Art Pepper "Jazz Survivor"

Here's a wonderful short documentary that I wanted to share with you. Art Lives! (-Marc)

George's Briefs!

Richie Cole Plays Ballads & Love Songs; Richie Cole, alto sax

Richie Cole and his Bird-influenced alto are back, and he brings his quartet along on eleven ballads. To name a few, how about "The Second Time Around", "Alfie", "Emily", and "Bewitched". And Richie sounds as great as ever.

Mark Perna Music; 2016; appx. 59 min.

Dreamsville; Nancy Hamilton, vocals

A lot can be said about a singer in noting her musical backing and choice of tunes. Nancy Hamilton works well with Portland's Randy Porter, piano, and Tom Wakeling, bass on nine well selected tunes. And let it be known that Hamilton is an "A", first note to last.

Self-produced; 2016; times not indicated

Playground Swing; Bill Cunliffe, piano

One of L.A.'s piano giants for years, Bill Cunliffe plays a set of tunes for kids. Chops are fully engaged on fifteen tunes including "The Wheels On The Bus", "This Old Man", "It's A Small World", "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and lots more. Bill's a stalwart soloist throughout.

Metre Records; 2016; appx. 50 min.

The Good Life; Till Brönner, trumpet, flugelhorn and vocals

Here's a baker's dozen great standards played and (mostly) sung by Till Brönner. Speaking of Baker, his Chet-like voice is a charming compliment to his silky trumpet and flugelhorn. Larry Goldings, piano, Anthony Wilson, guitar, John Clayton, bass and Jeff Hamilton, drums, all provide outstanding support.

Sony Music Entertainment; 2016; appx. 56 min.

Nearness; Joshua Redman, tenor and soprano saxes; Brad Mehldau, piano

Redman and Mehldau get together for a live performance at an undisclosed location to communicate on six tunes---three originals plus Bird's "Ornithology", Monk's "In Walked Bud" and the dependable "Nearness Of You". Loads of high level creativity going on here.

Nonesuch; 2016; appx. 67 min.

It Never Entered My Mind; Ron Helman, flugelhorn

New York flugelhorn ace Ron Helman takes flight on eleven standards including "Close Your Eyes", "You've Changed", "Don't Explain" and lots more. A couple of guests drop by as well: Ann Hampton Callaway, vocals on "Born To Be Blue" and alto maven Steve Wilson on "Just Friends" and "All Or Nothing At All".

Ron Helman Music; 2016; appx. 65 min. 

Argentum; Carlos Franzetti, piano

A native of Buenos Aires, pianist Carlos Franzetti presents a dozen of his own compositions and they are something special indeed. He writes lyrical, lilting melodies that sound like themes for foreign art films. This is very uplifting and consistently romantic, beautiful music.

Sunnyside Communications; 2016; appx. 50 min.

Ehud Asherie "Music Makes Me"

Music Makes Me; Ehud Asherie, piano

Somehow I missed this recording when it was released in 2014, but I'm delighted to have found it now. Ehud Asherie was born in 1979 in Israel, lived for years in Italy, and finally settled in New York. Along that unusual path he discovered the riches of the early twentieth century. Much of it is the neglected works of Eubie Blake, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and other 1920's and '30's heroes. With bassist Neal Miner and drummer Phil Stewart, that's the music of choice for Asherie, and that's what he features here. A few personal favorites are "By Strauss", an overlooked work of the Gershwins; Rodgers and Hart's "A Ship Without A Sail"; and Blake's spirited "Banana Days". The trick here is that Asherie brings these charmers up to date. At no time do they sound like relics from the "good ol' days". Keep an eye on Ehud. He may specialize in past treasures, but he's as current as the newest smart phone.

Gut String Records; 2014; 42 min.

Fred Hughes "Matrix"

Matrix; Fred Hughes, piano

Judging from the songs chosen for this CD by pianist Fred Hughes, his mentors read like an all-star lineup of piano colleagues. So, we are treated to four titles by Chick Corea; two by Bill Evans; two by Herbie Hancock; and for good measure, toss in one each by Horace Silver and Dave Brubeck. And to complete the picture, add entries by none other than Gershwin, Bach, and Tchaikovsky. The trio is completed by Amy Shook, bass, and Frank Russo, drums.  From the "greatest hits" list comes Herbie's "Dolphin Dance" and "Watermelon Man"; Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way"; George and Ira's "I Got Rhythm"; and Corea's brilliant "Matrix". My personal fave is "B Minor Waltz", a stunningly beautiful creation of the great Bill Evans. Hughes plays it all for keeps and never indulges in extraneous tomfoolery. His touch and overall concept are to be admired. Although he's an East Coaster, if he ever came out west, he's the kind of player I'd cue up to hear in person!

Shore Thing Records; 2016; appx. 68 min.

Andrea Clayburn "Nightshade"

Nightshade; Andrea Clayburn, vocals

Sometimes it becomes clear in the first few phrases. There are singers who put a little jazzy turn in a song and that's supposed to qualify them as jazz singers. Then there are others, like Andrea Clayburn, where that "jazz thing" happens so naturally that it's simply in their DNA. Clayburn doesn't need to scat up a storm; she doesn't need to do much other than sing the melody, and yet there it is. That jazz thing...Clayburn's got it. Easy as breathing. Her accompaniment is provided by a basic trio led by pianist Matt Clark. The trio expands to a larger group on several tunes. Her repertoire ranges from the ancient "After You've Gone" to "Skylark" and the Bill Evans' beauty "Turn Out The Stars". Much of the remainder of the CD is devoted to her very well written, literate, strong jazz compositions. If you're familiar with the British jazz singer Claire Martin, you might find Ms. Clayburn in a similar arena. And that's a good place to be.

Lot 49 Labs; 2016; appx. 52 min.

Delfeayo Marsalis "Make America Great Again"

Make America Great Again; Delfeayo Marsalis, trombone; Uptown Jazz Orchestra

Well now, that's a catchy phrase, right? Now that you've bounced back from your roll of Tums, we'll take a look. Marsalis examines some distinctly American melodies from various social perspectives, making this a session of musical diversity. All of it, seemingly, is ultimately tied to Marsalis' home town, New Orleans. There's even a tune entitled "Second Line". There are also vocals and narration with social content, and even a few standards like "All Of Me" and "Skylark". I don't know if the album will indeed "help make America great again". But as they say, "any port in a storm." Let's hope it's not a storm that's brewing.

Troubadour Jass Records; 2016; appx. 60 min

Cool Radio

I guess I'll always chuckle at the irony of it. The date was April 1, 1986 and KCNR, 1410 AM inaugurated its brief, improbable jazz run on the Portland airwaves. April Fools Day. How totally appropriate. A script writer couldn't have improved on it.

It had been KCNR, a yawner of formula pop music. You know the routine. A hundred tunes. Rotate 'em  ad nauseum and toss in slick, over-produced stattion IDs between songs.. Apparently there were problems with the ownership of KCNR which put the station in a sort of limbo. A need was at hand for KCNR to be "baby sat" until a new owner could b e found.

I never quite understood his role in all of this, but a man from a long-time Portland radio family, Bill Failing (last name yet another irony) stepped in attempting to steady the ship. Failing called upon veteran jazz deejay Ray Horn as Program Director, instructing him to assemble a crew of announcers. To his credit, Horn was able to entice a surprisingly skilled and experienced deejays. And a few wide eyed novices as well. Bill Failing's next move was to bring in former "KISN Good Guy" Roger Morgan to manage the station. Roger had been one of those jocks in the window at the corner of NW 10th and Burnside; spinnin' the hits for the kiddies. His jazz knowledge was suspect, to be kind. But Failing needed an experienced radio man to set up a sales department and to start wheeling and dealing to get commercials on the air. Morgan knew the business and managed to pull one rabbit after another out of the hat. More on that a bit later. 

Meanwhile, Ray Horn had gotten together a pretty capable crew with Roger Hart, Bob Dietsche, Steve Brockway, Rita Rega, Peggy Calame, Don Manning, and yours truly among others.

Within a few months, Ray Horn began to realize the challenge facing what was now known as KKUL, Cool Jazz Radio. Remember, this was a commercial radio station with an expectation of paying all of its announcers. As the station began to fall seriously behind in these obligations, Horn resigned, leaving an opening for the position of Program Director. Two of us applied for the position, and to my surprise and delight, I was hired. At that point, I was the 6-10 AM host on weekdays. At the end of my shift, I would assume the PD duties until completing an eight hour workday. I added a couple of KBOO stalwarts in Jim Andrews and Bob Riddle, both valuable assets and extremely dedicated  jazzophiles.

The station was located in a rather dilapidated building at the top of Portland Heights. It offered a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood, but that view was not visible to Cool's 

announcers. Directly across the hall, with their nose in the air, was "rock your socks off" KCNR-FM. They were nice enough neighbors, but it was pretty clear that KKUL was considered Triple A by comparison. Eventually, that location became unavailable to us and we were on the verge of being a homeless radio station. Ever heard of such a thing? 

Well, Roger Morgan was turning over every rock, trying to find a new location for COOL. Miraculously, he was able to forge an agreement with the Gentner family, owners of what was then known as the Imperial Hotel at the corner of SW Broadway and Stark streets.  While Morgan was setting up numerous trades (construction, glass,  other materials, engineering, electrical, etc.) to build a studio in the hotel lobby, the station moved to temporary quarters to NE 153rd Avenue north of Sandy Boulevard. It was little more than the original "radio shack", smack in the middle of nowhere. We called it "The Killing Fields", after a book and movie from that period. The utilities were not always dependable; the mice  made frequent visits; and overall, the atmosphere was not exactly as celebratory as the music emanating from the shack.

Roger Morgan's budget was restricted to trades for commercials, and that was a challenge. As a result, progress on the new digs was at a snail's pace. After six months of negotiations and construction, the job was finally finished. A small miracle when on thinks about it, because there was no money to actually pay any of the sub contractors. But eventually, after several delays, we moved from the killing fields to the Imperial Hotel. With offices in the hotel and a very stylish and comfortable studio looking out the window to SW Broadway, we were ready to take on the world.

It was not lost on me that Roger had re-invented the old KISN radio model. The "window to the world" had simply moved from Burnside to Broadway. But in the midst 

of all the pride and excitement of a cool studio for COOL Radio, there remained lingering

 doubt about the future of the station.                                                                     

We achieved many small triumphs, however, perhaps in denial of ongoing problems. Roger put together a trade with the Portland Brewing Company. It resulted in a weekly live broadcast hosted by Steve Brockway and featuring legendary bassist Leroy Vinnegar. Morgan also sealed a deal with the now long gone jazz club, The Hobbit, to broadcast a Sunday afternoon jam session. He even engineered a trade with trumpet player and print shop owner Rick Homer to produce business cards, stationary, bumper stickers and other very professional printed materials for the station. 

All of those involved with the station were putting in Herculean effort based on love of the music. The on-air personalities weren't being paid, but steadfastly showed up to do their shifts, even paying for their downtown parking! Management, pretty much Roger Morgan regarding finances and myself in the music department, was making every attempt to help the station onto a path of progress.

The sales staff consisted primarily of people inexperienced the selling of air time. They were good, jazz loving folks who wanted to do their part keeping the station afloat. The only barriers they faced, other than their inexperience, were these:

1- they were trying to sell jazz to a listening public drenched in pop and rock

2- they represented an AM station in a world increasingly dominated by FM

3- the station was a "day timer", broadcasting from sunup to sundown, a distinct disadvantage in the business aspect of radio.

4- even at full power, the station had a weak signal. It didn't even cover the metropolitan Portland area with a strong, dependable voice.

5- the sales staff was working on a straight commission basis. There were no benefits, not even paid parking.

6- the station had to rely on local advertising. Agencies representing national brands wanted the "top five radio stations in the market." It's easy to understand that  KKUL, an AM, daytime station playing, of all things, JAZZ, hadn't cracked the top five!

During all of the time these good and not so good things were going on, an ongoing effort was being made to sell the station. For2 1/2 years, from April Fools Day, 1986 to the fall of 1988, COOL had been owned by a Berkeley, California court judge. He had taken over ownership in lieu of a debt owed to him. My understanding is that he made an effort to maintain the existing jazz format to a new owner. I recall that two jazz loving celebrities, Clint Eastwood and Kareem Abdul Jabbar were approached in regards to buying1410 AM. Both politely declined.

Eventually, the station was sold, and, I might add, in a state of disarray, disappointment, and even anger over unmet obligations to a multitude of people. 

KKUL, 1410 AM, COOL Jazz Radio, became KBNP (business news Portland) and remains so today. 

On October 15, 1988, the few of us who remained, packed up station belongings and bid adieu to one another. It was a short but musically beautiful ride of 2 1/2 years. It was a testimony to the dedication and determination of many that it lasted that long. 

Many of the jocks moved on to other stations. Ray Horn and a crew that included Steve Brockway, Rita Rega  and Peggy Caalme hooked up with another daytimer, this time in Vancouver, Washington, for a brief period of time. Bob Dietsche had long stretches at both KBOO and KOAP/KOPB. Jim Andrews continued a great run of many years at KBOO as did Don Manning. Bob Riddle worked a great shift at KMHD before

 returning to hi original home at KBOO, where he remains today. My own radio path included simultaneously working at KKUL and KOPB for over two years. When KOPB dropped its classical music and jazz in 1995, I took a breather from jazz radio until 1997 when KMHD manager Tom Costello came a-callin'. I answered the bell, eventually settling in on  Sunday afternoons from 2-6 PM until early 2014.

Looking back, COOL Jazz Radio was a mostly wonderful, worthwhile, sometimes frustrating artistic thrill ride. It was, in essence, a thirty month time filler between "serious" radio stations.

And, just to make it clear, who was it that was heard on COOL? Well, how about Bird, Miles, Louis, Ella, Monk, Duke, Bud, Chet, Konitz, Frishberg, Shearing, Rosolino, Sarah, Oscar, Desmond, Scotty,  Dameron,  Jackie and Roy, Clifford, Getz, Lady Day,Kenton, Hwak, JJ, Navarro, Ben, Sinatra, Stitt, Cedar,  Marsh, Lee M and Lee W, Mobley, Horace, Burrell,  Lester, Brubeck, Dexter, Holman, Peggy L, Thad, Brookmeyer, Marmarosa, Trane, Kessel,  Torme, Hodges, Ray, Flanagan, Matt D, Peppers: Art and Adams, Barron, Fats, Teddy, Mingus, Troup, Jamal, Leroy V,   Basie, Joe W, Adderley, Tatum, Lucky T,  Sheldon,  Jobim, Terry, Roy,  Barry H, Paich,  Adderley,Mose,Anita, Turrentine Chambers, the Greens: Grant, Freddie and Urbie; Jolly, Farmer, Zoot, Al, Broadbent, Quebec, Betty, Tristano, Pass, Mulligan, Milt, the Byrds: Chalrlie and Donald.Rowles, Criss, Hamp, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross Gibbs, McLean, Hall, Blue, , Edwards, Farlow, Hayes, Sloane, Haig, the Bennys: Carter, Goodman & Golson, McShann, Tyner, HHOP, Taylor,  Rollins, McShann,  Shelly,Quinichette, Mance, Mark M, Dorough, McPartland, Max, Tjader, Zeitlin, the Lewis's: John and Mel: Cobb, Monty, Parlan, Shank, Costa, Higgins, Carmen, Friedman,  Kamuca, MJQ, Carl P, Donaldson, all the Joneses, all the Reds, all the Smiths and 101 other jazz champions.                                                                                  

To this day, over 25 years since its demise, I still hear exuberant praise of COOL from time to time. In retrospect, even if many of felt we had been "used" between owners, COOL Jazz Radio, with all its warts, was a journey to Oz. A dream come true. It happened just once and will never happen again. I'm glad to have been a part of it.