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Next show: Sunday, 11/20 on Dexter Gordon

The next show will air on Sunday 11/20 at 11:00 PM – Monday at 1:00 AM on WBAI, 99.5 FM in the NYC metro area or streaming online at wbai.org.

Tune into this program to hear more about this legendary composer, band leader tenor and soprano saxophonist. We’ll talk to Dexter’s wife Maxine Gordon and host a repeat visit from Woody Shaw III. We will also sample the box set Dexter Gordon – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection.

Dexter Keith Gordon was born on February 27, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. His father, Dr. Frank Gordon, was one of the first African American doctors in Los Angeles who arrived in 1918 after graduating from Howard Medical School in Washington, D.C. Dexter’s mother, Gwendolyn Baker, was the daughter of Captain Edward Baker, one of the five African American Medal of Honor recipients in the Spanish-American War.

Dexter began his study of music with the clarinet at age 13, then switched to the alto saxophone at 15, and finally to the tenor saxophone at 17. He studied music with Lloyd Reese and at Jefferson High School with Sam Browne. In his last year of high school, he received a call from alto saxophonist Marshall Royal asking him to join the Lionel Hampton Band. He left Los Angeles with the band, traveling down south and learning to play from fellow band members Illinois Jacquet and Joe Newman. In January 1941, the band played at the Grand Terrace in Chicago for six months and the radio broadcasts made there were Dexter’s first recordings.

It was in 1943, while in New York City with the Hampton band, that Dexter sat in at Minton’s Playhouse with Ben Webster and Lester Young. This was to be one of the most important moments in his long musical career as, as he put it, “people started to take notice.”

In the late 40s, Dexter appeared on the famed 52nd Street in New York City with Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and many of the bebop innovators of the day.

In 1960, Dexter was approached by Alfred Lion to sign with Blue Note Records. For five years, he made one session after another, and they are all considered classics. When asked which of all his recordings was his favorite, Dexter said: “I would have to say it is “Go!” The perfect rhythm section which made is possible for me to play whatever I wanted to play.”

In 1976, Dexter enjoyed a hero’s welcome in the U.S. when he made his return engagement at Storyville in New York City with Woody Shaw, Louis Hayes, Ronnie Mathews, and Stafford James. He subsequently played the Village Vanguard, signed with Columbia Records, and was officially back in town. He organized his first working band during this period with George Cables, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Gladden. He considered this band to be his best band and he toured extensively with them and recorded Live at the Keystone (Mosaic) and Manhattan Symphonie (CBS Sony) with the group.

In 1986, Dexter moved into his new career, acting, in the motion picture Round Midnight, which was directed by Bertrand Tavernier. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Leading Actor in 1986 for his portrayal of Dale Turner, a character based on the lives of Lester Young and Bud Powell. The music for the film won an Oscar for musical director, Herbie Hancock. The film included fellow musicians Bobby Hutcherson, Billy Higgins, Cedar Walton, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, Pierre Michelot, John McLaughlin, and Wayne Shorter.

Dexter died on April 25, 1990 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Hosted by Arts Producer Joyce Jones.

Next show: Sunday, 11/6 on Woody Shaw

The next show will air on Sunday 11/6 at 11:00pm – Monday at 1:00am on WBAI, 99.5 FM in the NYC metro area or streaming online at wbai.org.

Tune in to hear more about this jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer and band leader, often referred to as the “last innovator.” We will also sample the “Woody Shaw – The Complete Columbia Albums Collection” released in September 2011. Our guest will be Woody Shaw III.

Woody Shaw was born on December 24, 1944 in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He was brought to Newark, New Jersey by his parents, Rosalie Pegues and Woody Shaw, Sr., at the age of 1 year old. Shaw’s father, Woody Shaw, Sr. was a member of the African American gospel group known as the Diamond Jubilee Singers and both of his parents attended the same secondary private school as Dizzy Gillespie, Laurinburg Institute. Shaw’s mother is originally from the same town as Gillespie, Cheraw, South Carolina.

Shaw began playing bugle at age 9 and performed in the Junior Elks, Junior Mason, and Washington Carver Drum and Bugle Corps in Newark, New Jersey. Though not his first choice for an instrument, he began studying classical trumpet with Jerome Ziering at Cleveland Junior High School at the age of 11.

As a teenager, Shaw worked professionally at weddings, dances, and night clubs. He eventually left school but continued his study of the trumpet under the influence of Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Booker Little, Lee Morgan, and Freddie Hubbard. He later discovered that he had picked up the trumpet during the same month and year that Clifford Brown died, June 1956.

Shaw was also born with a photographic memory and perfect pitch. Max Roach once stated: “He was truly one of the greatest. I first had occasion to work with Woody on a trip to Iran. One of the most amazing things was his uncanny memory. I was just flabbergasted. After one look, he knew all of the charts, no matter how complex they were.”

Woody Shaw’s improvisational and composing style bears the influences of his idols Eric Dolphy, John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, as well as many European modern classical and 20th century composers

Woody Shaw was a masterful stylist and a leader with strong musical convictions.

Hosted by Arts Producer Joyce Jones

Next show: Monday 10/10 with Pat Metheny

The next show will air at a special time: Monday October 10 from 10:00pm – Midnight Eastern Standard Time on WBAI, 99.5 FM in the NYC area or streaming online at wbai.org and will feature an interview with the incredibly versatile guitarist Pat Metheny.

Pat Metheny was born in Kansas City on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of 8, Metheny switched to guitar at age 12. By the age of 15, he was working regularly with the best jazz musicians in Kansas City, receiving valuable on-the-bandstand experience at an unusually young age. Metheny first burst onto the international jazz scene in 1974. Over the course of his three-year stint with vibraphon…e great Gary Burton, the young Missouri native already displayed his soon-to-become trademarked playing style, which blended the loose and flexible articulation customarily reserved for horn players with an advanced rhythmic and harmonic sensibility – a way of playing and improvising that was modern in conception but grounded deeply in the jazz tradition of melody, swing, and the blues. With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), he reinvented the traditional “jazz guitar” sound for a new generation of players. Throughout his career, Pat Metheny has continued to re-define the genre by utilizing new technology and constantly working to evolve the improvisational and sonic potential of his instrument.

During this membership/fund drive special, we will feature a discussion with Pat and share cuts from his latest release “What’s It All About.” Please join us and help keep this listener-supported experiment alive.

Hosted by Arts Producers Joyce Jones and Hank Williams.

Next show: Sunday 9/18 with Nona Hendryx and Terri Lyne Carrington

The next show will air on Sunday 9/18 at 11:00pm – Monday at 1:00am on WBAI, 99.5 FM in the NYC area.

On this installment of “Suga’ In My Bowl,” we’ll take a closer look at “The Mosaic Project,” which was produced and arranged by drummer and composer Terri Lyne Carrington. We will also spend time with one of the contributors to The Project, Nona Hendryx.

The Mosaic Project consists of some of the finest female instrumentalists and vocalists in the world, “women with voices,” coming together to support and celebrate each other from a musical and social perspective. The CD comments on historical, current and appropriately feminine themes with the intent to offer an informative, enjoyable, listening experience, driven by creativity and consciousness.

From her beginnings with Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles (the sweethearts of The Apollo Theater); to LaBelle (a trio made up of Patti LaBelle and Sarah Dash) — the groundbreaking rock funk band of the 70s; followed by a stunning solo career; and then inducted into The Rhythm & Blues Foundations’ Hall of Fame in 1999, Nona Hendryx has always been on the cutting edge of music. Her songs are edgy, provocative, political and full of double entendres and empowering messages.

This summer, Nona released “Mutatis Mutandis.” We’ll sample this release and chat some more with Nona.

Previous show: 9/4 with Larry Mizell

The show featuring composer and musician (and half of the innovative production team The Mizell Brothers) Larry Mizell aired on Sunday, September 4 at 11:00pm – 1:00am on WBAI and is archived here until Sunday 9/18.

The sibling duo of Larry and Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell revolutionized the sound and shape of jazz-funk–fusing the commercial sensibilities of Motown with the virtuoso musicianship of the Blue Note stable, the brothers (collaborating under their Sky High Productions aegis) produced a series of now-classic LPs of uncom…mon beauty and elegance, characterized by soaring horns, cosmic synths, celestial string arrangements and sublime rhythms. While jazz purists reviled their efforts, time has conclusively proven the Mizells’ singular genius, and their records remain some of the most sampled and celebrated within contemporary hip-hop culture. Fonce was born on January 15, 1943 (recently transitioning on August 10, 2011), and Larry was born on February 17, 1944.

Upon graduating Howard, Larry Mizell accepted an engineering position
with Grumman Aerospace while Fonce and Perren relocated to Los Angeles,
both landing with the short-lived independent label LARCO. A mutual friend soon put Fonce in contact with Motown producer Deke Richards, and in 1969 he and Perren were signed to the label as staff songwriters. Together with Richards and Motown chief Berry Gordy Jr., they formed the writing and production team dubbed the Corporation–after writing a proposed Gladys Knight and the Pips song titled “I Wanna Be Free,” Gordy suggested they rework the song for Motown’s latest signing, a sibling group from Gary, Indiana dubbed the Jackson 5. Retitled “I Want You Back,” the Jackson 5 version remains one of the signature Motown classics, rocketing the group to international fame; the Corporation also emerged as reliable hitmakers, creating the Jacksons’ smash follow-ups “ABC” and “The Love You Save” as well as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas’ 1971’s effort “Bless You.” Meanwhile, after earning his master’s degree from New York University, Larry resigned from Grumman and finally joined his brother in L.A., working as a session player on a handful of Corporation-helmed projects.

In 1972, Fonce and Larry Mizell acquired an ARP Soloist synthesizer and began composing demo material, eventually founding their own production concern, Sky High. Trumpeter Donald Byrd’s 1973 LP Black Byrd was the first official Sky High effort–the best-selling Blue Note release in the company’s long and storied history, it earned a Grammy nomination and immediately established the Mizells’ signature approach to jazz, which drew heavily on the sleek sensibility now dominating mainstream R&B.

Hosted by Arts Producer Joyce Jones

Next show: Sunday 8/14 with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Ms. Bridgewater made her phenomenal New York debut in 1970 as the lead vocalist for the band led by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, one of the premier jazz orchestras of the time. These New York years marked an early career in concerts and on recordings with such giants as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach and Roland Kirk, and rich experiences with Norman Connors, Stanley Clarke and the recently departed Frank Foster’s “Loud Minority.”

Ms. Bridgewater doesn’t care much for labels, and in 1974 she jumped at the chance to act and sing on Broadway where her voice, beauty and stage presence won her great success and a Tony Award for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz. This began a long line of awards and accolades as well as opportunities to work in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris and in London where she garnered the coveted “Laurence Olivier” Award nomination as Best Actress for her tour de force portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in Stephen Stahl’s Lady Day.

Tune in from 11 PM to 1 AM EST on 99.5 FM in the NYC metro area to hear more about this extraordinary song stylist, actress and entertainer. You can also listen to the live stream from wbai.org. Also WBAI will offer a sneak preview of Ms. Bridgewater’s recording Midnight Sun, which is scheduled to release on August 23.

Next Show: Abbey Lincoln special

Sunday, July 24 at 11:00pm – July 25 at 1:00am

WBAI-FM/Pacifica Radio (99.5) – http://www.wbai.org

This special “Suga’ In My Bowl” presentation will focus on renaissance woman Abbey Lincoln. This special was originally offered in October 2010.

Most people are only familiar with Abbey Lincoln as a singer and actress. However, Ms. Lincoln was also published poet, writer, visual artist and composer. During this special, several artists will either share their personal tributes and/or read the work of Ms. Lincoln. Contributing art…ists include:

Sonia Sanchez, who will read Ms. Lincoln’s piece “To Whom Will She Cry Rape?” from the 1970 Toni Cade Bambara anthology “The Black Woman” and originally printed in a 1966 issue of “The Negro Digest.” Latasha N. Nevada Diggs will read Ms. Lincoln’s poetry which was included in Amina and Amiri Baraka’s 1983 anthology titled “Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women.” Lashonda Katrice Barnett, author of “I’ve Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters on Their Craft,” which featured an exchange with Abbey Lincoln, will read excerpts from Ms. Lincoln’s unpublished autobiography. Rembrances from political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal, writers Jayne Cortez, Amina and Amiri Baraka, Mark Anthony Neal, Farah Jasmine Griffin and Carl Hancock Rux, filmmakers Ifa Bayeza (“You Gotta Pay The Band) and Carol Friedman (“Abbey Lincoln: The Music Is The Magic” in production), Maggie Brown (daughter of Oscar Brown Jr.), bassists Christian McBride and Charlie Haden,

These contributions will be offered as a 2-CD set in an effort to help continue this listener-supported experiment that is WBAI/Pacifica Radio. Please join us at this special time as we continue to remember Ms. Abbey Lincoln (Aug. 6, 1930 – Aug. 14, 2010).

Hosted by Arts Producers Joyce Jones and Hank Williams.

Next Show: Sunday July 10, 11pm-1am

She has been named “First Lady of the Flute” by the critics and listeners alike and, from the accomplishments in her musical career, deservedly so. For three decades now, Bobbi Humphrey has been playing her special brand of music to audiences around the world. Her professional career began in 1971 when she was the first female signed to Blue Note Records. This year, Bobbi celebrates 40 YEARS in the music industry.

Born in Marlin, Texas and raised in Dallas, Humphrey’s training on flute began in high school and continued through her years at Texas Southern University and Southern Methodist University. It was there that Dizzy Gillespie spotted her when he served as a judge in a school-wide competition. With Gillespie encouraging her to pursue a career in New York City, Humphrey wrote a letter to New York’s famed Apollo Theatre and received a telegram soon afterwards telling her, “We have reserved a spot for you on Amateur Night”. She didn’t take further convincing, nor did she have trouble finding her “spot” in the music industry.

The title of one of her Epic LPs The Good Life, best describes her career. Humphrey has played with the best, ranging from Duke Ellington (her third day in New York) to Lee Morgan to Stevie Wonder (featured on Songs In The Key of Life LP in 1977). Between 1971 and 1976, Bobbi recorded six albums for Blue Note Records. In 1974, she recorded the successful Satin Doll LP.

Following the success of Bobbi Humphrey Music selling in excess of five million units of the Campbell records, Ms. Humphrey boldly launched her label, Paradise Sounds Records, in 1994. She recorded her first release “Passion Flute”, which was recently re-released and continues to be one of her fans’ all-time favorite recording. The album’s concept is to showcase Bobbi Humphrey with a cool jazz setting; mostly at mid-tempo: although there is a surprising uptempo version of his huge hit, “Harlem River Drive. There are also two original ballads in which Bobbi features the smooth singing of D’wayne Whitehead. Another song features two great artists and friends of Bobbi, Gwen Guthrie on vocal and Ralph MacDonald on percussion. From the first track, “Steppin’ Out” which features Bobbi’s flute on a hauntingly smooth, yet strong hook, to the last track, “Rainbows,” a soaring ballad, her passionate and pure flute playing is ever present. In “Passion Flute,” her fans old and new will surely have a greater passion for Bobbi Humphrey.

Hosted by Arts Producer Joyce Jones.