IN A MELLOW TONE for JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Below is the JANUARY/FEBRUARY schedule for IN A MELLOW TONE.

There are eight Wednesdays, hence eight programs. Three of them feature a mixture of recent releases; on January 6 we’ll feature vocals, trombones and guitars, on January 13 we'll feature saxes, pianos and blues, and February 3 has not been put together yet.

On January 20 and 27 we'll play the three-CD boxed set by Monk's Casino, who were one of the highlights of the 2009 Ottawa Jazz Festival. For this box, this tight quintet have recorded their version of every published composition of Thelonious Monk. It is an amazing creative achievement.

February 10 will be a different sort of recent releases program, because I've put aside recent recordings featuring unusual instruments and/or unusual instrumentation. This will be an interesting exploration.

On February 17, to complement Mark Miller's recent biography of pianist Herbie Nichols, we'll be playing Herbie's trio and quartet recordings from 1952 thru 1957.

Finally, on February 24, the marvelous interplay of two bop masters, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz. and tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, recorded in Copenhagen in 1975

I hope that you will find this programming of interest,

Meanwhile, here's wishing you a Happy New Year!

January 6 Listen Before You Buy: Recent jazz and blues releases [with an emphasis on vocals, trombones and guitars] by Charito, Steve Davis, Graham Dechter,
Angela Hagenbach, Jeff Hamilton, Al Henderson, Rachelle House, Kristina,
Nick La Riviere, Pamela Luss, Joe Martin, Dom Minasi, Antoinette Montague, Oslandarly Sextet, Edward Ratliffe, Massimo Sammi, Ben Sidran, Kelley Suttenfield, and Wayne Wallace.

January 13 Listen Before You Buy: Recent jazz and blues releases [with an emphasis on saxes, pianists and blues] by American Music Project, Chelsea Baratz, John Beasley, Keith Bennett, Sharel Cassity, Crepuscule Trio, Jon Gordon,
Chris Green, Jimmy Heath, Komeda Project, Mike Longo, Chris Potter, Pulse, Q’d Up, Art Sherrod, Rossano Sportiello, Victor Wainwright, Joe Louis Walker and James Weidman.

January 20 Monk’s Casino Part 1: Alexander von Schlippenbach [piano],
Axel Dorner [trumpet], Rudi Mahall [bass clarinet], Jan Roder [bass] and
Uli Jennessen [drums] play every published Thelonious Monk composition. An amazing achievement.

January 27 Monk’s Casino Part 2: Alexander von Schlippenbach [piano],
Axel Dorner [trumpet], Rudi Mahall [bass clarinet], Jan Roder [bass] and
Uli Jennessen [drums] play every published Thelonious Monk composition. An amazing achievement.

February 3 Listen Before You Buy: Recent jazz and blues releases.

February 10 Unusual: Unusual instruments and unusual instrumentation. Will include Abbatoir, Artvark Saxophone Quartet, Svend Asmussen, Carlo Actis Dato,
Brian Groder, Darryl Harper, Jade Blue, Bill McBirnie, Not the Wind Not the Flag, Tom Reese, Daniel Smith and Eldad Tarmu.

February 17 Herbie Nichols: To complement Mark Miller’s recent book on pianist Herbie Nichols, we’ll play Herbie’s quartet recordings from March 1952 and his trio recordings from May 1955, August 1955, April 1956 and November 1957.

February 24 Warne Marsh & Lee Konitz: The booking of the Warne Marsh-Lee Konitz Quintet to play in Copenhagen in December 1975 re-united tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh and alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, two students of pianist Lennie Tristano who hadn’t played together for at least twenty years. Everyone was happy with the results.

“In A Mellow Tone” is on CKCU every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00pm at 93.1FM in Ottawa, and around the world on the Internet at: http://www.ckcufm.com/audio.html

For playlists for each program and monthly schedules check: http://www.inamellowtone.com

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PLAYLIST for DECEMBER 30, 2009

BEST OF 2009: Eleven CDs that I acquired during 2009, really enjoyed, and would like to share with listeners.
Looking at the list, the first thing that strikes me is how truly international jazz has become: Sean Bergin, Chris McGregor and Harry Miller are from South Africa, Rogerio Bicudo is from Brazil, Ab Baars is from Holland, Roswell Rudd,
Mostly Other People Do The Killing, the State Street Boys, The Blue Boys,
Sippie Wallace, Texas Alexander, Clarence Williams, Alex Cline, Corey Wilkes and Bobby Bradford are all American; Stan Tracey, Keith Tippett and John Stevens are British. The span of recording dates is also very broad; five from the ‘twenties, one from the ‘thirties, one from the ‘sixties, three from the ‘seventies, one from the ‘nineties and five from the twenty-first century.
I hope that you’ll enjoy these recordings as much as I do.

Artist: Sean Bergin & Rogerio Bicudo
Album: Mixing It
Tune: Sonnet 119
Label: Pingo

Artist: Sean Bergin & Rogerio Bicudo
Album: Mixing It
Tune: Lavradio 106
Label: Pingo

Artist: Ab Baars Trio + Roswell Rudd
Album: Four
Tune: Song
Label: Data

Artist: Stan Tracey & Keith Tippett
Album: Supernova
Tune: Supernova
Label: Resteamed

Artist: Chris McGregor Trio
Album: Our Prayer
Tune: Moonlight Aloe
Label: Fledgling

Artist: Mostly Other People Do The Killing
Album: This Is Our Moosic
Tune: The Bats in Belfry
Label: Hot Cup

Artist: State Street Boys
Album: Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!
Tune: Rustlin’ Man
Label: Old Hat

Artist: The Blue Boys
Album: Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!
Tune: Memphis Stomp
Label: Old Hat

Artist: Sippie Wallace
Album: King Oliver: Blues Singers & Hot Bands on Okeh
Tune: Every Dog Has His Day
Label: Frog

Artist: Texas Alexander
Album: King Oliver: Blues Singers & Hot Bands on Okeh
Tune: Tell Me Woman Blues
Label: Frog

Artist: Clarence Williams Orchestra
Album: King Oliver: Blues Singers & Hot Bands on Okeh
Tune: Lazy Mama
Label: Frog

Artist: Clarence Williams Novelty Four
Album: King Oliver: Blues Singers & Hot Bands on Okeh
Tune: In The Bottle Blues
Label: Frog

Artist: Alex Cline
Album: Continuation
Tune: Nourishing Our Roots
Label: Cryptogramophone

Artist: Corey Wilkes & Abstrakt Pulse
Album: Cries From Tha Ghetto
Tune: Visionary of an Abstrakt
Label: Pi

Artist: Bobby Bradford & John Stevens
Album: & the Spontaneous Music Ensemble
Tune: Norway
Label: Nessa

Artist: Harry Miller’s Isipingo
Album: Full Steam Ahead
Tune: Children At Play
Label: Reel

_______________________________________________________________

“In A Mellow Tone” is on CKCU every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00pm

at 93.1FM in Ottawa

and around the world on the Internet at

http://www.ckcufm.com/audio.html

Earlier playlists can be found at: www.inamellowtone.com

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PLAYLIST for DECEMBER 23, 2009

JIMMY YANCEY: I’ve been wanting to do a feature program on JIMMY YANCEY, known as “The Father of Blues Piano” for as long as I’ve done this program, but some of his recordings are hard to find, and only recently did I fill in the gaps in my collection.
We’ll start with his first recording, for Solo Art in May of 1939, and then move on to his RCA Victor session in October, 1939. The next session, in September 1940, was also for RCA Victor, and included two vocals by Jimmy. We move forward to December 1943 where Jimmy had a very fruitful session for the Session label.
Then three cuts from the rare wire recordings made in June 1951, I believe at Jimmy’s house, and finally we hear six cuts from his final recording session, made for Atlantic in July 1951.
All his recordings were made in his home town, Chicago. Many of his recordings include vocals by his wife, Mama Estelle Yancey, but I have excluded these so that we can concentrate on Jimmy’s piano playing, which was beautifully simple, and simply beautiful.
After our Yancey feature, some seasonal tunes from Sonny Thompson, Tampa Red, and The Hot Club of San Francisco.

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: Two O’Clock Blues
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: Lucille’s Lament
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: Steady Rock Blues
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: South Side Stuff
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: Yancey’s Getaway
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Yancey Stomp
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: State Street Special
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Tell ‘Em About Me
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Five O’Clock Blues
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Slow and Easy Blues
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Crying In My Sleep
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Death Letter Blues
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: Yancey’s Bugle Call
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Barrelhouse Boogie
Tune: 35th and Dearborn
Label: Bluebird

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: Eternal Blues
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Best of Jimmy Yancey
Tune: White Sox Stomp
Label: Blues Forever

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Unissued 1951 Wire Recordings
Tune: Elephant Rag
Label: Document

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Unissued 1951 Wire Recordings
Tune: Mellow Blues
Label: Document

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: The Unissued 1951 Wire Recordings
Tune: Fives
Label: Document

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: Mournful Blues
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: Yancey Special
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: How Long Blues
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: Shave ‘Em Dry
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: Salute to Pinetop
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Jimmy Yancey
Album: Chicago Piano
Tune: Blues For Albert
Label: Atlantic

Artist: Sonny Thompson
Album: The Complete Recordings Volume 1
Tune: Not On A Xmas Tree
Label: Blue Moon

Artist: Tampa Red
Album: The Bluebird Recordings 1934-1936
Tune: Christmas and New Year’s Blues
Label: RCA

Artist: Hot Club of San Francisco
Album: Hot Club Cool Yule
Tune: Sugar Rum Cherry
Label: Azica

Artist: Hot Club of San Francisco
Album: Hot Club Cool Yule
Tune: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Label: Azica

Artist: Hot Club of San Francisco
Album: Hot Club Cool Yule
Tune: Cool Yule
Label: Azica


_______________________________________________________________

“In A Mellow Tone” is on CKCU every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00pm

at 93.1FM in Ottawa and around the world on the Internet at

http://www.ckcufm.com/audio.html

Earlier playlists can be found at: www.inamellowtone.com

_______________________________________________________________

PLAYLIST for DECEMBER 16, 2009

BIG BANDS: We’ll be playing from seven recently released recordings by contemporary big bands. For want of a better criterion, I’m playing the smallest [15] band first and the largest [21] last, with the others fitted in by incremental size.
So we start with Glenn Cashman and the Southland Big Band from Los Angeles, then onto the 16-pieces of Barry Romberg’s Random Access from Toronto. The Aggregation from New York City also contains 16 musicians. Mike Olson leads 17 musicians in a recording made in Minneapolis which uses probably the most experimental arrangements. Tenor-saxophonist Fred Hess leads his 17 musicians in Denver, although some are New York residents. Ed Palermo’s New York based 20-piece band has the distinction of being dedicated to the music of Frank Zappa.
The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra comes out at 21 musicians because, although the band normally numbers 15 members, on this recording it is augmented by six guests, including pianist/producer Donald Brown.

Artist: Glenn Cashman and the Southland Big Band
Album: Glenn Cashman and the Southland Big Band!
Tune: Aguas de Marco
Label: Primrose Lane

Artist: Glenn Cashman and the Southland Big Band
Album: Glenn Cashman and the Southland Big Band!
Tune: Blues in the Tunnel
Label: Primrose Lane

Artist: Barry Romberg’s Random Access
Album: Was, Shall, Why, Because
Tune: Stratus Fractus
Label: Romhog

Artist: The Aggregation
Album: Groove’s Mood
Tune: Brasilia
Label: DBCD

Artist: The Aggregation
Album: Groove’s Mood
Tune: Wade in the Water
Label: DBCD

Artist: Mike Olson
Album: Incidental
Tune: Incidental 5
Label: Henceforth

Artist: Mike Olson
Album: Incidental
Tune: Incidental 1
Label: Henceforth

Artist: Fred Hess Big Band
Album: Hold On
Tune: Hold On
Label: Dazzle

Artist: Fred Hess Big Band
Album: Hold On
Tune: Opposites Attract
Label: Dazzle

Artist: Ed Palermo Big Band
Album: Eddy Loves Frank
Tune: Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing?
Label: Cuneiform

Artist: Ed Palermo Big Band
Album: Eddy Loves Frank
Tune: Dupree’s Paradise
Label: Cuneiform

Artist: Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Album: Blues Man From Memphis
Tune: Daddy’s Girl Cynthia
Label: Blue Canoe

Artist: Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Album: Blues Man From Memphis
Tune: Blues For Brother Jerome
Label: Blue Canoe

_______________________________________________________________

“In A Mellow Tone” is on CKCU every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00pm

at 93.1FM in Ottawa and around the world on the Internet at

http://www.ckcufm.com/audio.html

Earlier playlists can be found at: www.inamellowtone.com

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PLAYLIST for DECEMBER 9, 2009

DUTCH TREAT: We’ll be playing from twelve recently released European recordings;
the majority [seven] from Holland, plus two from Germany, two from Switzerland,
and one from Italy. Reversing that order, we’ll start with Italy’s Actis Dato’s Quartet on his own label, followed by Baltic guitarist Juozas Milasius, Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, Swiss piano trio FM Trio, American pianists Lewis Porter and Marc Rossi, Surinam-flavoured Dutch band De Nazaten with guest James Carter, guitarist Pablo Montagne’s quartet, the cello & computer duo who call themselves Abattoir, solo pianist Gianni Lenoci, the exciting partnership of the Dutch group New Nicks with the Dutch Artvark Saxophone Quartet, an empathetic trombone-bass duet between Dutch trombonist Wolter Wierbos and Dutch bassist Wilbert de Joode,
and we’ll end with a lengthy trombone solo by Wolter Wierbos.

Artist: Actis Dato Quartet
Album: World Tour
Tune: Michoacan
Label: Dato [Italian]

Artist: Juozas Milasius
Album: Slow
Tune: Scalpel Sad
Label: Nemu [German]

Artist: Juozas Milasius
Album: Slow
Tune: Pawnshop Accountant
Label: Nemu [German]

Artist: Eric Vloeimans
Album: Live at Yoshi’s
Tune: Fatima
Label: Challenge [German]

Artist: FM Trio
Album: Ligne Libre
Tune: Grains and Dots
Label: Altrisuoni [Swiss]

Artist: Lewis Porter & Marc Rossi
Album: Transformation
Tune: Ezz-thetic
Label: Altrisuoni [Swiss]

Artist: De Nazaten & James Carter
Album: Skratyology
Tune: Skratyology
Label: Strotbrock [Dutch]

Artist: Pablo Montagne Quartet
Album: Chaque Objet
Tune: Funkdom
Label: Evil Rabbit [Dutch]

Artist: Abattoir
Album: Abattoir
Tune: Endless Summer
Label: Evil Rabbit [Dutch]

Artist: Gianni Lenoci
Album: Ephemeral Rhizome
Tune: Afrika Metropolitaine
Label: Evil Rabbit [Dutch]

Artist: New Nicks & Artvark Sax Quartet
Album: Busy Busy Busy
Tune: Dextro
Label: No Can Do [Dutch]

Artist: New Nicks & Artvark Sax Quartet
Album: Busy Busy Busy
Tune: Whosa Mwatana
Label: No Can Do [Dutch]

Artist: Wolter Wierbos & Wilbert de Joode
Album: Deining
Tune: Overstag
Label: Dolfijn [Dutch]

Artist: Wolter Wierbos
Album: 3 Trombone Solos
Tune: Amsterdam
Label: Dolfijn [Dutch]

_______________________________________________________________

“In A Mellow Tone” is on CKCU every Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00pm

at 93.1FM in Ottawa and around the world on the Internet at

http://www.ckcufm.com/audio.html

Earlier playlists can be found at: www.inamellowtone.com

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