New Music Monday for February 6, 2023

  Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify 
 “Far Far Away” brings us ever so close to the genius of Jim Snidero. For this, his 25th recording as a leader, the renowned altoist joins forces with inimitable guitar hero Kurt Rosenwinkel, whose searing, innovative playing is on full display. Snidero himself demonstrates a broadsword of a sound, and the rhythm section of pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth groove and interact at the highest levels of artistry in this magnificent all-star quintet. Jim’s six originals create the perfect mix of current trends and tradition. Swing, Latin, and Euro grooves are all represented, with classics from McCoy Tyner and Richard Rodgers rounding out this amazing recording.

 

 

 

 

 

     Jesse Davis is a true bebopper. His big, soulful sound on the alto sax has been on display on many records over the years. He’s been somewhat quiet on the recording front of late, but “Live at Smalls Jazz Club” reminds us what an incredibly melodic improviser he is. Davis combines the perfect blend of blues and bebop and,  although he has an abundance of technique, he is not flashy. He’s backed by pianist Spike Wilner, who runs Smalls Jazz Club, and his rhythm section of Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                

Also this week, guitarist Doug MacDonald gets away from his recent chamber jazz work for a “Big Band Extravaganza”;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

 Panama-born New York-based bassist, composer and arranger Santi Debriano and his Arkestra Bembe harness the power of the Yaruba tribe’s bembe celebration for “Ashanti”;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and Indianapolis-based reedman and composer Mark Ortwein unveils his debut release, “It Was Time.”

 

 

 

 

 

Kirkwood Board of Trustees to meet February 9, 2023

The regular meeting of the Kirkwood Board of Trustees will take place February 9, 2023.  Time, place, and meeting agenda can be found at this link.

Talking Pictures 2-1-23

Decision to Leave (2022),  All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), and Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (2022) and some Oscar contenders with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Denny Lynch.

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Soundtrack To The Struggle: Dinah & Night Train

Singer Dinah Washington and her sixth husband, football legend Dick “Night Train” Lane, were an unlikely pair. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she was madly in love with Night Train. They each fought bigotry in their own ways – Washington by challenging segregation in the music industry, Lane by changing the perception of Blacks in professional sports.

On the gridiron, Night Train took his hated nickname, with all its racial overtones, and made it synonymous with ferocious tackling. All those injured quarterbacks, and the force with which he hit them, are the reason for today’s face-mask and clothes-line penalties. Lane hit the color barrier with the same ferocity. At his induction into the Hall of Fame, Lane called out the NFL’s treatment of African Americans as “stepchildren” and added, “I hope Black players will band together to deal with the problem of no black coaches, no black managers, and just a few black quarterbacks in pro football.”

Both Dinah and Night Train were driven professionals, and both fought hard for equity and equality. Dinah once led her band out a bathroom window, rather than perform without Joe Zawinul – the only white musician. When the audience learned why Dinah wasn’t singing that night, they rioted in the club and onto the streets. And legend has it that Dinah once pulled a gun on a white gas station attendant. He wouldn’t let her use the bathroom.  

She would tell these stories, and others, while performing, giving her eager audiences what she called, “an education between numbers.”

Here is Dinah Washington, singing one of Night Train’s favorites, “Teach Me Tonight.”

“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Hollis Monroe, host.

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KCCK’s Featured Album for February 2023

The KCCK Featured Album for February is the self-titled debut release from “The Heavy Hitters.” This brand new ensemble includes some of the most established players in the genre, co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and saxophonist Eric Alexander, long-time friends coming together for their very first sextet project as leaders. Recorded at the legendary Van Gelder studios, the pair is joined by Jeremy Pelt and Vincent Herring on the front line with backline support from Peter Washington and Kenny Washington. The all-original collection calls upon the timelessness of the old Blue Note sound with a classy 21st century touch. “The Heavy Hitters” is on Cellar Records. Purchase.

Culture Crawl 786 “Going Total Art History Nerd”

The current exhibit at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is “Through The Lens.” Museum Curator Kate Kunau says the exhibit features the work of some of the most notable photographers in the Museum’s collection, focusing on pieces from 1950 to the present.

A new exhibit, “Built This Way” opens Feb. 4. It examines the appearance of architecture in art, also with pieces from the museum’s collection, with work from local favorites such as Marvin Cone and Bertha Jacques, as well as many more.

Get a preview of the new exhibit and hear comments from Kate and from Executive Director Sean Ulmer at an Opening Reception Feb. 2 at 5pm.

Details at www.crma.org.

Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at www.kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or www.kcck.org/listen.

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Clean Up Your Act 2-2-23

A new facility being built in Fairfax will recycle used wind turbine blades.

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This Week In Jazz January 29 thru February 4


Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of saxmen Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz and Sadao Watanabe, trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Snooky Young, trombonists Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton, Benny Morton and Garnett Brown, pianist/vibist Buddy Montgomery and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries Kenny Dorham’s “Afro-Cuban” (1955), Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple” (1966), Chick Corea’s “Return To Forever” (1972), Jack Dejohnette’s Special Edition’s “Audio-Visual Landscapes” (1988), and many others, Monday thru Friday at noon on JAZZ MASTERS.