Episode 51:: Blakey's Jazz Message

As promised 2 weeks ago (on his actual birthday), here is finally an hour dedicated to the incredible drummer Art Blakey, especially his popular, long-running, and ground-breaking band, the Jazz Messengers, whose sound has become so central to our conception of Jazz as to be almost hegemonic.

Blakey, who later in life converted to Islam and accepted the name "Buhaina," or just "Boo" among his friends - participated in the BeBop revolution as we heard in recordings in Episode 49 - and later lead a counter-revolution of his own in the mid-1950s. By taking the lessons of small ensemble and virtuosic solos from the Beboppers, and returning to a focus on rhythmic swing, linear melodies, and audience-accessible music, he helped establish (along with the Clifford Brown-Max Roach quartet & Miles Davis's Quintet) a genre which become codified as "Hardbop."

By the mid-60s, Blakey was not only a superb drummer and bandleader, but a virtual king-maker, bringing up young jazz talent and teaching them how to get the most out of their talents both instrumentally, professionally, and even personally. It was a trend he continued for the remainder of his life, introducing jazz greats of several generation to the world until his passing in 1990.

Even a partial roster of Blakey's Messengers is astounding: Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller, Bobby Timmons, Freddie Hubbard, Walter Davis Jr., Reggie Workman, Cedar Walton, Jackie McLean, Keith Jarrett, Chuck Mangione, Wallace Roney, Benny Golson, Bobby Watson, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, James Williams and more!!!

Audio

Playlist

1. Art Blakey All-Stars - Wee-Dot - A Night at Birdland, Vol. 2
2. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Avila & Tequila - At Cafe Bohemia, vol. 2
3. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Roots & Herbs - Roots & Herbs
4. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Calling Miss Kadijha - Indestructible
5. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Giantis - Like Someone in Love
6. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Pensativa - Free For All

::WSRP:: Shouldn't we Really have saved "Boo" for the Halloween special?

Episode 50:: Thelonious Monk pt 2

We continue Last Week's webroadcast with the second (and final) look at the life and music of Thelonious Sphere Monk. Whereas Episode 49 focused on his early career - especially the Blue Note Trios and his breakout collaborations of 1957 - this week we look to the great body of music Monk made in the latter half of his career, essentially the 1960s.

Here we find Monk an established figure in the jazz world, appreciated for his individual approach and seemingly endless creativity. For the most part, he settles into a quartet milieu, working with tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse. But as must be the case, exceptions abound, and we are obviously the better off for them.

This concludes what is at best a scant look at Monk and his Music, but I hope it affords you some temporary enjoyment, and some guideposts for pursuing further listening on your own.

Audio

Playlist

1. Thelonious Monk- Criss Cross - Criss Cross
2. Monk - Lu Lu's Back in Town - Monk's Time
3. Monk - Monk's point - Solo Monk
4. Thelonious Monk Big Band - Trinkle, Tinkle - Who's Afraid of the Big Band Monk
5. Thelonious Monk Big Band - Let's Cool One - Who's Afraid of the Big Band Monk
6. Monk - Straight, No Chaser - Straight, No Chaser
7. Monk - Green Chimneys - Underground
8. Monk - Nutty - Live at the Black Lion

WSRP:: Epistrophy, Apostrophe, Catastrophe, Catostro-WSRP.

Episode 49:: Thelonious Monk pt 1

Thelonious Sphere Monk, b. 10/10/1917, is one of the most distinct figures in all of jazz, and despite his humble origins and initial discrediting by much of the jazz world, he is today universally counted among the greatest piano players and composers ever - regardless of genre. His tunes - which were at first so unusual as to be outright rejected, and once accepted, so dreaded for their high degree of difficulty - have become an enormous part of the imperative jazz song book.

A man derided as having no technique prior to his 30s, he became well-known only in his 40s, and by his early 50s enjoyed a degree of fame paralleled in jazz only by Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington.

To suggest that Monk was a nebulous character suggests a void - a lack of information explaining why his music and his life appear at first glance so unique. But information abounds - both biographical and audio records - yet his eclecticism remains paramount even 20+ years after his passing.

Clearly, we all need to listen to more Monk. Now we can.

Audio

Playlist

1. Thelonious Monk - Four in One - Genius of Modern Music, vol. 1
2. Monk - Well, You Needn't - Genius of Modern Music, vol. 2
3. Monk - Bye-Ya - Prestige, Complete Thelonious Monk
4. Monk - Nice Work if You Can Get it - Genius of Modern Music, vol. 1
5. Monk - Tea for Two - The Unique Thelonious Monk
6. Monk - Bemsha Swing - Brilliant Corners
7. Monk - Off Minor - Monk's Music
8. Thelonious Monk & Gerry Mulligan - I Mean You - Mulligan Meets Monk
9. Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane - Blue Monk - at Carnegie Hall
10. Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane - Epistrophy - at Carnegie Hall
11. Thelonious Monk & Art Blakey - Rhythm-a-ning - Blakey & Monk

WSRP:: Monk, Monk, Monk, Goose!

Episode 48: Indie-Pop-Rock, Folks

Old habits, right? After skipping our "regular" indie session in episode 44, I have since come across a pool of recordings I just can't stop listening to, and am thus taking the exceptional coincidence of the 48th episode to share them with you.

If you're looking for a better rationale, that's the best you're going to get.

We start with the newest pop mega-buster from Phoenix, then some hard rock from Jack White, followed by long sets of dark-rather-than-sappy love songs, and finish with sweet obscurity.

Audio

Playlist

1. Phoenix - 1901 - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. MGMT - Kids - Oracular Spectacular
3. The Mountain Goats - Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton - All Hail West Texas
4. The White Stripes - Rag and Bone - Icky Thump
5. The Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution - Consolers of the Lonely
6. The White Strips - You Don't Know what Love is - Icky Thump
7. The Mountain Goats - Love Love Love - The Sunset Tree
8. David Bazan - Hard to Be - Curse the Branches
9. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You - I and Love and You
10. William Shatner & Ben Folds - In Love - (iTunes only)
11. Andrew Bird - Fitz and the Dizzy Spells - Noble Beast
12. Amy Millan - I Will Follow You into the Dark - Masters of the Burial
13. The Moldy Peaches - Anyone Else But You - s/t

::WSRP:: Perhaps not destined to be a professional wedding DJ.

Episode 47:: What Are you Doing, Dave?

Considered by some to be among the most original, creative, and exciting musicians active in jazz today, trumpeter Dave Douglas is a man of many hats (but only 1 hair do: sorry Dave). Whether performing with the various iterations of his quartet/quintet, delving into special commissions for orchestra, dance, or cinema, or pairing up with other major movers and shakers of the vast musical world, Douglas is a unique voice as composer and performer, and a catalyst in a variety of prestigious settings. Add onto all this his work as an educator (Director, Banff Festival for Creative Music), talent scout (founder, Festival of New Trumpet Music), and record producer (owner, Greenleaf Music), and it's not hard to see that Dave Douglas is as involved in the practice and performance of modern jazz as he is in its continuing artistic development.

So why not spend an hour(ish) listening to what he has to "say?"

Audio

Playlist

1. Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio - Taking Sides - Constellations (1995)
2. Dave Douglas Quintet - Painter's Way - Meaning & Mystery (2006)
3. Dave Douglas Sextet - The Persistence of Memory - In Our Lifetime (1995)
4. Dave Douglas Group - Prarie - El Trilogy (2001)
5. Dave Douglas Quintet - Crazy Games - The Infinite (2001)
6. Dave Douglas & Nomad - Twelve Degree Proof - Mountain Passages (2005)
7. Dave Douglas & Martial Solal - Elk's Club - Rue de Seine (2006)
8. SFJAZZ Collective - Criss Cross - Live 2007 Season (2007)
9. Dave Douglas & Keystone - Tragicomique - Keystone (2005)
10. Dave Douglas & Keystone - Kitten - Moonshine (2007)
11. Dave Douglas' Brass Ecstacy - Bowie - Spirit Moves (2009)

::WSRP:: Play that Funkodelic-ambiacountry-technoclassic-bebop, white boy.

Episode 46:: Trios + Plus

Nothing too special as a soggy New York summer turns into a grey New York Autumn, but even "just another day" at WSRP is sure to hold some wonderful jazz classics, and a few surprises as well. Open wide your audio portals, and consume.

Audio

Playlist

1. Oscar Peterson Trio - Let's Fall in Love - Exclusively for my Friends
2. Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band - Rhumba Buhaina - Rhumba Buhaina
3. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Along Came Betty - Moanin'
4. Anita O'Day - We'll be Together Again - Jazz 'Round Midnight
5. Coleman Hawkins & His Rhythm - Bah-Uh-Bah - ...in Paris
6. Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster - You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to - Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster
7. Charles Mingus - Things Aren't What They use to be - Mingus Dynasty
8. Joe Henderson - Mamacita - The Kicker
9. Greg Osby - Big Foot - Banned in New York

::WSRP:: Perfect Jazz Trio = Listener + Programmer + Music

Episode 45:: (Jazz) Guitar Heroes

While the impending release of The Beatles: Rock Band has many of the Beatles generation confused and the post-Beatles generations giddy, let us consider briefly what *real* guitar heroes sound like in this the modern age.

Audio

Playlist

1. Gerry Gibbs & Thrasher Band - The Aberdoor - Faces Unknown
2. Justin Vasquez - Fields - Triptych
3. Chris Potter - Pop Tune #1 - Follow the Red Line
4. Bill Frisell - Struggle Pt.2 - History, Mystery
5. John Scofield - Wee - En Route
6. Pat Metheney / Brad Mehldau - A Night Away - Metheny Mehldau Quartet

::WSRP:: If you believe in web-radio-blogs, we need you to clap your hands, then leave a comment, then clap your hands again. If done out of order, you will slay countless innocent disembodied voices.

Episode 44:: This is BeBop

So much for tradition. After breaking my streak of 42 consecutive weekly broadcasts, I am now trouncing the "Indie-Fours" tradition I've kept up for episodes 4, 14, 24, 34, and my special #40 birthday edition. Now that I'm at episode 44, the grand epitome of all "Indie-Fours" I'm just skipping it altogether.

Take that expectations!

It's called Syncopation!

Improvisation!

Who-the-What-Where-itism!

And with that spirit in mind, we explore and celebrate the jazz movement of the mid-1940s called "BeBop" (or "Be-Bop," or just "Bop"). Launching out of the swing era on the wings of virtuosic talent and unprecedented melodic creativity, this small combo movement was spearheaded by such pillars of modern jazz as Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester "Prez" Young, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and others.

This is a 1-hour primer: some quick musical introductions, a general BeBop audio definition, and a vague timeline of the development of the genre and the personalities that shaped it. It all seems too much to fit into any 60 minutes, and indeed it is. Enjoy this *extended* episode as one more proof that, indeed, Bird Lives.

Audio

Playlist

1. Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Koko - Diz'n'Bird at Carnegie Hall (1947)
2. Lester Young - Mop Mop - (1946)
3. Lester Young - Lester Leaps In - (1946)
4. Charlie Parker - Si Si - Swedish Schnaaps (1951)
5. Charlie Parker - Swedish Schnaaps - Swedish Schnaaps (1951)
6. Charlie Parker - Au Privave - Swedish Schnaaps (1951)
7. Dizzy Gillespie - Blue'n'Boogie - Groovin' High (1945)
8. Dizzy Gillespie - Oop Bop Sh'Bam - Groovin' High (1945)
9. Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Salt Peanuts - Groovin' High (1945)
10. Bud Powell trio - Tempus Fugit - Jazz Giant (1949)
11. Bud Powell w/ Fats Navarro & Sonny Rollins - Dance of the Infedels - Jazz Giant (1949)
12. Bud Powell trio - Un Poco Loco - The Amazing Bud Powell (1951)
13. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus & Max Roach - Wee - Jazz at Massey Hall (1953)

::WSRP:: Wham-a-Scram-a-Ring-a-Ping-Pong

Week 43:: Back in the Saddle

After keeping up a weekly radio blog for 42 weeks - including holidays, finals, and a summer spent literally on the other side of the planet - I finally crashed, spectacularly, with this 4-week delay of the "week 43" program. And to be honest, it felt good. Real good.

So while WSRP will certainly continue, I can no longer make any guarantees of its weekly delivery, its precise topical commentary, or its rushed programming decisions. With 42+ hours of WSRP available, and likely not a single homosapien on the planet who has heard all of them, I'm taking a more relaxed tack on the creation of new audio gems. This one, I feel, is an especially fine specimen to recommend the new modus operandi.

Audio

Playlist

1. Ahmad Jamal - A Gal in Calico - Piano Scene of...
2. Roy Haynes - George's Reggae - The Island
3. Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Band - Charon's Ferry - Jazz is Universal
4. Milt Hinton - Milt to the Hilt (alt tk) - s/t
5. Benny Carter - Synthetic Love - 1933
6. Booker Ervin - Mojo - The Space Book
7. Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra - Stuttering - Live at Jazz Standard
8. Art Farmer/Donald Byrd - Palm Court Alley - Trumpets All Out
9. Ravi Coltrane - Narcine - Blending Times

::WSRP:: for case "x", let "week" equal "episode" when "date" for "week" # "x-1" is greater than "date-7" for "week" # "x"

Week 42:: Bye-Bye Bishkek

After 2 months abroad, it's finally time for me to pack it up and fly back to the states. Actually, my plane leaves in just a few hours, and thanks to the magic of spherical terrain, lands on the same day, 26 hours later. But this is not a web-radio-blog about my travels; it's about the music, silly. So what changes? Basically nothing. We're back to Jazz (as I missed it and ran out of excuses), but with the serene setting of a night spent nostalgically packing to leave.

I did throw in one topical dose of celebration at the end, but neglected to mention (in audio) that this was in tribute to my best friend's birthday. So just to set the record straight, "Balls" is dedicated to Davey.

Audio

Playlist

1. Junior Mance - Letter From Home
2. Keith Jarrett - Rainbow - Silence
3. Dave Holland - Procession - Pass it One
4. Duke Ellington - Sultry Serenade
5. Dave Douglas & Nomad - Gumshoe - Mountain Passages
6. Ella Fitzgerald - It's a Pity to Say Goodnight - Decca Recordings
7. Ella Fitzgerald & Her Orchestra - Sly Mongoose
8. Lester Young - New D. B. Blues
9. Dizzy Gillespie - Blue'n'Boogie - Best of Odyssey
10. Charlie Hunter - Balls! - Mystico
11. Medeski, Martin & Wood - Jelly Belly - Shackman
12. Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby - Hicky-burr - Original Jam Sessions 1969

::WSRP:: Broadcast 'Round the World in No-Wave Digital Lo-Fi.

Week 41:: Kyrgyz Style

After almost 2 months of bringing you jazz and indie rock while abroad in Bishkek, I thought I would be doing you a disservice to leave this fascinating little country without sharing with you some of the sounds which emanate from it. Another departure from our jazz focus, but I think you'll agree - an appropriate one.

If you've never heard Kyrgyz music before, or are a closet "world music" fan - this is the WSRP you've been waiting for.

For the rest of you - keep waiting. Next week we're back to tired old normality. I promise.

Audio

(partial) Playlist

1. Ordo Sakhna (band) - Aitysh
2. Ordo Sakhna - Omur
3. Ordo Sakhna - Op Maida
4. Saamal (style) - Jol Jurush
5. Saamal - Ich Myynak
6. Saamal - Kara Ozgoi
7. Saamal - Ak Tamak, Kok Tamak
8. Saamal - Jailoo
9. Samaal - Kerbez
10. Samaal - Koktom
11. Samaal - Ak Satkyn menen kulmurza
12. Aktan (band) - Sozulma

::WSRP:: Welcome to the Yurt, please take off your shoes. Would you like some Kuurut with your Kumis?

Week 40:: Happy Birthday to Me

Don't bother with a gift this year, just join me for a 1-hour celebration as I embark on my 28th lap around the fiery center of our solar system. Rather than awaiting the 44th week, I unleash some of the more promising new tunes on my (faux) iPod on the syzygetical alignment of my birth, the 40th episode, and your patient willingness to endure my eccentricities.

Audio

Playlist

1. Bishop Allen - The Ancient Common Sense of Things - Grrr...
2. The Strokes - You Only Live Once - First Impressions of Earth
3. Vampire Weekend - Ottoman - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
4. Los Campisinos - You! Me! Dancing!
5. The Mae Shi - Run to your Grave - HILLYH
6. XX Teens - Darlin' - Welcome to Goon Island
7. The Dead 60s - Riot Radio - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
8. Man Man - Hurly Burly - Rabbit Habit
9. Animal Collective - Lion in a Coma - Merryweather Post Pavilion
10. The Folds - Cassius
11. Clap Your Hands say Yeah - By the Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth
12. Wolf Parade - Shine a Light - Apologies to the Queen Mary
13. Band of Horses - Our Swords - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
14. We Are Scientists - After Hours - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

::WSRP:: Because Consistency is Almost Always Over-Rated.

Week 39:: Ambassador Satch

I hope you still have enough July 4th BBQ leftovers to nuke a rib and dole out the coleslaw for this festive celebration of an American Icon. While Louis Armstrong was not, in fact, Born on the 4th of July, he certainly celebrated as if he was, and so shall we, with one hour of various ditties from his long, well-documented, and ridiculously important career.

Audio

Playlist

1. Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars - Struttin' with some Barbeque
2. Louis Armstrong - Lazy River
3. Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars - Cornet Chop Suey
4. Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Satchel Mouth Swing
5. Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars - Bugle Call Rag / Ole Miss
6. Louis Armstrong - When the Blues were Born in New Orleans
7. Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - When the Sains Go Marching In
8. Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Ain't Misbehavin'
9. Louis Armstrong - Ain't Misbehavin'
10. Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly
11. Louis Armstrong - I Love Jazz
12. Louis Armstrong - Now You Has Jazz
13. Louis Armstrong & Friends - What a Wonderful World

::WSRP:: Ooooooh, Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Week 38:: Early Ellington (in context)

We're back to a history lesson with this week's look into the early career of Duke Ellington, circa 1924 to the early 1930s. Far from complete and woefully inadequate, it's the Duke you probably haven't heard before, but which is nonetheless recognizably Ellington.

Also a good listening session if you haven't before seriously considered what Bubber Miley, Sonny Greer, Joe Nanton, Otto Hardwick, Harry Carney or Wellman Braud sound like.

Audio

Playlist

1. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - C Jam Blues
2. Duke Elliton's Washingtonians - East St. Louis Toodle-O
3. Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra - King Porter Stomp
4. Duke Ellington's Washingtonians - Black and Tan Fantasy
5. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - The Mooch
6. Sidney Bechet - The Mooch
7. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Echoes of the Jungle
8. Duke Ellington's Washingtonians - Creole Love Call
9. Chick Webb and his Orchestra - Jungle Mama
10. Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra - Mahogany Hall Stomp
11. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Double Check Stomp
12. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Hot Feet
13. Sidney Bechet - Nobody Knows the Way I feel this Morning
14. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Misty Morning
15. Sidney Bechet - Limehouse Blues
16. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Immigration Blues

::WSRP:: Where the Lesser Royalty get their Jazz Web Radio.

Week 37:: From Tailgate to Trane

Putting together a jazz show when you're 6,365 miles away from your record collection is not the easiest endeavor, and becomes slightly more complicated with each passing week. Still, I've got more than a few tricks left up my sleeve, and I think this week's show came together nicely. I do over-use the term "gutbucket," when about 1/2 the time I mean "tailgate," but ah well. Lost in Transit?

We're not-live, but we are coming to you from Bishkek.

Audio

Playlist

1. Kid Ory - Ory's Boogie
2. Wynton Marsalis - Jungle Blues - Mr. Jelly Lord
3. Coleman Hawkins/Thelonious Monk - Flying Hawk
4. Kenny Burrell - It's a Wonderful World - Crash!
5. Kenny Burrell/John Coltrane - Lyresto - s/t
6. John Coltrane - Good Bait - Soultrane
7. Count Basie/Oscar Peterson - The Time is Right - Satch and Josh... Again
8. Jack Walrath - Better Get Hit in Your Soul - Serious Hang

::WSRP:: Broadcast to the World, Even if no one's Listening.

Week 36:: H.R.S. Sessions

This week, we pay tribute to a group of individuals who helped make jazz happen without picking up an instrument themselves - the Hot Record Society (H.R.S.). They were a group of jazz fans in the 1930s and 40s who noticed that the style of music they preferred - and many of its most notably musicians - were not being included in the new dance band-focus of the Swing Era. Rather than watch their beloved style of "Hot Jazz" fade away, they created their own recording society. In extreme brief, this is their tale.

One HORRIBLY embarrassing note - the H.R.S. is know, almost without exception, just as the "H.R.S." As a result, I fumbled for the accurate meaning of the acronym, and for the duration of this broadcast referred to them as the "Historical Record Society."

I may not live down the shame, but I hope you can enjoy the music regardless.

Note, all recordings taken from the Mosaic Box set, "The Complete H.R.S. Sessions."

Audio

Playlist

1. Pee Wee Russell & His Rhythmakers - Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
2. Pee Wee Russell & His Ryhthmakers - I've Found a New Baby
3. Sidney Bechet - Sweet Sue, Just You
4. Sidney Bechet - Four or Five Times
5. Sidney Bechet - That's a Plenty
6. Brick Fleagle Orchestra - Brick's Boogie
7. Brick Fleagle Orchestra - The Fried Piper
8. Sandy Williams & His Big Eight - Sumpin' Jumpin' Round Here
9. Buck Clayton & His Big Eight - I Want a Little Girl
10. Joe Thomas & His Baby Six - No Better For Ya
11. Billy Kyle & His Big Eight - Date for Eight
12. Billy Kyle & His Big Eight - H.R.S. Bounce
13. Billy Kyle, et al. - Striding Down the Champs Elysee
14. Brick Fleagle, et al. - Wig Wam Blues
15. Rex Stewart, et al. - Flim Flam

::WSRP:: More Moxy than Roxy, and twice the Pazazz of Chazz!

Week 35:: Crazy F#!%& Modernists

Who doesn't like being on the cutting edge? We return to a potpourri jazz assault with some of the trendsetters of the past decade. Not to worry, this week is more about hipness than sharpitude, but I won't lie: it's far from dull.

Listen carefully, and you won't get hurt.

Audio

Playlist

1. Dave Douglas - Moonshine - Moonshine
2. Dave Douglas - A Nasty Spill - Mountain Passages
3. Steve Lacy & Roswell Rudd - Monk's Dream - Monk's Dream
4. McCoy Tyner - Happy Days - Infinity
5. Tomasz Stanko - Kattorna - Lontano
6. Paul Motian - K.T. - Time and Time Again
7. Jeff "Tain" Watts - Side B - Bar Talk
8. Guillermo Klein - Broken Web - Los Gauchos III

::WSRP:: The Slurpie Big Gulp of Internet Jazz Radio

Week 34:: Summer Indie Four's

Ten weeks already? For some, a terrible interruption, for others a welcome respite. Whichever camp you fall into (and we desperately hope it's neither), week 34 is our 4th return to the bizarre tradition of interrupting our regular Jazz motif for a 1 hour indie-rock-block. This week isn't so much a focus on the hottest, newest, greenish, (blank)-ish music in stores this second, but more like a "clean up" edition, making sure to present some of the really great stuff that's been passed over thus far.

For the serious Indie fan, don't expect too many surprises, but I dare say there's a little something for everyone to be caught off guard by in this week's episode.

Crank your volume knob to whatever is the pop-equivalent of Rock's 11 (hyperpop?), and enjoy 61 minutes of compressed audio bliss.

Audio

Playlist

1. Heros Severum - I Can - Wonderful Educated Bear
2. Chop Chop - Pinched - Chop Chop
3. The Little Onces - Lovers Who Uncover - Sing Song
4. Deer Hunter - Never Stops - Microcastles
5. The Streets - When You Wasn't Famous - The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
6. the Roots - Here I Come - Superbad soundtrack
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero - It's Blitz!
8. The Hentchmen - Theif on Bicycle - Form Follows Function
9. The White Stripes - Oh Girl! - Elephant
10. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldier - Broken Boy Soldier
11. The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime - The Crane Wife
12. Iron & Wine - Cinder and Smoke - Our Endless Numbered Days
13. Erlend Oye - If I Ever Feel Better - DJ Kicks
14. Bright Eyes - Take it Easy (Love Nothing) - 10 Song Sampler
15. Apollo Sunshine - The Egg - Katonah

::WSRP:: The Fiber in your Audio Diet; Snakeoil for what Ails your Ears and Clogs your Mind.

Week 33:: Pithecanthropus Mingus

For those of you who just can't get last week's Pedal Point Blues out of your head, good news! Part 2 of the Charles Mingus feature continues with a look at the slightly-less-well-known compositions and performances of this Jazz giant.  It's all vinyl, and built to please.

Audio

Playlist

1. Charles Mingus - Jump Monk - Mingus at the Bohemia
2. Charles Mingus - Tea for Two - Jazz Workshop
3. Charles Minus - Hora Decubitus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
4. Charles Mingus - II B.S. - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
5. Charles Mingus - Original Faubus Fables - ...Presents Charles Mingus
6. Charles Mingus - The Clown - The Clown
7. Charles Mingus/Eric Dolphy - Starting - Mingus in Europe, vol. 1

::WSRP:: Can't Stop, Won't Stop! Mingus! Mingus! Mingus! Mingus!

Week 32:: M-I-N-G-U-S

The ever-so-much-more-intensive, and only-slightly-more-informative, featured programming has returned, and will do so with a gusto appropriate to the subject matter: Mr. Charles Mingus.

In a 2-part series, we'll listen to some of the essential/best known Mingus works as well as some of the more obscure ditties.  For part 1 (this week), we swing for the fences with the masterworks and "greatest hits."  Of course, we're lacking the 12 to 200 additional hours necessary to complete such a task, but cut me some slack.

Here's as much Mingus as I can squeeze into (about) an hour.

Next week, we'll continue this exercise in audio spandex.  Think 'Mingus in Tights.'

Visualize that, and Stay tuned.

Audio

Playlist

1. Charles Mingus - Dizzy Moods - Tijuana Moods
2. Charles Mingus - Better Get Hit in your Soul - Mingus at Antibes
3. Charles Mingus - Prayer for Passive Resistance - Prebird
4. Charles Mingus - Pedal Point Blues - Mingus Ah Um
5. Charles Mingus - Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting - Blues and Roots
6. Charles Mingus - Hog Callin' Blues - Oh Yeah!
7. Charles Mingus - Remember Rockefeller at Attica - Changes One
8. Charles Mingus - Free Cell Block F, 'tis Nazi USA - Changes Two

::WSRP:: Where One Good Mingus Deserves Another.

Week 31:: Sing, Sing, Sing

After 30 consecutive weeks of caging the beast that is vocal jazz, it finally managed to burst forth. For those of you still reeling from last week's 12-minute "Eye of the Hurricane" rollercoaster, I assure you this will be a much more soothing, lyrical, experience.

It's easy going, extremely popular, and yet still artistically valid - It's Vocal Jazz!

Another cross-section rather than close focus, here's an hour of vocal jazz spanning the chronology with some well known, and slightly more obscure, numbers by the big names of the genre.

Enjoy!

Audio

Playlist

1. Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Moanin'
2. Billie Holliday - My Man
   
3. Mildred Bailey - Doin' the Uptown Lowdown
   
4. Lena Horne/Duke Ellington - Ain't Got Nothing but the Blues
   
5. Maxine Sullivan - Loch Lomond
6. Bing Crosby/Louis Armstrong - Pennies from Heaven
7. Nat King Cole - It's Only a Paper Moon
   
8. Sarah Vaughan - Mean to Me
   
9. Dinah Washington - I Could Write a Book
   
10. Ella Fitzgerald - Goody, Goody
    
11. Carmen McRae - Bye Bye Blackbird
    
12. Anita O'Day - We'll Be Together
13. Dakota Stanton - The Late, Late Show
14. Diana Krall - Exactly Like You
    
15. Erin Bode - Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You
    

::WSRP:: A Voice for the Voiceless; Face for the Faceless; Hipness for the Hipless.

Week 30:: Better Late Than...

24 hours behind schedule, this week's program continues our Term Paper Season theme of potpourri jazz favorites and occasional obscurities.  Hopefully we'll get a few features lined up before June (Mingus feature is Imminent!), but for now, you've just got to take the spoon-full of saccarine as it's dished out.

Open wide.

Audio

Playlist

1. Louis Armstrong - Endie - Complete RCA recordings
2. Terry Gibbs Dream Band - The Big Cat - The Big Cat
3. Thelonious Monk - Blues Five Spot - Monk's Dream
4. SFJazz Collective - When Will the Blues Leave - Live 2004
5. Cannonball Adderley - Work Song - Best of the Capitol Years
6. John Coltrane - Bahia - Bahia
7. Sydney Bechet - V-Disc Blues - Blues in Thirds
8. Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Black Root - Does Your House Have Lions
9. Duke Ellington - Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note - And His Mother Called him Bill...
10. Duke Ellington - Transbluency - Masterpieces 1926-1949
11. Bob Mintzer/Kurt Elling - Eye of the Hurricane - Live at MCG

::WSRP::  What you Get is What you Get.

Week 29:: Put Your Mind at Ease

Whether it's the taxes, the global financial meltdown, Darfur, or just something as piddly as your crushing and imminent final / term paper / thesis defense, WSRP has the 5-letter solution for all that ails you.

R-E-L-A-X.

if that fails, might we suggest an alternative:

penicilinvaliumalcoholriddilinmarijuanaeverybodylovesraymond.

Consider this your W-S-Rx-P dosage.

Audio

Playlist

1. Johnny Griffin - The Congregation - The Congregation
2. Dianne Reeves - My Little Brown Book - Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life
3. Miles Davis - Jeru - Birth of the Cool
4. Wallace Roney - Hey Young World - Mystikal
5. Lee Morgan - Speedball - The Gigolo
6. Com Voce - Desafinado - Com Voce
7. Jimmy Cobb - Can You Read My Mind? - Marsalis Music Honors
8. Charles Lloyd - Pocket Full of Blues - Voice in the Night

::WSRP::  Oh No We Di'nt; Oh Yes We Di'd.

Week 28:: Bass(ish) is the Place(ish)

As promised last week - no solid themes from WSRP until the Term Paper embargo is lifted.  However, as a quick jaunt through my iTunes revealed, I do have a number of very hip little songeroos you might be interested in which are - very loosely - involved with some funky bass attributes.

We start with Mingus - - what more do you need to know?

Yes, "Come together" is a Beatles cover (and it's psycho-somatic). 

Sure, Now you'll listen.

Audio

Playlist

1. Charles Mingus - Boogie Stop Shuffle - Mingus Ah Um
2. Charnett Moffett - The Shepard - For the Love of Peace
3. Joshua Redman - The Crunge - Momentum
4. Avishai Cohen - Come Together - Lyla
5. Cassandra Wilson - Throw it Away - Glamoured
6. Michael Blake - Feast - Blake Tartare
7. Chris Potter - Togo - Follow the Red Line

::WSRP::  It Wasn't Me, It Was the Juan-Armed Man.

Week 27:: All Gods Go to Heaven?

In the never-ending effort to stick by a previous rash decision without compromising real world objectives, I'm planning ahead for Term Paper season and getting out a few weekly episodes of the WSR-Pizzle.  

But not before I craft together a show to make your drool pool and your ears itch.

Behold the power of not-enough-time-to-rethink-good-choices.

Audio

Playlist

1. Charlie Parker - Salt Peanuts - Complete Savoy/Dial Recordings
2. John Abercrombie - Backwoods Song - Gateway
3. Big John Patton - Let 'em Roll - Let 'em Roll
4. Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Mingus Ah Um
5. Dave Brubeck - Blue Rondo A La Turk - Time Out
6. Hendrick Meurkins - Triste - New York Samba Jazz Quintet
7. Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinado - Jukebox Ella
8. Sonny Rollins - Global Warming - Without a Song: the 9/11 Concert

::WSRP::  Shake thorougly before use.  Best served chilled.

Week 26:: Ivory Ploughers

After last week's focus on the Swing Era, which was essentially a focus on Big Bands, I thought we'd go in the opposite direction this time.  Though nothing revolutionary, it occurred to me several weeks back to do a show on the evolution of the Piano Trio, which has become the single most enduring and widespread of all jazz ensembles, and for reasons I'm not qualified to parse, also one of the most flexible.  As Jazz has grown/evolved/differentiated/whatever, virtually everyone, from ragtimers to fusion-heads has found a place for the piano trio (piano, bass, drums) in their repetoire.

It rapidly occured to me just how labor-intensive it would be to first assemble a proper stylistic/chronological catalogue of relevant artists/albums, and further to condense it into 1 hour.

So instead - as always - I took the pass more travelled:  this is a hodge podge in loose chronology of some of the different sounds produced by the piano.  It does not capture the full variety, extremes, or nuances available.  But it should give you some choice morsels to follow as your personal taste dictates.

Audio

Playlist

1. Junior Mance - Letter From Home - 
2. Bill Evans - Swedish Pastry - 
3. McCoy Tyner - T'n'A Blues - Today and Tomorrow
4. Herbie Hancock - United Blues
5. Keith Jarrett - Part VII - The Carnegie Hall Concert
6. Taylor Eigsti - Love for Sale - Lucky to be Me
7. Brad Mehldau - Get Happy - Anything Goes
8. Jean Michel-Pilc - Mr. RG - Live at the Iridium
9. The Bad Plus - And Here We Test Our Powers of Observation - Give
10. Jason Moran - Life Every Voice - Artist in Residence

::WSRP:: By the Piano Player a Drink Because He's Groovin' Me Down.

Week 25:: It Don't Mean a Thing...

Finally, we've made it to the heart of the beast - the Swing Era.

As not only a jazz fan, but also a social Swing Dancer (Lindy Hopper, thank you), I've got a lot of personal preferences and ahistorical connections to this music, which is one of the reasons I have so intentionally put it off thus far.

I love this music, in ways more visceral than I can describe.  It doesn't detract from the value I place on my adventurous/cerebral/modern jazz - I see them as extensions of the same system - but the fact that this music represents an overlap with one of my main social activities is a Huge source of conflicting biases.

I often chide my swing buddies about the odd (and usually small) slice of the Swing Era with which they are familiar.  Modern swing dancers have a certain canon, and it overlaps only in places with what many, in retrospect or contemporarily, looked back upon as the more valuable, or even popular, tunes, musicians, etc.

Ex: Slim Galliard.  Great player, but essentially a novelty R&B act, who doesn't make the top 100 of any standard Swing Era jazz discography.  But, thanks to a few choice cuts ("Slim's Jam" and "Potatoe Chips"), Slim Galliard is well known to certain circles of 20-somethings in 2009.

I'm not bemoaning this - in fact I think it's AMAZING that so many young(er) people care about this music outside the standard jazz fan base, but it is odd the way the two groups consider the other to have 'warped' views of the Swing Era.

As you can tell already, this is a topic I'm a bit too contemplative about for your own good.  Enjoy the show, and by all means, feel free to FF through my (micro) tirades.

Audio

Playlist*

1. Count Basie Orchestra - Jumpin' at the Woodside
2. Fletcher Henderson Orchestra - Christopher Columbus
3. Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra - For Dancers Only
4. Louis Armstron Orchestra - Satchel Mouth Swing
5. Chick Webb Orchestra - Jungle Mama
6. Ella Fitzgerald/Chick Webb Orchestra - Undecided
7. Benny Goodman Quartet - Smiles
8. Lionel Hampton Orchestra - Ring Dem Bells
9. Roy Eldridge & Gene Krupa Orchestra - Ball of Fire
10. Count Basie Orchestra - Swingin' The Blues
11. Andy Kirk & Mary Lou Williams - Mellow Bit of Rhythm
12. Jay McShann - Swingmatism
13. Charlie Barnet Orchestra - Pow-Wow
14. Earl "Fatha" Hines Orchestra - Second Balcony Jump
15. Harry James Orchestra - Boog-it
16. Duke Ellington - Cottontail

*because most of these were issued originally in the pre-album days, and are thus (widely) available on a variety of compilations, I won't bother with album titles this week.

::WSRP:: 80% Less Talking Than Orson Well's War of the Worlds.

Week 24:: WSRP Goes SXNY

This week, in honor of South By Southwest (SXSW), perhaps the largest semi-official indie rock fest in the world, we're hosting our own 1 hour of choice cuts and fresh beats, mostly new with a few old faves mixed in.  South By N-Y focuses on the hot little bands that are shaking things up in Austin and across underground radio waves nation wide.

Lace up (but don't tie) your converse, partially-zip your slightly-too-tight hoodie, and squeeze into those green thin leg jeans.  Now adjust your buddy holly glasses, and brush the frock of hair out of your eyes - No! do it again. This time with condescension!

Audio

Playlist

1. Beck - Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat - War Child presents Heroes, vol. 1
2. Beck - Girl (Bitrate Variation in B-Flat) - Gameboy Variations EP
3. Bishop Allen - The Ancient Common Sense of Things - Grrr...
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll - It's Blitz!
5. Peaches - Search & Destroy - War Child presents Heroes, vol. 1
6. Metric - Help, I'm Alive - Help, I'm Alive
7. Marnie Sterns - Ruler - This is It and I am It And...
8. Datarock - Fa Fa Fa - Datarock
9. The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea - Bitter Tea
10. Radiohead - Weird Fishes - In Rainbows
11. Animal Collective - My Girls - Merriweather Post Pavilion
12. Animal Collective - Brother Sport - Merriweather Post Pavilion

::WSRP::  "Weird S**t Ryan Plays."  I like it.

Week 23:: Vitamin B3

For those of you with a long-standing curiosity about the Hammond B3 Organ, but not the will to wade through its enormous technical drivel, This week offers a chance to learn via a pair of (aural) organs all your own.

In no way comprehensive (apologies to Big John Patton, Larry Goldings, "Groove" Holmes, Don Patterson, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Sam Yahel, "Papa" John DeFranchesco, John Medeski & Sun Ra), this is a rapid tear through the big names of the B3, not necessarily in chronological, priority, or any other order.  Take it as a small (frankly, odd) smattering of B3 giants, then proceed with your own exploration at your own pace, taste, and risk.

Audio

Playlist

1. Shirley Scott - Keep the Faith, Baby - Girl Talk
2. Jimmy Smith - The Duel - ...At the Organ, vol. 2
3. Jack McDuff - Blues and Tonic - The Honeydripper
4. Charles Earland - Black Talk - Black Talk
5. Jimmy McGriff - All About the Girl - I Want a Woman
6. Larry Young - Major Attraction - Contrasts
7. Dr. Lonnie Smith - Jungle Soul - Jungle Soul
8. Joey DeFranchesco - Down the Hatch - Organic Vibes

::WSRP:: How (weekly internet radio) Got it's Groove Back.

Week 22:: Easy Listening

Sometimes, you just want to enjoy the sound of music, and while that seems ridiculously simplistic, it is nonetheless equally true and just as often overlooked.  There is much to be said for music that makes you think, inspires creativity, and touches upon the hem of brilliance.  Still, there's something to be said for fluffy pop music as well.  

This week, we search for a happy medium, compositions and performances you can hum (or at least snap) along with, but retain that healthy, wholesome, goodness.

Audio

Playlist

1. Jacky Terrasson - Smile - Smile
2. Allison Miller - Miriam's Shuffle - 5 am Stroll
3. Ed Thigpen - Reets and I - Scantet #1
4. Tiny Grimes - Durn Tootin' - Prestige Jazz Classics
5. Grant Green - Ease Back - The Finest in Jazz
6. Dizzy Gillespie - Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac - Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac
7. Terry Gibbs - Wave - Feelin' Good: Live in Studio
8. Martial Solal - Slightly Bluesy - Longitude
9. Fly Trio - JJ - Fly

::WSRP:: Without (double) You, it's just SRP.

Week 21:: Not-Quite-Classics

There are in jazz those seminal works which transcend all qualifiers of style and chronology to survive and be celebrated as 'The Classics.'  A comprehensive listing is somewhat subjective, though a shorter list is almost irrefutable - Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, Money Jungle, Ellington Uptown, Genius of Modern Music, Birth of the Cool, Bitches Brew, Afro-Blue, Ah-Um, ...His Mother Called Him Bill, Straight Life, etc.  you get the idea.

But for every one of these classics, there exist thousands of other jazz albums of note, hundreds of which rest in the catalogue of established jazz masters (the rest beholding to lesser-known figures of the jazz realm).  Rather than try to explore any of these in totality, this week we look at some of the significant - but decidedly not 'Classic' - contributions of jazz Masters.

Enjoy, and pardon the subjectivity.

Audio

Playlist

1. Miles Davis - There's No You - Blue Moods
2. John Coltrane - The Inch Worm - Coltrane (Impulse!)
3. Eric Dolphy - Miss Toni - Outward Bound
4. Bobby Hutcherson - Una Muy Bonita - Stick-up!!!
5. Herbie Hancock - King Cobra - My Point of View
6. Art Blakey - Backstage Sally - Buhaina's Delight
7. Horace Silver - The Outlaw - Further Explorations...
8. Wes Montgomery - 'Round Midnight - A Dynamic New Sound

::WSRP::  What You See Is What You Hear Is What You Get.

Week 20:: Listen to Dave Holland!

Perhaps a bit overly emphatic, this week's edition is both a departure from, and also a return to, the founding principles of WSRP - playing music I think is good/important with the objective of introducing you to cool/interesting sounds.

Usually this would imply a potpourri approach, or occasionally I've done artist features where I try to dremonstrate the breadth of their catalogue.  This week is neither.  This is a focused listening to a few very specific and largely similar albums released by Dave Holland, a noted bassists, bandleader, and composer.  

Getting this focused seemed like the wrong idea - moving away from either a fuller contextual education, or a diverse listening.  Then it occurred to me that what I *really* want to do is just give you an hour's worth of good music, and there's frankly few better ways than to just 'lay on the Dave.'

Audio

Playlist

1. Dave Holland - Conference of the Birds - Conference of the Birds
2. Dave Holland - Uhren - Seeds of Time
3. Dave Holland - Prime Directive - Prime Directive
4. Dave Holland - Juggler's Parade - Extended Play
5. Dave Holland - Lucky Seven - Critical Mass
6. Dave Holland - The Sum of All Parts - Pass it On

Need More Dave? try these similar albums from his incredible discography: Razor's Edge, Points of View, Dream of the Elders, Jumpin' In, Extensions, Ones All, Not For Nothin'. 

::WSRP:: Obsess much?

Week 19:: CD Faves

We're several month into the experiment that is WSRP, and it occurred to me, upon reviewing the playlists, just how many of my favorite albums are yet to appear on this program. The reason is simple - for all the thousands of songs I have readily and easily accessible via iTunes, there's a wealth of material that I've kept exclusively in CD form. This week marks an attempt to rectify that situation, bringing out some of my faves exclusively from the current millenium.

Enjoy!

Audio

Playlist

1. Michael Blake - The Wash Away - Amor de Cosmos
2. Alvin Batiste - Bumps - Marsalis Music Honors...
3. Don Byron - The Goon Drag - Ivey-Divey
4. Richard Galliano - Bohemia After Dark - Ruby, My Dear
5. Kenny Barron - Spirit Song - Spirit Song
6. Ari Brown - Two Gun V - Live @ The Green Mill
7. Jeremy Pelt - Scorpio - Shock Value
8. Michael Brecker - Tumbleweeds - Pilgrimage

::WSRP:: Circumnavigating the RIAA with the Sextant of Blogger.

Week 18:: Wintery (re)Mix

Nothing says "February in New York" like accidentally stepping off a curb into a pool of semi-frozen sludge that comes up to your ankles.  Since I'm assuming you don't want that particular experience, I thought I'd go with the opposite direction - enjoyable music with some serious brainpower and the occasional sense of humor.

Like stepping off a curb into a vat of dandelions and rubiks cubes.  

Draw your own conclusions.

Audio

Playlist

1. Danilo Perez - Hot Bean Strut - PanaMonk
2. Louis Armstrong - Blueberry Hill - ...& Friends
3. Sonny Rollins - Blues for Philly Joe - Newk's Time
4. Wes Montgomery - Full House - Full House
5. Charles Mingus - Eat That Chicken - Passions of a Man
6. Charles Tolliver - With Love - With Love
7. Charlie Parker - Dexterity - the Genius of Charlie Parker
8. Keith Jarrett - Straight, No Chaser - My Foolish Heart

::WSRP:: Leave a Penny, Take a Penny... Leave another Penny!

Week 17:: For People Only

Back to the potpurri piles.  Despite a dramatic increase in Weber Actual Radio Projects (WARPs), the Weber Surrogate Radio Project (WSRPs) will persevere.  Why?  Because I know there are souls out in the interweb desperate for their 1 hour of free jazz music and commentary?  

Of course not, you've got options.

I do it because it makes me happy - all you have to do is take advantage of it, and convince thousands of your friends to do the same so that I can start running ads and making my billions. Consider this my "Plan B" to wallstreet, or "Plan D" to Social Security.

So you better get on that.

Audio

Playlist

1. Shirley Scott - For Dancers Only - Roll 'em
2. Sidney Bechet - Egyptian Fantasy - Blues in Thirds
3. Dave Douglas - Elk's Club - Meaning & Mystery
4. The Bad Plus - Flim - These are the Vistas
5. Lester Young - Rose Room - Complete... on Verve
6. Art Blakey - Moanin' - Moanin'
7. Andrew Hill - Pumpkin - Black Fire
8. David "Fathead" Newman - It Had to be You - I Remember Brother Ray
9. Billy Bang - Lock & Load - Vietnam: Reflections

::WSRP::  to be honest, we can't actually afford to exclude anyone, even nonhumans.

Week 16:: To the Max!

2 weeks ago marked the 85th anniversary of the birth of Max Roach, perhaps the most influential and creative drummer in the history of jazz, if not even more broadly. While unfortunately Max passed away in 2007, making this just the second birthday he wasn't around to celebrate, he recorded as recently as 2005, capping an active recording career of 60 years.

That's a lot of vinyl, tape, or even digital medium to cover in just 60-ish minutes, especially when you consider then many reasons why Max is considered so important.

Not only was he not just a, but THE pivotal drummer of both the Bebop and Hardbop periods, he almost single-handedly reinvented the role of the drummer within the jazz ensemble, shifting from a simple timekeeper to full-fledged improviser, and even contributing melodically (you heard me) on his snares and cymbols.

On top of what he did musically, which is a tall enough mountain by itself, he was also one of the most fervent activists in the Civil Rights movement as early as 1960, and a strong force in jazz education for more than three decades.

He was a pioneer, a visionary, and several more superlative terms.
And this week, he is our focus, ridiculously reduced to 1 hour.

Please, finish this show, and go listen to more Max Roach. You won't be disappointed.

Audio

Playlist

1. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Cherokee - Study in Brown
2. Charlie Parker - Ornithology - Royal Roost, 1948
3. J.J. Johnson - Coppin' the Bop - Mad de Bop
4. Herbie Nichols - Chit Chatting - Complete Blue Note Recordings
5. Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus, Roach - Wee - Jazz at Massey Hall
6. Max Roach - Mr. X - + 4
7. Max Roach - Mendacity - Percussion Bitter Sweet
8. Duke Ellington - A Little Max (Parfait) - Money Jungle
9. M'Boom - Onomatopoeia - M'Boom
10. Max Roach & Clark Terry - For Dancers Only - Friendship
    

::WSRP:: Bang, Bang, Boom - Percussion Discussion

Week 15:: Many Worlds of Jazz

Back to Jazz, and a return to the normal potpourri programming style. Having now done a few features, I'm getting a feel for what it takes to cram several hundred hours of available recordings, at least dozens or which are considered "essential," down into a 60 (ok, 62) minute format.

Still, it's nice having the pressure off and just rolling out an hour of music worth listening to.

I have designs on more artist features in the future, but we'll see how things progress as the semester gets back into session.

For now, I'm just enjoying the smooth sailing, and hope you are as well.

Audio

Playlist

1. Dave Brubeck - Maori Blues - Time Further Out
2. Charlier Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Confirmation - September 1947
3. Ella Fitzgerald & Dizzy Gillespie - How High the Moon - September 1947
4. Art Farmer - With Prestige - Farmer's Market (2-LP reissue)
5. Red Holloway & Jack McDuff - Brother Red - Cookin' Together
6. Walt Dickerson & Richard Davis - Divine Gemini - Divine Gemini
7. Jaco Pastorious - Kuru/Speak Like a Child - Jaco
8. Tommy Flanagan - Eclypso - The Cats
9. Pharoah Sanders - Mansion Worlds - Village of the Pharoahs

::WSRP::  Radio-Free Free-Radio

Week 14:: Indie Rude Interlude

It's been 10 weeks since the first interruption of our regular jazz programming for the alterantive "indie" format, and that's a nice round number for a repeat.  This week on tap are a series of new bands with new sounds, and a few recapturing those of decades before.

Fear not, ye jazz fans, regular programming resumes in week 15.

Audio

Playlist

1. The Black Keys - Your Touch - Magic Potion
2. The White Stripes - Hardest Button to Button - Elephant
3. !!! - Must Be the Moon - Myth Takes
4. Tokyo Police Club - In a Cave - Elephant Shell
5. Battles - Atlas - Battles
6. Crystal Castles - Alice Practice - Crystal Castles
7. Man Man - Top Drawer - Rabbit Habits
8. Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance - Vampire Weekend
9. Hot Chip -  Ready For the Floor - Made in the Dark
10. The Strokes - You Only Live Once - First Impressions of Earth
11. The Decemberists - 16 Military Wives - Picaresque
12. Feist - I Feel it All - The Reminder
13. Frightened Rabbit - The Twist - Midnight Organ Fight
14. The Hold Steady - Sequestered - Stay Positive
15. CSS - I Wanna Be Your J-Lo - Cansei de Ser Sexy

::WSRP:: music videos on the links, music love deep in the heart.

Week 13:: New Year Bags

If the two purposes of WSRP are 1) to provide interesting/education jazz music for curious listeners, and 2) give me a radio outlet now that I'm no longer regularly on-air; then week 13 represents an odd result.

Over the holiday break, I was able to get some time on terrestrial radio at KRTU in San Antonio.  Upon my return to New York, I wrangled my first on-air shift at WKCR.  No hitches in either event, and I was pleasantly surprised both times to find how comfortable the return could be.

So now that I'm back on-air, do I really need a 'surrogate' radio project?

We'll see.  For now, my terrestrial radio is largely dictating my webradio focuses (see week 10's new-jazz, thanks to my KRTU gig, or this week's Milt Jackson feature as per my WKCR show).

Not sure where this is going, but I do hope you enjoy the music of Milt.  Vibraphone is an odd, though not necessarily rare, instrument in jazz, and Milt Jackson is its champion.  I had to really squeeze to fit Milt's career into my 5 hours on WKCR, so you can imagine how truncated it is in this 1-hour show.  

Still, music worth listening to, and as with most of WSRP, designed more as an introduction and springboard for your further musical wanderings.

Best of luck.

Audio

Playlist

1. Milt Jackson - Lover - The Jazz Skyline
2. Dinah Washington - Wise Woman Blues - Rare & Early
3. Dizzy Gillespie - A Night in Tunisia - February 1946
4. Thelonious Monk - I Mean You - Genius of Modern Music
5. Modern Jazz Quartet - Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise - First Recordings 1952
6. Modern Jazz Quartet - Baden-Baden - s/t
7. Milt Jackson - Ignunt Oil - Plenty, Plenty Soul
8. Milt Jackson & John Coltrane - The Night we Called it a Day - Bags & Trane
9. Milt Jackson - Statement - Statements
10. Milt Jackson - Soul Fusion - Soul Fusion
11. Milt Jackson - People Make the World Go Round - Sunflower

::WSRP::  This Concludes Part 2 in our 1,257 Part Series, "Big Names in Jazz"