There's a new Record Store Day ritual in the jazz world - archival live releases from one of the many labels Zev Feldman has a hand in running.  This year's two RSD days saw several releases on labels like Resonance, Reel to Real, and Elemental Music and the boys take a gander at one release from each of these wizards of the archive as well as pondering a brand new live release recorded (as well as let into the wild) in 2024.  Recorded in Brooklyn because, well, of course it was.  Emily Remler – LIVE FROM THE 4 QUEENS; Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy – THE MIGHTY WARRIORS; Charles Tolliver – LIVE AT THE CAPTAIN’S CABIN; The Fury – LIVE IN BROOKLYN.

To start off what is certain to be an interesting new year, Mike and Pat look at leader dates by the deepest of the regularly-used saxophones, the baritone.  All four leaders are specialists on the unwieldly horn, though some do dabble in doubling from day to day.  Two are composers and one has a crush on that greatest and most irascible of bassists, Charles Mingus.  Serge Chaloff – BLUE SERGE; Fred Ho – MONKEY: PART ONE & TWO; Gerry Mulligan – AGE OF STEAM; Pepper Adams – PLAYS THE COMPOSITIONS OF CHARLES MINGUS.

Every musician, it seems, does a holiday album sooner or later, and visions of residuals dance in their heads.  But given the flood of releases each year, it's hard to stand out, and the canon of Christmas favorites is already pretty crowded.  How to make your mark?  You could try to do one or two distinctive things well.  Or, you could try a little bit of everything.  Listen as Mike and Pat dissect three brand new holiday offerings and a historic issue by one of jazz's most popular performers.  Band of Other Brothers – THIS YEAR AT CHRISTMAS; Joy Lapps - THE CARRIBEAN CHRISTMAS MIX TAPE; Matt Wilson Christmas Tree-O – TREE JAZZ – THE SHAPE OF CHRISTMAS TO COME ; George Shearing – CHRISTMAS WITH THE GEORGE SHEARING QUINTET.

A couple releases exploring older repertorie, a out-ish excursion that goes all over the map, a young woman singer with our time on her hands.  Yep, it's a classic mixed bag courtesy of eclectic Mike, with the bastardy mostly courtesy of Pat.  Melody Gardot – LIVE IN EUROPE: Micah Thomas – MOUNTAINS; Brian Landrus – PLAYS ELLINGTON & STRAYHORN; Warren Wolf – HISTORY OF THE VIBRAPHONE.

Jazz has gone some pretty wacky places - Russia, South America, the White House - but believe it or not, sometimes it even invades that princess-industrial complex we know and love as the Disney corporation.  Listen and learn as Mike leads us deep into this heart of darkness and we see how a rainbow of different jazz artists come to terms with the musical productions of that most profit-driven rodent of them all.  Various Artists – JAZZ LOVES DISNEY; Various Artists – EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A CAT; Dave Brubeck – DAVE DIGS DISNEY; Duke Ellington – PLAYS WITH THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE MARRY POPPINS: Kat Edmonson – DREAMERS DO.

Halloween's in the rear view mirror but the boys still have a mixed bag of treats on offer, including an album whose cover boasts the best costumes of the year.  A piano playing Duke makes his appearance on the 'cast for the first time in roughly 300 episodes and we dig deep into a percussionist's tricky second album from 2006.  Like a trick or treater, this episode is short and sweet.  Joel Ross – NUBLUES; Duke Pearson – HONEYBUNS; Dafnis Prieto  - ABSOLUTE QUINTET; Melinda Sullivan and Larry Goldings– BIG FOOT.

Podcast 301 picks up where 300 left off, looking at albums from 1993, 2003, 2013, and 2023.  Jazz trends get a little harder to pick out once the new millennium begins, but at least our 1990's selection is REALLY 1990's, right down to the haircut and clothes colors.  In Pop Matters, Pat discusses seeing Ben Wendel live at the Jazz Kitchen.  Look out - that saxophonist has effects pedals!  Marcus Miller- THE SON DON’T LIE; Ted Nash – STILL EVOLVED; Jonathan Finlayson – MOMENT AND THE MESSAGE; Maddie Vogler – WHILE WE HAVE TIME.

Three hundred podcasts is the kind of milestone worth of an echo chamber at the very least and a themed episode at the very, er, leaster.  Pat had the bright idea (he thought) of reviewing albums from 1953, 1963. 1973, and 1983.  Mike explained that was in fact a stupid idea and so they might as well make this celebration a two-parter with 301 covering 1993, 2003, 2013, 2023.  The rules were simple - pick an artist we hadn't discussed to death already and accept that while the album might be characteristic of its time it cannot be expected to be the "best" of a given year in any way, shape, or form.  Oscar Pettiford - THE NEW OSCAR PETTIFORD SEXTET;;  Prince Lasha – THE CRY; Flora Purim – BUTTERFLY DREAMS; Microscopic Sextet – TAKE THE Z TRAIN (Koch 1983)

Back in the saddle again, the boys look at three recent releases and one cute little two-year-old.  Two of the recordings are lead by bassists and two by drummers, so you could say all four were led by a member of the rhythm section - if you liked saying things like that.  They are mostly fairly easy-going albums as well, but, spoilers, Mike doesn't like them all equally.  No further clues here - tune in to find out which ones make the grade.  In pop matters, Mike once again offers Adele a sandwich to assuage her suffering while Pat waxes eloquent about the first two days of the Chicago Jazz Fest.  Bruno Raberg – EVOLVER; Jake Leckie - PLANTER OF SEEDS; Ari Hoenig – GOLDEN TREASURES; Ivanna Cuesta – A LETTER TO EARTH.

Never mind what your podcast feed may seem to imply - the bastards haven't recorded a podcast together in two months, and this one got completed by the skin of their teeth.  In this episode we look at two alto sax players from two very different generations (and degrees of reverence for the "tradition") and a piano player few have heard of and fewer still can understand.  Pop matters covers the gamut from Dylan to the Blue Man Group with a few hobbits tossed in for good measure.  Eric Kloss - ONE, TWO FREE; Sarah Hanahan - AMONG GIANTS; Hasaan Ibn Ali - RETROSPECT IN RETIREMENT OF DELAY.