2/17/13

Sunday Time Warp - Playlist 2/17/13


Title, Artist, Album
Freedom Jazz Dance, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Second Wind
In The Bamboo Grove, The Bamboos, Step It Up
Lapdance, The John Popper Porject Featuring DJ Logic, The John Popper Project
Be Dope, Garaj Mahal, Mondo Garaj
Lenny, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood
Ali Farka Toure, Heygana, The River
Kenny Wayne Shepard, Voodoo Child, Blue on Black
Song For My Father, Horace Silver, Song for My Father
34 Skidoo, Pamela Hines, 3.2.1

Stuck in the Middle With You, Nicole Henry, So Good So Right
So Good So Right, Nicole Henry, So Good So Right
Fire and Rain, Nicole Henry, So Good So Right
Tall Drink of Water, John Ellis, By A Thread
Jean and Renata, Ben Wendel, Frame
Uncle Underpants, Dan Pratt Organ Quartet, Toe The Line
Baby Goats, Will Bernard, Blue Plate Special
Rhythm Music Rides Again, Charlie Hunter Quartet, Scenes from the Analog Playground


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Segment3 - Nicole Henry





Vocalist Nicole Henry broadens the songbook with her tour of tunes from the 1970s on her new live album So Good So Right.


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2/16/13

Karen Russell at Books and Books

     One of the best short stories I've read in many years, "Proving Up," can be found in Karen Russell's new collection, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, a gathering of consistently impressive tales from one of the most remarkable contemporary American writers of what I would call "the fantastic."  I've been reading, reviewing, and interviewing Russell since her first collection came out, and she's always funny and interesting and of course brilliant as a guest.  As usual, she was booked for an interview on Passing Notes to coincide with the release of Vampires and her usual drop-in at Books and Books in Coral Gables.
     Perhaps it's the creeping supernatural element in Russell's work.  Perhaps it's the ghost in the machine.  Russell and I did one interview many weeks ago, but, frustratingly, the file was corrupted -- even the backups.  Russell was nice enough to do another interview, and that file wasn't corrupted, but after some cordial small talk, the rest of the recording was marred by the strange ghostly voice-over from a documentary on the Olmecs that was playing somewhere else in the building I was working in.  Some sort of analog signal creep through the wires.  Perhaps the spirits are at work to prevent the world from learning the secrets that Russell already knows about vampires and ghosts and the weird in general.
     All this is to say that I don't have any new material to offer from Karen Russell.  Nobody is more frustrated than I am.  But you can listen to the extensive interview we did for her novel Swamplandia! a few years back.
     Also, if you want to hear Russell reading from her newest work, she'll be appearing at Books and Books in Coral Gables tonight.

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2/7/13

Video Jukebox - John Hollenbeck


Composer, arranger, bandleader, and drummer John Hollenbeck has a new album out -- Songs I Like A Lot - featuring Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry, Gary Versace, as well as the Frankfurt Radio Big Band.  This week's video jukebox has Hollenbeck mostly with his smaller group, The Claudia Quintet, but you can hear him talk about his new album on this weekend's Segment3 on the Sunday Time Warp.  We had to reschedule from last week!


johnhollenbeck.com






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2/3/13

Sunday Time Warp - Playlist 2/3/13


Song, Artist, Album

Freedom Jazz Dance, Woody Herman, Giant Steps
Canto No Y Llores, Billy Martin’s Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Wind It Up, The Stooges Band, live audio rip
Whipping Post, Bonerama, Live From New York
Roberta, Rev. Billy C Wirtz, Deep Fried and Sanctified
Knock Knock, Carol Fran, Excello single
Red Beans, Marcia Ball, Blue House
Straighten Up And Fly Right, Nat King Cole Trio, Greatest Hits

I’m Hip, Blossom Dearie, Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott’s
So You Say, John Scofield, Blue Matter
Unpack Your Adjectives, Sara Gazarek, Blossom & Bee
Everything I’ve Got, Sara Gazarek, Blossom & Bee
Fly Little Birdie, Sara Gazarek, Blossom & Bee
The Luckiest, Sara Gazarek, Blossom & Bee
Africa Is The Center of the World, Roy Ayer, Center of the World
Born Under Punches, Talking Heads, Remain in Light
Modern Technology, The Daktaris, Soul Explosion
Ganawa (Blue Moses), Randy Weston featuring Pharaoh Sanders, Blue Moses


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Segment3 - Sara Gazarek

Better late than never, I talk with Sara Gazarek about one of last year's best jazz vocalist recordings, her third album, Blossom and Bee.  She talks about trusting yourself as a musician, about the influence of Blossom Dearie, and how she and her band put together the new album after a five year recording hiatus.

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Sara Gazarek


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2/2/13

Movie Notes - 'Sound City'

If you haven't yet caught some of the buzz surrounding Dave Grohl's documentary, Sound City, allow me to buzz a little more in your ear. After doing fairly well at a number of film festivals and getting positive feedback from pre-release screeners, Sound City had as large a release as it's probably going to get this week.

Sound City takes its title from the recording studio in Los Angeles where whole cratefulls of legendary rock albums were recorded.  Neil Young? Fleetwood Mac? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Nirvana?  Dave Grohl, who we should all remember BF (Before Foo) as the drummer for Nirvana, now owns the legendary, hand-built Neve 8028 Console, which he bought when Sound City went out of business.  Not only has Grohl put together a fine documentary about rock and roll and what we might call "the ethos of the garage," in the second half of the film we get to see the Foo Fighters recording a new album with the likes of Stevie Nicks, Rick Springfield (who rocks), Trent Reznor, Josh Homme, and some dude from Liverpool named Paul (who shreds).

Recently, director and host and star and drummer and guitarist Dave Grohl made the media rounds in his own way -- I caught him on the podcasts WTF and Nerdist.  All the more interesting is the distribution model for the film's release, which you can see in theaters in a few markets -- but you can rent a download it as well for the price of a movie ticket or buy the film outright for $15.  You'd want to see it in the theater to hear the music -- and this is one downloaded movie that's worth watching on a computer so you can listen with headphones.  As you might expect, Sound City sounds great.

For audio nerds out there, Sound City is a movie to place alongside Tom Dowd and the Language of MusicLes Paul: Chasing Sound!, and some of the better episodes of Classic Albums for a introduction to how records get made and how the recording studio itself can be played like a musical instrument.

Remember -- use those headphones.  After Sound City is over, you might have that pleasant ringing in your ears.

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2/1/13

PN 231 - Rudresh Mahanthappa - 'Gamak'

Alto sax powerhouse Rudresh Mahanthappa continues to fuse East and West with a reconfigured quartet that features guitarist Dave Fiuczynski on the new album 'Gamak.'  Plus Mahanthappa drops a couple of prog references for everyone's Inner Peart.


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Rudresh Mahanthappa





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1/31/13

Video Jukebox - Sara Gazarek

Vocalist Sara Gazarek already has three albums out -- Yours (2005), Return To You (2007) and last year's outstanding Blossom and Bee.  This weeks playlist on the Video Jukebox has Gazarek performing with her own group and with the German group Triosence.  She'll be the featured guest on Segment3 this weekend on the Sunday Time Warp.





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1/29/13

PN Unscripted - Marc Myers



Jazz journalist  -- visit his website Jazzwax -- and Wall Street Journal writer Marc Myers breaks things down in his social history of the music, Why Jazz Happened, which provides a cultural context for developments in the music from the 1940s to the 1970s.

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1/28/13

Movie Notes - 'Let's Get Lost' (1988)



Last time around it was Thelonious Monk, and this week's jazz documentary from 1988 is Bruce Weber's elegant and mysterious examination of the life and celebrity of trumpeter and singer Chet Baker -- Let's Get Lost.  An icon of the West Coast school of cool, Baker did indeed get lost amid a heroin addiction, run-ins with the law, and a serious beatdown that trashed his embouchure for a number of years.  A fascinating life, a more fascinating film.



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1/27/13

Sunday Time Warp - Playlist 1/27/13

Song, Artist, Album

Freedom Jazz Dance, Don Ellis, Live in 3 2/3/4 Time
Waiting Is Forbidden, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Gamak
Nu-Bop, Matthew Shipp, Greatest Hits
Use Me, Nicole Henry, So Good So Right
Treat Me Right, Ironing Board Sam, B-Side to Orignal Funky Bell Bottom
The House of the Rising Sun, Nina Simone, Nina Simone Sings The Blues
Texas Flood, Whispering Smith, Blowing the Blues: A History of Blues Harmonica
Wasted Life Blues, Valerie Wellington, Life in the Big City


Cut Off My Right Arm, Johnny Copeland, Boom Boom
Chicken Walk, LVM Trio, LVM Trio
Hardest Button To Button, Louis Durra, Rocket Science
Tangled Up In Blue, Louis Durra, The Best of All Possible Worlds
Nine Eleven, Louis Durra, Rocket Science
All I Really Want, Luis Durra, The Best of All Possible Worlds
Where’s The Music?, Medeski Martin and Wood, Let’s Go Everywhere
Four on Six, Wes Montgomery, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Mad World, Todd Clouser’s Love Electric, The Naked Beat
The Last Broken Heart (Prop 8), Christian Scott, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
Whiplash, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Four MFs Playing Tunes

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Segment3 - Louis Durra


Pianist, bandleader, and arranger Louis Durra explains his approach to reworking songs from all over the musical map.  Bob Dylan, The White Stripes, Alanis Morissette, and even DJ Rob Swift inform Durra's distinctive approach to the piano trio.



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Louis Durra



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1/26/13

Programming Notes

I'm happy to announce that the managers at 88.9 FM WDNA have decided to add another time slot for Passing Notes -- so you can tune in during drive time every Friday after the BBC News, 6:06 pm to be precise.  That new broadcast time is in addition to the 11:06 spot just before Studio 360.  Passing Notes is up to its 230th episode, and if you miss any of the broadcasts, you can always find the latest 10 or so episodes as podcasts on iTunes or Stitcher.

My music show, The Sunday Time Warp, continues to build audience and is coming up on its first full year -- despite for the past five months having to go against NFL football from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. We'll have a first anniversary show on March 3. The feature interview each week on the Time Warp -- Segment3 -- which I started out with very low expectations -- has taken off very quickly.  Segment three is booked already well into March.  Who knew?  And remember, all those Segment3 episodes are also available as podcasts.

If you like what I do, please tell folks about Passing Notes and the Sunday Time Warp.  You can also take a minute and sign up for the e-mail newsletter (the link is at the top of the right sidebar), or become a liker/follower through all kinds of social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook (at the links below).  Lastly, if you do listen to the podcasts from time to time, reviews and thumbs up are a huge help in terms of helping me bring in a few more thin dimes from the work I do!  Much appreciated!

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1/25/13

PN 230 - John McCusker - 'Creole Trombone'




Photojournalist and serious jazz fan John McCusker finds that he's the person to end up writing a first-rate biography of Kid Ory, a more important figure in the early years of jazz than many had previously thought.



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John McCusker







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Video Jukebox - Kid Ory



Exclusively the converting and uploading work of Jasper Van Pelt, here's a Video Jukebox selection of clips of Kid Ory performing on television in the late 1950s.  In addition to playing on Louis Armstrong's Hot Five recordings, Ory was an important New Orleans bandleader in the 1910s, a mentor to many jazz figures of the 20s century, and a genial purveyor of the New Orleans sound well into the sixties.  He's the subject of a new biography by John McCusker, Creole Trombone: Kid Ory and the Early Years of Jazz.  McCusker will be my guest on today's Passing Notes.


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1/23/13

Video Jukebox - Louis Durra



Pianist Louis Durra brings his eclectic song selections and contemplative arrangements to the Video Jukebox this week.  You've got Dylan, Marley, Radiohead in the mix of nine performances the playlist below.  He's also released a couple of fine albums of late -- Rocket Science and The Best of All Possible Worlds.

Durra will be the guest on this weekend's Sunday Time Warp.


Louis Durra




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1/22/13

PN Unscripted - Billy Martin

Drummer Billy Martin breaks down the history of his new project, Wicked Knee, a new album, 'Heels Over Head,' and what he's up to when he's not grooving with Medeski Martin and Wood.  We get into a serious discussion of being in the groove, getting out of the groove, and how you might think of every instrument as a percussion instrument.

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1/21/13

PN Unscripted - Eric Deggans

Media critic Eric Deggans discusses his new book, Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.  He offers insights on changes in media over the past two decades, the rise of Fox News, the decline of right-wing radio, and the need for a more thoughtful and persistent discussion of race in the mainstream.

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Deggans will be appearing at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Wednesday, January 23 at 8:00 pm.


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1/20/13

Sunday Time Warp - Playlist 1/20/13

Song, Artist, Album
Freedom Jazz Dance, MALTA, Jazz Up Back Up Dress Up
Stuck In The MIddle With You, Nicole Henry, So Good So Right
The Crunge, Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Momentum
Hopscotch, Vincent Herring, Mr. Wizard
The Archer or the Arrow, Motet, Live
Lose Blues, Pamela Hines, 3-2-1
Key Swing, Matthew Shipp, Greatest Hits
Mbwemofolo, Billy Martin's Wicked Knee, Heels Over Head
Ohnedaruth, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Bap-Tizum
Absolutions, Max Roach, Members Don't Git Weary
Luna, Jeff Babko, Crux
On The Milky Way Express, Wayne Shorter, High Life
Nostalgia Is For Suckas, Jeff Babko, Crux
Post Punk, Jeff Babko, Crux
Man of Constant Sorrow, John Hollenbeck, Songs I Like A Lot
Grant's Stand, Booker Ervin, Freedom Book
Power of Soul, Idris Muhammad, Power of Soul
Hey Fela!, New Mastersounds, 102%

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Segment3 - Jeff Babko




The versatile keyboardist Jeff Babko gets to the heart of the compositional matter on his new album, 'Crux.'




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1/19/13

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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1/18/13

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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1/17/13

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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1/14/13

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'RiveraSheila JordanDave 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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1/13/13

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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