WWOZ Blog

Story by Sharon Armstrong.

The thing about Jimmy Crowley --consummate storyteller, songwriter, song collector, musician, and ethnographer -- is that you never quite know what you will get.

Tonight 11/17/09 on the Kitchen Sink, after some preview music for Stanton Moore's James Black gig at Chickie Wah Wah and Loyola, Neko Case, and Dan Auerbach/Justin Townes Earle, we'll put on a bale of jazz from 1959, possibly the greatest year of recorded music ever. Dig this list from which we will draw:

Ornette - Shape of Jazz to Come
Trane - Giant Steps
Brubeck - Time Out

I will include an hour tribute to Johnny Mercer on Jazz Roots to celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday. I will focus on Johnny as a songwriter and Johnny as a singer. Join us and learn more about this songwriting icon.

Last week, I embarked on playing some Percy Mayfield to celebrate his poetic nature. As is often the case, plans changed, so I only got through a portion of his music. This week I fix that.

Thanksgiving is by far the nation's most boring holiday. Even the main event - gorging on food is compromised by the selection. Turkey' tastes like plywood and the second and third place finishers, potatoes and stuffing, are only edible if covered in gravy fat.

Brilliant jazz saxophonist Wessell "Warmdaddy" Anderson will appear tonight (Thursday, November 12th at 8 and 10 p.m.) at Snug Harbor along with Victor Adkins (p), Ed Perkins (s), Troy Davis (d) and Roland Guerin (b) in what promises to be incredible shows.

So, off the top of my head, in alphabetical order, here are the 30 jazz discs that I have dug the most from this decade which is now drawing to a close...

Alegria by Wayne Shorter
Amarosa by Rosa Passos
Avatar by Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Beautiful Existence by Joe Morris
Back East by Joshua Redman
Betwixt by Pandelis Karayorgis
Chasin the Gypsy by James Carter

Tonight in its rawest first mix form, the Danny Barker Centennial Radio Project goes on over the airwaves:

10 PM to Midnight on David Kunian's Kitchen Sink show

Something magical:

Changes take place in my neighborhood in small increments these days. We wake to another house starting repairs or to another being finished --- and still a few lay dormant. The kudzu and politicians ruin one thing after another, and without a glance, the people begin each day rebuilding the city....and dream that their Saints will end up in a Super Bowl.