Nov 1 - Nov 4
The Legacy of Lou Donaldson
Born November 1 in Badin, North Carolina, and at ninety-six years young, alto saxophonist and bandleader Lou Donaldson remains in direct lineage with the legends of bebop, including Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown. But from the late 1950's and into the next decade, Donaldson posed a strong and unmistakable lean into soul jazz as an unintended creator of the sub-genre. This week, we'll hear from a variety of sides from 'sweet poppa Lou' and his perfection on the horn.
Nov 7 - Nov 11
Eric Harland's Process of Creation
Born November 8, 1976, in Houston, TX, highly in-demand drummer Eric Harland said "The deepest secret is that ife is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation." One result of Harland's pure creative expression on the drum kit is a plethora of recordings in collaboration with peers and legends in the music. Independence, dynamic energy, and personal elegance are at the core of Harland's sound on the drums. This week, we'll celebrate the drummer's birthday and listen to tracks with Dave Holland, Charles Lloyd, McCoy Tyner, the SFJazz Collective, and many others.
Nov 14 - Nov 18
The Influence of Mal Waldron
Released in fall 2022, "Searching in Grenbole: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert" from pianist and composer Mal Waldron is sublime. Deceptively simple motifs and a never-ending quest of musical discovery on the 88 keys permeates hundreds of recordings from Waldron. Stanley Cowell, Matthew Shipp, and Ethan Iverson are a few of the pianists who consider Waldron a primary influence. KRTU host Chuck Parrish said "Mal makes us tap into a different vibration. I always feel better having gone there with Mal." The list of Mal's recorded gems is plentiful, and we'll listen to a handful this week, including the latest archival release.
Nov 21 - Nov 25
Small Groups of the Swing Era
The swing era was dominated by the orchestrations of big bands, but some of the era's finest recordings in jazz came from smaller combos formed by musicians intent on putting their individual talent and improvising prowess on display. This week, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving with a batch of recordings from small group swing bands of the 1930's and 1940's, with music from Coleman Hawkins, Nat King Cole, Lester Young, the Mound City Blue Blowers, a special feature for pianist Teddy Wilson, and rare recordings from the Keynote Jazz Collection.
Nov 28 - Nov 30
Bold & Daring Sounds from Satoko Fujii
Japanese avant-garde jazz pianist, accordionist, and composer Satoko Fujii stuns listeners with boundless creativity and fearless expression from pen to piano. Fujii handles solo, duo, trio, and large orchestra performances with equal grace and undaunted vision. This week, we'll hear her collaborations with bassist Joe Fonda, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, and a New York orchestra with guitarist Nels Cline, all on Libra and Long Song Records from 2018-2020.
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