Saxophone legend Charlie Parker's last recording session was an album of Cole Porter tunes. I start this episode with two tracks from that great album.

Other great players playing Cole Porter tunes include Dizzy Gillespie, Matthew Shipp, Toronto guitarist Jocelyn Gould, and trumpeter Tom Harrell. Harrell plays with singer Mark Murphy and their dramatic rendition of a song that is already dramatic thanks to its natural arc is probably the highlight of this episode.

Other great singers I play today include Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Julie London, Peggy Lee, and the Susie Arioli Swing Band.

Some of my favourite songs, whether played by jazz or non-jazz musicians, turn out to be Cole Porter compositions. What makes those songs so great, and so amenable to jazz improvisation and reharmonization?

I talk a bit about Cole Porter's life. Did you know that he wrote a complete operetta--words and music---at age 10?

And for this episode I play recordings of Begin the Beguine, Night and Day, Anything Goes, So In Love, I Love You, Too Darn Hot, and Down in The Depths of the 90th Floor. Jazz players represented include Dave Brubeck, Art Pepper, Sergio Mendes, Chick Corea, french hornist Tom Varner, Artie Shaw, and Oscar Peterson, Singers include Lani Hall, Bob Dorough, K.D. Lang, Mel Torme, and Fred Astaire.

On this episode I play and talk about:

-Joe Locke (vibraphone solo)

I talk about Charles Waring's list of the 25 best vibraphonists, play music by a few of them, and add some others. They range in eras from Lionel Hampton to Chris Dingman. And lots inbetween.

This is the last of my New Aquisitions series----lp's and cd's I recently found.

It include three artists from my hometown, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are:

I also include a fascinating 'contest' for you on this listener. Guess what emotion or human quality is being portrayed in a particular track off Lynne Arriale's "Being Human" cd.

Then there's my re-discovery of the music of the great Count Basie, especially his smaller ensembles. And also something from a classic album he did with Frank Sinatra.

Then there's one of my all-time favourites. Bob Dorough. He exudes sponaneity and playfulness.

I play some classic Miles Davis from a remastered version of his "Relaxin" album.

Then there are a couple artists you don't normally associate with jazz. But these tracks are solidly within the jazz genre. Firstly, there's Richard Greene playing Ornette Coleman. Then we have pop-soul group Bob Kuban and The In-Men (remember The Cheater?) with organist Greg Hoetzel as influenced by Jimmy Smith.

The hilight for me on this week's podcast is a brand new cd (their first) by Moneka Arabic Jazz---led by Toronto's (via Iraq) Ahmed Moneka. I play two tracks from that album.

I also play some more typical jazz recordings---with outstanding playing! Three of them are on the Pablo lable recorded in the mid 1970's. They include:

-a track from the Quadrant album by Joe Pass, Milt jackson, Mickey Roker, and Ray Brown.

Then there's two tracks from a Tony Bennett album with Ruby Braff's trumpet and guitarist George Barnes. Barnes is considered by some to be the very first electric guitarist. I wonder if that's true?

I play a track from an early album by Trumpeter Nicholas Payton, dueting with Wynton Marsalis.

Then there's another duet: Yukon pianist Daniel Janke and Montreal clarinetist Francois Houle.

Some boogie woogie piano from 1939 by Albert Ammons

Then there's the group that ended up putting out my favourite jazz album of 2023---Sweden's Ellas Kapell. Some spectacular piano work by Manne Skafvenstedt and fine tenor sax work by Magnus Lindgren on Cheek to cheek.

There were over five weeks where my podcast was out of commission due to the host having disappeared. Now I have a new host and I've been posting some new Discovering Jazz programs.

During that no-activity period I was still buying cd's and records---waiting the time I could play some of them on my show. Well folks! That time has come!

Most of these vinyl albums and cd's were found in thrift and second hand stores. A few were purchased online or from the artist's themselves at concerts I attended. Some were sent to me by promoters. In the next three episodes I plan to play tracks from the ones that have most resonated with tme.

Part 1 features three artists whose cd's I received thanks to Braithwaite and Katz who are promoters for some of the most interesting and often 'edgy' current jazz artists. I play tracks from recent albums by Ches Smith, Gabriela Martina, and Noah Haidu.

Some second hand lp's that I quite like are by The Alex Dean Quartet, Oscar Peterson Big 6, and Ella and Louis.

Last but not least---two cd's: one from my local thrift store and the other from one of the few remaining stores in Edmonton that sell new cd's. The first is by a guitarist and I've been playing the recording a lot lately. His name is Lorne Lofsky....and it's truly wonderful! Especially his version of Yesterdays. The second is from an arranger, composer, pianist, big band leader who I was told I must listen to if I wanted to truly understand jazz harmony. His name is Clare Fischer.

I hope you can appreciate this music as much as I do.

IMPORTANT NOTE, Aug 30, 2024: A loyal listener alerted me to the fact that the link for this episode is incorrect. So I've corrected it. So please give it another try. Thanks Stephane!

I like to 'prepare' to go to Jazz Festival concerts (even if I don't actually go to many of them) as an excuse to 'discover' new jazz artists. And there are some great ones playing at this year's Edmonton Jazz Fest going on this week (June 25-30). And many of them are also on tour playing elsewhere in Western and Eastern Canada and the U.S., as well as Europe.

I don't know how many concerts my time and budget will allow me to see and hear. Probably Norbert Kael and his Jazzical Trio and Moneka Arabic Jazz. Then there's Ulysses Owens Jr and Generation Y, Veronia Swift, Lakecia Benjamin, Cory Henry, Lorraine Klaasen, and Pasquale Grasso. I also play some great tracks in this episode from local artists: Joe Semple and the Licorice Sticks (a clarinet group), Sahil Chugh, and guitarist Jim Head.

More great recent recordings utilizing bebop, hardbop, and swing as selected by soul/jazz singer and pianist, Cliff Beach.

We start again with a great Duke Ellington composition from Cliff's latest album, You Showed Me The Way. And follow it with Ella Fitzgerald singing that same Duke Ellington song with what Cliff describes as a "James Brown sound". You'll also hear Monty Alexander, John Scofield doing some Bob Dylan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, Monty Alexander, Kurt Elling, Jose James, and Stacy Kent. And one Canadian artist I introduced to Cliff---Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George).

Ella Fitzgerald representing jazz fusion? You have to be kidding! Well, just give a listen to the opening track of this episode where Los Angeles jazz/soul singer Cliff Beach introduces to a later 'funky' Ella!

Somone said that if Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder had a love child, it would be Cliff! You can hear this influence on his latest album called "You Show Me The Way".

Cliff has found a lot of great fusion recordings---old and new. Some of them are from the 'magical year of fusion. We play and Cliff talks about:

-Chaka Khan and her medley of bebop tunes.

As well as enjoying this music, I think you'll be impressed with Cliff's reflections and insights about the songs and the artists.