I talk about Charles Waring's list of the 25 best vibraphonists, play music by a few of them, and add some others. They range in eras from Lionel Hampton to Chris Dingman. And lots inbetween ..read more

This is the last of my New Aquisitions series----lp's and cd's I recently found. It include three artists from my hometown, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are: -Saxophonist PJ Perry playing with the #1 jazz pianist according to Downbeat critics' polls---Kenny Barron. -The Edmonton Jazz Ensemble from 1989, led by Sean McNally, performing a fascinating arrangement of John Lewis's Django. -The late guitarist Bobby Cairns and his rendition of the oft played standard, Beautiful Love. I also include a fascinating 'contest' for you on this listener. Guess what emotion or human quality is being portr ..read more

The hilight for me on this week's podcast is a brand new cd (their first) by Moneka Arabic Jazz---led by Toronto's (via Iraq) Ahmed Moneka. I play two tracks from that album. I also play some more typical jazz recordings---with outstanding playing! Three of them are on the Pablo lable recorded in the mid 1970's. They include: -a track from the Quadrant album by Joe Pass, Milt jackson, Mickey Roker, and Ray Brown. -Oscar Peterson playing Bobby Hebb's 'Sunny' on the organ, with Joe Pass and Ray Brown. -A terrific Basie Jam of 'I Surrender Dear'. Then there's two tracks from a Tony Bennett album ..read more

There were over five weeks where my podcast was out of commission due to the host having disappeared. Now I have a new host and I've been posting some new Discovering Jazz programs. During that no-activity period I was still buying cd's and records---waiting the time I could play some of them on my show. Well folks! That time has come! Most of these vinyl albums and cd's were found in thrift and second hand stores. A few were purchased online or from the artist's themselves at concerts I attended. Some were sent to me by promoters. In the next three episodes I plan to play tracks from the ones ..read more

I like to 'prepare' to go to Jazz Festival concerts (even if I don't actually go to many of them) as an excuse to 'discover' new jazz artists. And there are some great ones playing at this year's Edmonton Jazz Fest going on this week (June 25-30). And many of them are also on tour playing elsewhere in Western and Eastern Canada and the U.S., as well as Europe. I don't know how many concerts my time and budget will allow me to see and hear. Probably Norbert Kael and his Jazzical Trio and Moneka Arabic Jazz. Then there's Ulysses Owens Jr and Generation Y, Veronia Swift, Lakecia Benjamin, Cory He ..read more

More great recent recordings utilizing bebop, hardbop, and swing as selected by soul/jazz singer and pianist, Cliff Beach. We start again with a great Duke Ellington composition from Cliff's latest album, You Showed Me The Way. And follow it with Ella Fitzgerald singing that same Duke Ellington song with what Cliff describes as a "James Brown sound". You'll also hear Monty Alexander, John Scofield doing some Bob Dylan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, Monty Alexander, Kurt Elling, Jose James, and Stacy Kent. And one Canadian artist I introduced to Cliff---Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George ..read more

Ella Fitzgerald representing jazz fusion? You have to be kidding! Well, just give a listen to the opening track of this episode where Los Angeles jazz/soul singer Cliff Beach introduces to a later 'funky' Ella! Somone said that if Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder had a love child, it would be Cliff! You can hear this influence on his latest album called "You Show Me The Way". Cliff has found a lot of great fusion recordings---old and new. Some of them are from the 'magical year of fusion. We play and Cliff talks about: -Chaka Khan and her medley of bebop tunes. -from Japan, Casiopeia. With Da ..read more

Cliff Beach's latest album is called You Showed Me The Way. He credits Ella Fitzgerald with showing him the way through traditional sgin and bebop and through the path of modern jazz. On this episode we play some Ella, as well as an outstanding track from Cliff's latest album. Then Cliff talks about how the more traditional swing, bebop, and blues forms of jazz have never died....but had been 'paved over'. And if you listen closely to most modern jazz you'll find that those elements are still there, even though they are fused with so many other musical forms. Some of the great music you'll hea ..read more

The podcasts are back! Thanks to the assistance of Maxime at FeedPress. After posting three new episodes on what makes a great jazz solo (Episodes 269-271), I thought I'd go into the archives and also include the original ones I put together a few year ago. These were inspired by a Jazz Times article where a number of famous jazz musicians and writers were asked to talk about their favourite solos. This episode features amazing solos by Bill Evans, Charlie Parker, Jaco Pastorius, Freddie Hubbard, Ella Fitzgerald, and Toronto's Robi Botos. Plus one solo that was described as being not so amazin ..read more

I explore the controversies related to Tommy Flanagan's solo on Coltrane's Giant steps, plus Cannonball Adderley's solo in Milestones. One jazz writer stated "With Giant steps Coltrane supplanted Cherokee as the litmus test for aspiring improvisers, packing so many harmonic substitutions into one progression that at first blush, consummate pianist Tommy Flanagan could barely eke his way through the changes". So how bad was Flanagans's solo? And was Coltrane's solo so powerful that it could cause us to experience vertigo (as one reviewer suggested). Then there's that controversy around Cannonba ..read more