Yes, folks, it's a theme episode again, and this time it's percussionists leading from the back of the group - if not the back of the beat. We've got quite a mix, from a little known Blue Note artist's best-known album, to Bill Evan's favorite drummer showing off his wares, to brand new work from a drummer lamenting - and celebrating - a brothe ...…

It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, between bebop and hard-bop, between singles and LPs. It is . . . the ten-inch zone. The mid-fifties saw a transition away from 78s towards two kinds of "long-players" - 7 inch singles that ran as long as the old 10 inch 78s, and 12 inch LPs. For a brief period, ...…

New-age-y music from the seventies, an organ trio with an inside-out guitar slinger, a saxophonist who almost went supernova in the eighties, an album of acapella movie themes? This episode should be eclectic enough for anybody . . . who likes jazz, anyway. Wil Blades – FIELD NOTES; Petra Haden – PETRA GOES TO THE MOVIES; Bennie Wallace – THE F ...…

Cue the "Odd Couple" theme. This episode, the bastards take a listener's request to heart and discuss two musicians of wildly differing tempers - Art Blakey and Warne Marsh. Art was never into cool jazz, Warne was never a messenger, but you just know, if they had to share an apartment for some unlikely reason or other, wackiness would ensue. To ...…

Young people - they leave the toilet seat up, use apps with made up names like Tinder, linger on your lawn, and don't even know what a rotary phone is. Luckily, some of them also release jazz albums, and this episode the boys talk about three such releases, along with a set from a trio of players enjoying ripe middle age. The podcast wraps with ...…

All hands on deck - it's a big band episode! The boys look at two "historical" releases - one an oddity from the 1950's, the other a pace-setter from the nineties, and then dig into three brand new releases by large units. Lots of musings from Pat about the pro's and con's of large ensemble jazz, but hey, that's what the fast-forward button is ...…

It's the start of a new year, so time to poke our noses into lists of last year's best releases. This episode we've chosen four selections from the New York Times best-of, and are generally happy with the results - not that they care. Henry Threadgill – DIRT AND MORE DIRT; Makaya McCraven – UNIVERSAL BEINGS; Walking Distance with Jason Moran - ...…

2019's dropping hot with the boys examining four brand new releases (one still in the pipeline) by independent types (as opposed to, you know, those big corporate-sponsored names in jazz). Mostly the music leans left, but the final selection is more mainstream and, unusually enough in the jazz world, openly religious. Gabriel Zucker - WEIGHTING ...…

Happy birthday to us - sixth birthday, to be exact. What better way to celebrate than digging into six sextets like they were delicious pieces of cake? And if anyone has the complete run of John Zorn birthday cd's (all five-hundred of 'em), please let Mike or your therapist know. Jeremy Pelt – INSIGHT; Jon Jang – TWO FLOWERS ON A STEM; Lester Y ...…

We've lost a lot of great jazz men and women this year, but Roy Hargrove's passing came as a particular shock. Pat and Mike explore the young lion's career, focusing mostly on acoustic releases but making time for a brief look at Roy's cameo on D'Angelo's ground-breaking Voodoo. After that, Michael Buble bubbles up in the discussion. Who said h ...…

It's our kind of town, so here's another episode devoted to Chicago jazzers, from scat master Kurt Elling (whose poetic sources for his vocalese Mike explains are impeccable) to tenor-slinger Von Freeman (whose views on intonation may disturb younger and more impressionable listeners). A couple more experimental offerings round out the session, ...…

You know it's going to be a good episode when Pat and Mike get to discuss Paul Anka taking on Nirvana in depth. It only gets better as we explore contemporary work by an avant garde reedman and more approachable performances by a bass clarinet specialist. Stay tuned for Mike's musings on supposed "Dad-rock" favorite R.E.M. - and why they were s ...…

A couple vinyl selections from "back in the day" and two brand new releases are on the docket this time, and the results are mostly good. Mike faces his fusion fears and finds a happy ending with Pat Martino while Pat (the bastard, not the guitarist) likes Javon Jackson's latest more than he can adequately explain. Like all good podcasts, this ...…

Jazz pianist and composer Randy Weston departed this earth earlier this year, so the boys devote an episode to his music (along with some discussion of arranger/trombonist Melba Liston, whose work was crucial to some of his best albums). Do we get too teleological? You be the judge. Randy Weston: UHURU AFRIKA; BLUE MOSES; SPIRIT OF OUR ANCESTOR ...…

Crazy, daddy-o - it's an episode devoted to experimental music. The boys start things off by interviewing Sarah Bernstein, who discusses her career in music, her various ongoing groups. and her new album Crazy Lights Shining. Afterwards the boys plunge into some hard-core experimental instrumental music, to see just how whiny Pat can get (spoil ...…

Fred Rogers never went to 'Nam - that's just one of the many insights we learn from interviewing the charming and talented Keri Johnsrud about her collaboration with pianist Kevin Bales based on songs written by the man we like to call "Cole Porter in a cardigan." After the interview, the boys discuss three other albums with at least a tangenti ...…

Is it chilly in here or is it just us? The bastards take on the coolest buffet of music yet on offer by this august podcast, so pry open that sweater drawer and grab a hot beverage. Pop matters also might xylophone the old neck bone, as Gillian Welch's "The Harrow and the Harvest" presents its own brand of folkie cool. The Necks – BODY: Evan Pa ...…

Even what sounds like a police raid in progress can't stop the bastards from discussing two brand new releases, along with a couple selections from the earlier 'aughts. Mike isn't happy about electric pianos, Pat finds a new Russian saxist to look out for, and the discussion's short (if not sweet) for a change. Sasha Mashin – OUTSIDE THE BOX; H ...…

From chaos order as the boys realize that a couple of Pat's random LP haul both have a connection with the sexiest country and the rest of the episode just falls into place. Come for Pat's mispronunciations, stay for Mike's penetrating analysis of white man dancing on Letterman. Michel LeGrand – LEGRAND JAZZ; Circle - LIVE IN PARIS; Coleman Haw ...…

Across the pond we go to look at work by four up'n'comin' UK artists/groups (yes, there are such things as jazz groups). The boys delve deep into the in-jokes behind Shatner's Bassoon and, to wrap things about, talk about Herbie Hancock's recent concert and film appearances. Shatner’s Bassoon – DISCO EROSION; Jason Rebello – HELD; Zoe Rahman Tr ...…

At Mike's suggestion we check out some lesser known - and lesser loved - projects by major jazz artists, from the MOR sellout of Bill Evans' "Plays VIPs" to Duke Ellington's fantasia on jazz history and domestic violence, "A Drum is a Woman." After the main event is over, stay tuned for half an hour of wide-ranging talk on the Lovecraftian rock ...…

Mike's been hustled down in Texas, so Pat's without adult supervision when he interviews Glenn Crytzer about his new big band project: "Ain't It Grand." Glenn talks about the challenges of playing vintage jazz authentically, writing in the style of the period, and leading a band in the post making-money-from-album-sales era. The episode conclud ...…

We're back from our extended look at Cecil Taylor's challenging music and ready for more accessible - if equally rewarding - work by various artists in the modern mainstream. There's a little bit about food, a little bit about Lovecraft, and a lot about four very fine albums that have nothing to do with either edibles or interdimensional monste ...…

Cecil Taylor has always stood somewhat uneasily outside the jazz tradition - at least from the point of view of jazz traditionalists. This episode, Mike and Pat explore his challenging, exhausting, and sometimes off-putting music - and we like to think we nailed it. Cecil Taylor – LOOKING AHEAD!; NEFERTITI THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HAS COME; NAILED; TH ...…

After a serious discussion of where and where not a samosa should be put, the boys launch into examinations of two classic jazz releases and two much more recent efforts by the second wave of "young lions". Wes Montgomery – LIVE IN PARIS THE DEFINITIVE ORTF RECORDINGS; Alice Coltrane – MONASTIC TRIO; Jon Gordon – ALONG THE WAY; J. D. Allen – RA ...…

Rump-shakin' is the order of the day when the boys check out four examples of the "party jazz" genre, with influences from New Orleans to India. Stay tuned for Mike's adventures in a lead balloon. Preservation Hall Jazz Band – THAT’S IT; Red Baraat – SHRUGGY JI; Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – HYPNOTIC JOINTS; Craig Handy – CRAIG HANDY AND SECOND LIN ...…

More cherry pickin' from polls, as the boys discuss four 2017 releases that got good notices in the jazz press. All four of these releases give the fellows warm fuzzies - of one intensity or another. Yazz Ahmed – LA SABOTEUSE; Jaimie Branch – FLY OR DIE; Courtney Pine – BLACK NOTES FROM THE DEEP; Binker and Moses – JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN OF FO ...…

It's all female vocalists this time, and the conversations about sultriness get pretty deep - when they aren't painfully shallow. Rene Marie – VERTIGO; Sophie Milman – MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY; Monica Zetterlund with the Bill Evans Trio – WALTZ FOR DEBBIE; Cecile McLoren Salvant – DREAMS AND DAGGERS.

To put Louis Armstrong into context, Mike leads Pat kicking and screaming through recordings by five of Louis' contemporaries. Who can redeem the period's vocalizin'? Boswell Sisters to the rescue. Henry “Red” Allen – CHRONOLOGICA L CLASSICS 1929-1933; King Oliver - KING OLIVER AND HIS ORCHESTRA 1929-1930; Oscar “Papa” Celestin/Sam Morgan – THE ...…

It's a whole episode dedicated to the great Louis Armstrong's 1930's Decca tracks in all their glory and strangeness. Skeletons in the closest will boogie before all's said and done, and Mike will flex his cultural studies chops more than once. Plus a look at some of the biggest pop stars of the last decade and Bryan Ferry. Louis Armstrong: THE ...…

Sometimes we get review copies - sometimes we talk about them. Four youngish artists with quite recentish releases go under the microscope. Then, pop matters is all about the fab four and the very un-fab Sgt. Peppers movie.

Together at last, the boys talk a random assortment of jazz releases and then get to the nitty-gritty: what did Mike think of Hamilton and what is going on in the apartment beneath him? Juli Wood – SYNKKA METSA; Alex Sipiagin – RETURNING; The Necks – SILVERWATER; Vienna Art Orchestra – DUKE ELLINGTON’S SOUND OF LOVE.…

Mike's laid up sick, so Pat whips up a "bonus" episode on Duke Ellington's suites. Did Ellington write a twenty-minute, six-movement suite just to get into Queen Elizabeth II's royal knickers? No way of knowing, but it's fun to speculate. Duke Ellington – SUCH SWEET THUNDER, QUEEN’S SUITE, FAR EAST SUITE, NEW ORLEANS SUITE.…

We depart from our usual format to offer an interview with saxophone player and composer Charles McPherson. Charles discusses an early encounter with Charlie Parker, lessons from Barry Harris, a wild first night employed by Charles Mingus, what bebop means to him, and several other topics. We don't focus on particular albums, but Charles recomm ...…

It's a podcast first - Pat votes to ban a jazz musician from further discussion. Who's the lucky winner? Plus, if you're patient enough, Mike talks hats and gropers. Gregory Porter – MEET ME IN THE ALLEY, NAT “KING” COLE & ME; Kamasi Washington – HARMONY OF DIFFERENCE; Matt Wilson – HONEY AND SALT.

It's the podcasts' fifth anniversary so the albums discussed feature quintets. Laughs, insights, and just a few sentimental moments as the boys contemplate this milestone. Oh, and they rant about Microsoft just a little bit. Ronald Shannon Jackson – SHANNON’S HOUSE; Oliver Lake – PROPHET; Jimmy Lyons – GIVE IT UP; Kenny Cox – INTRODUCING KENNY ...…

Thelonious Sphere Monk turns one-hundred this year, which is approximately the number of albums based on his music released each year. Mike and Pat discuss the master's recently unearthed sound track to Dangerous Liaisons and three fairly recently tribute albums to his deathless music. Thelonious Monk - LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES; (Plays Monk) – ...…

Mike and Pat welcome special guest Eric Allen, co-author of 50 Years at the Village Vanguard – Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and discuss the book along with early recordings by the band and a couple other seventies big bands. All three agree - ain't no way Pat's letting Maynard Ferguson into his blanket fort. Thad Jones ...…

In this banger, Ethan Iverson's "Do the Math" blog inspires Mike and Pat to explore the early years of pianist Geri Allen's career. Pat keeps confusing Ethan with Allen, while Mike illustrates Melanie Klein's "good bassist / bad bassist theory" in his discussion of Geri's appearance in two trio super-groups. Geri Allen - THE PRINTMAKERS, TWYLIG ...…

Mike leads us back, back, back into the wilds of pre-LP jazz as we discuss Bud Powell, Mary Lou Williams, and Tadd Dameron. Then Pat goes and ruins it with a selection from Ferit Odman, who at least had the decency to keep it all-analog. Mary Lou Williams – ZODIAC SUITE; Tadd Dameron – COMPLETE CAPITOL AND BLUE NOTE RECORDINGS OF FATS NAVARRO A ...…

In this follow-up to the epic "lite jazz" explorations of episode 63, the boys look at three whistle-stops on the Soul train line, and check out a foundational document of lite jazz by George "Pencil-Stash" Benson. Grover Washington Jr. – SOULBOX; Hank Crawford – DON’T YOU WORRY ‘BOUT A THING; George Benson – BREEZIN’; David Sanborn – VOYEUR.…

Two avante garde guitars two generations apart are the focus this time, as Mike and Pat look at releases from Sonny Sharrock and Mary Halvorson. Plus, Mike unloads on Pat for his Beach Boys obsession. Sonny Sharrock – GUITAR, ASK THE AGES; Mary Halvorson – MELTFRAME; Tomeka Reid Quartet – SELF TITLED.…

You can make all sorts of connections among the four selections discussed in this episode, but Pat & Mike aren't about trying too hard. Listen as Ambrose Akinmusire (and Stan Getz) enter the ranks of artists "lucky" enough to be discussed three times on this venerable show. Stan Getz – SWEET RAIN; Ambrose Akinmusire – A RIFT IN DECORUM – LIVE A ...…

Peripatetic Pat is in a grumpy mood this episode and can only find a spot of warmth in his cold cold heart for one of the four vocal selections covered. Why can't he not worry and be and/or get happy? Mike has one word for him: Zundoko! Norah Jones – DAY BREAKS; Pink Martini – GET HAPPY; Bobby McFerrin – SPIRITYOUALL; Madeleine Peyroux – SECULA ...…

Mike and Pat welcome special guest Brent Laidler to discuss his album No Matter Where Noir. Brent plays guitar on the album but he also wrote and arranged the pieces, many of which normal human beings can hum. Brent Laidler - NO MATTER WHERE NOIR; Yuji Ohno – LUPIN THE THIRD JAZZ

Listener suggestions guide the boys this time, with jazz inflected rock and camp infected jazz filling the playlist. Bettye LaVette - INTERPRETATIONS: THE BRITISH ROCK SONGBOOK; Frank Zappa - MAKE A JAZZ NOISE HERE; Joni Mitchell – MINGUS; Ed Palermo Big Band - THE GREAT UNAMERICAN SONGBOOK

The forecast for this cast is . . . well, we're doing a show about four alto sax players named Sonny. Make your own meteorological joke. Sonny Stitt – REARIN’ BACK/ TRIBUTE TO ELLINGTON; Sonny Fortune – SERENGETI MINSTREL; Sonny Criss – SONNY’S DREAM; Sonny Simmons – BURNING SPIRITS.

What do John Pizzarelli, Sun Ra, Jack DeJohnette and Brandford Marsalis have in common? You tell us. We spread the joy and opprobrium in equal measure this time, with kudos for Marsalis, Elling and . . . Sting? and clipped wings for Pizzarelli's all-McCartney effort. John Pizzarelli – MIDNIGHT MCCARTNEY; Sun Ra – THE SINGLES (Evidence 2D); Jack ...…

Arthur Blythe was Columbia's last major "out" signing, and he gets the full episode treatment now that he's playing with the angels. Horace Tapscott – THE GIANT HAS AWAKENED; Arthur Blythe –LENOX AVENUE BREAKDOWN, LIGHT BLUE; Roots - STABLEMATES. Plus, Pat misses by that much on all four selections of the Mike-citement meter.…

After a quick rant / mission statement re: this very podcast to which you're listening, Mike and Pat discuss child prodigies, Bowie sidekicks, french violinists, and a cast of dozens more. Now put that harmonica down and step away from it slowly! Joey Alexander – MY FAVORITE THINGS; Bruno Vansina - THE MORNING FOREST (AKA NOSE UP BOTTOM DOWN); ...…