March/April 2016 Upbeat by Newark Public Radio

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MARCH/APRIL 2016

UPBEAT | WBGO Program Guide Jazz 88.3 FM www.wbgo.org

WBGO Exhibits the Photography of Chuck Stewart

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in the

GALLERY

THE JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHY OF CHUCK STEWART GALLERY RECEPTION: THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

huck Stewart has been an eyewitness to 20th century American social, cultural and musical history. He photographed over 2,000 album covers for record labels large and small including Mercury, Argo, Impulse, Chess, Atlantic, Columbia Records and more.

On his website, Stewart describes his work, “In my portraits and improvisational shots, I’ve tried to unveil the soul of the artists I photographed and communicate the essence of their craft. That’s why they trusted me: James Brown, John Coltrane, Candido, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Quincy Jones, Machito, Max Roach, Frank Sinatra, and many more. You know their names, but few people have known and photographed them as I have. My pictures and I have many stories to tell.” His striking black and white photographs of iconic jazz artists line the walls of the WBGO Gallery through March 31. A gallery reception celebrating this extraordinary exhibit takes place Thursday, March 24, 6-8PM at WBGO, 54 Park Place in Newark. The next Newark Public Radio, Inc. Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 4, 2016, 6:00 PM at WBGO, 54 Park PL, Newark, NJ 07102. The meeting is open to the public.

Vol. XXXIX No. 3 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

Upbeat March/April 2016

President & CEO Amy Niles Marketing Manager Brandy Wood

Music Director Gary Walker Membership Director Roslyn Turner

Director of Donor Development John Newcott Design/Layout Penguin Graphics

Upbeat is available in a large print edition upon request.

www.wbgo.org

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WBGO Brings Jazz to Young Audiences

Benny Benack III

or over 20 years, WBGO’s Kids Jazz Concert Series has entertained young people and their families as they discover “America’s classical music”—jazz. The WBGO Spring Kids Jazz Concert Series, which begins April 2 and coincides with Jazz Appreciation Month, brings world-renowned jazz musicians to concert halls and venues throughout Essex County, New Jersey. Each of the five interactive, hour-long programs gives young listeners the chance to discover the enjoyment of jazz, improvisation, and musical collaboration.

Camille Thurman

Brianna Thomas

Listeners get insight into jazz history, and how this music is rooted in our area. The Agnes Varis Charitable Trust shares WBGO’s commitment to give our local community access to the arts. Thanks to their generosity, we can provide free transportation funding to schools and nonprofit youth groups that want to attend. Please email kids@wbgo.org to find out more. All concerts are free and begin at 12:30pm. Doors open at noon, and adults must be accompanied by a child. We hope you’ll join us if you’re nearby. For more information please visit www.wbgo.org/kids.

April 2

Benny Benack III & The Benny Benack Band at Newark Symphony Hall

April 9

Brianna Thomas & The Jazz Travelers at Newark Museum

April 16 Camille Thurman & The Darrell Green Trio at Livingston Public Library (Livingston, NJ) April 23 Don Braden at NJPAC Victoria Theater Don Braden

April 30 Winard Harper & Jeli Posse at Montclair Art Museum (Montclair, NJ)

Winard Harper

Lead Support for the WBGO Kids Jazz Concert Series comes from: Agnes Varis Charitable Trust Supporting Affordable Access to the Arts, Education, and Healthcare With Major Support from: United Airlines, Official Airline Partner And Additional Support from: Robert A. Mills Foundation • PNC Foundation • Anita B. and Howard S. Richmond Foundation The Turrell Fund • The Edward W. and Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund Lillian P. Schenck Charitable Trust Fund • Sylvan C. Coleman Foundation • Investors Foundation www.wbgo.org

March/April 2016 Upbeat

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STAY TUNED IN MARCH FOR SOMETHING NEW FROM WBGO

BGO’s Newark Stories project, in celebration of Newark’s 350th anniversary, will simultaneously speak Newark to the world and reflect Newark to its own residents. The focus of Newark Stories will be cultural and social history, focusing on everyday people and how they’ve shaped and been shaped by Newark through its history. By drawing from the memories of everyday Newarkers past and present, we will reach back through past generations, reflect the present and imagine the future, too. With audio profiles and intimate interviews with dozens of Newarkers, our audience will be granted a peek into the past of this city as they’ve never heard it before.

SUPPORT WBGO

nother way to contribute to WBGO is by including us in your will or other estate planning. For more information, please call John Newcott at 973-643-4302. All gifts to WBGO are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Broad Street, Newark, NJ

Upbeat March/April 2016

www.wbgo.org

Cover Photo: Sarah Vaughan,1958, by Chuck Stewart

* Program Schedule Subject to Change.

programs at a glance

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programguide March/April 2016 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. March 6 Songs of Kurt Weill This edition of Singers Unlimited will include the annual “Mack Attack”—umpteen very different recordings of “Mack the Knife,” and then some. March 6

Geert Vandepoele/Wikimedia

JAZZ NIGHT

Celebrating Ornette Coleman Jazz Night in America digs back into the archives to pay tribute to Ornette Coleman on what would have been his 86th birthday. Longtime Coleman collaborator, tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, joined Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they celebrated Ornette Coleman in a concert in 2004. The music hasn’t been heard since.

Upbeat March/April 2016

March 13 Celebrating the Birth of Several Jazz Men plus a Fair Lady A birthday-go-round with Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Mark Murphy, Roy Haynes, Quincy Jones, Nat Cole, “My Fair Lady,” and more. March 20 Sondheim Plus Songs of Stephen Sondheim, Dave Frishberg, the 90th birthday of Bill Henderson, plus more great music. March 28 Hometown Heroes This edition of Singers Unlimited celebrates the songs of two jazz icons with roots in WBGO’s hometown of Newark: Sarah Vaughan and James Moody. Other highlights include The King and I, Oklahoma and more. 6:00PM JAZZ NIGHT IN AMERICA Re-broadcasts on Wednesdays at 6:30PM. March 6 Celebrating Ornette Coleman See sidebar. March 13 Panama Jazz and Panama may not have an obvious relationship, yet this tiny country between the Americas and giant oceans, has given us some of its finest musicians dating back to Luis Russell, around the time of construction of the great Canal itself. Today, no one person is doing more to underscore this connection than Danilo Perez, renowned pianist, educator, and the country’s official Cultural Ambassador. We take you to his Panama Jazz Festival, the grand vehicle behind his greater mission of introducing underserved kids to music and inspiring greater social change in his developing nation. March 20 Celebrating Betty Carter We hear stories from alumni of “the school of Betty Carter,” an esteemed collection of singers bound together by the thrall of Carter’s titanic influence on jazz. One of the most powerful voices in the American musical tradition, her lasting legacy is celebrated by vocalist Charenee Wade along with many past members of Carter’s band through the years. www.wbgo.org

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All programs subject to change. March 27 The Goodman Band The story of jazz’s first popular integrated band—a decade before Jackie Robinson integrated baseball—is told by scriptwriter and seven-time Emmy Award®-winner Geoffrey Ward (Ken Burns’ Jazz), narrated live by host Wendell Pierce (HBO’s Treme and The Wire), and performed by a rising star ensemble of pianist Christian Sands (in the role of Teddy Wilson), drummer Sammy Miller (Gene Krupa), 20-year-old vibraphone sensation Joel Ross (Lionel Hampton), and a host of special guest clarinetists. Peter Anderson, Will Anderson, Patrick Bartley, and Janelle Reichman each take a turn representing the unparalleled voice of Benny Goodman. These unique and informative performances will feature live music and spoken word as informative, inspiring, and emotionally stirring joint crafts as they channel the “King of Swing” and tell the story of his groundbreaking band. April 3 Carlos Henriquez See sidebar. April 10 TBD April 17 Ali Jackson Be-bop pioneer, drum innovator, social activist, teacher, and so much more, Max Roach blazed a path for jazz that burns brightest today in his former student Ali Jackson. Jackson—himself a multi-hyphenate as percussion wizard, composer, and arranger—studied under Roach after meeting him at twelve. Many years later, Jackson pays tribute to his mentor with an all-star ensemble. This exclusive one-night celebration of Roach was captured by Jazz Night in America. April 24 Jymie Merritt By all accounts, Jymie Merritt had already left his mark on the music before he returned to his hometown of Philadelphia in the early 1960s. Touring stints with Art Blakey, B.B. King and Max Roach assure him a foothold on music history. But there’s an enormous www.wbgo.org

side to his story yet untold, in part because illness prevented him from ever telling it — how he developed a unique compositional methodology and anchored the Philly jazz community for years with a group called The Forerunners. Now that Jymie is 90, his son Mike Merritt has taken it upon himself to resurrect this music—the music that would ultimately lead him to become a professional bassist himself with the Conan O’Brien band— and put the band back together. They assemble at World Cafe Live in a show recorded for Jazz Night in America. 7:00PM SUNDAY NIGHT MUSIC MIX Grammy® nominated record producer Eulis Cathey plays an eclectic mixture of jazz, conJAZZ NIGHT

April 3

Carlos Henriquez With 2015’s The Bronx Pyramid, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra bassist Carlos Henriquez made his recording debut as a leader and it solidified the Bronx-born, Nuyorican bassist’s emergence as a fullyfledged Latin jazz master. Across 11 songs, Henriquez expertly blends modern jazz with Latin rhythms, demonstrating why he’s been performing with greats like Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, and Celia Cruz since he was fourteen. Combining two beautiful traditions, Henriquez and his allstar band offer an infectious set of music that will move fans of either genre. March/April 2016 Upbeat

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programguide March/April 2016 temporary 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 THE CHECKOUT Re-broadcast of previous Tuesday’s Program. MONDAYS 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. 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 THE BEST OF ONE ON ONE with Steve Adubato One-on-One with Steve Adubato features conversations with the region’s most compelling personalities. Guests include television personalities, CEOs, artists, healthcare trailblazers, educational innovators and more. Emmy Award® winner, Steve Adubato, PhD, combines wide-ranging knowledge, a penetrating and inquisitive style and the appreciation for amiable conversation throughout the program. Steve asks questions that inspire the guests to talk beyond their expected route in a manner rarely seen on televised talk shows. March 7 Newark at a Crossroads: History & Heritage of the St. Gerard’s Feast Steve Adubato goes on location to look at the rich heritage of Newark’s St. Gerard Feast

Upbeat March/April 2016

and its impact on generations of many New Jersey families. March 14 Celebrating Sinatra Steve Adubato celebrates the 100th birthday of Ol’ Blue Eyes, with Sinatra experts who know him best. Guests include authors James Kaplan, Charles Granata, Robert Foster from the Hoboken Historical Museum as well as reflections from top artists such as Jane Monheit to Bucky Pizzarelli on Sinatra’s influence. March 21 John Schreiber/Jim Jack/ Wayne Winborne In this Newark at a Crossroads segment, Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with NJPAC President & CEO, John Schreiber, to discuss what’s in store for this season at the Arts Center, and redevelopment around the Arts Center to attract more patrons to their worldclass venue. George Street Playhouse’s Director of Education and Outreach, Jim Jack, discusses the success of the musical comedy Austin the Unstoppable, which teaches parents and children a bigger message about making smart choices when it comes to their health and wellness. The Institute of Jazz Studies at RutgersNewark is one of the most comprehensive libraries of jazz in the world. In this Newark at a Crossroads segment, Steve Adubato interviews the Institute’s new Executive Director, Wayne Winborne, about the Institute’s collection which will surely strike a high note with jazz enthusiasts. March 28 Tariq Trotter/Beth Stern Each weeknight, Tariq Trotter fronts The Roots, the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Steve Adubato goes Oneon-One with Trotter, who gives insight into his working with Fallon and The Roots every night, his career a solo rap artist as well as his nonprofit that promotes the health of women and girls. New York Times bestselling author Beth www.wbgo.org

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All programs subject to change. Stern talks about her new book Yoda Gets a Buddy and how her husband, Howard Stern supports her animal activism. April 4 Pras Michel/ Troy Lewis/ Patricia Smith More than a decade ago, Pras founded the New Jersey-based, multi-platinum rap group, The Fugees. He has since applied his creative energies to documentary film producing. Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Pras, who gives insight into his new documentary “Sweet Micky for President,” that reveals how Pras recruited the irreverent musician, Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly to run for—and win—Haiti’s highest office. Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with first time author Troy Lewis, about his book, Gas Money, which is a collection of personal stories seen through the eyes of a six year old living in the small town of Saluda, Virginia, during the civil rights era. Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with NJPAC Poet in Residence, Patricia Smith, to discuss her poetry career and connection to NJPAC. April 11 Ron Beit, CEO & Founding Partner, RBH Group Ron Beit, the CEO and Founding Partner of RBH Group highlights the 15-million square foot mixed-use redevelopment project known as Teacher’s Village located in downtown Newark. RBH Group recently broke ground on Maker’s Village, which will house vertical gardening pioneer AeroFarms. Andaiye Taylor, Editor, Brick City Live Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with the Editor of “Brick City Live,” Andaiye Taylor, to discuss her hyperlocal news website and how she is using citizen journalist to make content more relatable to the Newark community. Tony Howell, Executive Director, Educational Opportunity Program, NJIT Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Tony Howell, Executive Director, Educational www.wbgo.org

Opportunity Programs at NJIT, to discuss how the program has helped students prepare for NJIT’s rigorous college curriculum. April 18 Tamron Hall/ James Kaplan Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with the TODAY Show’s Tamron Hall to talk about waking viewers up each morning, her role at MSNBC and the importance of recognizing the signs of domestic violence. Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with James Kaplan, author of Sinatra: The Chairman, to discuss Frank Sinatra’s life and legacy. April 25 Joe Yaiullo/Tom Viola/Don Katz Long Island Aquarium and Exhibit Center Curator and Co-Founder Joe Yaiullo shares the interactive activities available at this destination spot that range from diving with sharks to kissing a sea lion and the importance of teaching conversation. Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, talks about the mission of an organization that since 1988, with the generosity and commitment of the theater community, has raised more than $250 million dollars for essential services for people with AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. Audible.com Founder Don Katz shares the exciting news about Newark Venture Partners, and how a $50 million investment will help revitalize businesses in Newark. 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. Program listings subject to change.

March/April 2016 Upbeat

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programguide March/April 2016 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. 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 peek into the sports scene as WBGO’s News and Sports Director Doug Doyle talks with a wide variety of guests. Bernie Williams, Kareem AbdulJabbar, 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 7:30PM PEOPLE’S PHARMACY This program examines current issues in medicine, mental health, nutrition and fitness. FRIDAYS 6:30PM PORTRAITS IN BLUE Re-broadcasts on SATURDAYS at 7AM. March 4 Cootie Williams— Trumpet Blues, Vol. 1 March 11 Erskine Hawkins, Vol. 6 March 18 Dinah Washington— From the Beginning, Vol. 17 March 25 Sam “The Man” Taylor, Vol. 6 April 1 Lucky Millinder, Vol. 5 April 8 Jimmy Witherspoon— Albums, Vol. 10 April 15 The Songs of Leiber & Stoller, Vol. 1 April 22 Jimmy McCracklin, Vol. 1 April 29 Al Sears, Vol. 3

Upbeat March/April 2016

7:30PM WBGO JOURNAL This program, produced by the multi-award winning WBGO team, covers issues of importance to the Newark/NY metro area. SATURDAYS 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 cultural narrative about whatever artist or theme I’m highlighting.” March 5 Ella ’57 A look at one of singer Ella Fitzgerald’s busiest and most memorable years on record. March 12 Jazz Women of the 1980s The music of Geri Allen, Emily Remler, Cassandra Wilson, Carla Bley, and others. March 19 The Sara Cassey Songbook Much admired by jazz artists such as Barry Harris and Pepper Adams, jazz composer Sara Cassey died at the age of 37 in 1966. We’ll hear recordings of her music made by Hank Jones, Johnny Griffin, and others. March 26 The Jazz Monk: Thomas Merton Thomas Merton was one of the most influential spiritual writers of the 20th century—and he was also a passionate jazz fan. We’ll talk with jazz musician and Merton friend Dick Sisto, and we’ll hear excerpts from experimental jazz meditations and reflections that Merton recorded in his hermitage, as well as some of the jazz that Merton enjoyed and referred to in his writings. We’ll also hear from Jason Bivins, author of Spirits Rejoice!, a book about jazz and American religion. April 2 The Durable Kenny Dorham A look at the trumpeter’s career spanning his recordings with Charlie Parker in the 1940s to his collaborations with Joe Henderson in the 1960s.

www.wbgo.org

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All programs subject to change. April 9 The Randy Weston Songbook The music of pianist Randy Weston, performed by Weston himself and others such as Gigi Gryce, Betty Carter, and Booker Ervin. April 16 Jivin’ With The DJs Jazz odes to Symphony Sid Torin, Oscar Treadwell, and other DJs from Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Illinois Jacquet, and more. April 23 Histories of Jazz A look at some of the many efforts to tell the history of jazz in a single, extended musical collage. April 30 Ellington Ending In the last years of his life, and no longer with the services of longtime writing partner Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington continued to compose memorable music. Historian Michael McGerr talks with us about Ellington’s late period works and years. 7:00AM PORTRAITS IN BLUE Re-broadcast of previous Friday’s Program; See Listing. 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. March 5 No. 1 soul hits of the 70’s and 80’s March 12 A tribute to vocal groups, and much more March 19 Number One Soul Hits. March 26 Birthday tributes to Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, and much more www.wbgo.org

April 2

Birthday tribute to Marvin Gaye, the singer and the songwriter April 9 A mix of “blue-eyed soul” classics and much more April 16 Top 20 Soul hits of the late 60s, 70s and 80s, plus a birthday tribute to Al Green April 23 Music from 25 years of the Rhythm Revue dance parties April 30 A tribute to the Philly Sound, from Rare to Number One

MUSIC DIRECTOR GARY WALKER’S TOP CDS + RE-ISSUES

Gary’ s Plays

Top Tunes Stryker/Slagle Band Routes (Strikezone) Freddie Hendrix Jersey Cat (Sunnyside) Renee Rosnes Written in the Rocks (Smoke Sessions) Ed Cherry Soul Street (Posi –Tone) Arturo O’Farrill Sextet Boss Level (Zoho) Bill O’Connell Latin Jazz All-Stars Heart Beat (Savant) Paquito D’Rivera Paquito D’Rivera Plays the Music of Armando Manzanero (Paquito/Sunnyside) Tedeschi Trucks Band Let Me Get By (Fantasy) Mack Avenue Superband Live From Detroit Jazzfest 2015 (Mack Avenue) TrioDa Paz 30 (Zoho)

March/April 2016 Upbeat

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