Playlist for Tom Ossana / Dane Brewer – The Thin Edge (March 23, 2016 MST 7:00 to 9:00p.m.)
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There are at least four varieties of "moaning" or, if you prefer, "moanin'." There is John Lee Hooker's version, "Moanin' the Blues" recorded in the UK in 1981. We're not going to hear that one tonight unfortunately. We will hear Charlie Mingus' "Moanin'" from his 1956 Atlantic recording Passions of a Man featuring the influential bassist along with Jackie McLean, Pepper Adams - baritone sax - and many others. Michael Herring's Quartet follows from his 2016 A Very Large Gap featuring two baritones - David French and Chris Gale hewing closely to the original version of Mingus' tune arranged by the leader, bassist Herring. Art Blakey follows with the definitive version of Bobby Timmon's "Moanin'" from a 1958 Blue Note release of the same name, a big time hit covered by countless artists, one of which is the cover by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross from their 1961 Columbia Everybody's Boppin' with lyrics added by Jon Hendricks. The three varieties mentioned above are musical; the fourth is the version we all sound from time to time.
The second half-hour squeezes in John Lee Hooker as he joins Miles Davis and Taj Majal in a performance from his live musical soundtrack from the 1990 movie The Hot Spot; the tune: "Empty Bank" penned by Jack Nitzsche. Hendrik Meurkens covers Freddie Hubbard's "Up Jumped Spring" from his 2016 Height Advantage Harmonicus Rex featuring Hendrik on harmonica, an artist we've heard many times over the years. The venerable German pianist, Joachim Kühn, closes this segment covering Gil Evans' "Blues for Pablo" featuring Chris Jennings on bass and Eric Schaefer on the drums. "Blues for Pablo" was a favorite in Miles Davis work with Gil in Miles Ahead, an album that was released in 1957 by Columbia Records. It was Davis' first collaboration with arranger Gil Evans following the Birth of the Cool sessions.
John Zorn put together a trio with young lion pianist Craig Taborn in a 2016 Tzadik release Flaga Book of Angels, Volume 27 featuring bassist Christian McBride and drummer Tyshawn Sorey in the Zorn penned "Machnia". Newcomer, percussionist Jeff Williams, follows with the title track from his new Whirlwind Recordings Ltd. Outlier. A Paul Smith favorite, Shorty Rogers, is next with his "West Coast" version of the new jazz in a performance of Shorty's "Marooned in a Monsoon" featuring the trumpeter along with the trend-setting reeds of Jimmy Giuffre from the Shorty's 1956 Wherever the Five Winds Blow. Also new to the show, pianist Chris Ziemba covers Gordon and Warren's "I Wish I Knew" from his 2016 muzoic Manhattan Lullaby. The CD features the alto saxophone of Michael Thomas.
Thanks to Danny, I've developed this fascination with Blues shouter, Beth Hart. She will kick off the Romantic Half-Hour with "Mechanical Heart" from her 2015 release, Better than Home. The lyrics are included in the attached playlist. The incurable romantic, pianist Bill Charlap is next with his cover of Gene de Paul and Don Raye's "I'll Remember April" from his new Impulse Notes from New York. Peter and Kenny Washington handle the rhythm section. The Sachal Ensemble, a Pakistani imbued group, is next with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Middle" from the group's Universal Music release, Song of Lahore. Dane will fill in the international details during the broadcast.
Guillaume de Chassy & Daniel Yvinec's Songs From The Last Century (Bee Jazz 2009) is next with a cover of Schwartz and Harburg's "Then I'll Be Tired of You" featuring one of our favorite vocalists, the recently departed Mark Murphy. Karrin Allyson closes this intimate half-hour with her treatment of Matt Dennis' "Angel Eyes" from her 2002 recording, In Blue. Digging a ditch is more fulfilling when you're in love. Let's have some fun!
