Brian Nation
Dec 3, 2006, 03:30 PM
Gavin Walker's "The Jazz Show" is heard Mondays 9PM to midnight on CITR (http://www.citr.ca/) 101.9 FM and online (http://www.citr.ca/default.asp?id=19&mnu=19).
Recent shows are also available as Podcasts. Subscribe (http://playlist.citr.ca/podcasting/xml/thejazzshow.xml)
Each show features an entire album at 11PM.
Album features for December:
Dec. 4: Locksley Wellington Hampton better known as "Slide" was born in Jeanette, Pennsylvania on April 21, 1932 and is happily still alive and well and productive. Slide led a fine little band in the late fifties and early sixties after making a name for himself playing and writing for Maynard Ferguson’s great “M.F. Band”. Slide formed his octet to play his own music and began recording and playing gigs. The octet (although frequently augmented by other horns and/or percussion) was always “The Octet”. Slide recorded some fine albums for Atlantic and for the Charlie Parker label and a very rare one for Strand but the records did not sell a lot (even though the music was superb) and it was very hard for Slide to book the band into clubs. Eventually it disbanded and Slide went on to other things. However tonight’s feature was a one-shot album for Epic (a Columbia subsidiary) and it’s the best. It’s called “The Drum Suite” and it features the octet’s unusual set-up; two trumpets, two trombones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, piano, bass and drums plus added horns. It has just been released with extra tracks by Mosaic Singles. Max Roach was brought in as guest drummer on most tracks and Yusef Lateef on flute and tenor saxophone was added to the mix one some tunes. George Coleman on tenor was a regular in the band as were trumpeters Richard Williams and Freddie Hubbard. All in all a killer record with great arrangements and playing by Slide. A fine way to close the book on a ground breaking little band.
Dec. 11: Chet Baker’s notoriety is usually about his chaotic and dope-driven personal life leading up to his mysterious death in 1988 from a fall (push?) from a flop-house window in Amsterdam. Leaving all the sordid stuff aside is hard in Baker’s case but he usually always rallied when it came to playing. Listen to his records from 1956 on (1956 was the year he got hooked on heroin) and his innate musicality and beautiful melodic concept comes through whether playing on his own or a borrowed trumpet. Chesney Baker was born in Yale, Oklahoma on December 12, 1929 and was a self-taught musician whose “ear” was excellent and carried him throughout his musical career as Baker knew little of music theory or even how to read very well.....a natural talent! We pick up Baker’s life in 1959 in New York where he was dogged by the narcs so much that he packed his bags and left for Europe. Although there were always gigs and recordings Baker was deported from several countries and finally spent 17 months in jail in Italy before the Italians booted him. The same happened in Germany and after several months in a German jail he was ousted from there; same story with England and so on. Baker came back to the States and said that he “had changed”.....nobody believed him but he borrowed a horn and began to record and play gigs and of course sounded fine. This leads us to tonight’s feature done over three days in August of 1965. Baker a few weeks before these sessions took place had his horn stolen and someone loaned him a flugelhorn (a larger and more mellow sounding trumpet). Baker found it hard to play but because of his talent quickly mastered it’s difficulties. Chet took his horn to this marathon recording session and produced some of his best playing in years. He recorded enough material for five LP records that were issued by Prestige and called “Boppin’”, “Groovin’”, “Cool Burnin’”, “Smokin’” and “Comin’ On” with the Chet Baker Quintet. Baker’s band included the great George Coleman on tenor saxophone just after leaving Miles Davis and a hot rhythm section comprising a young and great Kirk Lightsey on piano, solid Herman Wright on bass and the unsung giant of the drums Roy Brooks. An all Detroit rhythm section. Great tunes by Tadd Dameron and others make this date an essential Baker outing. After this recording Baker left New York and headed west for further misadventures and always excellent music.
Dec. 18: As this is our last show for 2006 we will adhere to what has become a jazz show tradition and that is to present the famous Christmas eve all-star date led by Miles Davis known as the “Bag’s Groove” session. Somehow the spirit of Christmas sang through the incandescent beauty of Miles’ horn. The session included three leaders; Miles, pianist Thelonious Monk and vibist Milt Jackson with Percy Heath on Bass and the jazz pioneer Kenny Clarke on drums. Great music which does not date down through the ages took place and although the participants did not realize it (or maybe they did) they were making jazz history. Not all went smoothly and egos clashed a bit as Miles asked Monk not to play behind him during his solos on most tunes. Monk did however back Miles on his own tune (Bemsha Swing) as he told Miles that if he was going to record one of his tunes then he was going to back him. There were rumours of fights and screaming but that is untrue and after the session everybody went home to Christmas knowing they recorded some great music. Two takes of Jackson’s Blues called “Bag’s Groove” (‘Bags’ was Jackson’s nickname), a Davis tune called “Swing Spring” and Monk’s tune (“Bemsha Swing”) and a Gershwin standard, “The Man I Love”. Gavin Walker and the Jazz Show will take a break over the holidays and be back with Charles Mingus as the feature on January 8, 2007. Merry Christmas to all and a very happy New Year.
Recent shows are also available as Podcasts. Subscribe (http://playlist.citr.ca/podcasting/xml/thejazzshow.xml)
Each show features an entire album at 11PM.
Album features for December:
Dec. 4: Locksley Wellington Hampton better known as "Slide" was born in Jeanette, Pennsylvania on April 21, 1932 and is happily still alive and well and productive. Slide led a fine little band in the late fifties and early sixties after making a name for himself playing and writing for Maynard Ferguson’s great “M.F. Band”. Slide formed his octet to play his own music and began recording and playing gigs. The octet (although frequently augmented by other horns and/or percussion) was always “The Octet”. Slide recorded some fine albums for Atlantic and for the Charlie Parker label and a very rare one for Strand but the records did not sell a lot (even though the music was superb) and it was very hard for Slide to book the band into clubs. Eventually it disbanded and Slide went on to other things. However tonight’s feature was a one-shot album for Epic (a Columbia subsidiary) and it’s the best. It’s called “The Drum Suite” and it features the octet’s unusual set-up; two trumpets, two trombones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, piano, bass and drums plus added horns. It has just been released with extra tracks by Mosaic Singles. Max Roach was brought in as guest drummer on most tracks and Yusef Lateef on flute and tenor saxophone was added to the mix one some tunes. George Coleman on tenor was a regular in the band as were trumpeters Richard Williams and Freddie Hubbard. All in all a killer record with great arrangements and playing by Slide. A fine way to close the book on a ground breaking little band.
Dec. 11: Chet Baker’s notoriety is usually about his chaotic and dope-driven personal life leading up to his mysterious death in 1988 from a fall (push?) from a flop-house window in Amsterdam. Leaving all the sordid stuff aside is hard in Baker’s case but he usually always rallied when it came to playing. Listen to his records from 1956 on (1956 was the year he got hooked on heroin) and his innate musicality and beautiful melodic concept comes through whether playing on his own or a borrowed trumpet. Chesney Baker was born in Yale, Oklahoma on December 12, 1929 and was a self-taught musician whose “ear” was excellent and carried him throughout his musical career as Baker knew little of music theory or even how to read very well.....a natural talent! We pick up Baker’s life in 1959 in New York where he was dogged by the narcs so much that he packed his bags and left for Europe. Although there were always gigs and recordings Baker was deported from several countries and finally spent 17 months in jail in Italy before the Italians booted him. The same happened in Germany and after several months in a German jail he was ousted from there; same story with England and so on. Baker came back to the States and said that he “had changed”.....nobody believed him but he borrowed a horn and began to record and play gigs and of course sounded fine. This leads us to tonight’s feature done over three days in August of 1965. Baker a few weeks before these sessions took place had his horn stolen and someone loaned him a flugelhorn (a larger and more mellow sounding trumpet). Baker found it hard to play but because of his talent quickly mastered it’s difficulties. Chet took his horn to this marathon recording session and produced some of his best playing in years. He recorded enough material for five LP records that were issued by Prestige and called “Boppin’”, “Groovin’”, “Cool Burnin’”, “Smokin’” and “Comin’ On” with the Chet Baker Quintet. Baker’s band included the great George Coleman on tenor saxophone just after leaving Miles Davis and a hot rhythm section comprising a young and great Kirk Lightsey on piano, solid Herman Wright on bass and the unsung giant of the drums Roy Brooks. An all Detroit rhythm section. Great tunes by Tadd Dameron and others make this date an essential Baker outing. After this recording Baker left New York and headed west for further misadventures and always excellent music.
Dec. 18: As this is our last show for 2006 we will adhere to what has become a jazz show tradition and that is to present the famous Christmas eve all-star date led by Miles Davis known as the “Bag’s Groove” session. Somehow the spirit of Christmas sang through the incandescent beauty of Miles’ horn. The session included three leaders; Miles, pianist Thelonious Monk and vibist Milt Jackson with Percy Heath on Bass and the jazz pioneer Kenny Clarke on drums. Great music which does not date down through the ages took place and although the participants did not realize it (or maybe they did) they were making jazz history. Not all went smoothly and egos clashed a bit as Miles asked Monk not to play behind him during his solos on most tunes. Monk did however back Miles on his own tune (Bemsha Swing) as he told Miles that if he was going to record one of his tunes then he was going to back him. There were rumours of fights and screaming but that is untrue and after the session everybody went home to Christmas knowing they recorded some great music. Two takes of Jackson’s Blues called “Bag’s Groove” (‘Bags’ was Jackson’s nickname), a Davis tune called “Swing Spring” and Monk’s tune (“Bemsha Swing”) and a Gershwin standard, “The Man I Love”. Gavin Walker and the Jazz Show will take a break over the holidays and be back with Charles Mingus as the feature on January 8, 2007. Merry Christmas to all and a very happy New Year.