Chimpin' The Blues
From WPSU | 59:01
Legendary cartoonist R. Crumb shares his love for early blues recordings.
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- Chimpin' The Blues
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- WPSU
REVISED to be used any time.
One of the great legacies worth remembering from the 20th Century is the Blues. In that spirit - two friends, cartoonist supremo Robert Crumb and author/producer Jerry Zolten, got together to spin, and chat about, favorite 78 rpm blues rarities from their personal collections. "Chimpin' the Blues" they called it.
Said Crumb: "Just chatterin' record collectors, sittin' and talkin' about stuff they're interested in ... monkey chatterin,' chimpin'," as it were.
The result is Chimpin' the Blues, an offbeat, off-the-cuff, one-hour excursion into the blues, pre-blues, gospel, and jazz of the 1920's and 30's, seasoned with plenty of yuks, anecdotes, and trivia that reveal a side of Robert Crumb as passionate record collector, blues fanatic, and erudite raconteur. In other words, the guy knows a lot about the blues and can talk about it.
"Chimpin' the Blues" includes 13 rare tracks accompanied by pertinent background information.
Blues Unlimited #181 - R. Crumb's "Heroes of the Blues" (Part 1)
From Steve c/o Ernest Franz | Part of the Blues Unlimited series | 01:58:59
In 1980, the good folks at Yazoo Records issued a box set of 36 trading cards called "The Heroes of the Blues," with drawings by legendary illustrator and cartoonist R. Crumb, and text by noted researcher and author Stephen Calt. They've long been favorites with Blues fans, and on this program — the first of three — we dive head first into "The Heroes of the Blues."
In 1980, the good folks at Yazoo Records issued a box set of 36 trading cards called "The Heroes of the Blues," with drawings by legendary illustrator and cartoonist R. Crumb, and text by noted researcher and author Stephen Calt. They've long been favorites with Blues fans, and on this program (the first of three) we dive head first into "The Heroes of the Blues." Among the featured artists on this program are Peg Leg Howell, Blind Blake, Frank Stokes, Jaybird Coleman, Blind Willie Johnson, Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the Mississippi Sheiks, and more.
Blues Unlimited #182 - R. Crumb's "Heroes of the Blues" (Part 2)
From Steve c/o Ernest Franz | Part of the Blues Unlimited series | 01:58:59
In 1980, the good folks at Yazoo Records issued a box set of 36 trading cards called "The Heroes of the Blues," with drawings by legendary illustrator and cartoonist R. Crumb, and text by noted researcher and author Stephen Calt. They've long been favorites with Blues fans, and on this program — the second of three — we continue our exploration of "The Heroes of the Blues."
In 1980, the good folks at Yazoo Records issued a box set of 36 trading cards called "The Heroes of the Blues," with drawings by legendary illustrator and cartoonist R. Crumb, and text by noted researcher and author Stephen Calt. They've long been favorites with Blues fans, and on this program (the second of three) we continue our exploration of "The Heroes of the Blues." Among the featured artists on this program are Furry Lewis, Big Bill Broonzy, The Rev. Gary Davis, Cannon's Jug Stompers, the Memphis Jug Band, Skip James, and many more.
Blues Unlimited #180 - Smash Hits of the Late 1940s
From Steve c/o Ernest Franz | Part of the Blues Unlimited series | 01:58:59
Join us as we count our way down through the biggest #1 R&B hits of the late 1940s. It was a period dominated by Blues shouters, wailing saxes, and piano-playing balladeers — and Louis Jordan was king of the charts. But times were changing, with independent record producers making inroads into previously uncharted waters. With our top secret formula, we've made a list of the 34 biggest chart-busters of the late 1940s, and we're counting down to number one!
Join us as we count our way down through the biggest #1 R&B hits of the late 1940s. It was a period dominated by Blues shouters, wailing saxes, and piano-playing balladeers -- and Louis Jordan was king of the charts. But times were a changing, with independent record producers making inroads into previously uncharted waters.
One iconic record that helped pave the way for what would become the burgeoning independent record scene of the late 1940s was "I Wonder," by Private Cecil Gant. It was just the right record, at just the right time, hitting upon the zeitgiest of World War II and homesick soldiers who would soon be stationed "a million miles away" from their gal back home. The original version was recorded in June 1944 by Leroy Hurte for his independent Bronze label, but when Hurte couldn't keep up with demand, it was quietly recorded again, for yet another independent label, Gilt-Edge. And as events played out, it was Gilt-Edge — not Bronze — that had the Billboard smash hit with it. It was such a huge seller that Gilt-Edge had trouble keeping up with orders as well, even into the early days of March 1945, months after its release.
But it set the record industry on its ear, so to speak. As a massive hit with broad crossover appeal, it was a clarion call to the newly emerging independent record industry that success was possible in a market mostly dominated by the major labels up until that time.
By far, though, Louis Jordan was one of the biggest stars of the era, turning in almost 50 top ten performances on the Billboard charts between 1942 and late 1949, with most of those making it into the top 5, or higher. With cleverly crafted songs and a band that cooked, it's pretty easy to see how he would go on to influence Rhythm & Blues rockers like Chuck Berry the following decade (One main difference between the '40s and the '50s? Louis Jordan's instrument of choice was the saxophone. Chuck Berry wielded an electric guitar.... need we say more?).
To come up with our list of the biggest #1 R&B hits of the late 1940s, we devised a special super-secret formula, giving weight to the number of weeks a record was on the Billboard charts, with bonus points given for number of weeks held in the top position. After hearing the show and seeing the playlist, however, some might wonder why some all time classics didn't make the cut.
One of the most widely heard records of the late 1940s had to be "Open The Door, Richard!" by Jack McVea. Essentially a comedy record cut for the L.A.-based Black & White label, it entered the charts on February 8th, 1947, but only enjoyed a seven week run, topping out at number two, where it stayed for two weeks. "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee," Stick McGhee's homage to good times and cheap booze that helped put a fledgling Atlantic Records on the map, befell a similar fate. After a healthy run of 23 weeks on the charts, it stalled out at number two (a position it held for four weeks), but was unable to penetrate the grasp of three of the hugest hits of the decade that were making a run on the charts at exactly the same time -- "The Hucklebuck" by Paul Williams, "Trouble Blues," by Charles Brown, and "Ain't Nobody's Business," by Jimmy Witherspoon. And speaking of classics by Charles Brown, "Drifting Blues" -- cut in 1946 with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers, and one of his most widely covered songs -- hit a similar brick wall when it ran up against Lionel Hampton's version of "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop," which was enjoying a 16 week run at the top slot that spring and summer. On the charts for 23 weeks, "Drifting Blues" finally topped out at number two, for two weeks.
Although Billboard chart statistics don't always tell us "the whole story" (so to speak), in any case, here are the hits that a generation of R&B fans danced to, heard on the radio, sung along to, and put their nickels in juke boxes all across America to hear again, and again, and again. Join us then, as we count our way down through the biggest #1 R&B hit records of the late 1940s.
RELATED PIECES:
Blues Unlimited #216 - Smash Hits of the Early 1950s
Blues Unlimited #217 - More Smash Hits of the Early 1950s
Blues Unlimited #310 - Hits That Missed: The Biggest Number Two R&B Records of the Early 1950s
Blues Unlimited #311 - Hits That Missed: The Biggest Number Two R&B Records of the 1940s
Josh White: The Music The Man (Part A)
From Howard Burchette | Part of the The Funk Show series | 54:13
Interview and discussion on the subject of the legendary JOSH WHITE with his son JOSH WHITE, Jr. his daughter JUDY WHITE-GOARD and his granddaughter KELLI GOARD-ELLIS.
Parts A, B and C are separate hours and can be aired on different days.
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- Josh White: The Music The Man (Part A)
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- Howard Burchette
Josh White was a singer, song writer, guitarist, actor and a civil rights activist. As a child he accompanied blind street singers who paid him to guide them to their gigs. Very quickly he would master the guitar. He began recording under the name "Pinewood Tom " so that his mother who was a devout Christian would not know that he was performing the "Devil's music ". His music has been categorized as Blues, Folk, Gospel and social protest songs. One of his most memorable recordings is “Strange Fruit ”.
Howard Burchette is joined by singer, teacher Judy White-Goard , musician, singer, actor, song writer Josh White, Jr. and gospel artist Kelli Goard-Ellis . Together they discuss and explore this American Tale, the story of Josh White .
SEGMENT 1 – Howard Burchette, Judy White-Goard and Josh White Jr . discuss the early days of young Josh White , his family life in South Carolina, plus accompanying the blind bluesmen.
SEGMENT 2 - Further discussions about the Josh White song “Strange Fruit ”, the story about an 8 year old young Josh White with Blind Man Arnold as they eye witnessed a lynching, Judy talks about how Josh White captured and commanded his audience as he performed on stage.
SEGMENT 3 – This discussion focused on Josh White’s audience, which became predominantly white.
Still Singing the Blues: New Orleans and South Louisiana
From Richard Ziglar | Part of the Still Singing the Blues series | 55:00
Still Singing the Blues: New Orleans and South Louisiana features musicians in New Orleans and South Louisiana who continue to perform the blues—often despite poverty, ill health, and the impacts of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. We have included two versions, one with a billboard and one without a billboard. The billboard version is 55 minutes long. The one without the billboard is 53 minutes and 59 seconds long. Timing and cues are given for the billboard version.
Still Singing the Blues features musicians in New Orleans and South Louisiana who continue to perform both traditional blues and rhythm-and-blues—often despite poverty, ill health, and the impacts of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. The hour-long, music-rich documentary burrows into the lives of three outstanding older performers: Carol Fran of Lafayette, Harvey Knox of Baton Rouge, and Little Freddie King of New Orleans. Listeners will travel with these musicians to recording sessions, street corners, birthday celebrations, and neighborhood taverns.
Also interviewed are blues pianist and singer Marcia Ball; blues-and-funk guitarist Ernie Vincent; and Bethany Bultman, president of the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
Producers Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman have been interviewing older Southern blues and R&B musicians for the past 18 months. Their last documentary, Truckin' My Blues Away, was commissioned and distributed by AARP's Prime Time Radio and broadcast on 325 stations. The current, independently-produced project, Still Singing the Blues, is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative and funded, in part, by a generous grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Accompanying this documentary is a web site, http://stillsingingtheblues.org, which features additional audio clips, photographs, a blog, and links for readers who want to obtain CDs, find music venues, and learn more about non-profit organizations that promote Louisiana's music and support its musicians. The producers will add audio and photos to the site throughout the coming year.
Project director Richard Ziglar is an audio documentarian whose credits include Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions; AARP’s Prime Time Radio; American Public Media’s “The Story”; and the North Carolina Arts Council. Reporter Barry Yeoman, a former Louisianan, is a freelance journalist who writes for O, The Oprah Magazine; AARP The Magazine; Audubon Magazine; and Good Housekeeping. His radio program Picking Up the Pieces, about the parents of injured veterans, won the 2009 Gracie Allen award for outstanding mid-length documentary. Ziglar and Yeoman can be reached at info@stillsingingtheblues.org.
This is the first of a two-part series about the blues in New Orleans and South Louisiana. Part 2 will be released later this summer, but the two hours can be broadcast separately and independently.Crescent City Blues
From Richard Ziglar | Part of the Still Singing the Blues series | 55:00
Crescent City Blues takes listeners to the hidden world of New Orleans corner joints—bars far from the French Quarter, in neighborhoods like Central City, Treme, and Pigeontown. These clubs, patronized almost entirely by locals, nurture a resilient blues and rhythm-and-blues scene that is often overshadowed by the Crescent City’s legacy as a jazz town. They are an essential part of New Orleans’ cultural history, but they are struggling—because of the recession, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and potentially the BP oil spill.
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- Crescent City Blues
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- Richard Ziglar
Crescent City Blues takes listeners to the hidden world of New Orleans corner joints—bars far from the French Quarter, in neighborhoods like Central City, Treme, and Pigeontown. These clubs, patronized almost entirely by locals, nurture a resilient blues and rhythm-and-blues scene that is often overshadowed by the Crescent City’s legacy as a jazz town. They are an essential part of New Orleans’ cultural history, but they are struggling—because of the recession, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and potentially the BP oil spill.
This hour-long music-rich documentary features four talented musicians: Tommy Singleton, a vocalist who until recently drove an oyster truck for a living; John T. Lewis, a former appliance repairman who now plays R&B guitar full-time; Ernie Vincent, a bandleader and guitarist who learned to play at the neighborhood fish fries of his childhood; and Deacon John Moore, a bandleader and guitarist who played on hundreds of R&B recordings in the 1950s and ’60s. Also interviewed are bar owners Betty Fox (Mother-in-Law Lounge) and Guitar Joe Daniels (Guitar Joe’s House of Blues), along with other veterans of the city’s music scene.
The program takes readers back into history. They’ll visit bars like the Dew Drop Inn, with its female impersonators and all-night jam sessions, the Green Room, with its smells of spilled liquor and spittoons; and the Sportsman’s Lounge, where an underaged Deacon John witnessed police raids and back-room gambling.
Crescent City Blues is the second of a two-part series, called “Still Singing the Blues,” about older musicians in New Orleans and South Louisiana. Part 1, also called Still Singing the Blues, was released in June. The two hours can be broadcast separately and independently. Accompanying this series is a web site, http://stillsingingtheblues.org, which features additional audio clips, photographs, a blog, and links for readers who want to obtain CDs, find music venues, and learn more about non-profit organizations that promote Louisiana's music and support its musicians. The producers will add audio and photos to the site throughout the coming year.
Producers Richard Ziglar and Barry Yeoman have been interviewing older Southern blues and R&B musicians for the almost two years. Their first blues documentary, Truckin' My Blues Away, was commissioned and distributed by AARP's Prime Time Radio and broadcast on 340 stations.
The current, independently-produced “Still Singing the Blues” series is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative and funded, in part, by a generous grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Project director Richard Ziglar is an audio documentarian whose credits include Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions; AARP’s Prime Time Radio; American Public Media’s “The Story”; and the North Carolina Arts Council. Reporter Barry Yeoman, a former Louisianan, is a freelance journalist who writes for O, The Oprah Magazine; AARP The Magazine; Audubon Magazine; OnEarth; and Good Housekeeping. His radio program Picking Up the Pieces, about the parents of injured veterans, won the 2009 Gracie Allen award for outstanding mid-length documentary. Ziglar and Yeoman can be reached at info@stillsingingtheblues.org.
Wynton Marsalis
From South Carolina Public Radio | Part of the Song Travels with Michael Feinstein News Friendly Version series | 53:00
Wynton Marsalis
News-Friendly Format (1:00 billboard; 5:00 news hole; 52:00 program)
Trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis hails from one of New Orleans' most distinguished jazz families. He became the youngest musician admitted to the Berkshire Music Center, and has continued the Marsalis dynasty with multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and the National Medal of Arts. This legendary artist shares his musings and a few of his favorite things, including the recently-discovered recording of Louis Armstrong's last known performance.
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- Wynton Marsalis
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- South Carolina Public Radio
Song Travels is a one-hour series distributed by NPR and hosted by the renowned "Ambassador of the Great American Songbook," Michael Feinstein. As host and artistic director, Feinstein uncovers the intimate journey singers and songs take with one another, each changing the other through the course of a lifetime. For Feinstein, American music is really a travelogue, with art that exists only because it has traveled through artists' lives, generations, and passions:
"In this series, we talk about songs, How important they are in our lives, how they've changed our lives and how sometimes they make life worth living."
-Michael Feinstein
Feinstein welcomes a new guest each week to explore the genre of American Popular Song, examining how these great songs have evolved through the years, changing with each interpretation and artist.
Each program features an even mix of ½ insightful conversation to ½ in-studio or recorded musical performances of guests and Feinstein.
Wynton Marsalis - Swinging into the 21st
From Joyride Media | Part of the Black History Month Specials series | 59:00
Wynton Marsalis looks back on music from throughout his career, from the straight jazz to his more classical compositions.
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- Wynton Marsalis - Swinging into the 21st
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- Joyride Media
Jazz is dead! Well, it's not true -- but in the history of the music, that statement is heard very often. Wynton Marsalis has found that the best way to combat that idea is simple - keep creating. Like any art form, jazz lives as an ongoing interaction between the artist, audience and larger culture. In this hour, Wynton reflects on his life and music in the 20th century and its continuation into the 21st. GREAT PROGRAMMING AROUND WYNTON MARSALIS' 50TH BIRTHDAY - 10/18/2011
- “LOOSE DUCK” FROM THE MARCIAC SUITE PERFORMED BY THE WYNTON MARSALIS SEPTET.
- “JUBA AND A O’BROWN SQUAW” PERFORMED LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD IN NEW YORK BY THE WYNTON MARSALIS SEPTET.
- “A HUNDRED AND A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED AND TWELVE” WRITTEN BY WYNTON MARSALIS AND PERFORMED BY THE LINCOLN CENTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA, THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY ESSA-PEKKA SALONEN, THE PAUL SMITH SINGERS AND THE MORGAN STATE CHOIR.
- “FIDDLER’S SOUL” PERFORMED BY WYNTON MARSALIS AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE.
- “GREEN CHIMNEYS” BY THELONIOUS MONK PLAYED BY THE WYNTON MARSALIS SEPTET.
- “THE PEARLS,” WRITTEN BY JELLY ROLL MORTON AND PERFORMED BY THE WYNTON MARSALIS SEPTET.
- “MORNING SONG,” WRITTEN BY WYNTON MARSALIS FOR THE FILM “ROSEWOOD.”
- “NORTHBOUND SOUTHBOUND” PERFORMED BY WYNTON MARSALIS AND THE LINCOLN CENTER JAZZ ORCHESTRA from "BIG TRAIN"
- “RAMPART ST. ROW HOUSE RAG” WRITTEN BY WYNTON MARSALIS AND PERFORMED BY THE ORION STRING QUARTET ("THE OCTAROON BALLS")
- “MADMOISELLE D’GASCONY” WRITTEN BY WYNTON MARSALIS FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE MARCIAC JAZZ FESTIVAL IN FRANCE.
Fats Waller: If You Gotta Ask
From Joyride Media | Part of the Black History Month Specials series | 59:05
One-hour music intensive documentary about Fats Waller, one of America's great composers and performers of the 20th century.
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- Fats Waller: If You Gotta Ask
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- Joyride Media
FATS WALLER: IF YOU GOTTA ASK - One-hour music intensive documentary about Fats Waller, one of America's great composers and performers of the 20th century. His songs, stride piano style and on-stage and on-screen antics were legendary and made him one of the first African-American superstars.
Count Basie sat at his feet to learn, Art Tatum considered Fats the best, and Waller's stride style influenced Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck and many others.
Strangely enough, two things happened to Fats after he died: he essentially disappeared from our culture's memory for over 30 years, and when he was talked about, it centered around his clowning and humor, which was sorely misunderstood. Despite his untimely death, Fats Waller spent nearly every day of his short life making the music he loved. In that time, he created a rich, prolific legacy that today is justly revered.
Whether you're a musician, a jazz scholar, or just someone who likes to sing along to "Honeysuckle Rose," you know Fats Waller is one of the all-time greats. And if you gotta ask...
Host: Dick Hyman Producer: Joyride Media (Paul Chuffo & Joshua Jackson) Length: One-hour, with breaks for local spots Terms: Available for all USA radio broadcasters at no cost
Buddy Guy: Can't Quit the Blues
From Joyride Media | Part of the Black History Month Specials series | 59:05
Brand new one-hour music intensive radio special features legendary bluesman Buddy Guy in his own words and music.
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- Buddy Guy: Can't Quit the Blues
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- Joyride Media
Brand new one-hour music intensive radio special available for broadcast on all US-based stations! One-hour music intensive radio special features legendary bluesman Buddy Guy in his own words and music. Buddy Guy's own comments come from an exclusive interview session, and include many recollections and insights that will heard on your station for the first time.
Hosted by journalist Anthony DeCurtis, this program also features 15 classic tracks from throughout Guy's career. Buddy Guy tells his own story, looking back on his life and career as only he can. He begins the story with his poor, sharecropping roots in Lettsworth, LA, and guides up through all his stops along the way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - the first time he met the blues on a John Lee Hooker record, the birth of his trademark guitar style while regularly jamming for customers at a gas station, his explosion on the Chicago blues scene, his influence on many of rock's great guitarists (Clapton, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Rolling Stones, John Mayer and many more), and much more.
Throughout "Can't Quit the Blues," Buddy Guy opens up and reveals himself as a man with a soul as great as his musical skills. He is extremely grateful to all those who helped him along the way, and always happy to share his knowledge with those inspired by him. At 70 years-old, he continues to live a great life, always thankful of how he came to be one of the world's great blues guitarists.
"If I had my life to live over," he says, "I would come back the same road that I came and pick up the acoustic guitar and hope to make somebody happy and smile."
* Host: Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone) * Producer: Joyride Media (Paul Chuffo, Joshua Jackson) * Length: 59 minutes with two breaks for local spots * Broadcast Window: Begins November 2006 * Terms: Available to all US-based radio broadcasters at no cost * Promotion: 0:30 promo spot included on CD * Contact: Andy Cahn, cahnmedia@comcast.net, 215-279-7632
Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue
From Joyride Media | Part of the Black History Month Specials series | 59:00
One-hour special explores the creation and impact of Miles Davis' album "Kind Of Blue."
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- Miles Davis: Kind Of Blue
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- Joyride Media
On two days in the spring of 1959, after a string of critically acclaimed and succesful albums, Miles Davis recorded what would become Kind Of Blue. Nothing would ever be the same – for Jazz or for Miles Davis.
There’s no real way to tell why a record captures the imagination and attention of the world. Some do, some don’t. Miles Davis constantly recorded music, and almost all of it added to his popularity and critical acclaim. But over the years, Kind Of Blue found a larger and larger audience. Soon enough, it became the best selling Jazz album of all time.
Through the host Josh Jackson and interviews with musicians Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Cobb, Jackie McLean, David Amram and others, you will hear the story of the making of Kind Of Blue, as well as the lasting impact of this classic Jazz staple.
Blues & Beyond #300: Vijay Iyer's music as action; the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the old records that inspire them.
From WXPN | Part of the Blues & Beyond series | 59:01
Featuring "Accelerando" the new album from jazz pianist Vijay Iyer.
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- Blues & Beyond #300: Vijay Iyer's music as ...
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- WXPN
In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, pianist Vijay Iyer explores the physical connection between "the musical and the extramusical," as he says in his liner notes to his latest album "Accelerando." Iyer was on his way to a career in physics when he decided that music was too important to him to be just a hobby. The result is music that is soulful, scientific, and spiritual. We'll also play a couple of songs from the latest album by The Carolina Chocolate Drops, which is called "Leaving Eden," along with the original pre-war blues recordings that they are covering, from Ethel Waters from 1925 and a guy named Bogus Ben Covington from 1929. Plus, new songs from Esperanza Spalding's new album "Radio Music Society," including one about a man falsely imprisoned for many years, and the latest from folk bluesman Eric Bibb.
promo included: promo300
Blues & Beyond #309: Laura Ainsworth's scary debut; African Roots in New Orleans with Dr, Michael White
From WXPN | Part of the Blues & Beyond series | 59:01
Singer Laura Ainsworth flirts with murder - - in song.
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- Blues & Beyond #309: Laura Ainsworth's scary ...
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- WXPN
In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we'll check out the debut album of singer Laura Ainsworth. The title track "Keep It To Yourself" is a little scary - - it was written by Amy Rigby, originally appearing as a B side on a CD single. Now it's the title track of Ainsworth's album, which offers a variety of great performances, some of which we'll hear on this show. We'll also play a couple of songs from Ms. Rigby herself, and a song that rejects the worship of youth from a new album by The Laurie Morvan Band. In addition, we'll feature the new album "Adventures In New Orleans Jazz Part 1" from clarinetist Dr. Michael White which includes some exploration of African roots. Plus the jazz flute of Nicole Mitchell, her latest album "Awakening," all coming up in this hour of The Blues & Beyond.
Promo included: promo309
Boppin' with Pekar
From WPSU | 59:00
An hour of jazz and conversation with Harvey Pekar & Phoebe Gloeckner
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- Boppin' with Pekar
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- WPSU
"Boppin' with Pekar" is an hour of hot jazz and conversation featuring Harvey Pekar, celebrated writer best known for "American Splendor," the underground comic book series and the 2003 film adapted from it. Pekar is also a jazz writer of note with telling articles and essays that have appeared in publications including Downbeat, JazzIz, The Austin Chronicle, and Ruminator. "I loved jazz," wrote Pekar in one of his autobiographical stories, "and listened to it closely and analytically." This is the rarefied expertise he brings to "Boppin' with Pekar."
Hosting the program is Jerry Zolten, fellow jazz fan, record collector, producer, educator, and author on American roots music. Zolten and Pekar play jazz tracks selected by Pekar to illustrate the genre's progression from Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong in 1920s New Orleans to beboppers Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane on New York City's 52nd Street during the 1950s.
Phoebe Gloeckner, artist and author of the graphic novel "The Diary of A Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures," is a special guest in the studio. Self-admittedly unfamiliar with jazz, though interested, Gloeckner brings generational perspective and "punk rock" sensibilities to the table. As Pekar and Zolten keep music and facts rolling, Gloeckner tosses into the spokes the occasional monkey wrench in the form of "outsider" observations and challenging questions. The dynamic brings out the piquant in Pekar, which only adds to the draw for listeners whether jazz fans or not.
"Boppin' with Pekar" is a compelling mix of jazz music and personality with discussion ranging from gender to double entendre to just plain who did musically what, when, and why is it important.
Early Jelly Roll
From Guy Rathbun | Part of the the Club McKenzie: Your 1920s Jazz Speakeasy series | 58:58
No one questions the fact that Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton was, in all likelihood, the first arranger of jazz. It’s also true that Jelly Roll was one of the earliest purveyors of ragtime. But, he went even further with his declaration of having “invented jazz, ragtime, swing, and boogie boogie piano.”
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- Early Jelly Roll
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- Guy Rathbun
Over the years, Morton has been overlooked primarily because he was such a braggadocio. However, one only has to listen to his earliest recordings to recognize his pioneering spirit. The problem is, where to hear these scratchy, rare pieces? Most of the reissue material we hear is from his later years with the formation of his Red Hot Peppers. This show is devoted to his early work, with only 3 titles representing his later group.
Blues & Beyond #270: The Bluesiest Composer: Music of George Gershwin
From WXPN | Part of the Blues & Beyond series | 59:00
Music of George Gershwin from many different artists.
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- Blues & Beyond #270: The Bluesiest Composer: ...
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- WXPN
In this hour of The Blues & Beyond we focus on a great American composer. Classical music originated and Europe, but it took an American composer to put a little blues into the mix. George Gershwin, who died at age thirty-eight, did just that with "Rhapsody In Blue" and his opera "Porgy and Bess," and many other works, that have timeless appeal and continue to be reinterpretted and recast in this century. On this program we'll hear two new, 2011, versions of "Rhapsody In Blue," one from a newfangled big band, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, and another on solo piano, from Eldar Djangirov - - as well as perhaps the most classic version of the song "Summertime" from the original Broadway show of Porgy and Bess, with soprano Anne Brown, whose singing inspired Gershwin to develop the role of Bess into something larger than he had originally planned. With artists ranging from Count Basie's Kansas City Five to singer Oscar Brown, Jr., to present-day piano phenom Hiromi Uehara, we'll celebrate the music of George Gershwin, in this hour of The Blues & Beyond.
promo included: promo270
Compact Discoveries 182: Jazz Concertos
From Fred Flaxman | Part of the Compact Discoveries series | 59:01
American concertos of the Jazz Age inspired by the success of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue."
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- Compact Discoveries 182: Jazz Concertos
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- Fred Flaxman
The music includes Harry Reser's Suite for Banjo and Orchestra, James Price Johnson's Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody, and Dana Suesse's Concerto in Three Rhythms. Performers include the Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Rosenberg, pianists Michael Gurt and Gary Hammond, and banjoist Don Vappie.
The Ebony Hillbillies
From Amber Edwards | 06:41
The Ebony Hillbillies prove you don?t have to be white and Southern to play authentic, down home country music...they are hip, urban, and black. And reclaiming a musical heritage that has largely been forgotten....
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- The Ebony Hillbillies
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Evergreen profile of African-American country string band, "The Ebony Hillbillies".
SUGGESTED STUDIO INTRO:
First there were the Beverly Hillbillies?gleefully embracing every hick stereotype ever imagined, all the way to the bank. Now another group of Hillbillies is turning those stereotypes inside out, as Amber Edwards reports.....