Blues & Beyond #268: Vijay Iyer's crossing

In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we'll visit a "threshold between worlds" as jazz pianist Vijay Iyer describes it. His latest album "Tirtha" is a collaboration with guitarist Prasanna and tabla player Nitin Mitta, that combines their backgrounds growing up in India performing Indian music with Iyer's experience as an American of Indian descent who plays jazz. We'll also hear tablas played on a captivating new album from violinist Vicki Richards and her trio called She Vanishes. We have new soul music from Johnny Rawls, a song from jazz vocalist Jane Stuart's new album, and new jazz from trumpeter John Vanore and his band Abstract Truth as well as a group called New York Electric Piano with a newfangled rag for this still young new millennium...  also, Yank Rachell - - the "Blues Mandolin Man" album is back in print, finally available on CD. Plus a song from the final album of soul great Solomon Burke, recorded with the Dutch group De Dijk. On many of Burke's later albums, the great soul singer appeared less than confident and centered, very possibly because the music was being put together by fans (who also happenned to be stars) who gently led him. On this album, "Hold on Tight," Burke co-wrote every song and is clearly fully in command.

promo included: promo268

In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we'll visit a "threshold between worlds" as jazz pianist Vijay Iyer describes it. His latest album "Tirtha" is a collaboration with guitarist Prasanna and tabla player Nitin Mitta, that combines their backgrounds growing up in India performing Indian music with Iyer's experience as an American of Indian descent who plays jazz. We'll also hear tablas played on a captivating new album from violinist Vicki Richards and her trio called She Vanishes. We have new soul music from Johnny Rawls, a song from jazz vocalist Jane Stuart's new album, and new jazz from trumpeter John Vanore and his band Abstract Truth as well as a group called New York Electric Piano with a newfangled rag for this still young new millennium...  also, Yank Rachell - - the "Blues Mandolin Man" album is back in print, finally available on CD. Plus a song from the final album of soul great Solomon Burke, recorded with the Dutch group De Dijk. On many of Burke's later albums, the great soul singer appeared less than confident and centered, very possibly because the music was being put together by fans (who also happenned to be stars) who gently led him. On this album, "Hold on Tight," Burke co-wrote every song and is clearly fully in command.

promo included: promo268