Edward Kennedy Ellington -- who titled his bestselling autobiography "Music Is My Mistress," and who, as the greatest composer jazz has ever produced, worked as indefatigably as he did brilliantly as a bandleader, pianist, recording artist, and touring performer for more than half a century -- was born April 29, 1899. (He died in 1974.)
So, in the immediate wake of the 29th, on the next All This Jazz -- beginning at 10pm on Saturday the 2nd on Public Radio 89.5 KWGS-FM (and online, via live stream, at PublicRadioTulsa.org) -- our second-hour theme will be Duke Ellington's Tunes. We'll thus hear well-known Ellingtonia like "Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady" as well as less-familiar pieces a la "Tap Dancer's Blues" and "Warm Valley" -- with all of them rendered by an engaging array of jazz greats past and present, from singer Joe Williams to guitarist Marc Ribot…and from Ellington himself to sax-whiz David Murray.
Also, in the first half of ATJ, we'll dig sides from the likes of Steve Turre, Ralph Towner, Larry Goldings, and more.
Come on along, jazz buffs! You'll be ever so glad you did.
(The fine print: All This Jazz airs every Saturday night on Public Radio 89.5, from 10pm till midnight; the latest playlist data can be found at this page. We always thereafter offer a 7pm re-airing of ATJ on Sunday evening, on Jazz 89.5-2, which is our station's all-jazz-all-the-time HD Radio channel. Each week, we spin modern jazz, both recent and classic, across a range of styles -- from Nat Adderley to John Zorn, as it were. And the second half of our two-hour show, beginning at 11pm, invariably carries a theme. Lastly, this program's Facebook page, just FYI, is situated here. Thank you.)
