CiTR -- The Jazz Show

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a Jazz Show tradition that we present every year at this time as it's "back to school". This is an entertaining and educational recording and gives one a good idea about how Jazz music evolved. Even though the recording was made in 1960, many of the concepts and sounds are still heard in today's Jazz music so in many ways a recording like this is an important door to expl...

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a very regular tradition on The Jazz Show at this time of year which of course is "back to school, back to work etc" This presentation although historical is an important document even if one has heard it before where Maestro Leonard Bernstein discusses what is and what isn't Jazz. Bernstein understood and respected Jazz music and it's players and composers and held them...

One of the most overlooked masters of the alto saxophone is Frank Strozier. Frank is still alive in New York but reclusive. Mr. Strozier was one of the many talented musicians who was born in Memphis. He came up with pianist Harold Mabern, tenor saxophonists George Coleman, Charles Lloyd and trumpeter Booker Little. Frank like most of these players moved to Chicago and graduated from the Chicago C...

Pianist/composer Kenny Drew recorded this wonderful album for Blue Note Records just before departing for Europe and it's a minor classic. All the compositions are by Kenny Drew and the hand picked band sounds like a working band even though they only assembled for this date. The people involved are the "welterweight champion of the tenor saxophone" : Hank Mobley. On trumpet, someone who would def...

With all the "Sonnys" in Jazz, especially those who are saxophone players, one who seems always to be forgotten is William "Sonny" Criss. He is tonight's Jazz feature artist. Sonny had been around for a few years but his career was rather spotty but in 1965 he sent a demo tape to Prestige Record's producer Don Schlitten and Sonny was signed to a contract and recorded seven superb albums for Presti...

Pianist Count Basie was asked to select a group of his favorite musicians for an impromptu jam session style recording. He selected the players wisely and chose trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, alto saxophone masters, Benny Carter and Willie Smith and tenor giants Stan Getz and Wardell Gray and the herald of the modern clarinet, Buddy DeFranco,. In the rhythm section of course Basie chose guitaris...

Tonight's Jazz Feature is all about pianist Sonny Clark. Sonny was only 31 when he passed away, a victim of drugs. However he left a wonderful legacy of recordings as a leader and sideman in his short life. Never a virtuoso or a technical wizard but an extremely distinctive pianist who played long beautiful lines and when playing with horns was a master accompanist. This album, recorded when he wa...

Gene Ammons is tonight's Jazz Feature artist. He was and remains one of the most important voices of the tenor saxophone. He was noted for his huge sound and blues based concept. He successfully combined the influences of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young into a style that was Gene Ammons. This recording called "Live in Chicago" was recorded in Gene's home town in a local club with two fine Chicago...

A very special meeting tonight as our Jazz Feature. One of the greatest of Jazz singers was Carmen McRae and the iconic Dave Brubeck Quartet in a live recording done in New York at the prestigious club "Basin Street East" in September of 1961. Carman was intrigued and wanted to sing something different and Brubeck wrote a bunch of melodies that she loved and Brubeck's wife Iola put lyrics to the t...

Weather Report was one of the most prominent bands of the 70's and 80's . It existed from 1970 to 1986 and was initially begun as an idea from pianist/composer Joe Zawinul, saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter and virtuoso bassist/composer Miroslav Vitous. They were initially inspired by the late 70's music of Miles Davos from his "In A Silent Way" album and his ground breaking "Bitches Brew" record...

Tonight's Jazz Feature is the only American recording, under his name, of Belgian born guitar master Rene Thomas. Rene emigrated to the US in 1958 and then returned to Europe in 1962. He sadly passed away at age 47 from a heart attack after a concert in Spain. Rene's reputation preceded him when he arrived in the US and he was able to sit in and play with Miles Davis. Zoot Sims and many others. He...

Tonight's Jazz feature is the only domestic recording by The Toshiko Mariano Quartet. Toshiko Akiyoshi was one of the first Japanese musicians to gain national acclaim in the USA. Pianist/composer Toshiko Akiyoshi was born in Manchuria on Dec.12,1929 and she is still writing and performing. She emigrated to the Us in 1956 and began recording and gigging. She met and married alto saxophone master C...

Tonight the Jazz feature spotlight is on a sadly neglected and forgotten great voice of the tenor saxophone: Walter Benton. Walter after touring with Latin bandleader Perez Prado Walter returned to his home town of L.A. and freelanced there until he decided to move to New York in 1960. Here he joined Max Roach and his band and achieved a higher profile. He was asked to do an album for Jazzland Rec...

Tonight's Jazz Feature is an ad-hoc session that Miles Davis did just before he formed his first great quintet. in the Fall of 1955. Miles selected some players that he knew and liked. Milt Jackson, the premier vibist in Modern Jazz was one of them, Jackie McLean was invited and brought along two new compositions to record at Miles' request. Ray Bryant was selected on piano. He was new to New York...

This is the last installment of our May Jazz features that spotlight short-lived bands. We'll do this again later this year. The band in question tonight was led by one of the pioneers of Modern Jazz, trombone master J.J.Johnson. This band came from J.J.'s desire to put together a group of young up and coming players. He accomplished this by hiring a young Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Clifford Jord...

We continue our May series on short-lived bands. This one was exceptional and actually made two fine recordings for Blue Note Records at the end of the 60s. Pianist Kenny Cox is one of the many fine pianists who came out of Detroit but he is lesser known as he remained in that city. He did travel around the country for many years as singer Etta Jones' accompanist and arranger but she was the star....

Tonight we continue our exploration of short-lived Jazz groups. This one existed from the Spring to the Fall of 1957. It was formed by two of the most prominent alto saxophonists in Jazz. One went on to a long illustrious career and that was Phil Woods but sadly the other while very active in the 50s and 60s faded into obscurity and is kind of a forgotten man and that was Gene Quill. They became f...

The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra led by the great pioneering bassist and cellist was a short lived big band that existed for several months in 1957. This Jazz feature is our on going tribute to short-lived bands. Pettiford had always dreamed of having a big band and he was able achieve it for a short time with the assistance of player/arrangers like alto saxophonist Gigi Gryce and tenor saxophone gre...

This is our first Jazz feature into short-lived Jazz groups for the month of May. The Pepper-Knepper Quintet only made one album and it existed for a short time playing a few venues and concerts in New York City in 1958. Pepper Adams is one of the great masters of the baritone saxophone and Jimmy Knepper is one of the finest and most distinctive of the modern Jazz trombonists. They met while playi...

As we conclude our tribute to the 100th Birthday Anniversary of bassist/composer/band leader Charles Mingus, we present tonight's very long Jazz Feature. It is a concert by what many believe is his last great band. The concert takes place in Bremen, Germany at Postaula, a concert venue, on July 9,1975. The band and most of the repertoire was heard on two Atlantic Records albums "Changes 1 & 2" but...

As we conclude our tribute to the 100th Birthday Anniversary of bassist/composer/band leader Charles Mingus, we present tonight's very long Jazz Feature. It is a concert by what many believe is his last great band. The concert takes place in Bremen, Germany at Postaula, a concert venue, on July 9,1975. The band and most of the repertoire was heard on two Atlantic Records albums "Changes 1 & 2" but...

Out continuing Jazz Feature tribute continues tonight with a long feature in concert at the Antibes Jazz Festival at Juan-les Pins, France on July 13,1960. It was Mingus's first tour of Europe. His Jazz Workshop of 1960 consisted of Eric Dolphy on alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet, Booker Ervin on tenor saxophone, Ted Curson on trumpet and Dannie Richmond on drums and of course Mingus on bas...

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a continuation of this month's tribute to Mr. Mingus. "Charles Mingus Month" is celebrating his 100th Birthday Anniversary. The Feature album is "East Coasting" done in August of 1957 during the time when Mingus was still an "underground" musician and composer. This was a period when the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop (the name he called his bands) had a relatively stable p...

This month The Jazz Show will be presenting a Charles Mingus Jazz Feature on the four Mondays in April. This is to honor the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Mingus Jr who was born in Nogales, Arizona on April 22,1922. Tonight's recording is an early mature statement by The Charles Mingus Jazz Composer's Workshop which later became the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop. Mingus' music here refl...

This is the last installment this month of one-offs and rare recordings by obscure but fine players and tonight's Jazz Feature is no exception. We will do this again some other month this year as there are many more. The rather mysterious figure is a fine, original and swinging pianist named Roosevelt Wardell and this recording entitled "The Revelation" is the one and only date under his name. Roo...