830 - A Jazz Podcast

The Jazz Crusaders were a pioneering American jazz group formed in the early 1960s, known for blending hard bop with soul, R&B, and later, funk influences. Featuring key members like Wayne Henderson on trombone and Joe Sample on piano, the group created a signature sound with their unique front-line of trombone and tenor saxophone. Eventually shortening their name to The Crusaders in the 1970s...

Marcus Miller is a renowned American bassist, saxophonist, keyboardist, composer, bandleader and producer known for his distinctive slap bass technique and genre-blending style. He has worked with legends like Miles Davis , Luther Vandross , and Herbie Hancock , contributing to some of the most iconic jazz, R&B, and fusion recordings and movie soundtracks of the past few decades. Beyond perfor...

Snarky Puppy is a genre-blending instrumental ensemble known for fusing elements of jazz, funk, R&B , and world music . Founded by bassist Michael League in 2004, the band has earned critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards for its innovative compositions and dynamic live performances. With a rotating lineup of top-tier musicians, Snarky Puppy has become a staple in modern fusion music, cap...

On this special jazz episode we look at the legendary music career of Mr. George Benson! an american guitarist, singer, and songwriter known for blending jazz with pop, R&B and soul. He gained widespread recognition with his album Breezin' in 1976, which featured the Grammy-winning hit "This Masquerade". With a smooth voice and virtuosic guitar style. Benson remains a celebrated...

Clare Fischer (1928–2012) was a versatile American composer, arranger, and pianist whose career spanned jazz, classical, and pop music. He began his professional journey as a pianist and conductor for The Hi-Lo's , a vocal group, and gained early acclaim for his arrangements for Dizzy Gillespie's A Portrait of Duke Ellington . Over the decades, Fischer became a sought-after arranger for...

Carlos Santana is a legendary Mexican-American guitarist known for blending rock, Latin music, blues, and jazz into a unique and influential sound. He founded the Santana band in the late 1960s, gaining fame with their electrifying performance at Woodstock and hits like “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va.” The band has seen various lineups over the decades, but Santana’s signature guitar style r...

Jimmy Smith was a pioneering American jazz organist, widely regarded for his mastery of the Hammond B-3 organ. He played a crucial role in popularizing the instrument in jazz, blending elements of blues, bebop, and gospel into a unique and soulful sound. With an innovative approach to rhythm and improvisation, Smith's influential recordings from the late 1950s and 1960s, such as Back at the C...

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were pioneers of bebop, a jazz movement that revolutionized the genre in the 1940s. Parker's virtuosic saxophone playing, combined with Gillespie's innovative trumpet techniques, pushed the boundaries of harmony, rhythm, and improvisation, creating complex, fast-paced compositions that required a deep level of skill and understanding. Their collaboratio...

Rudy Van Gelder was a renowned American recording engineer, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz music. Born on November 2, 1924, in Jersey City, New Jersey, he developed a passion for sound engineering at a young age, eventually leading him to set up his own recording studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, in 1952. Van Gelder's innovative techniques in rec...

In this episode your 8:30 Crew Herman Hollywood Dawkins and Ray The Jazzman explore the R&B side of Jazz with songs that are typically known as associated with R&B groups or acts. You will be able to hear how the music genres of Gospel , the Blues , and Rhythm and Blues all share something in common. Songs include : The Sound Table - Cameo Valdez In The Country - Donny Hathaway Fight Me, C...

In this Exciting Super Special 2 hour 50th Episode from your 8:30 crew Herman Hollywood Dawkins and Ray The Jazzman , we are honoring our Dads. They are the ones who got us into Jazz , and in this Amazing Episode you will hear stories of Hollywood and The Jazzman growing up and listening to Jazz music! Songs include: Compared To What - Les McCann & Eddie Harris My Favorite Things - John Coltra...

On the next jazz podcast, the 8:30 crew will dive into the music of smooth jazz artists who created the sounds that played on radio stations throughout the country. Smooth jazz is a mellow, melodic genre that blends elements of jazz, r&b and pop music. Known for its soothing rhythms and polished instrumentation, it often features saxophones, keyboards and guitars. Musicians like David Sanborn,...

Legendary Jean-Luc Ponty is a French jazz violinist and composer, renowned for his pioneering work in blending jazz improvisation with electronic music. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a wide range of influential artists, including Frank Zappa , and has released numerous albums as a bandleader, pushing the boundaries of the violin in jazz and fusion. Ponty’s unique fusion of genres...

The Yellowjackets and Spyro Gyra are both iconic jazz fusion bands that emerged in the late 1970s, but they represent distinct approaches to the genre. The Yellowjackets tend to blend complex harmonies and intricate rhythms with a more contemporary, experimental sound, often incorporating elements of funk and R&B into their music. In contrast, Spyro Gyra is known for its smoother, more accessi...

In this Amazing 8:30 Episode, The 8:30 crew are literally going right off the cuff,  picking songs to play and listen to as we are recording the episode. This would have been 8:30 episode # 5, but we never released it, so we are calling this one… "THE LOST EPISODE”. It features Dexter Gordon, John Serry, Quincy Jones, Jacob Collier,     Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, AND George Du...

In this episode of our jazz podcast, we dive deep into the genius of Thelonious Monk , one of the most innovative and influential pianists in jazz history. We explore Monk's unique approach to rhythm, melody, and improvisation, highlighting his groundbreaking compositions and the lasting impact they've had on the genre. Through engaging analysis and rare insights, listeners will gain a d...

George Duke was a pioneering keyboardist, composer, and producer whose career spanned jazz, funk, and fusion, blending complex improvisation with accessible melodies. Known for his virtuosic skill on both electric and acoustic keyboards, Duke played with notable artists like Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and Stanley Clarke, shaping the sound of the 1970s and beyond. His ability to seamlessly merge gen...

Quincy Jones was a legendary American music producer, conductor, and composer, whose career spans over seven decades and has left an indelible mark on jazz, pop, and film music. He is perhaps best known for producing Michael Jackson's iconic albums Thriller and Bad , as well as his innovative work on the soundtrack for the film The Color Purple . With a Grammy Award-winning career that encomp...

Cannonball Adderley was a celebrated American alto saxophonist known for his vibrant sound and engaging improvisational style. Rising to prominence in the late 1950s, he became a key figure in the hard bop jazz movement, collaborating with legends like Miles Davis and his brother Nat Adderley. His influential recordings, including "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," showcased his ability to blend sou...

Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson . Over the course of two decades, starting from the release of its first recordings in January 1948, [3] Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most important American labels, specializing in jazz , R&B , and soul by Aretha Franklin , Ray...

John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raised in North Carolina , Coltrane moved to Philadelphia after graduating from high school, where he studied music. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his...

Lee Morgan, a formidable talent in the world of jazz, is best remembered for his groundbreaking work as a trumpet player on the Blue Note label. Born in Philadelphia in 1938, Morgan emerged as a prodigy in the jazz scene, joining Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers at a young age. His distinctive, fiery tone and sophisticated improvisational style quickly set him apart from his peers. Morgan's 1963...

Josef Erich Zawinul (July 7 1932 - September 11, 2007) was an Austrian Jazz and Jazz Fusion keyboardist and Composer. First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with Miles Davis and to become one of the creators of Jazz Fusion, a musical genre that combined Jazz with Jazz Rock. He co-founded the group Weather Report. He pioneered the use of Electric Pi...

In this exciting episode, your 8:30 crew Herman “Hollywood" Dawkins and Ray the Jazzman explore the sounds of the Blue Note Artist Hank Mobley. Henry Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American tenor saxophonist and composer. [1] Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", [2] a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was...

Head Hunters is the twelfth studio album by American pianist, keyboardist and composer Herbie Hancock , released October 26, 1973, on Columbia Records .  The album was a commercial and artistic breakthrough for Hancock, crossing over to funk and rock audiences and bringing jazz-funk fusion to mainstream attention, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard  200 . Hancock is featured with woodwind playe...