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.