Thursday, April 16: Czech-born keyboardist Jan Hammer had his greatest commercial success in the 1980s after composing the theme to the popular television show Miami Vice but his recorded output as a solo artist in the 1970s featured several superlative albums including 1976’s Oh Yeah. Listen for selections from that album as well as from Teaser, the 1975 release by guitarist Tommy Bolin. Bolin, who played with rock acts such as The James Gang and Deep Purple was comfortable in a variety of styles as displayed on this wide-reaching album—featuring turns at reggae, jazz, and Latin music.
Friday, April 17
It’s the return of Vinyl Friday with selections from Don “Sugarcane” Harris’ 1972 live album Cane’s Got The Blues. Harris, a remarkable violinist, collaborated with a number of major artists during his career, including John Mayall, Frank Zappa, and Johnny Otis. We’ll also hear music from the 1969 album The Jean Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio, one of the earliest jazz fusion albums and one of the earliest recordings from either of these acclaimed musicians.
Saturday, April 18
We’ll hear selections from Thrust, Herbie Hancock’s 1974 album and from Gil Evans’ salute to the music of Jimi Hendrix.
Monday, April 20
Although he began his career in the thrash metal band Testament, guitarist Alex Skolnick has been recording jazz albums since around 2002. We’ll hear from his groundbreaking album from that year, Goodbye To Romance: Standards for a New Generation which features jazz arrangements of songs originally recorded by Kiss, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne. Plus music from Frank Zappa’s 1972 LP The Grand Wazoo, one of his earliest forays into serious jazz. The album features appearances from keyboardist George Duke as well as trumpeter Sal Marquez.
Tuesday, April 21
Listen for selections from Stop Time, the new release from singer-songwriter Jon Regen as well as music from William Elliott Whitmore and others.
Wednesday, April 22
Short Movie is the fifth album from singer-songwriter Laura Marling and is notable for Marling’s heavy incorporation of electric guitar on this release. We’ll hear selections from that as well as from Jenny Wood’s Thumbsucker release.
Thursday, April 23
Reach For It is the 1977 release from George Duke. On this recording, the classically-trained keyboardist turns to funk and emerges with one of his most enduring and influential albums. The title song became a cornerstone of hip-hop music and was sampled in pieces by Master P and Ice Cube, among others. We’ll hear from that as well as from Back To Oakland, the 1974 album from Tower of Power.
Friday, April 24
We’ll hear selections from the 1974 release by saxophonist Eddie Harris, E.H. in the U.K.. The recording finds Harris working with members of King Crimson, Yes, and Deep Purple as well as guitar legend Jeff Beck, plus music from bass legend Stanley Clarke’s 1973 debut album, Children of Forever, recorded under the name Stan Clarke.
Saturday, April 25
Miles Davis’ 1970 album Bitches Brew remains one of his most ground breaking and memorable recordings. We’ll hear several selections from it on this episode of the show as well as music from Herbie Hancock’s 1965 album Maiden Voyage.
