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NOV./DEC. 2014
WBGO Program Guide Jazz 88.3 FM www.wbgo.org
Christian McBride Hosts New Program on WBGO
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Ferenc Nemeth
Uri Gurvich Katie Thiroux
THE CHECKOUT—LIVE AT BERKLEE 2014-15 SEASON ANNOUNCED BGO and Berklee College of Music are teaming up to present the fourth year of The Checkout—Live at Berklee. The series brings critically acclaimed, New York-based Berklee alumni back to their alma mater for concerts in the Red Room @ Cafe 939. The shows will be broadcast on WBGO-FM as a special edition of The Checkout, the acclaimed multimedia show featuring what’s new on the jazz scene. In addition, selected shows will be webcast live worldwide in high definition at WBGO.org. They will also be archived at Checkoutjazz.org. Year four of The Checkout—Live at Berklee will debut with percussionist and
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composer Ferenc Nemeth on October 8. The series continues with saxophonist and composer Uri Gurvich on November 5, followed by a Berklee homecoming for the Revive Da Live Big Band on December 3. In the spring semester, bassist and vocalist Katie Thiroux will perform on February 4, and the Gregorio Uribe Big Band will bring the Colombian heat on April Fool’s Day. Concerts and broadcasts will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET. “Boston is a major incubator for jazz, and this series aims to underline that fact,” said Simon Rentner, producer of The Checkout. “WBGO and The Checkout are delighted to return to Berklee. We look forward to showcasing these young talents as they pursue their artistry and inspire future generations.”
The next Newark Public Radio, Inc. Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for November 17 at 6pm. The meeting will be held at WBGO, 54 Park Place, Newark, New Jersey. The meeting is open to the public.
Vol. XXXVII No. 1 54 Park Place Newark, NJ 07102 Tel: (973) 624-8880 Fax:(973) 824-8888
E-mail: upbeat@wbgo.org Web Page: www.wbgo.org
MEMBER-SUPPORTED Public Radio
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President & CEO Amy Niles
Music Director Gary Walker
Marketing Manager Brandy Wood
Membership Director Roslyn Turner
Design/Layout Penguin Graphics
Upbeat is available in a large print edition upon request.
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Year End Message from WBGO’s President & CEO, Amy Niles hat’s new? I don’t think that we have ever had a longer list here at WBGO. For many of you, my name may be new to you. I joined WBGO over eight years ago after being hired by then President and CEO Cephas Bowles. At his retirement this past year, I was tapped to be the fourth leader of this great institution. Right outside WBGO’s building on Park Place in Newark, NJ, the business and arts district that surrounds us has seen a flurry of new development- significant construction of office and residential space, Military Park right outside our window has been reborn and even our two weekly farmer’s markets are alive with music. Newark is blooming and we are proud, as always, to be Newark Public Radio. This year saw the launch of a new national show that I am very proud to say is credited “produced by WBGO”. The program, Jazz Night in America, is hosted by internationally renowned New Jersey resident Christian McBride. What makes this show even more special is that it was born from a collaboration between WBGO, NPR Music and Jazz at Lincoln Center. And public radio audiences—some of them new to our music—are embracing it. It shows that our music is relevant. The stories behind our music are compelling. And the music is wonderful. Please tune in on Sundays at 6pm with the episode repeated Wednesday at 6:30pm. WBGO.org will feature multiplatform additional programming around the show. Every Tuesday, we feature The
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Checkout. Our new host is Simon Rentner who has been contributing to the show since its inception. The show features iconic artists, jazz stars from half a world away and artists who are on the rise, but always current. Speaking of current, log on to www.WBGO.org/Radar to hear hand selected jazz releases before they are available to the public. We are about to celebrate the 100th recording available through this unique service to our listeners. Our 2014 Jazz Leadership Society (JLS) event was a day to remember! The divine Barbara Carroll was our headliner and we surprised her with fellow JLS member Tony Bennett who joined her onstage for a song. This was a moment that many of us will never forget. Speaking of Tony, if you missed Michael Bourne’s interview with him and Lady Gaga, you can find it on our website, or the cover of the November issue of Downbeat! (see page 18) The very same week Michael’s interview aired on WBGO, we had Hugh Masekela and Quincy Jones on the air! If you missed any of them on the radio, you can find these and other exclusive interviews and specials on the WBGO blogwww.WBGO.org/blog. The music plays on—that will never change. What’s new is something that you have never heard before or hearing something new in a piece that you have heard many times. That is what you depend on 24/7. As long as we can count on your support, we can continue to keep this vital public radio station thriving. That is not new. Thank you. Nov./Dec. 2014 Upbeat
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NEW, FROM WBGO, NPR AND JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER –
n October 12, WBGO debuted the newest jazz program available for public radio: Jazz Night in America. The weekly show—produced in a collaboration between NPR, Jazz at Lincoln Center and WBGO—will air on Sundays at 6pm, and repeat on Wednesday at 6:30pm on WBGO Jazz 88.3FM and WBGO.org, with a webcast video series (Wednesdays at 9pm, beginning October 15) and more available online at WBGO.org/JazzNight. Each week, the Jazz Night in America radio broadcast will present some of the best live jazz performances happening around the country and the stories behind them. With multiple Grammy® Awardwinning musician Christian McBride as host, the one-hour radio show features hand-picked performances from across the country, woven with the colorful stories of the artists behind them. “Public radio has a long history of presenting jazz music and storytelling on the
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radio; now we’re making sure it’s threaded through every platform, device and experience we’re creating for our audiences,” says Anya Grundmann, director and executive producer of NPR Music. “In this fragmented media landscape, it’s important to have great partners, and we have them in our collaboration with our longtime producing partner WBGO, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and clubs, musicians and stations all across the country.”
Each week, the Jazz Night in America radio broadcast will present some of the best live jazz performances happening around the country and the stories behind them. www.wbgo.org
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NEWPROGRAM
“Incorporating the strengths of three hugely significant jazz curators into one project is truly a gift. We’re excited to be traveling across the country to showcase the best of today’s thriving jazz scene,” WBGO President and CEO Amy Niles says of the project. “Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to entertaining, enriching and expanding a global community for jazz through performance, education and advocacy,” says Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center. “We are excited to join forces with our longtime friends and collaborators NPR and WBGO—institutions that have been dedicated to jazz and represent the highest standards of broadcasting excellence. We eagerly anticipate showing the world what we can accomplish together through this exciting program. Jazz Night in America will tell the stories of our music in new and innovative ways, engaging and inspiring our loyal public radio family with the current explosion of talent and creativity across the spectrum of jazz and related musics.” As host of Jazz Night in America Christian McBride draws on his distinguished career to introduce audiences to a roster of voices—resonant musicians, historians, artists—who will uncover the musical and personal stories at the heart of the genre. A bassist, bandleader and composer, McBride has been a leading presence in jazz for more than 20 years. He has recorded with many of the most illustrious figures in jazz—Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, www.wbgo.org
Online, Jazz Night in America will also offer a season of 26 signature concert video-casts from clubs and festivals around the country, on-demand video and audio performances, and interviews from today’s great jazz artists. Pat Metheny—and has crossed into nearly every genre through collaborations with the Roots, D’Angelo, Queen Latifah, Sting, James Brown and Chaka Khan among others. He was a guest host for Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz and continues to host Sirius XM’s Conversations with Christian. The radio show is the centerpiece of this multiplatform Jazz Night in America initiative, which showcases today’s vital jazz scene while also underscoring the genre’s storied history. Online, Jazz Night in America will also offer a season of 26 signature concert video-casts from clubs and festivals around the country, ondemand video and audio performances, and interviews from today’s great jazz artists. Jazz Night in America has been funded in part through the generosity of long-standing supporters of public media and the arts—the Argus Fund and the Wyncote Foundation, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Nov./Dec. 2014 Upbeat
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Gary’ s Plays MUSIC DIRECTOR GARY WALKER’S TOP CDS + RE-ISSUES
Top Tunes Michael Carvin Experience Flash Forward (Motema) Eric Reed Groovewise (Smoke Session) Akiko Tsuruga Commencement (akikojazz.com) Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio We’re Back (Whaling City Sound) Roseanna Vitro Clarity (Random Act) Conrad Herwig Latin Side of Joe Henderson (Half Note) Marcia Ball Tattooed Lady & the Alligator Man (Alligator) Harry Allen’s All-Star Brazilian Band Flying Over Rio (Arbors) Ernie Watts Quartet A Simple Truth (Flying Dolphin) The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Over Time (Planet Arts)
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www.wbgo.org
Cover Photo: Christian McBride by Anna Webber
programs at a glance
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WBGO#GIVING
DECEMBER 2, 2014
ark your calendars! #GivingTuesday 2014 will be on December 2, and this year, WBGO is on board. You may recall that WBGO has partnered on the Jazz in July festival at 92Y, so we reached out to our partners there to get involved in this annual day of giving. 92nd Street Y is a Jewish organization that welcomes and reaches out to people of all racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds. Central to their mission is giving back, enriching people’s lives and creating community. They began doing those things in 1874, when the organization was founded. Thinking about what it means to be a community center in a digitally connected world, the organization, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, founded #GivingTuesday in 2012. Why #GivingTuesday? There was already Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and 92Y wanted to use the same kind of rallying point that the retail industry had used to drive sales, but direct it toward giving back. Tuesday was "available," so they grabbed it, and set about turning the idea into a reality, and creating an "opening day" for the giving season. Families and individuals are encouraged to be generous in whatever ways matter to
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them, whether that meand volunteering at a local charity or donating to a favorite cause. In 2013, over 10,000 charities, volunteer organizations, corporations and foundations came together in 40+ countries with one common purpose: to help others and to incentivize ways to give more, give smarter, and kick-off the holiday giving season. This number was up from 2,500 partners who participated in the first #GivingTuesday in 2012. Utilizing social media technology, the “hashtag” #GivingTuesday enabled the tracking of direct person to person discussion of the concept on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The hashtag was used over 406,000 times on Twitter in the week leading up to #GivingTuesday, with the conversation peaking on December 3, 2013 with an average of 186 mentions per minute. Major voices helped spread the word on social media, including the White House, Kevin Bacon, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Gates, Steve Case, Katie Couric, Al Roker, Arianna Huffington, and many others. WBGO is working on a special thank you gift to offer those who support this public radio station on December 2, 2014. We also encourage you to post “unselfies”—photos of yourself doing volunteer work (for WBGO or another organization) or with messages of giving. Please feel free to post them to WBGO’s social media pages: @WBGOjazz on Facebook and @WBGO on Twitter. Learn more at WBGO.org/givingtuesday. www.wbgo.org
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WBGOEXCLUSIVE
Our Point of View Performs in Support of WBGO in Exclusive New York City Appearance December 12, 2014 Le Poisson Rouge o commemorate WBGO’s 35th anniversary year, we are teaming up with Blue Note Records at the close of their 75th
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anniversary year to present the only East Coast appearance of the supergroup, Our Point of View. With a limited number of engagements in Monterey, Paris, London and New York City, the December 12, 2014 performance in support of WBGO will be the only opportunity for fans in the jazz capital to experience this historic group. Created in honor of Blue Note’s anniversary, Our Point of View celebrates the vitality of the label by looking ahead and bringing together the leading young artists on the Blue Note roster who steadfastly continue to move jazz forward. Featuring keyboardist Robert Glasper, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, guitarist Lionel Loueke, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and bassist Derrick Hodge with drummer Kendrick Scott, the band’s repertoire draws from each of these artists’ own remarkable catalogs as well new spins on Blue Note classics. The creative young voices of jazz have been the lifeblood of Blue Note Records
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since its formation in 1939—from Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock, to Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson—all of whom made their debut albums for the legendary label. Since WBGO’s inception in 1979, the station has been at the forefront of many brilliant jazz careers, including the members of this group, each of whom has performed in WBGO’s studio in Newark. In 2009, WBGO launched an innovative program entitled, The Checkout, which brought each of these musicians into our Newark studios to perform as band leaders and discuss their music. Two years later, veteran record producer and musician Don Was joined Blue Note as Chief Creative Officer and soon became its president, renewing its dedication to the original label vision, articulated by Blue Note founder Alfred Lion that “any particular style of playing which represents an authentic way of musical feeling is genuine expression.” To learn how you can join us for this unique offering, and reflect each of the artists’ performances at WBGO, visit www.wbgo.org/bluenote.
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programguide Nov./Dec. 2014 SUNDAYS 6:00AM SUNDAY MORNING HARMONY with Dan Karcher 10:00AM SINGERS UNLIMITED with Michael Bourne Singers Unlimited is four hours of new and classic singers singing ballads and bossas, blues and be-bop. For more than 25 years, WBGO’s Michael Bourne has turned the spotlight on jazz vocalists with live in-studio performances, interviews and more.
NEW SHOW! 6:00PM JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA Re-broadcasts on Wednesdays at 6:30pm. Nov. 2 Happy Birthday, Blue Note This year, Blue Note Records turns 75. To celebrate, Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center hosted a two-hour concert featuring some of Blue Note's living legends and rising stars. JAZZ NIGHT
Nov. 16
Identities Are Changeable Miguel Zenón, the prolific Puerto Rican saxophonist and composer, visits his old stomping grounds in the Bronx and discusses his newest album, Identities Are Changeable. Jazz Night recorded this unique work live from the 2014 Newport Jazz Festival.
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From the early years with Alfred Lion to Bruce Lundvall's revitalization, Blue Note Records has remained one of the most iconic labels in jazz. On Jazz Night in America, we'll hear highlights from the stage at the Kennedy Center and discuss the label's influence with Michael Cuscuna, Norah Jones, Terence Blanchard, and Dianne Reeves. Jason Moran is guest host. Nov. 9 A Night at the Museum Jazz musicians find inspiration in many things; Himalayan art is not typically one of them. Jazz Night in America visits the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City to hear interviews and live performances by each of the 5 young finalists for the American Pianists Association's Cole Porter Fellowship. Hear what inspires jazz music’s most promising young talent, from Cole Porter to mandalas to fish. Nov. 16 Identities Are Changeable See sidebar. Nov. 23 Very Very Threadgill A postcard from a two-day celebration of Henry Threadgill, one of the world’s leading avant-garde composers and arrangers. The concert is curated by pianist Jason Moran and features dozens of performers, from those who played in Threadgill’s various ensembles to members of a new generation of admirers. We'll share highlights on Jazz Night in America. 7:00PM SUNDAY NIGHT MUSIC MIX Grammy® nominated record producer Eulis Cathey plays an eclectic mixture of jazz, contemporary jazz, fusion, jazz/funk, Latin, classic R&B and so much more. From Grover Washington, Jr. to Weather Report; from James Brown to Eddie Palmieri; from Charles Earland to Incognito, the Sunday Night Music Mix has something for everyone. 11:00PM JAZZ FROM THE ARCHIVES Nov. 2 Nasser, That’s My Bassist! Host Joe Peterson pays tribute to bassist Jamil Nasser who has played and recorded www.wbgo.org
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All programs subject to change. with Al Haig, Phineas Newborn, Ahmad Jamal, and many others. Nov. 9 Leroy the Great The New Orleans trumpeter and singer Leroy Jones should be far better known, claims host Dan Morgenstern, and aims to prove it. Nov. 16 An Interview with James Chirillo, Part Two Host Vincent Pelote continues his survey of the career of guitarist/composer James Chirillo. Nov. 23 No Thanksgiving Turkeys Here! Host Dan Morgenstern presents some proper holiday platters. Nov. 30 Hi-Ho, Steverino, Part One Host Ed Berger interviews saxophonist Steve Wilson. Dec. 7 Hi-Ho, Steverino, Part Two Host Ed Berger interviews saxophonist Steve Wilson in the second of a two-part examination of Wilson’s music and career. Dec. 14 An Interview with Warren Vache Interview conducted by host Tad Hershorn. Dec. 21 To Be Announced Dan Morgenstern hosts. Dec. 28 Jazz From the Archives Farewell After 35 years on WBGO Jazz From the Archives will move from this format to become a segment on WBGO’s The Checkout. Featuring the four original hosts: Ed Berger, Robert Kenselaar, Dan Morgenstern, and Vincent Pelote. MONDAYS
NEW TIME 6:30PM
LATINO USA with Maria Hinojosa Multi award-winning Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only nationally distributed English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective. This program covers the social, cultural and political issues facing today’s Latino community.
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Maria Hinojosa, host of Latino USA, is also urban affairs correspondent for CNN and a former NPR News reporter. In addition to being a broadcaster, Hinojosa is an author, and a frequent lecturer on college campuses. She has received the Robert F. Kennedy Award, an Associated Press award and the National Council of La Raza’s 1999 Ruben Salazar Award. 7:30PM NJ CAPITOL REPORT Emmy Award-winning anchors Steve Adubato and Rafael Pi Roman host New Jersey Capitol Report which examines New Jersey’s most pressing public and policy issues. The program looks at political, social, and cultural issues affecting the people of New Jersey through in-depth conversations with the state’s top legislative leaders, political pundits, and “movers and shakers.” TUESDAYS 6:30PM THE CHECKOUT The Checkout is a weekly one-hour music magazine featuring the best content from WBGO—the leading presenter of jazz on public media. Every week, producer Simon Rentner crafts a program that aims into the heart of New York’s music scene—featuring exclusive interviews, studio sessions, and field recordings of today’s leading artists. Nov. 11 Holmes Brothers/Joey DeFrancesco and David Sanborn from the Newport Jazz Festival/Kenny Wayne Shepherd Nov. 25 Sam Harris Trio WBGO in-studio performance. 7:30PM CONVERSATIONS WITH ALLAN WOLPER Conversations with Allan Wolper features guests whose ideas are on the cutting edge. Wolper, known as a “journalist’s journalist,” is an interviewer, reporter, documentary producer and ethics columnist, who has been honored by every journalism medium, winning over 50 awards.
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programguide Nov./Dec. 2014 8:00PM
LATIN JAZZ CRUISE with Awilda Rivera WEDNESDAYS 6:30PM JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA Re-broadcast of previous Sunday’s Program 7:30PM SPORTSJAM SportsJam takes a unique peak into the sports scene as WBGO’s News and Sports Director Doug Doyle talks with a wide variety of guests. Bernie Williams, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jon Faddis, Savion Glover and Jazz 88 host Rhonda Hamilton all agree there’s a strong connection between jazz and sports. SportsJam recently received the Best Sports Award from the New Jersey Associated Press Broadcasters Association. THURSDAYS 6:30PM SONG TRAVELS WITH MICHAEL FEINSTEIN Nov. 6 Chris Young Chris Young was the 2006 winner of the TV series Nashville Star and is earning a spot SONG TRAVELS
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Gregory Porter Jazz vocalist Gregory Porter had a breakout year in 2012. His album Be Good topped many “Best of” lists and was named iTunes Jazz Album of the Year. In 2014, Porter won a Grammy® Award for his third album, Liquid Spirit, and NPR Music has called him “the next great male jazz singer.” On this Song Travels, Porter performs his original “Water,” and recalls Nat King Cole with “Nature Boy.”
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among today’s top country voices. In 2010, he was nominated for a Grammy® for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. With guitarist Kevin Collier, Young brings his rich voice to a set of original songs and old favorites, including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Nov. 13 Eric Benét Singer, songwriter, and actor Eric Benét charges his old school soul songwriting with healthy doses of modern funk and hip-hop. His winning formula has been recognized with multiple Grammy® and Image Award nominations. Benét joins Feinstein for a set of originals along with classics by Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, and David Foster. Nov. 20 Carsie Blanton Vocalist and songwriter Carsie Blanton taught herself to play guitar by listening to the music of Ani DiFranco and Joan Osborne as a teen, and her musical curiosity has continued throughout her life. Her smoky vocals recall Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, and her wit as a songwriter has been compared to Cole Porter. On this Song Travels, Blanton performs her original song “Smoke Alarm,” and Feinstein joins in for “Sweet Lorraine.” Nov. 27 Sheldon Harnick Pulitzer Prize-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick has been a pillar of Broadway for more than fifty years. His hit musicals include Fiorello!, Fidler on the Roof, and The Phantom Tollbooth. On this Song Travels, Harnick takes listeners on a musical journey through his career’s stories and songs. Dec. 4 Ann Hampton Callaway Tony-nominated actress, vocalist, and songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway has sung with top orchestras and big bands the world over. As a songwriter, she penned tunes for Barbara Streisand and wrote and sang the theme to the hit sitcom The Nanny. This week she performs a set of standards, including “Our Love is Here to Stay.”
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All programs subject to change. Dec. 11 Anthony Strong British jazz vocalist and pianist Anthony Strong built a reputation as a session pianist, supporting stars like B.B. King. His EP release Delovely reached number one on the UK charts, and he has continued his rise with his latest album of classic jazz songs and originals, Stepping Out. On this Song Travels, Strong brings his fresh take on the Great American Songbook with performances of old favorites along with a few modern standards. Dec. 18 Renée Fleming Grammy®-winning opera star and actress Renée Fleming has performed some of the greatest operatic roles ever written at the world’s leading concert halls. Her awards include a Fulbright Lifetime Achievement medal and the National Medal of Arts. This week she shares a few of her favorite selections, including songs by Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, and Leonard Cohen. Dec. 25 Gregory Porter See sidebar. 7:30PM PEOPLE’S PHARMACY This program examines current issues in medicine, mental health, nutrition and fitness. FRIDAYS 6:30PM PORTRAITS IN BLUE Re-broadcast of previous Saturday’s Program; See Listing. 7:30PM WBGO JOURNAL This program, produced by the multi-award winning WBGO team, covers issues of importance to the Newark/New York metro area. SATURDAYS
NEW TO WBGO 6:00AM NIGHT LIGHTS Night Lights presents jazz, from 1950 to the present, with a late-night sensibility, hosted by David Brent Johnson. Night Lights is a program of jazz in sound, story and song,” says Johnson. “I try to make each show a
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cultural narrative about whatever artist or theme I’m highlighting.” 7:00AM PORTRAITS IN BLUE Re-broadcasts on FRIDAYS at 6:30pm. Nov. 1 Buddy Johnson— From the Beginning Nov. 8 Jimmy Witherspoon— Albums, Vol. 3 Nov. 15 Jimmy McCracklin, Vol. 6 Nov. 22 Little Richard, Vol. 5 Nov. 29 Erskine Hawkins— From the Beginning Dec. 6 Dinah Washington— From the Beginning, Vol. 12 Dec. 13 Big Joe Turner—Albums, Vol. 5 Dec. 20 Christmas Blues All Styles and Eras Dec. 27 Best of 2014 8:00AM SATURDAY MORNING FUNCTION WBGO’s Bob Porter plays blues, R&B and classic soul, with an emphasis on the early 1950s to the late 1960s. New artists who perform these styles are also featured. 10:00AM RHYTHM REVUE with Felix Hernandez Rhythm Revue’s blend of classic soul and R&B received the A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Award for the Best Weekend Program in New York, and was named Best Radio Show by New York Magazine and the Village Voice. WBGO is the original home of Rhythm Revue. Nov. 1 Rarities Felix Hernandez dips into his rare stash, part of a 4 hour mix of classic soul and R&B. Nov. 8 70s Soul A tribute to 70s soul. Nov. 15 Dance Rhythm Revue Dance Party classics to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the first party. Nov. 22 Thank You Songs of thanks, part of the four hour mix of classic soul and R&B.
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programguide Nov./Dec. 2014 Nov. 29
Request Show
SUPPORT WBGO
Dec 6 Classic Crossover 70s Soul Program includes many that went on to become No. 1 hits on the Op or R&B charts. Rhythm Revue 28th Anniversary Show Dec 20 Happy Holidays Plenty of holiday songs in the mix on today's show. Dec 13
Dec 27 Double-up Two songs each by legends of American soul music.
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great way to support WBGO is through a gift of stock or a family foundation. If you would like more information, please call Beth Lasoff at 973-624-8880, ext. 285. All gifts to WBGO are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
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NOVEMBER 16, 2014
WBGO Member Event during— TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival In conjunction with the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition FOR DETAILS AND TICKETS VISIT WWW.WBGO.ORG/EVENTS OR CALL THE MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT AT (973) 624-8880 EXT 232
BGO Jazz 88.3 FM is NJPAC’s season-long jazz media partner. In addition to the TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival (Nov 9–16) in Newark, NJPAC is adding more than 60 performances throughout the season as well as a variety of special events, including the third Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival (Oct. 23–26), the largest poetry festival in North America. Tune into WBGO during the month of October to hear poetry segments in celebration of this exciting series. “This season reflects who we are as a performing arts center, uniquely situated in an urban setting: reveling in our diversity and celebrating it with our most varied season ever,” said NJPAC’s CEO, John Schreiber. “Every member of our community wants an arts center that resonates for them, and NJPAC offers that.” “Artistic excellence is always our first criteria for programming decisions,” said Executive Producer of the Arts Center, David Rodriguez. “World-class dance and
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classical music remain the building’s foundation, but NJPAC has built on that to create the region’s foremost home for families of all diverse cultures. There’s something for everyone.” “We’ve been curators of the State’s finest classical music season for 17 years; now we aim to extend that curatorial leadership to America’s classical music—jazz,” said Schreiber. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s going to be a festival all year long. We want everyone to know that Newark is the place to go for the world’s finest jazz artists.” The TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival includes performances by Grammy® winning trumpeter and composer Chris Botti (Nov. 14) and Jazz and Soul (Nov. 13), an NJPAC exclusive collaboration between Fantasia, the Grammy® and American Idol (“I Believe”) winner, Philip Bailey, the Grammy® winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from Earth Wind & Fire, and Christian cont’d on page 19 Nov./Dec. 2014 Upbeat
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WBGO is Celebrating South Africa! 014 is the 20th anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa. In celebration, there is a month-long festival happening at Carnegie Hall in New York—UBUNTU. This year also marked the 75th birthday of South African native, and globally renowned trumpeter, Hugh Masekela. In honor of these events WBGO has had some exciting on demand programming including South African artists. Gary Walker interviewed Masekela and WBGO presented South African group UHADI on The Checkout. You can hear this exclusive WBGO content at WBGO.org/SouthAfrica. We want you to experience South Africa with us by joining WBGO on a very special trip to the Cape Town International Jazz Festival March of 2015. On this ten-day, once-in-alifetime journey, you will be able to immerse yourself in the culture, heritage, people, food and music of South Africa as you travel through the “Rainbow Nation.” You can find coverage of the 2013 festival on our website as well (also at WBGO.org/SouthAfrica). Travelers on this trip will visit the famous SOWETO Township in Johannesburg- a thriving metropolis of color and cacophony, come face to face with the Big 5 of Pilanesburg Game Reserve, savor the freedom expressed by millions by visiting the infamous Robben Island prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and visit the Cape of Good Hope where two oceans meet. And then there’s the festival! Guests have the opportunity to mingle with jazz greats of yesteryear and today amid the towering landscape of Table Mountain in Cape Town. This adventure comes complete with luxury accommodations in beautiful settings catering to your every need. We hope to see you there! Visit www.wbgo.org/events for further details.
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Jazz on the MOUNTAIN Mohonk Mountain House January 16–19, 2015 elebrating 16 years in the beautiful Catskills, WBGO announcer Michael Bourne will once again host a four-day jazz extravaganza over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend with a lineup of jazz greats—including Chris Brubeck, Cat Russell, and Dave Stryker—at the Mohonk Mountain House. Mohonk Mountain House is a National Historic Landmark located just 90 miles north of New York City. Whether you are planning a family outing, a romantic retreat, a weekend with friends or a selfexploration getaway, the Mountain House has activities for all! The WBGO package includes bountiful breakfast and lunch buffets with dinner as a traditional served meal, afternoon tea and cookies and all associated gratuities. Also included is the welcome cocktail reception (Friday evening) and exclusive private dinner with Michael Bourne, musicians and WBGO guests (Saturday evening) and a musical Mohonk scavenger hunt (Sunday afternoon). Guests also receive amenities such as wireless Internet access, ice-skating, skiing, snowshoeing, snow tubing and use of the indoor heated swimming pool and comprehensive fitness center. We hope you can join WBGO for this very special jazz event and look forward to seeing you on the Mountain!
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DATES: January 16–19, 2015 LOCATION: 1000 Mountain Rest Road,
New Paltz, NY 12561 RESERVATIONS: Please call WBGO www.wbgo.org
Travel & Events at 1-973-624-8880 x269 or events@wbgo.org. A $500 deposit is requested upon booking. Check payable to WBGO/Newark Public Radio, Attn: Travel & Events, 54 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102, or by credit card. Full payment will be due November 21.
WBGO’s Thanksgiving Jazz Parade here’s more than one parade on Thanksgiving Day, and this one lasts all weekend long, so you can enjoy leftovers in style. Every autumn, the WBGO Thanksgiving Jazz Parade allows you to vote—at www.wbgo.org/topten—for your favorite jazz musicians in 19 categories. Voting begins the first week of November and, once tallied, winners will be played every hour on WBGO Jazz 88.3FM and WBGO.org over the four day Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday, November 27 through Sunday, November 30). Join the fun and stay tuned Thanksgiving weekend for the results!
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Michael Bourne Celebrates 30 Years on WBGO! Michael Bourne has remained an integral part of WBGO’s DNA for the past three decades. Host of Afternoon Jazz, Singers Unlimited, and over twenty New Year’s Eve broadcasts, Bourne has also made a name for himself as a theater critic, public speaker, and author. On the occasion of his thirty year anniversary at WBGO, we asked Bourne to reflect on his years at the station . hirty years ago, so much was different. Newark was different. There was no NJPAC, no Seton Hall law school, no Prudential Center. WBGO at 54 Park Place was different. The office looked like a scene from a 1930s newspaper movie: old desks, old partitions, old phones. The studio was a wall of LP’s and several turntables with a couple of mics. If the red light was on, you couldn’t flush the toilet. WBGO technology was WAY different. We didn’t have CDs to play 30 years ago, but soon after I started, the first CD came: Glenn Miller in a Digital Mood. We only broadcast from a transmitter in Newark, and our signal was blocked by the skyline of Manhattan. The music that we’ve played for 30 years endures. We play new artists, but we always play the masters. First record I played on WBGO: Dave Brubeck’s “Strange Meadowlark”—I’m still playing it. Second record I played on WBGO: John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things”— I’m still playing it. My first shift happened just before the birthday of Milt Jackson. I
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played an hour of his classics, and he called me and thanked me. I knew in that moment that I was a jazz jock in the jazz capitol of the world! When [then program director] Wylie [Rollins] called me in September 1984 to ask when I’d be coming to New York, I picked Pearl Harbor Day so I’d always remember. He wanted me to record myself on a cassette. I was told to patch a cord to do this, and ended up plugging the on-air signal directly into the cassette recorder. The station went off the air! Wylie and Al Prior (whose show was on at the time) panicked, not knowing what happened. I pulled the plug, and the station was back. So, before I’d ever been ON the air, I knocked us OFF the air. I considered this my own variation of the New Year’s ritual when Greeks break crockery so they won’t break any more this year.
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People have come and gone, but some of the best have stayed. Dorthaan Kirk, soul of the station, has been working at WBGO since before the beginning. Bob Porter, Gary Walker and Rhonda Hamilton were here when I came and they’re still here and still inspiring me. Gary telling me something I’ve done is "good radio" is the highest compliment I can get for what I do. Even if I’m at my grumpiest when I come to work, when I walk into the studio, get a smile from Rhonda, and play a Dexter Gordon record, all is right with the world. And certainly, one constant that has enabled me to be a jock on WBGO for 30 years: the support of listeners. Our finest hour was the week after 9/11 when we didn’t play music at all during the day. With so many radio stations knocked off the air, WBGO became the news station that everyone needed. I felt
that being on the air, even if only for 3060 seconds at a time, telling folks the weather or where to give blood, mattered. And listeners told me that hearing our familiar voices was for many of them a very real continuity in their lives. I’d been on the radio almost 30 years by then, and I’d always thought that the microphone is like the "”fourth wall” of a theatre. I don’t see them. They don’t see me. But that week was when I realized how truly intimate is our relationship with listeners. They know us. They want us. They need us. And we’re always there. Whether they listen on a radio in NY and NJ or via the web around the world, WBGO is the swinging soundtrack of their lives. Michael Bourne’s interview with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga is Downbeat’s November cover story- copies hit the stands October 21. Listen to the interview at www.WBGO.org/cheek-to-cheek
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Arts Education. Other events include performances by sensual song writer and singer Michael Franks (“When I Give My Love To You”) with blind singer/songwriter/guitarist Raul Midón (Nov. 15); Vanessa Rubin, who played the title role in the one-woman stage show Yesterdays: An Evening with Billie Holiday, with her Trio (Nov. 16), and free performances around Newark with Ray Mantilla (Nov. 10) and Steve & Iqua Colson (Nov. 12). As in previous years, the culmination of the Festival is the finals of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, at which five finalists will perform before a Victoria Theater audience and an esteemed panel of jazz artists and industry executives, including Gary Walker from WBGO, who will bestow the Sassy Award to one winner.
McBride with his Big Band. The festival kicks off with a special edition of Dorthaan’s Place brunch series (produced by WBGO’s Dorthaan Kirk) featuring the year-old Brick City Jazz Orchestra, a collective of gifted high school jazz musicians in the Greater Newark area, with special guest Stefon Harris. In addition to the young talent that makes up the orchestra, the TD James Moody Democracy of Jazz Festival continues to highlight jazz’s next generation of artists when the NJMEA All-State Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Choir (Nov. 14) perform. A free Day of Swing (Nov. 15) for kids and their families, filled with performances and hands on activities for all ages, returns to the NJPAC’s Center for www.wbgo.org
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WBGO Jazz 88.3FM Newark Public Radio 54 Park Place Newark, NJ 07102 www.wbgo.org
PAID Newark, NJ Permit No. 6132
TIME DATED MATERIAL—PLEASE DELIVER ON OR BEFORE NOVEMBER 1, 2014
The current issue of Upbeat is online with added links to content. Visit WBGO.org/Upbeat.
Non-Profit Organization US Postage
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