Discovering Jazz

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Episode 153: Familiar Favourites from LP’s. Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

This week I went through my jazz lp’s and selected a few familiar favourites. Well, at least familiar to me.

I play some Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobby Hutcherson w. Eugene McDaniels, Shorty Rogers, Mose Allison, Buddy Emmons w. Lenny Breau, Big Miller, Nina Simone, David Amram, Charles Lloyd, and Tete Montoliu.

Episode 152: Unusual Instruments in Jazz Part 2 Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

This week I play blues, gospel, jazz, and world music employing instruments you don’t usually hear that often in that context. You’ll hear two bagpipes, and six tubas (but all on the same tune). I also play some recordings featuring a kora, accordion, tar, chromatic harmonica, bassoon, a sarrusophone, and ukulele. Then I end off with a Charles Mingus tune played on a didgeridoo plus some instruments invented by Harry Partch.

Episode 151: Unusual Instruments in Jazz May 25, 2021

Show notes

This is the first of a couple programs where I play jazz recordings that feature instruments not commonly associated with jazz. This time round you’ll hear some harp, steel guitar, five string banjo, pipa, Euphonium, Steel Pan, and French Horn.

And did you know that there was an album released in 2017 of Thelonious Monk tunes played on a pipa….solo? It’s called Monk, Mao, and Me, by Min Xiao-Fen. I play one track from that album.

Episode 150:LushLife,AnaMaria, St.Thomas,St.James Infirmary,Sentimental Mood. May 18, 2021

Show notes

Five more great songs with interesting stories behind them. And I play different versions of each one, ranging from Nat King Cole to Sam Gendal. And in-between, you’ll hear Wayne Shorter, Xavier Thollard, Teresa Doyle & Doug Riley, Antonio Adolfo, Sonny Rollins, Randy Weston, Jack Teagarden, Victoria’s own Maureen Washington, Duke Ellington, and Gene McDaniels.

\Two of the tunes, by the way are ‘traditional’….meaning author unknown.

And if you want to remember the pentatonic scale? This episode will tell you how.

Episode 149:Skylark,Someday My Prince Will Come, Liza, Central Park West May 11, 2021

Show notes

Once again I’m talking about some timeless great melodies and lyrics and some of the ways they get reinterpreted by jazz artists.

I start with some great (and one not-so-great) recordings of Skylark, written by Hoagy Carmichae and Johnny Mercer, for a musical that never happened. And the melody was based on a Bix Beiderbecke improvisation.

Someday My Prince Will Come was written by the same person who wrote Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf. I play two great versions fully and just a snatch of the ‘original’ as well as a bit of the first jazz recording.

Liza (All The Clouds’ll Roll Away) was first sung by an audience member in a musical. Mind you, the audience member was Al Jolson and it was probably a gimmick. I play an amazingly fast version by Bill Charlap, as well as an interpretation by Oscar Peterson.

Central Park West is a John Coltrane composition that only recently has found some lyrics. Two different sets. And another sung version by Lakecia Benjamin and Jazzmeia Horn has no lyrics. I play all three versions plus the original, and each one is so different—so you won’t get tired of it. I assure you!

Discovering Jazz -148- What’s New in 2021 Part 3 May 04, 2021

Show notes

As I go down the JazzWeek chart, I find I’m enjoying what I’m listening to more and more. But I’ve always tended to love the ‘hits’ at the bottom end of the charts more than the top end. Even as a kid listening to the pop Top 93 on a local radio station.

This week I start out with a track from the new Charles Lloyd album which, surprisingly hasn’t yet hit the play lists of most jazz radio stations. Same with the Sue Maskeleris record—although the ‘roots’ music stations seem to like it. I also play a track by The Yellow Jackets, Dan Bonsanti the 14 jazz Orchestra, Jacqui Naylor, and The Henry Robinett Quartet.

Two Canadian artists are also presented with two brand new releases. They are, from Victoria B.C., Ashley Wey, and The Code Quartet from Montreal.

And two very interesting additions are new records by one group 34 years after their previous (and first) one, and other musician who waited 65 years to put out his second album. They are, respectively, The Jazz Worms and Vinnie Riccitelli.

A fascinating, informative, and, most importantly, fun to listen to program.

Episode 147: What’s New in 2021, Part 2 Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

More music from recordings released this year, as I pick and choose from a few records that interest me.

One of my favourites is through a new label called Le Coq records, and it features Bill Cunlifee, John Patitucci, and Vinnie Colaiuta. That same label also has one simply called “Presents the Jazz All Stars”, and I play an interesting ‘funky’ version of Caravan, sung by Andy James.

Two Canadian recordings are also included, one by Vancouver’s Cory Weeds and the other by Juno award winning singer from Montreal, Dominique Fils-Aime.

You’ll also hear

-trombonist Michael Dease,

-a reissue of the first album by Roseanne Vitro,

-Leon Lee Dorsey with the last recording by Harold Mabern,

-a beautiful solo guitar piece by Diego Figueiredo,

A Bob Dorough composition by Mark Winkler and David Benoit,

-David Kikoski with Boris Kazlov,

-Eric Reed, and

-The Steve Feifke Big Band with Veronica Swift on vocal.

Episode 146: What’s New in 2021 Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

For this episode and the next two, I’m exploring current jazz. Using the JazzWeek Charts, I’m picking out a few newer releases that appeal to me, and playing a track from each of them.

This week, you’ll hear Santi Diabro, Greg Murphy, Dr. Lonnie Smith (with Iggy Pop),Lorne Lofsky, Brandi Disterheft with George Coleman, Joe Chambers, Emmet Cohen, Veronica Swift, Dave Stryker, Nelson Riveros, and Greg Murphy.

Episode 145: A Tune Within A Tune (Jazz Quotes), Part 3, Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

This is the last episode of a tune within a tune. And I thank jazz fans from the JazzWord site for many of these ideas for bits of songs that jazz musicians put into their solos.

The quotes you’ll hear include Donna Lee, Pavane (Morton Gould), Slow Boat to China, Laura, Them There Eyes, How Long Has This Been Going On, Tea For Two, Work Song, Come Sunday, Giant Steps—-and a whole bunch more, A lot that ‘whole bunch more’ comes from Ella Fitzgerald.

And yes, you’ll hear some Ella, as well as Count Basie with Wardell Gray, Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Smith, Miles Davis, Thelonious MOnk, Ahmad Jamal, Joris Teepe Quartet, and even a hard rock group called Coney Hatch who surprise you with a quote from a well known jazz tune in their lead guitar solo.

Episode 144, A Tune Within a Tune, Part 2 (Jazz Quotes) Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

This podcast, as well as playing some great jazz recordings with ‘quotes’ of other tunes coming from various soloists, explores the purpose of these quotes.

It’s not just jazz musicians who put quotes into their songs. There is a bird (yes…a real bird…one that flies) who does a variety of quotes, and you’ll hear that bird singing other bird’s songs. And an ornithologist very briefly explains how its function might be to impress potential mates by showing that they’ve ‘been around’.

You’ll hear music by Miles Davis, a long and amazing Jaco Pastoriious bass solo, the late Fraser MacPherson (from Victoria, B.C.), Charlie Parker, Peggy Lee, Lester Young & Nat King Cole, Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band, Nina Simone, and Mark Eisenman.

Also a bit of The Sound of Music, Fascinating Rhythm, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, The Woody Woodpecker Theme, Bye Bye Blackbird, and Good King Wenceslas.

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