By Fritz ByersYou – we -- can’t imagine the stature John Coltrane had in jazz and the broader culture at the dawn of the 1960s. His defining mythos would eventually be formed by how he would use the seven years he had left – he passed in July 1967, at the age of 40 – and the overtly spiritual quest he undertook as he pushed the limits of jazz tonality and harmonic logic further and further out. Read More
By Fritz ByersI’ve called Jazz Spectrum an anthology since the show’s inception. It’s a baggy term, meaning not much more than that the thing is a compilation of pieces selected by the compiler. True enough. I aspire to make the show a tour through eras, styles, instrumentations, luminaries and unknowns, and so on. Read More
By Fritz ByersI’ve been voting in the annual DownBeat Jazz Poll for nearly as long as I’ve been hosting Jazz Spectrum – 34 years. I just sent in my ballot for this year’s poll. DownBeat, as you probably know, has been covering the world of jazz since 1934. It has survived, better than most, the challenges of the evolving world of publications, communications, and commentary. The current state of jazz journalism is fodder for a post or two, so maybe we’ll get to that down the road. Read More
WGTE Public Media is proud to present the full 13-episode season of Finding Festivals, created by local producer and show host Haylie Robinson. The series aims to unite communities through education and entertainment as Robinson travels throughout Ohio and Michigan, experiencing and sharing the story of many well-known festivals and events. The series' first episode will air on WGTE HD on Saturday, September 9 at 10:30 a.m. and new episodes air beginning on October 14 at 10:30 a.m. on WGTE HD. Read More
Join WGTE Public Media along with The Anastasia Fund and the Northwest Ohio Polish Cultural Center as it presents Toledo Stories: Freedom Means Never Surrender, a documentary that traces the exceptionally heroic lives of Colonel Marian Wojciechowski and Wladyslawa Poniecka-Wojciechowski. A live in-person premiere event is being held Friday, September 8 at 6 p.m. at the Franciscan Center building at Lourdes University. It will premiere on WGTE HD on Thursday, September 14 at 8 p.m. Read More
By Fritz ByersThe centerpiece this week is Passage, the new release from Johnathan Blake’s spirited and tasteful quintet, Pentad.
By Kim KleinmanEven before the seasons of streams, Johnathan Blake made a huge impression on me as Kenny Barron’s magician on drums (and cymbals, as he is quick to add). He sits high behind his kit and keeps the cymbals low and flat so that he can reach them with the same motion as he uses with the drums. He is a force, a graceful dynamo. Read More
By Fritz ByersTwo days ago, I posted a short piece about Wayne Shorter. You’ll find it just below in the blog thread.
By Fritz Byers
