http://www.kzmu.org/listen.m3u ~ Use this link to access the show online.
Fred Astair introduced George and Ira Gershwin's "A Foggy Day (In London Town" in the 1937 film Damsel in Distress. Almost twenty years later Jackie McLean got together with trumpeter Donald Byrd (one of his few muted trumpet performances), pianist Elmo Hope to tackle Gershwin's idea of the pea-smog days common in the British capital in the 30s. Italian vibist Giovanni Perin liked Gershwin's melody so much he decided to take it one step further with his "A Sunny Day in Berlin" from his 2016 self-produced #pera. Andrea Molinari Quintet's L'Era Dell'Acquario (Picanto Records 2014) closes the half-hour with the Molinari penned "Vimana" featuring his guitar and Logan Richardson's alto sax. Vimāna is a mythological flying palace or chariot described in Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics. The Sanskrit word literally means "measuring out, traversing" or "having been measured out".
Charlie Parker and Miles Davis from their 1946 Savoy 78rpm "Yardbird Suite", a contrafact based on Earl Hines "Rosetta" composed in 1939, begins the second half with solos from the leaders as well as Lucky Thompson's tenor, pianist Dodo Marmarosa (love that name), and Arvin Garrison's guitar. Let the jazz revolution begin! Bulgarian Stefan Goranov sixty years later revisits Bird's tune from his 2016 Birdwatch (Music of Charlie Parker). Italy's Tenor saxophonist Francesco Geminiani follows with a cover of Van Heusen and Burke's "It Could Happen to You" from his 2016 Colorsound backed by Mark Schilders' drums and Rick Rosato's bass. Spaniard Ignasi Terraza's Trio wraps up the second half with his "An Emotional Dance" from his 2016 Swit Records Live At The Living Room, Bangkok.
Detroit's James Hughes (reeds) & Jimmy Smith (trumpet) Quintet's 2016 Ever Up & Onward kicks off the third half with Hughes' "Penguins and Bunny Rabbits" assisted by a trio led by pianist Phil Kelly. Juan Duran Uña, all the way from Spain, made us aware of Bill Evans' Some Other Time (1968/2016 Resonance), a recording kept in the vault forty-eight years, surprising since Bill was still at the height of his powers and it included Bill's unusual collaboration with percussionist Jack DeJohnette. We'll hear a performance of Bill's "Turn Out the Stars". J. D. Moffatt, one of SLC's veteran guitarists, asked that we include a performance by alto saxophonist David Schildkraut. Searching through our library we came up with an impressive solo in "Solar" from Miles Davis' 1954 Prestige recording Walkin'. The outing also features Horace Silver on piano. Argentinean pianist Ernesto Jodos' Relojeros (ya no quedan) [Blue Arts Records 2016] is next with a cover of Rodrigo Dominguez's "Ahora Después" (now after). Joining the pianist are Sergio Verdinelli - drums, Javier Moreno - Bass, Rodrigo Domínguez - Saxophone. The fabulous Gretchen Parlato brings this half to a close with a cover of Wayne Shorter's "Juju" from her 2011 ObliqSound The Lost and Found. The interplay between Gretchen and Dayna Stephens' sax and Taylor Eigsti's piano is spellbinding.
Mark Murphy, who sadly left us last October, gets Romance going with a cover of Rodgers and Hart's "It Never Entered My Mind" from his 2005 Verve Once to Every Heart, featuring the trumpet of Till Bronner. Catalonian pianist Lluis Capdevila's 2016 Diaspora follows with a piano trio treatment of "My Romance", a Rodgers and Hart tune written for Billy Rose's musical, Jumbo (1935). ECM alumni Brit Norma Winstone is next with a cover of Kurt Weill's "It Never Was You" from her 1998 Enodoc Manhattan in the Rain. Jamie Cullum follows with his "Sad, Sad World" featuring Laura Mvula from his 2013 Island Records Momentum. The unusual combination of one of the leading figures of West Coast Jazz, Shorty Rogers, and the era's premiere songbird, June Christy, is next with George Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva's "Do It Again" from Shorty's fifties West Coast Sound, featuring The Giants. On a less optimistic note we'll conclude this love-fest with a 1949 Capitol recording by Nat Cole of Tilzer and Brown's "I Used to Love You". The outing shows us Nat during the short period in which he embraced bop, getting help from guitarist Irving Ashby, bassist Joe Comfort and Jack Costanzo's bongos.
Let's have some fun!
A special thanks to KZMU's Music Director, Serah Mead and the troops @ RoJ for their help putting the show together: Agenor (BRA), Chris do Brasil (BRA), Domi & Victor (SPA), GAB (BEL), JR (SPA), Javi (SPA), Jazzzz61 (SPA), Lira (BRA), Luisa, Menos Que un Perro (ARG), Marcos (BRA), Melokan (VEN), Raz (ISR) and Sonia (SPA). Also friend, Raul Boeira, the Brazilian based in Passo Fundo and Spain's Javier Carrete.