Tag Archives: wmnr fine arts

HINT FOR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT’S THEME (9.6.14)

3 Sep

HINT:  

What’s an “Oldie But Goodie?” To some it’s a classic song by Chuck Berry or  something by Benny or Bartok or Brahms or Beethoven or Bach. But I have a totally different answer. Tune in this Saturday night to hear what it is, along with an hour of great jazz vocals!”

Turntable For One   Jazz Vocals and Live Radio

Saturday Night   10:00 PM  (E.D.T.)

WMNR Fine Arts Radio and streaming on wmnr.org

Can’t wait for the live show? Try a Turntable For One podcast.  One size fits all jazz lovers. 

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

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PLAYLIST FOR “COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA” (8.30.14)

30 Aug

Summer is over which means time to put away put away your whites, your shorts, your suntan lotion, and reflect on the things we did last summer that we’ll remember all winter long — except I had one of those “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” summers when I didn’t do any of the things I wanted and meant to do. Am I bitter? No more than usual. Am I depressed? (See previous response.) Because I have developed the useful skill of turning my pain in art…well, actually, other people do all the art. So are some of my favorite “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” songs by some of the best new and old jazz singers. Check back on Wednesday for a hint about next Saturday night’s show.

SONG TITLE  /  Artist  /  Album or CD Title

 

  • I COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT  /  Frank Sinatra  /  “Come Dance With Me”
  • WOULDN’T IT BE LOVERLY?  /  Shirley Horn  /  “I Love You, Paris”
  • I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU  /  Nat Cole  /  “Tell Me All About Yourself”
  • IF I HAD YOU  /  Nnenna Freelon  /  “Jazz Moods: Mood Indigo”
  • I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU  /  Arthur Prysock/Count Basie  /  “Arthur Prysock & Count Basie”
  • IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A DREAM  /  Diane Marino  /  “Loads Of Love”
  • WHY SHOULDN’T I  / (Mystery Vocalist)  /  Tony Perkins  /  “The Very Best of Tony Perkins”
  • I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN  /  Brianna Thomas  /  “You Must Believe In Love”
  • IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU  /  Frank D’Rone  /  “Falling In Love With Love”
  • IF YOU COULD SEE ME NOW  /  Sarah Vaughan  /  “Send In The Clowns”
  • WOULD YOU BELIEVE?  /  Carmen McRae  /  “At Ratso’s”
  • PARIS MISMATCH  /  (Theme Music)  /  Cody Owen Stine  /  (Unreleased Master) 

 

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I’M BAAAAACK!!! HINT FOR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT’S THEME (8.30.14)

27 Aug

Well, the wait is almost over! Of course, I mean for the iPhone 6. But while you’re waiting, who says you can’t have a little fun listening to the new season of Turntable For One starting this Saturday, August 30th? To ratchet up the excitement and anticipation someone besides me must be feeling, how about a hint about this Saturday night’s musical theme?

HINT: 

The songs this week are all inspired by everything I wanted to do, planned to do, and didn’t do during my summer hiatus. 

(Use what you know – that’s what I always say…)  Talk to you Saturday night!

 

TURNTABLE FOR ONE  Jazz Vocals and Live Radio 

Saturday Night   10:00 PM  (E.D.T.)

WMNR Fine Arts Radio and streaming on wmnr.org

 

Click on the link below to hear the latest Turntable For One promo. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43068547/TurntablePromo2014.mp3

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START THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK!

18 Aug

Turntable For One returns to the air on August 30th at 10:00 PM (E.D.T.)

Click on the link below to hear the latest Turntable For One promo. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43068547/TurntablePromo2014.mp3

Meanwhile, I’ve been listening to some interesting new music.  

  • Swing Fever – Grand Masters Of Jazz – For more than three decades, Swing Fever has been a fixture and the #1 swing band of the San Francisco  Bay Area. Okay, maybe it’s not as well-known as Coit Tower but this band swings harder than any Bay Area landmark you can name. On this 1-CD, 2-DVD compilation, the band has pulled together some of the great moments when it was joined by such jazz legends as Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, and Terry Gibbs. Plus, as an added and delightful bonus, a number of songs by Jackie Ryan. Culled from performances in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Terry, DeFranco, and Gibbs performances are at full maturity. Jackie Ryan’s understanding of songs and singing would deepen even more after these appearances and with each of her solo CDs since then. Best surprise for me: Body And Soul with Jackie Ryan and Terry Gibbs. Seven minutes of magic!
  • Chiara Izzi – Motifs –  This is another Dot Time Records CD and another total winner. This is a label which takes chances on artists who need to be heard. Chiara and her trio of musicians are Italian, although they travelled to Switzerland to record this CD (better chocolate?). English is obviously not her first language. Yet she certainly must have found an incredible Rosetta course in swing. Her voice is sweet and strong, her trio doesn’t shrink behind her for a beat. Amidst some swinging standards (you gotta hear My Shining Hour!) and a jazz standard or two are several songs Chiara has written, just lyrics for two, music and lyrics for one. Best surprise for me: A ballad with Ciara’s lyrics in Italian called Signi del tempo. I can’t understand a word she sings, but I really don’t care. It’s charming and lovely. 
  • The John La Barbera Big Band – Caravan – Did the La Barbera brothers – John, Pat, Joe – have lots of fights when they were growing up? If this CD is any indication, life for the La Barbera boys must have been pretty harmonious. (I’m expecting a ton of complaints about that pun. Stay tuned to see if I ever express remorse.) This is just an old-fashioned Big Band Jazz album and they shout that loud and proud. Arranged by John with a third of the tunes written by him, there are also tunes by Kenny Barron, McCoy Tyner, and others, plus, of course, the Ellington and Tizol title tune. Plenty of solos by drummer/brother Joe and Tenor/soprano sax/brother Pat, but every seat in the band seems to be filled by stars, even if their names are not well known.  I first became aware of John and Pat with a Buddy Rich Big Band. Joe worked in Bill Evans’s last trio, worked with Tony Bennett, and with a list of other jazz luminaries as long as your arm – unless maybe you’re Kareem Abdul Jabar. Best surprise for me: Caravan – not because I’ve not heard the song before, but because John lets two of his trombonists stretch out like Gumbys. And I am a sucker for trombone solos. 

 

Remember: Turntable For One returns August 30th at 10:00 PM (E.D.T.) on WMNR Fine Arts Radio and wmnr.org.  You got that, right? 

If you want to get up to speed, why not try a Turntable For One podcast on PRX, the Public Radio Exchange? No pressure. I just didn’t want you to feel left out. 

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

 

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WHAT I’M LISTENING TO WHILE ON HIATUS – REDUX

8 Aug

I’m still on summer hiatus for a couple more weeks, but I’ve been listening to some interesting music lately, some from singers I’ve known for a while but two I’ve never heard of before. 

  • Cyrille Aimee  –  “It’s A Good Day”  – This is not your typical Cyrille Aimee CD, although it’s getting harder to define what typical is for her. She’s recorded previously with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, with her own combo, with solo guitar, and now, with two guitars, bass, and drums. She is turning out to be a jazz chameleon, though with much prettier skin and no evidence (that I can tell) of a tail the length of her body.  She sings (and sometimes coos) standards with really interesting rhythmic twists, she sings originals (though I don’t  think writing is her strength yet), and she gives her fabulous guitarists plenty of room to be, well, fabulous. Best surprise for me: The shifting, lightning tempo of “Love Me Or Leave Me” and the verse at the end of the song.
  • Freda Payne  –  “Come Back To Me Love” – With a long career, with hits and high points, with awards and adulation, what does Freda Payne have to prove? Who cares. I’m glad, at 72, she went back into a studio to record again in front of a big band arranged by pianist, Bill Cunliffe. The standards are great. The CD has more original songs written by Gretchen Valade, than standards. But the original songs suit Freda’s voice and temperament, though I think they lure her more into her soul and R&B side than her jazz side. Best surprise for me: What she does with the opening song, “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To,” is astonishing – and I haven’t even started to hyperbolize.  
  • Paul Jost  –  “Breaking Through”  –  Looking for the newest crooner? Looking for a soft and soothing voice? It’s not Paul Jost. What he may lack in the pretty voice category, he more than compensates for with his raw passion and vocal musicianship. His arrangements defy the expected, his scatting is effortless, not tedious, and his energy would challenge any accompany musicians, but his band is up to the challenge. Best surprise for me: the really strange arrangement of “The Days Of Wine And Roses,” complete with SFX of kids playing on the street and Paul’s own body percussion. 
  • Julia Karosi  –  “Hidden Roots  –  Julia is a Hungarian jazz singer who writes original tunes and adapts Hungarian folk songs, including such familiar sing-along ditties as “Edesanyan Rozsafaja,” and “Imhol Kerekedik.” Julia has also written lyrics for other melodies, including one song in English. For the most part – and I think the best parts – Julia is just a voice, and a lovely one, adding vocalise seamlessly with her trio. Best surprise for me: Hungarian jazz may not have much connection with the Blues, but its connection to driving swing with a few added dashes of Hungarian musical inflections and tonalities make for an exciting CD.

My summer hiatus is nearly over and Turntable For One returns to the air on Saturday, August 30th at 10:00 PM (E.D.T.) on WMNR Fine Arts Radio and streaming live at wmnr.org. I hope you’re as excited about my return as I am. If you’re not, just keep it to yourself. There’s enough negativity in the world already, don’t you think?

Need to remind yourself about how much fun it is to listen to Turntable For One?  How about a Turntable For One podcast on PRX, the Public Radio Exchange? Just click on the link below.  

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

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WHAT I’M LISTENING TO WHILE ON HIATUS

15 Jul

I noticed that I have a number of new “Tribute” CDs on my desk and I finally started listening to them instead of using them to build very unstable and loud houses of cards. I’ll tell you what I think, but you should listen to them and decide for yourselves. Let me know what you’re listening to these days, ok?

  • Diane Schuur – I Remember You – This is a tribute CD to Sinatra and Stan Getz with songs associated with one or the other or both. Diane may not be the lyric interpreter that Sinatra was, but she is every bit the inventive and indefatigable musician Getz was. She blends perfectly as another instrument with the band and it’s a very solid band, too. Best surprise for me: Diane’s unadorned, unembellished title track – just singing from her heart.
  •  Wendy Moten – Timeless: Wendy Moten Sings Richard Whiting – Most of these songs were written in the 1920s and 1930s, but you couldn’t guess that from listening to this CD. It swings, it’s tender, it’s sexy, it’s bluesy. Wendy Moten has been a back-up singer here and there; she has a few CDs under her own name, some in Contemporary R&B mode. But she’s very comfortable with jazz and ballads. There are lots of Whiting chestnuts – My Ideal, Miss Brown To You, He’s Funny That Way.  Best surprise for me: a couple of cute songs I didn’t know – It’s A Long Time Between Kisses and I Wanna Go Places And Do Things. I’ll be interested to see if she does.
  •  Janet Planet – Janet Planet Sings The Bob Dylan Songbook, Vol. 1 – Okay, I admit I cracked the cellophane on this CD with trepidation. However, this story has a (mostly) happy ending. In many of Dylan’s most powerful songs, the drone of the repeated melody forces you to pay attention to the lyrics. I find those songs proved to be too limited and confining for this jazz setting. But in songs with a stronger melody line, Janet Planet adeptly, intelligently goes to work, weaving interesting designs with her lovely voice and considerable talent for embellishing. She has moxie and takes chances and I’ll be playing her a lot when Turntable For One returns in the Fall…maybe not so often from this interesting CD.
  • Mark Winkler – The Laura Nyro Project  — Anyone paying tribute to Laura Nyro gets points from me from the start. And when the tribute CD is sincere, affectionate, and swinging — as this one is — bonus points galore! The songs, all favorites for any Laura Nyro fan, range from the slight and ethereal to the raucous and rowdy. And just about all of them really do work with a solid jazz combo  and this West Coast hipster singer. Okay, his straight-ahead jazz version of Save The Country obscures the point of this anthem which, it seems to me, has even more meaning now than when Laura Nyro wrote it about 50 years ago. But, boy, does Mark Winkler understand ballads and heartbreak! His version of Billy’s Blues haunts me every time I listen to it.  Best surprise for me: an incredibly clever mash-up of the song Time And Love and Ahmad Jamal’s classic instrumental version of Moonlight In Vermont. 

Turntable For One returns to the air on Saturday, August 30th at 10:00 PM  (E.D.T.)

Can’t wait that long? Why not listen to a Turntable For One podcast. Better yet: invite a crowd to listen!

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

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PLAYLIST FOR “SEASON FINALE 2014” (6.28.14)

28 Jun

I’m going to be taking two months off from doing live shows, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop listening to great jazz vocals. Herewith are your summer listening assignments. 

You know what else? You don’t have to stop listening to Turntable For One, either. Click on the link below to go to the PRX Podcast page and listen to previous shows produced for syndication. 

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

 

SONG TITLE  /  Artist  /  CD Or Album Title

  • THREE LITTLE WORDS/SIR DUKE  /  Bria Skonberg  /  “Into Your Own”
  • CAN’T WE BEGIN AGAIN  /  Joey DeFrancesco/Joe Doggs  /  “Falling In Love Again”
  • SOMETHIN’ LIKE LOVE  /  Rebecca Kilgore  /  “Rebecca Kilgore’s Lovefest at the Pizzarelli Party”
  • YOU’VE CHANGED  /  Kellye Gray  /  “KG3 Live At The Bugle Boy
  • SUMMERTIME  /  Steven Pasquale  /  “Somethin’ Like Love”
  • I DON’T WANT TO  /  Chaise Lounge  /  “Second Hand Smoke
  • EMBRACEABLE YOU  /  Laura Nyro  /  “Angel In The Dark”
  • I DON’T KNOW WHY (I JUST DO)  /  (Mystery Trumpet Player)  /  Joe Williams/Harry “Sweets” Edison  /  “Together”
  • BROOKLYN BRIDGE  /  Hilary Gardner  /  “The Great City”
  • BODY AND SOUL  /  Jackie Ryan/Terry Gibbs/Swing Fever  /  “Grand Masters of Jazz”
  • JAZZ IS A SPECIAL TASTE  /  Mark Winkler  /  “Sweet Spot”
  • PARIS MISMATCH  /  (Theme Music)  Cody Owen Stine  /  (Unreleased Master)
  • SIGNING OFF  /  Helen Merrill  /  “You’ve Got A Date With Helen Merrill”

 

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HINT FOR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT’S SHOW (6.28.14)

26 Jun

HINT: 

This Saturday night is the season finale. I have some loose strings to tie up, a few songs I’ve been wanting to play for months, and I’ll be handing out your summer listening assignments. Hilarity should ensue; and if it doesn’t, I’m not taking all the blame.

 

Turntable For One   Jazz Vocals and Live Radio

Saturday Night   10:00 PM (E.D.T.)

WMNR Fine Arts Radio and streaming on wmnr.org

This may be the final show until September, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. Try a Turntable For One podcast – one size fits all. 

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

 

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PLAYLIST FOR “SUMMER ROAD TRIPS” (6.21.14)

21 Jun

Doing some traveling this summer? There are a number of interesting jazz singers out there, some in unexpected places. I played a few of them this week. 

 

(City)  /  SONG TITLE  /  Artist  /  CD Or Album Title

 

  • (NYC)  /  TEA FOR TWO  /  Pete McGuinness  /  “Voice Like A Horn”
  • (Chicago)  /  CHEEK TO CHEEK  /  Chicago Jazz Orchestra/Cyrille Aimee  /  “Burstin’ Out”
  • (Chicago)  /  THERE ARE SUCH THINGS  /  Sachal Vasandani  /  “We Move”
  • (Oshkosh)  /  GARY, INDIANA  /  Janet Planet  /  “Of Thee I Sing”
  • (Nashville)  /  YOUNG AND NAÏVE  /  Heather Rigdon  /  “Young And Naive”
  • (Twin Cities)  /  LOVER COME BACK TO ME  /  Connie Evingson  /  “Gypsy In My Soul”
  • (Austin)  /  HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT  /  Kellye Gray  /  “And They Call Us Cowboys”
  • (L.A.)  /  HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD  /  (Mystery Vocalist)  Nancy Sinatra  /  “California Girl”
  •  (L.A.)  /  BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP  /  Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra/Ernie Andrews  /  “L.A. Treasures Project”
  • (San Francisco)  /  IT NEVER ENTERED MY MIND  /  Madeline Eastman  /  “Art Attack”
  • (Portland)  IF I ONLY HAD A HEART  /  Michael Winkle  /  “The Dream”
  • (Seattle)  /  SO HARD TO FIND  /  Eugenie Jones  /  “Black Lace Blue Tears”
  • (Berkeley)  /  LOVER MAN  /  Lissy Walker  /  “Wonderland”
  • (NYC)  /  PARIS MISMATCH  /  (Theme Music)  /  Cody Owen Stine  /  (Unreleased Master)

 

 

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HINT FOR THIS SATURDAY NIGHT’S THEME (6.21.14)

18 Jun

HINT:

I’ve played new and promising Brazilian jazz singers, French singers, Swedish singers, Irish singers, British and Australian singers, Dutch singers, Canadian singers, Russian and German singers…am I forgetting anyone? Oh, wait – I know!”

 

Turntable For One   Jazz Vocals and Live Radio

Saturday Night    10:00 PM  (E.D.T.)

WMNR Fine Arts Radio and streaming on wmnr.org

Listen to Turntable For One podcasts anytime, anywhere…ok, maybe not on the operating table. Hope your anesthesiologist isn’t listening, too. 

http://www.prx.org/series/33284-turntable-for-one

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