Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show

Miles Davis was working with a large ensemble under the direction of Gil Evans as 1959 came to an end. Captivated by the machismo of bullfighting and charmed by Spanish music, Davis planned an album with Evans that would capture the spirit of that country. Two weeks earlier, they had made an attempt to record Miles' version of Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo's classical piece for guitar and orche...

Since his debut in the late 1980's, Kurt Rosenwinkel has emerged as one of the finest jazz composers and soloists of the day. Rosenwinkel's recorded music has gone from standards and bop-influenced stylings to eletronica touched with hip-hop influences over his almost fifteen year career as a leader. His latest release finds him returning to classic tunes in a trio setting for the first time in a...

It's Hallowe'en again, and so it must be time for the annual Straight No Chaser Spooky Song Showcase. Podcast 166 features a scary cross section of sinister titles, so click here to enjoy:  Eldar – "The Exorcist" from Virtue . Hopefully you listened to my interview with this 22 year old piano wizard, who announces himself as a major composer and performer with this new album.  Dom Minasi – "Just O...

Part two of the birthday boy's podcast tributes comes with recordings made by Gordon Sumner himself, tapping into his jazz vein. He was quoted in 1985 when asked why he drafted jazz musicians for his backing band: "I want freedom and the privilege to surprise people. With this new band, I want to destroy the old stereotypes that have been built around me. I feel very at home with jazz. This new gr...

Rock musician Sting – born Gordon Sumner 58 years ago this month – is one of the jazzier pop stars of the past forty years. Although he reached fame first as the bass player of the punk rock-styled band The Police, his first professional gigs during college and during breaks from being a school teacher were in jazz groups. He played with local bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big B...

"He's a genius beyond most young people I've heard." -Dave Brubeck Heavy words from a jazz master, particularly when he is talking about 22 year old Eldar Djangirov, a keyboard player whose latest CD, Virtue , confirms that he is among the most talented players on the scene today. Born in Kyrgyzstan (what was at the time of his birth part of the Soviet Union), Eldar emigrated to the US wiht his fa...

Jackie McLean was approaching the top of his game when he went into Rudy Van Gelder Studio, in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, fifty years ago today. He was leading a quartet that day composed of McLean on alto sax, Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Art Taylor on drums. He had graduated from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1957, and was a sought after sideman, working with Sonny Clark (...

Every year, the Jazz Standard in New York presents a Festival of New Trumpet Music ( FONT ), conceived and cu­rated by acclaimed player, composer, and bandleader Dave Douglas. This year's FONT honors the great Bobby Bradford , who will travel from the West Coast to appear on at the Jazz Standard with different combos in weekend performances October 1-4, 2009. Other trumpeters appearing to salute M...

One of the more interesting acts playing this weekend's free portion of the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival in Boston is percussionist Yoron Israel's tribute to his friend and musical mentor, the late David "Fathead" Newman. For much of the last decade, Israel anchored his touring bands, and recorded three CDs with him. Newman, a legendary saxophonist/flutist and composer, was a prominent member of...

Going from headliner to artistic director, Terri Lyne Carrington's involvement with the Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival has reached its apex. A native of Medford, a Boston suburb, her deep musical network and knowledge make her an ideal choice to lead BeanTown as it expands its scope and moves towards becoming one of the nation's premier jazz festivals.   She is no stranger to multitasking. She has...

Chico Hamilton is 88 years young today, and I had the pleasure of chatting with the legendary drummer last week. Podcast 159 is that interview, along with some of the most memorable music he recorded during his career that has covered the length of what he likes to call "contemporary music" of the last 8 decades. Gerry Mulligan Quartet- "Bernie's Tune". the first recording ever made for Pacific Re...

Strick Muzik is a family affair. Marcus Strickland, in collaboration with his twin brother E.J. found that after years of either recording for small labels or being passed over by larger labels afraid to take a chance on his talent, in order to make the music he wanted the way he wanted, he'd have to go the D.I.Y. approach and create his own label. Enter Strick Muzik, which is featuring two formid...

Imagine a nightclub in New York fifty years ago, where Billie Holiday, sadly past her prime at the age of 44, is performing in what will become her last public concert. The award-wining Hartford Stage Company in Hartford, Connecticut is bringing us just that, mounting a production of Reenie Upchurch's play "Yesterdays - An Evening with Billie Holiday". Jazz singer Vanessa Rubin is cast in the titl...

I've had some fun in the past with "theme shows", like the one I did a few years back on songs with the word "Jungle" in the title. This week, its a visit to the crisper bin in the refridgerator with songs titled after vegetables. Click here to get your daily dose of necessary vitamins and roughage from: Wes Montgomery - "Green Peppers" from California Dreaming . By the time Wes recorded this numb...

 At the age of 91, pianist Marian McPartland shows no signs of slowing down. I spoke to her by telephone last week, and found that she was still composing, still practicing and still working on her radio show Piano Jazz , now in its 30th year on NPR.  Podcast 155 is a portrait of the great piano player and her music. From her days as a child prodigy in England, to her Trio's influencial long-term...

Readers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of organ jazz, and include on my list of its greatest practitioners Hammond B-3 aces such as Jimmy Smith, Jack MacDuff and Jimmy McGriff.   These soulful players are all gone now, but their spirit lives on with a slew of contemporary masters. So Podcast 154 is a tribute to the Hammond Heroes   of Today. I've intentionally left out well-known players l...

One New England's largest free jazz festival takes place this weekend in Hartford, Connecticut  as the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz brings over twenty-five hours of music performed by internationally acclaimed artists. Wonderful world-class musicians will grace the mainstage of the Thomas Harris IV Pavillon in Bushnell Park during the 2009 Festival. Local and regional artists will dazzle with...

Podcast 152 gives listeners a chance to hear from a man behind the scenes - Nick Phillips, one of the key archivists, producers and project coordinators working today. He works the extensive Prestige and Fantasy Records vaults now owned by Concord, and has produced a number of important reissues. Click here to listen to a conversation with Nick, as well as musical contributions from: Kenny Burell ...

History Lesson from Wikipedia : In the late 1970s and early 1980s, hip-hop DJs (starting with Kool DJ Herc) began using several breaks (the part of a funk or jazz song in which the music "breaks" to let the rhythm section play unaccompanied) in a row to use as the rhythmic basis for hip-hop songs. Kool DJ Herc's breakbeat style was to play the same record on two turntables and play the break repea...

It's a real delight to welcome Christan McBride back into acoustic jazz. I've been a fan of the great bassist since his debut as a leader in 1994. Since then, he has been more than a little busy, lending his extensive talents to varying projects and combos, including the R&B tribute A Family Affair and the sprawling 3 CD set Live At Tonic , which found McBride adding violin, turntable and perhaps...

Sunday June 28, 2009 - A particularly strong lineup for the Gazebo Stage brings me across the park for the start of Day Two. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi's This Against That band performed a set of complex Downtown new York influenced jazz, with the small confines of the staging allowing for an intimate and challenging performance. Pianist Matt Mitchell was particularly strong, playing off a solid rhyth...

The passing of Michael Jackson yesterday at the age of 50 leaves decidely mixed emotion. First, given that my 50th birthday looms ahead this Fall, an increased sense of mortality hits me. Next, a sense of relief that a tortured soul may finally have been given some measure of rest. It's not easy to separate the public persona and acts performed by an artist from his work, but in considering Michae...

For me, the official start of summer comes the last weekend in June, when the cozy confines of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center ( SPAC ) open up for the annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival. I'll be headed there this weekend, and as always, have put together a preview of the many acts that will grace the two stages on the grounds. This way, even if you can't attend, you can get a decent feel for ho...

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and all other jazz loving fathers in the world. Here's a Podcast of tunes on the topic of fatherhood, including: Deane Kincaide's Band - "Take a Tip From Father" from Classic Capital Jazz Sessions . This 12 disc compilation includes selections from Big Bands well-known (Benny Carter, Cottie Williams, Bobby Hackett) and less known, like this track. Kincaide was primaril...

The hot jazz reunion tour of the summer will undoubtedly be a revisited edition of the classic Gary Burton Quartet . Their tour, and new live CD features three original members of the important group, certified jazz legends Burton, Pat Metheny and Steve Swallow , along with one new member, and perhaps one of the most prominent drummers of his generation, Antonio Sanchez.  The 11-song album Quartet...