WBGO Blog

  • The Checkout – Live at Berklee with Jaleel Shaw February 7

    January 31, 2013. Posted by Brandy Wood.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Berklee, berklee college of music, Boris Kozlov, Cafe 939, jaleel shaw, Johnathan Blake, Lawrence Fields, Live Music, npr music, The Checkout, The Checkout Live at Berklee Archive, wbgo

    WBGO presents saxophonist Jaleel Shaw Live from the Red Room at Cafe 939, at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, on Thursday, February 7 at 8 p.m. Shaw will be joined in the concert by fellow Berklee alumnus Lawrence Fields on piano, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Johnathan Blake.

    Watch the concert live right here or listen to our on-air stream with host Josh Jackson, and join the conversation below.

    Like WBGO's other live broadcasts every month, these shows live on in our video archive and at NPRmusic.org.

    If you like what you hear, tune in to WBGO's sister station, The Jazz Bee, to hear recordings by Shaw and other cutting-edge performers. Enjoy!

    The Checkout – Live at Berklee brings critically acclaimed, New York-based Berklee alumni back to their alma mater for concerts. Shaw is a member of the Roy Haynes Quartet and the Mingus Big Band, and has performed with Christian McBride, Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Roy Hargrove, Dave Holland, Jimmy Cobb, and more.

    Upon graduating from high school in his native Philadelphia, Shaw received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee, where he graduated with degrees in music education and performance. At Berklee, he received the Billboard Endowed Scholarship, two Woodwind Department Awards, the Outstanding Student Teacher Award, and the Boston Jazz Society Award. Shaw then earned a master's in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

    © 2013 WBGO

  • The Checkout: Live

    July 6, 2011. Posted by Brandy Wood.

    Add new comment | Filed under: 92Y, 92Y Tribeca, bassist, Ben Williams, jazz, Jazz Alive, josh jackson, npr, npr music, Pedro Giraudo, The Checkout, wbgo

    Last month, The Checkout: Live at 92Y Tribeca made its debut.  The first performance in this new series featured Dan Tepfer and Noah Preminger.  You can hear excerpts from that performance during The Checkout on July 19, 6:30pm on WBGO Jazz88.3FM and online at wbgo.org.92Y562-WBGO-logo-07The next installment takes place Tuesday, July 19 at 8pm with Ben Williams Sound Effect and Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra

    “By definition the bass player is a pivotal figure in jazz, a steward of tonality as well as tempo. Determining a good one can require close listening: that quality reveals itself in the cohesion of the band as well as in the handling of line and phrase. All of this was accounted for in Mr. Williams’s set, which also involved a pair of harmonically sound original compositions and a balance of tradition and novelty.” -Nate Chinen, New York Times

    Ben Williams (Photo Credit Jati Lindsey)

    Washington, DC-born, New York-based bassist Ben Williams’ is celebrating the release of his debut album State of Art out on Concord Jazz. The album is a result of Williams’ first prize in the 2009 Thelonious Monk International Competition for double-bass. Recently, Williams has been touring with vibraphonist Stefon Harris & Blackout, a R&B and hip-hop-tinged group, which calls on Williams’ unique connection with go-go, from his native Washington, DC to inform its sound and pianist Jacky Terrasson’s Trio. State of Art marks Williams’ first album as a leader and features tenor/soprano saxophonist Marcus Strickland, guitarist Matthew Stevens, keyboardist Gerald Clayton, drummer Jamire Williams (who also appeared with the bassist on Terrasson’s Push) and percussionist Etienne Charles, joined on three tracks by alto/soprano saxophonist Jaleel Shaw.

    “An opulent listening experience of modern, orchestral jazz, brimming with passionate improvisations, deliberate contrapuntal melodies and plush harmonies.” — John Murph, DownBeat Magazine

    Pedro Giraudo

    Since his arrival in New York in 1996, Pedro Giraudo has performed and recorded in a wide variety of musical projects and prominent ensembles, ranging from tango to jazz, in addition to his own Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra. He has collaborated with 9-time Grammy® award winner Paquito D’Rivera, Grammy® award winner Pablo Ziegler, Latin American icon Ruben Blades, as well as with Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Regina Carter, among many others and has performed in venues such as The Blue Note (Japan & USA), Birdland (Austria & USA), Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Iridium, Jazz Standard, Jazz Gallery, Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (NYC). His latest CD, his fifth, is titled Córdoba — the name of his home city and province in Argentina— released in June 2011 on the ZOHO Music label.

    Tune in, log on , or stop by to listen.

    © 2011 WBGO

  • WBGO's Love For Moody Week

    December 23, 2010. Posted by Alex Rodriguez.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Becca Pulliam, Brandy Wood, Eulus Cathey, james moody, JazzSet, josh jackson, Masters, Piano Jazz, Simon Rentner, The Checkout, Video

    WBGO Executive Director Cephas Bowles (left) showing some love for James Moody

    WBGO dedicates this week of programming to the memory of Newark native and jazz luminary James Moody, who passed away Thursday, December 9 at the age of 85.

    UPDATE: The final segment of our James Moody tribute airs tonight at 8 p.m., 88.3 on your fm dial. Or, have a listen to it here:

    As Becca and Brandy have mentioned previously, this week will feature some of our favorite Moody memories as we close out the 2010 broadcasting year (and look forward to Toast of the Nation.)

    Tonight at 6:00 p.m., we will air a special edition of JazzSet, recorded for Moody's 80th birthday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in 2005. It features some other heavy hitters, too, including Slide Hampton, Paquito D'Rivera, Roy Hargrove and Mulgrew Miller. The show will re-air on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

    Tomorrow at noon (right after the news) we will follow up with Piano Jazz, featuring an interview with Moody and the show's always-lovely host, Marian McPartland.

    On Thursday, we close out our special coverage with a compilation of Moody interviews from our extensive archives, edited by Simon Rentner. The hour-long feature begins at 8:00 p.m.

    Follow the links below for more WBGO coverage celebrating the life and music of James Moody:

    Doug Doyle remembers Moody for the WBGO Journal

    Becca Pulliam pulls some Moody music from the WBGO archives

    Eulus Cathey interviews Moody in 2009:

    Josh Jackson pays homage to Moody on The Checkout

    Finally, a video produced by Josh Jackson and Dan Karcher:

    WBGO has been truly blessed by Moody's presence for many years -- we're sad to see him go, yet so fortunate to be able to honor his legacy. Join us this week as we celebrate the life of one of one of New Jersey's greatest contributions to jazz history. Please, feel free to share your favorite Moody memories in the comment section below.

    © 2010 WBGO