Jazz Feature for Sept.13:"An Introduction to Jazz" Narrated by Cannonball Adderley.

[Gavin Walker]

Here we are again in the middle of September, post Labour Day and it's the usual old cliche: "back to work, back to school, back to the grind". It also marks a time in most cities when cultural events, music, theatre, dance, and various festivals resume as people get back to their routines after the summer. There has been established on "The Jazz Show" a tradition at this time of year that we devote the Jazz Feature to a little entertaining education about this form of music and musical expression. Hence we will begin with Part 1 of a series of two shows devoted to explaining a little bit about this art form we call Jazz. Part 1 on tonight's show will be "An Introduction to Jazz" narrated by the great master alto saxophonist/bandleader/educator, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. Part 2 will be next week (Sept. 20) with maestro Leonard Bernstein's "What is Jazz".

Mr. Adderley made this recording in 1960 and even though it's 40 years old it still has relevance as it touches upon some very important points in Jazz history and has snippets of some of the movers and shakers of Jazz. Of course it has some limitations as the use of musical examples was limited to what Riverside Records owned. There is also the time factor as a lot has happened in the music in the last 40 years. However, it's strong points are the relaxed and entertaining way that Adderley makes this journey from the music's beginnings up until the time of this recording, laying out the steps, with musical examples, of the various roots and branches of Jazz and it's progress. Adderley was a brilliant man who at age 19 was a professional musician, a college grad and was teaching high school! His wit and lucidity are evident here. So be prepared to be educated and entertained by the capsule history of Jazz narrated by one of it's most illustrious exponents: Mr Julian "Cannonball" Adderley.

The Jazz Feature on The Introduction to Jazz will be on just shortly after 11pm but starting at 9pm, I'll be presenting a whole batch of great music. See you then............