Utevsky

Here is the music we listened to this week on "Straight, No Chaser": Dodo Marmarosa Trio -- "Dary Departs" -- Up In Dodo's Room -- Jazz Classics Al Haig Trio -- "Yardbird Suite" -- Al Haig Trio and Sextets -- Fantasy Phineas Newborn, Jr. -- "Way Out West" -- The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn, Jr. -- Contemorary Upper Left Trio -- "Cross Off The Stars" -- Ulternative -- Origin (N) Ed Littlefield -- "The Hook Song" -- Walking Between Worlds -- Pony Boy Tim Hagans -- "Boo" -- The Moon Is Waiting -- Palmetto Bill McHenry -- "Keys of C" -- Roses -- Sunnyside Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez & Paul Motian -- "Hot House" -- Further Explorations -- Concord Jazz Martial Solal -- "Sacrebleu" -- Just Friends -- Dreyfus Jazz Anat Fort Trio -- "Nu" -- And If -- ECM Michele Rosewoman Trio -- "Nite Flite" -- Occasion To Rise -- Evidence Bheki Mseleku -- "Angola" -- Celebration -- World Circuit Ilhan Ersahin -- "Sam I Am" -- Ilhan Ersahin's Istanbul Sessions With Erik Trufaz -- Nublu Rich Halley Quartet -- "Old Fields" -- The Blue Rims -- Louie Peter Brotzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm -- "Section 1" -- The Brain of the Dog in Section -- Atavistic Peter Epstien & Idee Fixe -- "Air 2" -- Abstract Realism -- Origin The Ganelin Trio -- "Interlindio" -- Opuses -- Leo Wally Shoup -- "The Big Mo" -- Racer Sessions--Curator Compilation, Volume Two -- Table & Chairs David Binney -- "Terrorists and Movie Stars" -- Graylen Epicenter -- Mythology For the next two weeks, you can listen to this program in the KBCS streaming audio archive: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=24336

We listened to these recordings this week on "Straight, No Chaser": Jean-Luc Ponty -- "Une nuit qu violon" -- Jazz Long Playing -- Gitanes Ernie Krivda -- "Fried Bananas" -- Blues For Pekar -- Capri Jeff Coffin Mu'tet -- "Tag" -- Mutopia -- Compass Jason Robinson -- "Paper Tiger" -- The Two Faces of Janus -- Cuneiform Honey Ear Trio -- "Six Nettes" -- Steampunk Serenade -- Foxhaven Marty Ehrlich's Darkwoods Ensemble -- "Flight" -- Just Before The Dawn -- New World J. A. Granelli and Mr. Lucky -- "Happy Pt. 1" -- Gigantic -- Love Slave Bill Frisell Band -- "Melody For Jack" -- Lookout For Hope -- ECM Joel Harrison -- "Hudson Shining" -- Harbor -- Highnote Mat Maneri -- "Nerve" -- Sustain -- Thirsty Ear Miles Davis -- "It's About That Time / The Theme" -- Bitches Brew Live -- Columbia Fabian Almazán -- "H.U.G.S. (Historically Underrepresented Groups)" -- Personalities -- Biophilia Harold O'Neal -- "Little Ones" -- Marvelous Fantasy -- Smalls Dino Saluzzi, Anja Lechner & Felix Saluzzi -- "Son qo’ñati" -- Navidad de Los Andes -- ECM Didier Petit -- "Matter--Antimatter" -- NOHC On The Road -- Leo Starlicker -- "Skull Cave" -- Double Demon -- Delmark Vijay Iyer Trio -- "Actions Speak" -- Accelerando -- ACT (N)

Thanks for telling us about this, Chuck. I'm probably going to need the same surgery in the coming months.

Here is the music we heard on "Straight, No Chaser" on Monday, March 19: The Rhythmagic Orchestra -- "Afrodisia" -- The Rhythmagic Orchestra -- Impossible Ark Ron Carter's Great Big Band -- "Caravan" -- Ron Carter's Great Big Band -- Sunnyside Diego Urcola Quartet -- "Super Mario Forever (to Mario Rivera)" -- Appreciation -- CamJazz Ambrose Akinmusire -- "Confessions To My Unborn Daughter" -- When The Heart Emerges Glistening -- Blue Note Chris Dingman -- "Jet Lag" -- Waking Dreams -- Between Worlds Floratone -- "The Time, The Place" -- Floratone II -- Savoy Jazz (N) Paul Bley -- "Trio 5" -- 12 (+ 6) In A Row -- Hat Hut Harrison Bankhead Sextet -- "A Sketch of Leroy Jenkins" -- Morning Sun, Harvest Moon -- Engine Tim Berne & Bill Frisell -- "Inside The Brain" -- ...Theoretically -- Minor Music Anthony Braxton -- "Composition No. 323c" -- Trio (Victoriaville) 2007 -- Victo Matthew Shipp Trio -- "Raw Materials" -- Elastic Aspects -- Thirst Ear (N) Listen to this program on demand, any time in the next two weeks, in the KBCS audio archive: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=24108

Thanks to Glenn Williams for hosting "Straight, No Chaser" on March 5. Here is the music Glenn played: Miles Davis & Milt Jackson -- "Changes" -- Quintet/Sextet Kenny Barron -- "The Moment" -- Trio Kenny Wheeler -- "Smatter" -- Gnu High Bobby Hutcherson -- "Chan's Song" -- SkyLine Chick Corea -- "T.B.C." -- Akoustic Band Burton / Ozone -- "Kaot's Revenge" -- Face to Face Ray Brown, John Clayton & Christian McBride -- "Brown Funk" -- SuperBass Flora Purim -- "I Feel You" -- Speak No Evil Clifford Brown -- "Joy Spring" -- Finest Hour Terence Blanchard -- "Lil Fawdy" -- Simply Stated Dave Brubeck Quartet -- "Take 5" -- Time Out Bobby Watson -- "Beam Me Up" -- Present Tense Chick Corea -- "So In Love" -- Akoustic Band Gail Pettis -- "She Spoke To Me" -- May I Come In? Miles Davis -- "On Green Dolphin Street" -- '58 Sessions Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown & Milt Jackson -- "Sometimes I'm Happy" -- The Very Tall Band Marian McPartland -- "Straight, No Chaser" -- Live At Yoshi's Steve Nelson -- "The Second Time Around" -- The Second Time Around On March 12, we heard the following selections on the spring fund drive edition of "Straight, No Chaser": Brian Carpenter's Ghost Train Orchestra -- "Voodoo" -- Hothouse Stomp -- Accurate Art Tatum -- "Tatum Pole Boogie" -- Piano Starts Here--Live At The Shrine -- Sony Martial Solal -- "Willow Weep For Me" -- Just Friends -- Dreyfus Jazz Wes Montgomery -- "Straight, No Chaser" -- Echoes of Indiana Aveneu -- Resonance (N) George Benson -- "Myna Bird Blues" -- Benson Burner -- Wounded Bird Sonny Fortune & Jerry Gonzalez -- "Flamenco Sketches" -- Miles Espanol -- E One Vijay Iyer Trio -- "Wildflower" -- Accelerando -- ACT (N) Nils Wogram's Nostalgia -- "Bus" -- Affinity -- Intuition Scot Ray Quintet -- "Above Beneath" -- Active Vapor Recovery -- Cryptogramophone Steve Lehman's Camouflage Trio -- "Hamlet" -- Interface -- Clean Feed Frank Gratkowski -- "Unplugged Mind" -- Unplugged Mind -- Leo Miguel Zenon -- "Olas y Arenas" -- Alma Adentro--The Puerto Rican Songbook -- Marsalis Music David Binney -- "Any Years Costume" -- Graylen Epicenter -- Mythology Marty Ehrlich -- "Turn Circle And Spin" -- Line On Love -- Palmetto Julius Hemphill -- "Rites" -- Dogon A.D. -- Arista Freedom

The Snakeoil band played a marvelous set in Seattle this week. The interplay between Noriega and Berne was especially stimulating. I look forward to hearing the album. It's really good that Tim Berne chose to speak up here about Manfred Eicher. His production style is quite distinctive and there are times when he flattens the music too much for my taste. He does seem to nudge artists in a certain direction, which is better for some than for others. But I think this results from Eicher's personal tastes, not from a desire to make commercially successful recordings. And he has produced many uniquely wonderful recordings.

This definitely sparks my interest. Now I must hear Berne when he plays in Seattle later this week. It sounds like the ECM CD is just a glossy shadow of what the band does live.

Something by Roscoe Mitchell would be a nice addition. Duh! I flipped right past the "Nonaah" posts! Sorry.

On "Straight, No Chaser" on February 27, we listened to these tracks: Natraj -- "Raga Bihag, Part 2 - Vilambit" -- Deccan Dance -- Galloping Goat Jeff Coffin Mu'tet -- "L'Esperance" -- Mutopia -- Compass Wes Montgomery -- "Diablo's Dance" -- Echoes of Indiana Avenue -- Resonance (N) John Moulder Quintet -- "Proclamation of the Unexpected" -- The Eleventh Hour--Live At The Green Mill -- Origin (N) Joel Harrison & Lorenzo Feliciati -- "Small Table Rules" -- Holy Abyss -- Cuneiform (N) Michael Musillami Trio + 4 -- "Barnstable News" -- Mettle -- Playscape (N) Lucian Ban & John Hébert -- "Orchestral Suite" (George Enesco) -- Enesco Re-Imagined -- Sunnyside Don Ellis & His Orchestra -- "K. C. Blues" -- Autumn -- Columbia Matthew Shipp Trio -- "Psychic Counterpart" -- Elastic Aspects -- Thirsty Ear (N) ManKinSon (Matt Norman, Paul Hoskin & Dave Abramson) -- "(Number 3)" -- ManKinSon -- PH Bill Carrothers -- "Creep Show" -- Shine Ball -- Fresh Sound New Talent Neil Welch -- "Sleeper" -- Sleeper -- Table & Chairs Dewey Redman -- "Interconnection" -- The Ear of the Behearer -- Impulse David S. Ware Quartet -- "Renunciation Suite II" -- Renunciation -- AUM Fidelity Sam Rivers -- "Figure" -- Concept -- RivBea As always, at any time in the next two weeks, you can listen to a streaming version of this program in the KBCS audio archive: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23760

On February 20, we heard the following music on "Straight, No Chaser": Piet Verbist -- "Zygomaticus Major" -- Zygomatik -- Origin (N) Adam Cruz -- "Secret Life" -- Milestone -- Sunnyside Steve Cardenas -- "Roundup" -- West of Middle -- Sunnyside Chick Corea & John McLaughlin -- "Raju" -- Five Peace Band -- Concord Jazz Matt Wilson's Arts & Crafts -- "Stolen Time" -- An Attitude For Gratitude -- Palmetto (N) Dan Tepfer Trio -- "All I Heard Was Nothing" -- Five Pedals Deep -- Sunnyside Blue Cranes -- "Awesome Hawk" -- Homing Patterns -- (Self) Quatuor Ebene -- "Come Together" -- Fiction -- Virgin Classics Gateway -- "Modern Times" -- Homecoming -- ECM Bill Frisell -- "Come Together" -- All We Are Saying... -- Savoy Jazz Undivided -- "What A Big Quiet Noise" -- Moves Between Clouds--Live In Warsaw -- Multikulti Project (N) Rafi Malkiel -- "Gilgool" -- Water -- Tzadik Vikay Iyer with Prasanna & Nitin Mitta -- "Gauntlet" -- Tirtha -- ACT John Hicks & Frank Morgan -- "N.Y. Theme" -- Twogether -- HighNote Miles Davis All-Stars -- "Straight, No Chaser" (incomplete) -- Broadcast Sessions 1958-59 -- Acrobat Music As usual, you can access a streaming version of this show anytime in the next two weeks, here: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23638

Here are the musical selections heard on "Straight, No Chaser" on Monday, February 13: Terell Stafford -- "U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)" -- This Side of Strayhorn -- Max Jazz Jimmy Owens -- "Let's Cool One" -- The Monk Project -- IPO (N) Hakan Brostrom -- "Trane Station" -- Swedish Jazz--Live From The Swedish Jazz Celebration 2009 -- Svensk Musik Donald Byrd -- "Not Necessarily The Blues" -- A City Called Heaven -- Landmark Uri Caine -- "The Midnight Variation" -- The Classical Variations -- Winter & Winter Sam Rivers -- "Precis" -- The Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions -- Mosaic Jesse Elder -- "Red Paint" -- The Winding Shell -- Off Revolutionary Snake Ensemble -- "The Large S" -- Forked Tongue -- Cuneiform Ben Williams -- "Moontrane" -- State of Art -- Concord Jazz Paul Flaherty & Randall Colbourne -- "Rhubarb" -- Bridge Out! -- Family Vineyard Agogic -- "Use 2" -- Agogic -- Table & Chairs Medeski Martin & Wood -- "Walk Back" -- Radiolarians III -- Indirecto Horace Tapscott -- "As A Child" -- The Tapscott Sessions, Vol. 8 -- Nimbus Harold O'Neal -- "Atanos" -- Marvelous Fantasy -- Smalls Jeff Parker & Scott Fields -- "LK 92" -- Song Songs Song -- Delmark Bill Frisell, Ron Carter & Paul Motian -- "Worse and Worse" -- Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian -- Nonesuch Pat Metheny -- "The Red One" -- Day Trip -- Nonesuch Listen to this program in the KBCS streaming audio archive: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23519

Here is my playlist for February 6: Clipper Anderson -- "Twelve Tone Tune Two" -- The Road Home -- Origin (N) Marlene Rosenberg Quartet -- "One False Move" -- Bassprint -- Origin (N) Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio -- "Ujamma" -- The 11th Gate -- Motema (N) Marilyn Mazur & Jan Garbarek -- "Joy Chant" -- Elixir -- ECM Baden Powell -- "Minha Palhoça" -- Memories -- DRG Masada String Trio -- "Lachish" -- Masada String Trio -- Tzadik Jim Gailloreto's Jazz String Quintet -- "Honeysuckle Rose" -- American Complex -- Origin (sorry about the equipment glitch on this tune) Andy Clausen -- "Reference Frequency: Chorale, Fanfare & Versus" -- The Racer Sessions Curator Compilation, Volume Two -- Table & Chairs (N) Pedro Giraudo -- "A Dario Iscaro" -- Desconsuelo -- Mr. Vivo Circle The Line -- "Sweet Dreams" -- Circle The Line -- GM Skaller/Holt Duo -- "Flocus" -- Music of Mark Dresser -- pfMentum (N) Miles Davis All-Stars -- "Bye Bye Blackbird" -- Broadcast Sessions 1958-59 -- Acrobat Roy Campbell Ensemble -- "Pharoah's Revenge Part 2" -- Akhenaten Suite -- AUM Fidelity Matthew F. Morris -- "Tuditude" -- Unspecifications -- Slam Pandelis Karayorgis & Mat Maneri -- "Three Plus Three" -- Disambiguation -- Leo Roscoe Mitchell Quintet -- "For Cynthia" -- Turn -- Rogue Art Michael Musillami Trio + 4 -- "Bald Yet Hip" -- Mettle -- Playscape (N) You can hear the streaming version of this show any time in the next two weeks -- http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23400 -- or join me for the next show Monday night, 9 p.m. Pacific, streaming at www.kbcs.fm.

Why was that trio called Joseph Holbrooke? I've read it was named after the British composer. Can't see a connection as all I've heard from him is late 19thC romanticism - Wagnerian tone poems etc. Seems an odd hero. Footnote in Derek Bailey's Improvisation: "The group's name came from Tony Oxley although it could quite easily have come from Gavin Bryars who at the time was beginning to show what was to become a lasting interest in early 20th century English music. Joseph (sometimes Josef) Holbrooke, once described as the 'cockney Wagner', was a composer of prodigious output who, although creating something of a stir in his own lifetime has been almost totally ignored since. Investigations about him produced different dates for his birth (1875 or 1878) and different dates for his death (1958 or 1961) raising the consideration that there might be more than one Joseph Holbrooke, a speculation reinforced by the staggering amount of music published under that name. It seemed like a good cover for our activities." The early Holbrooke w/Kontiz has circulated in the blogosphere. My first impressions (upon last listen) were that the non-Kontizi sounded like fine jazz backing but, ultimately, only intermittently inspired. It's foolish to formulate any sort of sweeping statements on the merit of a single dusty recording, but my instinct told/tells me that Derek was an intelligent but only technically "good" jazz guitarist. On the other hand, I can say with some certainty that Bailey was a motherfucker in his own idiom--in a way analogous to, but quite different from, Ayler's virtuosity (I remember Jim calling Ayler a "freakin' virtuoso saxophonist" a while back, and the words continue to ring in my ears). There are certain elements of his technique that are baldly primitive--specifically all the pick scraping and pitchless slurs/seemingly chaotic muting, which is akin to the dubbed tracks on all those "shreds" videos--but other parts point to a very, very sophisticated musical mind (or rather, a mind that is so sophisticated that it has unraveled much of the technical straightjacketing that jazz guitar is heir to). For one thing, Derek was a monster with harmonics. His integration of harmonics into streams of pure tones is unparalleled in terms of clarity and sheer variety. He was like a swiss army knife of harmonics--truly mind-boggling. On a similar level, his early use of distortion and feedback (which he seemed to eschew, for the most part, in later years) was really innovative--check out Topography of the Lungs, which is one of my desert island discs. I always thought that Topography could pass as a modern indie improv album (i.e., something Thurston Moore or something the guys from Don Caballero would do on an off day)--excepting the fact that Evan Parker is clearly the technical better in the late-60's/early-70's of most any contemporary new music saxophonist and that Bailey is so staggeringly creative with such a minimal setup. I think that Bailey's only real "rivals" (though that's an inherently stupid concept) in terms of sheer control, invention, and versatility of modern techniques are Fred Frith and Keith Rowe (guys like Takayanagi and Sharrock are ultimately pitch and distortion/feedback players, although they're the best at what they do--and Ulmer is just his own weird thing, really)--the rest of us are just learning this stuff secondhand. Here's the other thing, and this really shines on Bailey's "later" work (later is an obscure term, but I mark it where Bailey transitions into semi-hollow playing with a greater emphasis on pitch and pure tones--like mid-80's or so)--Bailey is the best atonal melodist in all of free guitar, and one of the best improvisers in this realm, period. Cecil isn't really atonal, but it isn't really a stretch to say that Derek's solo work operates at Cecil's caliber. Derek's whole deal with non-idiomatic playing always struck me as subtractive in nature, having to do with clearing the mind and playing without deliberate style. That being said, it's extremely difficult to chord atonally on guitar (pick up a guitar and try it, doubters of the world--it will just sound like muted, plinky noise when an unpracticed musician does it), but maybe because Derek had the jazz training--and, moreover, because he retained some of the finger/wrist facility while unlearning the jazz guitarist's requisite voicing autopilot--he developed a truly "free" voice. Also, the man's energy was astounding--listen to the concentrated creative energy of Bailey on Aida, the sheer breadth of his ideas--it's overwhelming. He truly was the Cecil Taylor of the guitar, in respects. I heartily agree that "Topography" qualifies as a desert island disk. When I fist heard it (in 1974 or so?) it introduced me to an entire new world of improvisation. That may have been the first time I realized that anyone had moved into a realm beyond those explored by Coltrane. As my listening expanded over the years, "Topography" remained a reference point, a kind of standard against which to measure other works.

Thanks for posting the tour dates. I'll "check my local listings" for the Seattle gig.

Here's what we listened to on "Straight, No Chaser" on January 30: Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez & Paul Motian -- "Gloria's Step" -- Further Explorations -- Concord Jazz (N) Christian Tamburr -- "Chu's Blues" -- Places -- (self) (N) Josh Rzepka -- "Twenty-Five" -- Into The Night -- (self) (N) Rhythm & Brass -- "Money Jungle" -- More Money Jungle...Ellington Explorations -- Koch Jazz Roscoe Mitchell Quintet -- "Turn" -- Turn -- Rogue Art Chemical Clock -- "People in Particular" -- Chemical Clock -- Table & Chairs Mads Tolling -- "Starmaker Machinery (For John McLaughlin)" -- The Playmaker -- City Hall Drumheller -- "Sketch #5" -- Wives -- Canada Council For The Arts Territory Band-3 -- "A Certain Light" -- Map Theory -- Okkadisk NHIC (New Haven Improvisers Collective) -- "Perhapsing" -- NHIC : Atlas -- NHIC (N) Shift -- "Modern Classics" -- Songs From Aipotu -- Leo Curlew -- "Neither, Baby" -- Fabulous Drop -- Cuneiform Sam Rivers -- "Concept" -- Concept -- Rivbea Borah Bergmann -- "The River of Sounds" -- The River of Sounds -- Boxholder Rashied Ali, Peter Kowald & Assif Tsahar -- "Currents" -- Deals, Ideas & Ideals -- Hopscotch Ray Anderson Pocket Brass Band -- "The Alligatory Abagua" -- Where Home Is -- Enja All of it is available for the next two weeks in the KBCS streaming audio archive: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23285.

I know that LP passed through my hands once. I may have made a copy on reel-to-reel tape. It was pretty wild as I recall.

Tonight on "Straight, No Chaser," we listened to: John Hicks -- "Nutty" -- I Remember You -- Jazz Depot Bruce Barth Trio -- "Wilsonian Alto" -- Live At Smalls -- Smalls Live Jimmy Greene -- "Mr. McLean" -- Brand New World -- RCA Victor Kenny Dorham -- "Windmill" -- Whistle Stop -- Blue Note Bunky Green -- "Seashells" -- Healing The Pain -- Delos * Anthony Williams -- "Love Song" -- Spring -- Blue Note * Sam Rivers -- "Point of Many Returns" -- Complete Blue Note Sam Rivers Sessions -- Mosaic Ideal Bread -- "Flakes" -- Transmit--Vol. 2 of The Music of Steve Lacy -- Cuneiform Neil Welch -- "Flow" -- Boxwork -- Table and Chairs Julian Priester -- "A Delicate Balance" -- In Deep End Dance -- Conduit * Improvisors Pool, featuring Sam Rivers & Alexander von Schlippenbach -- "Background" -- Backgrounds For Improvisors -- FMP John Surman, Jack De Johnette & London Brass -- "Fire" -- Free And Equal -- ECM * Recordings featuring Sam Rivers (1923-2011) This program will be available for on-demand streaming for the next two weeks at: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23172

Keep on pushin', JSngry! I've only heard a little bit of Barron but I'd love to hear more.

I can say I've "enjoyed" this snowstorm because we didn't lose power as many others did. Also, I've been able to get to work, although the buses aren't very reliable. Seattle does have trouble dealing with snow. We're not used to it and some people have no clue how to drive in it. But it's hilarious that the L.A. Times referred to us as "snow wimps." Can you imagine how L.A. would deal with 8 or 10 inches of snow? http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/seattle-snow-storm.html

On Martin Luther King Day, January 16, we listened to these musical selections on "Straight, No Chaser": David Newman -- "A Change Is Gonna Come" -- Bigger And Better -- Atlantic Charles Mingus -- "Soul Fusion--Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries" -- The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady -- Impulse! Charlie Haden -- "We Shall Overcome" -- Liberation Music Orchestra -- Impulse! Charlie Hunter Trio -- "Freedom Tickler" -- Friends Seen And Unseen -- Ropeadope 3 Cohens -- "Freedom" -- Braid -- Anzic James Carter -- "Freedom Jazz Dance" -- Live At Baker's Keyboard Lounge -- Warner Bros. Chuck Metcalf -- "Prayer For Peace" -- Elsie Street -- BopWare Ben Allison -- "Peace Pipe" -- Peace Pipe -- Palmetto Tomasz Stanko -- "Night Peace" -- Twet -- Power Bros. Paul Bley -- "Peace Pipe" -- Solo Piano -- SteepleChase Andrew Cyrille Quintet -- "Soul Brother (Dedicated To Malcolm X)" -- My Friend Louis -- DIW Larry Schneider Quartet -- "Peace" -- Ornettology -- SteepleChase Kali Z. Fasteau -- "Some Peace" -- Oneness -- Flying Note Akemi Kuniyoshi -- "First Peace" -- ARP Music -- Leo Mario Pavone -- "Freedom Song" -- Toulon Days -- New World Weird Nightmare -- "Freedom" -- Meditations On Mingus -- Columbia Ilhan Ersahin -- "Freedom" -- Ilhan Ersahin's Istanbul Sessions With Erik Truffaz -- Nublu Rakalam Bob Moses -- "Exhalation #2 (Peace)" -- Father's Day B'hash -- Sunnyside This show will be available on demand in the KBCS audio archive for the next two weeks: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=23091

On this week's "Straight, No Chaser" we paid tribute to the great Sam Rivers, who died in December. This is what we heard: Miles Davis -- "Walkin'" -- Heard 'Round The World -- Columbia Bobby Hutcherson -- "Jasper" -- Dialogue -- Blue Note Sam Rivers -- "When I Fall In Love" -- A New Conception -- Blue Note Sam Rivers -- "Rainbows" -- Wildflowers--The New York Loft Jazz Sessions -- Douglas David Holland Quartet -- "Interception" -- Conference of The Birds -- ECM Sam Rivers -- "Torch" -- Waves -- Tomato Dave Holland & Sam Rivers -- "Cascade" -- Dave Holland / Sam Rivers -- Improvising Artists Sam Rivers -- "Bursts" -- Crystals -- Impulse Sam Rivers' Rivbea All-Star Orchestra -- "Neptune" -- Culmination -- RCA Victor Sam Rivers Winds of Manhattan -- "Lilacs" -- Colours -- Soul Note Sam Rivers -- "Rapture" -- Paragon -- Fluid Sam Rivers -- "Flare" -- Sizzle -- Impulse Sam Rivers -- "Fuchsia Swing Song" -- Fuchsia Swing Song -- Blue Note I plan to play more Sam Rivers recordings on "Straight, No Chaser" sometime in the next several weeks.

Wow! I've been off-line (on vacation) and missed this news until now. It is truly a great loss. Ever since I first caught on to "outside" jazz Sam Rivers has been one of my favorites. What a remarkable legacy of recordings he left behind. I was lucky to hear him live twice -- once at his loft in NYC and many years later in Seattle. He was magical.

Just back from a nice break. Time to catch up! On December 12, 2011, Megan Sullivan was the guest host on "Straight, No Chaser." Here is the music Megan played: Red Garland – “St. James Infirmary” – Red’s Blues Dexter Gordon – “Scrapple From The Apple” – Our Man In Paris – Blue Note Clifford Brown – “Brownie Speaks” – Clifford Brown Memorial Album – Blue Note Anita O’Day – “Don’t Explain” – The Complete Anita O’Day Verve/Clef Sessions – Mosaic Lee Morgan – “Rigor Mortis” – Tom Cat – Blue Note John Coltrane – “Naima” – Giant Steps – Atlantic Joe Henderson – “Our Thing” – Our Thing – Blue Note Oliver Nelson – “Stolen Moments” – The Blues And The Abstract Truth – Impulse! Wynton Marsalis Septet – “Sometimes It Goes Like That” – Blue Interlude – Columbia Billie Holiday – “Good Morning Heartache” – 20th Century Masters – Hip-O McCoy Tyner – “May Street” – The Definitive McCoy Tyner – Blue Note Wayne Shorter – “Speak No Evil” – Speak No Evil – Blue Note Charles Mingus – “Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat” – Mingus Ah Um – Columbia Mary Lou Williams – “Koolbonga” – Black Christ of The Andes – Smithsonian Folkways Alice Coltrane – “Turiya And Ramakrishna” – Ptah, The El Daoud – Imipulse! Andrew Hill – “The Brown Queen” – Passing Ships – Blue Note Ornette Coleman – “Lonely Woman” – The Shape Of Jazz To Come – Atlantic Steve Turre – “Sanctified Shells” – Sanctified Shells – Antilles Christian McBride – “Little Sunflower” – Number Two Express – Polygram Brett Watanabe subsituted as host on December 19 and December 26, 2011. Here is Brett's playlist for December 19: Darren Johnston – “The Big Lift” – The Big Lift – Porto Franco (N) Hal Galper – “Alice In Wonderland” – Trip The Light Fantastic – Origin (N) James Carter Organ Trio – “Lettuce Toss Yo’ Salad” – At The Crossroads – Universal Sir Roland Hanna – “A Story, Often Told But Seldom Heard” – Colors From A Giant’s Kit – IPO (N) Dead Cat Bounce – “Far From The Matty Crowd” – Chance Episodes – Cuneiform (N) Enrico Rava Quintet – “Incognito” – Tribe – ECM (N) Jeff Gauthier Goatette – “Things Past” – Open Source – Cryptogramophone (N) Fattigfolktet – “Marienberg Park” – Park – Ozella (N) Rez Abassi’s Invocation – “Thanks For Giving” – Suno Suno – Enja (N) Julian Waterfall Pollack – “Forewarning” – Infinite Playground – (self) (N) Jane Bunnett Quintet – “Double Arc Jake” – Live At Sweet Basil, NYC – Denon On December 26, Brett played these tunes: Dizzy Gillespie Big Seven – “I’ll Remember April” – At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1975 – Pablo Brad Mehldau – “London Blues” – Art of The Trio – Nonesuch (N) Ray Anderson Big Band – “Anabel At One” – Big Band Record – Gramavision John Bishop – “Lady In Black” – Nothing If Not Something – Origin Elmo Hope – “It’s A Lovely Day Today” – Trio And Quintet – Blue Note Michael Bisio Quintet – “Covert Choreography” – Covert Choreography – Cadence Jazz David Murray Latin Big Band – “Blue Muse” – Now Is Another Time – Justin Time To hear the December 26 program in the KBCS streaming audio archive, click here: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=22760 Finally, here's my playlist for the January 2, 2012, program: John Coltrane -- "My Favorite Things" -- My Favorite Things -- Atlantic Don Friedman -- "Waltz For Marilyn" -- Waltz For Marilyn -- Jazz Excursion Christian McBride & Hank Jones -- "Alone Together" -- (Christian McBride) Conversations With Christian -- Mack Avenue Dan Tepfer Trio -- "Diverge" -- Five Pedals Deep -- Sunnyside McCormack & Yarde Duo -- "Dark Too Bright" -- Places And Other Spaces -- Joy And Ears (N) Daniel Rosenboom Septet -- "Espionage" -- Fallen Angeles -- Nine Winds (N) David Weiss & Point of Departure -- "Snuck In" -- Snuck In -- Sunnyside Joe Maneri & Masashi Harada -- "Point Contact" -- Pinerskol -- Leo Joe McPhee & Survival Unit II with Clifford Thornton -- "Message From Denmark" -- N.Y.N.Y. 1971 -- Hat Hut Jeff Gauthier Goatette -- "Seashells And Balloons" -- Open Source -- Crypogramophone (N) Stanley Turrentine -- "Gibraltar" -- Salt Song -- CTI (N) Michael Bates' Outside Sources -- "Charcoal" -- A Fine Balance -- Between The Lines Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio -- "Vanitatas Vanitatum (mit Humor)" -- Constellations -- Hat Hut Julian Priester & Sam Rivers -- "Public Servant" -- Hints On Light And Shadow -- Postcards Graham Haynes -- "Half Circle" -- Full Circle -- RKM Not Missing Drums Project -- "Offiene Versprechen" -- Offline Adventures -- Leo Lab Here's the link for the archived January 2 show: http://kbcsweb.bellevuecollege.edu/playlist/archive/?ShowID=22874

Blu-Ray discs will give you a much better picture if your TV has the specs to take advantage of them. You don't need to buy them because now you can rent them from many video stores. You can also get them by mail from Netflix, though you have to pay a higher monthly fee.

Here is the December 5 playlist for "Straight, No Chaser": Erik Friedlander -- "Caribou Narrows" -- Bonebridge -- Skipstone Jonas Westergaard -- "One Over The Hill" -- Helgoland -- Stunt John Coltrane -- "Like Someone In Love" -- Early Trane -- Proper Bill Evans -- "Time Reconsidered" -- The Sesjun Radio Shows -- T2 (N) Jason Parker Quartet -- "Beatrice" -- Live @ Jazz TV -- (self) Tyshawn Sorey -- "Eight" -- Oblique-I -- Pi (N) Daniel Rosenboom Septet -- "Transformation" -- Fallen Angeles -- Nine Winds (N) Rez Abassi's Invocation -- "Onus On Us" -- Suno Suno -- Enja (N) Miles Davis -- "My Man's Gone Now" -- We Want Miles -- Columbia Thomas Chapin Trio Plus Strings -- "Diva" -- Haywire -- Knitting Factory Conference Call -- "Song For My Mother" -- Variations On A Master Plan -- Leo Marc Ribot -- "Invocation" -- Spiritual Unity -- Pi Tom Varner -- "The Quick And The Dead" -- Martian Heartache -- Soul Note Lina Allemano Four -- "Also" -- Gridjam -- Lumo Jason Robinson -- "Huaca del Sol" -- The Two Faces of Janus -- Cuneiform James Carter Organ Trio -- "J. C. Off The Set" -- At The Crossroads -- EmArcy (N) I'm taking a short break from the show. On December 12, Megan Sullivan will be your guest host. Brett Watanabe will fill in on December 19 and 26. I'll return on January 2nd, 2012. It's time to take a look back at the new music that came our way in 2011. Here is my obligatory list of ten favorite CDs as submitted to KBCS: Ambrose Akinmusire – When The Heart Emerges Glistening – Blue Note Anthony Braxton & John McDonough – 6 Duos (Wesleyan) 2006 – Nessa Gerald Cleaver – Be It As I See It – Fresh Sound New Talent Miles Davis Quintet – Live in Europe 1967—The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 – Columbia Bill Frisell – All We Are Saying... – Savoy Jazz Joe Lovano / Us Five – Bird Songs – Blue Note Rudresh Mahanthappa – Samdhi - ACT Matana Roberts – Live In London – Central Control Tyshawn Shorey – Oblique–I – Pi Cuong Vu 4-tet – Leaps of Faith – Origin And here are some other good jazz CDs I like that have come out in the last year or so -- if not in 2011, then at least too late in 2010 for me to take note of them in last year's list: Rez Abassi’s Invocation – Suno Suno – Enja Muhal Richard Abrams – Sound Dance – Pi Jason Adasiewicz – Sun Rooms – Delmark Scott Amendola Trio – Lift – Sazi Bill Anschell – Figments – Origin As Guests With Strings – Universal Mind – Origin Bad Luck – Bats / Josephine – (self) Harrison Bankhead Sextet – Morning Sun, Harvest Moon – Engine BANN – As You Like – Jazz Eyes Anthony Branker & Word Play – Dialogic – Origin Gary Burton – New Gary Burton Quartet – Common Ground – Mack Avenue Igor Butman Big Band – Moscow @ 3 A.M. – Butman Music James Carter – Caribbean Rhapsody – EmArcy Gerald Clayton – Bond—The Paris Sessions – EmArcy Cooper-Moore – Planetary Unknown – AUM Fidelity Marc Copland – Crosstalk – Pirouet Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke & Lenny White – Forever – Concord Larry Coryell – Larry Coryell With The Wide Hive Players – Wide Hive Stephan Crump With Rosetta Trio – Reclamation – Sunnyside Carlos De Rosa’s Cross-Fade – Brain Dance – Cuneiform Dead Cat Bounce – Chance Episodes – Cuneiform Chuck Deardorf – Transparence – Origin Deep Blue Organ Trio – Wonderful! – Origin Benoit Delbecq Trio – The Sixth Jump – Songlines Orrin Evans – Captain Black Big Band – Posi-Tone Orrin Evans – Freedom – Posi-Tone Exploding Star Orchestra – Stars Have Shapes – Delmark Farmers By Nature – Out of This World’s Distortions – AUM Fidelity Bill Frisell – Sign of Life—Music For 858 Quartet – Savoy Jazz Jeff Gauthier Goatette – Open Source -- Cryptogramophone Tim Hagans – The Moon Is Waiting – Palmetto Noah Haidu – Slipstream – Posi-Tone Matt Haimovitz & Uccello – Meeting of The Spirits – Oxingale Sir Roland Hanna – Colors From A Giant’s Kit - IPO Stefon Harris, David Sanchez & Christian Scott – Ninety Miles – Concord Donald Harrison, Ron Carter & Billy Cobham – This Is Jazz – Blue Note Fred Hersch – Alone At The Vanguard – Palmetto Lisa Hilton – Underground – (self) Art Hirahara – Noble Path – Posi-Tone Freddie Hubbard – Pinnacle—Live & Unreleased From Keystone Korner – Resonance Robert Hurst – Unrehurst, Volume 2 – Bebob Hybrid 10tet – On The Move – Stemra Vijay Iyer, Prasanna & Nitin Mitta – Tirtha – ACT Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – Race Riot Suite – Royal Potato Family James Farm – James Farm – Warner Brothers Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra – Treelines – Justin Time Darren Johnston’s Gone To Chicago – The Big Lift – Porto Franco Sean Jones – No Need For Words – Mack Avenue Laura Kahle – Circular – Dark Key Dave King Trucking Company – Good Old Light – Sunnyside Julian Lage – Gladwell – EmArcy Curtis Macdonald – Community Immunity – Greenleaf Thomas Marriott – Constraints & Liberations – Origin Thomas Marriott – Human Spirit – Origin Branford Marsalis & Joey Calderazzo – Songs of Mirth and Melancholy – Marsalis Music The Microscopic Septet – Friday The 13th—The Micros Play Monk – Cuneiform Nicole Mitchell – Awakening – Delmark Alphonse Mouzon – Angel Face – Tenacious New Tricks – Alternate Side – New Tricks Rich Pellegrin Quintet – Three-Part Odyssey – OA2 Jeremy Pelt – The Talented Mr. Pelt – Highnote Austin Peralta – Endless Planets – Brainfeeder Tineke Postma – The Dawn of Light – Challenge Q.E.D. – Yet What If Any Ocean... – Origin Enrico Rava Quintet – Tribe – ECM R/E/D/S – Sign of Four – Origin Phil Ranelin – Perseverance – Wide Hive Reptet – At The Cabin – Artists Recording Collective Jason Robinson – The Two Faces of Janus – Cuneiform Daniel Rosenboom Septet – Fallen Angeles – Nine Winds Scanner With The Post-Modern Jazz Quartet – Blink of An Eye – Thirsty Ear Scenes – Silent Photographer – Origin John Scofield – A Moment’s Peace – EmArcy Brian Settles & Central Union – Secret Handshake – Engine Brad Shepik Quartet – Across The Way – Songlines Matthew Shipp – Art of the Improviser – Thirsty Ear Jen Shyu & Mark Dresser – Synasty – Pi Liam Sillery – Priorite – OA2 Slumgum – Quardboard Flavored Fiber – Accretion Wadada Leo Smith – Heart’s Reflections – Cuneiform Starlicker – Double Demon – Delmark John Stowell & Michael Zilber Quartet – Shot Through With Beauty – Origin Craig Taborn – Avenging Angel – ECM Tarbaby – The End of Fear – Posi-Tone Henry Threadgill Zooid – That Brings Us To, Volume 2 – Pi Triptet – Imaginary Perspective - Engine Undivided – The Passion – Multikulti Project David S. Ware – Onecept – AUM Fidelity Jeff “Tain” Watts – Family – Dark Key Music Billy White – First Things First – Porto Franco Jessica Williams Trio – Freedom Trane – Origin Mary Lou Williams – Mary Lou Williams At Rick’s Cafe Americain – Storyville Sam Yahel – From Sun To Sun – Origin The Young Lizards– Our Modern Lifestyle – Pony Boy