Mellow and Meditative

My playlists are often a reflection of my emotional state state of mind, and this is certainly one of those shows. This set is mellow and meditative, yet intense with emotion and heartfelt playing as should be the case when any great artist creates in his or her art-form. In this case, we hear some great jazz compositions and a few beautiful ballads. Of note is Branford Marsalis' cover of the Coltrane classic A Love Supreme and Pharoah Sanders' Body and Soul. The show concludes with the fine piano of Bill Evans on Miles' Blue and Green, and Keith Jarret's cover of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

Playlist
Track * Artist * Album
A Love Supreme: Acknowledgment * Branford Marsalis Quartet * Footsteps of Our Fathers
A Day To Mourn * Booker Ervin * The Freedom Book
We Used to Dance * Joel Frahm * We Used To Dance
Insight (from my mother) * Cindy Blackman * Music for the New Millennium
Body and Soul * Pharoah Sanders * Crescent with Love
Mahjong * Wayne Shorter * Juju
Blue in Green * Miles Davis * Kind of Blue
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes * Keith Jarrett * Yesterdays

** End of Podcast **
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue - Special

Fusion Fill-in

My regular show this week was preempted for sports, so I have a posted a broadcast from a December fill-in I did for DJ Slammin' Sammy on WHUS FM. We start with a cookin funky track from Boston based Akashic Record. We continue on with a wide range of electric Jazz-Rock fusion that shows the breadth of this genre. Perhaps the most outrageous track is from Miles from India. From the website; A Cross-Cultural Celebration of the Music of Miles Davis by India's Foremost Musicians Collaborating with the Legendary Musicians Who Comprised the Various Miles Davis Bands Over the Years. An interesting CD which I don't know that I enjoy in its entirety, but sure has some very interesting moments and a great cast of musicians.
Correction: In the Podcast I state that Alex Skolnick was in the metal band Transformation. Actually, Transformation is the name of the album. His metal band is Testament.


Playlist
Track * Artist * Album
Jammin' Time * Akashik Record * New Days Ahead
Electric Eyes * Alex Skolnick * Transformation
Dach's Reduction * Jon Larson * Strange News from Mars
Shadow of Lo * Return to Forever * Return to the 7th Galaxy
Game * Stanley Clarke * The Toys of Men
Miles Runs the Voodoo Down * Various * Miles from India
Double Nickel * Yellow Jackets feat. Mike Stern * Lifestyle
Old Wise Tale * Mike Moreno * Between the Lines

Some New Stuff

Some great new music has come my way recently that I am featuring on tonight's abbreviated show. I really dig Steve Davis's new album Outlook. Listen to bassist Dezron Douglas solid walkin' bass lines. Also, a great track from Tenor Sax player Seamus Blake is included from his latest effort. We saw Seamus at a recent gig in New York City recently, and this cat not only can play, but his compositions are outstanding. His album Live in Italy is very much recommended.

Note: Soulive will be appearing at The Warehouse, 45 Bartholomew Ave, Hartford CT on Thursday, Feb 12 at 8:00 PM. They are a great funky jammin' Hammond B3 trio. I feature one of their tracks at the end of this weeks podcast. It will be a GREAT show. Check it out.


A photo from Seamus Blake's recent gig at Smalls (l to r Lage Lund, Matt Clohesy, Seamus Blake).


Playlist
Track * Artist * Album
Line of Flight * Steve Davis * Outlook
Lovely Day * Steve Davis * Outlook
What is this thing? * Vinnie Cutro and NYC Soundscape * Sakura
Fear of Roaming * Seamus Blake * Live in Italy
Stella by Starlight * Keith Jarrett * Yesterdays
Rudy's Way * Soulive * Turn it out

Master and Proteges

Jazz is a generational art form. It is like an extended family. This was very evident to me at a recent performance in Hartford by the young talented musicians that make up the Albert Rivera Quintet. In the Hartford area, we are fortunate to have some very accomplished jazz artists that have made their mark on the jazz scene. The Grandfather of them all was Jackie McLean, who adopted our community and brought jazz to the area in a profound way that has touched the lives of many. J-Mac has passed on, and the baton has been picked up by another generation of greats like Steve Davis, Nat Reeves, Jimmy Greene. They in turn have been the Masters that have mentored our young lions of jazz such as Albert Rivera, Zachai and Luques Curtis who performed that evening. Among the audience were some jazz students, some of which we see performing at recitals or jam sessions, proteges that were learning from the new jazz professionals on stage. So it has been passed down from Masters to Proteges and the Proteges will become Masters to a new generation of Proteges.


Playlist
Track * Artist * Album
Ain't it Just Like the Night * Albert Rivera * Re-Introduction
The New York Hartford Connection (alt. Take) * Albert Rivera * Re-Introduction
The Panamanian Murga * Insight * A Genesis
Sudan and Darfur * Insight * A Genesis
David Undaunted * Jimmy Greene * The Overcomer's Suite
McLean's Scene * Jackie McLean * McLean's Scene
United * Steve Davis Quartet * Alone Together
The Way You Look Tonight * Deep Blue Organ Trio * Goin' To Town
** End of Podcast **
Frame for the Blues * Jimmy McGriff and Hank Crawford * Blues Groove
A Bit of Basie * Art Pepper * Smack Up
Caravan * Art Pepper * Friday Night at Village Vanguard
Struttin' * Keith Jarrett Trio * Yesterday's