Jazz Bastard Podcast

From chaos order as the boys realize that a couple of Pat's random LP haul both have a connection with the sexiest country and the rest of the episode just falls into place. Come for Pat's mispronunciations, stay for Mike's penetrating analysis of white man dancing on Letterman...

Across the pond we go to look at work by four up'n'comin' UK artists/groups (yes, there are such things as jazz groups). The boys delve deep into the in-jokes behind Shatner's Bassoon and, to wrap things about, talk about Herbie Hancock's recent concert and film appearances. Shatner’s Bassoon – DISCO EROSION; Jason Rebello – HELD; Zoe Rahman Trio – LIVE; Sons of Kemet – LEST WE FORGET WHAT WE CAME HERE TO DO; Hedvig Mollestad Trio – BLACK STABAT MATER.

At Mike's suggestion we check out some lesser known - and lesser loved - projects by major jazz artists, from the MOR sellout of Bill Evans' "Plays VIPs" to Duke Ellington's fantasia on jazz history and domestic violence, "A Drum is a Woman." After the main event is over, stay tuned for half an hour of wide-ranging talk on the Lovecraftian rock opera "Dreams in the Witch House" - unless you fear for your SANITY...

Mike's been hustled down in Texas, so Pat's without adult supervision when he interviews Glenn Crytzer about his new big band project: "Ain't It Grand." Glenn talks about the challenges of playing vintage jazz authentically, writing in the style of the period, and leading a band in the post making-money-from-album-sales era. The episode concludes with a brief discussion of some of Glenn's favorite vintage jazz sides...

We're back from our extended look at Cecil Taylor's challenging music and ready for more accessible - if equally rewarding - work by various artists in the modern mainstream. There's a little bit about food, a little bit about Lovecraft, and a lot about four very fine albums that have nothing to do with either edibles or interdimensional monsters. Shamie Royston – BEAUTIFUL LIAR; Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls - VS...

Cecil Taylor has always stood somewhat uneasily outside the jazz tradition - at least from the point of view of jazz traditionalists. This episode, Mike and Pat explore his challenging, exhausting, and sometimes off-putting music - and we like to think we nailed it. Cecil Taylor – LOOKING AHEAD!; NEFERTITI THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HAS COME; NAILED; THE WILLISAU CONCERT.

After a serious discussion of where and where not a samosa should be put, the boys launch into examinations of two classic jazz releases and two much more recent efforts by the second wave of "young lions". Wes Montgomery – LIVE IN PARIS THE DEFINITIVE ORTF RECORDINGS; Alice Coltrane – MONASTIC TRIO; Jon Gordon – ALONG THE WAY; J. D. Allen – RADIO FLYER.

Rump-shakin' is the order of the day when the boys check out four examples of the "party jazz" genre, with influences from New Orleans to India. Stay tuned for Mike's adventures in a lead balloon. Preservation Hall Jazz Band – THAT’S IT; Red Baraat – SHRUGGY JI; Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – HYPNOTIC JOINTS; Craig Handy – CRAIG HANDY AND SECOND LINE SMITH.

More cherry pickin' from polls, as the boys discuss four 2017 releases that got good notices in the jazz press. All four of these releases give the fellows warm fuzzies - of one intensity or another. Yazz Ahmed – LA SABOTEUSE; Jaimie Branch – FLY OR DIE; Courtney Pine – BLACK NOTES FROM THE DEEP; Binker and Moses – JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN OF FOREVER.

It's all female vocalists this time, and the conversations about sultriness get pretty deep - when they aren't painfully shallow. Rene Marie – VERTIGO; Sophie Milman – MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY; Monica Zetterlund with the Bill Evans Trio – WALTZ FOR DEBBIE; Cecile McLoren Salvant – DREAMS AND DAGGERS.