Thursday, August 13, 2015

New Music Monday for August 17, 2015

Listen to this week's playlist on YouTube and Spotify!

     “Dee Dee’s Feathers” is a journey through the history of New Orleans as told through song and the collaboration of Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. It was recorded at New Orleans’ Esplanade Studios, which is housed in a reconverted historical church in the heart of the city that was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Although steeped in history, the disc is at the same time a modern exploration of the music and culture that make the Big Easy a city and place unlike any other. Traditional songs co-mingle with new compositions, transporting the listener on a sensory voyage through the city, whether dancing in a second line or frequenting a storied bordello in the heart of French Quarter.
     “10” commemorates the decade the Gabriel Alegria Afro-Peruvian Sextet has been making music in Peru and the United States. Half of its tracks are American standards and the other half Peruvian, a fitting repertoire for a band that divides its time between the two countries. Instruments that typify jazz such as the drum set, double bass, trumpet and saxophone are wedded with Afro-Peruvian ones including the cajon, cajita, and vocal interjections known as guapeo. The acoustic guitar, a familiar instrument in both traditions, knits it all together. It’s a musical experience that finds and articulates the affinities between cultures and traditions of the two lands the band calls home.

     Also this week, the Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra is joined by legendary trumpeter Doc Severinsen on “Prime Time”; the Jeff Benedict Big Band unveils “Holmes,” featuring original tunes along with fresh arrangements of music by Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Joe Zawinul and Sting; and pianist and composer Kait Dunton debuts a fresh, inventive new electro-acoustic ensemble, “trioKait.”

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

This Week's Special Shows


Week of August 17, 2015

Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday - Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Jazz and the Spoken Word: Gil Scott-Heron                                    
“Jazz and the Spoken Word” Short List series is about a small group of writers and musicians who have worked to blend the rhythm of jazz with the rhythm of poetry and the spoken word. The series reveals some of the best attempts at combining the two art forms during the past 90 years. This week on The Short List the poetry of the influential Gil Scott-Heron is featured as well as a digression on the “Talkin’ Blues.” Gil Scott-Heron voiced his support of African-American lives and communities with his sharp, socially-aware poetry set to instrumental accompaniment. His early 1970s recordings for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman label gave form to what would later become hip-hop and rap in our time. Gil Scott-Heron gives one history and political commentary in one package.                         
   
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Louis Armstrong: "The Singer"          
After establishing himself as an innovative jazz instrumentalist, Louis Armstrong was given a chance to sing -- and turned the jazz world upside down. His singing voice would become one of the world's most recognized and enjoyed in jazz and popular music.         

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
"Tribute to Gunther Schuller -- (11/22/1925 to 6/21/2015)"

Craig salutes the recently departed composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician, Gunther Alexander Schuller. We'll hear examples of his jazz work with luminaries such as Miles Davis, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Gigi Gryce, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. We'll experience Mr. Schuller's work as a French hornist, an arranger, a composer, and a conductor, as well as his work as one of the developers of what is known as "Third Stream Music" -- the melding of classical music with jazz.   

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire    
Tuesday at 6:00 PM 
"Festival Season"   
After the glitter of Carnival Season is washed away by the spring rain in New Orleans, there's suddenly something else in the air -- it's Festival Season. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is world famous, but there are hundreds of other free music festivals each year in New Orleans, and they're on everybody's calendars in the Crescent City: French Quarter Fest, Wednesdays in the Square, Jazz in the Park, the Louisiana Cajun/Zydeco Festival, Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival, Satchmo Summerfest, and something actually called Chaz Fest. So this week we're bringing you into the parks, the streets, and even the backyards of New Orleans, to show you why festivals here are such a way of life.  

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Ali Jackson Celebrates Max Roach at Jazz at Lincoln Center  

To say Max Roach was a bebop pioneer, or a paramount innovator of the drums, or a prominent social activist would be accurate. Yet these labels fall short of this American icon’s totality. One drummer who not only understands this idea, but has benefitted from Roach single-handedly changing the perception of what it means to be a drummer, is composer, arranger, and percussion wizard Ali Jackson. After crossing paths with Roach at age 12, Jackson was forever impacted, and the two would enjoy a formative student-teacher connection. In a one-night-only salute to the father of modern drumming, JLCO member Jackson illuminates Roach’s conceptual and artistic genius. An ensemble has been formed specially for this performance, featuring percussionist Victor Provost, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Emmet Cohen, bassist Russell Hall, tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, and a string quartet with violinists Elio Bishop and Sara Caswell, violist Jeremy Kittel, and cellist Eugene Friesen.                           

Wednesday Night Special               
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)   
USAF Band Airmen of Note: The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts #2            
The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts is a three-part concert series featuring The Airmen of Note. The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force, is internationally recognized as one of America’s finest big bands and a “national treasure.” This week the Airmen of Note perform a tribute to the “Greatest Jazz Small Groups” with unique arrangements of music by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland     
Thursday at 6:00 PM
Arturo O’Farrill      
Pianist, composer, and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill is the son of the late Chico O’Farrill (1921 – 2001). A multiple Grammy winner, he has contributed to contemporary Latin jazz as leader of the Chico O’Farrill Afro Cuban Jazz Orchestra and as the founder of the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. On this 2002 Piano Jazz, O’Farrill performs “Dandon Don Vasquez.” He and McPartland expand on the Latin theme with a duet of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Wave.”                             

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon - 4:00 PM
"Prestige Records In 1955"             
Once again, Craig travels back 60 years to look in on the recordings made for Bob Weinstock's PRESTIGE record label back in 1955.  We'll hear from Miles Davis, Gene Ammons, Billy Taylor, James Moody, Sonny Rollins, and a host of other jazz giants!                                              

Riverwalk Jazz
Sunday at 5:00 PM 
World on Seven Strings: The Life of Jazz Guitar Master Bucky Pizzarelli             
The Jim Cullum Jazz Band welcomes guitar master Bucky Pizzarelli. He performs some favorite tunes and shares colorful stories of his early days, from playing guitar in his parents’ grocery to touring with Stéphane Grappelli.                                       
 
KCCK's Midnight CD
The Monday - Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
http://www.kcck.org/onair/midnight_cd.php








Week of August 10, 2015

Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday - Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Jazz and the Spoken Word: Steve Allen / Al ‘Jazzbo’ Collins / Stan Freeberg                                   
“Jazz and the Spoken Word” Short List series is about a small group of writers and musicians who have worked to blend the rhythm of jazz with the rhythm of poetry and the spoken word. The series reveals some of the best attempts at combining the two art forms during the past 90 years. This week it’s humor and hip talk from the 1950s. Not all writers and poets were serious back then. The humorists also pointed out the foibles in society, but with a poke at one’s funny bone. Writer-musician-comedian-TV personality Steve Allen’s rewriting of fairy tales in hip language are classic and form the main thrust of these segments with Al ‘Jazzbo’ Collins doing the readings; and the humorist Stan Freeberg took on the most popular and revered jazz theme on his CBS radio series, George Shearing’s “Lullaby Of Birdland.”                            
   
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Louis Armstrong: 'The Trumpeter'         
Armstrong displayed a blend of talent and dedication that has not been matched by any trumpeter since. His improvisation paved the way for the jazz soloist. In this program, we trace Armstrong's development as a trumpeter and reflect on his contributions.
Jazz expression remains forever steeped in the innovations of Armstrong's trumpet solos. The scope and magnitude of his virtuosity was nothing short of world-altering. Each time he held his horn up to his lips, he made melodies ring out in a joyful, brilliant tone.         

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
"Birth Date Anniversary Celebration for Benny Carter"            
Craig salutes this major composer, arranger, band leader, alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, Bennett Lester "Benny" Carter, who was born on this date, August 8th, back in 1907. We'll hear selections from throughout his 70 year career in jazz, revisiting his work for a variety of jazz record labels....Bluebird, Pablo, Music Masters, Brunswick, Verve, Swingville, and others!  

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire    
Tuesday at 6:00 PM 
"Mo Cream From The Crop!" 
To celebrate our first full year of New Orleans Calling at WWOZ, and as a special thank-you to our listeners, we've assembled a program of some of the very best moments from this past year, including a little R&B, a little jazz, a couple of secret New Orleans recipes, and a visit with a Mardi Gras Indian. Plus a special bonus, or "lagniappe" as we like to say in the Crescent City -- some new and unreleased music, recorded just for New Orleans Calling at the historic Basin Street Station. And in the words of trumpeter Leroy Jones, this is "Mo Cream From The Crop!"

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Tootie Heath at 80! Life at Jazz at Lincoln Center         
Jazz icon Tootie Heath turned 80 on May 31st, and we’re honored to help him celebrate the occasion! Heath, who first recorded in the 1950s with John Coltrane, recorded as a leader for over 50 years, and performed alongside such artists as Dexter Gordon, Nina Simone, Wes Montgomery, and countless others. Incredibly, popular opinion suggests that the drummer sounds better than ever, entering his eighth decade.                          

Wednesday Night Special               
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)   
USAF Band Airmen of Note: The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts #1            
The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts is a three-part concert series featuring The Airmen of Note. The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force, is internationally recognized as one of America’s finest big bands and a “national treasure.” This week the Airmen of Note perform with special guest: trumpet virtuoso Bobby Shew.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland     
Thursday at 6:00 PM
Bertha Hope     
Bertha Hope’s contributions to mainstream and improvised musical idioms have made her one of the elite among her peers. Wife of the pianist Elmo Hope (1923 – 1967), Bertha has kept their extraordinary teamwork alive through her highly regarded trio and personal performances. In this Piano Jazz session from 1991, Hope performs “In Search of Hope” and McPartland joins for a duet of “I’m Beginning to See the Light.”                            

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon - 4:00 PM
"Tribute to Gunther Schuller -- (11/22/1925 to 6/21/2015)" 

Craig salutes the recently departed composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician, Gunther Alexander Schuller. We'll hear examples of his jazz work with luminaries such as Miles Davis, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Gigi Gryce, Dizzy Gillespie, and others. We'll experience Mr. Schuller's work as a French hornist, an arranger, a composer, and a conductor, as well as his work as one of the developers of what is known as "Third Stream Music" -- the melding of classical music with jazz.                                              

Riverwalk Jazz
Sunday at 5:00 PM 
Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart: Swinging with the Bob Cats 

Trumpeter Yank Lawson and bassist Bob Haggart — star soloists of the Bob Cats — join The Jim Cullum Jazz Band at The Landing for rare, live performances from the repertoire of Bob Crosby’s highly acclaimed, hard-swinging band.                                      
 
KCCK's Midnight CD
The Monday - Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
http://www.kcck.org/onair/midnight_cd.php



Thursday, August 6, 2015

New Music Monday for August 10, 2015

Listen to this playlist on YouTube and Spotify!

     Heads of State, featuring four of the most respected and admired jazz artists of our time, releases its first recording, “Search For Peace.” A band over fifty years in the making, Gary Bartz, Larry Willis, Buster Williams and Al Foster had performed together countless times in different combinations and contexts over their storied careers, but it wasn’t until September 2014 that they appeared as a quartet. The occasion that night was a tribute to McCoy Tyner, and the results were so inspired and the response so overwhelming that they knew right away they had something worth keeping.
     For half a century, the eminent pianist/composer Antonio Adolfo has dedicated himself to the profound exploration of jazz in the context of the great Brazilian music tradition. He has often recently focused upon Brazil’s classic composers as well as the rich musical history and culture that have provided the landscape for one of the world’s most beguiling musical legacies. With his new disc, “Tema,” Antonio looks back upon an important part of that legacy—his own marvelous contributions, dating back to the 1960s. More than 200 of his compositions have been recorded by his own groups and others major artists—including Sergio Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Earl Klugh, Herb Alpert and others—and he has also written extensively for film and television in the past 50 years. But it’s been a while since he has chosen to focus an entire album on his own music. He decided that it was time to do so.
     Also this week, trombonist Nick Finzer, whose resume includes work with Frank Wess, Lew Tabackin and Terell Stafford, unveils his second recording as a leader, “The Chase”; vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant offers up the second record in her young and amazing career, “For One to Love”; and bassist Lee Smith, the father of Christian McBride, is joined by Joe Magnarelli, Tim Warfield and others on “My Kind of Blues.”

Thursday, July 30, 2015

New Music Monday for August 3, 2015

Listen to this playlist on YouTube and Spotify!

     George Cables is one of the world’s greatest jazz pianists, one who helped define the sound of the instrument as we know it today. He’s been making unostentatious music at the keyboard for decades. His new release, “In Good Company,” though focusing on people Cables has known in the past, is not a tribute album but rather a series of personal reminiscences from the keyboard. On display on every track are those wonderful turns of phrases, interesting voicings and that gorgeous tone which characterizes Cables’ playing. With musical compadres Essiet Essiet and Victor Lewis, Cables explores the music of Ellington, Strayhorn, John Hicks, and offers a couple of his own intensely interesting compositions.
     Saxophonist extraordinaire Walt Weiskopf shifts into another gear and takes us along for the ride on the “Open Road.” As a tour de force collection of hard hitting originals, Weiskopf’s second release for Posi-Tone Records features the swinging rhythm section of pianist Peter Zak, bassist Mike Karn and drummer Steve Fidyk. All of the musicians do some heavy lifting behind the sensational melodicism and harmonic inventions of their fearless leader.
     Also this week, it’s the final release for the late guitarist Jeff Golub, “The Vault,” featuring saxophonist Kirk Whalum; veteran trumpet stand-outs Randy Brecker and Bobby Shew are featured with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and St. Blaise’s Big Band, under the direction of Vince Mendoza, on “Trumpet Summit Prague: the Mendoza Arrangements Live”; and Eastern Iowa’s own Laranja, featuring guitarist Dan Padley, reedman Ryan Smith, keyboardist Michael Jarvey, bassist Drew Morton and drummer Justin Leduc, unveil “Thrills and Echoes.”

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

New Music Monday for July 27, 2015

Listen to this playlist on YouTube and Spotify!

     Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick pays tribute to the North American Midwest on a new CD of intensely melodic compositions which reflect thematically upon journeys and homecomings both literal and spiritual. The original inspiration for “Midwest” came during an arduous tour of the U.S. and Canada. “We’d started on the West Coast and were driving long distances every day. I was beginning to get very homesick. Then we reached the area called the Rural Midwest and I suddenly had the strange feeling I was home. Parts of the Midwest remind me strongly of parts of Norway…” In his music for the disc, Eick sketches an imaginary voyage from the village of his birth, over the seas to America.
     “All in the Family” brings together two members of Chicago’s Freeman family that have never recorded together until now. Legendary guitarist George Freeman, who celebrated his 88th birthday in April, played with the likes of Charlie Parker and Gene Ammons and was recently selected as Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Tribune Arts Critic Howard Reich. The career of world-renowned saxophonist Chico Freeman, who is George’s nephew and Von Freeman’s son, has taken him from his early years with Chicago’s AACM to Earth, Wind and Fire to producing, performing and recording with legendary musicians in New York including Elvin Jones. Together, they present their musical legacy of Chicago jazz with a program of originals by both players.
     Also this week, legendary Grammy-nominee percussionist Sammy Figueroa unveils his fourth release as a leader, “Imaginary World,” featuring Venezuelan pianist and composer Silvano Monasterios; New Orleans keyboardist and composer Charlie Dennard offers up his second release, an organ trio affair, “5 O’ Clock Charlie”; and Sacramento-based pianist Jim Martinez blends a set of Vince Guaraldi compositions with some Guaraldi-esque pieces of his own on “Good Grief! It’s Still Jim Martinez.”