Chick peace - in our time

[Serial_Apologist]

Anyone been listening to Jackie Kay's book on Bessie Smith - this week's Book of the Week? Just lick on the clink I provided - It's rather good.

Sat 27 Feb
5pm - J to Z
Julian Joseph pays tribute to one of the all-time greats of jazz piano, Chick Corea, who died earlier this month, aged 79. Julian shares his memories of Corea and celebrates the full arc of his career, from his early work with Stan Getz and his fusion experiments with Miles Davis to seminal trio records and lesser-known collaborations. Plus highlights of Corea's 2018 interview for this programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sq2c

Worth noting that 10pm -New Music Show, features "recent releases" including from Anthony Braxton.

12 midnight - Freeness
Corey Mwamba with the latest jazz and improvised music including heavy guitar distortion, explosive drumming and restless energy from New York ensemble Body Meta, with a name inspired by Ornette Coleman's 1978 album Body Meta. Plus a peek at the new release from Dutch noiseniks Machinefabriek and a 20-year old recording of four of Britain's greatest improvisers, Paul Dunmall (saxophone), Keith Tippett (piano), Philip Gibbs (guitar) and Pete Fairclough (drums).*

I have a lot of these, but the only one I could find from 2001 is Dunmall's "Kunikazu", which has Roberto Bellatalla on bass in addition to the abovementioned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sq2j

Sun 28 Feb
4pm - Jazz Record Requests
Alyn Shipton with requests. Plus a memory of US composer and arranger Sammy Nestico, best known for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra, who died last month aged 96.

That's Sammy not the Count, nor his Orchestra, which is still going, I believe?

http://www.alynshipton.co.uk/blog

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000sqxg

Wednesday's In Tune (5pm) has Pat Metheny interviewed by presenter Sean Rafferty, as well as violinist Hilary Hahn.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000srhx

Then...

Fri 5 March
11pm - Late Junction

Verity Sharp with a mix from tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia, a luminary of the London jazz scene who performs both as a soloist and a key member of bands such as Nérija, Maisha and the Theon Cross trio ...

Other interesting stuff too - I didn't realise cattle whispered! - Tuvan throat-singing, which is much more beautiful than one might realise, and Swiss acoustic rhythms, which sound... ... interesting, full of cuckoos, tick tocks and holes... plus much more!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ss11

[Serial_Apologist]

Having switched on today's Jazz Record Requests after returning home a tad late from a walk in the woods, I assumed, blindfold listening, the first track played to be the week's tribute to Chick Corea - Gwilym Simcock is certainly a good copyist in that Latin area! And Stan almost came across in the 2007 release (which I really ought to have acquired at the time) as Mike Brecker at his more affable. I'd have to check if Chick ever played or recorded with Breckers. I just reminded myself that Alyn fixed March 21 for JRR's tribute.

I was too knackered last night to pay attention to Freeness, and will have to set aside time to listen again. That said, the one track that did engage me was the unaccompanied solo by British tenorist Tom Challenger. I first came across the ginger-mopped Tom in the mid 2000s as still a teenager, I think, and as one of the north-London-based "Loopies" he was already evolving his own voice and conception, which I would go so far as to proclaim as one of the most original stylists on any scene - a rarity in that regard in an age of so many sound-alikes. Back then he seemed somewhere midway between Getz and Rivers, which sounds improbable, but he acknowledged liking both. I, er, challenge anyone to detect influences at work as of now in his playing. I shall have to look up Beetle and Bail.

By the way, checking I now see that the Tippett/Dunmall track played was from 2000's Onosante - which I happen to have but had forgotten just how good it is! It's on Paul's DUNS label, and presumably still available, my understanding being that the BBC doesn't play anything that isn't?