Coming up on The Blues & Beyond on WXPN:

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Blues & Beyond #294: In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, it's new music from a unique player of the blues, Otis Taylor, whose songs and arrangements have sometimes been called "trance blues." The new album Contraband continues Taylor's exploration of unusual instrumentation and texture in blues, and we'll hear several new songs from it. Also fiery new blues from Joe Louis Walker on his album Hellfire, and, on her new album Let It Burn, Ruthie Foster teams up with soul singer William Bell on a song that was a big hit for him decades ago. We'll hear Bruce Hornsby join Jack DeJohnette on Jack's latest album, a song they co-wrote, with Esperanza Spalding on bass, among other great musicians, and we have music from Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, & The late Paul Motian recorded last year in concert in New York. Plus we'll "Russell" up some new jazz sounds, with funky bassist and band leader Frank Russell, and incomparable singer Catherine Russell ... and more in this hour of fine new music.

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Blues & Beyond #293: In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we'll feature music from a fabulous concert album called Get Together with pianist Hiromi Uehara, and pianist and singer Akiko Yano, recorded last September in Tokyo. Although all of Hiromi's albums up until now have been issued in the United States, where she has a lot of fans, this one is only out in Japan. Working with another pianist who is also a singer puts a new spin on Hiromi's music. Hiromi's unparalleled skill on the piano is matched by her deep soulfulness, and a great sense of humor that comes through on a number of these songs. We'll also hear one of Hiromi's compositions that she recorded with Stanley Clarke. We have new music from Don Byron and his New Gospel Quintet. Their album Love Peace & Soul celebrates the music of gospel's founding father, Thomas A. Dorsey and also Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Also: music with gospel fervor from Ruthie Foster, with The Blind Boys Of Alabama on her new album Let It Burn, as she takes on a late 60's rock anthem, and a guest appearance by Ms. Foster on an album made by one of her band members Hadden Sayers.

Blues & Beyond #292: In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, a new album called Circle Without End from funky bassist Frank Russell. We'll hear something you don't often hear, funk in 5-4 time, and also Russell's tribute to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. We'll also hear Ladysmith Black Mambazo themselves, signing in their inimitable way from their album Songs From A Zulu Farm isuued last year. We have new music from singers Amy Cervini and Liz Childs. Cervini's album is a tribute to the late Blossom Dearie. Also the new release from pianist Sunnie Paxson, and concert recordings of pianist Chick Corea, bassist Eddie Gomez, and the late drummer Paul Motian, recorded in New York last May, from the album Further Explorations. Bobby McFerrin will join Jack DeJohnette on the new DeJohnette album Sound Travels with some other-wordly singing. DeJohnette, a drummer, pianist, and composer recently won a Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment For The Arts.

Blues & Beyond #291: In this hour of The Blues & Beyond, we remember two greats, whose lives and careers actually intersected, Etta James who died on January 20th at age 73, and Johnny Otis, who died at age 90 three days earlier on January 17th. Etta James, one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, was discovered by Otis in the early 1950s. He produced her first hit, a record considered too risque for radio called "Roll With Me Henry" an answer song to Hank Ballard's banned "Work With Me Annie." Otis and James retitled it "The Wallflower" of all things and managed to get it on the radio, and to reach #1 on the Billboard R&B charts. Etta James went on to a troubled but successful career. Johnny Otis did everything in music, played, led bands, wrote, produced, scouted talent, owned a label... We'll only scratch the surface, but at least we'll manage to do that, in this hour of The Blues & Beyond.

About The Blues & Beyond and Jonny Meister:

The Blues & Beyond is a weekly hour of blues music and some of its musical relatives. The family tree includes jazz, old and new, and folk music from around the world, and contemporary musical explorations - music with energy, texture, spirit, soul, and meaning.

Host Jonny Meister has been playing the blues on WXPN since March 1977. Meister grew up with old blues records in the house. His father played boogie woogie on the piano, which Jonny learned at about the age of 12. Later he played in rock bands and did a few solo gigs as a singer-songwriter. His interest in blues grew and he became especially interested in the history of the music, a history not always revealed by the rock musicians who drew heavily on the blues and their promoters.

Jonny spent a week with the family of the late, great blues musician J. B. Lenoir in 1979, and he was one of the consultants for the Wim Wenders film The Soul Of A Man which featured Lenoir, in the recent PBS film series The Blues. He won the "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for work in Public Radio for The Blues Show in 2000 and a "Best of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 1996 for "Best Local Radio Show".