Author Archives: grnarrow

About grnarrow

Setlist Architect/Art Scene Checker-Outer/Sound Feeler

Day Sees All

  By grnarrow | June 12, 2021 - 5:17 pm |
Leave a comment

The first portion of the proGram didn’t let anything get on by it’s flowering eyes:

Interlude: Loren’s Lament- Michelle Hannan & Jason Hannan Ft. Howard Parker
Livin’ on Barroom Time- Michelle Hannan & Jason Hannan Ft. Howard Parker
Stealin’- John Townley
Don’t Wanna Work Today- Jack Grace Band
~
Today- Hanford Flyover
Chullachaqui- Veik
Not Sweet Enough- Lesibu Grand
~~
Come On Home To Yourself- Swift Silver
greenarrowradio promo- Kelly Z
Nature- Kelly’s Lot
Dog Me Around- Eddie 9V
~
Move On- Tia Carroll
Sharecropper’s Son- Robert Finley
Someone’s Knocking At My Door- T-Model Ford

The Brightnest

  By grnarrow | June 11, 2021 - 9:20 am |
Leave a comment

This week’s edition of The Yellow Light proGram took the smarts and ran with them:

A River Rising- Peppermoth
~
Still Rising- Cave Curse
Sledging- Cave Curse
Cascade- Cave Curse
~~
Talk About It- Jungle
Feel It- Joon Moon Ft. Liv Warfield
U Try Livin’ (Pressure)- Black Guy White Guy x 808 BEACH
~~~
Mr. Okra- Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
Big Energy- Pachyman
Cuss Cuss- Horace Andy Ft. Subatomic Sound System
Money- Horace Andy Ft. Irie Worryah
Kwame Nikumah Dub- Zion Train
Steve Biko Dub- Zion Train
~
Ogou (Pran Ka Mwen)- Lakou Mizik & Joseph Ray

Jane Lee Hooker – Drive

  By grnarrow | June 8, 2021 - 9:24 am |
Leave a comment

Joined our family Jane Lee Hooker as they celebrated the release of “Drive”. They received rave reviews from fans and music press around the globe when they released “Jericho” in January 2021 – the band’s first new music since 2017. While Drive still retains Jane Lee Hooker’s signature blend of bluesy, rock ‘n’ roll soul that can be heard throughout their catalog, the song represents a bit of a sonic evolution. With last year’s COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements in effect in NYC, the band found themselves locked out of their Brooklyn rehearsal room – the creative space where they write and rehearse with amps cranked up at maximum volume. Out of necessity, band catch-ups were moved to the grapevine- filled backyard of singer Dana Athens’ family home in Brooklyn – with tiny practice amps, acoustic guitars and drummer Ron Salvo keeping the beat on upturned plastic garbage cans and recycling bins. The first song to come out of those acoustic backyard sessions was Drive, with lyrics penned by Athens. “I was not intending to write about travel, the song is really about long-standing plans to see a friend and how you can still feel connected to someone no matter the distance between you.” She continues, “Lockdown made these friends seem even further away, so I guess the song also contains a bit of escapism and fantasy – wishing that you could be together.” Guitarist Tina Gorin adds “Not being able to see friends and family in any normal way during that period of time, hearing Dana sing those words really made the lyrics hit home.” Matt Chiaravalle (Joe Bonamassa, Warren Zevon, Courtney Love, Spacehog, Kittie) produced and mixed Drive, having previously worked with the band on their Jericho single as well as both Jane Lee Hooker full-lengths: “Spiritus” and “No B!” A new album will follow later this year – and singles “Drive” and “Jericho” are a first taste for fans of what’s to come.

Piece Of The Heart

  By grnarrow | June 7, 2021 - 1:06 pm |
Leave a comment

The final portion of the proGram definitely comes at us with a whole lotta heart:

Stir it Up- Acute Inflections
~~
Get Down, Get Down- Nate Smith
Skip Step- Nate Smith & KINFOLK
***pre-recorded conversation with Nate Smith***
Bounce: PTS I & II- Nate Smith * KINFOLK
~~
Pick Up Your Burning Cross- Sons Of Kemet Ft. Moor Mother & Angel Bat Dawid
Charge It To The Game- Nathaniel Cross
Higher Dimensions- Charnett Moffett
Swinging In The Realms- Charnett Moffett
~~
Aquarius (Bring Her Back Home)- João Donato Adrian Younge Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Bonfire- FOCUSYEAR BAND 2021
Crash Landing- FOCUSYEAR BAND 2021
~~
****pre-recorded conversation with Isaiah Collier***
Part II. Humanity- Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few

Food For Thoughts

  By grnarrow | June 6, 2021 - 9:02 am |
Leave a comment

The middle portion of this week’s proGram grew it itself:

Jerkwater Strut- Hot Mustard
S O S- True Loves
Robin’s Revenge- True Loves
While You Sleep (feat. Ev Jones)- The Bamboos
Nothing I Wanna Know About- The Bamboos
~
Slipped Biscuit- Redtenbacher’s Funkestra Ft. Keith Carlock & Tucker Antell
Stars and Stripes, Chirps and Bleeps- Calibro 35
Artificial Black Moon- Calibro 35
Slap Chess- Dirk Quinn Band
~~
Give Me Time- Evolfo
Strange Lights- Evolfo
Marrakush- Electric Kif
F.B.M.- Electric Kif
~
Big Burner- Three-Layer Cake

Climbers

  By grnarrow | June 5, 2021 - 5:49 pm |
Leave a comment

The first part of this week’s proGram knew how to get to the top:

If You Haven’t Any Hay- John Townley
greenarrowradio promo- Rob Stone
Blow Fish Blow!- Rob Stone Ft. Elena Kato & Hiroshi Eguchi
She’s Gone- GA-20
~
On Bended Knees- Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
Same Old Train- T-Model Ford
Sweet And Easy- Soledad Brothers
Good Feeling- Soledad Brothers
Souled Out On You- Robert Finley
~
It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World- Patti Parks
***pre-recorded conversation with Patti Parks & Kenny Neal***
I’m Trouble- Patti Parks
No Means No- Patti Parks
~~
greenarrowradio promo- Donna Herula
Bang At The Door- Donna Herula
Too Many People- Travellin’ Blue Kings

Nate Smith & Kinfolk At Madison Jazz Festival

  By grnarrow | June 4, 2021 - 2:37 pm | ,
Leave a comment

For nearly two decades, Nate Smith has been a key piece in reinvigorating the international music scene with his visceral, instinctive, & deep-rooted style of drumming. He holds a diverse & ample résumé, which includes work with esteemed jazz leading lights such as Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, José James, John Patitucci, Ravi Coltrane, and Somi among many others. His 2x GRAMMY-nominated debut album, KINFOLK: Postcards from Everywhere, sees Nate fusing his original modern jazz compositions with R&B, pop, & hip-hop. He’s also ventured into the pop/rock world with recent collaborations with Vulfpeck spinoff band The Fearless Flyers, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) & performances with songwriters Emily King and Van Hunt. In recent years, through a series of viral videos, he has emerged as one of the most influential & popular drummers of his generation. His videos have been viewed millions of times and have inspired countless musicians and fans. In September of 2018, he released his first ever solo drumset album Pocket Change. As a composer and arranger, Nate received two (2) GRAMMY nominations for his composition “Home Free (for Peter Joe)” for best instrumental composition & best arrangement (instrumental or a cappella).

I had the complete pleasure to share some of the cool with Nate about his upcoming trip into Madison to play at Breese Stevens Field as part of the 2021 Madison Jazz Festival. We get into the who and what KINFOLK of this stripped down version of the band will be sharing with us (including some not yet released material), the making/feeling “it” of the music toGether. We find out how important the ears are an instrument & we get into an artists relationship w/our mutual friend Laura Hanifin as a story telling/conceptual image-taker on his projects of then now and the future. Get into this one and feel summa that cool ooze off you too.

Photo by Laura Hanifin from Pocket Change Album: Waterbaby Music: 2018

Thin Place Aloha

  By grnarrow | June 3, 2021 - 10:46 pm |
Leave a comment

Another edition of the Summer spin-off proGram THE YELLOW LIGHT and this one brought a thin place to get over there from here to:

Brouhaha- Christian McBride
ETQ- Charnett Moffett
We Regret to Inform You- Jalen Baker
Desejo De Amor- João Donato, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad
~
Olduvai Gorge- Lunar Octet
Norm’s Nambo- Lunar Octet
~~
Blues For Mr. Hill- Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller (live)
~~
Toque de Queda- Trio Nilo
Camel- Trio Nilo
~~
Vanishing Point- Skúli Sverrisson Ft. Bill Frisell
Hallucinations- Alex Conde Ft. John Santos, Jeff Chambers & Colin Douglas
Laughing Lion- Richard X Bennett

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few

  By grnarrow | June 2, 2021 - 10:10 pm | ,
Leave a comment

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Fewfully explore moments of the past, present, and, yes, even the future. The new album Cosmic Transitions is a Five-part suite that addresses interpersonal relationships during a Retrograde period. The recording of this project took place on September 23rd, 2020 at Rudy Van Gelder‘s legendary studio where greats like John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, and many other great musicians expressed what they felt in those moments. Isaiah Collier is a Chicago/Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, curator, activist, motivational speaker & educator. He is probably most known for his work as a saxophonist, and drummer with this group. His sound/approach is drawn from the influences of John Coltrane, Roscoe Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, Ari Brown and Gene Ammons and he has shared the stage with many distinguished artists—Chance The Rapper, Lewis Nash, Waddada Leo Smith III, Junius Paul, James Carter, Rene Marie, Marquis Hill, Bennie Maupin, Rudy Van Gelder, Angel Bat Dawid, Kahil El’Zabar and many more. He is one of many bright stars from Chicago and will bring the Chosen Few to Madison on June 12th for two shows at Cafe Coda as part of the Madison Jazz Festival.

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few are heading into the festival on the heels of a fresh new music release. A release filled with a wide range of human emotions and musical possibility, Cosmic Transitions was crafted with the full intention to awaken those who hear it. Each part of the Suite weaves into the next. Not for the faint of heart, the album sets out to be a timestamp for before and after. Enjoy the journey. And enjoy our conversation about the upcoming event (who will be making the moments with us),the creation of these newest sonic adventures and the giving of and beyond the music.

Whole Nother World with Patti Parks & Kenny Neal

  By grnarrow | June 1, 2021 - 6:36 am | , ,
Leave a comment

It is always nice to et introduced to a new artist. For me, the new album by blues/soul singer Patti Parks is my first ear meeting with her. She’s releasing a new album entitled Whole Nother World, which is produced by GRAMMY AWARD-nominated blues great Kenny Neal. Patti, a Buffalo, NY native and a Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee, is, as expected, really excited about the release of this collection of songs. Recorded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at Brookstown Recording Studios (Kenny Neal’s studio), Whole Nother World was released on May 28 on Mr. Neals’ Booga Music label. Along with producing the album, Mr. Neal arranged and also performs masterfully on it. A riveting live performer, Patti has a soulful, sensual voice that does immense justice to her uplifting blend of Chicago blues, Memphis soul and tasty funk.

I had the opportunity to cacth up with both Patti and Mr. Neal to dive in a little deeper into this fantastic new release. We get into the history of some of the songs, including a story of loss and regain. We learn both how Patti worked differently on this album that work previous, with her being in a whole new element Mr. Neal’s hometown and in his revered studio. It was also really fascination to get an idea of how Mr. Neal goes about creating, using his ears to see what the story is and how it gets to the place he might have heard it in his mind….legends do! Of course, there’s the music and then there’s the give back. Patti has been a working nurse and is creator of the Nurs’n Blues education program, which she developed to help high risk children at drug rehab centers, so we made sure to give some shout outs to this great work.

Growth Grooves Up

  By grnarrow | May 31, 2021 - 7:35 am |
Leave a comment

The final portion of this week’s proGram got to get up to get down with the color of a big growth spurt:

Sleep Depraved- WRD Trio
Meditation- WRD Trio
~~
Daily Special- Dirk Quinn Band
***pre-recorded conversation with the Dirk Quinn Band***
Luna- Dirk Quinn Band
Jalousy Windows- Dirk Quinn Band
~~
Cold Facts on Colfax- Quantic & Eddie Roberts
Help Me Along- Jeb Loy Nichols with Cold Diamond & Mink
Working On Me- The Allergies
~~~
Sun God- Lung
Jubilation- Jack O’ the Clock
The Sahara (2020 Remix)- David Oakes
~
Motel Du Sud- Hector Zazou
Anything At All- Bachelor
We Will Never Die- Yat-Kha

Rooting

  By grnarrow | May 30, 2021 - 11:28 am |
Leave a comment

The middle portion of this week’s program took root and keep on funkin’:

Be The Only One- Jenny Don’t And The Spurs
Midnight Wine- Shannon & The Clams
Halo- Black Light Animals
~~
I Don’t Need No Doctor- PM Warson
You Gotta Tell Me- PM Warson
I Am- Laura Rain and the Caesars
Superstar- Gizelle Smith
~
Jump Up- Redtenbacher’s Funkestra Ft. Francesco Mendolia/Mike Outram/Dave Limina/Tucker Antell
Feed the Chicken- Redtenbacher’s Funkestra Ft. Stanton Moore/Cory Wong/Michael B. Nelson/Tucker Antell
Did It Again- True Loves
Being a Robot Is Awesome- Calibro 35
Magnetic Monster- Outer Space
~
Burning Plain- Cochemea
If Not Now (Then When)- The Bamboos Ft. Durand Jones
Wishbone- The Bamboos

This Shadow Knew Me Once

  By grnarrow | May 29, 2021 - 6:59 pm |
Leave a comment

The first portion of this week’s proGram had the sun to it’s back and we only went forward:

I Won’t Let You Sink- Nick Jaina
Perennial Bloom (Back To You)- Lukas Nelson Ft. Promise Of The Real
Oh Momma- Sons of Raphael
~~
Lucky Charm- Wily Bo Walker & E D Brayshaw
Heroes and Heartbreakers- Carrie Clark & The Lonesome Lovers
All Of The Women- Allison Russell
~~
greenarrowradio promo- Damon Fowler
Jack You’re Dead- Rob Stone Ft. Elena Kato & Hiroshi Eguchi (live)
I’m Ready- The Reverend Shawn Amos
Black Ice- Donna Herula
High Heel Sneakers- Will Johns
Call Me Willy- Will Johns
~
Black Eye Blues- Kelly’s Lot
Country Boy- Robert Finley
Chicago- Omar Coleman
Tommy Gunz- Tommy Z
~~
greenarrowradio promo- Clarence Spady
If My Life Was A Book- Clarence Spady

DQB Heading To Madison

  By grnarrow | May 28, 2021 - 5:12 pm | ,
Leave a comment

Dirk Quinn is the guitarist for the jazz/funk band that coincidentally bears his name. Based out of the beautiful city of Philadelphia, the Dirk Quinn Band (DQB) travels extensively throughout the US and Canada e=where they are met with smiling faces and ready to groove bodies. Utilizing over a decade of steady performing, they have developed a unique and in the now style – one that appeals to a wide variety of music listeners with a wide array of fans always seen in attendance at their events. It is the band’s infectious energy and interplay along with great melodic sensibilities, rhythmic experimentation and an accessible modern edge, keeps the Dirk Quinn Band as a mainstay atop any list of all that jazz and funk improvisations at its most engaging. I have been a fan of their musical creations for a long time, personally.

I had the chance to catch up with the four cats that’ll be heading to Madison at Garver Feed Mill on June 9th to tear things up and bring those good feelings. We got into what people in Madison can expect from this foursome as they get prepared for an evening of in the moment groves that can twist and turn on a dime. The main theme seems to be “That Feel good energy”. Speaking of feeling good….we had to talk about their latest release “The Milton” and find out how the new music came toGether during some of these crazy times. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know all four cats were gonna join the call, but it was a great chance to feel their energy as individuals, and listening to them talk about what song off the new album they’d choose to build a radio setlist out of was fascinating. I think it was for them too. Check out our chat, checkout the band live and hey, check out all the years worth of music the DQB has put out just for you.

Goalie Guard

  By grnarrow | May 27, 2021 - 6:24 pm |
Leave a comment

The first edition of the Summer Schedule greenarrowradio spin-off proGram The Yellow Light went all out to keep things from going too far:

Rabid Hole- Whelligan
Muskrat Love- The Incurables
Stranger- Dark Bird
Dead Icons- Firefriend
Home or Exile- Firefriend
~~
What Side You’re On- 3.2
Hope Skip & Jump- Michael Whalen
Poly Jam- Michael Whalen
~~
Sacred Place- Dope Sagittarius
Natural Blues- Moby Ft. Gregory Porter & Amythyst Kiah
Down- St. Vincent
Stare- Poté
~~
Things To Do- Jus Goodie
~~
Blue Kiss- Shire T

Billy Martin Illy B

  By grnarrow | May 26, 2021 - 8:22 am |
Leave a comment

Big shout our to our friends over at Brooklyn Raga Massive for hosting one of my favorite improvisers, Mr. Billy Martin…AKA Illy B. We were able to be a part of an improvised journey into who and what Billy has to offer in the moment. Billy Martin was born in NYC in 1963 to a Radio City Rockette and a concert violinist. At age 17, he devoted himself to music and dove into Manhattan’s thriving, eclectic musical landscape. In the years to follow, he honed his craft everywhere from Broadway orchestra pits to Brazilian nightclubs and burgeoning underground performance spaces. From the roots of the downtown scene, he emerged with Medeski Martin and Wood, bridging the harmonic complexity of jazz, the conversational fluency of free improvisation, and the groove and swagger of classic R&B and funk. A series of albums and high-profile collaborations with John Scofield, John Zorn, Iggy Pop, Natalie Merchant, and others, brought the band international acclaim. His experiences as a teacher, student, and musician led him to create and direct Life on Drums, a cinematic exploration of percussion and the creative process with his childhood drum instructor, Allen Herman. Billy is currently Executive Artistic Director and CEO of the legendary Creative Music Studio. Billy also owns and manages his own record label Amulet Records. Martin has relentlessly pursued diverse musical contexts, from free improvisation to chamber compositions to film scores. Much of his work is available via his Amulet Records label, which recently released the Road to Jajouka—a series of collaborations (produced by Martin) between the Master Musicians of Jajouka and such artists as Ornette Coleman, Flea, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Lee Ranaldo, Bill Laswell, Mickey Hart, MMW and more.

Sharpened The Views

  By grnarrow | May 25, 2021 - 8:11 am |
Leave a comment

The final portion of this week’s proGram followed the marching where the ended up and it was right there:

Ballad Of The Gobsmacked- Three-Layer Cake
Heart- HUMANBEING
Now the background is the foreground- Carlos Niño Ft. Adam Rudolph, Aaron Shaw & Jamael Dean
~~
Barco- Oran Etkin
Retrofit- Vijay Iyer
Children Of Flint- Vijay Iyer
~~
For The Culture- Sons Of Kemet Ft. D Double E
***pre-recorded conversation with Joseph Yoon Of Brooklyn Bugs***
Tempus Fugit- Alex Conde Ft. John Santos, Jeff Chambers & Colin Douglas
~~
Two Bass Hit- Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band Ft. Diego Rivera, Wyatt Forhan, Walter Cano, Michael Dease & Andrew Gutauskas

Flipping The Leaf

  By grnarrow | May 24, 2021 - 6:21 am |
Leave a comment

The middle portion of this week’s proGram dedicated to the march of the cicada, showed a new look when turned over:

118 & 8th- Keith Brown Trio
~~
Dear Hunter- Almog Sharvit
***pre-recorded conversation with Almog Sharvit***
Roller Disco- Almog Sharvit
~
On Green Dolphin Street- Christian McBride
You Haven’t Done Nothin- Dara Tucker
~~
Mean Street- FOCUSYEAR BAND 2021
Dancin’ in the Doghouse- Lunar Octet
Kaleidoscopic Sunset- Alí Bello & the Sweet Wire Band
Bello’s Blues- Alí Bello & the Sweet Wire Band

In This Beginning

  By grnarrow | May 23, 2021 - 8:19 am |
Leave a comment

Today’s show was dedicated to the march of the cicada. The first portion of the proGram leafed the page to remember the years:

In Between- Ariel Bart
~
Sweet Earth- Skúli Sverrisson Ft. Bill Frisell
Afternoon Varient- Skúli Sverrisson Ft. Bill Frisell
Mood Current- Anthony Pirog
Janel- Anthony Pirog
I Keep Asking Questions- Joel Harrison w/Steve Swallow
Black Mountain Breakdown- Joel Harrison w/ David Gilmore
Song For Steve Swallow- Joel Harrison w/Steve Swallow
~~
Under The Sun- Joey Alexander
~~
Euim De Bahia- Ensemble Novo
El Preciso Perdoar- Ensemble Novo

Get Up Or Cry by Almog Sharvit

  By grnarrow | May 22, 2021 - 5:59 pm |
Leave a comment

Innovative composer & bassist Almog Sharvit announces the release of his debut album as a leader, Get Up Or Cry, on May 28, 2021, via Unit Records. Together with his band members Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Brandon Seabrook (guitar & banjo), Micha Gilad (piano, keys, synths) & Lukas König (drums), Almog creates an amusement park of a record. After years of exploring & absorbing art in a wide variety of media, Almog possesses his own personal and compelling style, both in performance and composition. Get Up Or Cry was recorded in a single day at Wonderpark Studios in Brooklyn. In post-production, Almog applied experimental techniques usually found in pop & electronic music to the songs – the record features filter sweeps, heavy distortion and compression, and creative automation and panning that he gladly says “will knock the dust off your stereo.”. My suggestion is you turn it up real loud and listen to each part a few times over….like exiting the ride at that amusement park and quickly running back in line to get after it aGain.

I had the chance to catch up with Almog about the new album ahead of its end of May release. We get into the importance of getting those right musicians backing this project – those who find the sense of humor within some of this music – they felt the smile this album creates. We get into the cross-genre stylings and some of those after recording extra manipulations to enhance the visions. Snuck in is not only a couple of bands we learn are loved by Almog, but also which songs of the new record he’d choose to build a setlist with and what other artists would be included…always a very interesting path to get people talking about, and this time is no different. I look forward to more music to come in the future, but will certainly continue to get back in line for some more Get Up Or Cry.