Discovering Jazz

It’s Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis, first released in 1959.  It still sells more per year than any current jazz recordings.   Why?  And why do critics also rate it as one of the best albums of all time?  I quote a few critics and musicologists, play

Last year I recorded a 4-part series on Jazz and Politics.  Here is Part 3—probably my favourite of the four.  It explores a few different political issues relevant to jazz music, and I play lots of great music. If you consider ‘politics&#821

This is the last of three series of programs on the upcoming Victoria International Jazz fest (Jun 21-30).  I play music by some of the great jazz artists coming as well as interview the founder and artistic director, Darryl Mar.  If you’re thinkin

This program starts off with the performer I’m most looking forward to seeing and hearing at this year’s Victoria Jazz festival, March 21-30—Pianist/singer, Patricia Barber.  An interesting rendition of a Beatles tune. You’ll also

This is the first episode since my move from Peterborough to Victoria—and as an introduction to the jazz world in Victoria, I’m putting together, over the next three weeks,  three one hour programs about the upcoming 36th edition of the Victo

As I settle in my new residence in Victoria, B.C., before I begin recording some brand new programs (probably next week), here is another one from the archives—-keeping my Peterborough, Ontario Connection. This was the first program featuring Al Ba

Continuing with programs from the Archives until I once again begin recording episodes. Here I talk about the 85 year old Jazz magazine that is still going strong, Downbeat.  You’ll hear a bit about its history, the first ‘review’ publi

One of my favourite series of programs was the four episodes from last year that involved jazz musicians who have played a part in making music that isn’t jazz.  Sometimes they were studio musicians, or put a special ‘flair’ into a pop

While I’m settling in to my new home in Victoria (and apartment hunting), I’ll re-post some episodes from the archives.  This week, keeping some Peterborough connections, it’s resident ethnomusicologist/bassist and all round genius from

The home base of Discovering Jazz is moving from Peterborough, Ontario to Victoria, B.C. Today…..due to doing a lot of preparation for our move, I’m just going to relax and listen to some great music. Of course it’s hard to keep myself

Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador apparently came up with the idea of having April 30 as a day to highlight jazz and its roll of uniting people all over the world.   But there was an earlier inspiration—a unifier during th

What will jazz look like in the future?  Will it be the same as today?   Will it have some similarities to yesterday?   Will ‘hip-hop’, dance, free jazz, weirdo electronic music, etc. be incorporated?   Or will life (and jazz) be simple again

What is the future of jazz?   Will everything change when the Miles Davis generation dies out?  Who will replace them? In this program, I discuss with Peterborough guitarist, Mike Graham, what jazz might look like in the future—-as well as what it

If you are an amateur or professional jazz musician taking part in a jazz jam, or someone who enjoys listening to those jams, at some point someone will call out tunes like “Moment’s Notice”, or “Lazy Bird”.   And, for sure,

In a documentary called “Brownie Speaks”, all about trumpeter Clifford Brown, one unidentified jazz personality states “I can’t say that Miles was intimidated by Cliff, but Miles wouldn’t play when Cliff was there”. Cl

So many jazz tunes have been written about the seasons—and Spring is a big one!  We might even get one this year. This week’s program is nice and mellow….just to ease use gently into the new season.  Even if spring will be a little late

Some of these ‘standards’ are written by jazz artists.   Others are from popular music written by film and Broadway composers. I’m finding them as I go through The Just Real Jazz Book and the infamous “The Real Book 6th edition&#8

This is the last episode of the Cuban Jazz series.  And I’ve decided to feature a Juno award winning Cuban-Canadian group of women. I play music from both their albums, as well as spotlight some of the individual musicians in the group—includ

This week’s episode starts by talking about how resilient Cuban jazz musicians were able to forge a brand new style of music.  It was their way of making the best out of being told they weren’t allowed to play the music of “imperialist

Some great Cuban jazz!   And a few interesting tidbits of information. You’ll hear music by David Amram (with Thad Jones, Pepper Adams, and others), Ray Barretto, Jane Bunnet, Harold Lopez-Nussa, Juan De Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars,Rita Mon

In celebration of the coming of Maqueque—a group of five Cuban women plus flautist/soprano saxophonist Jane Bunnett–coming to Peterborough in April, I’m starting a three part series on Afro-Cuban Jazz. Today’s episode tracks its &

So many great jazz solos….wish I could play them all!  I’m still trying to figure out what makes a *great* jazz solo, compared to one that isn’t so great.  Listening to some of these is giving me some ‘intuitive’ sense&#8212

In this episode you’ll hear more of the solos that jazz musicians and writers say are ‘essential solos’. You’ll also hear words and phrases like ‘architectonics’, ‘vertiginous’, ‘eking’, ‘

The ‘improvised’ solo is the heart of jazz. This series of programs looks at what have been termed ‘essential solos’, using an article from Jazz Times magazine, where jazz writers and musicians described the solos that have been t

Recorded live from the studios of Trent Radio in Peterborough, Ontario, this is an assortment of tracks from jazz albums I blindly selected from the station’s extensive jazz library of vinyl. It includes some of the ‘usual suspects’&#82