CiTR -- The Jazz Show

Recorded at the end of 1976 at New York's Village Vanguard. Dexter Gordon, who had been absent for many years from the American Jazz scene returns at the height of his powers and teams up with the great young trumpeter Woody Shaw and his band. The band aside from Shaw and Gordon has Ronnie Matthews on piano, Stafford James on bass and Louis Hayes on drums,.Gordon who had been in Europe for many ye...

This date which took place in New York in September of 1953 was really a Jazz summit meeting. The quartet had never played together before and these four great musicians just came together like fish to water. Nominally led by the pioneer of the vibes, the great Lionel Hampton at his musical best, devoid of all his usual showbiz trappings and just displaying his musical genius. Hampton is joined by...

Grachan Moncur 111 is one of the lesser known but important figures on the New York Jazz scene in the mid-60's when new ideas and concepts were emerging and musicians were finding new ways to create and improvise. Moncur was an educated young man and experienced playing for four years with Ray Charles and a year with The Jazztet led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson and touring also with Sonny Rollin...

Tonight we celebrate what would have been the 96th Birthday of one of the great innovators of 20th Century music....John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie. This recording is one of Dizzy's finest and it features an all-star band. Gillespie is the catalyst here and he even pushes his own limitless boundries in an incredibly inspired performance. Sonny Stitt is heard on alto saxophone only and like Gillespie...

Organ master James Oscar Smith must be considered one of the pioneers of Jazz music as he almost single-handedly brought the Hammond organ into Jazz music. Jimmy Smith wasn't the first one to ever use the instrument in Jazz but he developed a concept on the organ that was copied by just about every practitioner who followed. Smith, after a period of learning the instrument, emerged and began to wo...

Even though he had been first and foremost as one of the world's finest Jazz drummers since 1934, Jo Jones didn't make his first recording under his own name until this date in August 1955. Tonight The Jazz Show celebrates what would have been Jo's 102nd Birthday. Jo or as he was known later in life as "Papa Jo" died at age 73 on September 3,1985. He was really the forerunner of Modern Jazz drummi...

We go from one of the most famous saxophonists featured last week....John Coltrane to one of the least known greats....his name Rudolph Johnson. Little is known about Mr. Johnson except that he is from Columbus, Ohio and first was heard touring with organist Jimmy McGriff. He headed west and was based in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time in San Francisco as well. A serious musician and a non-dri...

This feature is to honour the 87th Birthday of one of the most exciting, creative and influential musicians of the 20th Century namely John William Coltrane. Coltrane was under an exclusive recording contract with Prestige Records from 1957 to the end of 1958 however he was allowed to record this one date for Blue Note Records and the label's owner Alfred Lion made the most out of it by giving Col...

The great maestro Leonard Bernstein narrates with many musical examples played by greats like Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith,Louis Armstrong, Buster Bailey, Buck Clayton, Phil Woods, Coleman Hawkins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane etc.what Jazz music is and what it isn't. This is a fun and educational look at what makes this form of music unique and valid as an art form. This disc is part of a The Jazz...

The title says it all Mr. Adderley is the lucid narrator and with a series of recorded examples he takes you from the very beginnings of this great American art form up until he made this recording in 1960. This is The Jazz Show's annual "back to school" educational show. I hope that you find this entertaining and enlightening. Thank you Cannonball!

Tonight marks the 86th Birthday of one of the great movers and shakers of post-war Jazz, pianist/composer Horace Silver. Silver was brought to the national scene early in the 50's by none other than Stan Getz, who hired Silver's trio to back him in clubs and record dates. Silver became a charter member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers when it was a co-operative band. After Blakey, Silver formed his...

A series of great unreleased recordings from Pepper's final tour of Japan in November 1981 with Pepper on alto saxophone,George Cables on piano, David Williams on bass and Carl Burnett on drums. Art Pepper's favourite quartet. THIS IS THE FULL SHOW! THE PREVIOUS ONE WAS CUT SHORT AT 3 HOURS.

These are some previously unreleased performances by the great Art Pepper on his last tour of Japan in November 1981 about 6 months before his death in June of 1982. Art was aware of his somewhat fragile health and at this time was literally playing for his life. This tour was with his favourite quartet which included pianist George Cables, bassist David Williams and drummer Carl Burnett. Four gre...

This was Lee Morgan's final recording date under his name and it was done in September of 1971. Lee was shot and killed by his estranged wife at age 33 on February 19, 1972. Morgan was identified by his relationship with hard bop but when this recording was done Morgan was looking at some new horizons. His working band consisting of tenor saxophonist/composer Billy Harper, pianist Harold Mabern, e...

Yusef Lateef had been around the Jazz scene for quite a while playing and recording under his own name since 1957. He moved to New York with his family in 1960 and worked with Charles Mingus among others but it wasn't until the end of 1961 when he joined the group led by alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and made it a sextet that Lateef was really put on the Jazz map. He remained with...

This is a recording which combines the incredible talents of J.J.Johnson, trombone master and his composing and arranging abilities. Mr. Johnson said at the time of this recording done in 1964 that it was his best and everything he wanted to do up to that time. He is in magnificent form on his trombone and he was able to assemble two orchestras for these dates. The first is a 17 piece band which p...

Booker Telleferro Ervin was one of the most distinctive and easily identifiable voices of the tenor saxophone to emerge in the 1960's. After years of study (mostly self-study)and dues on the road with a variety of Jazz and R&B bands, Booker arrived in New York at the end of 1958. He was heard and immediately hired by Charles Mingus. He became Mingus' favourite tenor player and Mingus also relied o...

The Jazz Feature tonight is by a unique individual. A very accomplished human being by the name of Dr. Denny Zeitlin. Zeitlin is a practicing psychiatrist/author and teacher AND one of the most individual and accomplished pianists on the planet. He was able to pursue both careers with equal dedication. The Jazz Feature is by his working band that he put together when he moved from the east to the...

Tonight(July 15, 2013)would have been the 90th birthday of one of the greatest drummers in Modern Jazz. Joseph Rudolph Jones aka "Philly Joe" Jones, who earned his place in Jazz history from his time with Miles Davis from 1952 to 1958. He appeared on albums led by himself and is a sideman on some of the most influential recordings in this music. Philly Joe's long and varied career in Jazz took him...

Lou Donaldson is a Jazz Master of the first order and is still touring and playing at age 86. During the late 60's and early 70's he did a whole series of albums for Blue Note that were really a great combination of funk, Jazz and R&B. Lou had established his credentials with Clifford Brown, Elmo Hope, Art Blakey as well a great straight-ahead dates under his own name so there was no argument as t...

This is a classic album make no mistake about that fact. It was given a lukewarm treatment by the Jazz critics at the time because it was such a casual and easy-going affair. It was Coltrane's first appearance on his new label, Atlantic Records. He had been with Prestige for over two years and moved to the more upscale Atlantic. It was done in January of 1959. The great producer Nesuhi Ertegun sug...

Eli "Lucky" Thompson had a long career in Jazz music but not all of it was lucky. He was very respected in the community for his great talent on the tenor(and later the soprano) saxophone. He was a proud and determined man who rankled at some of the unjust treatment of Jazz artists. The Jazz Feature is from one of the peaks in Lucky's career. He had returned from a long period in Europe and record...

The late Sonny Clark left us too soon at age 31 on January 13,1963 from an overdose of heroin. Sonny was not an originator or a Jazz pioneer but a wonderful stylist who reflected the history of Modern Jazz piano. His touch and flow of ideas were the center points of his style and his ability to accompany horns made him a favourite among all the major horn players such as Jackie McLean, John Coltra...

Tonight's show is a special treat as it is the annual Jazz festival edition. The Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2013 is in the spotlight with a three hour plus edition focusing on many of the artists appearing this year. I turn the selection of the music over to my good friend John Orysik, who is not only one of the founding fathers of the Jazz festival but is it's Media Director. That's th...

This is quintessential Tal Farlow one of the masters of Jazz guitar with his trio including the fabulous Eddie Costa at the piano and Vinnie Burke on bass. The repertoire is mostly standards but done in the unique and wonderfully refreshing manner by one of the great masters of Jazz guitar Tal Farlow! This album was recorded in May of 1956 after Tal did his apprenticeship with Red Norvo and Artie...