CiTR -- The Jazz Show

Tonight's Feature is by clarinettist/tenor saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre. Giuffre was a musician who had a very wide range and was not restricted to any one style, yet everything he did was marked by a strong individual identity. This recording, done at the legendary New York club, The Five Spot, marked another change for Giuffre. Gone was the quiet, blues and folk based trio. This is a blowing date a...

This truly classic date was recorded on Christmas Eve 1954 and somehow, although not intended has a distinctive "Christmasy" feel to it. The date was really put together by the owner of Prestige Records, Robert (Bob) Weinstock. He had two best sellers under contract, Miles Davis and The Modern Jazz Quartet. He approached Miles Davis about the date and Miles was excited and pleased and expected to...

Jack DeJohnette is one of the most extraordinary musicians to come along in the last 45 or so years. Jack was born in Chicago and came to New York in 1964 as an accomplished drummer and pianist. He was discovered by the great alto saxophone master Jackie Mclean and then went on to work with Charles Lloyd, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard and countless others. Jack and pianist Ke...

"Mulligan Meets Monk" is tonight's Feature. It's premise is simple, a meeting of two great original minds. Monk, of course and Mulligan, one of the most identifiable voices of the baritone saxophone. In 1957 they were neighbors and friends and spent time at each others homes. Gerry, who was no slouch at the piano would play duets with Monk for their own enjoyment. Savvy producer Orrin Keepnews kne...

Trombonist/composer Grachan Moncur 111 was born in New York on June 3,1937 and raised in Newark. He is still alive, playing,writing and teaching. Grachan played in Nat Phipps' band when he turned pro then played with Ray Charles' fine little band for 2 and a half years where he really developed his skills as a player. He then joined the Jazztet, a fine band led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson and w...

Keith Jarrett is one of the most extraordinary musicians of our time and can rightly be called a genius. Born on May 8,1945, he was a child prodigy, playing professionally when he was a child of 8 years. He has worked with Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis and with his own bands. His trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette is one of the premier trios in the history of th...

One of the most startling debuts in Jazz history was this album by Jeremy Steig. Steig, who is the son of the great cartoonist William Steig plays flute. He doesn't double on any other instrument and developed his own sound and concept on the flute. Jeremy didn't consider the flute a delicate instrument but one that could hold it's own with the saxophone or trumpet. Steig, who was born in New York...

Prince Lasha (William Lawsha) is the leader on this date and it features his close associate, alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons, one of the most distinctive voices on that horn. This album, done for the Contemporary label in November of 1962 and was their recording debut. It was called "The Cry!". Lasha (pronounced Lashay) and Simmons had struggled to get into Jazz clubs and perform their music and a...

The great alto saxophonist Phil Woods left North America with his family in 1968, bitter and discouraged by the developments in the USA. When he landed in France for a playing engagement he formed this band that he called The European Rhythm Machine. It marked a creative re-birth for Woods. The Rhythm Machine heard tonight delivered this incredible performance at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Mar...

Virtuoso bassist Richard Davis leads an adventurous band recorded at the short lived New York club called "Jazz City" on September 7,1972 on but two long tunes. The record's title explains what the tunes are. Davis, who had a long career in Jazz and classical music, he was only the second African-American to be employed in a symphony orchestra in the mid 1960's. He played in the New York Philharmo...

This rare item is untypical of the type of session that Prestige Records put out in the 50's. The head honcho of Prestige was Robert Weinstock and he preferred the "one take" jam session approach as he felt that too many "takes" would spoil the feel. Vibist/composer/bandleader Teddy Charles produced a number of Prestige recordings in the 50's and his sessions were much more organized and rehearsed...

This fine recording was made just a few days before multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef joined the renowned Cannonball Adderley group expanding it's size to a sextet. "Into Something" done for Prestige/New Jazz was a straight forward date with none of the exotic effects and instruments that Lateef used on previous outings. The first three tunes feature the huge toned Lateef tenor saxophone with jus...

Larry Young was one of the most individual voices of the Hammond organ. Larry was born in Newark, New Jersey on Oct. 7,1940 and sadly died at age 37 in March of 1978 of untreated pneumonia. Young was only 20 when he signed with Prestige Records. He made a series of albums in the style of his idols, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and John Patton but when he signed with Blue Note Records in 1964, he left...

"Jazz Guitar" is a minor classic as it was Jim Hall's first recording under his own name. Hall chose to be accompanied by just piano and bass making this a "living room" trio. He chose well. The pianist is the legendary Carl Perkins who although he couldn't read music and was self taught was a very sophisticated and technically fluent pianist. He could hear a piece just once and have it down pat!...

This is Part 2 of The Jazz Show's "back to school" mode. Maestro Leonard Bernstein is arguably one of the most important musical icons of the 20th century and being American born, he heard Jazz music from the time he was very young. Bernstein loved Jazz and it's players and most importantly, respected those players as artists. Bernstein recorded this album in 1957 but it's message is universal and...

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was, of course, one of the premier alto saxophonists in Jazz. He was a great bandleader and communicator who knew how to draw his audience into the complexities of Jazz without sounding academic or stuffy. Many people don't know that Adderley had graduated from college at 19 and was teaching high school in Florida. When he arrived in New York in 1955 with his saxophone...

As a tribute to the 79th birthday of "the titan of the tenor saxophone" Sonny Rollins, we are presenting one of his "classic" recordings called "Way Out West". This was a first in a few ways. It was Sonny's first trio recording with just bass and drums, a format that he fell in love with and it was a first time meeting with two of the most authoritative players of their respective instruments. Bas...

As it was Charlie Parker's birthday, he would have been 89 on August 29 the special extended Feature beginning a bit after 10pm (The Jazz Show begins at 9pm PDT) will cover several live and studio sessions by Parker. We will dwell on some lesser known gems that I hope you will enjoy and if they are new to you, all the better. Parker was born in Kansas City on August 29,1920 and his biography and l...

This is one of the great trombonist's most personal recordings. J.J. Johnson is one of the true pioneers of Modern Jazz as his concept on the trombone was the standard that all modern trombonists are measured. He is to the trombone what Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker are to their instruments. Johnson was an important composer and arranger as well and a very consistent player. He had m...

This album was aptly titled as 1965 was a year of transition for Mr. Coltrane. His musical vision was expanding and changing and even though some of the changes alienated his audience, they had to be made and Coltrane was compelled to follow his musical vision. Freer rhythmic feels and a more open tonality and an ever expanding range of ideas on his horn were very evident. The great milestone reco...

This album was a "concept" record put together by Mr. Ellington over a period of time from February 1959 to December 1959 over several sessions. The basic idea was the blues form, fast, slow, major and minor keys. The sessions were done late at night and through the early morning hours after gigs and concerts. The band was warmed up and ready. Ellington used only one trumpet,Ray Nance and two trom...

Trumpeter/composer Kenny Dorham (McKinley Howard Dorham) had a most frustrating career as he always seemed overshadowed by others. He was born in 1924 in Fairfield, Texas and died quite young of kidney failure in 1972 in New York at age 48. He was an accomplished, arranger/composer/pianist and singer but left his mark as one of the most distinctive voices of the trumpet. He emerged as a soloist in...

Tonight The Jazz Show presents some early Brubeck Quartet recordings that are not as common as many others. These recordings are derived from broadcasts done from New York's Basin Street nightclub in February 1956. The Quartet by this time had reached enormous popularity from their recordings and college tours. Their repertoire was still mostly standards from the great American Songbook. Brubeck i...

This recording was drummer/composer Max Roach's second album for the Impulse label and was one of his most innovative. It is unique in that it combined Mr. Roach's working band with a 16 voice choir. The themes, all composed and arranged by Roach reflected his ever growing involvement in America's civil rights struggle. The themes are defiant, militant and intense. Max's band included Clifford Jor...

The titan of the tenor saxophone performs on this rare disc with one of his favourite combinations, saxophone, bass and drums. Rollins, in the latter part of 1965 was on tour as a soloist in Europe playing engagements and picking up rhythm sections on the way. This concert, which took place in Paris, Sonny used Gilbert "Bibi" Rovere, one of the better French bassists. Happily Sonny was reunited wi...