This podcast is all about Spring and music. That's all I'll say. Have a listen.

PlaylistArtist ~ Track ~ AlbumSantana ~ Spring Manifestations, Canto de los Flores ~ BorbolettaHolographic Principle (Ronnie Burrage) ~ Spring ~ Dance of the Great SpiritKarrin Allyson ~ Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most ~ Round MidnightToots Thielemans ~ Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most ~ East Coast West CoastJoshua Redman ~ It Might As Well Be Spring ~ Timeless Tales (for changing times)Jazz at Lincoln Center w/Wynton Marsalis ~ Spring Yaounde ~ Live in CubaSun Ra - Supersonic Jazz - Springtime in ChicagoClifford Brown & Max Roach ~ Joy Spring ~ Clifford Brown's Finest HourChet Baker ~ Spring Is Here ~ Deep In A DreamJosh Evans ~ Spring is Here ~ PortraitJoe Lovano Quintet ~ Birds of Springtime Gone By ~ Village RhythmJerry Gonzalez and Fort Apache Band ~ Up Jumped Spring ~ Rumba BuhainaAlex Claffy ~ You Must Believe in Spring ~ Standards: What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life

As we did last week, we begin with the birthdays of legendary jazz artists. Roy Haynes reached the golden age of 94, while Charles Lloyd is 81. Also of note are new albums by Steve Davis, Dezron Douglas, Jim Snidero and Jason Palmer. We finish this week's episode on a cool note with piano great Bill Evans.

This episode kicks off with sax great George Coleman on his 84th birthday. That follows with a trio of piano trios; Bud, Duke, Fred. Then we venture into fusion world ending with Dave Liebman's tribute to Miles' On The Corner.

A random selection of tunes this week, going from classic jazz to Brazilian compositions, Cuban big bands and new fusion. Hope you dig!

This show pays tribute to the great jazz scene in Hartford and the jazz artists that have been brought through it's institutions like the Artist Collective, Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz, Hall High School and more. This is the first 2 hours of this show so many are not represented in this podcast. Perhaps I'll publish the balance of the show in a future podcast.

PlaylistArtist ~ Track ~ Album Jackie McLean ~ The Explorers ~ Rhythm of the EarthSteve Davis ~ When The Saints Go Marching In ~ Say WhenJimmy Greene ~ Bloomfield ~ Live At SmallsDezron Douglas ~ Bottoms Out ~ Black LionDezron Douglas ~ Great Provider ~ Black LionCraig Hartley ~ Jitterbug Waltz ~ Books on Tape Vol 2Craig Hartley ~ Sinclair Prelude No. 2 in C Major + Solar ~ Books on Tape Vol 2Jonathan Barber ~ Mr. JB ~ Vision AheadJovan Alexander ~ Collective Consciosness ~ Collective ConsciosnessNoah Preminger ~ Halfway to Hartford ~ GenuosityAlbert Rivera ~ New York Hartford Connectionc ~ Re-IntroductionBrad Mehldau ~ Beatrice ~ Seymour Reads the ConstitutionSinan Bakir, Ken Serio, Silvain Castellano ~ Pastels ~ PinkDan Arcamone ~ loop ~ XScott Rosen ~ Round Midnight ~ New Friends

The gem in this podcast is not music, but the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., surrounded by music from Hancock, Glasper and Joey D. Then we congratulate the winners of this years jazz Grammy Awards.

A regular podcast listener from Italy emailed me to say how he enjoyed hearing episodes from a couple years ago featuring Pat Metheny. It's been a while since I had played these tunes, so I will feature them on this week's podcast. Also, more from Wynton, Duke, Wayne and Joe. Something new from Marc Carey as well.

PlaylistArtist ~ Track ~ Album Pat Metheny Group ~ Phase Dance ~ Pat Metheny GroupPat Metheny ~ Two Folk Songs ~ 80/81Jazz at Lincoln Center w/Wynton Marsalis ~ Live in Cuba ~ Baa Baaa Black SheepDuke Ellington ~ Ad Lib on Nippon ~ Far East SuiteJoe Henderson ~ Blue Bossa ~ In JapanJoe Henderson ~ Loose Change ~ State of the TenorWayne Shorter ~ Lilia ~ Native DancerMarc Cary ~ 12 Stories (For Moseka) ~ Cosmic Indigenous

Celebrating Wynton Marsalis' appearance with Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra at Hartford's Bushnell Auditorium this week. Of course JALC would not be, had it not been for the work of Duke Ellington. The Beatles had an impact on modern popular music with the Sgt Pepper album and that is the subject of an Impulse Jazz release that covers songs from this groundbreaking record.

PlaylistArtist ~ Track ~ Album Wynton Marsalis and JALC Orchestra ~ Symphony in Riffs ~ Live in CubaDuke Ellington ~ Five O'Clock Drag ~ Never No Lament: The Blanton Webster YearsDuke Ellington ~ Chocolate Shake ~ Never No Lament: The Blanton Webster YearsDuke Ellington ~ Caravan ~ Money JungleWynton Marslis and JALC Orchestra ~ Intro/Ban Ban Quere ~ Una Noche Con Ruben BladesJazz at Lincoln Center w/Wynton Marsalis ~ Four by Five (feat. Helen Sung) ~ Handful of KeysKeyon Harold ~ She's Leaving Home ~ A Day In The Life: Impressions of PepperSullivan Fortner ~ When I'm Sixty Four ~ A Day In The Life: Impressions of PepperGeoffrey Keeser ~ Across the Univers - Give Peace a Chance ~ On My Way To You

This podcast features some of the true jazz masters of all time, Ellington, Shorter and Rollins. Also Frank Morgan and George Cables can be considered masters of this craft as well. Kurt Elling singing Dylan starts out this podcast. Throw in Kevin Harris with his interpretations of Bird, and we have a swingin' podcast.

The gem of this podcast comes near the end with three tracks from an innovative take on the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper. Prior to that we have classic jazz from Oliver Nelson and Duke Ellington. Wayne Shorter stretches your imagination with artful noise. Chris Potter and Jonathan Barber bring a modern feel to this American artform, jazz.