In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond

NSJF preview part 2

Although the North Sea Jazz Festival 2012 is now history, this podcast is Part 2 of the preview show (see last week's show). I'll have full details of our trip to the Netherlands and a run down of the Festival on next weeks show.

Featured Album

Blending Times - Ravi Coltrane on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Epistrophy ~ Ravi Coltrane ~ Ravi Coltrane
Village Rythym ~ Joe Lovano ~ Villange Rythm
Us Five ~ Joe Lovano ~ Folk Art
Philosophers Stone ~ Van Morrison ~ Still on Top
Beatnik ~ Josh Evans ~ Portrait

North Sea Jazz Fest Preview

The NSJ Festival takes place the July 6,7,8 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. We will be attending this amazing event, and this show will preview some of the great artists appearing there. In this show, we feature Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny Unity Band, Joshua Redman, The Bad Plus, Christian Scott, Brian Blade and the Robert Glasper Experiment. This is just a small sampling of the artists that appear on 12 stages simultaneously over three days. For more information check out the website at northseajazz.com .

Featured Album

Unity Band - Pat Metheny on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Footprints ~ Adam's Apple ~ Wayne Shorter
Witch Hunt ~ Speak No Evil ~ Wayne Shorter
Come and See ~ Unity Band ~ Pat Metheny
St Thomas ~ Joshua Redman Quartet ~ Spirit of the Moment
1981 ~ Joshua Redman ~ James Farm
Smells Like Teen Spirit ~ The Bad Plus ~ These are the Vistas
Jenacide ~ Christian Scott ~ Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Crooked Creek ~ Brian Blade ~ Perceptual
Afro Blue ~ Robert Glasper Experiment ~ Black Radio

Lazy DJ

I call this set Lazy DJ, because I play all extended arrangements which means less mic breaks and more music. We begin with a rip-roaring arrangement of Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for the Common Man by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Next we keep the energy level at maximum with a couple from early Weather Report. We go back to Prog-Rock with Close to the Edge from Yes. Thus far, everything we have played is from the early '70s. We time shift from there to our current era with Five Peace Band led by Chick Corea and John McLaughlin performing from the Miles' classic In A Silent Way to finish this podcast.

Featured Album

Five Peace Band (Live) - Chick Corea & John McLaughlin in iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Fanfare for the Common Man ~ Emerson Lake and Palmer ~ Works
Medley ~ Weather Report ~ I Sing the Body Electric
Boogie Woogie Waltz ~ Weather Report ~ Sweetnighter
Close to the Edge ~ Yes ~ Close to the Edge
In a Silent Way - Its About Time ~ Chick Corea & John McLauglin ~ Five Peace Band Live

Father's Day 2012

This show really cooks for Father's Day. Starting with a unique project from tenor player and arranger Travis Sullivan doing his take on Bjork tunes. Cyrus Chestnut has a new one with Hartford's own Dezron Douglas. While we are featuring hometown cats, we play from the Curtis Brother's latest release. The Cookers were in town, and I play two from them. Horace Silver helps celebrate Father's Day with his classic Song For My Father. We finish out this podcast with three cookin' tracks from the late Joe Farrell.

Featured Album

Enjoy! - Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Hyperballad ~ Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra ~ Enjoy
What's Happening ~ Cyrus Chestnut ~ The Cyrus Chestnut Quartet
Mass Manipulation ~ The Curtis Brothers ~ Completion of Proof
Croquet Ballet ~ The Cookers ~ Cast the First Stone
Peacemaker ~ The Cookers ~ Cast the First Stone
Song For My Father ~ Horace Silver ~ Song for My Father
Malibu ~ Sonic Text ~ Joe Farrell
Skate Board Park ~ Joe Farrell ~ Skate Board Park
Great Gorge ~ Joe Farrell ~ Moon Germs

VLM and Deva

This extended In The Groove podcast features Frank Varela and the VLM Project. Frank, Ricky Marshall and Deva Varela are in our studio to talk about the newly released CD Grandma's Revenge. We also revisit the CD So Real featuring Deva on vocals, flute and harmonica. Ricky speaks about his older brother, the late great west coast drummer Eddie Marshall, and we pay tribute with some of his compositions and recordings. Also on this podcast are other influences of Frank's; Wes Montgomery and George Benson.

Featured Album

Frank Varela on CDBaby

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Abangoma ~ Hugh Masakela ~ Hope
Ganja Groove ~ Frank Varela ~ Grandma's Revenge
Giant Steps ~ Frank Varela ~ Grandma's Revenge
I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know ~ VLM Project ~ Unreleased
Grandma's Revenge ~ Frank Varela ~ Grandma's Revenge
West Coast Blues ~ Frank and Deva Varela ~ So Real
Memphis Underground ~ Frank and Deva Varela ~ So Real
Holy Mischief ~ Eddie Marshall ~ Holy Mischief
Knucklebean ~ Bobby Hutcherson ~ Knucklebean
Twisted Blues ~ Wes Montgomery ~ Cottentail
My Latin Brother ~ George Benson ~ Bad Benson
Off the Top ~ Jimmy Smith ~ Off the Top
Casey's Blues ~ Deva and Frank Varela ~ So Real

2012 Jun 2 Broadcast

This show begins with Jazz pianist, composer and educator Noah Baerman. Noah also struggles with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), an incurable connective tissue disorder. Last month was EDS awareness month, and I had pledged to highlight EDS on this podcast. Please check out Noah's blog post at his website ( http://noahjazz.com ) for more information. We feature other Connecticut jazz artists on this week's show and some great jazz cats from Rochester NY. We have Jen Allen, Jimmy Greene, Noah Preminger, Frank Varela, Peter Greenfogel from CT, and Mike Melito and the Sneider Brothers from Rochester. Rounding out the show are Ambrose Akinmusire, Ornette Coleman, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin. This makes for a very eclectic mix. Hope you dig it.

EDS Blog post

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
This Little Light of Mine ~ Noah Baerman ~ Soul Force
The Repercussions ~ Jen Allen ~ Pieces of Myself
Love in Action ~ Jimmy Greene ~ Mission Statement
Law Years ~ Ornette Coleman ~ Science Fiction
Toy Dance ~ Noah Preminger ~ Before the Rain
Confessions to My Unborn Daughter ~ Ambrose Akinmusire ~ When the Heart Emerges Glistening
New Blues, Old Bruise ~ Chick Corea and John McLaughlin ~ Five Peace Band
Upstream ~ Frank Varela ~ Grandma's Revenge
Tailwind ~ Mike Melito ~ The Right Time
It Must Schwing ~ Sneider Brothers ~ Brockton Beat
Halfway Between Places ~ Peter Greenfogel ~ Halfway Between Places

Curtis Bro

This week's podcast features our guest Zaccai Curtis and the music of the Curtis Brothers. We follow the development of their latin influenced jazz from the early Insight days when the band was based on young Hartford musicians, to a more mature evolved sound of the Curtis Brothers Quartet, and finally the recently released Hard-Bop based Completion of Proof album. This latest band is comprised of some of Art Blakey's alumni (Brian Lynch, Donald Harrison, Ralph Peterson). The Blakey influence is strong, but the Zaccai's compositions maintain a subtle Latin flavor that the Curtis Brothers are so well known for. We start out the show with a Miles Davis piece, Footprints to celebrate the master's birth date. For more information on the Curtis Brothers, please check out their informative website.

Featured Album

The Curtis Brothers - Completion of Proof on CD Baby

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Footprints ~ Miles Davis ~ Miles Smiles
Necessity ~ Insight ~ A Genesis
Sudan and Darfur ~ Insight ~ A Genesis
Yuba Citrico ~ Curtis Brothers Quartet ~ Blood Spirit Land Water Freedom
Sol Within ~ Curtis Brothers ~ Completion of Proof
Manifest Destiny ~ Curtis Brothers ~ Completion of Proof

New Jazz Workshop

This special 1 hour 40 minute edition of Jazz and Beyond features Jackie McLean, and an interview with Lummie Spann, alto sax player and co-founder of New Jazz Workshop. The show begins with a tribute to JMac, who would have been 81 years old this past week. Jackie meant so much to the Hartford jazz scene, including our on-air guest. Lummie Spann joins us live in the studio to talk about his latest musical project, the release of a new CD from the New Jazz Workshop. First Lummie speaks with us about his personal experiences with JMac and his development as a jazz musician in Hartford. The show continues with more music from Art Pepper, Skerik, Trane, Esperanza, Larry Young, and Lee Morgan.

Featured Album

New Jazz Workshop on CDBaby

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Confirmation ~ Jackie McLean ~ New Wine in Old Bottles
Minor March ~ Jackie McLean ~ The Jackie Mac Attack
Optimism ~ Jackie McLean ~ Fire & Love
Underground ~ New Jazz Workshop ~ Underground on CDBaby
World of Wonder ~ New Jazz Workshop~ Underground on CDBaby
A Night in Tunisia ~ Art Pepper ~ Friday Night at the Village Vanguard
Summer Pudding ~ Skerik Syncopated Taint Septet ~ Live at the Triple Door
Naima ~ John Coltrane ~ Giant Steps
I Know You Know ~ Esperanza Spaulding ~ Esperanza
Mr. Pc ~ John Coltrane ~ Giant Steps
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise ~ Larry Young ~ Unity
Lost and Found ~ Lee Morgan ~ Expoobident
Pheonix ~ New Jazz Workshop ~ Underground