Billie Holiday 5

Frank Strozier

Frank Strozier, a powerful and dynamic player on the otherwise softer instruments of alto saxophone and flute, was born in 1937 and came of age in Memphis the 1950's among an influential group of young musicians who combined the soulful Southern rhythms with the intricacies and sophistication of bebop to create a style and sound that has a lasting impact in the development of modern jazz.  Strozier made his first mark with the “MJT + 3" group.  He also played with Memphis buddies such as Booker Little, George Coleman, and Harold Mabern, among others in the New York area.  Frank was in the Roy Haynes group for a time. In the mid-60's he moved to California, working with people like Shelley Manne and Oliver Nelson.  He briefly was in the famous Miles Davis organization.  Strozier returned to be a prominent player on the New York jazz scene in the 1970's and early 1980's.  But thereafter he retired from music and became a science teacher in Yonkers, still occasionally sighted the piano in the Westchester area.  The radio show will present a retrospective of his various recordings, which will impress you with his power, lyricism, and personal voice, a strong musician who should be wider known.   originally broadcast June 2, 2013

Shirley Scott

Shirley Scott was born in 1934 in Philadelphia and was raised in a musical family.  As a schoolchild she played both trumpet and the piano.  She began playing jazz professionally on the then-robust and creative Philadelphia jazz scene.  Upon embarking in earnest in her professional career, in the mid 1950's Shirley turned to the Hammond B-3 Organ and established herself as one of the primary figures in our jazz organ canon.   Her first major professional association, and what a great one it was, was in the dynamic combos of saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, performing around the country and creating classic albums such as the Cookbooks.  By the early 1960's, Scott became one of the foremost jazz organists.  In this fertile and prominent period of her career, Shirley led her own groups, appeared as an accompanist to her then-husband Stanley Turrentine, and also used Stanley as her “sideman” – she produced prolific recording outputs in all these formats.   Scott stepped aside from her touring career in her later years, and focused on education in her native Pennsylvania, establishing a jazz music program at Cheney State University.  She continued to perform, mainly on piano, and she remained an important figure and mentor in Philadelphia, and on the national jazz scene, as well.   Shirley developed health problems in her sixties after taking the dietary supplement fen-phen, and she died of heart disease in 2002.  As a legal footnote to her life story, Shirley won a significant lawsuit against the makers of the drug shortly before her demise.   originally broadcast April 14, 2019

Miles Davis Centennial 1

For the Miles Davis Centennial (May 26, 1926) WKCR presented a series of marathon programming over several days. Here's one of my segments.  It includes selections of Sonny Rollins, Miles with Bob Dorough, and then over two hours of an in depth listen to the Bill Evans association with Davis.

Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy (1932-2015) was an unsung hero among modern jazz vocalists, a cult figure who deserves wider recognition, a primary influence for new generations of jazz singers. He was a risk taker of musical invention.  Murphy was a masterful scat singer and a champion of vocalese with compositions such as Stolen Moments and Red Clay.  Mark’s outlook is that of a wide ranging humanist, including his poetry and theatrical sides, with interpolations from Jack Kerouac, Lord Buckley, and other literary greats in his songs and presentations.  And he possessed a sturdy baritone on standards and Brazilian songs. Murphy was born in Syracuse, NY and made his first name as a pop-jazz singer with recordings on the Decca and Capitol labels.  He hit his stride upon moving to New York City in the early 1960's, and with hip modern recordings on Riverside.  Since then he traveled the world as a vibrant, performing force. This episode provides five hours of fun. originally broadcast December 4, 2011

Charles Mingus 2

WKCR presents a marathon broadcast celebrating Charles Mingus annually, on his birthday anniversary, April 22.   From my segment on the 2026 edition, I presented a variety of sounds, among them a selection of early Debut recordings, and a feature of live concerts of the 1964 ensemble with Eric Dolphy (about an hour towards the end).