Warming you up with news to thaw your jazz spirit and soul

Is this Cold February Making You (and Your Toes) Blue?

JAZZ.FM91 Hopes to Thaw Your JAZZ Spirit and Soul

With a new month upon us, let’s look ahead at some JAZZ.FM91 programming and other news which should warm your heart:

JAZZ.FM91 Tribute to Black History Month:

Trombonist and composer Ron Westray has curated and narrated a series to celebrate Black History Month.

We hope you tuned in February 2nd for African-American Achievement in Jazz Orchestration examined the leadership and evolution of North American jazz orchestration.

This week, Ron will showcase African-American vocalists of jazz and blues from the late 19th century to the present time. From Bessie Smith to Etta Jones to Esperenza Spalding, he will look at what makes them great, including the impeccable control of their voice.

Ron is the Oscar Peterson Chair in Jazz Performance at York University.

JAZZ.FM91 Song of the Day:
Tune in weekdays at 9:30 am for the JAZZ.FM91 Song of the Day. Each morning a local artist
will provide you with the story behind the song. Ron Westray launched the feature February 1st, with his selection, Oscar Peterson’s Hogtown Blues. For the week of February 4th to 8th,
vocalist Justin Bacchus will be your host.

Session Notes:
This Sunday at 3pm, bassist Ross MacIntyre will offer you behind the scenes access to the stories of his recording sessions in Session Notes. This is the fourth instalment of this new series, bringing you the stories you can’t find anywhere else.

The Other Side of Cool:
Join us February 9th at 2pm for this four-part series hosted by Christopher Ward, former MuchMusic host and a songwriter, including for Alannah Myles’ number one hit Black Velvet. The Other Side of Cool looks at west coast jazz from the 1950’s and 1960’s. The west coast sound was “cool” in every sense – it was music that was meant to fit into your life in a variety of ways. West coast jazz was at home in the college dorm room, at cocktail parties, and in the living rooms of post-war America.

1959: The year that changed jazz:
This Sound of Jazz Concert was postponed due to a winter storm and will now take place February 25th. All tickets to the January 28th concert will be honoured. Music Director Colleen Allen says, “I’m so disappointed that we had to “Ah, Um”- postpone the concert. It took some “Giant Steps” to find a new date after our “Time Out” because of the storm. Please don’t be “Kind Of Blue.” A limited number of tickets are available here.

Our 15th Edition of JAZZ Lives, sponsored by The Remington Group:
On April 10th, our marquee event, JAZZ Lives will pay tribute to Henry Mancini, one of the most celebrated film composers of the 20th century, and a true pioneer at incorporating jazz elements and instrumentation into his work. Mancini was a prolific composer who wrote Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, Peter Gunn, Charade, Two for the Road, and the Pink Panther Theme. He won four Academy Awards and twenty Grammy Awards. This April marks the 95th anniversary of Mancini’s birth, and in June, the 25th anniversary of his passing. Join us as we pay tribute to a true musical icon. The music director for the 15th Edition of JAZZ Lives is long-time Mancini aficionado, Lou Pomanti. Stay tuned for more information at www.jazz.fm.

JAZZ.FM91 International JAZZ Safari to Portugal:
For the first time, JAZZ.FM91’s International JAZZ Safari will be going to the beautiful seaside town of Cascais, Portugal. Our own Carol Welsman will be your host from July 18th to 26th. We’ll be there for the 16th edition of the EDP Cool Jazz Festival to see Jamie Cullum, Tom Jones, and Diana Krall. More details are coming.

The Journey to Jazz and Human Rights:
Join us in March for this four-part documentary on how music — and those who made the music — worked to claim human rights around the world. Narrator Alana Bridgewater will examine how jazz and jazz musicians advanced the cause of civil rights, the rights of women, right to economic fairness, and the right to freedom and democracy around the world. This series is made possible by funding from Maytree.

—-

We hope your jazz spirit and soul are feeling warmer. We look forward to another exciting year of sharing the wonderful world of jazz with you – our listeners and donors. Thank you for tuning in and supporting JAZZ.FM91.

Here is what some of you are saying:

We would love to hear from you. Drop us a line at comments@jazz.fm