of Silver's father, John Tavares Silva, to whom the title song was dedicated Lyrics were written to the tune, which is purely instrumental in this recording. I'd like to share them with you today to honor the memory of my father, Bert Siegel, who passed away a few years ago. If there was ever a man Who was generous, gracious and good That was my dad The man A human being so true He could live like a king 'Cause he knew The real pleasure in life To be devoted to And always stand by me So I’d be unafraid and free If there was ever a man Who was generous, gracious and good That was my dad The man A human being so true He could live like a king 'Cause he knew The real pleasure in life To be devoted to And always stand by me So I’d be unafraid and free If there was ever a man Who was generous, gracious and good That was my dad The man, The man

By the time you've read this posting, the Summer Solstice will have occurred. For those scientifically inclined, that's the moment when the sun's apparent position on the celestial sphere reaches its greatest distance above or below the celestial equator, about 23 1/2° of arc. At the time of summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer. Or, you can simply say it's the first day of summer. So let's celebrate this day with the appropriately titled song "Summer Solstice", the title track from saxophonist Azar Lawrence. Lawrence has been unjustly ignored in recent years, given his strong background. Beginning at the age of 19, he has been supporting acts as diverse as Woody Shaw (he played on "The Moontrane"), War, Earth,Wind & Fire and Ike & Tina Turner. He played sax for Elvin Jones for two years, and was part of McCoy Tyner's band for another five years. His most notable recording as a sideman came when he was chosen by Miles Davis to perform with his band at Carnegie Hall, concerts that would eventually be released on album as Dark Magus.As a leader, Lawrence has released six albums, most notably his 2010 release Mystic Journey. 

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} A conversation with Bob Belden can often come across much the same way as his music – “unrelenting, unforgiving, taking no prisoners.” At least that’s how Belden describes the sounds he and his group Animation played on their recent visit to Iran. That auspicious trip – two years in the planning – came in mid-February, and marked the first American musician to play Iran since the country's 1979 revolution set a former US ally on a political and military collision course with Washington and other capitals across the world.   Regrettably, this would prove to be Bob's final interview, and our final chance to talk. He was foubd dead of a heart attack in his New York City apartment just a few short days later. We are all a little less jazzy for his loss.  Belden, he is quick to point out in our talk, was no politician (he heldthem in very low regard) and no celebrity in the 21st century sense, even in the jazz world. While Belden  earned his stripes as a Grammy-winning saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, producer and essayist, he was hardly spoken of in the same way that say, Wynton Marsalis or Joshua Redman are mentioned, despite his equally ambitious projects, on and off the bandstand.  So perhaps it was inevitable then that a musician like Bob, refusing to take no for an answer and working outside of “the jazz establishment,” would be the one who would bring Jazz to Iran during this period of thawing relations between our countries. The resulting visit by Belden and Animation featured a performance of the traditional Iranian anthem at the United World Wrestling Greco-Roman World Cup in Tehran; a visit to a music school in the city of Isfahan (Ellington and Strayhorn would approve!) and culminated in a sold-out show at Tehran's Vahdat concert hall as part of the Fajr International Music Festival.  Podcast 482 is our conversation about that trip, featuring his very strong opinions on politics, culture and the jazz world. The tune that Bob and his band - drummer Matt Young, bass player Jerome Parker Wells, trumpeter Pete Clagett and keyboard player Roberto Veraspegui – opened their set with at Vahdat, “Urbanoia” from Transparent Heart, is featured as well.  Consider this Part One of my conversation, as the rest will appear in a podcast when Animation’s new CD is released in early summer. Rest in peace my friend, and take your place writing arrangements for the celestial big band.

The great jazz tradition of family members – and brothers, in particular - continues this month with the release of the new CD from Ralph and Dr. Dave Lalama, the Lalama Brothers, The Crepuscule Variations (Or Songs Our Parents Gave Us). The brothers had released a fine CD entitled Erie Avenue a few years back, but this time have made the recording a true family affair. The recordings are all duets between Ralph’s sax and Dave’s piano, joined on a number of tracks by Ralph’s wife, vocalist Nicole Pasternack Lalama. The results are wonderfully intimate presentations of tunes from the Great American Songbook, supplemented by a few Sixties standards like “The Shadow of Your Smile.” Dave explains in the podcast that these were songs they learned literally at their mother’s feet, listening as the professional singer turned housewife sang her way through her daily chores. When she passed, Ralph and Dave’s father – a weekend drummer in his own right - gave them a list of songs that she had loved, and the result is this tribute CD of sorts. Both Ralph and Dave are veterans of the jazz scene, having made their bones as featured players in Big Bands and as teachers in New York schools and Universities. You’ve heard Ralph with Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Joe Lovano and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and Dave has been the musical director for singers like Eddie Jefferson and Anita O’Day. Nicole is a perennial favorite at NYC's Birdland with Lew Anderson's All American Big Band. It was a treat to get all three performers on the line together for Podcast 480, where we discuss the genesis of the project, why Dave chose the title of the CD, and which tune they think is the best on the CD (hint – a Bacharach & David classic). Musical selections from The Crepuscule Variations include “The Shadow of Your Smile,”; “All of Me”, “A House is Not a Home” and “Here’s that Rainy Day.”  

Today is Memorial Day in America, a time to pause and reflect on those in our armed forces who paid the ultimate price in serving their country. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate fallen Union soldiers. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Other than arrangements of certain military anthems and patriotic songs, there are not a lot of appropriate songs to post on a jazz blog for this solemn day. So, in the spirit of world-wide empathy, here is Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and "The Ballad of the Fallen". Recorded in 1982 and released the next year, this avant-garde big band recorded their version of songs from the Spanish Civil War and other 20th century civil conflicts in Latin America, including the controversial revolutions in Chile and El Salvador. “The Ballad of the Fallen” is a reworked version of a folk song from El Salvador, which includes a song by Sergio Ortega called “The People United Will Never Be Defeated”, with an original introduction penned by Carla Bley. The album was the winner of Down Beat's 1984 Critic's Poll as Best Album of 1983. Band members included Carla Bley (piano); Charlie Haden (bass); Don Cherry (pocket trumpet); Jim Pepper (flute and saxophone); Paul Motian (drums); Dewey Redman (tenor sax); and Mick Goodrick (guitar).

One of the great joys I have in writing this blog and preparing podcasts is the friendship that I sometimes strike up with jazz musicians. I am proud to say that Bob Belden was my friend, and it is with great sadness that I report his passing of a massive heart attack. He was 58. I had spoken to Bob just a week ago, and recorded two lengthy podcawsts with him, about his trip to Iran and his new CD. And now he is gone. It will take me a while to sort out my feelings about his passing, so in the meanwhile, here is a wonderful obit from Jazztimes. I will miss Bob Belden.

Bruce Lundvall, the former CEO of Blue Note Records and a man with an uncanny ability to identify talent in jazz music, died May 19, 2015. He was 79 years old, and had been living in a senior assisted living center in New Jersey for complications related to his battle with Parkinson's disease. Lundvall is credited with signing acts as varied as Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz in jazz, and Natalie Cole, James Taylor, and Anita Baker in pop and soul. He helped revive the moribund Blue Note label in the 1980’s by re-signing veterans like Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner and bringing into the fold contemporary jazz artists such as Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, Michel Petrucciani, John Scofield, Charlie Hunter US3 and Medeski Martin & Wood. His tenure at Blue Note was not without criticism, as for every Greg Osby, Jason Moran or Ambrose Akinmusire he signed, there were more commercial artists like Amos Lee, Willie Nelson and Al Green coming to label known and prized by so many for its jazz artistry. His signing of Norah Jones, hardly a jazz heavyweight, nevertheless allowed much needed exposure to the revived label, culminating with Ms. Jones’ winning eight Grammy Awards in 2003. He resigned from Blue Note in 2010, eventually replaced by musician Don Was, who has continued the practice of signing non-jazz artists. He was the subject of a 2014 biography by Dan Ouellette, entitled Bruce Lundvall: Playing by Ear. Lundvall is survived by his wife and three sons. A private family service will be followed by a forthcoming public service, details will be announced shortly. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that a donation be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

When the write the history of popular music composers of the late 20th century, only a handful of names will appear repeatedly. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Lennon & McCartney, and Laura Nyro will surely be there. Cases can be made for Smokey Robinson and Randy Newman, and perhaps Tom Waits. And in my humble opinion, above them all, there is Stevie Wonder. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} In one very complete package you can find someone who excelled in a wide variety of musical writing styles, performed with the  incredible musicianship of a one-man band,  wrote memorable melodies, complex harmonies and groundbreaking rhythms, and sang in a variety of moving vocal styles. Can any of the singer-songwriters above claim to have done all of this? I think not.   So Happy 65th Birthday Stevie, and thanks for all the years of memorable music. This “Wonder-ful” Podcast 482  of more than 70 minutes features jazz tributes to Stevie on tunes like: Johnny “Hammond” Smith – “Higher Ground” Ramsey Lewis – “Living for the City” Ronnie Foster – “Superwoman” Lee Ritenour – “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” Grover Washington Jr. – “Overjoyed” Keiko Lee – “Too Shy to Say” Najee – “Black Man” Joshua Redman – “Make Sure You’re Sure” Roy Ayers – “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” Alicia Olatuja featuring Gregoire Maret – “Stay Gold” Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} SFJazz Collective – “My Cherie Amour”

I had much more difficult time picking a song to celebrate Mother's Day than I did for Father's Day. The latter has a natural winner - Horace Silver's "Song for My Father". But Mother's Day was another story entirely. I could have done like Marc Myers on his JazzWax blog and chosen "16 for Mother's Day." Neil Tesser did a good job here as well with multiple tunes. But I like to choose just one, and so I went with one a bit on the schmaltzy side, but more appropriate to my culutral background - Billie Holiday singing "My Yiddishe Momme". Now one look at these lyrics will tell you that this is NOT my mother, who ran a women's clothing boutique and could never be identified with a "wrinkled brow" or as "old and grey". But the sentiments remain, and I offer them to you and your mother as well: My yiddishe momme I need her more then ever now My yiddishe momme I long to kiss her wrinkled brow I long to hold her hands as in days gone by And ask her to forgive me for Things I did to make her cry How few were her treasures She never cared for fashion's styles Her jewels and her pleasures She found them in her baby's smiles Oh, I know what I owe And I am today To that dear little lady so old and gray To that dear little yiddishe momme Mother of mine

May 8, 2017 is Keith Jarrett's 70th Birthday, and I wanted to celebrate the day with a repost of my review of his 2009 release of Paris/London: Testament. I spent a bit of time talking about my admiration for Jarrett, so here is a repost: Last month celebrates the 40th anniversary of ECM Records, and I offered a number of postings featuring music from this iconic label, including a new CD by Jan Garbarek. For me, one artist represents ECM better than any other - Keith Jarrett. Jarrett had learned his craft playing with Art Blakey and Charles Lloyd, before joining Miles Davis as one of two electric keyboard players in his band that recorded Jack Johnson and played at The Cellar Door concerts in December 1970. When Jarrett left Miles, he rebelled against electric music, recording several significant albums of Impulse! Records with his "American Quartet" of Charlie Haden (bass), Paul Motian (drums) and Dewey Redman (saxophone). In 1975, he signed with ECM, where the bulk of his recordings have been released. He has chosen basically three different ways of recording at ECM. His "European Quartet" of Jan Garbarek (sax), Palle Danielsson (bass) and Jon Christensen (drums) served as his outlet for avant-garde music, while his solo records (most notably the sublime The Koln Concert) and his "Standards Trio" records are far more accessible. It's not possible to document the importance of Jarrett's piano playing on today's Jazz musicians in one podcast. His style is impressionistic, yet he can take standards apart and re-arrange them in new and exciting ways. His solo performances are legendary and his improvisational concert recordings have become classics. I had the pleasure of seeing one of his improvisational performances in 1980 at the University of Massachusetts, and I count it as one of my favorite concerts. His lastest solo recordings comes in a 3 disc package entitled Paris/London: Testament. Liner notes to the album indicate that Jarrett was under the serious strain of a recent separation from his wife when the concerts were recorded in late December 2008. The results are two very different improvised recordings, both of very high quality. The Paris concert is a languid, sometimes dissonant affair, allowing Jarrett the time and space to cover the length and breadth of the keyboard. His playing is as active as ever here - his left hand finds a groove he likes and stays with it for stretches at a time, while his right hand explores. London is different. It's a more reflective, and at times bluesy. Click here to listen to the third section of the concert, and you'll know what I mean. It is followed by a fourth section that has a dizzying display of right hand, and a series of short sections that bring the crowd to their feet with their feeling and dexterity.

In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. International Jazz Day is chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration. International Jazz Day is the culmination of Jazz Appreciation Month, which draws public attention to jazz and its extraordinary heritage throughout April. In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly formally welcomed the decision by the UNESCO General Conference to proclaim April 30 as International Jazz Day. The United Nations and UNESCO now both recognize International Jazz Day on their official calendars. Rich in history and culture, the City of Lights is a fitting choice for this year’s host celebration given its historically vibrant and innovative jazz scene. A daylong series of performances and education programs, including workshops, master classes, jam sessions and panel discussions, will take place across all 20 city districts, with several modules to be webcast live. An array of French and international artists will participate, ensuring that the streets of Paris will ring with the sounds and sights of jazz from morning until night on April 30. In conjunction with UNESCO’s 70th Anniversary celebration, a spectacular All-Star Global Concert will take place at UNESCO headquarters on the Place de Fontenoy, featuring more than 20 extraordinary artists from around the world. The cast will include pianists John Beasley (Music Director), A Bu, Antonio Faraò and Herbie Hancock; trumpeters Till Brönner, Ibrahim Maalouf, Hugh Masekela and Claudio Roditi; vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Al Jarreau, Rudy Pérez and Dianne Reeves; saxophonists Igor Butman, Ravi Coltrane, Femi Kuti, Guillaume Perret and Wayne Shorter; bassists James Genus and Marcus Miller; guitarist Lee Ritenour; drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and harmonica player Grégoire Maret. In attendance will be numerous figures from the diplomatic, cultural and artistic communities, as well as representatives from the French government. The concert will be webcast live beginning at 7 pm local time, and will be available for on-demand viewing later in the evening. The Paris celebration will be one part of a massive worldwide observance of International Jazz Day, with events once again anticipated in all 196 UN and UNESCO member states. Podcast 481 celebrates the wonderful diversity of jazz music and musicians with an hour plus of music for some of my favorites from around the globe. Included for this year are: Tineke Postma (Netherlands) and Greg Osby (USA) - “Where I’m From” Gebhard Ullmann's Basement Research (Gebhard Ullmann and Pascal Niggenkemper (Germany); Steve Swell and Gerald Cleaver (USA), Julian Argüelles (England) – “Gulf of Berlin” ICP Orchestra (Netherlands) – “Der Jofelen Pels Slip”  Avishai Cohen Trio (Israel) – “Lost Tribe: Jakob Bro (Denmark) – “Come Marching” Wolfgang Haffner (Germany) – “Django  Angelique Kidjo  (Benin) – “Samba Pa Ti” Anat Cohen (Israel) with Romero Lubambo (Brazil) - "Bachiao" Roberto Menescal )Brazil) - Inverno Omar Sosa (Cuba) – “Old Afro a Babe”  Abdullah Ibrahim (South Africa) – “Kalahari Pleiades”  Aki Takase (Japan), Alexander Von Schlippenbach (Germany) - “The Prophet” Tomasz Stanko (Poland) – “Polin"

As an English major at Clark University (Class of '77) I spent many a fond moment with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Virginia Vaughan discussing the Immortal Bard, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare's birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23, St. George's Day. He was born 450 years ago today. And whither, you might ask, does this great writer intersect with Jazz? Look no further than the 1964 album by Cleo Laine, Shakespeare and All That Jazz, arranged and written for her by her husband, Sir John Dankworth. Dankworth adapted sonnets and portions of the plays to create an artistically satisfying work. Many of the tunes are written by Dankworth, but he also picks from the Ellington-Strayhorn canon for "My Love is as a Fever (Sonnet 147)" a portion of the suite they composed entitled Such Sweet Thunder. Of particular interest are the tracks which feature Kenny Wheeler on trumpet. For those interested in an updated take on this album, check out Christina Drapkin's version.

1965 was in many ways just another busy year in the life of Lee Morgan. He had established himself as a major talent in the late Fifties, lending his trumpet talents to classic albums like John Coltrane’s Blue Train, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messenger’s Moanin’, and Johnny Griffin’s A Blowing Session.  He began the Sixties appearing on Wayne Shorter’s initial release, backed by the Miles Davis rhythm section; and with a number of top Hank Mobley sessions. He continued to contribute as a vibrant member of the Jazz Messengers, most notably on The Freedom Rider. 1963 was the turning point in the Philadelphia born trumpeter’s career, when he recorded the Blue Note release The Sidewinder. The memorable title track became that rarest of jazz things, a hit single, and Chrysler used it as the background for television commercials during prime World Series coverage.  Lee Morgan had become a star. But he never forgot his work ethic. He appeared on seven albums released in 1964, notably Stanley Turrentine’s Mr. Natural. And that was just the warmup for 1965, when he recorded four albums under his own name (three were released; Infinity was held back until 1972); released two more as a Jazz Messenger, and sat in, in the great Blue Note tradition, for multiple sessions with Hank Mobley and Jackie McLean. He also participated in what is now a legendary concert, memorialized forever by the album title of the night’s recording, The Night of the Cookers. Playing at a small Brooklyn club fifty years ago today, Morgan squared off with Freddie Hubbard and James Spaulding for an outrageous blowing session. Originally released in two volumes, it stands as one of the high points of the Hard Bop sound. Perhaps Morgan played so hard and so often because he knew his time was not long. Morgan was killed in the early hours of February 19, 1972, at Slug's Saloon, a jazz club in New York City's East Village where his band was performing. The victim of a gunshot from his common-law wife Helen, he bled to death when bad weather delayed him from arriving at a hospital. He was just 33. Podcast 478 celebrates the body of work that the great trumpet player left behind from his performances in 1965, with a selection from some of the year’s work in chronologic order, featuring: Freddie Hubbard Septet – “Walkin’” from The Night of the Cookers – Volume One. Lee Morgan (trumpet) Freddie Hubbard (trumpet) James Spaulding (alto saxophone, flute) Harold Mabern (piano) Larry Ridley (bass) Pete La Roca (drums) Big Black (congas). Recorded at "Club La Marchal", Brooklyn, NY, April 10, 1965. Lee Morgan Quintet – “Speedball” from The Gigolo. Lee Morgan (trumpet), Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone), Harold Mabern (piano), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Billy Higgins (drums). Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, July 1, 1965. Lee Morgan Sextet – “Most Like Lee” from Cornbread. Lee Morgan (trumpet), Jackie McLean (alto saxophone), Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone), Herbie Hancock (piano), Larry Ridley (bass), Billy Higgins (drums). Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 18, 1965. Jackie McLean Sextet – “Soft Blue” from Jacknife. Lee Morgan (trumpet), Charles Tolliver (trumpet) Jackie McLean (alto saxophone), Larry Willis (piano), Larry Ridley (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums). Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 24, 1965. Hank Mobley Sextet – “Third Time Around” from A Caddy for Daddy. Lee Morgan (trumpet) Curtis Fuller (trombone) Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone) McCoy Tyner (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass) Billy Higgins (drums). Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, December 18, 1965.

The hoopla surrounding Billie Holiday’s Birthday Centennial gives us the change to have some musicians of differing styles, fame and sexes release tribute CDs to Lady Day, each one interesting and highly listenable in its own right. Jose James' third CD for Blue Note is entitled Yesterday I Had The Blues - The Music Of Billie Holiday, and it follows the sound he laid down so well in his debut CD a few years back. James comes across primarily as silky-smooth blues singer, and he covers tunes like “Fine and Mellow” and “Lover Man” with a strong blues approach. Tunes like “God Bless the Child”, his band, which includes Eric Harland (drums), Jason Moran (piano) and especially John Patituci (bass), come across particularly well. “Strange Fruit” is given a near-acapella performance, taking the famous song to church with great effect. Pianist Lara Downes doesn’t usually move in jazz circles, but her solo piano work A Billie Holiday Songbook suggests that she might want to do so more often. If at times her performances are a bit too respectful, at other times – most notably on up-tempo tunes like “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” or “Them There Eyes” – she brings some down-home style to the material. Her classical chops make the ballads shimmer, with her version of Marian McPartland’s arrangement of “Willow Weep for Me” especially poignant.  Cassandra Wilson brings her seemingly boundless imagination and vocal dexterity.to any project she takes on, and Coming Forth By Day is no exception. She and a tune of mostly rock musicians reimagine tunes associated with Ms. Holiday, many of them well-known standards. “The Way You Look Tonight” allows her alto voice to float over the orchestral arrangement; “You Go to My Head” has a soulful bounce that is kicked along by drummer Thomas Wydler. “Good Morning Heartache” is given an ominous arrangement, all dissonance and dread, as if the thought of another day of personal pain is too great to bear. “Strange Fruit” ends in a blast of guitar and strings cacophony, bring its message of murder home. The album’s coda, “Last Song (For Lester)” was written by Ms. Wilson in Lady Day’s voice, based on the real-life incidents that marred her attending the funeral of her longtime collaborator and friend, Lester “Prez” Young. This is great singing and great arranging - great musical performances all around.

"The Orphic Machine is the poem: a severed head with face turned away that sings." -- Allen Grossman Beauty can often be found in unexpected places. On his new album, Orphic Machine, clarinetist/composer Ben Goldberg creates some of  his most beautiful, lyrical – and oddly accessible -  music to date. Interestingly, though the lyrics are by poet Allen Grossman, they come not from his poems, but from a book on “speculative poetics.” Goldberg was a student of the poet/professor, where he was initially exposed to Grossman’s Summa Lyrica, a collection of blunt, interwoven statements illuminating the place of poetry in human thought. Rediscovering the book a few years ago, Goldberg used  the texts as a foundation to wrap his beautiful melodies and compelling grooves. While the CD sounds different from much of his past work, a careful listener might see the evolution that has characterized Goldberg’s courageously experimental music from the beginning. That reaches back as far as the revered New Klezmer Trio, the first group to blur the boundaries between traditional klezmer music and the jazz avant-garde. Goldberg later drew on the music of his mentor Steve Lacy for his quintet album the door, the hat, the chair, the fact, which embodied the teacher-student continuum by suggesting Lacy’s music while never losing sight of Goldberg’s own identity. In addition to Lacy, Goldberg also studied with Joe Lovano and Rosario Mazzeo. He leads or is central to, some of the most important avant-jazz bands in the business today, including his own Tin Hat(with Carla Kihlstedt, Rob Reich, and Mark Orton); Myra Medford’s Be Bread; the quartet Go Home, featuring trumpeter Ron Miles, drummer Scott Amendola, and seven-string guitar master Charlie Hunter; and in an ongoing duo format; in Nels Cline’s Andrew Hill tribute project New Monastery. His new ensemble, Invisible Guy, which features Goldberg alongside two Bay Area collaborators Michael Coleman and Hamir Atwal just completed a short tour. One of the most intriguing aspects of Orphic Machine are the contributions of the many musicians Ben brought together, especially the ethereal vocals of Carla Kihlstedt, who adds her violin. Wilco guitarist Nels Cline lends some crackling guitar solos, and as always, there is sparkling interplay from long-time collaborators  Ron Miles; tenor saxophonist Rob Sudduth and drummer Ches Smith; pianist Myra Melford; bassist Greg Cohen,; and vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, the last of whom Goldberg’s has worked with since the New Klezmer Trio days. Podcast 479 is my conversation with Ben Goldberg, as we talk about the making of Orphic Machine and his musical development over a prolific career. Musical selections from the new CD include the “What Was That”, “Line of Less Than Ten” and “Immortality”; plus I added a prior Goldberg track called “Evolution,” from Ben’s one-off with Joshua Redman, Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues.

As part of Big O's occasional "Lost Albums" series, here is a track by John and Eve McLaughlin from an unreleased 1975 double LP. The blog site reports:According to the notes that accompanied this CD, only a single LP was released - Visions Of The Emerald Beyond by the Mahavishnu Orchestra (1975). The second LP was announced in UK music magazines to be released separately in April 1975 (one side Shakti and one side John and Eve). The release date was pushed back and then later the project was cancelled by CBS Records.Track 5 is "Share The Joy". The track was recorded with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, with vocals by Eve. While many a school choir member (especially those in school in the '70s) might recall, "Share The Joy" is a track from the Lost Horizon musical (music by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David) and Eve's rendition at the beginning is very close to the original. The second half of the track has the song in a very contemplative mood and, according to reports, the second guitarist could have been Carlos Santana. The track was recorded for an unreleased Sri Chinmoy film (possible titles of the movie included Awakening, Rainbow and Jharna Khala).It must be noted that this  song was sourced from a French collector who used to tamper with the sound so they come across a little muddy, especially the vocals. But they will not mar one's listening pleasure, especially given the fact that these tracks are not widely available. Those who thought the Mahavishnu Orchestra were into frantic fusion jazz might want to do a re-think. This CD certainly came from the leftfield and is one that's ideal for meditation.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Way back in Podcast 175 I introduced my audience to Sachal Vasandani, a singer, songwriter and musician of elegance and style. Three albums later the last name is gone, and there is a new label,  but that wonderful voice remains.  Now going simply by Sachal, his latest CD is entitled Slow Motion Miracles, and it takes Sachal new and different places musically. Gone is the traditional jazz sound that was presented so strongly by an acoustic trio sparked by pianist Jeb Patton, and in their place are a variety of artists, including Taylor Eigsti on keyboards and synthesizers, Gerald Clayton on piano, Ryan Scott on guitars, Buster Hemphill on electric bass, David Wong (a hold-over from the old band) on acoustic bass, Nate Smith on drums, and Mark Guiliana on drums and drum machines. With Sachal on vocals, keyboard parts, programming and electronics, these multi-talented musicians contribute short accents, subtle colors and understated grooves within the multilayered songs, many of which Sachal wrote or co-wrote. The result, frankly, is a mixed bag. The space that his previous band left for him in the arrangements seems lost here, cluttered with electronica, perhaps due to the influence of producer Michael Leonhart. The sense of openness and freedom that resulted from that prior approach allowed Sachal to bring across both joy and angst with equal power. Here, only a few tunes, most notably “Waiting on the Roof” are enhanced by the new sound. When he returns to a stripped down approach for his cover of “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)”, his strength and presence is in full force. I spoke with Sachal about his new CD, his musical approaches, and the many projects he has had a hand in over the past few years. Musical selections include tracks from Slow Motion Miracles such as “”Marie “Waiting on the Roof” and  “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” as well as “Doves” from the Home project to benefit victims of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami.

Had she not succumbed from the results of a life lived hard and fast, Billie Holiday would have been 100 years old today. Born Eleanora Faganon April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, PA, she overcame a childhood marred by neglect and abuse to become one of the seminal singers in American musical history. By the time she was signed to Brunswick Records in 1935 by the legendary John Hammond to record current pop tunes with pianist Teddy Wilson, it was clear that her talents were immense. It didn’t take long for two of the biggest bands in the land, led by Count Basie and Artie Show to compete for her talents.  Within five years she was perhaps the most in-demand singer in America, with a string of hits that became standards, including "What A Little Moonlight Can Do." "Easy Living" and "I'm Gonna Lock My Heart." She was recording hits for Columbia Records when a dispute with the label sent her to Commodore Records to release “Strange Fruit”, the song about lynching that went on to be her biggest selling and most played hit. The 1939 record was eventually named “The Song of the Century” by Time magazine.  A year later, her song “God Bless the Child” would sell over a million copies and be the number 3 song of the year on the Billboard charts. She was at her popular and creative zenith when a drugs arrest in 1947 began a very public slide, culminating with prison time and the revocation of her New York City Cabaret Card. Holiday’s income rapidly dried up, as she could not play the lucrative city venues, and her records were increasingly out of print.  By the 1950s, Holiday's drug abuse, drinking, and relationships with abusive men caused her health to deteriorate, and her voice became raspy. While she released a number of fine recordings in the Fifties (“Lady Sings the Blues”, Songs for Distingue Lovers, Lady in Satin) and made a memorable appearance on CBS’ television special The Sound of Jazz with old friend Lester Young, it was clear to those around her that her time was nearly up. Suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, in May of 1959 she was arrested for drug possession as she lay dying, and her hospital room was raided. Holiday stayed under police guard until she died from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver on July 17, 1959. In her final years, she had been progressively swindled out of her earnings, and she died with less than a dollar in the bank. She was 44 years old. As with so many legends who died young, the sordid part of her story often eclipses the awesome talent she displayed in recordings and live performances. Her delivery makes her immediately identifiable,  and she influenced almost every singer and musician who heard her. In 1958, before her death, Frank Sinatra said, “With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the US during her generation has been touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday who was, and still remains, the greatest single musical influence on me. Lady Day is unquestionably the most important influence on American popular singing in the last twenty years.” Podcast 421 is a musical tribute to Lady Day, an hour plus collection of many of my (and hopefully your) favorite Billie Holiday songs, including: "What a Little Moonlight Will Do" "Mean to Me" "Can't Help Loving Dat Man" "God Bless the Child" "Strange Fruit" "Lover Man" "Crazy He Calls Me" "Billie's Blues" "I Cover the Waterfront" "Them There Eyes" "Fine and Mellow" "Just One of Those Things" "One For My Baby (and One More for the Road)" "You've Changed"

The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together. Writing a song about celebrating a Christian holiday was not an anomaly for the Jewish composer Berlin. Born in 1888 into a Russian Jewish family who came to New York City to escape religious persecution when he was five years old, Irving Berlin quickly shed his religious roots and fell in love with America. He became an American citizen when he was 29. "Patriotism was Irving Berlin's true religion," writes biographer Laurence Bergreen in As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin (1990). Irving Berlin was "not a religious person," according to his daughter Mary Ellin. Relating the story of Irving's marriage to Ellin Mackay in 1926, whose devout father had a deep reluctance to welcome a "lower-class" Jew into the wealthy Catholic family. Once they had children, Mrs. Berlin did try to keep up a minimal appearance of religious tradition. Mary Ellin writes that her unbelieving parents "had their first bad fight when my mother suggested raising me as a Catholic . . . ." The Berlins had three daughters. "Both our parents," Mary Ellin recalls, "would pass down to their children the moral and ethical values common to all great religions; give us a sense of what was right and what was wrong; raise us not to be good Jews or good Catholics or good whatever else you might care to cite, but to be good (or try to be) human beings. . . . When we grew up, she said, we would be free to choose--if we knew what was best for us, the religion of our husband. . . . It wouldn't quite work out, when we 'grew up,' as my mother hoped. All three of us would share our father's agnosticism and sidestep our husband's faiths." The man who wrote "White Christmas" actually hated Christmas. "Many years later," Mary Ellin writes, "when Christmas was celebrated irregularly in my parents' house, if at all, my mother said, almost casually, 'Oh, you know, I hated Christmas, we both hated Christmas. We only did it for you children.' " Christmas, for Irving Berlin, was not a religious holiday: it was an American holiday. He simply needed a melody in 1940 for a show called Holiday Inn, an escapist "American way of life" musical (when all hell was breaking loose in Europe) which called for a song for each holiday. The words to "White Christmas" are not about the birth of a savior-god: they are about winter, the real reason for the season. Read more about Irving Berlin, religion and patriotism here.

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Christian Holy Week includes the Jewish holiday of Passover again this year, so this week has featured jazz music of a spiritual nature. As the first Seder is tonight, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses, I've gone into the category of music that was called "Negro Spirituals" when I was in school, and picked "Go Down Moses" Versions of the song seem to go back to 1862, when it was called "Oh! Let My People Go (The Song of the Contrabands)". The openign verse was published by the Jubilee Singers in 1872. It's easy to see the coded message in the lyrics - "Israel" in the lyrics stands in for African-Americans oppressed by slavery and recism, and "Egypt" as their oppressors. The seminal recording of the song is likely Paul Robeson's version from 1958, which became a rallying cry for those fighting for civil rights in the American South. Click here to listen to Louis Armstrong's version of the spiritual, taken from his Louis and the Good Book album. Armstrong recorded the song in February 1959 with Sy Oliver's Orchestra. Armstrong had jsut finished his popular Porgy & Bess album with Ella Fitzgerald, and entered the studio to record a series of spirituals and religious-tinged music. Among those in the band were Trummy Young on trombone, Hank D'Amico and Nicky Tagg on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano and Barrett Deems on drums. In Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong   biographer Terry Teachout quotes an outspoken Armstrong as being a great friend of the Jewish people, who he felt gave him a break in his youth when his fellow African-Americans would not. He wore a Star of David around his neck for most of his life.

In keeping with the theme of presenting spirituals perforemd by jazz artists for this week, here is "Crucifixion", a traditional spiritual with a copyright credited to its arranger, Jester Hairston. Hairston (1901-2000) was a prolific composer and arranger of African-American music. In addiiton to dozens of arrangments still in use today, he composed what is now considered a Christmas standard, "Mary's Boy Child" in 1956. Seven years later, he penned the universally known "Amen" for Sidney Poitier's film "Lilies of the Valley". That song has gone on to be recorded by hundred of artists, most notably the Impressions in 1964. It's worth pointing out that an up-tempo version of the song, "Amen, Brother" by the Winstons in 1969 had six seconds of its drum solo sampled as what is referred to as the "Amen Break", a sample credited with launching the drum and bass movement, and included in rock, hip-hop and soul tracks for several decades. Click here to listen to David Murray's version of the venerable tune, from the 1988 Spirituals album. Murray recorded this pensive, rather straight ahead (for Murray) version with a quartet including Murray on sax, Dave Burrell on piano, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Ralph Peterson, Jr. on drums.

The fine blog Any Major Dude with Half a Heart (dig that Steely Dan reference) has always gone deep into the crates for goodies, usually of the soul variety. For Holy Thursday, celebrated by Catholics around the world, he has a real winner. Visit his page for David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday". As he says on his blog: Well, it is Holy Thursday, and while this orchestral jazz track might not feed your pieties, it should at least get your toes tapping. That does not mean that the title is irreverent. Axelrod, son of a leftist activist who grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood, wrote and recorded several musical works referencing religion. In 1971 he arranged a jazz-rock interpretation of Handel’s Messiah and in 1993 he titled a work on the Holocaust a “requiem”. I have read that Holy Thursday also featured in Grand Theft Auto V, a game I’ve never played but the soundtracks of which seem quite excellent. Axelrod has had a massive influence on jazz, in particular fusion. He produced legends such as Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley (including his big hit Mercy, Mercy, Mercy), as well as avant gardists The Electric Prunes. For another posting I did on this tune, click here.

Today marks the 66th anniversary of the birth of Gil Scott-Heron, one of the most influential recording artists of the late 20th century. Between 1970 and 1976, often collaborating with keyboardist/flautist Brian Jackson, Scott-Heron merged R&B, jazz and the spoken word in a manner that predated hip-hop and laid the foundations upon which later performers, most notably Kanye West, would build. Scott-Heron’s lyrics could be painfully insightful, as in his masterpiece “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” His delivery could rouse and sooth, be a call to action and a sigh of resignation, sometimes all in the same track. Musically, his records were musically intricate, and were studded with jazz heavyweights like Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie and Hubert Laws. Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot, writing about Scott-Heron's collaborative work with Jackson, said it best: Together they crafted jazz-influenced soul and funk that brought new depth and political consciousness to ‘70s music alongside Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. In classic albums such as Winter in America and  ​From South Africa to South Carolina,  Scott-Heron took the news of the day and transformed it into social commentary, wicked satire, and proto-rap anthems. He updated his dispatches from the front lines of the inner city on tour, improvising lyrics with an improvisational daring that matched the jazz-soul swirl of the music". Jazz tributes to Scott-Herron are just beginning to flow. Giacomo Gates scored a big hit with The Revolution Will Be Jazz: The Songs of Gil Scott-Heron in 2011, and on June 7, Charenee Wade will release her take on his body of work, entitled Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson on Motema Records. A relative newcomer to the national scene, Ms. Wade recently earned a Master’s Degree from Manhattan School of Music, and her quartet has previously  recorded a successful album of standards. At Manhattan School of Music, Charenee has been featured with the conservatory’s 100 piece orchestra Jazz Philharmonic and other large ensembles. She appears regularly at New York’s Zinc Bar and other venues across the tri-state area. Podcast 475 features my conversation with Ms. Wade, as we discuss how she came to record the CD, how she arranged and her group – with a number of top guest stars like Stefon Harris-  adapted the work, and why the music of Gil Scott-Heron is so important today. Musical selections from Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson include “A Toast to the People”, “Home is Where the Hatred Is”, and “Essex-Martin, Grant, Byrd & Till” featuring the guest voice of Christian McBride.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} As Jazz stretches itself a number of different directions, one of the most intriguing is the integration of electronica into the jazz repertoire and sound. No greater statement as to how this can be effective exists than the work of Donny McCaslin, and his longtime bandmates Jason Lindner (keyboards), Tim Lefebvre (bass), and Mark Guiliana (percussion).  In what other band is the bass player called "the DJ of the band?" Where else is the drummer so uniquely a part of the sound that  McCaslin has said that "this record is a drum solo," and yet you often strain to find a traditional drum break? The Grammy-nominated Casting for Gravity kicked open the door to this sound in a big way, and Donny’s new CD, Fast Future, takes it to another level. In addition to the sounds, textures and beats that the band brings to its music, McCaslin has wisely chosen tunes from electronica pioneer Aphex Twin and up and coming band Baths (the alter ego of L.A.-based electronica artist Will Wiesenfeld) as jumping off points for improvisation. The results are always exciting and frequently moving. Saxophonist/composer/producer David Binney, McCaslin's longtime friend, collaborator, and basketball partner, is the “fifth member” of the quartet. Months before he set foot in the studio for the  project, McCaslin consulted with Binney and the two shaped a vision for Fast Future. "I can't overstate the significance of Dave's contribution to this record, " McCaslin says. "It was a real partnership. He was never more of an influence on a record than he was on this one." Straight-ahead jazz fans should not worry about an album of bleeps and blorps – this is mature music, a logical synthesis of the craft these musicians have been hard at honing, an unexplored crossroads between jazz and electronica with virtuosic musicianship. Everyone in the band is busy with multiple projects. Lindner is in demand constantly and has his own band Now Vs Now and its large ensemble spin-off, Breeding Ground. Guiliana joined with pianist Brad Mehldau to form the electronic duo project Mehliana and founded the independent record label Beat Music Productions, which released two of his projects last year. Lefebvre joined the Tedeschi Trucks Band, perhaps the hardest-working band in this business, and finds himself constantly on the road. McCaslin guested on  the David Bowie/Maria Schneider collaboration, "Sue"; sat in on Alexa Thana’s debut CD; and had a key part in an all-star woodwind section in the recording of Ryan Truesdell's Gil Evans Project’s Lines of Color. Podcast 474 is my conversation with Donny, where we talk about the new CD, how he blends nontraditional jazz into his sound, and what kind of music he has been listening to of late. Music selections include ”No Eyes”,  "Love What is Mortal” and "54 Cymru Beats" from Fast Future; “Can’t We Talk It Over” from  Ryan Truesdell's latest Gil Evans Project live CD Lines of Color, and the David Bowie/Maria Schneider collaboration, "Sue (or in a Season of Crime," available on Bowie’s latest compilation CD Nothing Has Changed.

The Spring is truly the season of spiritual awakengin and celebration. Holy week for those of the Christian faith is underway, and the first night of Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, begins Friday evening, just as Good Friday observences end. The festival of Vaisaki, celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs is on April 14. Theravada, the New Year festival for Theravada Buddhists, is celebrated for three days begining April 4. April 21 begins the Baha'i festival of Ridvan, and Pagan/Wiccan followers this week commemorate the end of the Celtic Tree Month Alder and beginning of the Celtic Tree Month of Willow. It’s a blessing when these festivals of many faiths coincide on the calendar, reminding us of the great similarities and wonderful differences that make up these faiths. In order to celebrate this season of spirituality, I offer my annual podcast of jazz with a spiritual strain running though the tunes in Podcast 472 (previous Podcasts can be found for 2014,  2013, 2011, and 2010), including: Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} ICP Orchestra – “Psalm” Grachan Moncur III and the Jazz Composers Orchestra – “Angela's Angel” James Brandon Lewis – “Wading Child in the Motherless Water” Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble - “Mah Nishtanah Halaylah Haze (Arrangement)” Nicola Conte (feat. Melanie Charles) – “Spirit of Nature” Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens – “Thank You, Lord” Tony Scott – “Prajna-Paramita-Hridaya Sutra (sutra chant)” Kirk Whalum – “Into My Soul” Jimmy Greene – “Your Great Name”  Sean Jones - "Lift Ever'y Voice" Charlie Haden and Hank Jones - "Take My Hand Precious Lord" Alicia Olatuja – “Amazing Grace”

  “My music is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being…when you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hang-ups…I want to speak to their souls.” — John Coltrane    I was cautiously optimistic when I heard that a documentary about John Coltrane was being greenlighted for theatrical release. If any African-American  jazz musician’s life story captures the sweep of  the second half of the 20th century and the development of Jazz music, it would be Trane. So imagine my real joy when I learned that it was John Scheinfeld who would be directing and film.   I am familiar with Scheinfeld’s work from the theatrical documentary The U.S. vs. John Lennon  which he directed, wrote and produced. It was an official selection of the Venice Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival and was subsequently released in theaters worldwide and on DVD. It was also the recipient of the FOCAL International Award for Best Use of Archival Footage in a Feature/Factual Production). His most recent documentary film, Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? premiered in New York and played in theaters across the country during the fall of 2010. The film, for which Scheinfeld was nominated for a prestigious Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Documentary...and for which USA Today named him one of the Top 100 Pop Culture People of 2010...was released internationally in the Summer of 2011. He earned a Grammy nomination for producing 2005's Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE. Clearly, this is a man who can bring music to the screen in a big way.   As Mr. Scheinfeld sees it, the film will explore the global power and impact of the music of John Coltrane and will reveal the passions, experiences and forces that shaped his life and revolutionary sounds.   Shot on locations around the world, the film will appeal to a broad, worldwide audience that will be touched by Coltrane’s very human story of demons and redemption. One can only hope that  it will be a film about hope, faith, optimism and the power of music to heal and to transform the world, much as Trane did himself.     Podcast 472 is my conversation with John about the upcoming film. He is interviewing the great musicians who played with and hung out Coltrane, many of whom are featured in the music that I have integrated with our talk:    John Coltrane – “Cousin Mary (alternate take)” from Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings. An alternate take from the sessions that made up the Giant Steps album in 1959. Coltrane on sax, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Art Taylor on drums.     Elmo Hope Sextet – “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” from Informal Jazz. Vintage sideman Coltrane, sitting in on a 1956 Prestige session, featuring Hope on piano, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Coltrane and Hank Mobley on saxophone, Paul Chambers on bass and “Philly” Joe Jones on drums.     John Coltrane - “Song of the Underground Railroad” from The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions. Trane shows his social activist side on a large scale session from 1961that augmented his “Classic Quartet” and  featured Freddie Hubbard, Booker Little (trumpet) Jim Buffington, Donald Carrado, Bob Northern, Robert Swisshelm, Julius Watkins (French horn), Charles Greenlee, Julian Priester (euphonium) Bill Barber (tuba) Coltrane (soprano,tenor saxophone), Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, arranger, conductor) Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone) Garvin Bushell (reeds) McCoy Tyner (piano, arranger) Reggie Workman (bass) and  Elvin Jones (drums).     John Coltrane – “Bessie’s Blues” from Crescent. The Classic Quartet on one of my favorite Coltrane albums circa 1964 – Coltrane on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. This is a different take than appeared on Crescent and can be found on the Classic Quartet boxset on Impulse!.   Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

"Thana Alexa is a great new talent...has a beautiful voice and is a great composer and bandleader...She's a musician first and a vocalist second." -  Antonio Sanchez High praise from a great musician and Ode to Heroes delivers the goods. The album mainly features the engaging original compositions of singer-songwriter Thana Alexa, along with vibrant takes on jazz standards like Wayne Shorter's "Footprints," Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and Paul Desmond's "Take 5." Most importantly, it spotlights Ms. Alexa's ability to engage in rewarding and illuminating conversation with some of the music's most renowned and forward-thinking players. Her band includes veteran jazz stars like Sergio Salvatore on piano and Sanchez on drums and the likes of Donny McCaslin (saxophone) and Scott Colley (bass) sit in on other tracks. Though she was born in New York City, Thana was raised in Croatia, so her path was never going to be the expected one. She first encountered jazz at an outdoor café in Dubrovnik. The owner was a bassist who encouraged her to join his band onstage when he spotted her mouthing the lyrics in the audience. "He yelled to me from the stage in broken English and my mom pushed me up there," she recalls. "I must have looked like a tree just standing there; it was my first time ever singing in front of people." The experience ignited a passion for jazz and soon Ms. Alexa was taking voice lessons at the Rock Academy of Zagreb. A few years later, vibraphonist and club owner Bosko Petrovic took the young singer under his wing, producing a demo and urging her to discover her own voice. She returned to the States at the age of 18 to attend Northeastern University, majoring in psychology because she still saw jazz as a hobby. "I had the darkest year of my life," she says. "It was only during a jazz course I had once a week that something would light up inside of me when I had my five minutes to sing. The message was clear that a life change had to be made, so I moved to New York City and enrolled at the New School where I received a B.F.A in jazz performance and also finished my B.A. in psychology." Since then, she has collaborated with a number of adventurous musicians, most notably guitarist Gene Ess, a veteran of bands led by Rashied Ali and Dr. Eddie Henderson, while holding down a residency at New York’s 55 Bar, a jazz vocalist’s Mecca.  She won the 2011 Jazzon Alpe-Andria International Competition for Ode To Heroes while her song "Siena" was nominated for a Best Jazz Composition award by PORIN, the Croatian Music Academy, an honor equivalent to the Grammy Awards in America. Podcast 471 features my conversation with Ms. Alexa with musical selections from Ode to Heroes, including the title track, “Trace Back Your Footprints” and “Siena”, as well as tracks from Sanchez’s New Life and Ess’ Fractal Attraction. Thana Alexa will appear March 23 at SubCulture in New York, with special guests Antonio Sanchez and Donny McCaslin. 

It's the best band I ever worked with."- Maria Schneider The Brussels Jazz Orchestra will present the U.S. premiere of "Graphicology—A Visual Jazz Score" at Jazz at Lincoln Center, March 20-22 at 7.30 and 9.30 pm at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (located at Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor, New York City).  For the performances, the BJO will team up with illustrator and jazz lover Philip Paquet, with whom they created a multimedia project combining big band jazz and a graphic novel. Six composers were commissioned by the BJO to create individual soundtracks to accompany jazz-related stories, comic strip-style. Edited into original videos, Paquet's illustrated stories will be shown onscreen while the Orchestra performs the soundtracks. The BJO is celebrating its 22nd year as one of the premier Big Bands in Europe, if not the world. Guided by Artistic Director Frank Vaganée, the group has made appoint to create these sort of multi-media events, and even worked on the score to the Academy-Award winning film The Artist. The Orchestra has released more than sixteen CDs, the latest of which with Joe Lovano, Wild Beauty, was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Podcast 470 is my conversation with Frank Vaganée, and features musical selections from BJO projects with Lovano (“Streets of Naples”) and Kenny Werner (“Second Love Song” )from Institute of Higher Learning)  as well as "Peppy and George" from the soundtrack of The Artist.

With the release of Bird Calls, Rudresh Mahanthappa moves forward by looking back. During the fertile five year period that has found him releasing six albums as a leader or co-leader (and at least half a dozen more as a sideman); the alto-saxophonist had been working primarily with an electric sound, climaxing with the powerful Gamak CD in 2013. Bird Calls finds Mahanthappa returning to an acoustic sound, primarily with a traditional quartet (Matt Mitchell,François Moutin, Rudy Royston) augmented by trumpet prodigy Adam O’Farrill, paying tribute to the legendary Charlie Parker with a reimagining of Bird’s melodies, harmonies and spirit. Rather than take his turn on tunes like “Confirmation”, “Donna Lee” or “Parker’s Mood”, Rudresh has removed or realigned the famous melodies, changed the harmonic progressions or rethought the rhythmic progressions of the classics. The result allows us to see Parker as a true musical visionary,  a man whose music was written and recorded more than three-quarters of a century ago, but can be seen, as Mahanthappa notes, as “21st-century classical music, with a really modern way of thinking about rhythm and melody and harmony.” Simultaneously with the release of Bird Calls, Mahanthappa is touring not only with his jazz group, but as part of collaboration with Ragamala Dance, presenting Song of the Jasmine. A new dance work conceived by Aparna Ramaswamy, the production takes the South Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam into the 21st century, with Mahanthappa and other members of a quintet, including his long-time friend and sometimes collaborator Rez Abbasi, onstage playing his score. Podcast 469 is my conversation with Rudresh, covering topics as varied as the importance of Charlie Parker to today’s music, to his choice for five albums every jazz musician should hear. Music selections from Bird Calls include “Talin is Thinking”, “Bird Calls #5” and "Chillin'", plus additional music from Gamak (“Are There Clouds in India?”) and Rez Abbasi’s 2011 CD Suno Suno (“Monuments”).

"Music has a unique way of communicating and healing. I'm so thankful that music is my profession - that I am able to write and arrange to create settings that convey the emotions I experience, not the least of which is the pain that my family and I have endured at a time when words fail." - Jimmy Greene I first met Jimmy Greene when he was a budding young talent at the Hartt School of Music in the mid-Nineties. A protégé of the legendary Jackie McLean at Hartford’s Artist Collective, Greene played with strength and a passion that belied his years. Since then, his 9 solo recordings, released on various labels including RCA Victor, Sunnyside, and Criss Cross, have been met with much critical acclaim. In addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader, Greene appears on over 70 albums as a sideman, and has toured and/or recorded with Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Harry Connick, Jr., Avishai Cohen, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Steve Turre, the New Jazz Composers Octet and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among many others. Jimmy met his greatest challenge on December 14, 2012 when his 6-year-old daughter, Ana Márquez-Greene, was tragically killed, along with 19 other children and 6 educators, on at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the months that followed, he struggled to make sense of the loss, and find a way to use his art as a means of grieving, and then celebrating the life of his daughter. Beautiful Life, on Mack Avenue Records, is the triumphant result of that struggle. Going places musically he had not gone before, Greene took up a number of his former friends, mentors and admirers on their offers of musical support to create an album that is far more celebratory of life than elegiac in nature. Greene juxtaposes the hardcore instrumental jazz for which he is best known with traditional spirituals, contemporary Christian music, standard ballads and three original songs framing his own lyrics. Animating the repertoire is a gold-standard rhythm section (Renee Rosnes, piano; Christian McBride, bass; Lewis Nash, drums), augmented at various points by guitarists Pat Metheny and Jonathan DuBose, Jr.; pianists Kenny Barron and Cyrus Chestnut; vocalists Kurt Elling, Javier Colon and Latanya Farrell; spoken word from Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose; a 13-piece string ensemble from the Hartford Symphony Orchestra; and most touchingly, an accomplished children's choir. Jimmy composed or arranged every selection and plays tenor and soprano saxophones as well as flute with customary authority, melodic focus and abiding soulfulness. Podcast 468 is my conversation with Jimmy, augmented by tracks from Beautiful Life, including “Saludos/Come Thy Mighty King” (which features a vocal from Ana); “Where is Love” and “Ana’s Way”.

While jazz instrumentalists see to often come together to create ‘supergroups” or play “supersessions”, jazz vocalists seem a bit reticent to do so. The reasons may range from ego issues to concerns of vocal compatibility to just plain lack of opportunity Thankfully none of those problems exist for featuring notable New York singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou. I’ve enjoyed their individual releases on the Anzic label for years, and my enjoyment was tripled when I learned they were collaborating on a “supergroup” recording. That debut album – and the name of their collaborative group –is Duchess, and successfully channels the 1930s inspiration of the virtuosic Boswell Sisters into a wonderfully entertaining and contemporary package. Produced by Oded Lev-Ari, who helmed previous acclaimed Anzic releases by Cervini and Stylianou, Duchess wisely matches the vocal trio with an ace New York band: pianist Michael Cabe, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Matt Wilson, plus saxophonist Jeff Lederer and guitarist Jesse Lewis. The songs of Duchess range from the well-known Peggy Lee number "I Love Being Here With You" and Johnny Mercer's "P.S. I Love You" to new twists on "Que Sera, Sera" and the indelible standard "I'll Be Seeing You." There's a playful Gershwin rarity with "Blah, Blah, Blah" and a direct Boswell Sisters homage with their arrangement of "Heebie Jeebies." And fans of the ladies’ individual work are not deprived of their talents - there are solo spots for each with "My Brooklyn Love Song" (Hilary), "A Doodlin' Song" (Amy) and "Humming to Myself" (Melissa). It was a pleasure to speak with the three ladies of Duchess recently, and Podcast 467 is my conversation with them, supplemented with musical tracks from the Duchess CD, as well as individual tracks like Melissa Stylianou’s take on “Nice Work If You Can Get It” from her CD No Regrets,  and Amy Cervini’s take on Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”from Jazz Country, which feature Marty Ehrlich on saxophone.  I’ve also thrown in a Boswell sisters classic for good measure - their 1934 song "Rock and Roll" as featured in the film Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round , an early use of the phrase “rock and roll”, even though here it refers to "the rolling rocking rhythm of the sea".