WBGO Blog

  • WBGO JAM Live: William Paterson "Hawk Flies" Jazz Septet

    April 12, 2013. Posted by Tim Wilkins.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Jazz Appreciation Month, Live Music, Live Music Blogging

    William Paterson University's Jazz Septet, also known as "The Hawk Flies Septet," performed live in the WBGO studios, in the third of our series of student ensemble broadcasts for Jazz Appreciation Month. Click to hear audio from this concert, and at the bottom of the page for all of our 2013 JAM Student Festival broadcasts.

    The group is directed by pianist Mulgrew Miller, who has been William Paterson's director of jazz studies since 2005. They performed compositions by him and other former and current music faculty, including Thad Jones, Benny Golson and James WIlliams.

    The original manuscripts of several of these compositions are housed in the university's Living Jazz Archives, which houses the papers of Jones, Williams and trumpeter Clark Terry, among others. of More details on the set and personnel are listed below.

    Enjoy this live performance, check out links to past performances and join us again as we celebrate the rising generation of jazz greats on air and online all April for Jazz Appreciation Month!

    William Paterson University Jazz Septet - "The Hawk Flies Septet"

    Live at WBGO 4/12/13
    Set list and soloists:

    1. "Mean What You Say" – Thad Jones (WP Founding Jazz Studies Director)

    [Manuscript from the Thad Jones Archive on the WP campus.]

    Soloists: Daseul Kim, bass; Zach Gillespie, trumpet; Ben Kovacs, tenor sax

    2. "Stablemates" – Benny Golson (WP artist in residence, Fall 2012)

    Soloists: Peter Lin, trombone; Zach Gillespie, trumpet; Ben Kovacs, tenor sax

    3. "Deluge" – Wayne Shorter

    Soloists: Charlie Sigler, guitar; David Zaks, piano

    4. "Soulful Mr. Timmons" – James Williams (WP Jazz Studies Director, 1999-2004)

    [Manuscript from the James Williams Archive on the WP campus.]

    Soloists: Ben Sigler, tenor saxophone; Peter Lin, trombone; David Zaks, piano

    5. "The Sequel" – Mulgrew Miller (WP Jazz Studies Director since 2005)

    Soloists: Charlie Sigler, guitar; guest Mulgrew Miller, piano

    6. "Let's" – Thad Jones

    [This is the origin of Thad’s big band chart “Not Now, I’ll Tell You When” in WP Archive]

    Soloists: Charlie Sigler, guitar; Ben Kovacs, tenor sax; Chris Brawley, drums

    Personnel

    Zach Gillespie – trumpet (junior, Phoenix, AZ)

    Ben Kovacs – tenor saxophone (senior, Franklin, NJ)

    Peter Lin – trombone (senior, Whippany, NJ)

    David Zaks – piano (junior, Hoboken, NJ)

    Charlie Sigler – guitar (senior, Baltimore, MD)

    Daseul Kim – bass (sophomore, Seoul, Korea)

    Chris Brawley – drums (sophomore, Sacramento, CA)

    All 2013 WBGO JAM Live Student Broadcasts

    4/1/13: NJCU Cedar Walton Combo

    4/8/13: Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble I

    4/12/13: William Paterson "Hawk Flies" Jazz Septet

    4/15/13: Berklee Ralph Peterson Sextet

    4/16/13: Juilliard Jazz Artist Diploma Ensemble

    4/17/13: New School For Jazz Improv Ensemble

    4/18/13: MSM Chamber Jazz Ensemble

    4/19/13: LaGuardia High School Senior Band

    4/23/13: SUNY Purchase Super Sophomores

    4/24/13: NYU Karachacha Afro-Peruvian Ensemble

    4/25/13: Queens College International Jazz Band

    © 2013 WBGO

  • South By South Africa: 5 Jazz Acts From The Rainbow Nation

    April 12, 2013. Posted by Simon Rentner.

    Add new comment | Filed under: A Blog Supreme
    image
    The pianist and saxophonist Kyle Shepherd is one of Cape Town's most highly tipped musicians. (Image Credit: freelenz/Flickr)

    Brilliant art often hides in plain sight. Such is the case in South Africa, where, for centuries, the country turned its back on black and "coloured" musicians.

    In the mid-'60s, the apartheid government made it impossible for its best musicians to operate or make a living. Being a true jazz musician in the apartheid era was particularly dangerous; artists who played music that symbolized empowerment, integration and freedom posed a direct threat. This is why so few "classic" South African jazz recordings exist in the first place. Now, as South Africa enters a modern age, many of the same problems that frustrate American jazz artists actually plague South Africans. Recording contracts for its elders are few and far between.

    That said, there's one bright light in the country: The Cape Town International Jazz Festival, one of Africa's largest music events. Last weekend, jazz — and all that it represents — was celebrated as a vital component of South African identity. This "grandest gathering," as it was called, not only drew a massive audience (26,000 people in two days), but also attracted Africa's top business leaders and dignitaries, including South Africa's president himself.

    Here are five South Africans — all featured at this year's festival — whom every jazz aficionado should know.

    Read more

    © 2013 WBGO

  • Guitarist Kevin Eubanks with Rhonda Hamilton

    April 11, 2013. Posted by Tim Wilkins.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Interviews, Jazz Alive, Rhonda Hamilton

    Guitarist Kevin Eubanks talks with Rhonda Hamilton about his Mack Avenue album, The Messenger. Eubanks, who was the leader of the Tonight Show Band for fifteen years,  performs at New York's Birdland jazz club on April 11, 12 and 13. Eubanks also appeared on WBGO's JazzSet in 2012. Enjoy!

    eubanksrhonda1

    © 2013 WBGO