Blog

Celebrating Bill Evans (b. Aug. 16, 1929) and Mal Waldron (b. Aug. 16, 1925)

By Fritz Byers

Today is the birthday of two essential jazz pianists – Bill Evans, a front-line luminary in the music by almost any reckoning; and Mal Waldron, less prominent in the broader culture but widely admired among musicians and by partisans of what is loosely but helpfully called the avant-garde. For years I’ve been meaning to write at length about Bill Evans and what his music has meant to me over the half-century of my attentions Read More

Drummer Johnathan Blake and His Quintet, Pentad

Jazz Spectrum

By Fritz Byers

The blog post immediately below, an appreciation of the pianist Larry Willis, expresses some of the reasons Larry is this week’s featured artist. Read More

LARRY WILLIS – An Appreciation

Jazz Spectrum

By Fritz ByersIn the early years of the Murphy’s Jazz Masters program, we brought the pianist Larry Willis to play in Toledo. There were day-time educational features, as usual, and the night gig was, of course, at Murphy’s, back when it was still in the original location on Madison. If memory serves, Buster Williams was the bassist. Read More

Bobby Watson and Jon Faddis

Jazz Spectrum

By Fritz ByersThe alto saxophonist Bobby Watson’s composition, “The Misery of Ebop,” from his career-defining 1986 masterpiece, Love Remains. In the late 70s, Bobby, who on the LP cover of this album is billed as Robert, studied in the fabled institute of advanced hard-bop studies that was Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He began making recordings as a leader toward the end of that decade. Read More

Toledo Library Partners with WGTE for Toledo Stories

Media & Press

Release from the Toledo Lucas County Public LibraryThe Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL) and WGTE Public Media proudly announce an exciting new partnership to bring the local community a captivating video series, "Toledo Stories." This collaborative effort seeks to preserve and share the rich history, culture, and stori Read More

New Voices Around Us® Podcasts

Media & Press

“Voices Around Us®” aims to amplify the community’s voices and share diverse stories and backgrounds.TOLEDO, OHIO – August 3, 2023 –WGTE Public Media’s “Voices Around Us®” podcast series officially launches on Tuesday, August 8th with six brand new podcasts at www.wgte.org/vau. WGTE is working with community experts and voices to launch these new podcasts that cover a variety of important topics. Read More

On Tony Bennett

Jazz Spectrum

By Kim Kleinman
Jazz Spectrum Contributing Writer

I primarily mourned Tony Bennett’s death by finding his two albums with the revered Bill Evans from right around the time I saw Evans with Eddie Gomez at the Antibes Jazz Festival and later at home in Kansas City. That said, I did not get or even listen to them back in the day. Read More

This Week on Jazz Spectrum - 7/29

Jazz Spectrum

By Fritz Byers This week on Jazz Spectrum, an homage to Tony Bennett. I posted earlier this week a brief reflection on Tony’s music, which was elevated by his taste and his commitment to the meanings of the lyrics, married to the melodies and harmonies of the best songs in the canon.

On the show this week, we’ll hear Tony in various settings. Read More

Tony Bennett (1926-2023)

Jazz Spectrum

By Fritz ByersTony Bennett, who died last Friday at 96, sang for us for more than 70 years. We didn’t always listen as closely as we should have. As happens when the crowd is surfing the zeitgeist, the culture took its eyes and ears from Tony for a while –he endured a long dry period as folk, rock ‘n’ roll, and their variants pushed him and his favored music to one side. Read More

Blog

Categories