KCCK’s music producers have chosen their 10 favorite jazz and blues releases for 2022. Their top choices range from the Jason Yeager Septet to Somi to Dave Brubeck to Anibal Rojas and Edgar Winter. Click here to see their lists.
Bob Stewart: Monday-Friday 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.
1) Jason Yeager Septet “Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite” (Sunnyside)
Yeager’s compositions and arrangements vibrantly captured the wit and skewed vision of one of my favorite authors in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the great satirist’s birth.
2) Marshall Gilkes “Cyclic Journey” (Alternate Side)
3) Anat Cohen “Quartetinho” (Anzic)
4) Mike Conrad “Reconnect” (Skydeck)
5) Ben Patterson “The Way of the Groove” (Origin)
6) Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jean-Paul Brodbeck “The Chopin Project” (Heartcore)
7) Harry Skoler “Living in Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus” (Sunnyside)
8) Way North “New Dreams, Old Stories” (Way North)
9) Steve Cardenas/Ben Allison/Ted Nash “Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley” (Sunnyside)
10) Queen Kong “Fray” (Queen Kong)
Hollis Monroe Monday-Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
1) Somi “Zenzile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba”
2) 3 More Sounds “Play Ray Charles”
3) Basie Orchestra “Live at Birdland”
4) Sloane, Carol “Live at Birdland”
5) Arturo Sandoval “Rhythm & Soul”
6) Houston Person “Live in Paris”
7) Dave Bass “The Trio Vol. 2”
8) Dave Brubeck “Live from Vienna 1967”
9) Al Foster “Reflections”
10) Spike Wilner “Plays Monk & Ellington”
Ron Adkins: Monday-Friday 2-6 p.m.
1) Dave Brubeck – Live From Vienna 1967 – Brubeck Editions
This is the second album of unreleased gems culled from the library of the Brubeck estate. And it is the only recording of Brubeck’s classic ensemble playing as a trio. Several urban myths surround the absence of Paul Desmond from this gig (Desmond says he missed the train to Vienna; others say he was too drunk to even find the train station). Whatever the reason, the pared-down sound lacks nothing. There’s an energy and vibrancy to each song and everyone played at the top of their form. Dave Brubeck once said that he played better when angry. Brubeck, Eugene Wright, and Joe Morello must have been very, very angry that night. These are some of the best Brubeck charts I’ve ever heard.
2) Yellowjackets – Parallel Motion – Mack Avenue
3) Lady Blackbird – Black Acid Soul – BMG
4) Oscar Peterson – A Time For Love – Mack Avenue
5) Terri Lyne Carrington – New Standards, Vol. 1 – Candid
6) Damani Phillips – No More Apologies – Damani Phillips
7) Lorraine Feather – My Own Particular Life – Relarion
8) Carlos Henriquez – The South Bronx Story – Tiger Turn
9) Jason Yeager – Unstuck In Time – Sunnyside
10) Tuba Skinny – Magnolia Strut – Tuba Skinny
Saul Lubaroff: Saturday 8 a.m. – Noon, Sunday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
1) Anibal Rojas “Cachai”
Anibal is a long time friend and college buddy. I have played with him many times and was able to interview him last year. The album is brilliant.
2) Damani Philips “No More Apologies”
3) Pat Metheny “Side -Eye NYC V1.VI”
4) Jiyhe Lee Orchestra “Daring Mind”
5) Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm “Not a Novelty”
6) Bob Mintzer & the WDR Big Band “Soundscapes”
7) Eliane Elias “Mirror Mirror”
8) Joey DeFrancesco “More Music”
9) Michael Dease “Give It All You Got”
10) Ulysses Owens, Jr Big Band “Soul Conversation”
Bob DeForest: Da Blues Saturday 6-10 p.m.
1) Edgar Winter “Brother Johnny” (Quatro Valley)
2) Buddy Guy “The Blues Don’t Care” (RCA)
3) Bernard Allison “Highs & Lows” (Ruf)
4) The Phantom Blues Band “Blues for Breakfast” (Little Village)
5) Charlie Musselwhite “Mississippi Son” (Alligator)
6) Kenny Neal “Straight from the Heart” (Ruf)
7) Shemekia Copeland “Done Come Too Far” (Alligator)
8) Jeremiah Johnson “Hi-Fi Drive By” (Ruf)
9) Mud Morganfield “Portrait” (Delmark)
10) John Primer “Hard Times” (Blues House)
Bob Naujoks: Gentle Jazz Sunday 7 a.m. – 10 a.m.
1) Dave Brubeck “Live from Vienna 1967” (Brubeck Editions)
2) Nica Carrington “Times Like These” (Carrington)
3) Cyrus Chestnut “My Father’s Hands” (High Note)
4) Anat Cohen “Quartetinho” (Anzic)
5) Melissa Errico “Out og yhr Dark” (Errico)
6) Ella Fitzgerald “Ella at the Hollywood Bowl” (Verve)
7) Scott Hamilton “Classics” (Stunt)
8) Jo Harroip “The Heart Wants” (Lateralize)
9) Night Is Alive All Stars “Old, New, Borrowed & Blue” (Night Is Alive)
10) Carol Sloane “Live at Birdland” (Club 44)
Jazz Corner of the World Encore
Jazz Night in America
