WBGO Blog

  • Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York on JazzSet

    December 2, 2011. Posted by Becca Pulliam.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Alive, jon faddis
    Photo ©www.johnabbottphoto.com
    Jon Faddis Photo ©www.johnabbottphoto.com

    Listen Sunday, December 4, at 6pm and Wednesday, December 7,  at 6:30 for the fantastic  Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra of New York -- rarely assembled but here for you this week on JazzSet.

    The JFJONY continues the legacy of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Musical Director Jon Faddis. Between 1992 and 2002, the CHJB performed 40 concerts and premiered works by over 35 different writers, including the great Frank Foster (1928-2011).

    Foster composed "Shiny Stockings" for the Count Basie Orchestra, and Slide Hampton's arrangement of it opens our show. Later, Nnenna Freelon sings the Foster arrangement of  "Jingle Bells" with the band, followed by his high-energy chart on "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane. Both Coltrane and Foster were tenor players, but there's no tenor solo on FF's arrangement for the CHJB. Instead, we hear Jon’s student Max Darché (“because his family bought like 80 tickets”), Conrad Herwig on trombone (“Conrad is a great golfer”), Ted Rosenthal on piano (“because he wife is here and she’s a lawyer"), and on tenor, one of the CHJB originals, Ralph Lalama. Ralph trades phrases with fellow tenor Frank Basile.

    Another high point is Jim McNeely's arrangement of "Sing, Sing, Sing" featuring Dick Oatts on soprano and Dana Hall on drums. Dick tosses "Auld Lang Syne" into his improv. The occasion was New Year's Eve at the Kennedy Center, after all.

    As a web extra, click for a link to the JFJONY stretching out on Dizzy Gillespie's "Things to Come!"

    The Maestro conducts and sticks some trumpet in your ear! .. this week on JazzSet.

    Click here for the line-up for this New Year's Eve. We'll have music all night with live shows from Boston, New York and Los Angeles, on WBGO.

    © 2011 WBGO

  • Kudos to Morning Maestro Gary Walker

    March 4, 2008. Posted by Doug Doyle.

    Add new comment | Filed under: air drums, bassist john, dictionary, dizzy gillespie, first few days, gary walker, jazz 88, Jazz Alive, jazz club, Jazz Community, jon faddis, maestro, music, newscasts, radio station, sax, sports, talented artists, tenth anniversary, trumpeter, west orange

    As my tenth anniversary at Jazz 88 is fast approaching, I remember my first few days at the radio station. I didn't know enough about the music to comment on anything. I had to rely on my personal Jazz Dictionary, Gary Walker. Thanks to the morning maestro, I've learned so much about jazz now...to a point where I play air drums, piano and sax in the studio in between newscasts. I'm also blessed to be working at a radio station where so many talented artists come to visit. Two recent events made me realize I've actually become a part of the jazz community. Trumpeter Jon Faddis agreed to shoot the breeze with me about sports and jazz on SportsJam and bassist John Lee complimented my work during a recent visit to Cecil's Jazz Club in West Orange. Very cool to have two terrific guys who played with Dizzy Gillespie make me feel special!

    Doug Doyle

    © 2008 WBGO

  • SportsJam - Trumpeter Jon Faddis

    February 25, 2008. Posted by Doug Doyle.

    Add new comment | Filed under: dad, demand feature, different sports, Encounters, interviewing, Jazz Alive, jazz band, Jazz Community, john coltrane, jon faddis, new sports, old timers, podcast, real sports, Remix, saxophone, special sports, sports fan, sports stars, tiger, tiger woods, time jazz, trumpeter, wbgo

    Doug Doyle and Trumpeter Jon Faddis

    I had a blast interviewing trumpeter Jon Faddis for SportsJam, WBGO's new sports podcast/on-demand feature. Jon is a real sports fan who loves the old-timers from several different sports. I asked him to put together his all-time jazz band made up of sports stars. He selected Tiger Woods to be the saxophone of John Coltrane. Find out who else he picked, his thoughts on why he thinks jazz and sports are related and hear about his special sports relationship with his dad. Listen now.
    -Doug Doyle

    © 2008 WBGO