In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond

Blakey & Miles

A set of early Blakey and Miles. They are bookended by Lovano covering Trane and a Duet featuring Metheny and Mehldau. Finally a gorgeous rendition of Leonard Cohen's Halleluja as covered by the Manual Valera Trio.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Joe Lovano Quartets ~ 26-2 ~ Live at the Village Vanguard
Art Blakey ~ Carol's Interlude ~ The Jazz Messengers
Art Blakey ~ The End of a Love Affair ~ The Jazz Messengers
Miles Davis ~ Oleo ~ Bags' Groove
Miles Davis ~ Blue in Green ~ Kind of Blue
Miles Davis ~ Footprints ~ Live in Europe 1967: Best of the Bootleg, Vol. 1
Miles Davis ~ On Green Dolphin Street ~ Live in Europe 1967: Best of the Bootleg, Vol. 1
Miles Davis ~ Joshua ~ Seven Steps to Heaven
Metheny Mehldau ~ A Night Away ~ Quartet
Manuel Valera Trio ~ Hallelujah ~ Seasons

The Gonz and more

At the center of this podcast is music from Jerry Bergonzi who performs on Monday nights at the Lillypad along with George Garzone and the Fringe. First we here from great pianists Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner and Zaccai Curtis. Hartford's saxophonist Jovan Alexander preceeds the Bergonzi set. The podcast concludes with Manuel Valera (piano) and his trio.

Playlist 
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Harold Mabern ~ Inner Glimpse ~ To Love and Be Loved
Harold Mabern ~ Dat Dere ~ To Love and Be Loved
McCoy Tyner ~ Song For My Lady ~ The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
The Curtis Brothers ~ The Wrath ~ Completion of Proof
Jovan Alexandre ~ Yalesville ~ Collective Conciousness
Jerry Bergonzi ~ Live Stream ~ Dog Star
Jerry Bergonzi ~ Doin' the Hen ~ Shifting Gears
Bergonzi, Calderazzo, Danielsson, Uotilo ~ The Lag ~ Fast Company
The Fringe ~ I loved You Yesterday ~ 40 Years on the Fringe
Manuel Valera Trio ~ Spring/Summer ~ The Seasons

Trane & Miles covers

Two of my favorite standards are covered here. Dig vocal and instrumental covers of Trane's Moment Notice, then Miles' So What. Following that is a jazz voyage with Hancock and Pharoah. Then we pay tribute to the victims and families of the Parkland shootings with music from Rob Garcia, Noah Baerman and Noah Preminger. The podcast concludes with Ellington's Jeep Blues.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Pharoh Sanders ~ Moment's Notice ~ Rejoice
Hubert Laws ~ Moment's Notice ~ In The Beginning
Giacomo Gates ~ So What ~ Miles Tones
Harold Mabern ~ So What ~ To Love and Be Loved
Hank Mobley ~ Up A Step ~ No Room for Squares
Herbie Hancock ~ Maiden Voyage ~ Maiden Voyage
Herbie Hancock ~ First Trip ~ Speak Like a Child
Pharoah Sanders ~ Astral Traveling ~ Thembi
Rob Garcia ~ Guns Make Killing Easy ~ Finding Love in an Oligarchic Planet
Noah Baerman ~ Motherless ~ Ripples
Noah Preminger ~ Change in Gonna Come ~ Meditations on Freedom
Duke Ellington ~ Jeeps Blues ~ Live at Newport

Runs the Jazz Gamut

This podcast runs the gamut of modern jazz styles. We begin with a classic piano trio from jazz master Ahmad Jamal. Then creative nonet arrangements from newcomer Dan Pugach. That is followed by early jazz/rock fusion from Herbie Hancock, Weather Report and George Duke. Finally you will hear guitarist Bill Frisell with his version of a surfer classic.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Ahmad Jamal ~ Patterns ~ The Awakening
Ahmad Jamal ~ Stolen Moments ~ The Awakening
Dan Pugach Nonet ~ Jolene ~ Plus One
Dan Pugach Nonet ~ Zelda ~ Plus One
Herbie Hancock ~ Ostinato (Suite for Angela) ~ Mwandishi
Weather Report ~ Mysterious Traveler ~ Mysterious Traveler
Weather Report ~ Between the Thighs ~ Tale Spinin'
Weather Report ~ Gibraltar ~ Black Market
George Duke ~ Capricorn ~ Faces In Reflection
Bill Frisell ~ Pipeline ~ Guitar in the Space Age 

Nicole and Dan plus Jazz Grammys

Had a great time interviewing Nicole Zuraitis (vocals, piano) and her husband Dan Pugach (drums, arranger) about their new album releases and upcoming gigs. You will get to hear from their new CD's, Nicole's Hive Mind and Dan's Nonet Plus One. Following the interveiw is a review of the 2018 Grammy Awards in the Jazz categories. 

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Nicole Zuraitis ~ Sunny Side (excerpt) ~ Hive Mind
Nicole Zuraitis ~ Failing ~Hive Mind
Dan Pugach Nonet ~ Brooklyn Blues ~ Plus One
Nicole Zuraitis ~ Inscription ~Hive Mind
Dan Pugach Nonet ~ Our Blues ~ Plus One
John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension ~ Miles Beyond (Grammy Jazz Improvised Solo) ~ Live At Ronnie Scott's
Billy Childes ~ Starry Night (Grammy: Jazz Instrumental Album) ~ Rebirth
Cecile McLorin Salvant ~ Youv'e Got To Give Me Some (Grammy Jazz Vocal Album) ~ Dreams and Daggers
Christian McBride Big Band ~ Optimism (Grammy Jazz Big Band) ~ Bringin' It
Jane Ira Bloom ~ Song Patrol (Grammy Best Surround Sound) ~ Early Americans

Opening Borders with Earl MacDonald

In this epidsode pianist, composer, arranger and educator Earl MacDonald joins me in an interesting discussion. We delve into Open Borders of the musical, political and social kind. By the way, Open Borders is the name of Professor MacDonalds latest album with a 10tet. We also put Earl through the Blindfold Test and get his reactions to a wide range of pianists and jazz styles.

Open Borders on CD Baby

Truth matters

In these days of political chaos and division, truth does matter. We are reminded of that through music from Noah Baerman (Satyagrahi) and Kamasi Washington (Truth) at the center of this podcast. Those tunes are sandwiched between classic jazz from Miles and Blakey, and a jazz/fusion set featuring Haque, Mahavishnu and new from Chick/Gadd. 

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Miles Davis Quintet ~ Freedom Jazz Dance ~ Miles Smiles
Art Blakey ~ Nica's Dream ~ Jazz Messengers
Noah Baerman ~ Satyagrahi ~ Soul Force
Kamasi Washington ~ Truth ~ Harmony of Difference
Fareed Haque and the Flat Planet ~ The Chant ~ Flat Planet
Mahavishnu Orchestra ~ Hymn to Him ~ Apocalypse
The Chick Corea and Steve Gadd Band ~ A Spanish Song ~ Chinese Butterfly

MLK Day 2018

My annual podcast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, with jazz music. This year it takes on even more importance following the racism displayed by the man in the White House. Perhaps some good can come from this incident by awakening the good people of this country to stand up and resist racism and injustice in our society with non-violence as Dr. King would have wanted.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
John Coltrane ~ Alabama ~ The Gentle Side of John Coltrane
Noah Baerman ~ Wahington, 1963 ~ Soul Force
Herbie Hancock ~ I Have a Dream ~ The Prisoner
Martin Luther King Jr. ~ I Have a Dream Speach ~ n/a
Wallace Roney ~ I Have a Dream ~ If Only For One Night
Sonny Rollins ~ The Freedom Suite ~ Freedom Suite
Gil Scott-Heron ~ Peace Go With You, Brother ~ Winter In America
Joey DeFrancesco + The People ~ Project Freedom ~ Project Freedom
Noah Preminger ~ A Change I Gonna Come ~ Meditations on Freedom