Tonight we present a very special concert that took place in Vancouver at the newly opened Queen Elizabeth Theatre and was presented by the old Vancouver New Jazz Society. It took place on a Sunday night on December 6, 1959. The star was the great Modern Jazz pianist Russ Freeman. Mr. Freeman was one of the leading and busiest pianists on the West Coast as he had played with Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Art Pepper ,Dexter Gordon, Sonny Criss and many other greats. He was a hard swinging and inventive pianist who had his own style. Russ and Hampton Hawes were the two leading lights of Jazz piano ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a bit of a catch-up as we return to live broadcasting. This Jazz Feature is an extended tribute to Black History Month and part 1 is Sonny Rollins' famous piece "The Freedom Suite" which was recorded in February of 1958 for Riverside Records. Mr. Rollins wrote this suite and performed it here with two pioneers of Modern Jazz, bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Max Roach. It is Rollins' statement to the trials and triumphs of African Americans and was a ground breaking recording. It is in 3 movements and spans about 20 minutes of magnificent playing by all, Part 2 of ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature is one of Charles Mingus' most intense and incendiary recordings. It was done with his core band that worked a long gig with him at a New York club called "The Showplace". The gig was coming to an end and his two horn players were about to leave. As Mingus had just signed a contract with a new independent label called Candid Records, it gave him the opportunity to record the band and so it came to be: "Mingus Presents Mingus". Mingus introduces the tunes as he would in a club and the band is ready to deliver. The core band is just a quartet but what a quartet! Mingus dri ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature pays tribute to Black History Month with this seminal recording by Herbie Hancock. It was his final album for Blue Note records and the first by his new working band. He had left Miles Davis' band and was embarking on his own career as a leader in 1969. This album was written and created as a musical statement reflecting the turbulent times in the USA and the anger and discontent with the lack of movement in civil rights. Plus there were the assassinations, the Vietnam War and a general malaise in the USA at this time too. Hancock worked on these compositions very hard a ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a bit different as this is our Fundrive Edition of The Jazz Show and I wanted to have a shorter Jazz Feature interspersed with reminders to donate to CITR's Fundrive by going to www.citr.ca/donate. For the Jazz Feature we present four classic recording sessions with the great alto saxophonist and pioneer of Modern Jazz. We will hear these four sessions spanning 1947 to 1953. Charlie Parker will be heard with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianists Bud Powell, Duke Jordan, John Lewis and Al Haig and bassists Tommy Potter, Curley Russell and Percy Heath and master drummer Max R ..read more

Chicago born John Arnold Griffin 111 is better known as simply Johnny or in some cases "The Little Giant." Griffin was and is one of the major voices of the tenor saxophone. He emigrated to New York in late 1956 and was soon causing musical excitement in the Big Apple. He recorded his first Blue Note album and it was getting lots of play and in early 1957 he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He was doing sideman record dates as well. Tonight's Jazz Feature is his second Blue Note date and it's basically a jam type date with long tunes and plenty of solo time for all. Griffin requested this ..read more

Tonight`s Jazz Feature is one of the few albums under his name that he recorded despite the fact that master drummer Arthur Taylor was on literally hundreds of recording sessions in the 50`s and 60`s. He played with everyone of note from Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk et al. The Jazz Feature album is called `A.T.`s Delight` and it is one that Art Taylor was proud of. He selected the tunes and picked the personnel. First up is the underrated and under recorded trumpeter Dave Burns. On tenor saxophone is a young up and coming star, Stanley Turrentine. On piano is ..read more

Drum great Max Roach is tonight`s Jazz Feature Artist. Mr.Roach was always aware of civil rights and was politically aware of the changes in American society but around about 1960 he decided to combine his music with the politics of civil rights and made a statement that he would never play any music that didn`t have social significance. Tonight`s Jazz Feature is his fine album, his first of two for the newly formed Impulse Records. Roach wrote and arranged all six pieces all dedicated to aspects and people involved in the fight for rights and freedom. Along with Roach on drums, Art Davis is o ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature is our first for 2023 and it spotlights the talents of Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith. Dizzy Gillespie is of course a Jazz pioneer and the major voice of Modern Jazz trumpet. Hezekiah "Stuff" Smith is a a rarity in Jazz, a master violinist. Stuff has that raw sound derived from the blues and a deep swing and a style that is very adaptable. Producer Norman Granz was right when he brought Stuff and Dizzy together as their outgoing musical personalities meshed and they lit a fire under each other. Dizzy chose the rhythm section wisely. Pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul We ..read more

Tonight's Jazz Feature is a special one as composer arranger Gil Evans did not record many albums under his name. He became prominent as an important collaborator with Miles Davis and they produced three important and iconic albums, "Miles Ahead", "Porgy and Bess" and "Sketches of Spain". Davis was the principal soloist and the arrangements for the accompanying orchestra was conducted and arranged by Gil Evans. A magical combination!. Evans, through these famous recordings was able to form his own band and record under his own name. Tonight's Jazz feature album is one of his very finest and is ..read more