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The Major Scale – Tom Scott Tribue

November 14, 2018 By Chris

The Major Scale gives a wink and a nod to Tom Scott and some of his early work. Before Scott was topping the charts with music for Tom Cat, L.A. Express with Joni Mitchell, along with scoring for film and TV- Starsky And Hutch, Let’s Do It Again, and Family Ties, he was a teenage prodigy who was signed to Impulse Records – the home of his hero John Coltrane among other legends. Although these first albums weren’t as popular as his later releases, over the past couple of decades they’ve become fertile ground for sampling – Massive Attack, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Hieroglyphics and countless others have rearranged his work to great heights. We talk with the man himself about this phenomenon – easily one of our most entertaining conversations yet!.

The Major Scale – Della Reese Tribute & Al Kooper

November 7, 2018 By Chris

The Major Scale is testifying the word of the gospel this episode. First, we pay tribute to the dearly departed Della Reese. She began he career as a singer of immense force and beauty, commanding a range that spanned from Puccini, the deep roots of the blues, Tin Pan Ally, and Gospel. Ms. Reese could deliver it all with spine tingling and soul stirring results. Lynda Blensky, Reese’s rep, said it best: “We lost a magnificent woman who was a trailblazer in many ways.”

The term legend gets used a bit much, but it applies tenfold to an artist like Al Kooper. His work with Bob Dylan, the Zombies, and Lynyrd Skynyrd alone is enough to put him in the history books. He also founded Blood, Sweat, and Tears, which made him a Jazz Rock innovator. Mr. Kooper joins us to talk about a couple of his favorite subjects – gospel music and jazz piano. He also takes over the turntables to plug in a great set from Bobby Timmons, Les McCann, Horace Silver, and Twinkie Clark of the Clark Sisters.

The Major Scale – Karl Berger & The Da Capo Trio

October 31, 2018 By Chris

It was a proud moment for the Major Scale to have the chance to speak with Karl Berger. Active since the 1960s, Berger has forged a career as a composer and vibist with an ear for talent, arranging, and bringing a sense of melody and groove to the avant-garde. Taking a cue from his first encounter with Don Cherry, jazz’s legendary gypsy traveller and inventor of World Beat. Berger has recorded under his own leadership with luminaries like Carla Bley, Ornette Coleman, and Lee Konitz – as well being tapped to enrich the music of Jeff Buckley, Natalie Merchant, and even Britney Spears!

The Da Capo Trio are an unsigned group with an amazing and fresh take on one of the basics: the jazz trio. Drums, bass, and the Fender Rhodes piano sound get a 21st century treatment with dazzling virtuosity and accessibility. With their set of originals, standards (Oleo), and surprising arrangements (Pat Matheny), classic jazz jargon says it best here with the Da Capo Trio “so far out, that they’re in.”

SONG CREDITS FOR THIS EPISODE:

THEME: Jazz Phantom by Chomsk’ (from the album “Different Beats” on Magentic Records).

FIRST HALF: Symphony for Improvisers (Excerpt) by Don Cherry (from the album “Symphony for Improvisers” on Blue Note Records)

Excerpt from UCF workshop by Karl Berger

Movement 5 by Karl Berger (from the album “Gently Unfamiliar” on Tzadik records).

Eternal Rhythm pt. 1 by Don Cherry w/ Karl Berger (from the album “Eternal Rhythm” on MPS Records).

Lilac Wine by Jeff Buckley (from the album “Grace arr. by Karl Berger” on Columbia Records).

Travel South by Karl Berger (from the album “Karl Berger and Friends” on Black Saint Records).

Transit by Karl Berger (from the album “Transit” on Black Saint Records).

SECOND HALF: Oleo, Someday My Prince Will Come, Phase Dance, and Doc Wilky Mob Blues by The Da Capo Trio (from the album “Vine Street Performance”).

The Major Scale – The Chuck Stewart Songbook

October 10, 2018 By Chris

We have the Chuck Stewart Songbook – a collection of standards from an artist whose instrument was his camera. If you’ve ever scanned through iTunes, dug through the crates at a record store, or watched a documentary or movie, chances are you know Chuck Stewart‘s work. His creative eye and sense for the “defining” moment yielded a bounty of iconic images with the likes of John Coltrane, James Brown, Billie Holiday, Quincy Jones, Led Zeppelin that graced the covers of Impulse, Verve, Columbia, CTI, Atlantic Records, and scores more. We pay tribute to him with the music he covered through posthumous interview clips, and commentary by renowned photographer Brian Cross, aka B+, Tad Hershorn of the Jazz Institute at Rutgers University, and the legendary Sonny Rollins.Continue Reading …