Blogs

Some soulful jazz coming up at 8 pm tonight on Jazz After Dark. The Moe Koffman Quartet, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Harold Ashby & The Duke's Men, Chico Hamilton, Sonny Stitt, Erroll Garner, Etta Jones, James Moody, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Clifford Jordan, Eliane Elias, Frank Wess.

Photo clockwise from upper left: James Moody, Chico Hamilton, Clifford Jordan, Moe Koffman.

During the 1950's two small labels, Sun Records and Chess Records, featured a stable of musicians that included  Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry.  Influenced by the aforementioned artists, Bob Dylan travelled to Nashville to produce "John Wesley Harding and  “Nashville Skyline.” Gram Parsons, during his brief stint with the Byrds, with Chris Hillman, influenced that band to produce the classic “Sweetheart at the Rodeo.” And, as early as 1965, the Beatles, fans of Buck Owens and Carl Perkins, included a cover of a Buck Owens song on their album “Help.” Linda Ronstadt, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, too, contribute to this country catalogue.  We’ll also hear from Tex-Mex rockers, The Last Bandolaros, representing the significant influence on country music from our Southern border.

To honor the 40th anniversary of Davis' Blue Mango Cooperative Restaurant, KDRT 95.7 FM is hosting a special evening of music by the Bill Scholer and Jan Peters Reunion Band, held on the patio of Parkside Davis, the former site of the Blue Mango, from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18. The event is free - no tickets needed. A portion of Parkside Bar and Lounge proceeds from that evening will be donated to KDRT, as part of our 2019 Fall Fundraising events celebrating 15 years of grassroots community radio.

The Blue Mango was incorporated as a worker's cooperative by a group of Davis residents associated with the Fly By Night Dance & Music Troupe. Opening in October 1979, it became a cultural hub for the next 15 years, employing hundreds of worker-owners, serving nutritious vegetarian cuisine, and providing a lively venue for hundreds of musicians, artists and activists, who regularly met and performed there. Bill Scholer and Jan Peters, who went on to become distinguished professional musicians, were prominent at the Blue Mango and  its legendary Alley Dances in the 1980s. 

Often considered the world's premier banjo player, Bela Fleck's  sound defies just one description. On October 18, he will appear locally at the Mondavi Center in Jackson Hall, joined by Zakir Hussain (tabla), Edgar Meyer (double bass), and their special guest Rakesh Chaurasia (bansuri – Indian flute).  The Mondavi's show description states "Most musicians hope at most for proficiency in their chosen form, but these gentlemen move from bluegrass to Western classical to Indian classical to jazz, transmuting genres into something uniquely their own".  This Thursday, Oct. 3rd, from 5-7pm KDRT's Rodriguez will air a 30-minute phone interview he recently recorded with Bela Fleck on his weekly show "Silver Nine Volt Heart".  We asked Rodriguez how it went, and he responded "Whenever the opportunity to see art or hear music by someone known as the "world's finest" arises, I go for it!

Coming up tonight on Jazz After Dark: Ethel Ennis, Art Pepper, John Coltrane, Vince Guaraldi, Ella Fitzgerald & The Tommy Flanagan Trio, Stan Hunter & Sonny Fortune, Herbie Mann, James Moody, Harold Ashby, Eva Cassidy, Dianne Reeves, Ahmad Jamal.

Broadcasts live 8 pm Tuesdays on KDRT-LP 95.7 FM in Davis, CA.

Replays Monday 11 pm, Tuesday 12 midnight, Wednesday 10 pm

On 3 October, Thursday at 1:00pm, "That's Life" host Lois Richter will interview Councilmember Dan Carson. He will explain about the CHANGE TO DISTRICT ELECTIONS. Both the history of why it happened and the complex process we are now in to finish setting things up.

There will be more public meetings, but things are happening VERY fast (because of the state-mandated 90-day timeframe) so if you are interested in elections, NOW is the time to pay attention!

If you have questions you would like me to pose to Dan, please email them to the show's new eddress -- KDRT.ThatsLife@gmail.com -- before 8:00 am Thursday.

"That's Life" broadcasts live at 1 pm Thursdays, re-plays @ 2pm Sundays.

Coming up tonight on Jazz After Dark: Ella Fitzgerald, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges, Ken Sykora, Chet Baker & Paul Desmond, Jaki Byard & Tommy Flanagan, WDR Big Band Köln & Joe Williams with Milt Jackson, Wynton Marsalis.

Photo, clockwise from upper left: Chet Baker, Ken Sykora, John Lewis, Jaki Byard.

If you’re following the Ken Burn’s documentary “Country Music,” you’ll have heard about the Bristol recordings. In 1927 Ralph Peer, with the Victor Talking Machine Co., set up a temporary music studio in Bristol, Va., to record Appalachian musicians and their songs. The best-known artists emerging from the sessions are Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. Rusty Nail will explore the Bristol recordings, pairing an original recording with a more contemporary cover of that same song. One cover featured in this week's program includes Boz Scaggs with Duane Allman on guitar. The show will open with two songs highlighting families living and working in coal country. Not often associated with country music, Natalie Merchant contributes to the coal country song list, and provides beautiful and haunting vocals. 

Tune into Reaper Radio on KDRT from 10 pm to Midnight Friday, Sept. 20th  for a chance to win a pair of general admission weekend passes to Aftershock 2019 - Oct. 11th -13th at Discovery Park, Sacramento.  Described as the largest rock/metal festival in California, it has sold out for the past few years, so this year they've expanded to a 3-day festival.  Listen tonight and KDRT DJ "The Alchemist" will announce this week's featured artist at the beginning of Reaper Radio. When you hear the featured artist, log onto the KDRT 95.7 FM Facebook page and enter the title of the song played. The first correct response will win the pair of weekend passes. More information about Aftershock here: https://bit.ly/2Xb7suD