August 20th Show
My radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz, features the unique current and past sounds of jazz musicians with roots in North Carolina. The show can be heard every Sunday evening from 7:00 - 9:00 via the internet by going to WCOM's website at communityradio.coop and clicking in the upper righthand corner . The show is broadcast from downtown Carrboro, a feisty, arts-loving, politically-active community.

Playlist for August 20, 2006:

• Nina Simone, Anthology CD, I Wish I knew How it Would Feel to be Free (Billy Taylor). Nina Simone is from Tryon, NC and Billy Taylor is from Greenville, NC.
• Joao Gilberto, Amoroso/Brasil CD, Besame Mucho. Grady Tate, a native of Durham, NC, plays drums on this CD.
• Neville Brothers, Treacherous CD, Waiting at the Station.
• Mary Lou Williams, Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, Rosa Mae. Mary Lou Williams, considered one of the greatest jazz piano players of all time, spent her final years in Durham, teaching at Duke University.
• Bus Brown, Story Teller album, It Never Was Always. Bus Brown, a 99-year young native of Baltimore, is a singer, songwriter, arranger, and teacher. He lived for over ten years in Durham. He knew and helped guide Billy Holiday and several Durham vocalists, including Frankie Alexander, Eve Cornelius, and Neena Freelon.
• Frankie Alexander and Scott Warner, Feeling Like Someone in Love. Frankie is a Durham-based jazz vocalist and Scott Warner lived in Chapel Hill for over ten years. Scott is a jazz piano player, composer, educator and performer. Scott now lives in the Oakland, CA area. Frankie will soon be releasing a new CD.
• Kevin Van Sant and Mahlon Hoard, On a Whim CD, Desfinado and I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. Kevin Van Sant is a Durham-based guitar player and Mahlon Hoard lives in Chapel Hill and plays the tenor and soprano saxaphone.
• Dexter Gordon, Panther CD, Panther.
• Hampton Hawes, Hampton Hawes Trio CD, What is This Thing Called Love.
• Gabe Evens Quartet, Mobius CD, Old Timey Rocker. Gabe is a Durham-based jazz piano player, composer, and educator. Included in his quartet are other NC jazz musicians - Ray Codrington on trumpet, Don Gladstone on bass and Bobby Cohen on drums.
• Mary Lou Williams, Mama Pinned a Rose on Me CD, Baby Bear Boogie. See above info.
• Aaron Neville & Trisha Yearwood, Rhythm, Country & Blues CD, I Fall to Pieces.
• Count Basie & His Orchestra, This Time By Basie CD, This Could be the Start of Something.
• Kevin Van Sant & Ben Palmer, Jazz Duo CD, Boplicity. Kevin (see above) plays with Ben Palmer, a jazz bass player also from Durham.
• Adia Ledbetter, First Take CD, Route 66. Adia is a Durham jazz singer and performs with other Durham jazz musicians, including her father, Freeman Ledbetter on bass, Brother Yusuf Salim on piano, Raymond Codrington on trumpet, and Will Terrell on drums.
• Scott Warner, Wild Man Blues, Carolina Shout. (see above)
• Ben Horton, The Best of Ben Horton CD, Freddy D. Ben Horton is a native of NC, and resides in Durham where he teaches jazz in the Music Department at North Carolina Central University. Ben plays saxophone, and composes and teaches.
• Al Neese Quintet, Omen Seeker CD, Blue & Silver. Al Neese is a native of NC and currently lives in Greensboro, where he plays trumpet, flugel horn, and roto-magnetic horn. He is a composer who lived and performed for many years with jazz giants in NYC.
• Dizzy Gillespie, Dizzy Gillespie Story CD Set, A Night in Tunisia. Dizzy is from SC, but went to high school in Laurinburg, NC. He missed his graduation but returned several years later with Ella Fitzgerald to pick up his diploma.
• Max Roach, 3/4 Time CD, I'll Take Romance. Max Roach, jazz drummer and composer, was born in New Land, NC and grew up in the Great Dismal Swamp area.
• Professor Longhair, Rum & Coke CD, Gone So Long.
• Eva Cassidy & Chuck Brown, The Other Side CD, Over the Rainbow.
• Billy Taylor, Taylor Made at the Kennedy Center CD, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free. Billy Taylor (see above) is from Greenville, NC. I begin and end my show with his song, which remains a favorite of mine no matter how many times I hear it - both as sung by Nina Simone and played by Billy Taylor himself.

Please join me Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 on the web at communityradio.coop for an exciting and fun evening full of the unique sounds of NC jazz music. ~Melva