Tuesdays on Mixcloud 5:00-6:30 pm eastern

Livestreams every Tuesday from 5 to 6:30pm on Mixcloud featuring DJ Kendo, plus 11 years of playlists and audio from the show "Jazz Greats" on WFCF St. Augustine!

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Playlist for 4-22-2020 Home - Jazzploration

Wonderful 1979 release from George Cables!



As I mention on this week's show, the intended name for my radio program was originally "Jazzploration". To appease both the station manager and the previous host for that time slot, who had held if for something like 15 years, I was convinced to maintain her show name and it's honor: "Jazz Greats", which - not only rang somewhat pedestrian to my ears, but also countered with what I intended to do: play music by both widely known artists as well as the most obscure and forgotten.

My plan was to take the listener to another place, plain and simple; often a happy one, a good-time one, occasionally an outta-this-world one. This week's show is my current idea of what that should be like: a journey. You spend some time on the airport, you board the plane with excitement (or fear), you take off and soar above the earth, you land someplace you've never been before, you explore, you drive a little further out, explore...

Hope you like the show. Thanks for stopping by & listening!
- Kendo


Grant Green - "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" - Visions (1971)
His regular trio plus Ray Barretto


Red Garland - "Manteca" - Manteca (1958)

George Cables - "Beyond Forever" - Circles (1979)

Donald Byrd - "Samba Yanta" - The Creeper (1967)

Art Farmer - "Sing Me Softly of the Blues" - Sing Me Softly of the Blues (1965)

Gary Burton Quintet - "Ictus/Syndrome/Wrong Key Donkey" (1975)
With Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrich,
Steve Swalloe, Bob Moses


Gary Burton Quartet - "Como en Vietnam" - Times Square (1978)

Curtis Fuller - "Maze" - Crankin' (1971)

Kurt Elling - "The Fanfold Hawk" - Secrets Are the Best Stories (2020)*


Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Playlist for 4-14-2020 Home - Shorty Show!





This week we delve into my vinyl collection alphabetically and listen to the shortest track of each album; making for good variety, interesting deep cuts and hitting up overlooked or forgotten albums. You can listen in the audio player above. Hope you enjoy - would love some feedback on this idea, whether I should continue with it! Stay safe - Kendo



John Abercrombie - "Reminiscence" - Gateway II (1977)
The lineup with Victor Felman


Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "What Is This Thing Called Love" - At the Lighthouse (1960)

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Sticks" - Mercy, Mercy Mercy! (1966)

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Walk Tall (Baby, That's What I Need" - 74 Miles Away (1967)

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Somewhere" - Swingin' In Seattle (1967)

Nat Adderley Quintet - "The Fifth Labor of Hercules" - Blue Autumns (1983)
Airto and his freaky album covers


Airto - "Ruas do Recifie" - Promises of the Sun (1976)

Mose Allison - "Saturday" - Back Country Suite (1957)

Mose Allison - "Spring Song" - Back Country Suite (1957)

Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt - "Walkin'" - Boss Tenors in Orbit (1962)

Gene Ammons (Howard McGhee and The Blazers) - "Muggin' McGhee" - Heavy Sax (1962)

Roy Ayers - "Don't Hide Your Love" - No Stranger to Love (1979)
And then there's this


Dave Bailey Quintet - "Comin' Home Baby" - Two Feet In the Gutter (1961)

Chet Baker - "What'll I Do" - She Was Too Good To Me (1974) CTI Moment

Chet Baker - "You Can't Go Home Again" - You Can't Go Home Again (1977)

Gary Bartz Ntu Troop - "Africans Unite" - Juju Street Songs (1972)

Count Basie - "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and OUt" - Basie Picks the Winners (1965)

Count Basie - "Help" - Basie's Beatle Bag (1966)

Count Basie - "Hello Young Lovers' - Broadway Basie's... Way (1966)
Not to be outdone... Joe
amps up the freakage game.


Count Basie - "In The Still of The Night" - Hollywood... Basie's Way (1967)

Count Basie - "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" - High Voltage (1970)

Joe Beck - "Cafe Black Rose" - Beck (1972)




Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Playlist for 4-7-2020 Home - Diversions!





This week we mixed the relaxing, destressing self-isolation jazz with longer, more intricate tracks to help you get your mind off of things for awhile, and we visited the virtual new jazz shelf! Thank you for listening and stay safe! - Kendo


Emanuele Coluccia - "Jazzlito" (Theme Music)

Connie Han - "Iron Starlet" - Iron Starlet (2019)*
A force to be reckoned with - wonderful player!


Jeff Rupert and George Garzone - "Bahia" - The Ripple (2018)*

O Som do Jazz - "Coco" - Go! (2019)*


Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer - "Just an Old Manuscript" - The Power of Positive Swinging (1965)

Snorre Kirk Quartet with Stephen Riley - "Blues Jump" - Tangerine Rhapsody (2019)*

Lee Morgan - "Party Time" - The Procrastinator (1967)

Diana Krall - "Like Someone In Love" - Turn Up the Quiet (2016)

Larry Coryell - "If Miles Were Here" - Barefoot Man: Sanpaku (2016)
A complimentary pairing!


Michael Petrovich - "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" - Bella Luna (2012)

Acme Jazz Garage - "Acmefied" - Acme Jazz Garage (20160

Cal Tjader Sextet & Stan Getz - "Big Bear" - Cal Tjader/Stan Getz (1958)

Anita O'Day & Cal Tjader - "Mister Sandman" - Time for Two (1962)

Dan Jordan - "Voce Vai Ver" - Pure Joy (2015)

Weldon Irvine - "Walk That Walk, Talk That Talk" - Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine) (1974)

Mark Chiriboga - "What Words Can't Say" - Mark Chiriboga (2011)





Friday, April 3, 2020

Retro Review - Johnny Hodges & Wild Bill Davis "Mess of Blues"

Some abstract business for a straight ahead album!



Johnny Hodges & Wild Bill Davis - Mess of Blues (1963)

rating: 6.5/10

This somewhat unusual pairing was a thing for much of the 60's until Hodges died. If you've spent any time listening to Duke Ellington, your aware of Johnny Hodge's alto sound and style. As for Wild Bill Davis - think somewhere between Shirley Scott and the dude outside the Wurlitzer store in the mall. So yeah, if you're a jazz purist or a Jimmy Smith fan, his sound takes getting used to.

This is not a "heavy" album by any means. By all accounts you could consider this a "light" jazz album; something you might put on in say, a pandemic? After a bad day at work?

First off, despite the title, most of the album has a feel-good quality to it. It might seem somewhat obvious to say, but there is something wonderfully Ellington-ian to it. Aside from three compositions of Duke's and his lead alto man, that feeling is there throughout the album: the easy swing feel that still has a deep pocket; the relaxed manner of approach that still has wonderful dynamics, keeping it afloat. Elegance with sophistication.

Then there's the addition of guitarist Kenny Burrell, a huge Ellington admirer. He keeps his solos cool and choice but still impressive and of course, will killer soul. Ed Shaughnessy on drums is all pro as you might expect from a future Tonight Show drummer (with Doc Severinsen); achieving everything that's needed at any given time, and always swingin'.

Side one is solid through and through. Side two has the aptly titled Bill Davis original "Stolen Sweets" which is a bit overly poppy; as is the version of Ellington's "Lost in Meditation" (it's a Verve release, after all). The best cuts on the album are "Jones", "Love You Madly" and Hodges "A & R Blues".

At 30 minutes it ain't gonna hurt ya, and it might even cure what ails ya. - Kendo