Today, April 29, 2017 is Duke Ellington 118th birthday. Phil Schaap will be presenting Duke's recordings from the STRAYHORN, Blanton, Webster period. He is sure to mention Billy Strayhorn's Pittsburgh roots. He will broadcast from 4-9 PM ET (Saturday, April 29). 

Tune in to : WKCR.org for 24 hours of Duke Ellington's music!

https://www.facebook.com/147769051909258/videos/964018323617656/

DAY 28 #Throwback! Exactly two years ago I posted this rap to remind everyone to vote for "This Isn't Art" in the @thejlsc! Today a song I collaborated on with Razteria…

/>On song ... Ella Fitzgerald in the 1950s. ;">Saturday 22 April 2017 06.00 EDT…

A Servant of Rhythm From Ghana, in Texas

My Friends.

 Happy Easter to and yours...!

                                                                    …

"When the Count Basie orchestra came north from Kansas City in the fall of 1936, they made gigs in Chicago (The Grand Terrace) and New York (Roseland Ballroom), but they also had a few runs in early 1937 in Pittsburgh where they played in the Chatterbox Room in Steel Town's Hotel William Penn. The giant of the bass, Ray Brown, had an older brother who had a job at the Hotel William Penn and he brought his 10 year old kid brother to work. The Count Basie Orchestra did quite a bit of…

THE MUSICIANS FOUNDATION

By

Nelson E. Harrison, Ph. D., RA, ASCAP

November 18, 2005 10:56 PM – February 23, 2017 12:29 AM

"Jazz musicians are the only workers who will put in a full shift for pay and then go somewhere else and continue to work for free."---George Carlin

All joking aside musicians are an endangered species.  They are dying off…

Friends! Please accept my apologies for the recent radio silence.... I will work on doing better, especially in these distressingly troubling times, at maintaining communication. The Book of Face and the Tweeter and the 'Gram are excellent tools for…

Bill "Honky Tonk" Doggett  just turned 101 years old yesterday, February 16th 2017

London's BLUES&RHYTHM Magazine just published this Feature based on my longer Feature article submitted.     The Melody lingers on.  Visit the Tribute website. http://billdoggettcentennial.com…

I'm passing along Phil Schaap's account of Fred Staton's 102nd birthday bash:

An outpouring of love as well as a display of pure musical joy occurred at Local 802 (the Big Apple branch of the American Federation of Musicians) as several hundred gathered to celebrate the 102nd birthday of Fred Staton (born Sunday, February 14, 1915). Fred attended and played!!!! Mr. Staton is a tenor saxophonist. Robert Smalls, the last African American Congressman from the days of Reconstruction,…

 Jazz Fans,

As I’m sure you already know, Tuesday is Valentine’s Day and since Savoy is closed on Tuesdays, Monday Night Jazz will celebrate that day with the sophisticated and romantic sounds of vocalist, Fred Pugh III and Tony Campbell’s Jazz Surgery. 

With that in mind, Savoy is reserving most of the dining room tables for all those diners celebrating Valentine’s Day with us.  As always, the cocktail tables at the front of the house and the bar will be available for…

February marks the beginning of Black History Month. Various institutions will celebrate the accomplishments of Black citizens, who rightly deserve acknowledgement for their achievements. Phil Schaap will host his annual Black History Month broadcast, in honor of those musicians who, at the forefront of racial discrimination, created a legacy of incomparable music.

Saturday, (2/4), 6:00 PM (EST) - Fletcher Henderson's music will be explored. Henderson, a graduate of Atlanta College,…