Reed master Sidney Bechet can claim to be the first great jazz soloist, winning international acclaim before his fellow New Orleans giant, Louis Armstrong. Geoffrey Smith salutes a genius who inspired saxophonists from Johnny Hodges to John Coltrane.
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Jazz piano doesn’t come more exciting that the stride masters of Harlem. The likes of James P. Johnson, Fats Waller and Willie the Lion Smith set a standard for keyboard heroics that reached its peak in the breathtaking virtuosity of Art Tatum. Especially for Radio 3’s piano season, Geoffrey Smith salutes the giants of stride.
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A fusion super-star, guitarist Pat Metheny has won huge audiences with a style that blends pulsating rhythm, gorgeous colours and sweeping melodies. Combining the energy of rock with a virtuoso jazz technique, he’s produced a string of hits adored by both fans and fellow musicians. Geoffrey Smith selects highlights from an epic career.
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A classic blues-shouter, Jimmy Witherspoon (1921-97), began with Kansas City swing, crossed over to rhythm and blues, but truly came into his own with such jazz giants as Gerry Mulligan and Ben Webster. Geoffrey Smith salutes a blues master at once earthy and modern.
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Red Norvo (1908-99) was a xylophone virtuoso who led a hit band and became “Mr. and Mrs. Swing” with vocal star Mildred Bailey. A featured soloist with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman, he later formed a ground-breaking trio with bassist Charles Mingus. Geoffrey Smith surveys a remarkable career.
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To mark his retirement, vibraphone superstar Gary Burton has compiled a retrospective set of discs covering the whole of his extraordinary sixty-year career. Geoffrey Smith picks highlights from one of the leaders of contemporary jazz, featuring the likes of Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea.
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Crossing over from big band swing to country folk to cool abstraction, reedman-composer Jimmy Giuffre (1921-2008) was a fusion pioneer. Geoffrey Smith highlights such Giuffre classics as ‘The Train and River’.
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As the clocks go forward today, Geoffrey Smith presents a sequence of songs about time, as measured by the clock, the calendar and the heart. Reflections range from Tony Bennett and Billie Holiday to Woody Herman and Miles Davis.
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Tough, tender, sassy, sardonic, Carmen McRae (1920-94) made every song she sang her own. Influenced by her friend Billie Holiday, her poise and musicality made her a musician’s favourite. Geoffrey Smith surveys a rare vocal artist.
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