March 9, 2008 A Few of My Favorite Things
Every Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 on WCOM radio, out of Carrboro, NC, I feature the sounds of NC jazz musicians. I love playing their music but even more, I love having the current players in the studio with me playing live on my show. You can call into the show to talk about jazz or make a request at 919 929-9601. WCOM is webstreamed thanks to Paul Jones and ibiblio. Thanks, Paul, for helping to give WCOM's 100 watts of wonder a worldwide voice.

We had a tremendous sadness in Chapel Hill over the violent death of the UNC Student Body President, Eve Carson. On my show, I talked about her short but promising and giving life and the tragedy of her murder. I am feeling so sad, along with the whole community, over her senseless murder, and now the added tragedy of the two young men who were arrested and if convicted can expect to spend the rest of their lives behind bars, at best. Eve's father delivered an inspiring and amazingly hopeful message at Eve's burial. Surely we can all hope that the young minds and hearts of youth leaders, like Eve, will find solutions to the probing challenges of our country and world. The message is a beautiful love message in honor and memory from father to child/daughter. May she not be forgotten and may people find joy and inspiration in remembering her life.

Playlist -

• Nina Simone (b. Tryon, NC); Anthology CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
• Jamuna (lived Chatham Co., NC); The Innocence to Cry CD; Moscow Night
• Harry Pickens (Hillsborough, NC Artist in Residency); I'll be Seeing You CD; We'll be Together Again
• Andrzy Jagodzinski's Trio from Poland; Prelude in E Minor
• Harry Pickens; Passionate Ballads CD; The Nearness of You
• Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan; Two of a Mind CD; Two of a Mind
• Robert Trowers (lives and works in Durham, NC), Al Grey, Slide Hampton, & Fred Wesley; Point of View CD; The End of a Love Affair, featuring the four trombone players!
• Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan; Two of a Mind CD; All The Things You Are
• Baron Tymas (works in Durham, NC); Blues for the Tribe CD; Stone Flower
• Nina Simone; Love Songs CD; Suzanne by Leonard Cohen
• Frankie Alexander (lives Durham, NC); Mad About the Words CD; Once I Loved
• UNC Jazz Band; From One to Another CD; Softly as a Morning Sunrise
• Spyro Gyra; Modern Jazz & Songs of the Beatles CD: In My Life
• Eva Cassidy; The Other Side CD; Over the Rainbow
• Nina Simone; Anthology CD; Why? The King of Love is Dead
• Gabriel Pelli (lives Chapel Hill, NC area); Europa Jazz CD; Black Orpheus
• Madeleine Peyroux; Careless Love CD; Dance Me to the End of Love
• John Brown (works in Durham, NC); Terms of Art CD: Children of the Night
• Brother Yusuf Salim (lives Durham, NC); Yusuf Plays Yusuf CD; A Hymn for Us All
• Charlie Haden/Hank Jones; Steal Away CD; Wade in the Water
• Billy Taylor (b. Greenville, NC) Trio; Music Keeps Us Young CD; I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free
  

My son, Will, continues to blog for the NY Times about teaching on the Westside of Chicago and the conditions in the lives of his students, their school, and in the community. He posted a recent blog about how hard it is to teach and yet what keeps him, and other teachers, going is the piece of joy found in his students - each day. The blog consists of a beautiful series of collages of pictures taken by Will of his students. Will is blogging at the invitation of Nicholas Kristof, columnist for the NY Times.

Please share my blog and the blog of my son with people you believe would be interested in the topics we are writing about.