Jazz Legacy Productions Record Company

Bassist John Lee runs Jazz Legacy productions and he has been releasing some fantastic recordings.  I just purchased three and they all have their own musical personality, yet the thing all three recordings have in common (in addition to extraordinary music) is that they are all excellent examples of straight-ahead, swing, swang, swingin’ jazz:

- Pianist Benny Green has been a long time (well, not that long ’cause Benny is a young man) favorite of mine because of his musical and historical knowledge  of the music, his deep, deep love and respect for the music and because he always puts his own stamp on whatever he does.  Benny’s new release (available only as a pre-order unless you purchase right from Jazz Legacy’s website – available 4/12/11) is titled Source and Benny pays tribute to some of his mentors he learned from along his journey to becoming one of today’s most respected musicians in  the jazz world.  Benny’s partners on this album are two of my favorite people with the last name of Washington – bassist Peter and drummer Kenny.  If Peter and Kenny listed everyone they have performed with, the paper trail would go from NYC to L.A. (at least)!  Another bonus – Benny wrote the wonderful liner notes, giving the CD an intimate “feel.”  The music always speaks for itself and is the main reason we buy it, so do yourself a favor and…buy it!

- Trombonist Michael Dease is a a new discovery (for me) and I stumbled upon his recording the same day I visited the Jazz Legacy website to buy Benny’s CD.  I listed to a few samples from the website and fell in love with Michael’s sound.  John Lee describes Michael’s sound in the liner notes:  “it sounded like J.J. Johnson and Frank Rosolino had reincarnated as one cat (with a little Curtis Fuller thrown in for good taste”).  Michael’s trio on this recording is a true “A Team” of musicians:  pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Gene Jackson.  Special guests join Michael, too:  Claudio Roditi, Roy Hargrove, Eric Alexander, and Mark Whitfield, just to name a few.  Also a couple of the “very young” lions of jazz:  saxophonist Sharel Cassity and a young guitarist named Yotam (I’ve enjoyed playing Yotam’s CD on my radio show on KRML; Yotam is a  very talented young man).  Do yourself a favor once again and…buy it!    Oh , and the title of this CD is Grace.

- Last, but of course, not least, veteran pianist Monty Alexander has a new one out and as far as a star rating – 5,000 stars!  The recording is titled Uplift and features Hassan Shakur on bass and either Herlin Riley or Frits Landesbergen on drums.  The tracks are from live concerts all over the world, recorded between 2007 and 2010 and if you’ve ever had the good fortune to hear Monty live (I have), you know that Monty swings his you-know-what off and this recording is a great representation of the music Monty brings to the world.  Your jazz collection will thank you for adding this one to it!

Jazz Legacy does a great job of packaging the CDs and I love their informative liner notes.   Kudos to John Lee and the rest of his team for using a larger-size font so you can actually read the liner notes.  Some beautiful photography, too by Tom Haynes.  So, now it is time for you to check out Jazz Legacy Productions.

Yours in jazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz,

Marla

PLAYLIST FOR JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD WITH MARLA KLEMAN – BROADCAST DATE OF 10/31/10

JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD PLAYLIST – MARLA KLEMAN

AIRDATE OF 10/31 /2010 5:00 P.M.

PROGRAM 23/HOUR 1

1) MINOR LEAGUE-GRANT GREEN

2 COME ON HOME-ERNIE ANDREWS & CANNONBALL ADDERLEY
3) B-LIKE-TOM RIZZO
4) I CAN’T GET STARTED-TIA FULLER

5) SOURCES SAY-JIMMY HEATH

6) STROLLIN’-MICHAEL ZSOLDOS

7) BORN TO BE BLUE-JOHNNY O’NEAL
8) WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW-DENISE DONATELLI
9) RELAXIN’ AT CAMARILLO-SAM MOST

PROGRAM 23/HOUR 2

1)  LET’S CALL THIS-BILL MAYS TRIO
2)  OVER AND OVER AGAIN-SANDRA BOOKER

3) HOW HIGH THE MOON-HANK JONES
4) HELLO YOUNG LOVERS-HANK MOBLEY

5) THE FRIAR AND DR. GOULDING-HERB POMEROY ORCH
6) RAY’S COLLARD GREENS-STEVE TURRE
7) FORECAST-HOD O’BRIEN

8) SO SOON-ONE FOR ALL
9) HEAVY ON THE SAUCE!-BOBBY WATSON

PLAYLIST FOR JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD 10/25/2010 5 P.M.-7 P.M. on KRML

JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD PROGRAM 22  PLAY LIST – MARLA KLEMAN
KRML RADIO 1410 AM AND 94.7 FM HTTP://WWW.KRML.COM

AIRDATE OF 10/25 /2010 5:00 P.M.

* = NEW RELEASE

HOUR 1

1)  GET HAPPY-GRANT STEWART *
2)  USED TO BE JACKSON-JOE LOCKE
3) CIPPIN’-GENE CIPRIANO
4) I WISH I WERE IN LOVE AGAIN-DENISE DONATELLI *
5) LITTLE TRAIN-BUDDY RICH
6) GIRL TALK-WILLIS JACKSON
7) CELIA-EDDIE HIGGINS
8) MAIDEN VOYAGE-CONRAD HERWIG *
9) EXACTLY LIKE YOU-ELLA FITZGERALD

PROGRAM 22/HOUR 2

1)  AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’-BOB BROOKMEYER
2)  BOUNCING WITH BUD-BILLY COBHAM
3) BLUE PIANO-SHIRLEY SCOTT
4) SOMETIMES YOU GOT TO LET THE PEOPLE KNOW-TIM WARFIELD *
5) AFRO BLUE-EMILY REMLER
6) DAMNED IF I KNOW-STEVE HOUGHTON
7) SWINGIN’ ‘TIL THE GIRLS COME HOME-LAMBERT, HENDRICKS AND ROSS
8) LARUE-JASON PALMER *
9) BLUES FOR OLLIE-BOBBY WATSON *

END OF PROGRAM 22 OF JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD

Sample Playlists from my radio show, “Jazz Straight Ahead,” at KRML AM & FM

I possess an almost lifelong passion for jazz and can trace back my interest to my pre-teens, starting with hearing the Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert LPs from 1938.

Today, I am a very lucky girl.  I have a jazz program at a well-known and highly respected jazz station in the Monterey Bay area of California, KRML,  1410 AM &  94.7 FM.  The great news is that if you can read this blog, you most probably can listen to the best in jazz 24 hours a day by clicking on “Listen Here” at KRML’s website.   Thanks to technology, we have listeners all over the world!

So, if your busy schedule permits, you folks not living in the Monterey Bay/Carmel, CA area can tune in via the internet, any time of the day or night and listen to what I call “jazz ’round the clock” on KRML!

As promised, here’s a couple of playlists.  If you like what you see, please join me every Sunday evening from 5 – 7 p.m. west coast time/8 – 10 p.m. east coast time and thanks in advance for listening!  Also, please feel free to leave a comment after you’ve had the opportunity to listen in!

Sample Playlist #1:

hour 1

Artist:  Louie Bellson and the Big Band Explosion
Track:  Intimacy of the Blues
Album:  The Art of the Chart(Concord)

Artist:  Count Basie-Oscar Peterson
Track:  I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You)
Album:  The Time Keepers (Pablo)

Artist:  Terry Gibbs-Buddy DeFranco
Track:  In a Mellow tone
Album:  Air Mail Special (Contemporary)

Artist:  Pepper Adams
Track:  Better Get Hit In Your Soul
Album:  Plays Charles Mingus (Fresh Sounds)

Artist:   Hod O’Brien
Track:   Some Other Spring
Album:   Have Piano Will Swing (Fresh Sound)

Artist:  Clifford Brown
Track:  Carvin’ the Rock
Album:  Memorial Album (Blue Note)

Artist:  Ernestine Anderson
Track:  I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart
Album:  Live at the 1990 Concord Jazz Festival – Third Set (Concord)

Artist:  Brian Bromberg – Wood
Track:  Wha’s Happ’nin
Album:  Hey Baby! (Riverside)

Artist:  Jimmy Raney
Track:  Everything I Love
Album:  Wisteria (Criss Cross)

hour 2

Artist:  The Great Jazz Trio
Track:  Sometimes I’m Happy
Album:    Flowers for Lady Day (Evidence)

Artist:  David Fathead Newman
Track:  Karen My Love
Album:  Keep the Spirits Singing (High Note)

Artist:  Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
Track:  Alamode
Album:  Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers (Impulse)

Artist:  Sammy Davis, Jr. & the Buddy Rich Big Band
Track:  Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone
Album:  Sounds of ’66 (Reprise)

Artist:  Greg Cohen
Track:  East of the Sun
Album:  Moment to Moment (DIW)

Artist:  Bill Pierce
Track:  What’s New
Album:  Equilateral (Sunnyside)

Artist:     Eddie Davis/Johnny Griffin
Track:  Intermission Riff
Album:  Tough Tenors Back Again (Storyville)

Artist:  Bill Mays
Track:  I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
Album:  An Ellington Affair (Concord)

Artist:  Bill Cunliffe
Track:  Stolen Moments
Album:  Blues and the Abstract Truth – Take 2 (Resonance)

Artist:  Roy Hargrove
Track:  Once In Awhile
Album:  Public Eye (Novus)

Sample Playlist #2

PROGRAM 7-HOUR 1-JAZZSTRAIGHT AHEAD-MARLA KLEMAN-airdate 6/14/10

LONG INTRO

1)CEDAR WALTON-AFTERNOON IN PARIS
2) REBECCA PARRIS and the KENNY HADLEY BIG BAND-ALL MY TOMORROWS
3) THE JAZZTET-BLUES ON DOWN
AFTER 3
4)GRANT GREEN-EXODUS
5)EDDIE HARRIS-AUTUMN IN NEW YORK
SHORT STATION ID
6)JIMMY HEATH-LITTLE MAN BIG BAND
AFTER 6
7)DAVE YOUNG-NASCIMENTO
8) CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE-USED ‘T COULD
9)RENE THOMAS-GREEN STREET SCENE
AFTER 9

PROGRAM 7 – HOUR 2 – JAZZ STRAIGHT AHEAD – MARLA KLEMAN-airdate 6/14/10

LONG INTRO
1)RAY VEGA/THOMAS MARRIOTT-IT’S A NEW YORK THING
2)BOB SNEIDER/PAUL HOFMANN-HIGH PEAKS
AFTER 2
3) DR. LONNIE SMITH-MELLOW MOOD
4) TOM HARRELL-AGUA
AFTER 4
5) CHAMPIAN FULTON-LAND’S END
6) JOE LOCKE- I MISS NEW YORK (WHEN I BEEN GONE TOO LONG)
SHORT STATION ID
7)CYRUS CHESTNUT/ERIC REED-PLENTY SWING, PLENTY SOUL
AFTER 7
8)PETER SPRAGUE AND THE PETER SPRAGUE STRING CONSORT -THE DUKE
9) JOE CHAMBERS-ECAROH
AFTER 9
—

Oh, and by the way, I play classic, straight ahead jazz such as Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Hank Mobley, Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Basie, Duke, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Lee Morgan, Ray Brown and I also enjoy playing new releases and everything in between!  Three young, up ‘n comers I’ve been listening to recently are Joe Alterman (piano), Champian Fulton (piano/vocal), Yotam Silberstein (guitar) and Jason Palmer (trumpet).  Jason has the newest release (Criss Cross) and I had the pleasure of hearing Jason live at Berklee College of Music in Boston last week and he blew me away.  He was in the company of jazz heavyweights - saxophonist Bill Pierce and drummer Lewis Nash and I know they also enjoyed his musicianship.

‘Til the next time,

Marla

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That…

I am so honored to be broadcasting a jazz radio show for KRML radio located in Carmel, CA.  If you are in/around Carmel and/or the Monterey Bay area, KRML can be found at 1410 AM and 94.7 fm on the radio dial.  Like many stations today, you can also listen to KRML live on your computer/laptop at http://www.krml.com.  I love choosing classic jazz performances from Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Thad and Mel and on and on for my music program,   “Jazz Straight Ahead.”  I am also discovering some new and newer talent (if that makes sense).  For example, in recent weeks, I’ve showcased new releases from bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spaulding, pianist Joe Alterman, pianist/vocalist Champian Fulton, guitarists Yotam and Graham Dechter, vocalist Gregory Porter,  and bassist Amy Shook, just to name a few.  While jazz record sales may not be all that healthy at the moment, certainly the future of jazz is, based on the number of quality recordings out there.

Here’s some youtube videos of a few of the artists mentioned above:

Esperanza Spalding:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lNE7jWA5

Amy Shook:  http://amyshook.com/live/

Graham Dechter:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBxjGWf9juU

Gregory Porter:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeV6rTyRNgs

Please tune in to Jazz Straight Ahead Monday evenings on KRML between the hours of 8 and 10 p.m., pacific time (translates to 11p.m. to 1 a.m. eastern) and feel free to send me feedback on the show.  You can email me at makpjazz57@aol.com.  By the way, KRML has been around since 1957!

‘Til the next time,
Marla

Jazz Website Recommendation

Thanks to Marc Myers and notification via his informative website, jazzwax.com, we jazz fans have another interesting and informative jazz-related website to visit.

Hank O’Neal was the man behind the S.S. Norway Floating Jazz Festival back in the ’70′s, ’80′s, 90′s.  He has truly lived a life in jazz and his website is just filled with photos from those years – beautifully shot photographs from recording sessions, the SS Norway jazz cruises, Oslo Jazz Festival and more.  Additionally, Hank blogs and given his heavy-duty credentials in jazz world, this is a blog you don’t want to miss!

Here’s the link to his website – enjoy!

http://www.hankoneal.com

Hank Jones, R.I.P.

Just wanted to mention how touching it is to read and hear the many tributes to Hank Jones from around the world.  Hank Jones was loved and respected in life and the legacy of music he has left here for us is a true gift.

KRML radio’s Jim Sintetos is broadcasting his 3 hour tribute to Hank right now and I’m hearing Hank with everyone from Artie Shaw to Benny Carter to, I’m guessing later in the show – Joe Lovano.

Once again, I feel very lucky to be alive right now and to know the beauty that is Hank Jones.

Speaking (or writing) of Hank Jones and Joe Lovano, here is one of JazzVideoGuy’s wonderful features on Hank and Joe:

Celebrating the Life of Bassist Andy Simpkins

Two great musicians were born on this day.  One of them, Duke Ellington, is celebrated worldwide on his birthday.  The other, Andy Simpkins, is celebrated by those who knew him and loved him for his larger-than-life presence as a musician and human being.  Andy is perhaps best known as 1/3 of the famous jazz group, The Three Sounds (with Gene Harris and Bill Dowdy).  However, Andy played on so many record dates and with so many other jazz musicians of note (Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Terry Gibbs, George Shearing, just to name a few).

After an extensive search of youtube, I came up empty-handed as far as Andy soloing on videos with Sarah Vaughan (wish there was a clip of “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” out there somewhere or on a couple of Terry Gibbs videos.  I did find a lovely audio clip of Andy soloing as part of the Dave Mackay Trio (w/Mackay on piano and Ralph Penland on drums) and so here it is – Alone Together from Dave Mackay’s recording, Windows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylo-R_FFVvs

Jazz Vocalist/Guitarist Frank D’Rone featured at jazzwax.com

He was born in Brockton, MA and raised in Providence, RI and today, calls Chicago home.  Frank d’Rone is one of the great vocalists respected and loved for his talent.  Check out Marc Myers’ blog, http://www.jazzwax.com to read a fascinating 3-part interview with d’Rone.  You can visit D’Rone’s website at http://www.frankdarone.com.   In the meantime, here’s a youtube clip of d’Rone live at The Green Mill Tavern in Chicago:

Carmen McRae – The Story Teller

For me, the the mark of a extraordinary vocalist is his/her ability to tell a story, particularly when singing a ballad.  Carmen McRae is on my short list of favorite jazz vocalists.  She can rip your heart out and I’ll bet she could make a grown man cry after listening to this.  Check out Carmen’s moving interpretation of “I’m Glad There Is You.”