Bubbled Down

Did a little pre-show early fill in. Here’s what bubbled over and out:

Revival- Laila Biali
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Seeds- JK Group
Bread Out Of Stone- Irreversible Entanglements
Murphy’s Law Impacts L.E.A.P.- Keith Oxman
Pass It On- Kenny Barron/Dave Holland TrioFt. Jonathan Blake
Worry Later- Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio Ft. Jonathan Blake

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Ride- Wolfgang Muthspiel
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Gotta Run- Guitar Elation (live)
The Rewinder- Guitar Elation (live)
Doctor Ghoul- Spiritus Fonktus
Mad Man- Spiritus Fonktus
Ceremony Out- Spiritus Fonktus

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Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’- Tbone Paxton & the RJ Spangler Quartet
Didn’t He Ramble- Derrick Shezbie
Caribbean Second Line- Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra Ft. Amari Ansari/Terrance “Hollywood” Taplin

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Catwalk- Steve Yeager

More New Music From Jake Shimabukuro

It was nearly 15 years ago that the world first caught notice of the stunning musical artistry of Jake Shimabukuro. The young ukulele player’s gorgeous rendition of George Harrison’s classic rock ballad “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” became one of the most-watched clips on the then newly launched YouTube platform. A lavish, exhilarating feast of a performance, it signaled the emergence of a prodigiously gifted virtuoso who was redefining how the ukulele was played and heard. Few artists arrive so clearly – and singularly – talented as Jake did. Guitar Player magazine called him “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” And no less than Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, himself a four-string enthusiast, weighed in with this glowing assessment: “Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with him.” That’s because the Hawaii native was burning up the ground behind him. Since the release of his 2006 album, Gently Weeps, Jake has been riding a wave of breakthroughs and triumphs rare for any musician, let alone one who plays a ukulele. A tireless live performer, he’s floored audiences across the globe, appearing at music festivals as varied as Bonnaroo and the Fuji Rock Festival. He’s played with world-renowned orchestras at prestigious venues from the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House. He even performed for that rarest of audiences: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. And all the while, he’s issued a string of chart-topping and award-winning albums that have challenged all notions of what is possible with a ukulele. Music fans will no doubt hail his latest effort, Trio as an highwater mark for Jake, and he regards it as a personal best. “Beyond playing the ukulele, I’ve really tried to grow as a writer,” he says. “Spending time in Nashville and being around great songwriters has inspired and influenced me, and of course, working with Nolan and Dave has brought me to musical places I never thought possible…”

Another year and another chance to catch up with what Jake is up to. We get into the creation of the new Trio album, including the artists that appear on it, the versions of a couple of classic rock covers and a very meaningful (and beautiful) traditional favorite. We talk about releasing this one on Mascot Label Group. Our conversation weaves us into deeper territory with some words on how music takes shape and changes depending on when you’re listening to it, and how maintaining balance is a key reminder. Trio is in fact, one of those albums where I can sense the growth as a person, an artist and an interpreter of sound that keeps some of then and branches off into the now while leaving room for the then. Aloha.

Who Knew You Grew

The final portion of this week’s proGram had a surprise ending to what should be a little down and re-grouping time.

Dracula’s Monk- Dopapod
Skipjack- Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

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Lost Memories- SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS
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Small Plate- Piper Street Sound Ft. Addis Pablo
Que Que- Cuñao

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El Dorado- Baba Ali
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C Side- Khruangbin & Leon Bridges
Desert Hafia- Zenobia
Accompany Me- Peppermoth
Vladimir- The Reluctant Cosmonaut Ft. Andrew McPherson

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Night Digger- Dub Gabriel
Waltz of The Doomed- Dub Gabriel
Gelati (Interlude)- Giorgi Mikadze
Maglonia- Giorgi Mikadze
Paywall- Bobby Previte/Jamie Saft/Nels Cline

Evergreen Bling

The middle portion of the proGram had a little too much glitter for the middle of the Winter not to show off SUMMA dat ice ice baby:

Money’s No Option- Circles Around The Sun
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What A Drag- Nathaniel Rateliff
Saint Ursula- Sunny Ozell
Stand Up! Whitney Shay
Sock it To Me- Cliff Beach Ft. Honey Larochelle

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Automatic- Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal
***pre-recorded conversation with Josh Hoyer***
Ginger Beat- Lucas de Mulder & The New Mastersounds

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Marriage for All or None at All- Karate Boogaloo
Fight Together- Alex Puddu
Hey!- Dr. Rubberfunk
Laid Bare- Dr. Rubberfunk Ft. Stephanie Whitelock

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Dragonball Durag- Thundercat
Anakanafauna- Select Level

Mixed Flavors

The first piece to the regularly scheduled proGram put it all together and added a little secret spice and sauce and shook:

Chase The Blues Away- Eileen Ivers
Wah Wah One Violin- Eileen Ivers

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Help Me Make It Through the Night- Iron Mike Norton
Little Bit Broken- The Wood Brothers
Alabaster- The Wood Brothers
Grievance Merchants- Drive-By Truckers

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Turn It Loose- The Mary Jo Curry Band
Let You Go- Harper and Midwest Kind

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Only She Knows- Loving
I Feel Free- Bhopal’s Flowers
Paper Sun/Love Is Only Sleeping- Spygenius
Pictures Of Matchstick Men- The Jeremy Band

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Claudia Cardinale- The Third Mind
Morning Dew- The Third Mind

Mixin’ In

The second piece to the early morning fill-in took that power and added it to other feel good elements to explore new tastes with all sense buds working:

Changed In Mid Air- Elsa Nilsson
Hindsight- Elsa Nilsson

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Waiting In Vain- Thor De Force Ft. Thor Madsen, Jeppe Skovbakke & Jeppe Gram
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vt-vt- n’sawa-saraca
dualbutterfly- n’sawa-saraca
El Fuego- Cienfuegos
La Bata- Filip y Woppe
El Siete Vidas- Filip y Woppe

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N2 Deep (For Randy Weston, Jerry Gonzalez & Cecil Taylor)- Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
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Jamu Kikao- Dave Sharp Worlds With Ndio Sasa
Manyo Pesa Tek- Dave Sharp Worlds With Ndio Sasa

Within The Mush Room

The first portion of a litte pre-show fillin’ in proGram knows of the powers it contains and added SUM sounds to the feelings:

E.T.- Alex Goodman
Inner Motion- Anson Wright

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Pu: 14- Ville Herrala
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How’s Never- Massimo Biolcati Ft. Dayna Stephens, Sam Yahel & Jongkuk Kim
Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love- Massimo Biolcati Ft. Dayna Stephens, Sam Yahel & Jongkuk Kim
Thread- Justin Varnes Ft. Nick Rosen/Kevin Smith/Mark Rapp/Luke Weathington/John Sandfort
Movement III:Beware the Wolf and Serpent- Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra w/Wynton Marsalis Ft. Sherman Irby

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Quite Frankly- Sam Hirsh
Kyoto Shuffle- Sam Hirsh
No C!- Sam Hirsh

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Den- Chris Poland

At The Knuckledown With Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal

Night after night at their live shows, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal leave it all on the table, bringing crowds palpably authentic music. This is a real working band; music for the people, by the people. You hear the veracity in his voice. You hear the strife of a guitar amp being pushed to its limits. You hear keyboards hammering notes home while emboldened horns soar over the top of a rhythm section akin to a freight train. The raucous funk and smooth soul emanating from the stage dutifully pays homage to the past soul giants while simultaneously charging forward, piloting themselves into the modern era. This is soul music. Josh formed Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal in 2012 in famed blues town Lincoln, Nebraska. The award-winning five-piece band includes some of the area’s most revered and accomplished musicians. Joining Josh (keyboards/vocals) is Blake DeForest (trumpet), Mike Keeling (bass), Benjamin Kushner (guitar), and Harrison ElDorado (drums). Inspired by the sounds of Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals, New Orleans, Philly and San Francisco, the band continuously crosses musical boundaries both in style and era, and joins forces each show with a common goal – to have the crowd dancing so much they forget even their smallest troubles. Through all the years now and the many destinations and opening for and playing with all sorts of musical talents, 2020 is bringing more tour dates and some brand new tunes to gather the people together, and help them move and groove it all away.

I had the chance to catch up with friend of the proGram, Josh Hoyer ahead of the February 29th show in Madison at The Knuckledown Saloon. Josh and I talk about what kinda scene will be happening whenever he and Soul Colossal roll into town. Josh really diggs coming through Madison to make music and he gives a real sweet tip of the cap to Chris and the Knuckledown crew as well as sharing that we will get to taste some of the newmusic that is in the works. We discuss the creation of one of those new tunes and find out more about the label he’s working with to put it out. Find out why Color Red, the label of another friend of this program, Mr. Eddie Roberts gets some high praise and deservedly so. And of course, if I was throwing a share a vinyl with my ears party…..it may not be a surprise what album you could expect Josh to bring to the fun.

Bursting Out

The final part of this week’s proGram had what it needed to fully explode with it’s own colors:

King Kong- Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
Bronst- Moon Hooch
They’re Already Here- Moon Hooch

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Reptilian’s Dance- SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS
Sweet Water- Barney Mcall Ft. Rita Satch
Sooki The Love Dog- Laneous
True Realm of the Coin- The Rookies
Bones- I Hold the Lion’s Paw Ft. Tarino Montevedo

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Freedom Jazz Dance- Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
***pre-recorded conversation with Kahil El’Zabar***
Wish I Knew (From the Film ‘Be Known’)- Ethnnic Heritage Ensemble
Be Known- Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
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Halfway Up Halfway Down- Jamelody
Is There A Way- Loren Oden & Adrian Younge
Luna Landing- Horatio Luna
Quema- Sotomayor

Greenhouse Magic

The middle portion of the proGram showed the greens-a-growing in the middle of the Winter:

Automatic- Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal
Magic- Jordan Mackampa
I Want Magic- Izo FitzRoy
P.S. It’s Not About You- Whitney Shay

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Love Affair- Alex Puddu
Nightflight- Alex Puddu

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Against All Odds- Mr. Confuse
The Night Watcher- Mr. Confuse
Rockets Fly (Martin Harmony Mix)- THE FOREVERS

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Goodbye- Spirit Fingers Ft. Judi Jackson
What Kinda Music- Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes
Tiny Whale- Nathan-Paul

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Sun Is Shining- Thor De Force Ft. Thor Madsen, Jeppe Skovbakke & Jeppe Gram

And That Kitchen Sink

The first part of the proGram had a little bit of this and summa that:

Road Trip- Eileen Ivers
Landslide- Jake Shimabukuro Trio Ft. Rachel James

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I Sing Just To Know That I’m Alive- Nina Simone
Mercedes Benz- Robin McKelle

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Give Me The Keys To Your Heart- Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion
greenarrowradio promo- Mary Jo Curry
We All Had a Real Good Time- The Mary Jo Curry Band Ft. Albert Castiglia
Money Talks- Tas Cru
Stay With Me Tonight- Bernard Allison (live)
Backdoor Man- Bernard Allison (live)

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Heroin Again- Drive By Truckers
Aquarius- Jack Ellister
The Story- Starling Planet
Everybody Wants Some More- The Lemon Clocks
Worlds Within Worlds- Dave Buckley and The Watchwood

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Guttermilk- The Bobby Lees
Coin- The Bobby Lees

Raise The Spirit With Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has been “breaking the habits of boredom and pushing beyond nostalgia into the present” for 47 years. Their music fuses traditional African rhythmic and melodic sensibilities with popular African American musical expression and the array of instrumentation endows their music with a warm textural richness and depth. Within a framework of organic, understated compositions, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble imparts an ancestral wisdom and conjures an energy and spark rarely encountered in contemporary music. In 1976, Kahil El’Zabar, having just graduated from the school of Chicago’s legendary Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, teamed up with tenor saxophonist and Edward Wilkerson, Jr. Wilkerson has been called “one of the most thoughtful minds in modern experimental music,” and is himself the leader of the premier Windy City octet Eight Bold Souls and big band Shadow Vignettes. Kahil El’Zabar is an accomplished trap drummer, having worked with acclaimed soul, blues and R&B artists Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, and jazz greats from Cannonball Adderely to David Murray, he is also a virtuostic kalimba player, master of Mandingo-style earth drum, balaphonist, flautist and vocalist. Over the now 47 years of traveling the world and sharing a uniting vibe, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a trio of musicians that sets a new standard. With the incredible Corey Wilkes on trumpet and Detroit’s own baritone saxophonists, Alex Harding rounding out the group, the fabric of this spiritual afro-futuristic jazz outfit is just starting to warm us up.

I had the chance to catch up with Kahil El’Zabar ahead of the February 29th event here in Madison at Cafe Coda. We get into the players and how they work toGether to create moments where a spark in time in which heightened sensibility & a higher consciousness can be universally shared. We dissect a track off the groups 2019 release “Be Known Ancient/Future/Music”, and how someone like a Mr. Roy Hargrove (RIP) transcended the music and humans scene. As we sit here in 2020, we don;t have to look to hard it seems to find reasons to heal, or send healing vibes….on the day I spoke with Kahil, the EHE had just played a show at Artlore Studio in Eerie, PA which is a venue of our friend Stephen, whose family just went through a tragic situation and their spirits definitely needed to be raised.

Snow Blinds

The final portion of this week’s proGram made sure we didn’t forget that season come and go and we just need to be able to roll with the changes:

Can’t Keep- Dennis Brown Ft. Damian Marley
Wash Dem Away- Dennis Brown Ft. Agent Sasco
Toque- Victor Rice
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Bongadashi- The Hempolics
greenarrowradio promo- MC ZULU
Black Prosperity- MC ZULU
Hand Of God- Sa Roc

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Cue Synthesizer- Destroyer
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Italian Shuffle / Flip Flop & Fly Medley- Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues Ft. Sam Lay
***pre-recorded conversation with Corky Siegel***
Galloping Horses- Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues Ft. Chihsuan Yang & Matthew Santos
I’ll Fly Away- Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues Ft. Bruce Roper, Deb Lader & Sue Demel
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Corpocontinente- Céu
The First Game- Vedan Kolod
The Second Game- Vedan Kolod

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Koto- Antibalas

Closer Looks

The second piece to this week’s proGram took the magnifying glass out to see what is sometimes there but hidden from the view of you:

Texas Drums Pt I & II- Pottery
Lately In Another Time- Loving
Nightmare Forever- Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band

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Broken and Glazed- The Mommyheads
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The Whole- Post Animal
Damaged Goods- Post Animal

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Young Love- Snack Cat
Go My Heart, Go To Heaven- Shabaka and the Ancestors

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Slim Pickings- Izo FitzRoy
Anakanafauna (Nathan Womax Remix)- Select Level
Perfect Fifth- HILA Ft. Jon Goode & Areni Agbabian
Meneate pa’ mi- Sotomayor
In My Soul- Faizal Mostrixx & Karun
Little Threads- POLIÇA

Bottom Spot

The first piece of this week’s proGram might prompt someone to grab a comfortable spot to take a break once in a while.

On The Line- Steve Marino
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Babies In Cages- Drive-By Truckers
The Early Morn- Brother Dege
Cry Over Nothing- The Wood Brothers
Labels’ All Mine- Jangling Sparrows

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Nothin’ Is Easy- The Mary Jo Curry Band
Feels Kinda Funny- Bernard Allison (live)
Blues I Can’t Use- Harper and Midwest Kind Ft. Paul Nelson

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Blood In The Water- Kendell Marvel
***pre-recorded conversation with Kendell Marvel***
Cadillac’n- Kendell Marvel
If You know What’s Good For Me- Kendell Marvel

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Omotola- Head For The Hills
It’s For Fun (That’s All We’re Living For)- The Forty Nineteens
Saw Lightning- Beck

The Many Sides of Corky Siegel

Corky Siegel is known internationally as one of the world’s great blues harmonica players, and is a celebrated composer, blues pianist, singer, songwriter, band leader and author. Corky’s professional music career began when he founded the now legendary Siegel-Schwall Band in Chicago in 1964 with guitarist Jim Schwall. The group was a major component of the young generation of white blues artists—also including Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, Harvey Mandel, Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites and Michael Bloomfield—who learned the historic Chicago blues style at the feet and hands of such towering figures as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy and Sam Lay. In 1965, Corky was 21 and still in college. He and Jim Schwall, unintentionally landed their first regular gig across the tracks on the South Side of Chicago. They were hired to perform from 9 PM till 4 AM, every Thursday at Pepper’s Lounge (not knowing it was ‘ground zero’ for founders of Chicago Blues). What a surprise, to say the least, when Muddy Waters showed up and hopped on stage with them, followed by Howlin’ Wolf, James Cotton, and all the blues masters. Night after night they would come and sit in. , he is credited with moving the blues from smokey clubs onto the classical symphony concert stage and obliterating musical categorization in the process. One of his many projects is the Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues, with the West End String Quartet, and Kalyan “Johnny Bongo” Pathak virtuoso on world percussion, blends classical and blues styles in a chamber music setting. This ground breaking innovative sound has earned tremendous acclaim throughout the country and continues to open new doors for classical and blues/jazz listeners alike. He is credited with moving the blues from smokey clubs onto the classical symphony concert stage and obliterating musical categorization in the process.

I had the honor of catching up with this amazing legend of genre busting ahead of the 2/22 show at The North Street Cabaret when he teams up with friend of the proGram, Mr. Ernie Watts on saxophone and Kalyan “Johnny Bongo” Pathak on world percussion and tabla. Corky walks us down the timeline of getting to this point in his career, from Hair and Joni Mitchell to those legends of the Chicago blues scene and all the orchestras/symphonies he has been working with and crossing boundaries to create the newness in sounds. We discuss how this trio got together to come before us in a live setting and how he met up with Mr. Watts (Corky goes a little deeper into that first encounter than Ernie did). While all his amazing outcomes seems like a heap of work, Corky reminds us, as Ernie did, that the centerpiece to creation is the fun that making music together brings everyone, from the audience to the players, we will be treated to a unique, once in a moment time. Which I feel our conversation also turned out to be.

Solid Gold Sounds With Kendell Marvel

Kendell Marvel wrote and recorded his new album, “Solid Gold Sounds”, in a matter of days, but it took a lifetime in Country music to get there. Mr. Marvel and The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach co-wrote nine of the album’s 10 songs, drawing on the country sounds of the ‘70s as well as Marvel’s own experiences. Their songwriting collaborators include country legend John Anderson on the album’s first track, “Hard Time With the Truth.” A native of Southern Illinois, Marvel moved to Nashville at 28, shifting his goal of being an artist to raising his family while working as a songwriter. Marvel’s writing credits include Gary Allan’s “Right Where I Need to Be” and Chris Stapleton’s Grammy-winning single, “Either Way.” Brothers Osborne, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and Lee Ann Womack have also cut his songs.

I had the opportunity to catch up with Kendell ahead of his February 19th show in Madison at the High Noon Saloon. We talk about coming out on tour with these songs and the many he had written over the years for others and how they piece toGether to form a lively show for the concert-goers. We dissect a couple of the tunes off the newest release and how they come to fruition. We even find out, which beer is his choice when heading back to Madison, so let’s make sure his glass stays full. If you have not heard his name before….you’ll be surprised to learn just how many of his songs (that others have put their names on) that you may already know and enjoy, that he has been a part of.

Up Or Down

The final portion of the proGram knew it was only a matter of which way you were listening to it:

Embryo- Jonathan NG
Rockhouse Pt 1 & 2- Jonathan NG
Everybody Wants to Rule the World- Massimo Biolcati Ft. Dayna Stephens/Sam Yahel/Jongkuk Kim

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Prelude- Justin Varnes Ft. Nick Rosen/Kevin Smith/Mark Rapp/Luke Weathington/John Sandfort
Tout le monde aime la France- Justin Varnes Ft. Nick Rosen/Kevin Smith/John Sandfort/Mark Rapp/Luke Weathington
Let Your Mind Be Free- Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra Ft. Roderick Paulin/TJ Norris/Scott Frock

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2AM Thoughts- Jenova 7
Lonely Planet- Jenova 7
Spiral Beats- Pigeondust
B – Boy Blues (Long Version)- Pigeondust

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Spirits Alone- Doctor Fluorscent
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Lebanese Blonde- Thievery Corporation Ft. Elin Melgarejo
Rebirth- Naneum
Me Then You- Peppermoth

Black And White or White With Black

The middle portion of this week’s proGramming understands that t here are several ways to look at it all:

Hammer Head- Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra & Wynton Marsalis Ft. Wayne Shorter (live)
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Kiev- Aaron Stroessner Quartet
There And Back- Aaron Stroessner Quartet
Woke- Bobby Previte/Jamie Saft/Nels Cline

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Mirangula (interlude)- Giorgi Mikadze
Dumba Damba- Giorgi Mikadze
Shedzakhili (Interlude)- Giorgi Mikadze

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Oshohbo- Adam Rudolph & Ralph Jones
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The Good Life- Pat Metheny/Ernie Watts/Charlie Haden (live Japan, 1998)
**pre-recorded conversation with Mr. Ernie Watts**
Hold On- Ernie Watts
Waiting On a Friend- The Rolling Stones Ft. Mr. Ernie Watts (live, Hampton Coliseum 1981)

The Shape Of Shadowing

The first piece to this week’s proGram took not only the color but the shape of the shadows into deep consideration:

The Village Revisited- Chicago Farmer
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Stir me Up- Sarah Morris
Wake Up, We’re In Love- Eric Brace & Last Train Home
Meet Me Half Way- Bernard Allison (live)

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Shookie Shake- Tas Cru
All My Dues Are Paid- Frank Bey

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Say You Will- Marcus King
Carolyn- Jangling Sparrows

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4 Ever- Sal’s Greenhouse
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For Ma- Warren Wolf
Warna- Joey Alexander
Only You- Ted Poor Ft. Andrew D’Angelo

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Rosa Introduces MLK- Christian McBride
A View from the Mountaintop- Christian Mcbride