What I'm Spinning: 01/18/2024
Hosting 'All That Jazz' on WTJU Charlottesville, 91.1 FM
I volunteer as a DJ for Charlottesville’s local independent radio station, WTJU Charlottesville, 91.1 FM, and am currently the every-other-week co-host of All That Jazz, which airs from 9:00–11:00am ET on Thursdays.
WTJU broadcasts locally and streams worldwide on the web, so you can tune in live no matter where you are, or you can catch the archived stream anytime!
All volunteers can sub for others, too. While I’ll mostly sub for Jazz shows, I may get to do the occasional Rock, Folk, or Classical one.
Whenever I host a show, I’ll drop its stream and a corresponding playlist on the blog, and I’ll write a little about what I’m spinning and why.
Hope you enjoy and hear something that inspires!
All That Jazz | Thursday, January 18, 2024
Link to the archived web stream
Public Spotify playlist:
The Opener
Had to start off with my dude Chris Potter’s latest single from his upcoming Eagle’s Point, which comes out in March (pre-order it here). Potter’s made excellent music with this the folks in this lineup before on tour together and on record separately—Potter’s Gratitude features Brian Blade; Moving In features Brad Mehldau; and Patitucci’s Communion features Potter (to name a few)—but have never recorded together all as a single unit to my knowledge. This preview confirms what fans already expected: it’s going to be a must-listen for 2024.
Set 1: Antonio Sanchez
I played two from drummer Antonio Sanchez today, realizing I hadn’t listened to his material in a long time. The first track, 2007’s “The Hummingbird”, features the undeniable handiwork Chick Corea (RIP) on keys, while 2018’s “Bad Hombres y Mujeres” brings a much different, heavier vibe with John Escreet on synth. Apparently Escreet’s synth on this record is called “THE PROPHET” (lol), which… is befitting to the track, as well as the album itself, which is a political commentary on U.S. immigration violence (particularly in the era of Trump, though not something that started in that time nor has ceased under a right-wing, Democrat president).
Set 2: Cannonball Adderley
I’ve been on a Cannonball kick recently. He’s always been one of my favorite saxophonists, and I’ve caught myself re-exploring his discography. It’s not just the mind-blowing tightness and soulful energy of the band—Cannonball’s mic work and tune introductions are unbeatable. My favorite quote comes from him: “Hipness is not a state of mind; it’s a fact of life”. He’s probably the only cat that has license to say that.
Set 3: 107 Steps
In the early-to-mid ‘00s, it seemed like jazz musicians were obsessed with covering Björk and Radiohead, which are two all-timers for me. In fact, I’m pretty sure that jazz brought me to them.
I first heard “107 Steps”, a song from Björk’s movie, Dancer in the Dark, on Jeff “Tain” Watts’ Detained at the Blue Note record (that album isn’t on Spotify so you’ll have to listen to it here). Turns out that drummer Kendrick Scott was a fan and covered it, too.
The two covers are distinct and beautiful in their own ways. Scott’s version keeps the haunting vibe of the original, while Tain changes the meter to 5/4 and kicks the energy up tenfold. Listening to the different versions is eyeopening to the creativity of not only these jazz artists, but to Björk herself, as the artist whose single work was able to inspire these heavy jazz musicians in two completely different ways.
Set 4: Jeff “Tain” Watts
Like Sanchez, I hadn’t listened to Tain in a long time. Because of Detained, as well as his Bar Talk record and work with Michael Brecker, he was a favorite of mine in high school. This set features his playing in three different settings: something funky, something stripped down, and something very straight ahead.
The Closer
This week we have Chilean vocalist and guitarist Camila Meza’s cover of a lesser-covered Jobim tune, “Olha Maria”. Chris Potter recently covered it on his 2023 release, and when I revisited Meza’s Ambar album, I hadn’t realized she had done it, too. Her version helps make sense of Potter’s haunting rendition.
By the way, I was checking out her Instagram the other day and she posted a gorgeous prayer for peace, where she sings a poem by Leon Gieco, part of which is:
I only ask God
May deception not be indifferent to me
If a traitor can do more than a few
May those few not forget it easily
I only ask God
May the future not be indifferent to me
He who has to leave
to live a different culture is hopeless
Amen to not only an end to Israel’s genocide, the U.S. war machine, and the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, but to Palestinian liberation from the river to the sea.
I hope you find something new you love in these sets. Let me know in the comments!
Peace,
Greg