In the Groove, Jazz and Beyond

Traditional to Brand New

There are three albums featured in this podcast, ranging from traditional to brand new. Starting with the Legacy Edition of Miles 'Round About Midnight from 1957, to Corea, Clarke and White's new trio album Forever (with guest artist Jean Luc Ponty on violin, not piano as I say in a mic break) and finally Robert Glasper's highly anticipated Black Radio. From this podcast it is clear how jazz has progressed over the decades. Perhaps Glasper's latest CD foretells a new direction in jazz that has the potential to appeal to a wider audience and breath new life into this great musical art form.

Featured Album

Black Radio - Robert Glasper on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Dear Old Stockholm ~ Miles Davis ~ 'Round About Midnight
Woody 'N You ~ Miles Davis ~ 'Round About Midnight
No Mystery ~ Corea, Clarke, White ~ Forever
Armando's Rhumba ~ Corea, Clarke, White ~ Forever
Afro Blue ~ Robert Glasper Experiment ~ Black Radio
Why Do We Try ~ Robert Glasper Experiment ~ Black Radio

3 nights in NYC

A recap of a three night stay in New York City that had us hitting the jazz clubs each night. This show features some of the great artists we saw during our stay. The Mingus Big Band was just a rollicking good time with smoking arrangements and soloists. Next up was Mike Stern rocking out in a trio setting at 55Bar, one of my favorite venues. The final night in NYC we caught Johnathan Blake's CD release party at the Jazz Gallery. We finish the podcast with a beautiful composition and arrangement by Maria Schnieder.

Featured Album

Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard from iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Moanin' ~ Mingus Big Band ~ Live at Jazz Standard
Cryin' Blues ~ Mingus Big Band ~ Live at Jazz Standard
KT ~ Mike Stern ~ Who Let the Cats Out
Wing and a Prayer ~ Mike Stern ~ Between the Lines
Clues ~ Johnathan Blake ~ The Eleventh Hour
Time to Kill ~ Johnathan Blake ~ The Eleventh Hour
The Pretty Road ~ Maria Schneider Orchestra ~ Sky Blue

Mardi Gras

Fat Tuesday is this week down in N'orleans, and that begins the Mardi Gras celebration. This podcast features great New Orleans music from jazz artists young and old. Tunes from the Rebirth Brass Band, Louis Armstrong, the Marsalis Family, Terrance Blanchard, Skerik and a new sax player Khris Royal will get you in the groove for this year's Mardi Gras.

Featured Album

Rebirth of New Orleans - Rebirth Brass Band on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
You Know You Know ~ Rebirth Brass Band ~ Rebirth of New Orleans
Norleans ~ Doctor Lonnie Smith ~ Too Damn Hot!
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans ~ Louis Armstrong ~ Chicago Concert 1956 Remastered
In the Court of King Oliver ~ Wynton Marsalis ~ Standard Time Volume 3
Cain and Abel ~ The Marsalis Family ~ A Jazz Celebration
Brer Rabbit ~ Delfayo Marsalis ~ Minions Dominions
Over There ~ Terence Blanchard ~ Flow
Love Song #4 ~ Khris Royal ~ Dark Matter
Summer Pudding ~ Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet ~ Husky

Love

This pre-Valentines Day special features jazz tunes inspired by LOVE. Not a lot of typical sappy love songs in this set, but some hard-driving emotional compositions. We start with some a great tunes from the 50's performed by Jackie McLean and Lester Young, eventually breaking out into newer ground, with some soulful music by Mulgrew Miller, Aretha Franklin and Kevin Mahogany. We switch over to some fusion guitar with Mike Stern and Joe Beck. We finish this lovely show with one of my favorite romantic jazz ballads by Jimmy Greene entitled Love In Action.

Featured Album

McLean's Scene - Jackie McLean on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Our Love Is Here To Stay ~ Jackie McLean ~ McLean's Scene
Taking a Chance on Love ~ Lester Young ~ Ted and Prez
Almost Like Being in Love ~ Lester Young and Oscar Peterson~ Tea for Two
Comes Love ~ Mulgrew Miller ~ Live at Yoshi's Volume 2
I Never Loved a Man (The way I loved you) ~ Aretha Franklin ~ The Very Best of
Crazy Love ~ Van Morrison ~ Moondance
I Love You More than You'll Ever Know ~ Kevin Mahogany ~ Kevin Mahogany
How Deep Is your Love ~ Bad Plus ~ For All I Care
All Heart ~ Mike Stern ~ Play
I Love You ~ Joe Beck ~ Just Friends
Love's Fury ~ Sean Jones ~ No Need For Words
Love In Action ~ Jimmy Greene ~ Mission Statement

Jazz Grooves of All Kinds

After kicking off this podcast with a straight ahead jazz romp from Steve Davis, we get into a solid groove from a new release by baritone sax master Gary Smulyan. Art Pepper follows with some cool jazz grooves. We then move to a different kind of swing with some African rhythms from Omar Sosa. Ahmad Jamal serenades us on three tracks with his piano trios. We finish up with Josh Evans cooking on trumpet from his debut album Profile.

Featured Album

Smul's Paradise on Amazon.com

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Con Alma ~ Steve Davis ~ Crossfire
Up in Betty's Room ~ Gary Smulyan ~ Smul's Paradise
Heavenly Hours ~ Gary Smulyan ~ Smul's Paradise
September Song ~ Art Peper ~ Straight Life
Afreecanos West ~ Omar Sosa ~ Promise
Stolen Moments ~ Ahmad Jamal ~ The Awakening
Autumn In New York ~ Ahmad Jamal ~ Poinciana - One Night Only
Moonlight in Vermont ~ Ahmad Jamal ~ Poinciana - One Night Only
Beatnik ~ Josh Evans ~ Portrait

For My Dad

We kick off this show with Horace Silver's Song to My Father, as this show is dedicated to the memory of my Dad. He loved Sarah Vaughan so we play a set of some of her live recordings. We then move into a great contemporary vocalist Dana Lauren. Chucho Valdes is in town playing at UCONN, so we play a tune from his repertoire. Robert Glasper is represented with a unique arrangement. Finally, we close the show with Hammond organist Pat Bianchi and 3osity.

Featured Album

It's You Or No One - Dana Lauren on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Song for My Father ~ Horace Silver ~ Song for My Father
All of You ~ Sarah Vaughan ~ Sarah Vaughan Live!
Lover Man ~ Sarah Vaughan ~ Sarah Vaughan Live!
What Is This Thing Called Love ~ Sarah Vaughan ~ Sarah Vaughan Live!
It's You or No One ~ Dana Lauren ~ It's You or No One
Give Me the Simple Life ~ Dana Lauren ~ It's You or No One
Homenaje A Ellington ~ Chucho Valdes ~ New Conceptions
Maiden Voyage/Everything in its right place ~ Robert Glasper ~ in my element
Inception ~ 3osity

Sound Travels

We will get funky with some Joshua Redman, then soulful with Joey DeFrancesco and Cinque, before exploring the new release by jazz master Jack DeJohnette. Jack is featured on acoustic piano as well as drums here. Next up is Christian McBride's Inside Straight with vibe work by Warren Wolfe. We keep with the sound of vibes going with Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece from their fine CD Duotones with I placed on my Best Of 2011 list.

Featured Album

Sound Travels - Jack DeJohnette on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Jazz Crimes ~ Joshua Redman ~ Elastic
Bolivia ~ Cinque ~ Catch a Corner
Still Crazy After All These Years ~ Cinque ~ Catch a Corner
Sonny Light ~ Jack DeJohnette ~ Sound Travels
Oneness ~ Jack DeJohnette ~ Sound Travels
Indigo Dreamscapes ~ Jack DeJohnette ~ Sound Travels
Theme For Kareem ~ Christian McBride and Inside Straight ~ Kind of Brown
Back to Back ~ Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece ~ Duotone

Chucho!

First we pay homage to a couple of great jazz artists who passed away five years ago this week. Alice Coltrane and Michael Brecker certainly left their mark on jazz music with some passionate playing and composing as you can hear, here. This is followed by a new release from Miguel Zenon which perhaps should have made my top album picks for 2011. Chucho Valdez is coming to the University of Connecticut's Jorgensen Auditorium, and I would like to play some tunes from his great CD Chucho's Steps. The show will be January 27 and 28 and you can get tickets here.

Featured Album

Chucho's Steps - Chucho Valdés & The Afro-Cuban Messengers on iTunes

Track ~ Artist ~ Album
Offset ~ Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece ~ Duotone
Renaissance Man ~ Time is of the Essence ~ Michael Brecker
Translinear Light ~ Alice Coltrane ~ Translinear Light
Jugette ~ Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook ~ Miguel Zenon
Temes ~ Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook ~ Miguel Zenon
Chucho's Steps ~ Chucho Valdez & the Afro Cuban Messengers ~ Chucho's Steps
New Orleans ~ Chucho Valdez & the Afro Cuban Messengers ~ Chucho's Steps
Rooms of Light ~ Ben Monder ~ Oceana