Author Derrick Bang has chronicled the life of pianist Vince Guaraldi and has also written dozens of articles on the Charles Schulz and the Peanuts comic strips. But he recently turned his attention to making an exhaustive survey of the role of Jazz in the music of TV and movies. His two-volume set, Crime and Spy …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifySaxophonist Wayne Escoffery is renowned for his fiery, muscular and virtuosic tenor playing, but his explosive sound is paired with a soft-spoken and thoughtful demeanor off the bandstand. In many cases, both those aspects of his personality can be credited to the same inspirations–giants of the music who …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifySisterhoods have been steadily moving toward the forefront of the jazz scene. Elevated by purpose and promise, and upholding the virtues of equality and community, these sororities have become a substantial force in the music today. Monika Herzig, a thoughtful composer and inventive pianist, has become a key …
Hey, Jazz fans!!! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of cornetist Red Nichols, pianists Mary Lou Williams, John Lewis, Don Friedman and Keith Jarrett, trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Richard Williams, singer Teresa Brewer and more!!! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Billy Taylor’s “Cross Section” (1953), Miles Davis’ …
Short List with host Bob Naujoks Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturdays at 7 AM Vocal Short List: Morgana King Vocalist Morgana King began singing in nightclubs at the age of 16. Her 1964 album, “A Taste of Honey” was well received. Following the death of her husband, trombonist Willie Dennis, she …
Hey, Jazz fans!!! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of pianist/composer/bandleader Duke Ellington, harmonica player Toots Thielemanns, drummers Connie Kay and Denzil Best, singers Bing Crosby, Blossom Dearie, Shirley Horn and Willie Nelson, reedmen Jimmy Giuffre, Teddy Edwards and Big Jay McNeely and more!!! We’ll also mark the recording …
Short List with host Bob Naujoks Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturdays at 7 AM Vocal Short List: Leo Watson Scat vocalist Leo Watson not widely known now, but his work influenced virtually all scatting jazz singers in the modern era – Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter and Mel Torme among them. Watson …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Duchess’s embrace of merriment is not merely a by-product of the group’s natural joie de vivre; their commitment to joy stems from a deeply rooted belief that in troubled times, sharing and spreading happiness is a necessary act. On its third full-length release, “Live at Jazz Standard,” the …
