from Jim Wilke:
A few things to share with you about upcoming shows on KPLU…..
This weekend is the 25th anniversary of Jazz After Hours which began the first weekend of November, 1984 on what was then American Public Radio. At that time it was a live uplink from KUOW and continued from their studios on campus and later University Way until it moved to my Hatchcover studio in 2001. Over 80 stations and several state networks, mostly East Coast and Central, currently carry the show. Many of the original stations (including KPLU) are still with us today. I’m personally grateful for their support as well as the support of Public Radio International and the jazz community world-wide.
To mark the occasion, this Friday night’s show will be mostly jazz hits from the 80s and 90s, Saturday night will bring it more up to date but will also include some more “oldies”. Here are some of the artists who were making new records when the show started: Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, J.J.Johnson, Joe Henderson, Ray Brown, Jimmy Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan! CDs were just beginning to appear and I had one or two per hour – the rest were LPs.
Locally, I’m dedicating this Sunday’s Jazz Northwest to the memory of Joe Wheeler who died Monday at the age of 77, only ten days after being diagnosed with cancer. For those who didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Joe, he was the founder and first executive director of Centrum which oversaw the evolution of Fort Worden from a WW I era military base to a world class hands-on arts facility most of us know best as home of Jazz Port Townsend. Not exactly “spears into plowshares”, but close! Would that more energy was put into making art instead of war – Joe certainly was an outstanding example in that respect! He was a great human being I’m proud to have called a friend.
I’m recording five Earshot festival concerts in five locations for broadcast on Jazz NW. The Jazz Legends Tribute to Hadley Caliman aired last Sunday and is now available as a podcast. I’ve also recorded the Jim Knapp Orchestra at Cornish and Jay Thomas’ East-West (Japan/ USA) Double Trio at Tula’s and Greg Williamson’s A-Y-P large ensemble last night at the TD. That was a fun program! Still to record is the SRJO Ray Charles/ Quincy Jones show in Kirkland on Sunday. Photos are online at www.eyeshotjazz.com