Giacomo Gates, the consummate jazz singer —- July 16, 2o15 Albuquerque — photo by Mark Weber
The Thursday Jazz Radio Show
November 26, 2o15 Jazz @ Noon every Thursday (starts at 12:07 after the satellite news) Host MARK WEBER KUNM Albuquerque, USA 89.9 FM (Mountain Standard Time) also streaming on the web KUNM.org Current time zone offset: UTC*/GMT -6 hours (*Coordinated Universal Time)/Greenwich Mean Time)
BING BANG BOOM
taken fast or slow
inside or out
up or down
hot or mildly tepid
jumpin’ and sweated
written down or blown off
exacted or off the cuff
knocked out or meticulously netted
poppin’ and crackin’
bifurcated accumulated amalgamated articulated
abbreviated silhouetted threaded and never regretted
moving along at a clip
always with a little zip
flip, flop & fly, zweet swat & try
we don’t take no jive
(except for fun in overdrive)
Bing bang BOOM, it’s jazz in the afternoon
Horace Tapscott (laughing) and William Green (straw hat) — July 5, 1980 Watts Towers Jazz Festival — William Green was a legendary Los Angeles woodwinds master that everybody wanted to study with, he made a lot of valuable contributions to Buddy Collette’s records, we’ll listen to one of the few records he made under his own name —- photo by Mark Weber
Mississippi Smokey Wilson and the new Friday KUNM noon jazz host John Breckow (Dig those sideburns!) — January 14, 1978 at Pioneer Club, 88th & Vermont, Los Angeles — photo by Mark Weber —– Smokey could tear a Stratocaster apart, just bring down thunder & lightning in that blues tavern of his down in South Central, it was a beer & wine joint with a pool table and a lot of atmosphere, he kept a bottle of Johnny Walker Red stashed for me when I showed up, and a couple pistols and a rifle under the bar (I can probably tell people now but his secret hideaway of cash was kept under the pool table, you could lift up the green turf and there was the cash) —- John & wife Dory moved to Corrales two years ago, he put in 25 years of radio on KPFK becoming part of late-night jazz history in Los Angeles, it’s going to be a kick to hear him again, we were old running buddies back in those crazy days, there was so much going on in Los Angeles . . . .
James Newton & David Murray —- two college guys giving a recital in the basement of the Student Union Building at Claremont Colleges, a little venue called The Smudge Pot —- January 15, 1977 — (this is David’s alma mater and on this night he was visiting having quietly graduated the year before when he moved to NYC to get into the action on the Loft scene) —- a record of this night’s music was released on Lp SOLOMAN’S SONS (Circle Records) —- photo by Mark Weber *Smudge pots were in use those years to warm the citrus groves thereabouts during the winter months
Leonard Feather and his wife Jane at Hollywood Bowl Playboy Jazz Festival — June 21, 1980 — photo by Mark Weber
Andrea Wolper at KUNM Albuquerque — photo by Mark Weber — July 23, 2015 — Andrea gets deep inside a song, lifts it up into the air like a dirigible, opens a window, waves at us as she floats by . . . .
Doug Lawrence New Organ Trio at the Outpost Performance Space during the New Mexico Jazz Festival — July 26, 2o15 —— with two band mates from the Basie Orchestra: Bobby Floyd, B3; and David Gibson, drums —- those two empty chairs on stage are for guests Bobby Shew and Paul Gonzales, trumpets — photo by Mark Weber
Sol Yaged sitting in with Vince Giordano Nighthawks at Sofia’s on 46th Street — May 5, 2008 — photo by Mark Weber
Art Pepper Quartet at Donte’s, North Hollywood —- April 27, 1977 — Joey Baron, drums; Bob Magnussen, bass; Milcho Leviev, piano — photo by Mark Weber —– Art used to rip a hole in the sky at Donte’s playing clear up to 2 o’clock and sometimes beyond, as John Breckow said one night, “Man, it’s like catching lightning in a bottle,” that was Art Pepper in the Seventies in Los Angeles, what a party.
Henry Kaiser (guitar) & Laurel Sprigg (cello) & Henry Kuntz (tenor saxophone) —- I always loved the album they made ICE DEATH (Parachute Records) — they were a Bay Area trio that had come down for a few gigs around Los Angeles, these photos were at George Sand Bookstore — September 24, 1977 —- photos by Mark Weber —- On this same tour they played live on John Breckow’s KPFK radio show The Big Sleep, and John was not familiar with their thing (very avant — think Derek Bailey & Evan Parker) so, John had probably just spun a set of Joe Venuti and Bucky Pizzarelli — I was listening from the comfort of my home —- He told me later that when they started playing his head spun around four times on his shoulders as he held on to the dials . . . .
Betty Carter — double-exposure — The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach — December 4, 1976 — photo by Mark Weber
MW in Studio C alternate control room (the main control room being outfitted with new gear) KUNM — November 19, 2o15 getting ready to interview Kevin Norton over the telephone —– smart phone photo by John Breckow
I studied tenor sax with Bill Green in 1967. Half-hour lessons were $7.50, twice what most teachers were charging. But he was booked all weekend. Bill didn’t know I was a clarinetist, so when I found out he had a Buffet clarinet used for a week for $250, I tried it after my sax lesson. Bill would buy mouthpieces and instruments by the dozen, go thru them to pick his favorite, and sell the rest. As he was with another student, I played the Weber Concertino behind the closed door of the office. After a minute he came in with his mouth agape. He had no idea I ever played a clarinet. I said, “Sold!” Bill encouraged his students to sit in on other’s lessons. Once I arrived an hour early, heard piccolo playing behind the door, and entered his studio to find him pedaling backwards on a unicycle while playing perfectly controlled long tones on the piccolo. He was also a black belt in karate. He encouraged us to practice by giving us hope that saxophones, flutes, and clarinets could be conquered and played. He also traded licks and fours with me on the blues.
Just wonderful as always My Dear Mark. You keep the great music alive my friend…Love Sheila (Jordan)
John Cater once told me, probably in the 1980s, that Bill Green was playing about as much on the clarinet as could be heard anywhere at that time, Mark.
it’s November 1976 and i get a call from the service to call TV composer and tenor player Jerry Fried. ring him right up, and he tells me about his new 22 week series, and asks if i want to do it ! fender and upright ! what a plum ! i get a call from the contractor, and accept the calls. all of them. few weeks later, go to the first session. lots of percussionists (Shelley Manne, Emil Richards, Victor Feldman) and the name of the show written on M11 Main Title is ROOTS. sixteen cats start recording, take their ten, go back in, sit down, the door opens and the contractor comes in with a distinguished looking AfroAmerican gentleman, whom he introduces to us as Alex Haley, writer of the book. Mr. Haley takes a quick look around, and in an annoyed tone says to the contractor, “Where are the Blacks ?” every musician on the call was not the right color; we were white. recording was temporarily suspended whilst calls were made. all of us envisioned the possibilities for our replacement on the 22 week plum. they let us go to lunch early. upon return, only three of us had lost the 22 weeks. and the new cats were Bill Green, Buddy Collette, and George Bohanon.
Nice Markster!
———————playlist———————–
The Cosmic Turkey Jazz Radio Show
November 26, 2o15
KUNM Albuquerque
Host MARK WEBER
1. Charlie Parker Quintet “Si Si” –8mar51 album SWEDISH SCHNAPPS
2. Wardell Gray w/ Dolo Marmarmosa “Easy Swing” –23nov46
3. Miles & Gil “The Maids of Cadiz” –May 1957 album MILES + 19
4. Johnny Smith & Stan Getz “Where or When” –11mar52 from Mosaic Box
5. Oscar Pettiford & Tom Talbert “In the Dark”(Bix) –Sept56
6. Mary Osborne “Body & Soul” –1959
7. Richie Kamuca w/Carl Perkins, Leroy Vinnegar, Stan Levey “Rain Drain” — June 1957
8. Art Pepper & Jack Montrose “Cinnamon” –25aug53
9. Charles Mingus “Put Me in that Dungeon” –13nov59 album MINGUS DYNASTY
10. Art Pepper & Jack Montrose “What’s New?” ibid.
11. Sheila Jordan & Cameron Brown “The Promise of You” –Nov.2004
12. Rune Gustafsson “Early Autumn” –Aug.1977
13. Lyle Murphy Octet “Seismograph” –16aug55
14. Lennie Tristano “Momentum” —1955
15. Bill Green “Tuttie Fluttie” –1962 album SHADES OF GREEN: William Green & the Marty [sic] Jazz All Stars (should be Marty’s Jazz All Stars —- Marty’s on the Hill was a Los Angeles jazz club in the 1960s)
16. Nick Travis “Nick’s Knacks” –March 1954 w/Al Cohn