Jazz Bastard Podcast

It's all female vocalists this time, and the conversations about sultriness get pretty deep - when they aren't painfully shallow. Rene Marie – VERTIGO; Sophie Milman – MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY; Monica Zetterlund with the Bill Evans Trio – WALTZ FOR DEBBIE; Cecile McLoren Salvant – DREAMS AND DAGGERS.

To put Louis Armstrong into context, Mike leads Pat kicking and screaming through recordings by five of Louis' contemporaries. Who can redeem the period's vocalizin'? Boswell Sisters to the rescue. Henry “Red” Allen – CHRONOLOGICA L CLASSICS 1929-1933; King Oliver - KING OLIVER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 1929-1930; Oscar “Papa” Celestin/Sam Morgan – THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS; Bunny Berigan – COMPLETE BRUNSWICK, PARLOPHONE & VOCALIN BUNNY BERIGAN SESSIONS (DISC ONE)

It's a whole episode dedicated to the great Louis Armstrong's 1930's Decca tracks in all their glory and strangeness. Skeletons in the closest will boogie before all's said and done, and Mike will flex his cultural studies chops more than once. Plus a look at some of the biggest pop stars of the last decade and Bryan Ferry. Louis Armstrong: THE COMPLETE DECCA MASTER TAKES 1935-1939.

Sometimes we get review copies - sometimes we talk about them. Four youngish artists with quite recentish releases go under the microscope. Then, pop matters is all about the fab four and the very un-fab Sgt. Peppers movie.

Together at last, the boys talk a random assortment of jazz releases and then get to the nitty-gritty: what did Mike think of Hamilton and what is going on in the apartment beneath him? Juli Wood – SYNKKA METSA; Alex Sipiagin – RETURNING; The Necks – SILVERWATER; Vienna Art Orchestra – DUKE ELLINGTON’S SOUND OF LOVE.

Mike's laid up sick, so Pat whips up a "bonus" episode on Duke Ellington's suites. Did Ellington write a twenty-minute, six-movement suite just to get into Queen Elizabeth II's royal knickers? No way of knowing, but it's fun to speculate. Duke Ellington – SUCH SWEET THUNDER, QUEEN’S SUITE, FAR EAST SUITE, NEW ORLEANS SUITE.

We depart from our usual format to offer an interview with saxophone player and composer Charles McPherson. Charles discusses an early encounter with Charlie Parker, lessons from Barry Harris, a wild first night employed by Charles Mingus, what bebop means to him, and several other topics. We don't focus on particular albums, but Charles recommends, among others, TODAY'S MAN, SIKU YA BIBI, and THE JOURNEY as places to begin to get to know his playing, if you don't already.

It's a podcast first - Pat votes to ban a jazz musician from further discussion. Who's the lucky winner? Plus, if you're patient enough, Mike talks hats and gropers. Gregory Porter – MEET ME IN THE ALLEY, NAT “KING” COLE & ME; Kamasi Washington – HARMONY OF DIFFERENCE; Matt Wilson – HONEY AND SALT.

It's the podcasts' fifth anniversary so the albums discussed feature quintets. Laughs, insights, and just a few sentimental moments as the boys contemplate this milestone. Oh, and they rant about Microsoft just a little bit. Ronald Shannon Jackson – SHANNON’S HOUSE; Oliver Lake – PROPHET; Jimmy Lyons – GIVE IT UP; Kenny Cox – INTRODUCING KENNY COX AND THE CONTEMPORARY JAZZ QUINTET.

Thelonious Sphere Monk turns one-hundred this year, which is approximately the number of albums based on his music released each year. Mike and Pat discuss the master's recently unearthed sound track to Dangerous Liaisons and three fairly recently tribute albums to his deathless music. Thelonious Monk - LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES; (Plays Monk) – PLAYS MONK; John Beasley – MONK’ESTRA VOL. 1; Dave Zoller – EVIDENCE: MUSIC OF THELONIOUS MONK.

Mike and Pat welcome special guest Eric Allen, co-author of 50 Years at the Village Vanguard – Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and discuss the book along with early recordings by the band and a couple other seventies big bands. All three agree - ain't no way Pat's letting Maynard Ferguson into his blanket fort. Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Big Band – LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD, PRESENTING THE JAZZ ORCHESTRA; ALL OUR YESTERDAYS (disc 1); Maynard Ferguson – MF HORN; Toshiko Akiyoshi – EUROPEAN MEMOIRS.

In this banger, Ethan Iverson's "Do the Math" blog inspires Mike and Pat to explore the early years of pianist Geri Allen's career. Pat keeps confusing Ethan with Allen, while Mike illustrates Melanie Klein's "good bassist / bad bassist theory" in his discussion of Geri's appearance in two trio super-groups. Geri Allen - THE PRINTMAKERS, TWYLIGHT, THE LIFE OF A SONG; Charlie Haden - ETUDES.

Mike leads us back, back, back into the wilds of pre-LP jazz as we discuss Bud Powell, Mary Lou Williams, and Tadd Dameron. Then Pat goes and ruins it with a selection from Ferit Odman, who at least had the decency to keep it all-analog. Mary Lou Williams – ZODIAC SUITE; Tadd Dameron – COMPLETE CAPITOL AND BLUE NOTE RECORDINGS OF FATS NAVARRO AND TADD DAMERON, DISC ONE; Bud Powell – COMPLETE VERVE RECORDINGS, DISC ONE (JAZZ GIANT & THE GENIUS OF BUD POWELL); Ferit Odman – DAMERONIA WITH STRINGS

In this follow-up to the epic "lite jazz" explorations of episode 63, the boys look at three whistle-stops on the Soul train line, and check out a foundational document of lite jazz by George "Pencil-Stash" Benson. Grover Washington Jr. – SOULBOX; Hank Crawford – DON’T YOU WORRY ‘BOUT A THING; George Benson – BREEZIN’; David Sanborn – VOYEUR.

Two avante garde guitars two generations apart are the focus this time, as Mike and Pat look at releases from Sonny Sharrock and Mary Halvorson. Plus, Mike unloads on Pat for his Beach Boys obsession. Sonny Sharrock – GUITAR, ASK THE AGES; Mary Halvorson – MELTFRAME; Tomeka Reid Quartet – SELF TITLED.

You can make all sorts of connections among the four selections discussed in this episode, but Pat & Mike aren't about trying too hard. Listen as Ambrose Akinmusire (and Stan Getz) enter the ranks of artists "lucky" enough to be discussed three times on this venerable show. Stan Getz – SWEET RAIN; Ambrose Akinmusire – A RIFT IN DECORUM – LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD; Miles Davis – LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST MARCH 7, 1970; Count Basie / Lester Young – SAVORY COLLECTION VOLUME 2

Peripatetic Pat is in a grumpy mood this episode and can only find a spot of warmth in his cold cold heart for one of the four vocal selections covered. Why can't he not worry and be and/or get happy? Mike has one word for him: Zundoko! Norah Jones – DAY BREAKS; Pink Martini – GET HAPPY; Bobby McFerrin – SPIRITYOUALL; Madeleine Peyroux – SECULAR HYMNS.

Mike and Pat welcome special guest Brent Laidler to discuss his album No Matter Where Noir. Brent plays guitar on the album but he also wrote and arranged the pieces, many of which normal human beings can hum. Brent Laidler - NO MATTER WHERE NOIR; Yuji Ohno – LUPIN THE THIRD JAZZ

Listener suggestions guide the boys this time, with jazz inflected rock and camp infected jazz filling the playlist. Bettye LaVette - INTERPRETATIONS: THE BRITISH ROCK SONGBOOK; Frank Zappa - MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE; Joni Mitchell – MINGUS; Ed Palermo Big Band - THE GREAT UNAMERICAN SONGBOOK

The forecast for this cast is . . . well, we're doing a show about four alto sax players named Sonny. Make your own meteorological joke. Sonny Stitt – REARIN’ BACK/ TRIBUTE TO ELLINGTON; Sonny Fortune – SERENGETI MINSTREL; Sonny Criss – SONNY’S DREAM; Sonny Simmons – BURNING SPIRITS.