New Music Monday for December 18, 2017

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.

Saxophonist Kamasi Washington’s new EP, “Harmony of Difference,” premiered as part of the Whitney Museum of American Art’s 2017 Biennial alongside a film by A.G Rojas and also featuring artwork by Kamasi’s sister, Amani Washington. It’s an original six-part suite that explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as ‘counterpoint,’ which Kamasi defines as “the art of balancing similarity and difference to create harmony between separate melodies.” Each of the first five movements is its own unique composition, while the sixth fuses all five compositions into one simultaneous performance. Echoing this fusion, Amani created five paintings focused on raw shapes and colors, each inspired by one of the first five movements of the suite. She then combined these paintings to create a sixth: an abstract depiction of a human face.

 

 

Steve Slagle’s follow-up to his much acclaimed “Alto Manhattan” is titled “Dedication,” which once again has a double meaning. Each of the nine songs are specifically dedicated to a person or thing directly related to this music. The disc most clearly represents where his music is heading and has as a special guest his long-time friend, guitarist Dave Stryker, on several tracks as well as Cuban conguero Roman Diaz. The saxophonist again has Bill Stewart on drums, Lawrence Fields on piano and a bassist he has worked with and known quite a while, the great Scott Colley, to form the core quartet.

 

Also this week, Triocity, the collective trio of drummer Rich Thompson, bassist Jeff Campbell and woodwind player Charles Pillow, all long-time faculty members of the acclaimed Eastman School of Music, unveils “I Believe in You”. 

 

 

 

 

 

Singer Jackie Allen offers up a collection of songs written by her bassist Hans Sturm on “Rose Fingered Dawn”.

 

 

 

Guitarist Tom Guarna is joined by bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade for “The Wishing Stones.”

 

 

Talking Pictures 12-13-17

Marshall and Disaster Artist with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Phil Brown.

Culture Crawl 314 “Nothing Says Christmas Like a Kick line of Hockey Players”

Tim Hankewich from Orchestra Iowa spends all year creating a unique and fun Holiday show, that combines tradition with the unexpected. This year’s “Holiday Spectacular” is no exception. It includes a visit from the jolly elf himself, legendary jazz pianist Eddie Piccard.

Plus the Mighty Wurlitzer organ, Discovery Chorus, Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale, Espressivo Strings… And yes, for the Canadian in all of us: a kick line of hockey players singing “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.”

Three shows at the Paramount Theater, Dec. 16-17. Tickets at www.artsiowa.com.

PlayPlay

Clean Up Your Act 1-9-18

Global electronic waste continues to increase.

Special Programs: Week of December 11 – December 16

Short List with host Bob Naujoks    

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

Cats On The Keys 4: Barbara Carroll

Host Bob Naujoks introduces pianist Barbara Carroll to Iowa. Though long in tenure in New York City, she is not well known in the Midwest. Her early years were spent overcoming the gender bias of the male-dominated jazz field. She did break through and played opposite both Dizzy Gillespie’s high powered bop orchestra and the iconic Art Tatum. In the mid-1950s she work on Broadway and had recorded with Atlantic and Verve. She issued a new recording and was doing a regular Saturday afternoon gig at Birdland two months before her death in February.

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler

Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Contemporary Records in 1957

Craig journeys back 60 years to look in on one of the classiest “west coast jazz” record labels – Contemporary Records.  We’ll hear some terrific examples from the 35 + sessions recorded by Lester Koenig for his label during 1957, a year which featured many of the “west coast” greats – Art Pepper, Shelly Manne, Leroy Vinnegar, Buddy Collette, Howard Rumsey, and many others.  Don’t miss this perfect blast of California sunshine!!

 

 

Jazz Profiles with host Nancy Wilson    

Monday at 11:00 PM 

Tommy Flanagan: Poet of Piano

Tommy Flanagan’s soft-spoken manner reflected his quietly understated playing. Known for his style and technique, he was one of bebop’s most important pianists. Born into the fertile Detroit jazz scene, he played with Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, and Thad and Elvin Jones. In 1956, Flanagan moved to New York and became a highly sought studio musician. His devotion as an accompanist resulted in his being somewhat underrated as a soloist, though he was honored with Denmark’s prestigious Jazzpar prize.

 

 

Wednesday Night Special             

6:00 PM   

Euforquestra at Jazz Under The Stars

Euforquestra, the ever-evolving, genre-crossing ensemble originally from Iowa City, injects their live shows with jazz, funk, soul, Afrobeat, reggae and dub to a create music, as one review says, “explodes, dances, and melts in your ear.” They like to call it  “Afro-Caribbean-Barnyard-Funk.” However you define it, their music is igniting audiences across the country. Euforquestra tours constantly and now call Colorado home base, but we captured them live in 2007 at Jazz Under The Stars. Take a musical trip to the grooviest places on earth on this week’s Wednesday Night Special!

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride

Thursday at 11:00 PM

NEA Jazz Masters 

For more than 30 years, the NEA has been horning some of the most significant living well established, seasoned jazz veterans. The folks who’ve earned their stripes, paid their dues. The first crop was in 1982 with Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sun Ra … the following year, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, and Kenny Clarke. This year, it’s writer Ira Gitler, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, bassist Dave Holland, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Pianist Dick Hyman Jazz Night in America salute this year’s recipients with interviews with the artists and unearthed rare live recordings.

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler     

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Birthdate Anniversary of Harold Land

Craig celebrates the birthdate anniversary of “west coast” jazz giant, Harold Land.  He’ll spin outstanding selections from Land’s 15 dates as a leader, and from his dozens of appearances as a sideman with the likes of Bobby Hutcherson, Gerald Wilson, Hampton Hawes, Curtis Counce, and, of course, his time with Clifford and Max!  This is the stuff — from one of the best saxophonists ever!!

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

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

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

Culture Crawl 313 “Shell-Shocked”

Combined Efforts Theatre of Iowa City presents “Shell-Shocked,” a drama with a loose connection to the holidays, as it is set around Christmastime in 1917.

Set in France in World War I, the play illuminates the issue of the condition of men who were near explosions of shells, and whether their subsequent mental health was (and is today) related to emotional or physical trauma.

Running December 15-17 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Tickets at the door or at www.combinedefforts.org.

Culture Crawl 312 “Christmas Dreams”

Charlotte Scheckel of Anamosa directs the holiday show at Starlighters II Theatre, “Christmas Dreams.” It’s a heartwarming family story set during the Depression.

This is the final weekend! The show closes on December 10. Tickets and information at www.starlighters.org.

New Music Monday for December 11, 2017

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.        

Following up on their Juno-nominated debut, “Murphy” is the exciting new recording from the Toronto-based nonet, the Carn Davidson 9, an ensemble formed at the beginning of 2010.  Trombonist William Carn has emerged as one of Canada’s leading jazz composers and performers. He’s performed and recorded with the likes of Rob McConnell, Randy Brecker, Kenny Wheeler, Carla Bley and Vince Mendoza. Tara Davidson is a multi-Juno Award nominated saxophonist who has performed around the world at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the North Sea Jazz Festival, the International Jazz Festival in Lima, Peru, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. As a bandleader, Davidson has produced six recordings of her own and performed on more than thirty recordings as a side person. “Murphy” features eight new compositions by the co-leaders.

 

     “Versatile” is positive proof that 72-year-old Van Morrison is built differently than other artists. One of the very few British recording artists to warrant the description ‘living legend,’ Van is currently working at a rate to put musicians a third of his age to shame; an ethic that harks back to his early days when he’d easily release multiple brilliant LPs within the space of a year. His latest disc sees him delve further back into recorded music’s archives to interpret some of the 20th century’s greatest vocal jazz standards. As well as songs made famous by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole, it also features six of Morrison’s own compositions.

 

 

 

 

Also this week, pianist Michel Camilo was captured in a solo performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall of the Southbank Centre in June of 2015 for “Live in London”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pianist Takaaki Otomo, who moved from Japan to New York City three years ago, unveils his latest trio recording, “New Kid in Town”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John McNeil and trombonist Mike Fahie are joined by pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Billy Hart on their new quintet recording, “Plainsong.”