This week’s schedule:
Monday, May 20: Nate Najar
Tuesday, May 21: Mike Reiss
Wednesday, May 22: Martin Shore
Thursday, May 23: Bruce McGill
Friday, May 24: Steve Million
Stage film and television actor Bruce McGill first came to fame as the motorcycle-riding, bad boy character D-Day in National Lampoon’s Animal House. McGill’s rugged looks led to more tough guy roles, but also to a wide range of everything from Shakespeare to voice acting on Family Guy, to long runs on MacGyver, Shades of Blue and Rizzoli and Isles. Bruce is an accomplished musician and golfer as well, and has used these skills to enhance or influence his take on multiple characters through the years, most notably, playing golf great Walter Hagen in the film The Legend of Badger Vance.
Bruce and I met on the Crystal Symphony on a Hollywood-themed cruise, where I was there to play a concert and Bruce to lecture about his long film career. One thing led to another and this fascinating conversation was recorded.
Guitarist/producer Nate Najar’s new CD, Jazz Samba Pra Sempre, celebrates the 60th anniversary of Jazz Samba, the landmark 1962 album by Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz, that launched the international Bossa Nova craze. Tenor saxophonist Jeff Rupert, bassist Herman Burney, drummer Chuck Redd and Najar’s wife, Brazilian vocalist Daniela Soledade, join him in this loving tribute to jazz and Brazilian music.
Comedy writer Mike Reiss has enjoyed a long career making people laugh, from his early years with National Lampoon, Johnny Carson and The Gary Shandling Show, to his continuing work with the animated series, The Simpsons.
Mike was one of the original writers for The Simpsons, a show he still contributes to 35 years on between writing children’s stories, traveling with his excursion-loving wife Denise and publishing his most recent book, What Am I Doing Here? A Simpsons’ Writer Visits the World’s Hellholes So You Don’t Have To.”
Mike Reiss is one of those deliciously cranky people who love to rail against various notions while keeping you laughing and somehow delighted throughout. Mike and I met in Panama on the elegant Silver Shadow cruise ship where he was lecturing on The Simpsons and I was flown in to play a concert. Knowing the many connections The Simpsons has with jazz, I asked Mike if he’s a jazz fan to which he enthusiastically responded, “I hate jazz.”
Naturally, I had to have him on my show.
Filmmaker Martin Shore started his professional creative life as a touring musician and brings that experience and sensibility to his diverse record and movie projects. His latest film, Take Me To The River: New Orleans, follows his directorial debut with his film Take Me To The River: Memphis. Both films focus on Shore’s desire to promote tolerance and respect for all people and cultures by showing how cross-cultural collaboration in music has positively impacted our society.
Pianist/songwriter, Steve Million grew up in a small town in Missouri with the fetching name of Booneville. Looking back now, Steve appreciates the quiet of that environment and the opportunity for freedom, but in his younger years, he couldn’t wait to move on and pursue a life in jazz, a musical passion that started at the tender age of seven when his mother took him to a Count Basie concert.
Now based in Chicago, Steve Million keeps a busy performance and teaching schedule and celebrates one of his favorite musicians, Thelonious Monk, in a two-keyboard band with Jeremy Kahn called Double Monk. His latest collaboration is his CD, Jazz Words, with vocalist Sarah Marie Young for which Steve wrote the music and lyrics.
Listen each morning on WBGO from 6 to 8 am ET.
For an archive of episodes on WBGO, visit the show’s page here.
