August 12, 2007 Celebrating the Best of NC Jazz Musicians
It was another hot summer night. Luckily I was joined in the studio by Solomon Gibson III to talk jazz stories and help me pick out my selections. Solomon hosts the earlier jazz show on WCOM, Backbone, from 5:00 - 7:00 each Sunday evening. I don't know anyone who loves jazz music more than Solomon - he lives and breaths it.

As usual, I began the evening with over 30 CDs spread out on the table - with a special focus on NC jazz musicians. I always begin and end my show with Billy Taylor's most popular song, I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free. Billy Taylor was born and raised in Greenville, NC. I start my show with Nina Simone singing Billy's song - Nina was born and raised in Tryon, NC. I end with Billy Taylor at the piano playing his song.

I hope all of you will join me at the upcoming jazz music festival, Following Monk at Duke University. The festival honors the 90th birthday of arguably one of NC's finest contributor to the world of jazz music - Thelonius Monk, who was born in Rocky Mount, NC. There will be six weeks of great music. What a great way to celebrate the genius of Monk!

Playlist for the evening -

• Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
• Gene Harris; Live at the IT Club CD; On Green Dolphin Street
• Thelonius Monk (b. Rocky Mounty, NC); Thelonius Himself CD; April in Paris
• Bill Evans; Sunday at the Village Vanguard CD; Gloria's Step
• Thelonius Monk; Plays Duke Ellington CD; Caravan
• Professor Longhair; Rum & Coke CD; Gone So Long
• Marcia Ball; Presumed Innocent CD; Scene of the Crime
• Scott Warner (lived Chapel Hill, NC); Wild Man Blues CD; Pine Apple Rag
• Modern Jazz Quartet, including Percy Heath (b. Wilmington, NC); Django CD; Django
• Stanley Turrentine; On a Misty Night CD; That's the Way of the World
• Gregg Gelb Swing Band (Sanford, NC); Too Darn Hot CD; Too Darn Hot
• Mary Lou Williams (lived in Durham, taught at Duke U.); Mama Pinned a Rose on Me CD; The Blues (with Cynthia Tyson singing, from Durham, NC)
• Frankie Alexander (lives Durham, NC); Mad About the Words CD; I Loves You, Porgy
• Frank Kimbrough (b. Roxboro, NC); Kimbrough Play CD; Beginning
• Jackie MeLean (went to school, Greensboro, NC A&T); Destination Out CD; Riff Raff
• Jim Beckwith (lives Chapel Hill, NC) with Native Vibe; Step Right Shake Left CD; Arizona Skies
• Mahlon Hoard, Tyson Rogers, & Rick Lassiter (all lived in Chapel Hill area); The Land Outside CD; Turnaround
• Charlie Haden & Hampton Hawes; As Long as There is Music CD; Turnaround
• Billy Taylor (b. Greenville, NC); Music Keeps Us Young CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free

Please join me on WCOM each Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 for the best NC jazz sounds and its musicians. In the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area you can catch me on the dial at 103.5 fm. You can listen in from anywhere in the world by going to the internet and hitting on the WCOM website, and clicking on the upper right-hand corner button to access web-streaming. On the web, you can catch me from anywhere in the world!