Jazz

I'll be doing the jazz show on KRCC on Thursday, 30 June. Any recommendations?

It'll be two hours of traditional jazz, followed by one hour of more modern/fusion material.
I'd like to keep it as upbeat, overall, as possible.

Many thanks, again, to Paganizer for his recommendation of Federica Zammarchi's Jazz Oddity.
I picked it up, and would recommend it to anyone who's interested in jazz or Bowie. Very cool.

Traditional jazz? Apart from Satchmo, of course, I really like the Harlem hepcats like Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, Slim Gaillard - they had fun, funny songs like "Your Feets Too Big" and "Cement Mixer Putty Putty." Irresistible nonsense. And then there's Preservation Hall Jazz Band, or anyone covering New Orleans standards like "Basin Street Blues" or "St James Infirmary."

Speaking of N'Awlins, I loves me some New Orleans brass band sounds - this could go either in traditional or modern, since the brass band sound is alive and well, bands like Rebirth and Dirty Dozen Brass Bands do cool stuff like Marvin Gaye covers. Trombone Shorty has been mentioned on this board, but also check Kermit Ruffins. "keep it as upbeat, overall, as possible"? Heck yeah, dig any of these guys doing tunes like "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" or "Do What You Wanna." Par-TAY!

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Miles. "On The Corner." Just play the whole damn thing.

Oh, and did you do your international show? Take any of our suggestions?



Post Edited (06-17-11 12:37)

I've actually been listening to a lot of ECM jazz the last few months, but most of that isn't upbeat.

That said, John Abercrombie is usually a good time. Not sure if he fits with fusion or traditional. Depends on the record, I suppose.

Dave Holland is usually great. The record Not For Nothin' is a great, great jazz record, with a trumpet/sax/vibes/bass/drums lineup.

I also recommend anything by Jason Moran, but particularly his breakthrough LP Black Stars (mark my words, it's going to be considered an important statement by history) and his most recent album Ten. To my ears, Moran is the perfect balance of respect for tradition and urge to experiment.

On the fusion side, I'd say that any radio jazz hour would be enlivened by some Sonny Sharrock, particularly if it's from Ask the Ages or Guitar. Or if you wanted to be really ballsy, you could dive whole-hog into Last Exit. Might scare some people, though.

Also on the fusion tip, I've been sampling some Terje Rypdal lately. So far the best thing I've heard from him is the record he did with Miroslav Vitous and Jack DeJohnette, but it might be too atmospheric for what you want.

On the fusion side, Gato Barbieri's explosive late '60s/early '70s Latinsanity (hey, I made up a word) blows me away. Beware - he gets "smooth jazz" by the mid-70s.

Sonny Sharrock! Hey, how 'bout some Ornette Coleman? There's a great reissue of his 1986 monster "Song X." When I first heard it, not long after it came out, I thought it was more punk than punk. Or you could play it safe and play Herbie Hancock's early '70s funky Headhunters stuff - still great, even if it's an old crowd-pleaser.

I'm no jazzbo, but I think you can never go wrong with vintage Dizzy.

Oh, I also highly recommend Graham Reynolds' Duke! Three Portraits of Ellington. Here's a sample.

Ellington, Ellington, Ellington!

I love his 60's long form suites which incorporate some rock influences into them. Try something off the Far East Suite. Blue Pepper rocks like hell and sounds like the greatest theme song to a Bond movie never made; Isfahan is one of the most sensual, slow romantic songs I've ever heard (might be a little too slow and sensual for a radio show, but.....)

Pharoah Sanders: "The Creator Has a Master Plan". Modern; long but good.
Miles Davis: "All Blues" Classic; long but good (not super-upbeat, but definitely uplifting).
Sun Ra: "Space Is The Place".
Some Eric Dolphy would work as well.

You should contact Federica and let her know she'll be featured; maybe she'll record a blurb.

1 idea: taking the informational stance (this is local radio on an ostensibly rock station, right?) , for that listener base, and sticking with the classics.
You could then lure listeners by explaining that it's jazz 101 for rockers.
Miles - Kind of Blue
Love Supreme
Thelonius
Brubeck
etc.

You could even wedge one of the jazzier YLT instrumentals as a palate reboot.

Delvin,

PLEASE play some Cannonball Adderley. . . I'm surely and certainly no jazz aficionado, but I did inherit a lot of jazz music (on vinyl...and, I mean *a lot*) from dead relatives. I latched on to his stuff when I first spun it, and then when I heard that he was one of Pete Townshend's favorites I felt validated.

I can't believe the discussion went this far without anyone mentioning Bird, Trane & Monk. Not to mention Mingus.

Tons of Bird's stuff is fabulous - start with the Dial and Savoy cuts. You can't go wrong with Trane, but for radio you might try some of his Atlantic albums like My Favorite Things, Ole & Coltrane's Sound. Tons of great Monk too, like Brilliant Corners or the lesser known compilation I really like called Always Know. Mingus did tons of great stuff too, including a lot with Dolphy (e.g. the live at Cornell set). He even did a solo piano album that's great.

And don't let's forget about Bud Powell - monster pianist. His Blue Note stuff is especially great. Also the brilliant Bill Evans (my faves are the records with Scott LaFaro, but he had a long, excellent career). Dexter Gordon - try Go. Phil Woods - Musique du Bois. Paul Bley -- you know the other four guys in his LA quintet split off, moved to NYC & became the groundbreaking Ornette Coleman "Free Jazz" quartet -- Bley is way underrated. Check out Mr. Joy, Open to Love, Closer, Barrage, Fragments. Jim Hall, Grant (not my relative) Green, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Criss, Sonny frickin' ROLLINS . . . and there's Prez, Max Roach, Horace Silver and -- maybe not for radio but who knows -- the great Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor . . .

And among those already mentioned, check out Satch Plays Fats (as in Waller), and don't forget the exquisite miniatures by Miles on Birth of the Cool . . .

I'll shut up now . . .

Some very nice suggestions above, so I'll try to stick to artists who haven't been mentioned.

Lee Morgan, "Mr. Kenyatta." He's best known for "The Sidewinder," but honestly that one kind of bores me. Nonetheless, I really like Lee Morgan's music--so much so that 2010 was probably the year of Lee Morgan more than anything else for me musically. I also like "Exotique" off Tom Cat a ton.

Art Blakey is another good one. Moanin' and Free For All are two really good albums with the Jazz Messengers. Track suggestion, "Pensativa" from Free For All.

Stan Getz and Lionel Hampton made an album together called Hamp & Getz that's really good. "Jumpin' at the Woodside" is a nice one from that set.

Good luck with the show.

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