Gavin Walker
Sep 16, 2011, 09:20 PM
The Jazz Feature tonight is Part 2 of this show's annual "back to school" series and as always at this time we present the great American musical icon, Maestro Leonard Bernstein narrating his classic "What Is Jazz". Several descriptions of this album appear on this site's archives, but I will make a few points about it here. As one may gather like last week's Jazz Feature, (Cannonball Adderley's "Introduction to Jazz") this album was done in the mid-50's but it is still very relevant and entertaining. It it less a history of Jazz than it is a description of the music and the many aspects that make Jazz unique among the musical arts. Bernstein and co. show you through musical examples provided by himself and a cast of famous Jazz players what Jazz is and what it isn't. Bernstein is lucid and funny as well and perhaps unintentionally funny with several rather dated references. The disc is in two parts, the first being a description of the music and all of it's facets and the second part disects a standard tune and features several groups of well known players interpreting that tune. The song incidentally is an old standard called "Sweet Sue, Just You" written by Will Harris and Victor Young. That's the Jazz Feature in a nutshell and if you've heard this before there are always new things to rediscover and if you have never heard this, you are in for a wonderful and enlightening treat.
The Bernstein Feature will air shortly after 11pm as usual but for the first 2 hours beginning at 9pm, I will have a very special guest who although he is a non-musician, he has a deep love and knowledge of this great art form. His name is George Jolly and every third Sunday George and co. host their version of "One O'Clock Jump" at 1pm on CO-OP Radio at 102.7 FM....he'll be heard this Sunday (Sept 18) and be with me on The Jazz Show on Sept. 19...................see you then...............
The Bernstein Feature will air shortly after 11pm as usual but for the first 2 hours beginning at 9pm, I will have a very special guest who although he is a non-musician, he has a deep love and knowledge of this great art form. His name is George Jolly and every third Sunday George and co. host their version of "One O'Clock Jump" at 1pm on CO-OP Radio at 102.7 FM....he'll be heard this Sunday (Sept 18) and be with me on The Jazz Show on Sept. 19...................see you then...............