Movie Notes - Straight, No Chaser (Monk Documentary)

One of the first full-fledged jazz documentaries I saw back in the day was 1988's Straight, No Chaser, a black-and-white film I had to drive an hour to the Railroad Square Cinema to see.  I didn't have many jazz records in my collection of LPs, but I had three albums of Monk's (Solo Monk, Criss Cross, Mysterioso), and I'd just about worn out the others I found in the university's music library. Back then, it was a revelation for me to see Monk even-larger-than-larger-than-life on the screen.  The performances are brilliant, and I could tell that Monk was more than just an "eccentric genius" that he'd been marketed as all those years.  He was mentally ill, sick and going without proper treatment -- all the more sad to think how he and those around him suffered because of his struggles.  Current day biographers know the full picture of what was going on, of course.  Doesn't take much away from Charlotte Zwerin's film, though.





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PN 229 - Eric Deggans - 'Race-Baiter'

Media and TV critic for the Tampa Bay Times explains how the media wields dangerous words to divide a nation in his new book, Race-Baiter.



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Eric Deggans

Deggans will appear at Books & Books in Coral Gables on Wednesday, January 23 at 8:00 pm.





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Video Jukebox - Jeff Babko

Keyboardist Jeff Babko is known for his versatility -- and for being a key member of the house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live!  He's also a graduate of the University of Miami music program.  His new album is called Crux, and he'll be my guest on Segment3 this weekend on the Sunday Time Warp.  For now, check out his playing in this week's Video Jukebox.




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Listener's Notes - 2013 NEA Jazz Masters Concert

This evening you can catch a fine concert from Jazz at Lincoln Center, the 2013 NEA Jazz Master's Awards Ceremony and Concert, honoring Mose Allison, Lou Donaldson, Lorraine Gordon, and Eddie Palmieri.  The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST and can be accessed by the public at arts.gov/jazzmasterswebcast as well as jalc.org/neajazzmasters. An archive of the webcast will be available the following day. Wynton Marsalis will emcee the evening, and the music will be provided by a trio of Ron Carter, Kenny Barron, and Jimmy Cobb, with additional music from  Paquito D'Rivera, Sheila Jordan, Dave Liebman, and Randy Weston.  And you never know who might also be sitting in.

Again, the concert begins streaming at 7:30 pm this evening.  When the time comes, click here!


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Sunday Time Warp - Playlist 1/13/13

Song, Artist, Album


Cross Culture, Joe Lovano Us Five, Cross Culture
Dive Bomber, Daniel Strange, Life As I Hear It
Ocho Rios, El Michaels Affair, Sounding Out The City
Ain't It Funky Now, Jimmy McGriff, Greatest Hits
The Burners Jam, Cookin' On 3 Burners, Baked Broiled and Fried
Johnny's Blues, Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers, Like Someone In Love
Muffaletta, Billy Martin's Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Button To Button, Billy Martin's Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Ghumba Zumba, Billy Martin's Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Sugarfoot Stomp, Billy Martin's Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Double Game, Illy B, Drop The Needle
Farther On Up The Road, Lonnie Mack, Memphis Wham!
San-Ho-Zay, Freddy King , The Very Best Of
Blue Greens and Beans, Gene Ammons, Blue Gene
I'm In An Awful Mood, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Old Kidney Stew Is Fine
Superstitious, Beck Bogert & Appice, Beck Bogert & Appice
Home In Your Heart, The Derek Trucks Band, Joyful Noise
Shamading, Les McCann, Talk To The People
Cosmic Strut, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Visions of the Emerald Beyond
The Shadow, Garaj Mahal, Blueberry Cave
Freedom Jazz Dance, Nils Landgren Funk Unit, Fonk The World


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Segment3 - Billy Martin's Wicked Knee

Drummer Billy Martin keeps busy when he's not in Medeski Martin and Wood.  One of his many projects -- Wicked Knee, a drums-and-brass group, has a new album out, Heels Over Head.  Martin talks about playing with horns, the White Stripes, and the benefits of getting out of the groove from time to time.



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Billy Martin's Wicked Knee



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Movie Notes - Blue Note: A Story of Modern Jazz

As many of you wait for the remaining NFL playoff games today has to offer, spend a little time getting smarter about the history of jazz with this respectable 2007 documentary about the Blue Note label. Produced by EuroArts and directed by Julian Benedikt, it features interviews with Tommy Turrentine, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, Herbie Hancock, and Freddie Hubbard.


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