Cliff Notes (SHOWS 1-25)
Episode 25 Part 2 - (Tribute to Wayne Shorter)
Episode 25 Part 1 - Earlier this month we lost one of the world’s most important musicians and composers, Wayne Shorter. In this installment of Cliff Notes, George pays tribute in two parts: the first is music of Wayne’s own bands as a leader and the second part, with the exception of a tune by Weather Report which Wayne founded with Joe Zawinul, features music with Shorter either as an integral contributor to the band or as a session musician. Part 1 set list includes Shorter’s : Yes or No, Go, Tarde, and Sacajawea and Part 2 includes music he made with Art Blakey, Steely Dan, Weather Report, McCoy Tyner and Miles Davis.
Apple Playlist
Apple Playlist
Episode 24 - In this installment of Cliff Notes, George continues the theme of the improvisatory and interpretive nature of jazz by pairing up an original version of a tune with a jazz artist’s interpretation of the same piece. Music will include Hank Williams/Mose Allison’s “Hey Good Lookin’,” Cindy Lauper/Miles Davis’ “Time After Time,” Bjork/Gretchen Parlato’s “Come to Me,” The Beatles/Brad Mehldau’s “She Said, She Said,” Tchaikovsky's “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”/Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s “Sugar Rum Cherry,” Jimi Hendrix/Geri Allen and the Batson Brothers’ “Little Wing,” Radiohead/The Bad Plus’ “Karma Police” and Radiohead/Brad Mehldau’s “Exit Music from a Movie.”
Episode 23 - With today’s show, George features a diverse mix of International music for Black History Month. None of this music would have been possible without the influence of Jazz. I am excited to share compositions and performances by Buika and Chucho Valdes, Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos, Nduduzu Makhatini, Lionel Loueke, Eddie Palmieri, Miguel Zenon, Ray Barretto, Guillermo Klein, Avishi Cohen, Tigran Hamasayan, Wayne Shorter and Milton Nascimento, and Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Episode 22 - To celebrate Valentine’s Day we are reposting this show where we explore songs expressing both the joy and the anguish of love. The show will include tunes by Chick Corea, Veronica Swift and Benny Bennack, Herbie Hancock with Joni Mitchell, Anita O’Day, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, Michael Brecker with James Taylor, Chet Baker, Tin Hat Trio with Willie Nelson and Guillermo Klein.
Apple Play List
Apple Play List
Episode 21 - Featuring music from some of the jazz critics' best album picks of 2022. I am excited to share compositions and performances by Makaya McCraven, the Sun Ra Arkestra, Matthew Shipp, JD Allen, Keith Jarrett, Bill Frisell, DOMi & DJ BECK, Anat Cohen, Marta Sanchez, Julian Lage, Endea Owens and Eliane Elias, and Alabama by John Coltrane in honor of MLK Day.
Apple Music playlist
Apple Music playlist
Episode 20 - Jazzy Christmas music can make you feel like you've been trapped at Macy’s amidst a haze of perfume fragrances, caught in the holiday frenzy of consumerism. So for this show I set out to find great jazz versions of holiday favorites that not only evoke the holiday spirit but elevate them to fine art and make you actually want to listen. We’ll hear John Coltrane’s Greensleeves (aka What Child is This?), The Christmas Song by Greg Spero, Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bill Evans, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Oscar Peterson, Peace by Nora Jones, Frosty the Snowman by Roy Hargrove and Christian McBride, White Christmas by Joe Pass, Nigunim by Anat Cohen, You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch by Fareed Haque, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Nicholas Peyton and Stephen Scott, Little Drummer Boy and We Three Kings by Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Let’s Face the Music and Dance by Anita O’Day, Auld Lang Syne by Bobby Timmons, and Let it Snow by Betty Carter and Roy Hargrove.
Enjoy the sounds, and happy holidays!
Enjoy the sounds, and happy holidays!
Episode 19 - (The Thanksgiving show) The bigger the better? Let’s see, as we listen to a chronology of large ensemble music from 1953 to the present. Music will include compositions and performances by the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras, Miles Davis with Gil Evans, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Big Band, the Mingus Big Band, Guillermo Klein, Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band, Remy LaBeouf, Miho Hazama with the Danish Radio Big Band and the Maria Schneider Orchestra.
Episode 18 - Halloween can mean many things for different folks, but most of us celebrate by dressing up as what we fear and conversely, what we hope for. So today’s special Halloween show will include songs that invoke the monsters under the bed, but also the characters we hope for or wish we could be, the super heroes and pink clad princesses. We’ll hear Eric Dolphy’s Round Midnight, Joshua Redman’s Ghost, Anita O’day’s Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, Wayne Shorter’s Dance Cadaverous, Jackie McLean’s Plight, Robert Glasper’s
Black Superhero, Darcy James Argue’s Dark Alliance, Tigran Hamasayan’s
Big Foot, Miles Davis’ Someday My Prince Will Come and
Charles Mingus’ Moanin’. Trick or Treat!
Black Superhero, Darcy James Argue’s Dark Alliance, Tigran Hamasayan’s
Big Foot, Miles Davis’ Someday My Prince Will Come and
Charles Mingus’ Moanin’. Trick or Treat!
Episode 17 - This episode features jazz from 2022 that is hot off the press and reflects our current state of union and disunion. I am very excited to share compositions and performances by Tigran Hamasayan, Greg Spero, Gerald Clayton, Artemis, Julian Lage, Sasha Berliner, Avishai Cohen, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington and DOMi & DJ BECK.
Episode 16 - I really enjoyed putting together the last Cliff Notes where I featured music that originally got my passion for jazz going. I had so many tunes in mind, too many to fit in one show. So today I will share some more of the the great jazz that got me and continues to keep me going, featuring John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Herbie Nicholas, Dave Holland, Jackie McLean, and Oliver Nelson.
Episode 15 - A friend suggested, why don’t you do a show of music that originally got your passion for jazz going? So in this show I’ll share some of the the great music that got me and continues to keep me going, featuring John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Lee Morgan, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Sam Rivers and McCoy Tyner.
Show 14 - This show features the music of some of George's favorite guitarist/composers, including compositions and performances by Wes Montgomery, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Nels Cline, John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Lionel Loueke, Marc Ribot, Will Bernard, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny and Gilad Hekselman.
Show 13 - This show features jazz from 2022 that is hot off the press and reflects our current state of union and disunion. I am excited to share compositions and performances by Ethan Iverson, Tigran Hamasayan, Nduduzo Makhathani, Mark Guilliano, Julian Lage, Dave Douglas, Mark Turner, Walter Smith lll & Matthew Stevens, Avishai Cohen, Makaya McCraven and Immanuel Wilkins.
Show 12 - In this episode of Cliff Notes, George continues his exploration of the theme of the improvisatory and interpretive nature of jazz, pairing up an original song with a jazz artist’s interpretation. Music includes Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana/The Bad Plus, Bob Dylan’s
I Shall Be Released by The Band/Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran, Dust by Lucinda Williams performing with her band and with Charles Lloyd & the Marvels, Sue (Or In a Season of Crime) by David Bowie performing with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and then with his Blackstar band, Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon/ Brad Mehldau, and Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles/Makaya McCraven.
I Shall Be Released by The Band/Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran, Dust by Lucinda Williams performing with her band and with Charles Lloyd & the Marvels, Sue (Or In a Season of Crime) by David Bowie performing with the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and then with his Blackstar band, Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon/ Brad Mehldau, and Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles/Makaya McCraven.
Show 11 - This show features the music of some important pianist/composers whose music I am very excited to share with you. Music will include compositions and performances by Keith Jarrett, Jason Moran, Helen Sung, Geri Allen, Thelonius Monk, Herbie Nichols, Brad Mehldau, Vijay Iyer, Robert Glasper and Carla Bley.
Show 10 - This episode features the soundtrack George’s youth from the late ’60’s through 1970. Exploring the theme of the improvisatory and interpretive nature of jazz, George pairs up original songs with a jazz artist’s interpretation. Featuring Neil Young/Adam Kolker Don’t Let it Bring You Down, Jimi Hendrix/Kit Downes, Petter Eldh & James Maddren Castles Made of Sand, Crosby Stills Nash and Young/Hudson Woodstock, Marvin Gaye/Bill Frisell I Heard it Through the Grapevine, Cat Stevens/Kate McGarry & Keith Ganz On the road to Find Out, and The Beatles/Brad Mehldau Dear Prudence.
Show 9 - You might think of the bass merely as a rhythmic or harmonic low end anchor for a piece of music, but in today's show you will hear how that is only part of the story with the bass as an equal in the lineup, with music from some of the most accomplished and creative bassist/ composers including Dave Holland, William Parker, Charlie Haden, Linda May Han Oh, Harish Raghavan, Christian McBride, Avishai Cohen, Noam Wiesenberg, Gary Peacock and Charles Mingus.
Show 8 - This episode features great jazz vocalists singing songs of love, loss and strength including music by Kurt Elling, Betty Carter, Nina Simone, Johnny Hartman, Jazzmeia Horn, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lady Gaga, Veronica Swift, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Sarah Vaughan.
Show 7 - Throughout the history of jazz, despite all the wonderful female vocalists whose names we know: Billy Holiday, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, the genre has been male dominated to say the least. In honor of Women’s history month this show will feature great, mostly contemporary women instrumentalists, composers and arrangers including Geri Allen, Vi Redd, Tia Fuller, Allison Miller, Esperanza Spalding, Nora Jones, Jenny Scheinman, Regina Carter, Anat Cohen, Carla Bley, Artemis and Maria Schneider.
Show 6 - On the theme of the improvisatory and interpretive nature of jazz, this show pairs up an original version of a tune with a jazz artist’s interpretation of the same piece. Music includes:Rogers and Hammerstein/McCoy Tyner’s "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top” from Oklahoma, Katarina Lenk/Michael Wolff’s "Omar Shariff" from The Band’s Visit, Radiohead/Brad Mehldau’s "Paranoid Android”, Nick Drake/Brad Mehldau’s "River Man”, and Otis Redding/Bill Frisell’s “Change is Gonna Come”.
Show 5 - Up until now a lot of the music we have been listening to has been from the 1950’s to the ‘70’s. Today I’d like to play some contemporary jazz recordings, mostly hot off the press, to highlight the diversity, vitality and relevance of jazz right now. Most of the artists and albums featured in this show have appeared on 2021 best artist or album lists. The playlist includes work by Makaya McCraven, Immanuel Wilkins, Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, Fred Hersch, Helen Sung, Remy La Boeuf, Miho Hazama, Kenny Garrett, Doug Carn, Julian Lage, and Mary Halvorson.
Show 4 - This is a special Valentine’s Day show where we will explore songs expressing both the joy and the anguish of love. The show will include tunes by Chick Corea, Veronica Swift and Benny Bennack, Herbie Hancock with Joni Mitchell, Anita O’Day, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, Michael Brecker with James Taylor, Chet Baker, Tin Hat Trio with Willie Nelson and Guillermo Klein.
Show 3 - This third installment of Cliff Notes will highlight a few saxophonist/composers who have changed the evolution of jazz with their humanity and innovation. Music will include Charlie Parker’s “Star Eyes”, Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas”, Ornette Coleman’s Ramblin’”, Eric Dolphy on “‘Round Midnight”, Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil”, Joe Henderson on “Passion Dance”, and John Coltrane’s “Resolution” from his masterpiece, “A Love Supreme."
Show 2 - In this second installment of Cliff Notes, we will continue to highlight the improvisatory and interpretive nature of jazz by pairing up an original version of a song with a jazz artist’s interpretation of the same piece. Music will include:
Rogers and Hammerstein/Veronica Swift's “Getting to Know You”, Michael Jackson/Vijay Iyer's “Human Nature”, Roy Orbison/Julian Lage's “Cryin’”, Paul Simon/Kurt Elling's“American Tune”, and Radiohead/Robert Glasper's “Everything In It’s Right Place."
Rogers and Hammerstein/Veronica Swift's “Getting to Know You”, Michael Jackson/Vijay Iyer's “Human Nature”, Roy Orbison/Julian Lage's “Cryin’”, Paul Simon/Kurt Elling's“American Tune”, and Radiohead/Robert Glasper's “Everything In It’s Right Place."
Show 1 -In this first installment of Cliff Notes, there is a short discussion of jazz as fundamentally improvisatory and interpretive in nature. You will hear a jazz artist’s interpretation of a piece of music after first listening to the original version of the tune they are working with. This show includes Rogers and Hammerstein/John Coltrane “My Favorite Things,” Bob Dylan/Kurt Elling “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” Jimmy Webb/John Hollenback “Wichita Lineman,” and Joni Mitchell/Herbie Hancock “Court and Spark.”