Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyAlvin Queen arrived on the jazz scene in the late 1960s and quickly became known as the drummer for icons, including Horace Silver, the Brecker Brothers, George Benson and Tom Harrell. He’s perhaps best known as the longtime rhythmic anchor in Oscar Peterson’s final trio, remaining in the …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyWhy would one of poetry’s most revered voices want to curate a jazz saxophonist’s album of gospel hymns and spirituals? “These songs are so important,” says Nikki Giovanni, one of Oprah Winfrey’s 25 Living Legends and a Maya Angelou Lifetime Achievement Award winner for 2017. “They comforted people …
Jazz Corner of the World Encore Mondays at 6:00 PM Black Jazz Record Label, Part 3 Host Craig Kessler presents more terrific material from Black Jazz Records – the Oakland-based, African-American owned and operated jazz label from the 1970s. We’ll hear underrated and obscure material from Kellee Patterson, Roland Haynes, Henry Franklin, …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and SpotifyArtists around the world responded to the forced isolation brought about by the 2020 pandemic in various ways. In Brazil, superstars such as Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil shared concerts from their homes, performing their hit songs for their fans. Among those fans were Anat …
Jazz Corner of the World Encore Mondays at 6:00 PM West Coast Jazz #4 Join host Craig Kessler for his fourth and final “West Coast Jazz” presentation, as he takes a closer listen to more of the important jazz artists and arrangers. We’ll hear great material from Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Russ Garcia, Bill …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Pianist Bill O’Connell is a genuine triple-threat in jazz, equally well-known as a composer, arranger and instrumentalist. He honed his craft carefully from his days with Mongo Santamaria in the ‘70s, his gigs with Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Sonny Rollins and others, and his long-time associations with Jerry …
Jazz Corner of the World Encore Mondays at 6:00 PM West Coast Jazz #3 Week Three of Four in his exploration of West Coast Jazz finds host Craig Kessler taking a closer look at a number of very important jazz artists and arrangers. We’ll hear more from Jimmy Giuffre, Howard Rumsey, Lennie Niehaus, Duane …
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Pianist and composer Deanna Witkowski honors the First Lady of Jazz, Mary Lou Williams, on her lovingly conceived and radiantly realized seventh album, “Force of Nature.” Released along with Witkowski’s first book—a detailed and engaging biography of Williams—the disc caps off 20 years of immersive research into …
