CURRENT SCHEDULE on WMOT-FM 89.5, Nashville, TN
Sundays, 12:00 Noon, Central Standard Time
Audio streamed at: www.wmot.org

Sept. 4 - #A6: Labor Day - "The Blindfold Test" 
Remember the popular DownBeat Magazine Blindfold Tests where musicians listened to records commenting on the music without being told what or who it was? With everyone relaxing for the Labor Day weekend, we thought it would be fun to play some interesting tracks from swing to bop to vocals to see if you can guess what they are. Watch out, we may have a few tricks in our bag!

Sept. 11 - #54: Jazz & Theater, Vol. 1: "The Jazz Soul of Porgy & Bess"
In the 50's, jazz albums of Broadway musicals were everywhere. This 1959 big band version of Gershwin's popular opera is a forgotten gem. The arrangements by the little-known Bill Potts really swing and the all-star band includes Phil Woods, Zoot Sims, Bill Evans, and more.

Sept. 18 - #55: Jazz & Theater, Vol. 2: "Guys & Dolls"
In the late 50’s, 2 jazz versions of the big Broadway hit were produced by vibes players. Besides Eddie Costa’s great vibes work, Guys and Dolls like Vibes was one of the first records by legendary pianist Bill Evans. Swinging Guys and Dolls by The Manhattan Jazz All-Stars featured vibist Teddy Charles with Phil Woods, Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, and a rare studio turn by pianists Mose Allison and bop legend Sir Charles Thompson.

Sept. 25 - #A9: "The Make-Believe Ballroom" An Incomplete History of Jazz Radio, Vol. 1
To help public radio with its pledge drives, we've created a colorful 4-show trip back through the history of jazz on radio. From the first live broadcast in 1906, to swing music played on World War II military stations, part 1 of our story gets illustrated with rare broadcast recordings including New Orleans clarinetist Jimmie Noone live with King Oliver's Creole jazz band in 1923, Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club, Count Basie at the Savoy, Louis Armstrong sitting in with Benny Goodman's Sextet, Frank Sinatra at Roseland, Art Tatum, Roy Eldridge, Cab Calloway, and a 19-year old Bud Powell playing blues with Cootie Williams.

Oct. 2 - #56: Jazz & Theater, Vol. 3: "The Other Fair Ladies"
A 1956 jazz album of “My Fair Lady” started the craze for Broadway jazz albums. Revisit America's favorite musical with little known versions of the “Lady” by Billy Taylor, Shirley Scott, Sonny Rollins, Etta Jones, and Shelly Manne’s West coast big band with forgotten horn men Don Sleet and Charlie Kennedy. Plus 2 cool numbers by vocalists Annie Ross and Janis Siegal.

Oct. 9 - #57: Jazz & Theater, Vol. 4: Five Canaries & A Birdie"
Five great jazz vocalists help us explore the history of musical theater as a source for jazz from minstrel shows to modern Broadway. Our canaries include Mildred Bailey with a 1928 Fats Waller song, Chris Conner sings Cole Porter, San Francisco’s wonderful Weslia Whitfield does Rogers & Hart, Kurt Weill gets modernized by Nancy Marano, and the great Ella Fitzgerald does classic Gershwin. Then we move to 1964 for a forgotten big band version of "Bye Bye Birdie" by arranger Bill Potts with Phil Woods, Gene Quill, Clark Terry, and Joe Newman.

Oct. 16 - #58: Jazz & Theater, Vol. 5: "The Connection"
Our theater series goes “Off-Broadway” with 3 albums of hard bop jazz from Jack Gelber’s dark, searing 1960 play about New York City junkies. Composer Freddie Redd cut two 1960 versions, first with Jackie McLean, then with Howard McGhee and Tina Brooks. In 1962 a new score was done by baritone virtuoso Cecil Payne and pianist Kenny Drew, recorded with Clark Terry.

Oct. 23 - #2: Lucky Thompson
Lucky was a pioneer of modern tenor sax in the 40's, from featured soloist with Count Basie to early recordings with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis, he exemplified the jazz musician's struggle for recognition and justice for 35 years. In 1978 he quit music and disappeared. 

Oct. 30 - #A7: Halloween - "…Feets Don't Fail Me Now"
Our Annual Halloween Show proves that the hipster set includes ghosts, ghouls, witches and weirdos of all kinds that like to sleep all day and stay out all night in wild, dark places. This spooky collection of jazz tracks from bop to vocals, including Artie Shaw's "Nightmare" and drummer Philly Joe Jones' famous "Blues For Dracula", is guaranteed to rattle your funny bones.

Nov. 6 - #61: "A Diary of Miles Davis, Chap. 1"
An unusual look at the life of a jazz legend. Follow the highs and lows of Miles' career through news clippings, record reviews, sideman quotes, and extremely rare live recordings: a 1949 Paris concert, 1951 Birdland broadcasts, 2 hometown St. Louis gigs with Jimmy Forrest and John Coltrane, a 1955 Boston gig, and a '56 TV show with Trane, Adderley and Leonard Bernstein.

Nov. 13 - #62: "A Diary of Miles Davis, Chap. 2"
Part 2 of our unique Davis chronology traces the highs and lows of Miles' career through news clippings, record reviews, sideman quotes, and extremely rare live recordings, including Europe gigs with John Coltrane and Sonny Stitt, a failed 1962 project with Gil Evans, concerts by the progressive 60’s quintets with George Coleman and Wayne Shorter, and the 1969 electric band. 

Nov. 20 - #3: Slam Stewart & Teddy Wilson
Bassist Stewart and pianist Wilson, both unique and famous musician's in the 30’s, often worked together, and with the great names in jazz, from Art Tatum to Benny Goodman to Billie Holiday. But both spent the last half of their 50-year careers working as sidemen, or with unknowns. 

Nov. 27 - #4: Frank Rosolino & Jimmy Cleveland
Two trombone virtuosos (1 based in LA, 1 based in New York ) who made so many recordings, from great bands like Quincy Jones and Stan Kenton, to Broadway and movie soundtracks, that they were typecast as studio musicians, instead of being known as hot jazz soloists. 

Dec. 4 - #5: Elliot Lawrence & Serge Chaloff
Swing-oriented bandleader Lawrence and bop-oriented baritone sax man Chaloff were two unique musicians who pioneered modern jazz from the “4 Brothers” and "Birth of the Cool" perspective. One died too soon, one just left jazz too soon. 

Dec. 11 - #6: Don Byas & Wardell Gray
These innovative saxophonists, Byas in New York and Gray in Los Angeles, were revolutionizing swing era tenor playing into a style called bebop, when 1 died at age 34 and 1 moved to Europe for 26 years. 

Dec. 18 - #A1: "A Jazz Christmas Show"
For Christmas, we take an imaginary time-trip around the world to hear holiday tunes like "White Christmas" done by Charlie Parker in the 40's, plus Jimmy Smith, Bob Dorough & Miles Davis in the 60's, Joe Pass in the 70's, and big bands and Latin groups from today.

Dec. 25 - WMOT Christmas programming

Jan. 1 - #7: Howard McGhee & Teddy Edwards
Saxophonist Edwards and trumpeter McGhee were West Coast bebop pioneers who often worked together. They had long careers and made many recordings, but somehow never captured the public's 

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