Tonight on Jazz After Dark: Benny Goodman, Don Byas Quartet, Thelonious Monk Quintet, Erroll Garner, Nat "King" Cole, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Dave Pike, Duke Pearson, Ella Fitzgerald, Pete Candoli, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, and Red Garland.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed “care courts” for every California county. They would “allow treatment for more homeless people with severe mental health and addiction disorders,” says the Associated Press, “but also compel some of them into care.”
That’s a change — compelling severely disturbed people to accept care, instead of just offering it to them. Bill Pride, executive director of Davis Community Meals and Housing and one of today’s guests on Davisville, estimates that half of people who are homeless have a severe mental health disorder. This change could make a major difference in their lives, and in the extent of homelessness. Pride cautions that achieving this change in care would require years of sustained efforts and expense. We also talk with Yolo Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven about the county’s existing Mental Health Court, and how Newsom’s proposal might work alongside what Yolo already does.
Nat Lefkoff is a musician "dedicated to distilling the human condition," his website biography says. "He will disarm you with a modest demeanor as his tectonic voice shifts your consciousness alongside his skillfully crafted lyrics. His acclaimed songs 'Great White Planes' and 'Damn' show off the honesty, vulnerability and intensity of his lyrics and enchanting performance style. The warm tone of his voice sweeps from an understated whisper to an erupting volcano. His performances are a visceral experience that pull at your heart until it surrenders. Nat's music is more than a collection of chords and sincere words, it is the experience of life, masterfully articulated into song."
Today's topics include why citrus leaves are yellowing, and some favorite summer vegetable varieties.
This morning, we played Dublin-based Lankum's rendition of the song "Salonika." Although not traditional -- its authorship is unknown -- it was a popular dance hall song in Cork during World War 1. The Munster Fusiliers were attached to British forces stationed in Thessaloniki, Greece. Wives of the Irish soldiers received a stipend. Young Irishmen who didn't join up were called "slackers" -- there certainly wasn't much love for the British army at the time -- but their families suffered financially. The song went out of fashion for decades, but was repopularized by groups like The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers during the '60s folk revival. Singer Jimmy Crowley says "it's a tremendous song, because it gives insights into the lives of Irish women during WW1."
Jazz from the 1940s, 1960s, and more: Billie Holiday, Erroll Garner, Stan Kenton And His Orchestra, Louis Armstrong & Billie Holiday, Lee Morgan, Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans, Herbie Mann & The Bill Evans Trio, Pete Fountain, Eddie Jefferson, Stan Getz, Pedro Iturralde with Donna Hightower, and Cassandra Wilson.
Today's subjects include peppers and other summer vegetables, plus quick tips for tomato success.
The Brothers celebrate some of the women who have made history in the world of folk and roots music, including Odetta, Barbara Dane, Lydia Mendoza and Big Mama Thornton. Also, new tracks from Karine Polwart, Nick Hart, Ye Vagabonds, and TRIP.
Mostly 1940s jazz selections tonight: swing, big band, a little bebop and more.
We’ll hear: Mildred Bailey & Red Norvo and His Orchestra, Billie Holiday, Sidney Bechet, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams' Girl Stars, and Erroll Garner.
From the 1950s we’ll hear Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Jimmy Scott, Stan Getz with Zoot Sims, Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington, Sonny Stitt, and Oscar Peterson.
It'll take awhile to fully understand what the pandemic has changed at UC Davis, but we learn more about the impact today during a return visit with longtime instructor Andy Jones. Andy, who is also an educational technologist, last appeared on Davisville a year ago, when the pandemic was about a year old. At the time, he was teaching one of the first classes to meet in person since the pandemic shut down the campus in spring 2020. Conditions have improved this past year — UC Davis will mostly stop requiring masks indoors on March 19 — but “normal” no longer means what it did. We talk about what that means, plus opportunities that have emerged from the disruption.
