A couple of birthdays to celebrate this month; Charles Mingus on his Centennial 100th birthday, and Herbie Hancock who turned 82 years young. First, a track from the Grammy award winning McBride Big Band. Also, new music from drummer Jonathan Barber's Vision Ahead, and his jazz partner, guitarist Andrew Renfroe. Also represented in this episode are two of my favorite modern tenor sax players, Joe Farrell and Chris Potter.

Playlist
Artist ~ Name ~ Album
Christian McBride Big Band ~ Down by the Riverside ~ For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver
Charles Mingus ~ Ysabel's Table Dance ~ Tijuana Moods
Herbie Hancock ~ Oliloqui Valley ~ Empyrean Isles (Expanded Edition)
Joe Farrell ~ Geo Blue ~ Penny Arcade
Jonathan Barber ~ Denim (feat. Vision Ahead) ~ Denim (feat. Vision Ahead) - Single
Andrew Renfroe ~ Alps (feat. Braxton Cook, Taber Gable, Rick Rosato & Curtis Nowosad) ~ Run in the Storm
Chris Potter ~ Southbound ~ Sunrise Reprise

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Usually not a big fan of the Grammy Awards, but this year had some intriguing picks. From the feel good, straight ahead sounds of McBrides Big Band, to the probing improvisations of Carter, DeJohnette, Rubalcaba, and the creative explorations of Esperanza, these picks span a wide pallet of today's jazz. The posthumous awards to Chick and Lyle are also represented in this episode. 

Playlist
Artist ~ Name ~ Album
Christian McBride Big Band ~ Medgar Evers' Blues ~ For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver
Jon Batiste ~ MOVEMENT 11’ ~ WE ARE
Jon Batiste ~ ADULTHOOD (feat. Hot 8 Brass Band) ~ WE ARE
Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette & Gonzalo Rubalcaba ~ Ahmad the Terrible ~ Skyline
Esperanza Spalding ~ Formwela 10 ~ SONGWRIGHTS APOTHECARY LAB
Eliane Elias & Chucho Valdés ~ Sabor a Mi ~ Mirror Mirror
Chick Corea Akoustic Band ~ Humpty Dumpty ~ LIVE
Lyle Mays ~ Eberhard ~ Eberhard - EP

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We start with a set of Christmas classics as performed by some of my favorite jazz musicians. Next up is a set from the new 2021 remake of West Side Story, with the great soundtrack from Leonard Bernstein. That is followed by two Hartford graduates. Jimmy Greene pays tribute to his daughter Ana on the 9th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings which took her life. Brandee Younger scores a grammy nomination with Black is Beautiful. We finish with a jazz standard from the late great Chick Corea.

Playlist
Artist ~ Name ~ Album
Chris Potter ~ O Come All Ye Faithful ~ A Concord Jazz Christmas 2
Marian McPartland ~ God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen  ~ A Concord Jazz Christmas
Pancho Sanchez ~ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ~ Latin Jazz Christmas
Ellis Marsalis ~ This Is Christmas ~ A Jazzy Wonderland
Leonard Bernstein ~ Prologue ~ West Side Story
Ansel Elgort & Mike Faist ~ Cool ~ West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein ~ The Dance at the Gym: Mambo ~ West Side Story
Jimmy Greene ~ Ana's Way (feat. Kurt Elling) ~ Beautiful Life
Brandee Younger ~ Beautiful Is Black ~ Somewhere Different
Chick Corea Akoustic Band ~ On Green Dolphin Street ~ LIVE

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A couple of Grammy related tunes to start the show. Than an eclectic mix of music spanning many generations of jazz from the 1930's till 2021.

Playlist 
Artist ~ Name ~ Album
Carmen Lundy ~ Jazz On TV ~ Modern Ancestors
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade ~ All Blues ~ Trilogy 2 (Live)
Emmet Cohen ~ Dardanella ~ Future Stride
Fats Waller ~ Spring Cleaning (Getting Ready for Love) ~ The Centennial Collection
Lee Morgan ~ Ceora ~ Cornbread
Lee Morgan ~ Tom Cat ~ Tom Cat
Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger ~ Equinox ~ Force Majeure
Matt Dwonszyk ~ Pecan's Delight ~ Wonderful World

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Originally broadcast over the airwaves in August, this set features extended pieces by Chick, Pat, and others.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade ~ 500 Miles High ~ Trilogy 2
Chick Corea ~ Armando’s Rhumba ~ Antidote
Kurt Elling ~ Minuano ~ Man In The Air
Pat Metheny Group ~ The First Circle ~ First Circle
Kurt Rosenwinkel ~ The Next Step ~ The Next Step
Emmet Cohen ~ Joshua ~ Masters Legacy Series Volume 2: Ron Carter

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This episode begins with three winners of Grammy Awards for 2020. Starting with Jacob Collier's unique rendition of Moon River, followed by a new version of Chick Corea's Spanish Heart Band, and finally Brad Mehldau's explorations with a new modern sound. After the Grammy set, hear vintage Santana and brand new Metheny. 

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album 
Jacob Collier ~ Moon River ~ Djesse
Chick Corea & The Spanish Heart Band ~ Armando's Rhumba ~ Antidote
Brad Mehldau ~ The Garden ~ Finding Gabriel
Brad Mehldau ~ Born To Trouble ~ Finding Gabriel
Santana ~ Flor de Canela / Promise of the Fisherman ~ Barboletta
Pat Metheny ~ America Undefined ~ From this Place
Pat Metheny ~ Wide and Far ~ From This Place
David Bowie and Pat Metheny ~ This is Not America ~ Best of
Greg Abate ~ This I Dig of You ~ Bop Lives!

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This podcast begins with a celebration of Joni Mitchell on her birthday. Included is a track from the grammy award winning album from Herbie Hancock River: The Joni Letters. Following that is the tenor sax playing of Ben Webster. The end of the podcast features another great tenor, Joe Henderson.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album
Joni Mitchell ~ A Case of You ~ Blue
Joni Mitchell ~ Furry Sings the Blues ~ Hejira
Joni Mitchell ~ Blue Hotel Room ~ Hejira
Herbie Hancock ~ River ~ River The Joni Letters
Ben Webster (and Joe Zawinul) ~ Trav'lin' Light ~ Soulmates
Ben Webster (and Joe Zawinul) ~ Like Someone in Love ~ Soulmates
Frank Varela ~ Ganja Groove ~ Grandma's Revenge
Pat Metheny Group ~ Are You Going With Me ~ Offramp
Miguel Zenon ~ El Nazaro ~ Sonero: the music of Ismael Rivera
John Coltrane ~ Naima (Take 1) ~ Blue World
Bennie Wallace ~ The Bob Crosby Blues ~ Mystic Bridge
Joe Henderson ~ Blue Bossa ~ Live in Japan
Joe Henderson ~ Beatrice ~ The State of the Tenor
Chris Potter ~ Shadow (For Joe Henderson) ~ Gratitude

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This episode has a very Spring-like sound to it, punctuated by Eric Reed's unique slow take of Hubbard's Up Jumped Spring, and Spring by Holographic Principle. Also, more local (Hartford) new releases by Matt Dwonszyk, Trombeatz and Stevie D.

Playlist
Artist ~ Track ~ Album 
McCoy Tyner ~ Passion Dance ~ The Real McCoy
McCoy Tyner ~ Contemplation ~ The Real McCoy
Dafnis Prieto Big Band ~ Song for Chico ~ Back to the Sunset
Trombeatz ~ Something New ~ A Caribbean Thing
Matt Dwonszyk ~ Theocidy (Give and Take) ~ Wonderful World
Eric Reed ~ Up Jumped Spring ~ Everybody Gets The Blues
Joni Mitchell ~ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat ~ Mingus
Joe Henderson ~ Inner Urge ~ The Standard Joe
Holographic Principle - Ronnie Burrage ~ Spring ~ Dance of the Great Spriit
Holographic Principle - Ronnie Burrage ~ Chanda ~ Dance of the Great Spriit
Steve Davis ~ Can't Complain ~ Correlations

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