An in-depth examination of the life, music and genius of James P. Johnson from his piano rolls and classic tune, “The Charleston” through his mastery of Harlem Stride piano, to his exploration of theatrical and symphonic forms. This exhaustive consideration of Johnson -- from recordings new and old -- totals nearly 6 hours!
A thorough examination of the music, life and times of trumpeter Joe ‘King’ Oliver, one of the prime movers of early Classic Jazz.
Programs include exclusive live performances of Oliver’s music by: South Frisco Jazz Band; Fenix Jazz Band of Argentina and Evergreen Classic Jazz Band of Washington
Oliver’s own historic records with his Creole Jazz Band, Dixie Syncopators and Jelly Roll Morton are heard along with music from: The Southern Stompers (France), Ted Shafer’s Jelly Roll Jazz Band, John Gill’s Dixieland Serenaders, Abbi Hubner’s Lowdown Wizards (Germany), Chris Tyle’s Silver Leaf Jazz Band and Keith Nichols Red Hot Syncopators (Britain).
This vintage JAZZ RHYTHM program first broadcast on KALW, San Francisco in the mid-1990s.
Exploring a half-century of Classic Jazz in Europe with an emphasis on the recent European Traditional Jazz scene.
Music by Peruna Jazzmen, Paris Washboard and live recordings of Milano Jazz Gang (Italy), Jazz-O-Maniacs, Kustbandet, Reimer von Essen, Tomas Orneberg, pianists Louis Mazetier and Neville Dickie, Django Reinhardt, French saxist Alex Combelle and trumpeter, Philipe Brun.
Also examined are the Classic Jazz scenes in France, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Czechoslovakia and beyond ranging from the 1930s to the 1990s.
This vintage JAZZ RHYTHM program first broadcast on KALW, San Francisco in the mid-1990s.
EMMETT MILLER
Undeservedly unknown singer Emmett Miller influenced such important musicians as Jimmie Rodgers (“The Blue Yodler”), Bob Wills, Hank Williams and Leon Redbone, all of whom are heard in the program, along with Miller’s 1928 recordings -- which were long out-of-print until recently.
This vintage JAZZ RHYTHM program first broadcast on KALW, San Francisco in the mid-1990s.
Composer, recording artist and musical visionary
Jelly
Roll Morton created a large body of early Jazz tunes, sheet music and
recordings that summed up the best of New Orleans Jazz. He composed a
great deal of terrific music making a vast number of recordings of
mostly superior musical quality for their day during a career spanning
from the early, early days in New Orleans (before the year 1900) to
1941.
He was one of the most gifted musicians from New Orleans to
attain worldwide fame -- though more so after his death than during his
life. Morton was possibly the best musician of the 1920s at achieving
an ideal symmetry between structure and improvisation. His records
skillfully balance between song structure and improvised group polyphony
-- and between ensemble and solo improvisation.
A peculiar and
fascinating character, Jelly Roll was a gifted musician, major jazz
pianist & composer, and helped shape Classic Jazz in the 1920s. His
music, particularly his piano style, can be seen a bridge -- the
missing link if you will -- between Ragtime, the music that preceded
jazz in the late 19th century, and the classic jazz style that emerged
in the 1920s. For my more recent and quite different take on Morton from 2011, click here
These JAZZ RHYTHM programs were broadcast live in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early- to mid-1990s. The series was then aired in 2-hour segments, often extending over multiple weeks.
In general they contain more comprehensive information and examine the featured artists in greater depth. For this reason they may be of special interest to committed enthusiasts of vintage Jazz seeking a more complete picture of early Jazz style and the Trad Jazz musicians keeping this music alive today.
While most of the local context has been removed, you will still hear references to the fact that these were heard Sunday nights on KALW-FM in San Francisco (which has not been the case since December 1997). JAZZ RHYTHM launched as a nationally syndicated series in its current form in October, 1998.
