February 18, 2007 A Fond Farewell to Bus Brown

Featuring the jazz music and musicians of North Carolina - This Valentine's Day a wonderful friend, jazz singer, song writer, performer, teacher, and kind-souled person, Bus Brown, died at age 99 1/2 plus. He died in Baltimore after a short illness. He was well-cared for by Von right up to the end. And Frankie Alexander kept a loving eye, ear, and heart out for him. She called him regularly to help maintain his connection to the outside world and sent care packages to help sustain him.

On my show this week I honored the jazz work of Bus Brown, who lived in Durham, NC and actively engaged and inspired the jazz community here, along with his good friend Brother Yusuf Salim. They came down from Baltimore together in the 70's. He mentored jazz singers such as Eve Cornelius, Nneena Freelon, and Frankie. He was in the Durham area for almost 20 years.

This week I also celebrated the birthdays of Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC) and Frankie Alexander (b. Concord, NC and living in Durham, NC). I wove together the music of Bus Brown, Nina Simone and Frankie Alexander.

My radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz, features the jazz music of NC Jazz musicians. My show can be heard on WCOM, 103.5 FM in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC area. The 100 Watts of Wonder station can be enjoyed any where in the world by going to the WCOM website, www.communityradio.coop, and clicking on the button for web-streaming. My show is every Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 EST.

Playlist
- Nina SImone; Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
- Frankie Alexander; Mad About the Words CD: Mad About the Boy
- Nina Simone; Sugar in My Bowl CD; I Get ALong WIthout You (Except Sometimes)
- Bus Brown; Story Teller album; It Never Was Always
- Nina Simone; Sugar in My Bowl CD; To Be Young Gifted & Black
- Frankie Alexander & Scott Warner on piano (lived Chapel Hill for 10 years); Feeling Like Someone in Love & Alone Together
- Nina Simone; Jazz Masters 17 - Verve CD; My Baby Just Cares For Me
- Bus Brown; Story Teller album; A Hymn for Allah
- Yusuf Salim (Durham, NC-based piano player: Yusuf Sings Yusuf CD; A Hymn for Us All
- Bus Brown; Story Teller album; Freedom
- Nina Simone: Sugar in My Bowl CD; I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl
- Frankie Alexander; Mad About the Words; The Man I Love
- Nina Simone; Jazz Masters 17 CD; I Loves You Porgy
- Nina Simone; Anthology CD; Why? The King of Love is Dead
- Bus Brown: Story Teller album: America
- Frankie Alexander; Mad About The Words CD; That's All
- Nina Simone; The Tomatoe Collection CD; But Beautiful
- Frankie Alexander; Jaminin'Ese CD: Gone With THe Wind & Lover Man
- Nina Simone; Sugar in My Bowl CD; I Shall Be Released
- Frankie Alexander; Mad About the Words CD; Once I Loved

Good-bye, Bus Brown. I will miss you forever. I used to call Bus on the phone after I had worked up a song on the piano. I would play it for him and he would immediately go into how I could improve it. We had some wonderful conversations about life and current affairs and politics. Bus stayed politically interested right up until the end. He was an awesome man.

February 11, 2007 2nd Anniversary Party Show

Featuring the Music of NC Jazz Musicians - Tonight marks my 2nd Anniversary of my radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz. Friends from all over the Triangle Area joined me in the studio to celebrate. Cake was provided by Erin and Heather and Erin was the event's photographer. Chris Frank, a wonderful jazz piano player and musician extraordinaire, played guitar and sang during my show. With Chris was his wife, Eli, daughter Molly (my regular assistant and inspiration) and Sadie (future anchorwoman for CNN). I thank the whole Frank family for their incredible support of me and my show over the past two years. They live in Carrboro, right around the corner from the WCOM studio. Chris is often found riding his bike around town - even in the coldest temperatures. WCOM may be community powered but it is also Chris-powered. Thank you, Chris, for all that you have done to launch and keep afloat this wonderful new 100 Watts of Wonder radio station in Carrboro, NC.

While Chris got settled in, I played:
- Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel To Be Free
- Frankie Alexander (b. Concord, NC) & Scott Warner on piano (lived Chapel Hill for many years); Feeling Like Someone in Love
- Adia Ledbetter (Durham-based singer); First Take CD; Route 66
- Sawyer-Goldberg (Durham-based jazz group); Jazzadelia CD; Black Orpheus

Chris Frank played guitar and sang
- Out of Nowhere
- I'm Old Fashioned
- You Turned the Tables on Me
- I Remember Iowa
- Oxen & the Plow
- Lullaby for Christine

Additional Playlist
- Percy Heath (b. Wilmington, NC) with the Modern Jazz Quartet; Django CD; Autumn in NY
- Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Sugar in My Bowl CD; I Get Along Without You (Except Sometimes)
- Miles Davis: Best of Miles Davis CD; Autumn Leaves
- Robert Griffin (lives in Carrboro); NC: A State of Music CD; It Ain't You & Killing Me Softly
- Madison Smartt Bell & Wyn Cooper; Forty Words for Fear CD; On 8 Mile
- Joao Gilberto; Amoroso/Brazil CD; Corderro De Nana & Besame Mucho (with Grady Tate on drums, b. Durham)
- Bus Brown; Storyteller Album; America

The day was a blessed jazz music day for me. Earlier I hosted a CD Release Party-Concert for Frankie Alexander at Carrboro's ArtsCenter. She performed with all the musicians on her CD - Ed Paolantonio and Steve Wing on piano, Rick Jones on bass, Lou Sawyer on tenor sax, Al Neese on trumpet; and George Hindenach on Drums. All are local jazz musicians. Marley, Jetze, and I greeted the 150 attendees and treated them to wonderful music, food and wine. All commented on what a fabulous party it was and close to 50 CDs were sold. Congratulations Frankie on a wonderful new CD! Your star is rising.

Frankie dedicated the concert to her mentor and lifetime companion, Bus Brown, whose health is struggling at age 99 1/2. For the first time he is in the hospital. With Bus and joy in her heart, Frankie sang "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

February 4, 2007 Frankie Alexander and
Mad About the Words
Featuring the Music of NC's Jazz Musicians - This week on my radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz, I featured the music of Durham based jazz singer, Frankie Alexander. Frankie dedicated the show to her mentor, Bus Brown, out of Baltimore. Bus followed Brother Yusef Salim from Baltimore to the Durham area, where Brother Yusef remains. I highlighted Frankie's new CD - Mad About the Words.

You can listen to my show on your computer by streaming off of the WCOM website. If you live in the Carrboro and Chapel Hill area and are very lucky, you can catch this 100 Watts of Wonder station (low-power that it is) on your radio dial at 103.5 FM. My show is every Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 EST.


I began the show with my theme song - I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free. This is a Billy Taylor song and he is from Greenville, NC and is sung by Nina Simone, from Tryon, NC. The song is on the Anthology CD.

Playlist from Mad about the Words - with vocals by Frankie Alexander, piano by Ed Paolantonio from Durham and Steve Wing from Chatham County, sax by Lou Sawyer from Durham, trumpet by Al Neese from Greensboro, NC, bass by Rick Jones of Raleigh, and drums by George Hindenach.

- No Moon at All
- Moonlight in Vermont
- Teach Me Tonight
- Mad About the Boy
- Once I Loved

I played the song, Running Wild, by Bus Brown on vocals from his album, The Storyteller.

Remaining Playlist
- Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); The Tomato Collection CD; I Got it Bad
- Sawyer-Goldberg (Durham, NC based jazz group); Jazzadelia CD; Black Orpheus
- Jennifer Hudson; Dreamgirls CD; One Night Only and Beyonce singing Listen
- Percy Heath (b. Wilmington, NC), the Modern Jazz Quartet; Django CD; Django
- Jackie McLean (college at A&T in Greensboro); Destination Out CD; Love & Hate
- Nnenna Freelon (Durham-based singer); Heritage CD; Prelude to a Kiss
- Adia Ledbetter (Durham-based singer); First Take; You Don't Know What Love Is
- Frankie Alexander (Durham-based singer) with Scott Warner (formerly of Chapel Hill); Alone Together

January 27, 2007 Sawyer - Goldberg Swings






Joining me in the WCOM radio studio this week were the members of the Durham-based jazz group, Sawyer-Goldberg. Band members include: Susan Cohen, vocals; Roger Cook, electric & acoustic bass; Pete Goldberg, guitar; Lou Sawyer, alto, tenor & soprano sax; and David Shore on drums. I played songs from their new CD, Jazzadelia. After sharing their music, I played the music of musicians that inspire them; including Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan; Lenny Breau; Lambert, Hendricks & Ross; and The Ed Bickert Trio & Dave McKenna.

My radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz, features the music of NC jazz musicians. Please join me every Sunday night from 7:00-9:00 EST on the web, by going to www.communityradio.coop and clicking on the button in the upper right-hand corner for web-broadcast. If you live in the Carrboro, NC area you can catch us on your radio dial at 103.5 FM. We are 100 Watts of Wonder so you need to be within 5 miles of our tower to pick us up.

Playlist

• Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
• Sawyer-Goldberg (Durham-based group); Jazzadelia CD; Black Orpheus, Softly As in a Morning Sunrise; But Beautiful, My Romance Lover, Invitation
• Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan; Two of a Mind CD; All the Things You Are & Star Dust
• Lenny Breau; Five O'Clock Bills/Mo Breau CD; Days of Wine and Roses
• Lambert, Hendricks & Ross; Sing Ellington CD; Cottontail
• The Ed Bickert Trio & Dave McKenna; Third Floor Richard CD; Circus

Upcoming

• Feb. 11th - I will be hosting a CD Release Party/Concert for Frankie Alexander, Durham-based jazz singer. Please join us at Carrboro's ArtsCenter from 1:30-3:30. Frankie will be performing songs from her new CD, Mad About the Words, and will be joined by the musicians who play on her CD, including Ed Paolantonio & Steve Wing on piano; Rick Jones on bass; George Hindenach on drums; Al Neese on trumpet; and Lou Sawyer on tenor sax. Wine and food will be served. Also hosting the party are Marley and Jetse.
  
• Feb. 11th - Later in the day, from 7:00 - 9:00, I will celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of my radio show, Melva's Musings on Jazz. Please come by the WCOM studio to send your greetings and join with other jazz-lovers. WCOM is located in downtown Carrboro on the corner of N. Greensboro St. and Weaver Street, just across from the side of Weaver Street Market. Chris Frank, jazz piano player and member of the Red Clay Ramblers, will play live in the studio during my show. Cake and drink will be served. I hope you can join me for this fun celebration.