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