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Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show

Jeffrey Siegel

The Award-winning jazz podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Siegel.

music performing arts

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53:25

Podcast 627: A Conversation with Brian Bromberg

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/07/14

I last spoke to bassist Brian Bromberg two years ago, when his first album in almost four years, Full Circle, marked a strong return to the scene. Since then Brian has been busy on the touring front, as well as lending his talents to CDs from among others, his long-time collaborator Gary Meek (see Podcast 599). His latest CD, Thicker Than Water, is a throwback of sorts to his large ensemble CDs It Is What It Is and Compared to That, full of funky grooves and up-tempo tunes. Made up of thirteen

32:37

Podcast 626: A Conversation about Erroll Garner and...

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/07/13

History may show that we are living in the golden age of the jazz archival release. During the past ten years, advances in technology, and the desire of a few dedicated individuals (think Zev Feldman at Resonance) have brought listeners “new” recordings from legends like Bill Evans, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk, and especially John Coltrane and Miles Davis. The Erroll Garner Jazz Project at the Erroll Garner archive at the University of Pittsburgh has played an important role in

The Official Straight No Chaser Song of Independence Day

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/07/04

American Independence Day 2018. While it seems with every day there is less and less to celebrate about the state of our country today, nonetheless we should never fail to recall the brave words that were written by our forefathers in Philadelphia in 1776: When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the and equal station to which the laws of nature and of

51:24

Podcast 625: A Conversation with Edward Simon

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/07/02

When I last spoke with Edward Simon, he was on the road with the SFJazz Collective, and was stopping near me in Amherst, Massachusetts. Simon, a native of Venezuela who has become a first call pianist and a bandleader in his own right, has gone on since then to be awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NAACP Image Award for his Latin American Songbook. His growth as a composer, performer and leader is clear in his latest release, Sorrows & Triumphs. The new CD allows Simon to make a number of

55:36

Podcast 624: A Conversation with Mike Clark

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/06/30

When we talk about the top jazz drummers of the past fifty years, particularly in the area of jazz-funk and fusion, the short list of real greats has to include Mike Clark. Already a veteran jazz drummer by the time Herbie Hancock picked him for his immortal Headhunters band, Clark wrote the book on jazz-funk, and went on to play in almost all genres of jazz, blues and funk. His credits range from Hancock, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Shaw, Albert King, Eddie and Joe Henderson and Larry Coryell to

01:10:21

Podcast 623: Previewing the 2018 Freihofer's Saratoga...

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/06/21

Summer can officially begin! The 2018 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will take place on Saturday June 23rd and Sunday June 24th, 2018 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. As always there is a stellar lineup, and this year a few scheduling changes have made the festival even more fan-friendly. For the first time in the Festival’s 41-year history, performances will begin at 11 a.m. on the newly built Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” stage. Performances on the

35:59

Podcast 622: A Conversation with Ron Skinner

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/06/20

Riddle me this… What do these recordings all have in common, besides classic recording artists: “Boogie Chillun” by John Lee Hooker; “Back in the USA” by the MC5; “Mothership Connection” by Parliament; “Theme from Shaft” by Isaac Hayes; and “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye. The answer? They were all recorded in United Sound Systems Recording Studios Established in Detroit, Michigan in 1933 by Jimmy Siracuse, it became the first independent and full service major recording studio in the nation and

Song for Memorial Day: "Unknown Soldier" by Weather...

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/05/28

To honor those who gave their lives defending America, the Straight No Chaser song of Memorial Day is Joe Zawinul’s “Unknown Soldier.” Recorded by Zawinul with Weather Report for their I Sing the Body Electric album in 1972, the band at that time was Wayne Shorter on sax, Zawinul on keyboards (and synthesizer for one of the first times), Miroslav Vitous on bass, Eric Gravatt on drums and Dom Um Romao on percussion. Guests on “Unknown Soldier” included Hubert Laws on flute; Andrew White on English

44:04

Podcast 621: A Conversation with Jamie Baum

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/05/24

Flutist Jamie Baum has created one of the first truly exception jazz recordings of 2018 with the release of Bridges, performed by the Jamie Baum Septet +. A Guggenheim Fellow, Ms. Baum has deftly merged what we classify as “World Music” with jazz in a way that honors both genres. By taking sounds from the Jewish liturgical music of her childhood, and finding common ground with Muslim/Arabic and Hundi/South Asian music, Jamie has created something truly unique. Having traveled extensively, and been

33:00

Podcast 620: A Conversation with E.J. Decker

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/05/19

It’s a great joy for me to find recordings that I’ve not heard before. Maybe they are vintage, maybe brand new but from small labels or self-released. There are a number of blogs much better than mine in doing this kind of crate-digging, especially Marc Myers’ JazzWax. Check it out now! It took singer E.J. Decker’s latest release - Bluer Than Velvet: The Prysock Project – to introduce me to the music of Arthur Prysock. From 1994 until the late-Eighties, this deep-voiced singer released hit singles

Shakespeare and All that Jazz

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/04/23

As an English major at Clark University (Class of '77) I spent many a fond moment with one of my favorite professors, Dr. Virginia Vaughan discussing the Immortal Bard, William Shakespeare. Although Shakespeare's birthdate is unknown, it is traditionally celebrated on April 23, St. George's Day. He was born 452 years ago today. And whither, you might ask, does this great writer intersect with Jazz? Look no further than the 1964 album by Cleo Laine, Shakespeare and All That Jazz, arranged and

34:41

Podcast 619: A Conversation with Andrew Rathbun

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/04/09

The genesis of musical composition comes from so many sources and muses, books have been written on the topic. For Toronto native Andrew Rathbun, a talented saxophonist, composer and educator, that source has routinely been poetry. In 1998, his recording Jade set to music the verse of Cathy Song, while his 2000 follow-up True Stories focused on the work of fellow Canadian Margaret Atwood. The Atwood Suites returns to the poetry of Ms. Atwood, but with the music written and performed by the Andrew

53:29

Podcast 618: Cecil Taylor (1929-2018)

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/04/08

I can’t say that I often turned to the music of Cecil Taylor when I wanted something to listen to. To me, Taylor, one of the three great avant-garde pioneers (along with Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane) did not make music that was in any way welcoming or accessible. But what he did do, often playing his piano as anything other than an instrument capable of melody, opened up worlds of possibilities for two generations of jazz musicians. I wandered through the retrospective “Open Plan: Cecil Taylor”

The Official Straight No Chaser Song of Easter:...

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/04/01

The song of the day is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade", performed by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine and released on their 1957 album Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin. Although Vaughan had made many recordings with Eckstine, this was their only album together. Writing a song about celebrating a Christian holiday was not an anomaly for the Jewish composer Berlin. Born in 1888 into a Russian Jewish family who came to New York City to escape religious persecution when

Spiritual Jaz:"Go Down Moses" by Louis Armstrong

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/31

One of my favorite holidays is the celebration of the Jewish holiday of Passover As the first Seder is tonight, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of the prophet Moses, I've gone into the category of music that was called "Negro Spirituals" when I was in school, and picked "Go Down Moses" Versions of the song seem to go back to 1862, when it was called "Oh! Let My People Go (The Song of the Contrabands)". The opening verse was published by the Jubilee

Spiritual Jazz: David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday"

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/29

The fine blog Any Major Dude with Half a Heart (dig that Steely Dan reference) has always gone deep into the crates for goodies, usually of the soul variety. For Holy Thursday, celebrated by Catholics around the world, he has a real winner. Visit his page for the late David Axelrod's "Holy Thursday". As he said on his blog: Well, it is Holy Thursday, and while this orchestral jazz track might not feed your pieties, it should at least get your toes tapping. That does not mean that the title is

01:02:07

Podcast 617: Spirituality 2018

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/25

The start of Holy Week for the Christian faith is my cue to put together a podcast of Spiritual Jazz. Whether it has specific religious overtones, as songs in this year's podcast do when referencing the Muslim or Jewish faith; or are built on Spirituals from the African-American lexicon, this is some of the most thrilling and moving music around, It can also be among the most challenging, as traditional melody or harmony can go out the window as the jazz musician searches for meaning or expression

26:30

Podcast 616: A Conversation with Mark Murphy

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/24

Mark Murphy’s latest CD, Pocketful of Rainbows, continues a trend of merging the singer-songwriter sense with jazz sensibilities. On one level, there is Mark’s smooth voice and lilting acoustic guitar performing songs written by Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams. On another there is the richness and subtlety that the finest jazz musicians – like drummer Jeff Ballard, keyboardist Jon Cowherd, and electric guitarist Gilad Hekselman - bring to the arrangements and execution of the tunes. Add

59:48

Podcast 615: Jazzin' Into Spring

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/20

While Winter may officially be dead today, it sure doesn't seem like Spring in my neck of the woods. Here in Western Massachusetts we're bracing for another heavy winter storm tomorrow, the fourth in the past month. It seems like the song of the day will be "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year". Or maybe "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most"? I think it's Michael Franks' recording of "Why It Ain't Spring" that fits my mood best. But here is an hour of jazz with Spring themes to enjoy and make

30:21

Podcast 614: A Conversation with Kurt Elling

Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show ·

2018/03/19

A new album from vocalist Kurt Elling always gives his listeners a chance to follow him further on his unique musical journey. The 13-time Grammy nominee (he won in 2009 for his tribute to the classic album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, entitled Dedicated to You) never fails to go deeper into the musical canon in search of tunes to interpret, as well as instrumentals for which he can add lyrics. A student of poetry, philosophy and religion, as well as of jazz history, Elling’s latest release,

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