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Welcome to another 2 hours of jazz on Radio Mecha. As I generally do here on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time (Standard or Daylight, depending on the season), or as noted on the Radio Mecha Dibs page, which also lists upcoming shows by other Mechans who enjoy sharing music, I'll be posting some links, comments and credits as the set plays, which I hope are of interest to those listening, as well as to those who come to this thread later. An index of past programs is available here.

LoudCity (the folks who handle the Radio Mecha streaming server) rules prevent taking requests, or doing some of the things you might expect of commercial broadcasters, but you can reach me with other ideas and requests, by posting in this thread, or, if you're a Mecha member, by e-mail.

In this program, our Thursday Spotlight Tune is "Body and Soul" by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton, and Johnny Green, and we have 5 versions of it, none of which are the famous 1939 Coleman Hawkins version, because that can easily be found on YouTube. But beyond that, we have some other classic tunes including "Too Young To Go Steady" and "After You've Gone," as well as steel pan jazz from Andy Narell, and a jazz medley of rock tunes by guitar/vocal duo Tuck & Patti. Should be a good couple of hours, so relax and enjoy an early summer evening with good music!

The tune that I open these sets with, "The Greeting" is from a later McCoy Tyner album, called Things Ain't What They Used To Be.

#2 Body and Soul

Art Tatum leads off consideration of the Thursday Spotlight tune, with a 1945 recording that he made for the WWII V-Disc label, at the beginning of which he offers a spoken greeting to "the troops." These spoken greetings and dedications were common features of V-Discs, although not included on every recording. From the compilation CD "Art Tatum: The V-Discs."

#3 The Blues (Pt. 3)

Pianist Meade "Lux" Lewis with the final part (actually Part 4, although the freedb supplied track data for the cut mistakenly labels it 'Pt. 3') of his composition, which we've been hearing over the last several programs.

#4 Body and Soul

Duke Ellington and bassist Jimmy Blanton supply the unusual second version of our Thursday Spotlight tune, in a duet that leads off with a bowed solo by bassist Blanton, after a sparse introduction by Ellington, followed by a restatement of the theme by Ellington, and a final plucked string solo from Blanton. This was one of several such duets Ellington and Blanton recorded in Chicago on October 1, 1940, and while the commercial potential of them was never very great, they do serve as mileposts of the rapidly developing importance of Blanton to the Ellington band, and to his prowess and talent as a bassist willing and able to ascend from the rhythm section to melodic lead at any point, in any composition, which was an ability other bassists, and therefore other bands, simply never exhibited. From the 2003 three CD box set "Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band."

#5 Dewey Square

The Charlie Parker Quintet [Parker (alto sax), Miles Davis (trumpet), Duke Jordan (piano), Tommy Potter (bass), and Max Roach (drums)] with a tune by Parker recorded October 28, 1947 at WOR Studios in NYC, from the 2 CD box set "Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Charlie Parker Collection."

#6 Body and Soul

The third version of our Spotlight Tune in this program comes as a piano solo from Thelonious Monk, via the CD re-issue of his 1962 album "Monk's Dream." I remember the first time I heard this, in 1967, when my high school band teacher played it during Independent Study I took with him and another friend of mine. My initial 15 year old reaction was that for a guy who could clearly play piano, he sure hit a lot of "wrong" notes. But, lucky for me, the intervening 40+ years have turned almost all of them into "right" notes...

#7 Too Young To Go Steady

We (would have) played a later version of this tune by Keith Jarrett and his Standards Trio in the last program (if it hadn't been for Internet Radio Silence Day), and discussed its checkered origins, but here's the version by The John Coltrane Quartet, from the CD re-issue of their 1962 album "Ballads" that helped to popularize the tune among jazz musicians.

#8 Body and Soul

The fourth version of our Spotlight Tune is not so much a version of the tune itself, as it is an homage by The Manhattan Transfer, first to Coleman Hawkins and then to Eddie Jefferson, each of whom memorably recorded the tune, from the CD re-issue of their 1981 album "The Best of The Manhattan Transfer." The lyrics they are singing to the tune aren't those supplied by Frank Eyton/Johnny Green/Robert Sour at all, but the tune is purely Edward Heyman, still.

#9 Five Hundred Miles High

Guitarist Joe Pass from the CD re-issue of his 1976 album "Virtuoso #2" with tune by Chick Corea.

#10 Walkin'

From the 1998 two disc CD set "Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall: Complete" recorded May 19, 1961, here is the Miles Davis Quintet with Wynton Kelly (piano), Jimmy Cobb (drums), Paul Chambers (bass) and Hank Mobley (tenor sax), along with a Gil Evans Orchestra, playing a tune by Richard Carpenter (page down on that link a few paragraphs, for an interesting story link, about Carpenter).

#11 Body and Soul

The fifth and final version of our Spotlight Tune is a quiet, straight reading of it by Diana Krall, from her 1993 debut CD "Steppin' Out." One of the nicest renditions the tune has ever had, in my humble estimation.

#12 Nardis

From the 1998 CD re-issue of the 1968 album "Bill Evans at the Montreux Jazz Festival", for which they won a 1969 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, with a Miles Davis tune. This version of the trio featured Eddie Gomez in the beginning of his 11 year associaton with Bill Evans, and legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette.

#13 Sun Song

Oscar winning composer Dave Grusin contributed this tune to Lee Ritenour's 1976 fusion album "Captain Fingers," and while it's still an occasional entry in the playlists of some "smooth jazz" outlets, it really pre-dates the format. From the CD re-issue.

#14 Sweet Intentions

From their 1987 CD "Sign Language" here is Windham Hill Jazz group Montreux [Darol Anger (violin), Mike Marshall (guitar & mandolin), Barbara Higbie (piano) and Michael Manring (fretless bass & synthesizers)] with a tune by Higbie.

#15 After You've Gone

Joe Williams doing this Henry Creamer/Turner Layton standard against a samba rhythm is a stroke of arranging genius by the great Johnny Pate who did all the arrangements on this CD. With Thad Jones on trumpet,

...from the 1985 CD "I Just Want To Sing: Joe Williams & Friends."

#16 Jour Ouvert (Joo-Vay)

Andy Narell has carved out a 25+ year career as the principal proponent of steelpans as a serious jazz instrument. Here he is doing a tune of his own composition, at an early stage of his journey, from his 1987 CD "The Hammer," an homage to the passing of master "hammer" Rudolph Charles in 1985. With Keith Nash (congas, bongos, percussion), Steve Erquiaga (guitar, guitar synth), Keith Jones (bass), and William Kennedy (drums).

#17 Lazy Bird

From his 1987 CD "Revelations," here is pianist McCoy Tyner with a tune by John Coltrane.

#18 El Cabong Rides Again

For years, guitarist Grant Geissman's main claim to fame was the guitar solo he did on Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good," but now that he's written several books discussing Mad Magazine and E.C. Comics history, that's no longer the case. And he's sworn off smooth jazz! So, from his 1991 CD "Flying Colors," here he is with a tune of his own.

#19 Every Day (I Thank You)

From the 1991 project CD "Works I," here's a Pat Metheny tune featuring Charlie Haden (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums), Michael Brecker (tenor sax), and Pat Metheny (guitar and synthesizer).

#20 I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)

Acoustic guitar whiz Earl Klugh from his 1989 CD "Solo Guitar" with a nice little rendition of the 1930 tune by A. J. Neilburg, "Doc" Dougherty, and Ellis Reynolds.

#21 Castles Made Of Sand/Little Wing

Husband and wife duo Charles "Tuck" Andress and Patricia "Patti" Cathcart Andress, from their 1994 compilation CD "The Best of Tuck and Patti" with a medley of tunes by Jimi Hendrix.

#22 I Will Say Goodbye

Once again, The Bill Evans Trio, with Eddie Gomez on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums, takes us out with the title track from the 1977 album of the same name. To recap, in this set, we heard:

1. McCoy Tyner - The Greeting (2:27)
2. Art Tatum - Body and Soul (3:36)
3. Meade 'Lux' Lewis - The Blues (Pt. 3) (3:56)
4. Duke Ellington - Body And Soul (3:11)
5. Charlie Parker - Dewey Square (3:10)
6. Thelonious Monk Quartet - Body and Soul (4:29)
7. John Coltrane Quartet - Too Young To Go Steady (4:23)
8. The Manhattan Transfer - Body and Soul (4:25)
9. Joe Pass - Five Hundred Miles High (6:21)
10. Miles Davis - Walkin' (9:31)
11. Diana Krall - Body and Soul (5:34)
12. Bill Evans - Nardis (8:23)
13. Lee Ritenour - Sun Song (6:46)
14. Montreux - Sweet Intentions (4:27)
15. Joe Williams - After You've Gone (4:54)
16. Andy Narell - Jour Ouvert (Joo-Vay) (10:44)
17. McCoy Tyner - Lazy Bird (3:57)
18. Grant Geissman - El Cabong Rides Again (4:19)
19. Charlie Haden/Jack DeJohnette/Michael Brecker/Pat Metheny - Every Day (I Thank You) (13:18)
20. Earl Klugh - I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) (2:27)
21. Tuck & Patti - Castles Made Of Sand/Little Wing (5:56)
22. Bill Evans Trio - I Will Say Goodbye (3:30)

"Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water bath is to the body."
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes