This Week’s Shows: Week of February 22 – 28

Short List with Bob Naujoks

Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM

The Short List: A Personal History of Jazz – Ragtime/Early New Orleans

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

The Short List this week will feature Ragtime and early New Orleans sounds. Producer Bob Naujoks lists his likes in that early pre-jazz and jazz, which include Scott Joplin as interpreted by Joshua Rifkin, the acoustic recording of the Original Dixieland Jazz band from 1917, and trumpeters King Oliver and Jabbo Smith.

 

 

 

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson  

Monday at 6:00 PM

Zoot Sims: ‘Brother’ of Swing

"Zoot" Sims

“Zoot” Sims

No matter the tempo, no matter the rhythm section backing him, it was impossible for tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims (1925-1985) not to swing, even when he played by himself. Sims was one of the most natural of all jazz musicians, whose warmth, creativity and humor earned him the unreserved admiration of musicians and fans alike. Though Sims never sought it, fame came with membership in Woody Herman’s “Four Brothers” saxophone section, and later, in a celebrated partnership with fellow “brother” Al Cohn. Strongly influenced by Lester Young and Ben Webster, he nevertheless had a singular sound and style infused with a simple directness that was irresistibly Zoot Sims.

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)

“The State of the Instrument – The Drums”               

In this 3rd installment of this series, Craig will examine the work of 6 jazz drummers who are currently involved with top-notch artists on today’s Jazz scene. We’ll hear from Antonio Sanchez, Yoron Israel, Mark Ferber, Clarence Penn, Jeff Ballard, and Jorge Rossy.

 

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire     

Tuesday at 6:00 PM 

Basin Street Station

Basin Street Station in New Orleans

Basin Street Station in New Orleans

This week’s episode of New Orleans Calling features live performances recorded especially for NOC listeners at New Orleans’ historic Basin Street Station. Basin St. Station, the Cultural Crossroads of New Orleans, exhibits the fascinating history, rich culture and unique attributes of New Orleans in the only remaining railroad building of the City. Featured are trumpeter Leroy Jones, singer Sharon Martin, Clarinetist Evan Christopher, and other New Orleans notables.

 

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride

Wednesday at 6:00 PM

Up And Down The Mississippi With Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

The story of the music that came out of the Mississippi Delta and traveled up the river to Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, and way beyond is the story of at least the last century of American music. The versatile guitarist Bill Frisell knows this: At Jazz at Lincoln Center, he leads a set spanning New Orleans to the Delta, Bob Dylan to Bix Beiderbecke. In this episode of Jazz Night in America, he’s joined by saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist Craig Taborn, and drummer Rudy Royston, embarking on a musical journey along the revered Route 61.

  

Wednesday Night Special                

7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)   

Jazz Legends at the Iowa City Jazz Festival: Pharoah Sanders (2013)

Pharoah Sanders at the 2013 Iowa City Jazz Festival

Pharoah Sanders at the 2013 Iowa City Jazz Festival

Pharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award-winning American jazz saxophonist. Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as “probably the best tenor player in the world.” Emerging from John Coltrane’s groups of the mid-1960s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of “sheets of sound.” Sanders is an important figure in the development of free jazz.  Born Ferrell Sanders, the name ‘Pharoah’ was claimed to have been iven to him by fellow band member and legendary pianist and composer Sun Ra. Sanders played with John Coltrane’s band for about a year beginning in late 1964, the same year he recorded his first album as a leader.  Most of his late-1960’s albums were released on the Impulse, his first major label.

In the 1970’s, the tenor saxophonist continued to develop his abilities as bandleader, working with the likes of Alice Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, and Don Cherry and producing highly acclaimed albums for Impulse such as Black Unity (1971) and Thembi  (1971).  In 1994, he travelled to Morocco to record with master Gnawa musician Maleem Mahmoud Ghania, resulting in the Bill Laswell-produced The Trance of Seven Colours. Sanders continued to work with Laswell, Jah Wobble, and others on the albums Message from Home (1996) and Save Our Children (1999). In 2000, Sanders released Spirits — a multi-ethnic live suite with Hamid Drake and Adam Rudolph. In the decades after his first recordings with Coltrane, Sanders developed into a more well-rounded artist, capable of playing convincingly in a variety of contexts, from free to mainstream. Some of his best work is his most accessible.  As a mature artist, Sanders discovered a hard-edged lyricism that has served him well.

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler    

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

AH3

From California with Love Studio album by Andrew Hill (1978)

“Artists House Record Label”                 

Craig examines the short-lived ARTISTS HOUSE jazz label from the late 1970s. We’ll talk about the label founder and producer, John Snyder, as well as hear fine selections from all 14 of the releases – hearing great material from Ornette Coleman, Art Pepper, Jim Hall, Andrew Hill, Paul Desmond, Gil Evans, and others. This classy record label has fallen into the depths of obscurity, but certainly deserves a fresh look.

 

 

 

Tropical Heat with Kpoti Accoh      

Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Featured Album: TBA

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:

http://www.kcck.org/midnight-cd/