Monday, October 24
In conjunction with the October feature celebrating tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet, Night Train steps aside for specials celebrating two tenors making their mark today.
Tenor player Mark Turner has released a relatively small set of discs as a leader, with the preponderance of his work represented by his extensive sideman activities and the work of Fly, his trio with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard. This mix seems to be changing as German label ECM is providing Turner with more opportunities to present his work on his own releases. We'll hear selections from across his career in a Jazz at 100 Today special in hour one.
Then in hour two of the show, Jazz at 100 Today continues its look at modern tenor titans with a show devoted to Joe Lovano. For almost forty years, Lovano has produced a series of discs as a leader in a wide range of formats, from duos and trios to nonets, dectets, and large ensembles. Always in demand, his guest appearances on other leaders' dates have produced some of his best work.
Tuesday, October 25
Night Train continues the October feature celebrating the centennial birthday of saxophonist Illinois Jacquet with work he did on a classic album from vocalist Johnny Hartman. We also mark the birthdays of trombonist Robin Eubanks (wit Dr. Lonnie Smith and as a leader) and legendary tenor saxophonist, composer, and band leader Jimmy Heath (from a final beautiful ballads album, as part of the Heath Brothers, and in a special in hour two of the show). And we'll check out new sounds tonight from guitarist John Stein and the Reid Hoyson Project.
Wednesday, October 26
Tonight on the Night Train, we mark birthdays of Mahalia Jackson (with Duke Ellington), trumpeter Eddie Henderson (on a recent release with the Cookers), French third stream star Jacques Loussier (reinterpreting Vivaldi), and keyboard player Mike LeDonne (on a new album with Mike Clark and Leon Lee Dorsey and in a special in hour two of the show).
Thursday, October 27
Night Train features some soul jazz past and present tonight, including Gene Ammons, the Godfathers of Groove, Lou Donaldson, Sonny Stitt, Dave Stryker, the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, the Soul Message Band, and Tony Monaco. We'll also hear an inspiring version of "The Creator Has a Master Plan" from two greats we recently lost – Pharoah Sanders and Joey DeFrancesco.
