Bob Stewart: Monday-Friday 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.
1) As a longtime fan of the great tenor man, it was a wonder to hear this set for the first time. Since I wasn’t around or aware when he was putting out his classic material back in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, I got to discover this material as it came out along with everyone else. A thrilling moment!
Ben Allison “Quiet Revolution” (Sonic Camera)
Commons Collective “Hope” (Commons Collective)
Karrin Allyson “Some of That Sunshine” (Kas)
Joel Harrison “Angel Band: Free Country Volume 3” (High Note)
Theo Hill “Interstellar Adventures” (Post-Tone)
Bob Washut Dodectet “Journey to Knowhere” (Artist Alliance)
John Scofield “Combo 66” (Verve)
Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop “Rev” (Anzic)
Erroll Garner “Nightconcert” (Mack Avenue
Hollis Monroe: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
1) “For two years (from Fall 1996 to 1998) I suffered from CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), and could not play could not play the piano in public. “A Multitude of Angels” was the last music I played before I hit ground zero and was staring at my pianos, unable to play anything. As my doctor and I worked out what to do, I gradually (very gradually) improved, but if I played at all, I would relapse and hit bottom again.”
The liner notes to Keith Jarrett’s double CD set “After the Fall” detail the remarkable journey of perseverance and recovery culminating in remarkable performance recorded live in Newark, NJ in 1988. What started as an experiment and therapy produced, in the words of Keith Jarrett, “not only a historical document, but a truly great concert”.
Other favorites from this year’s releases include:
Adrian Cunningham/Ken Peplowski – Duologue (Arbors Jazz)
Randy Waldman – Superheroes (BFM)
Gregory Porter – Nat “King” Cole & Me (Blue Note)
Steve Hobbs – Tribute to Bobby (Challenge)
Flying Horse Big Band – The Bat Swings (Flying Horse)
Roger Kellaway – New Jazz Standards, Vol. 3 (Summit)
Sanabria Multiveres Big Band – West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)
Hart, Scone & Albin – Leading the British Invasion (Zoho)
Kait Dunton – trioKait2 (Kait Dunton)
Ron Adkins: Monday-Friday 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
1) John Coltrane – “Both Directions at Once” (Impulse!/Verve)
This album was a jazz lover’s dream come true. New work from John Coltrane. John. Coltrane. And not just some unshelved live concert, with a playlist we’d heard many times, but studio material unheard for decades. Never mind the historical significance of such a find. Just the fact that the music is excellent, Trane’s playing often brilliant and breathtaking, makes its rediscovery an event to be celebrated.
Erroll Garner – “Nightconcert” (Mack Avenue)
Kamasi Washington – “Heaven and Earth” (Young Turks)
Diva Jazz Orchestra – “25th Anniversary” (Artist Share)
Stefon Harris & Blackout – “Sonic Creed” (Motema)
Marcus Miller – “Laid Black” (Blue Note)
Koplant No – “Elker” (Mize)
Tony Adamo – “Was Out Jazz Zone Mad” (Rope-a-Dope)
Tia Fuller – “Diamond Cut” (Mack Avenue)
Commons Collective – “Hope” (Commons Collective)
Bob DeForest: Da Blues Saturdays 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Bernard Allison “Let It Go” (Ruf)
Jimi Hendrix “Both Sides of the Sky” (Experience/Sony)
Kevin Burt “Heartland & Soul” (Little Village Foundation)
Bryce Janey “Brand New Day” (Grooveyard)
Shemekia Copeland “America’s Child” (Alligator)
Marcia Ball “Shine Bright” (Alligator)
Jon Cleary “Dyna-Mite” (FHQ)
Boz Scaggs “Out of the Blues” (Concord)
Magic Sam “At the Avant Garde 1968 (Delmark)
James Harmon “Fineprint” (Electro-Fi)