Straight No Chaser

Sunday, September 13

Tonight we hear from many new releases, the most important being Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas, the Temple University Jazz band, and Sammy Figueroa, to compare with great oldies from Freddie Hubbard, Crutis Fuller and George Cables.

Sunday, September 6

We have a mix of new and old tonight, with the latest from trumpet player Nicholas Payton and Kenny Barron, and classics from Gene Ammons, Canonball Adderley and jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan.

Sunday, August 30

Straight No Chaser closes out the old month with new music from the Larry Douglas & Jorge Pineda Alltet, The Motor City Jazz Octet, and tenor saxophonist George Garzone with Esperanza Spalding.

Also hear the latest from Mike LeDonne's Groover Quartet. The group features prolific organist and pianist Mike LeDonne, and has been the featured Tuesday night band at Smoke jazz club in New York City for several years. 

Sunday, August 23

It's a night of all-new issues, including the latest releases from jazz artists J.D. Allen, Jeremy Pelt, George Cables, Cyrus Chestnut and Joshua Breakstone. We'll also feature the newest album by the Todd Marcus Jazz Orchestra, Blues for Tahrir. This jazz nonet presents original music with hints of Middle-Eastern influences that reflect the bandleader Marcus's Egyptian-American roots.

Sunday, August 16

Tonight Straight No Chaser features a few pairs of instrumentalists. First we'll hear from saxophonists Phil Woods and Stan Getz, followed by Ray Bryant and Roger Kellaway-- both multi-talented pianists and composers.

Sunday, August 9

Tonight we take a listen to more significant reissues from Mosaic Records' Limited Edition series. We will hear the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Woody Shaw, Johnny Hodges, J.J. Johnson and Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band. 

Mulligan formed the Concert Jazz Band in 1960 as his own experiment with the personnel of a traditional big band. Several legendary musicians passed through the band over its short lifespan including Thad Jones, Doc Severinsen, and Zoot Sims. 

Sunday, August 2

Tonight Straight No Chaser kicks off the new month with a trip in the 'wayback machine'. We'll hear from the aptly-named Slide Hampton and his nine-piece World of Trombones band. Also three masters of the keys: pianists Horace Silver and Norman Simmons, and organist Jimmy Smith.

Sunday, July 26

Tonight’s Straight No Chaser is a whirlwind, as we jump from the very latest recordings to trips in the wayback machine. We open with tunes from trumpeter Woody Shaw from decades ago, then segue to the latest issue from May of this year by guitarist Joshua Breakstone. Later there’s new Cyrus Chestnut next to old Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. And how can you argue with a tenor player named Zoot?

Sunday, July 19

This week on Straight No Chaser we open with a brand new, just-unwrapped recording from tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. Allen has put out multiple recordings in 2015: a collaboration with the Swedish Jan Lundgren Quartet, and a tribute to George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington.

We'll continue with selections from jazz greats Jimmy Smith and Ahmad Jamal. Also hear Stan Getz as he performs with  trombonist J.J. Johnson and with pianist Bill Evans.

Sunday, July 12

This week Straight No Chaser features new selections from Cyrus Chestnut and trumpeter and producer Jeremy Pelt. Pelt's most recent recording, Tales, Musings and Other Reveries, was released in January of this year and features tracks about recent national issues and Pelt's own personal relationships. We'll also hear great stuff from the Modern Jazz Quartet, Paul Desmond and Groove Holmes with Gene Ammons.