Next week I'm playing what I've selected as being my 9 favourite jazz albums of 2024. (At least of those I was able to listen to). This week, I'm playing records that I wanted on my top 9....but I just couldn't fit them in. And as I listen to this episode now, there is at least one that really should be in that personl 'best of' list. That's the album I start and end with. Here is the list of 8 amazing albums I'm featuring this week: Stream, by Fergus McCreadie. This Scottish pianist specializes...
Jan 28, 2025•Ep. 306
A lot of music that celebratess the body. I play 12 great tracks from more albums from the past year that jazz aficianados rave about! You'll hear: -Robert Glasper (with MMYYKK) -Hamilton De Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba -Julian Lage -Joel Ross -Meshell Ndegeocello -Montuno West -Ezra Collective -Too Many Zooz -Christine Jensen (with her sister, Ingrid) -Immanuel Wilkins -Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner and a delightful version of a tune by Wayne Shorter--with lyrics by Tessa Souter. It's a...
Jan 21, 2025•Ep. 305
I've been busy since mid-November going through the "Best Of" lists of 123 jazz critics, reviewers, jazz internet sites, etc. I've tabulated all the jazz albums mentioned (1,023 at last count)....and put a tick beside each one when someone puts it as one of their top albums. This week, I play a track from 11 of the 13 albums chosen by the greatest number of 'experts', plus the Canadian album that most reviewers have mentioned. And with some I give some brief quotes from some of the reviews. Late...
Jan 14, 2025•Ep. 304
I have found close to 1000 jazz lp's that have been rated by about 120 critics, reviewers, and jazz lovers and posted online. Of these 1000 I've listened to a small fraction, and picked out a few that have so far stood out for me. And I'm playing you tracks from those albums and talking a bit about them. Here are the albums I'm featuring this episode. Galliano: Halfway Somewhere EABS: Reflections of Purple Sun (and also including an excerpt from the original Purple Sun by Tomasz Stanko) Etienne ...
Jan 07, 2025•Ep. 303
I'm in the process of tabulating all the choices of 'best albums' as selected by jazz critics and jazz aficianados and posted online. Then I play a track from some of those albums on this 5 part series. This week: tracks from current recordings by this year's Grammy nominees Kenny Barron and Samara Joy. And from critically heralded albums by Bill Frisell, Michael Mayo, Kris Davis, Andy Milne, Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel, Jennie Scheinman, Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble, Emmet Cohen, ...
Dec 31, 2024•Ep. 302
Posting this episode a few hours earlier than usual----so you have more time to savour these delightful Christmas, Chanukah, Yuletide, New Years, and Winter tunes played by some of today's finest jazz artists. I also talk a bit about the history of some of the tunes. But not so much talk and lots of music. Very different from the seasonal music you hear in the stores.
Dec 24, 2024•Ep. 301
This podcast originally started as a Trent Radio program in 2016. It became a podcast in 2017. The original goal was to discover more about jaz, answering questions like what is jazz, what isn't jazz, how has it developed, do you have to understand it to like it, and what can someone new to jazz look for. I still don't know the answers to those questions even after 8 years....so I guess I have to continue doing it. For this 300th episode I play an eclectic array with the only commonality being t...
Dec 17, 2024•Ep. 300
It's a different kind of review because rather than reviewing the different topics I've put forward over the years, I'm doing a random review of some of the records I played. What you hear this week (and last) I picked out of a table of random numbers. And everything turned out to be either excellent---or at least very good. I even unintentionally selected two recordings that are strictly blues.....and pretty classic blues. One from 1927, and the other from 1981. The ending tune is the one that ...
Dec 10, 2024•Ep. 299
I take a random sample of music I've played since I first started this podcast in 2017. And here's what came up! (Don't read this if you want to be as surprised as I was re. what's on this episode). Showtime--Jim Head (Edmonton guitarist) Ne Me Quitte Pas--Nina Simone Koff Drops--Moe Koffman (the closing theme to CBC Radio's "As It Happens") Body and Soul---Ellas Kapell (an interesting Swedish group) Nashon--Masada (originally suggested---and beautifully described---by Peter Waddell of Northern ...
Dec 03, 2024•Ep. 298
The vinyl are some great albums that I found at a garage sale this past month. The Shellac are some 78rpm records that were at my local Goodwill Store. Did you know that 78rpm records are some of the 'greenest' technology ever invented? Infinitely recycleable. Great music by the likes of Nat King Cole Trio, Coleman Hawkins, Hazel Scott, Gerry Mulligan, Horace Silver, Johnny Pate Quintet, Blossom Dearie, Otis Williams and the Charms, Ziggy Elman, and even Guy Lombardo. And don't forget Skinnay En...
Nov 26, 2024•Ep. 297
People make fun of them. But when I researched jazz accordionists I found so many great ones that it was a challenge to 'squeeze-box' them into one episode. Names like Ben Rosenblum, Art Van Damme, Tommy Gumina, Richard Galliano, Mat Mathews, and David Lange are heralded musicians who play great jazz. And on this episode I also play a few who are 'far-out there'---like Joelle Leandre, and Bube Sapravie. Then there are some fine Canadian acordionist s like Tom Sczesniac, Adrian Dolan, Gordie Flem...
Nov 19, 2024•Ep. 296
Last week I played a few Canadian jazz albums that I either really like or have made the Jazzweek charts---or, in most cases, both! Three of these albums are led by musicians who play regularly at The Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, where I live. They include records by Joel Jeschke, Brett Hansen,and The Way Back Whens. Also featured are new recordings by Noah Abrahamse (a great Latin album), two tracks from the latest Caity Gyorgy album, Neil Swainson with Renee Rosnes and Quincy Davis, Ernesto Cer...
Nov 12, 2024•Ep. 295
I've noticed a lot of albums by Canadians on this year's JazzWeek charts. And there are some new ones that, surprisingly, haven't made those charts. I've taken some time to listen to some of those albums and play tracks that stand out for me. And what a variety! Enought great quality recordings for two episodes. Some of the artists you'll hear this week include: -Jeremy Ledbetter Trio -Bria Skonberg (with Gabrielle Cavassa) -Brasstactics -Kris Davis -Angela Verbrugge -John Lee -Aretha Tillotson ...
Nov 05, 2024•Ep. 294
This episode includes some great versions of ridiculous television themes and some crazier versions of great ones! A lot of it is pretty weird But the jazz is all first rate. Some of what you'll hear: -Did you know that Sun Ra did an early album on a children's label? From that you'll hear a very familiar theme. -A theme where one of the criteria for it's composition was that it must be "the supidest song ever written". -Gary Burton Quartet doing what I thought was one of the most ridiculous tv ...
Oct 29, 2024•Ep. 293
Lot of great jazz renditions of Television themes in this episode. I talk about the very first tv program I ever remember watching---the first day television came to Edmonton, Alberta. And I play interesting jazz renditions of the Jack Benny theme (a medley of Love in Bloom and Hooray for Hollywood). You'll also hear music by three of the great tv theme writers---Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, and Quincy Jones. The themes are Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Peter Gunn, Pink Panther, Mr. Lucky, Sandf...
Oct 22, 2024•Ep. 292
Television themes have been a popular musical genre for jazz interpretation. For Part 1 of this 3 part series I talk briefly about the following programs, play excerpts from the original themes of some of them, then find some jazz oriented recordings of each one. The TV series featured in this episode are Dragnet, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, Game of Thrones, I Love Lucy, The Flintstones, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Route 66, Star Trek, Peter Gunn, Barretta, Barney Miller, and M-Squad. Performers include C...
Oct 15, 2024•Ep. 291
Part 3 of some of the best albums from 2017-2023. This one truly illustrates the versatility of this musical genre we call 'jazz'. It turns out that most of the ones I play are from last year--2023. And wow! They are all so listenable and so interesting. You'll hear: a track from the Charles Lloyd album that was the #1 selection on this year's Critic's Poll from Downbeat Magazine. The soulful singing and spectacular jazz backing from Billy Valentine and The Universal Truth Edmar Casteneda World ...
Oct 08, 2024•Ep. 290
Part 2 of albums that caught my attention over the past 7 years---as well as the attention of some critics and reviewers. This episode includes three tracks that are generally too long to be played on most jazz radio stations. They are by: Martin Kuchen's Angles--an eight piece group out of Sweden. Wayne Shorter's last album--a triple disc where he arranged, wrote, and performed part of it with a full orchestra. Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons. Canada's most acclaimed living pianist. Also tracks f...
Oct 01, 2024•Ep. 289
I'm starting a three part series going through some albums that I had noted over the past seven years. These are also albums that various reviewers (sometimes several, sometimes one) put on their lists of favourites from that particular year. For this episode there end up being lots of piano led ensembles. They include Vijay Iyer, Billy CHilds, Robi Botos, Carla Bley, and Fergus McCreadie. Also a great solo piano interpretation of Thelonious Monk's "Reflections" by Kenny Barron. Rounding out the...
Sep 24, 2024•Ep. 288
I've re-discovered a few old mix cassette tapes I made over the years. And I'm playing them. This episode was inspired by one tape of mostly jazz vocalists--and mostly female, which I put together in 1988. What I realized in listening to it many years later is that it wasn't just the singing and even the song that made me want to record it onto the tape---but the terrific musicians who were backing the singer. I'll make a list, in order, of the musicians playing on each track. Which isn't to say...
Sep 17, 2024•Ep. 287
For the concluding episode of this series, I play recordings of more tunes that I so often hear at the jazz jams at Edmonton's Yardbird Suite. I also reveal some of my own struggles in trying to follow them without getting lost. Some are a lot harder than others. I talk about two of the most simple tunes that get played. And also one of the most complex. And the two that are played more than any others---not just at this jam session but at most jazz jams. The selections in this episode are: -Bla...
Sep 10, 2024•Ep. 286
I've selected six tunes that I commonly hear at the Tuesday night jam sessions at Edmonton's Yardbird Suite jazz club. And I've added one that I wish would get played---as it's the only tune in the oft use Real Book Vol. 1 Sixth Edition written by a woman. And one of the very few written by a Canadian. So here they are: Dexterity In A Mellotone (sometimes spelled 'Mellow Tone') Bye Bye Blackbird Oleo Impressions Straight No Chaser. And the one written by a Canadian female? I'll Never Smile Again...
Sep 03, 2024•Ep. 285
I play different versions of tunes I keep hearing at jam sessions I go to at The Yardbird Suite in Edmonton. On Part 1 of this 3-part series you'll hear Alone Together, Ornithology, The Days of Wine and Roses, Tenor Madnes (aka Rue Chaptal), Softly As In a Morning Sunrise, and I'll Remember April. Artists performing them include Bud Powell, Michael Dease, Noah Haidu, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane with McCoy Tyner, Kenny Clarke, Bobby Darin, Jennifer Scott, Charlie Parker, and Lucie Horsch (playi...
Aug 27, 2024•Ep. 284
This is the last of my three part series all about Cole Porter and his music---and why jazz musicians love him. I was inspired for this episode by Ted Gioa's delightful boook, The Jazz Standards, where he gives us stories behind the songs and recommends some of the most interesting versions. You'll hear: All Of You, by Miles Davis. You'd Be So Easy to Love, by Edmonton's P.J. Perry with Kenny Barron Just One Of Those Things, by Ella Fitzgerald Just One Of Those Things, by Coleman Hawkins with Te...
Aug 20, 2024•Ep. 283
Saxophone legend Charlie Parker's last recording session was an album of Cole Porter tunes. I start this episode with two tracks from that great album. Other great players playing Cole Porter tunes include Dizzy Gillespie, Matthew Shipp, Toronto guitarist Jocelyn Gould, and trumpeter Tom Harrell. Harrell plays with singer Mark Murphy and their dramatic rendition of a song that is already dramatic thanks to its natural arc is probably the highlight of this episode. Other great singers I play toda...
Aug 14, 2024•Ep. 282
Some of my favourite songs, whether played by jazz or non-jazz musicians, turn out to be Cole Porter compositions. What makes those songs so great, and so amenable to jazz improvisation and reharmonization? I talk a bit about Cole Porter's life. Did you know that he wrote a complete operetta--words and music---at age 10? And for this episode I play recordings of Begin the Beguine, Night and Day, Anything Goes, So In Love, I Love You, Too Darn Hot, and Down in The Depths of the 90th Floor. Jazz p...
Aug 06, 2024•Ep. 281
On this episode I play and talk about: -Joe Locke (vibraphone solo) -Hagood Hardy, playing vibes on a Herbie Mann classic) -Montreal's Jean Vanesse and Miroslav Vitous (spectacular!) -Two tracks from The Red Norvo Trio with Charles Mingus and Tal Farlow -26 year old Sasha Berliner -Marjorie Hyams with Mary Lou Williams -Toronto's Michael Davidson playing with Joe Chambers -Cal Tjader -Johnny Lytle -Stefon Haris with Steve Turre and Jason Moran
Jul 30, 2024•Ep. 280
I talk about Charles Waring's list of the 25 best vibraphonists, play music by a few of them, and add some others. They range in eras from Lionel Hampton to Chris Dingman. And lots inbetween.
Jul 23, 2024•Ep. 279
This is the last of my New Aquisitions series----lp's and cd's I recently found. It include three artists from my hometown, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are: -Saxophonist PJ Perry playing with the #1 jazz pianist according to Downbeat critics' polls---Kenny Barron. -The Edmonton Jazz Ensemble from 1989, led by Sean McNally, performing a fascinating arrangement of John Lewis's Django. -The late guitarist Bobby Cairns and his rendition of the oft played standard, Beautiful Love. I also include ...
Jul 16, 2024•Ep. 278
The hilight for me on this week's podcast is a brand new cd (their first) by Moneka Arabic Jazz---led by Toronto's (via Iraq) Ahmed Moneka. I play two tracks from that album. I also play some more typical jazz recordings---with outstanding playing! Three of them are on the Pablo lable recorded in the mid 1970's. They include: -a track from the Quadrant album by Joe Pass, Milt jackson, Mickey Roker, and Ray Brown. -Oscar Peterson playing Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny' on the organ, with Joe Pass and Ray Br...
Jul 09, 2024•Ep. 277
