CiTR -- The Jazz Show

This wonderful short-lived band only made one domestically produced record. A few bootlegs exist and one rare recording made in Japan,featuring tunes from "West Side Story" are the only documentation of this group. At the time the late alto saxophone master, Charlie Mariano (1923-2009) was married to Toshiko Akiyoshi and they formed this creative quartet with the late Gene Cherico on bass and a yo...

Your host takes a secondary position on tonight's show as the Media Director of the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, Mr. John Orysik takes over the full three hours by picking the music and talking with Gavin about the 2009 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. The Feature tonight IS The Jazz Festival!

This date done for Blue Note in April 1957 shows us a Sonny Rollins playing with confidence and authority. Rollins, who had been a member of Max Roach's quintet was about to leave and temporarily join Miles Davis' revamped quintet then strike out on his own. This all-star date puts Sonny in illustrious company with the great J.J. Johnson on trombone. J.J. gave Sonny some of his first recording opp...

Denny Zeitlin is one of the great individual stylists of the piano. He was born in Chicago on April 10,1938 and studied with the great theorist/innovator, George Russell. Denny lists his influences as Russell, Billy Taylor and Bill Evans but you'll find that Zeitlin has absorbed these influences so well that what comes out is pure Zeitlin. This was his first recording under his own name and it was...

Guitarist Grant Green, along with Wes Montgomery set the standards for that instrument in the 1960's. They both seemed to come out of nowhere and leaped to international fame. Montgomery was a more stable individual than Green and even though he died quite young at age 43 in 1968, he achieved legendary status. Green was not as fortunate in his lifetime but now, after his passing in 1979, he too, h...

This lesser known recording was the last documentation of one of the great editions of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Drummer/leader, Blakey led many editions of this band over the years some of lesser importance than others. This band was one of his greatest and it was together from the Fall of 1961 until the Spring of 1964. This recording was done for Riverside Records towards the end of that lab...

From the early 60's on drummer/composer/Jazz pioneer, Max Roach made a vow to never play or record anything that did not have some form of political significance. Usually music and politics are a bad mix with music often taking a back seat but with Mr. Roach this was not the case. Max became a champion of civil rights and although others made strong statements about the plight of African-Americans...

Jackie McLean's quartet dates are rather rare as he usually recorded with other horns on his own dates. McLean is in fine creative form here on this rare session, done in April of 1966 for Blue Note. It was supposed to be issued and called "High Frequency" but remained in the can until the late 70's when it was issued as a vinyl 'twofer' by Blue Note. It's only other issue was on a box set by Mosa...

Drummer/bandleader Roy Haynes, with few exceptions has always preferred to lead a quartet with a good horn (either an alto or tenor saxophone) out front and piano, bass and himself on drums. This album, done in April of 1963, is no exception. The featured voice out front is one of the most distinctive tenor saxophonists, the Texas born, Booker Ervin. His high, hard sound and his intensity is unmat...

This is the first recording by bassist/composer/ Charles Mingus with his newly formed band "The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop". Mingus' recordings before this date, done in January of 1956, were issued on small, hard to find labels that were poorly distributed, with the exception of his own label, Debut Records. This date was done for a major label, Atlantic Records and when it was issued it really...

Tonight we are celebrating the birthday of one of the great pioneers of Jazz: Lionel Hampton. Lionel wasn't the first to play the vibraphone nor was Louis Armstrong the first to play the trumpet, nor Coleman Hawkins the first to play the tenor saxophone but each of these pioneers developed a concept on their chosen instrument that generations of players followed. Hampton lived to the ripe old age...

This album was a real milestone in the career of Thelonious Monk as it was his first recording for Columbia Records, a major label. He was signed in 1962 and, this, his first recording was a much anticipated event. Thelonious had, at this point, become something of a household word in Jazz as he had emerged from the underground of the 1950's into a vital force in the music. He had never compromise...

Pianist/composer Randy Weston celebrates his 83rd birthday tonight (April 6) and to honour this 6' 7" musical giant, The Jazz Show presents Randy with one of his finest ensembles. Originally released in 1965 on his own label, Weston sold the rights to Atlantic Records some years later and it was issued as "African Cookbook", after the great title track. Weston combines the concepts of Duke Ellingt...

Pianist/composer Andrew Hill was Alfred Lion's last great discovery. Lion,of course was Blue Note's head man and a lover of original pianist/composers. Lion was the first to record Thelonious Monk as a leader and the first to record Horace Silver and was responsible for the many recordings as a sideman and leader of the ill-fated Sonny Clark who died as a result of a drug overdose on January 13,19...

This album was pianist/composer Horace Silver's third recording for Blue Note with his working band. The band, with this personal was captured at it's peak before some of the men left to persue other opportunities. Art Farmer on trumpet provided cliche-free, thoughtful solos in contrast to the outgoing Rollins influenced tenor saxophone work of Chicago born Clifford Jordan, Teddy Kotick, who was C...

J.R. Monterose (Frank Anthony Monterose Jr.) was a very individual stylist who was very much in evidence on the New York Jazz scene in the mid-50's. J.R. worked with vibist Teddy Charles and bassist Charles Mingus but came to the attention of Blue Note's owner, Alfred Lion because of his work with trumpeter Kenny Dorham's short-lived band "The Jazz Prophets". Lion gave Monterose his chance and J.R...

Trumpeter, Kenny Dorham was called "the uncrowned king" by drummer Art Blakey and it was indeed true. Kenny was a musician's musician and always seemed overshadowed by others. In the 40's it was Dizzy, Miles and Fats Navarro from his generation and in the 50's it was Chet Baker and Clifford Brown who got the critical acclaim and in the 60's the attention was upon Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan and Freddi...

This classic begins The Jazz Show's tribute to the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. This album has been written about so extensively that it needs no elaboration here. This was Mr. Coltrane's only recording for Blue Note under his name and he was given carte blanche to pick his musicians and as was Blue Note's policy......paid rehearsals before recording the tunes. Coltrane wrote four of the...

This classic date shows alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson's deep bop roots. Lou surrounded himself with the cream of New York's young stars in this December 1957 date for Blue Note. Just four tunes and almost all first takes. Lou picked Donald Byrd on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Sonny Clark on piano, Jamil Nasser(aka George Joyner) on bass and the always swinging Arthur Taylor on drums. Two b...

This edition of the Bill Evans Trio is very special as it features his favourite drummer Philly Joe Jones, who was a part of Bill's working trio for a short time in 1967. Evans was usually introspective and romantic but Philly Joe brought out Bill's more outgoing characteristics and we hear a swinging, burning and happy Bill Evans on these tracks recorded in August of 1967 at New York's Village Va...

Of all the bands that tenor saxophone giant Stan Getz put together, this one is the least documented. It was formed in 1953 and worked on the East Coast but Stan bought a house in Los Angeles and took the band out there to play gigs in that area. They made three recording sessions for Norman Granz in July and August 1953 and we'll hear some of the results of those. They were first issued on Granz'...

The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band was one of the great modern big bands. It's only rival was the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra which was formed in 1966. The Clarke-Boland Big Band was formed in 1961 and lasted until 1972.It was made up of American ex-pats and European players. The co-leader, drummer Kenny Clarke was one of the pioneers of Modern Jazz and set the stage for all modern drummer...

This album by guitar virtuoso, Ralph Towner is once again in circulation by ECM Records. It's one of Towner's most impressive recordings as it features Ralph playing his own compositions with the amazing bassist Eddie Gomez and the always dynamic drums of Jack DeJohnette. Towner shines on classical and 12 string guitar and on one tune overdubs his fine piano playing as well. The music is haunting,...

Trumpeter Art Farmer is the nominal leader for this orchestra in that he solos on a few pieces and picked the all-brass orchestra from the great pool of top Jazz players in New York in 1959. The key to this session are the arrangements of Benny Golson. All the trumpets are featured, Farmer, young Lee Morgan and the great lead and solo trumpeter, Ernie Royal. Trombonists, Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cl...

This latter-day masterpiece by one of the most distinctive voices of the alto saxophone is the first Feature of the new year. Arthur Blythe is an extraordinary alto saxophonist and composer who while playing music with an 'edge' is also lyrical and accessible. Blythe can perform in any context but his own recordings are usually with unusual mixes, not your standard traditional setup with trumpet,...