JazzWeek with airplay data powered by jazzweek.com • January 26, 2005 Volume 1, Number 10 • $7.95 In This Issue: Sirius Adds A POWERFUL Lundvall and JAZZ Burton. 4 TRIBUTE: KBEM’s $25K from Clear MILES, Channel. 7 WYNTON, Ken Borgers AND JACK Named MD at JOHNSON KCLU . 8 by Keith and Kent Verve Zimmerman Relaunches p12 Forecast . 9 Reviews and Picks. 16 Jazz Radio . 19 Smooth Jazz Radio. 24 Radio Panels. 28 More News . 4 Charts: #1 Jazz Album – Steve Turre #1 Smooth Album – Soul Ballet #1 Smooth Single – Soul Ballet JazzWeek This Week EDITOR Ed Trefzger adly, we heard the news of Mort Fega’s passing a couple of days ago. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mort was talked about at the Legends of Radio panel that Steve Keith Zimmerman SSchwartz hosted at IAJE, a panel Mort would have been on had he Kent Zimmerman been able to. Mort meant a lot to so many listeners, broadcasters, and musi- Tad Hendrickson cians, and was a friend and mentor to many. We’ll pay tribute to him in an CONTRIBUTING WRITER upcoming issue, and we’d like those of you who knew him best to share your Tom Mallison recollections and tributes. Drop me a note at [email protected] with your PHOTOGRAPHY thoughts; we’ll collect them and share them with everyone. Barry Solof The loss of two jazz radio legends in the past year – Mort and Chuck Niles – makes me wonder from where the next generation of legends is going PUBLISHER to come. I could suggest a few names, but I’m afraid I’d leave somebody out, Tony Gasparre so I won’t, but I wonder if conditions are too infertile. ADVERTISING: Contact Tony Gasparre There are a lot of things that don’t exist now, that did “back in the day.” (585) 235-4685 x3 or For one thing, we don’t have commercial outlets for mainstream jazz like email: [email protected] we did in the past, and we don’t have jazz on (lower case) clear channel AM SUBSCRIPTIONS: Prices in US Dollars: blow torches so that programs are heard over a wide area. Maybe syndica- Charter Rate: $199.00 per year, tion and satellite radio will help; they bring us Jim Wilke, Tony Mowod, and JazzWeek w/ Industry Access – Charter Russ Davis, among others, all deserving of legendary status. Rate: $249.00 per year Secondly, the nature of the business has changed. Dick LaPalm – a leg- To subscribe using Visa/MC/Discover/ end if there ever was one – decried the conversations about spins that have AMEX/PayPal go to: http://www.jazzweek.com/account/ displaced conversations about music between promoters and radio people. I subscribe.html guess we take some of the blame here; we’re providing spin counts that serve as objective measures of a subjective art form. Thirdly, too many stations (and I know I’m going to strike a few nerves AIRPLAY MONITORING BY here) preprogram their music and then add insult to injury by hosting pro- grams with announcers who don’t know a darn thing about the music. Lis- teners don’t want pedantic blowhards announcing jazz, but they do want people who love, care about, and will educate a bit about the music. Mediaguide And finally, radio just doesn’t get excited about the artists like it should. 1000 Chesterbrook Blvd. Miles, Trane, and Brubeck didn’t come out of the womb as household names; Suite 150 excited, enthusiastic, tastemaking DJs made it happen. They can make it hap- Berwyn, PA 19312 pen again. Elsewhere in this issue: Published weekly by • Keith and Kent Zimmerman return with their periodic Take the “Z” Train column, with a thought-provoking essay on Jack Johnson. • In the news, Sirius adds some new hosts, KBEM adds a benefactor, KCLU adds an MD, and Verve adds a label. • Plus Tad Hendrickson has a review of Branford Marsalis live at the 2117 Buffalo Road Village Vanguard, and reviews of some excellent new releases. Suite 317 Rochester, NY 14624 phone: (585) 235-4685 – Ed Trefzger, Editor fax: (585) 235-4685 [email protected] Copyright ©2005 Yellow Dog Communications Inc. jazzweek.com • January 26, 2005 JazzWeek 2 Contents January 26, 2005 News . 4 Sirius Adds Lundvall and Burton to Pure Jazz . 4 Filming Begins on Hank Garland Biopic . 6 KBEM Gets Donation from Clear Channel . 7 Ken Borgers Named MD at KCLU . 8 Passings . 8 6 Verve Forecast Will Be Home to Label’s Adult Contemporary Artists. 9 New Mathis Standards Album on Columbia . 9 Jazz Labels Strike Digital Download Deals With eMusic . 10 Smithsonian Folkways Tracks Now Available at MSN Music . 10 Birthdays . 11 Features A Powerful Jazz Tribute: Miles, Wynton, and Jack Johnson Play the Tyson/Tupac/Huey Newton Blues . 12 12 Reviews and Picks . 16 Dave Douglas . 16 Stefano di Battista . 16 Jeff Parker . 16 Ken Walker Sextet . 17 Live Review: Branford Marsalis . 17 Editors’ Picks . 18 Jazz Charts . 19 19 Jazz Album Chart . 20 Jazz Add Dates . 21 Jazz Current CDs . 22 Jazz Radio Panel . 28 Smooth Jazz Charts . 24 Smooth Album Chart . 25 Smooth Singles Chart. 26 Smooth Current CDs . 27 24 Smooth Radio Panel . 28 JazzWeek Volume 1 Issue 10 jazzweek.com • January 26, 2005 JazzWeek 3 News Lundvall, Burton Hosts of New Weekly Shows on Sirius irius Satellite Radio has added the standard for recorded jazz. Bruce Sirius Inks Deal with Iovine record executive Bruce Lundvall grew up buying Blue Note 78s and Sand vibraphonist Gary Burton now runs the company. He is a true NEW YORK, Jan. 24 – Sirius Satellite to its commercial-free music channel historian and innovator in the jazz Radio has announced the formation of an exclusive creative, marketing “Pure Jazz”. field. From Miles Davis to Norah and promotional alliance with Lundvall, who is president and Jones, Bruce has worked with them Interscope Geffen A&M Records and CEO of EMI Jazz & all, and is able to convey its chairman, Jimmy Iovine. Classics, home to Blue his wealth of knowledge Iovine was instrumental in the Note Records, hosts to our subscribers. He is formation of Shade 45, the just- “The Blue Note Hour” a great addition to the launched, cutting-edge hip-hop on Fridays at 6 p.m. ET. Sirius tradition of great channel co-executive produced by Lundvall began moon- programs and program- Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, Shady lighting as a Sirius ra- ming.” Records and Interscope Records, dio host when he pre- Grammy award- available exclusively on Sirius. In sented “A Blue Note winning jazz vibra- addition to serving as an executive Christmas” on Dec. 24, phonist and noted mu- producer of Shade 45, Iovine will act 2004, which featured sic educator Burton is as creative advisor and consultant to Sirius on new programming holiday tunes from such host of the new week- opportunities. Interscope Geffen A&M noted artists as Dianne ly Sirius Satellite Radio will also offer Sirius marketing and Reeves, Count Basie, music program, “Artist’s promotional opportunities with their Norah Jones and Dexter EMI Choice with Gary Bur- artists. Gordon, among others. LUNDVALL ton.” Scott Greenstein, Sirius President of As he did with “A “I became a fan of Entertainment and Sports said, “Over Blue Note Christmas”, Sirius when I bought a the last 14 years, Jimmy Iovine took each week Lundvall will share stories new car a year ago,” said Burton. “Fi- Interscope Records from a start-up about classic and current Blue Note nally, I could hear what I wanted to operation to what is now one of the artists, including his encounters with hear, when I wanted to hear it. Now most influential record companies them early in their careers. I couldn’t be more pleased to be join- in the world. ... I look forward to the “I am having an enormously good ing the Sirius team as host of my own exciting new projects we will work on time doing this show,” said Lundvall. show.” together for Sirius.” “It’s the most fun to play the music you Clark said, “I’ve always admired Iovine said, “The opportunity that this most love in such a personal fashion. I Gary Burton as one of the finest living relationship creates for an individual absolutely love it, and I do believe Sir- vibraphonists; his knowledge of the artist, a record label, or for that matter ius is the wave of the future.” art form is unmatched. We are very an industry, customizing distribution Sirius executive vice president of lucky that every week Sirius subscrib- and exposure, is unparalleled in the history of the music business.” programming Jay Clark said, “Over ers across the country will get an art- the years, Blue Note Records has set continued ... jazzweek.com • January 26, 2005 JazzWeek 4 News Lundvall, Burton Join Sirius (continued from previous page) ist’s perspective on this music, with all Metheny for their Reunion album. He Lundvall has one of the most im- the insight and experience than only won his fifth Grammy for his 1998 pressive backgrounds in recorded mu- Gary can offer.” Concord release, Like Minds. In recent sic history. He was with Columbia Burton, who emerged as a major years, his work has explored tango mu- Records for 21 years, building the la- jazz talent during the 1960s, brings a sic and classical themes, and his latest bel’s massive jazz roster and becom- storied career and a unique perspective recording, featuring his new quintet, ing president of CBS Records’ do- to Sirius jazz listeners. A self-taught is titled Generations, to be followed in mestic division.