Jazzploration with K-K-K Kendo

 

25 relaxed and uplifting jazz from the K thru M crate plus vinyl already here in the studio with limited announcing; including a whole set of vocal jazz from Astrud Gilberto, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae & Jean Dushon! Listen in the player below.

Jackie McLean - "Dusty Foot" - Vertigo (1963)

Barney Kessel - "Summertime" - Summertime in Montreux (1973)

Bob James and Earl Klugh - "Kari" - One on One (1979)

Harold Land - "Short Subject" - A New Shade of Blue (1971)

Kiefer - "Lift Somebody Up" - When There's Love Around (2021)

Thelonious Monk - "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - Plays Duke Ellington (1955)

Hubert Laws - "Chicago Theme (Love Loop)" - Chicago Theme (1974)

Boz Scaggs - "Jojo" - Middle Man (1979)

Raymond Fol Big Band - "Winter from The Four Seasons" - Vivaldi's Four Seasons in Jazz (1965)

Ronnie Laws - "Joy" - Flame (1978)

King Kooba - "Koobesq" - Om Lounge 3 (2000)

Carmen McRae - "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" - Live at Sugar Hill (1962)

Billie Holiday - "I Cover the Waterfront" - The Complete Commodore Masters (1944)

Astrud Gilberto - "Agua de Beber" - The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965)

Jack McDuff - "Rolling Stone" - The Fourth Dimension (1974)

Soul Mann & the Brothers - "Theme from Shaft" - Shaft (1971)

Wilbert Longmire - "Starflight" - Sunny Side Up (1978)

Joao Donato/Deodato - "Nightripper" - DonatoDeodato (1973)

Wynton Marsalis - "Think of One" - Think of One (1983)

Grant Green - "Ease Back" - Carryin' On (1969)

Herbie Mann - "Turkish Coffee" - Impressions of the Middle East (1966)

Johnny McLaughlin - "My Foolish Heart" - Electric Guitarist (1978)

Pat Martino - "Starbright" - Starbright (1976)

Jackie McLean with the Great Jazz Trio - "Little Melonae Again" - New Wine Old Bottles (1978)

Manny Albam and His Orchestra - "Dream a Little Dream of Me" - I Had the Craziest Dream (1961)

Originally mixed and livestreamed on 1-21-2025

Anything Goes with Kendo

Some contortionists all love jazz...

 

A light-hearted set that's heavy on soul jazz but also with some fusion, post bop and r&b in the mix! Red Garland, John Abercrombie, Brothers Johnson, Jean Carn, Hampton Hawes, Lonnie Liston Smith and many more! Listen in the player below. Thanks for stopping by! - Kendo

Enoch Light and The Light Brigade - "Speak to Me of Love - Cha Cha" - Provocative Percussion 2 (1960)

The Jazz Crusaders - "Eleanor Rigby" - Lighthouse '68 (1967)

Rusty Bryant - "Soul Liberation" - Soul Liberation (1970)

Astrud Gilberto - "To a Flame" - Gilberto with Turrentine (1971)

Pimp Rekker - "Mackzen and Relaxin" - Om Lounge 3 (2000)

Ronnie Foster - "Mystic Brew" - Two-Headed Freap (1972)

Hampton Hawes - "Web" - Northern Windows (1974)

Johnny "Hammond" Smith - "Soul Talk - 1970" - Black Feeling (1969)

Herbie Hancock - "Maiden Voyage" - Dedication (1974)

George Benson & Joe Farrell - "Beyond the Ozone" - Benson & Farrell (1976)

Mtume - "Juicy Fruit (excerpt)" - Juicy Fruit (1983)

The Brothers Johnson - "Streetwave" - Blam! (1978)

Red Garland - "Five O'clock Whistle" - Rediscovered Masters (1958)

Gateway - "Sing Song" - Gateway 2 (1977)

Miles Davis Sextet - "Dig" - Dig (1951)

Lonnie Liston Smith - "Mystical Dreamer (A Tribute to Miles Davis)" - Exotic Mysteries (1978)

Billy Cobham - "Life & Times" - Life & Times (1976)

Jean Carn - "Together Again" - Happy to Be With You (1978)

Donald Byrd - "March Children" - I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964)

De-Stress Jazz with Kendo

 

Here's a mix of mostly relaxing and chill jazz for those with jangled nerves! Listen in the player below and thank you for stopping by!

Michel Legrand - "Round Midnight" - Legrand Jazz

Michel Legrand - "The Jitterbug Waltz" - LeGrand Jazz

Jack McDuff - "Mystic John" - To Seek a New Home

John White - "Right Off"

Kiefer - "Areti's Love" - When There's Love Around

Harold Land - "Mtume" - A New Shade of Blue

Soul Mann & The Brothers - "Early Sunday Morning" - Shaft

Hugh Masekela - "Unhlanhla (Lucky Boy)" - The Americanization of Ooga Booga

Carmen McRae - "Alfie" - Alfie

Julian Lage - "Echo" - View With a Room

Pat Martino - "Starbright" - Starbright

Herbie Mann - "Comin' Home Baby" - 

Wynton Marsalis - "Fuchsia" - Think of One

Ronnie Laws - "Joy" - Flame

Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela - "African Summer"

Hubert Laws - "Brandenburg Concerto #3 (3rd Movement) - The Rite of Spring

Jazz's Biggest Sellers 2!!

A fresh mix of delightful jazz tracks, all of which either went gold or platinum or charted very highly! Mixed with attention to sound quality (vinyl was used when possible) and arranged for your highest listening pleasure and enjoyment! Listen in the player just below. This is the 2nd in a series of Jazz's Biggest Sellers! If you missed the first one, click here. Thanks for stopping by! - Kendo

John Coltrane - "My Favorite Things (part 1)" - My Favorite Things (1960) 

achieved Gold in 2018, the single was a hit in 1961

Hugh Masekela - "Grazing In the Grass" - The Promise of a Future (1968)

#1 on Billboard Hot 100, sold 4 million copies

Chet Baker - "My Funny Valentine" - Chet Baker Sings (1954)

A financial success that spawned follow-ups and launched Baker into stardom - voted both best trumpeter and best male vocalist in Downbeat Magazine's Audience Polls following the album's release.

Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus (1962)

Actually a B-side, radio disc jockeys loved it and it propelled to #22 on the Pop Chart and #9 on the Easy Listening chart. It also helped secure him the Charlie Brown cartoons soundtracks for which he's remembered most today.

Mel Tormé - "Comin' Home Baby!" - Comin' Home Baby! (1962)

Like a few of the selections in this series, the artist had reservations about recording the song, but it revived his career and hit #36 on the pop chart and #13 on the UK singles chart. Tormé's performance was nominated for two Grammys. The arrangement is by Claus Ogerman (!) and the vocal group are The Cookies.

Bill Evans - "Waltz for Debby" - Waltz for Debby (1961)

Don't know how much this sold, but Evans did sell albums and this is considered his best selling. According to Wikipedia, the song has been covered over 300 times.

Deodato - "Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)" - Prelude (1972)

#2 on the Hot 100, #3 in Canada and #7 in the UK. The song won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Pop Performance for 1973.

Herbie Hancock - "Chameleon" - Head Hunters (1973)

Words can barely describe the success of this album or it's influence. #13 on the Billboard 200 chart and #2  on the R&B chart. It was the first jazz album to sell (over) a million copies. It is certified in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. It was #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart from 2-9-1974 to 8-3-1974. That is a really, really long time.

Herb Alpert - "Rise" - Rise (1979)

  #1 on the Hot 100, #1 Billboard Jazz Chart, won a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and the album sold more than 3 million copies. The title song was famously sampled by Notorious B.I.G. on "Hypnotize".

Dakota Staton - "The Late, Late Show" - The Late, Late Show (1957)

The artist's debut album and single was a big hit reaching #4 on the album charts. 

Cal Tjader - "Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro)" - Soul Sauce (1964)

This album peaked at #52 on the Billboard 200, not bad for a jazz album in the midst of Beatlemania. The single was also a hit.

Diana Krall - "The Look of Love" - The Look of Love (2001)

Her first #1 album in Canada, receiving the Juno Award for Album of the Year. #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart (#1 Jazz Chart), the album was a worldwide hit and the 5th best selling jazz album from 2000-2009. The single hit #22 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

Stanley Turrentine - "Pieces of Dreams" - Pieces of Dreams (1974)

The single was a hit and the album peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200, on the chart for 21 weeks in 1974.

John Coltrane - "My Favorite Things (part 2)" - My Favorite Things (1960) 

Coltrane had better selling albums - we will get to them in future episodes. 

Anything Goes with Kendo - Autumn Leaves and Storms

 

A mix of relaxing and feel good jazz with an autumn leaves theme (mostly brown leaves) and also a storm theme. Listen in the player below!

Cannonball Adderley - "Autumn Leaves" - Somethin' Else (1958)

Jimmy Smith - "Satin Doll" - Organ Grinder Swing (1965)

DJ Cam - "Juliet" - Loa Project Vol II (2000)

Ed Thigpen - "Out of the Storm" - Out of the Storm (1966)

Gary Burton - "Brownout" - The New Quartet (1974)

Carmen McRae - "Miss Brown to You" - Sings Lover Man (1961)

Melvin Sparks - "Charlie Brown" - Sparks! (1970)

Quincy Jones - "Brown Ballad" - Smackwater Jack (1971)

Supersax - "Parker's Mood" - Supersax Plays Bird (1973)

Jimmy McGriff - "Big Booty Bounce" - Red Beans (1976)

Michel Petrucciani - "Charlie Brown" - Marvelous (1994)

Frank Sinatra - "My One and Only Love" - Hello Young Lovers (1962)

Christian McBride - "Brown Funk" - A Family Affair (1998)

David Newman - "Foxy Brown" - Newmanism (1974)

Billie Holiday - "Stormy Weather" (?)

Herb Alpert - "Lady Love" - Wild Romance (1986)

Stanley Turrentine - "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do" - Salt Song (1971)

Stanley Turrentine - "Storm" - Salt Song (1971)

Soul Jazz Tuesday vs. Anything Goes with Kendo

 

Special 3 hour mix of soul jazz, straight-ahead, vocal jazz, and a smattering of randomness. Hour three has a midnight theme! Listen in the player below and thank you for visiting!! (ps there is a minute of silence at the end of the John Patton track due to a Kendo error... after that the jams are uninterrupted!)

Miles Davis - "Yesternow" (excerpt) - Jack Johnson (1970)

Al Jarreau - "Thinkin' About It Too" - All Fly Home ()

Big John Patton - "The Shake" - Got a Good Thing Goin' On (1966)

Gary McFarland - "Schlock House Blues" - Point of Departure (1963)

Issa Bagayogo - "Koroto" - Tassoumakan (2003)

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

Donald Fagen - "Planet D'Rhonda" - Sunken Condos (2012)

George Benson & Joe Farrell - "Flute Song" - Benson & Farrell ()

Charles Earland and Odyssey - "Ode to Chicken George" - Revelation (1977)

Nancy Wilson - "The Very Thought of You" - Lady Sings the Blues (comp.)

Ronnie Foster - "Chunky" - Two Headed Freap (1972)

Catalyst - "New Found Truths" - Catalyst (1972)

Fred Astaire - "Puttin' On the Ritz" (1930?)

Jimmy McGriff - "Groove Grease" - Groove Grease (1971)

Isaac Hayes - "We Need Each Other Girl" - Truck Turner (1974)

Zoot Sims - "The Man I Love" - Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (1975)

Zoot Sims - "How Long Has This Been Going On" - Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (1975)

Leon Spencer - "(They Long to Be) Close to You" - Louisiana Slim (1971)

Grover Washington Jr. - "Let It Flow (For "Dr. J")" - Winelight (1980)

Ray Charles - "I Had The Craziest Dream" - I'm All Yours, Baby (1969)

DJ Shadow - "Midnight In a Perfect World" - Endtroducing..... (1996)

Freddie Hubbard - "Midnight At the Oasis" - Liquid Love (1975)

Thelonious Monk - "'Round Midnight" - Thelonious Himself (1957)

Miles Davis - "'Round Midnight" - 'Round About Midnight (1956)

Michael Brecker - "Midnight Voyage" - Tales From the Hudson (1996)

Stanley Turrentine - "Midnight and You" - Pieces of Dreams (1974)

Wes Montgomery - "Midnight Mood" - Tequila (1966)

Ella Fitzgerald - "Midnight Sun" - Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook (1964)

Gato Barbieri - "Midnight Tango" - Ruby, Ruby (1977)

Lou Donaldson - "Alligator Bogaloo" - Alligator Bogaloo (1967)

Gary Burton  - "Midnight" - Times Square (1978)

Jazz's Biggest Sellers!!

The first in a new series of unique and fun mixes - exploring the biggest selling jazz tracks of all time! Constructed with care featuring music that resonated with the largest amount of people, so much so that they were compelled to go out and buy the album or single!

Presented for your fun and entertainment - the series is neither definitive or comprehensive. Relax, do whatever you do when you listen to jazz, and have a good time. If you enjoy the selections, you are in harmony with millions of people throughout the last few decades, including myself! Listen in the player below, and thank you for stopping by! - Kendo

Billie Holiday - "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" - with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra. Released in 1935 it became Lady Day's breakthrough hit. She would have a much bigger one in a few years.

Dave Brubeck Quartet - "Take Five" - The best selling jazz song of all time. It's album "Time Out" was the first jazz album to sell a million copies. It eventually went platinum. Columbia executives had serious reservations about the concept albums commercial appeal, and insisted the band record an album of standards first ("Gone With the Wind"). 1959

Miles Davis - "So What" - The best selling jazz album of all time unless you count Kenny G. or Norah Jones (who complained about being considered a jazz artist). "Kind of Blue" didn't really sell that well initially, but wound up being on the charts for decades, selling 5x's platinum. It is largely regarded as the best jazz album recorded. 1959

George Benson - "Breezin'" - certified triple platinum, it won 3 Grammy awards and topped 3 Billboard charts: pop, r&b and jazz. The other single from the album "This Masquerade" hit #10 on the Hot 100 and #8 in Canada. 

Sarah Vaughan - "Lullaby of Birdland" - the hit single from Sarah's eponymously titled album, composed by George Shearing who released it two years earlier. The album was Sassy's only collaboration with trumpeter Clifford Brown, and was her personal favorite album for most of her career. 1954

Weather Report - "Birdland" - Heavy Weather skyrocketed the band to insane superstardom, and it's hit single created a frenzy in 1977, becoming an instant standard, being performed by nearly everyone and recorded by the likes of Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich and the Manhattan Transfer, who won a Grammy with it. Heavy Weather hit #30 on the Billboard pop chart and #1 on their jazz chart, where it remained well into 1978. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Oscar Peterson - "Night Train" - a big seller for Peterson as was the album of the same name, the song basically became identified with him. The album was formatted to have shorter selections, making them very suitable for airplay. 1962

Wes Montgomery - "Windy" - Wes' biggest selling single, reaching #44 on the Hot 100. It's album "A Day In the Life" hit #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart, #2 on their R&B chart and #13 on the Billboard 200 chart. It is certified gold. Jazz was on the wane in 1967 (the "Summer of Love") and Wes comically lamented that after selling all those records, he still had trouble getting gigs.

Chuck Mangione - "Feels So Good" - Chuck was already a pretty big deal before this release, but words cannot express the mania that followed the #4 hit and #2 album (kept from #1 by the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack). Every trumpet player in high school wanted to be him. Mangione's signature hat and vest and significant musicianship brought the flugelhorn out of the shadows and very much into prominence. The killer guitar solo is by Grant Geissman. The 1977 album is certified double platinum. 

Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - "The Girl from Ipanema" - speaking of mania: Bossa Nova in the early 60's. Getz had opened up the floodgates in the United States with "Jazz Samba" with Charlie Byrd in 1962. Four bossa nova albums later in 1964 Getz/Gilberto was a sensation, aided by the debut of vocalist Astrud Gilberto on a few tracks, including this one. This song was voted Record of the Year at the Grammys in 1964, and also won Album of the Year in 1965. The album is certified platinum. "The Girl From Ipanema" is perhaps the song most identified with bossa nova in the states and has been recorded countlessly.

Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" - recorded in 1966, the song became a surprise hit early 1967, hitting #2 on the Soul chart and #11 on the Hot 100 and #4 on Canada's RPM Singles chart. Later that same year, other hit versions were recorded (with lyrics) by Marlena Shaw (#58) and the Buckinghams (#5). It was written by Joe Zawinul, who also composed "Birdland". The album hit #1 on the Soul chart and received a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance.