Discovering Jazz

It was Eldridge Cleaver who was best known for saying “You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem”.

Jazz is music born of the African-American experience, and, in order to be part of the solutions, all of us who are involved in this music are ‘duty bound’ to recognize its origins. Jazz also has a long history of fighting oppression and violence against African Americans as well as other minorities, and have been (to quote Randall Cline, artistic director of SF Jazz) “on the front lines of change”.

This week’s program is my attempt to show support for African Americans and others who are fighting oppression.

You’ll hear some amazing music and lyrics by black artists, as well as something by an Aboriginal-Canadian group.

As well, I read out a few of my favourite posts social media that demonstrate that discrimination and violence, some of them posted by people who acknowedge their own ‘privilege’ as they expose systemic oppression. And such acknowledgment is an important first step.

Hopefully this week’s episode will help us all feel more connected. And at the same time, we can enjoy the great music.

You’ll hear selections by The Last Poets, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Eugene McDaniels, Terence Blanchard, A Tribe Called Red, Oscar Peterson, Archie Shepp, Nina Simone, Weather Report, and The Liberation Music Orchestra.

-Larry

Part 2 of essential jazz albums for those of us still in the beginner ‘discovery’ process. Which, I suspect, most of us are—considering the wealth of amazing jazz recordings out there!

This week, I start off with a track from Dave Brubeck’s ‘Time Out’ album. And query whether The Beatles might have been listening to this album before writing one of their most famous songs.

You’ll also hear classic albums by Cannonball Adderley, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, and Thelonious Monk.

And one website called ‘The 20 Best Jazz Albums for Beginners’ introduces us to a forerunner of rock ‘n roll (Louis Jordan), and the list ends with Seattle’s Aaron Parks. You’ll get a taste of each as you listen to this podcast.

On this episode I play and talk about:

-Joe Locke (vibraphone solo) -Hagood Hardy, playing vibes on a Herbie Mann classic) -Montreal's Jean Vanesse and Miroslav Vitous (spectacular!) -Two tracks from The Red Norvo Trio with Charles Mingus and Tal Farlow -26 year old Sasha Berliner -Marjorie Hyams with Mary Lou Williams -Toronto's Michael Davidson playing with Joe Chambers -Cal Tjader -Johnny Lytle -Stefon Haris with Steve Turre and Jason Moran

This is the last of my three part series on great new historical releases. I start off with a previously unreleased Miles Davis performance from the Montreal Jazz Festival, 1983. Then follow it with some Miles Davis alumni—Bill Evans and John Coltrane.

The Coltrane track is a previously unissued take of Moments Notice: but, strangely enough, with Coltrane’s solo edited out!

Also featured are Frank Kimbrough, Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller, Joe Harriot, Oscar Peterson, and some free jazz from Masahikoo Togashi w. Don Cherry and Charlie Haden.

Modern Jazz Quartet, Julie London, Teddy Wilson, Erroll Garner, Nina Simone, Nellie Lutcher, Lalo Schifrin, Paul Horn, Gene Bertoncini w. Michael Moore, Jim McHarg w. Lonnie Johnson.

Those are records I dug from my storage locker: great albums I played for myself this week.. And I found at least one track from each I wanted to play for you!

I also share a personal story or two about each album, and the occasional tidbit about the artist(s) behind the record.

Will you like everything? Probably not...even though I do. It’s quite the variety of music that we call ‘jazz’.