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Pianist Ted Rosenthal Spreads Winter Cheer with His Wonderland Trio, on Morning Jazz

As the saying goes: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

During our Season of Giving Fund Drive, our listeners are joining in celebrating another fantastic year of programming at WBGO.

With that thought firmly in mind, we figured it would be a good time to invite acclaimed pianist Ted Rosenthal on to Morning Jazz for some Holiday cheer, and then some. His Wonderland Trio, with bassist Noriko Ueda and drummer Tim Horner, brought seasonal treats from a 2013 album, Wonderland.

They also played a couple of pieces from Dear Erich — Ted’s jazz opera, based on letters from his grandfather to his father during Nazi Germany — and a Beethoven-meets-bebop selection from The Three B’s, a solo piano album originally released in 2002. 

All told, it was an engaging hour with three top musicians fully in the moment — and a preview of this coming Monday’s WBGO Night at Dizzy’s Club, hosted by our own Nicole Sweeney, spreading the seasonal cheer live on stage.

Here is the trio in our studio performing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

Audio mix: Corey Goldberg

Videography: Chris Tobin

In jazz radio, great announcers are distinguished by their ability to convey the spontaneity and passion of the music. Gary Walker is such an announcer, and his enthusiasm for this music greets WBGO listeners every morning on Daybreak. He's the winner of the 1996 Gavin Magazine Jazz Radio Personality of the Year Award and the recipient of the 2021 Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Career Achievement in Broadcasting from the Jazz Journalists Association. Gary hosts the morning show each weekday from 8am til noon. And, by his own admission, he's truly having a great time.