Archives: Episode 28, Classical VS Jazz and its Cross-Pollination (from April, 2018)

As I settle in my new residence in Victoria, B.C., before I begin recording some brand new programs (probably next week), here is another one from the archives—-keeping my Peterborough, Ontario Connection. This was the first program featuring Al Baggs—a classical and jazz music buff and raconteur who also plays a mean baritone sax, as well as a few other instruments.   You can hear Al most Thursday nights at The Black Horse in Peterborough jamming with master pianist, Rob Phillips. Here Al reveals an even greater love for classical music than he has for jazz, and we play music by classical composers such as Ravel, Shostakovitch, Stravinksy, and Duke Ellington.  Yes!  Al says.  In the future Ellington will go down in history as a classical or ‘serious’ composer. The one area where jazz has a superiority over classical, Al thinks, is in jazz drumming.  He states that they are “well ahead of the pack–they seem fearless in launching themselves into deep mind blowing rhythmic space”.   I play part of a composition by a great Canadian drummer—Claude Ranger. You’ll also hear on this program music by Johnny Hodges, Alex Welsh Jazz Band, Moe Koffman, Charlie Parker, and the combination of Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker.