December 12, 2022

This was an all-21st century show, with the oldest item coming from way back in time, 2011. Here's a few of my faves from the program:

"Children of Flint" by the Vijay Iyer Trio. I haven't anything from Vijay for a fair amount of time. Nice to get his music back on air.

"Shadows" by Bill Brennan. A short, slightly spooky mallet instrument piece.

"Boomerang" by Miriodor. Quirky prog-jazz. Or jazz-prog.

"You want it darker" by Iggy Pop. Iggy covers Lenny, to great effect.

You can take in the recording of this show here.

There's still two editions of Breaking The Tethers left for December 2022 (though the month seems to be going very quickly). The penultimate show of the month and the year will be on Monday, December 19, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM, 10 to 11 am MT. For the most part, it'll be the usual BTT thing but I will be injecting a little bit of Christmas oddness into the proceedings.

Thanks.

Andrew

December 5, 2022

This was the first show back from me after a week away (many thanks again to Brennan Chaudry for filling in!).  Looking at the tracklist, this was a good representative sample of what BTT is about these days. On a practical level, I also managed to fit in one or two tracks that have been on my "play sometime soon" list for too long e.g. "Uno" by Nacho Szulga's 5.

The Christmas season is nearly upon us. There will be Breaking The Tethers episodes on either side of Christmas Day itself, including a show on Boxing Day. As in past years, on these programs, I'll play some regular BTT fare plus a few off-kilter seasonal items.

There's one more episode before we get to Christmastime, however. This will be on Monday, December 19, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. See you then!

Thanks.

Andrew

November 28, 2022

I wasn't able to host Breaking The Tethers this week so Brennan Chaudry, host of Prisoner's Dilemma on CJSW more than ably filled in. Brennan has hosted BTT in the past so I was glad to have him back. He played some fine music; give it a listen here.

I'll return to the airwaves for the first Monday of December, December. Please join me if you can at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM from 10 to 11 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

Alternative To What? November 17, 2022

One of my favourite shows on CJSW is the long-running Alternative To What?, hosted by Kerry Clarke. I’ve been lucky enough to guest-host ATW several times in the past and I did so again on Thursday, November 17 (the first time since COVID times began). Many thanks to Kerry for letting me mess with her program! I had loads of fun!

Musically, I decided to go all over the map, so to speak. In this show, there was afrobeat, comedy, prog, folk, jazz, punk, metal, blues, classical, and much more. Give it a listen here.

Thanks.

Andrew

November 21, 2022

Perhaps things were possibly a little (or a lot) proggy this week. Not a bad thing, I think. Variation is good, both intra and inter shows. I also have to say that it was nice to play some Nucleus (“Torrid zone” from the Elastic rock album); I haven’t played them on air for a long time. Give a listen to this show.

I’m going to be away for the last BTT episode in November, Monday, November 28. Brennan Chaudry, host of Prisoner‘s Dilemma on CJSW (check it out here), will once again fill in for me. As always, he’ll do a great job. Please join Brennan from 10 to 11 am MT at either cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

November 14, 2022

This episode featured what I think is the largest range of dates of music ever on Breaking The Tethers. The oldest piece of music was “Swing to bop (Topsy)” by Charlie Christian, which was recorded in 1941 (and iplayed on BTT by listener request, the first request in some time). The newest pieces of music were released in the latter part of 2002. A mere 81 year difference. Dig it all, regardless of date, at bit.ly/3X77S4K.

I actually have two upcoming shows on CJSW, not just the next BTT show. BTT will be on at the usual time and place, Monday, November 21 from 10 to 11 am MT. I’m also going to be guest-hosting Alternative To What on Thursday, November 17, from 4 to 6 pm. I’ve hosted ATW in the past but not since before COVID times began. I’m really looking forward to it! Please join me for both programs at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

Thanks to 2022 Funding Drive Breaking The Tethers donors!

A quick thanks to all the kind folks who donated on the recent Funding Drive edition of Breaking The Tethers:

Colin

Daniel

Janine

Steven

Jamie

Brennan

Mitchell

Miguel

Much appreciated!

November 7, 2022

Leaning a fair bit to the outside, this show featured only music from 2013 and onwards. I didn't quite plan it this way but this is how it turned out. And I was fine with that. There's no shortage of more recent jazz-type music to feature on BTT. In fact, in terms of music I have on deck to play on the program, I've got longer lists of more contemporary music than I do older stuff (depending on how you define "older stuff", of course). But I'll always play plenty of both!

We move into mid-November with the next edition of BTT. Join me on Monday, November 15 from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 31, 2022

I often describe Breaking The Tethers (BTT) as being “all over the map”. This show definitely fit that bill. There was straight-ahead jazz (“March of the covidians” by PJ Perry), UK 60s folk-jazz (“White fishes” by John Renbourn), steel pan jazz (“Fly intro” by Joy Lapps), Carnatic sax (“Soft” by Rudresh Mahanthappa and Bunky Green), and much more. Plenty of Canadian content as well, as well; six of the 11 songs this week are Canadian. 

We start 2022 month no. 11 with a BTT episode on Monday, November 7, usual time, 10 to 11 am MT, usual place, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Everyone is invited!

Thanks.

Andrew

October 24, 2022

Just a few words on this, the 2022 CJSW Funding Drive (FD) Breaking The Tethers (BTT) show. It came and went quickly, some fine tunes were played, and some money was raised. On that note, many thanks to everyone who pledged (so far) for and during the show! I'll have more on this soon!

I should note that, as I type, the Drive is still going on, though the end is near, with about two hours left. That's still plenty of time to donate. You can call 403-220-5000 or go to cjsw.com/donate.

It's back to "normal" for the first post-FD edition of BTT, the last of October 2022. Come and hang out with me on Monday, October 31 from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. I've got lots of music to play!

Thanks.

Andrew

Funding Drive 2022 show

The 2023 CJSW Funding Drive (FD) started today, Friday, October 21 (at 9 am, to be precise). This is an important time for Calgary's campus and community radio station, when we call upon our amazing listeners for support, to help CJSW continue and grow. 

Here’s some information about this year’s Drive:

*The Drive runs from October 21 to 28.

*This year’s theme is Broadcast in Bloom.

*The financial goal is $200,000.

*There are many different pledging levels and there’s nifty swag for each level. Details are at https://cjsw.com/donate/ or at fundingdrive.ca

*You can pledge online anytime at 

https://fundingdrive.ca/collections/funding-drive-2020. You can pledge by phone only during the actual Funding Drive at (403) 220-5000.

*The Breaking The Tethers FD show will be on Monday, October 24, from 10 to 11 am MT, at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. Some great music will be played and much fun will be had. There also be some show-specific pledge incentives, including a 25-track, hours-long download of music featured on BTT in the past year. My goal for the show is to get into four digits ($1000 or more) in pledges. Please join me then!

I'll have more information on the Drive and the BTT FD program throughout the week. Check out my Twitter account, @01Waller, and my Facebook account, here.

Many thanks!

Andrew

October 17, 2022

I've said this before but some Breaking The Tethers programs, like most radio and other shows, I suspect, just fall together nicely and today's episode was in that category. There was a nice mix of music in terms of style, age, and length (actually, there was definitely a lean to "shorter" this week, sometimes not an easy thing to do with jazz). My favourite track was probably the first one played in the show, "Love can be cruel" by Ryley Walker. I'm sure I've played this on BTT before, probably when the record first came out, but it could handle being aired again, at least years later 😄.

So, later this week (Friday, October 21, 9 am, to be precise), the annual CJSW Funding Drive begins. I'll have much more about the FD in more posts later this week but, for now, I will note that the FD edition of Breaking The Tethers will take place on Monday, October 24, usual place (cjsw.com or 90.9 FM), usual time (10 to 11 am MT). A good time will be had by all. Please join me!

Thanks.

Andrew

October 10, 2022

Like last week, today’s show was made up of music released (or re-released, in the case of one piece) in the 21st century. Within that, though, there was lots of variation among the 11 tracks played, many of which were Canadian. I’m not sure what I liked best; maybe everything hit me about the same (all of good, of course). You can decide for yourself by listening to the program here.

Our march into October moves with speed, with the next BTT episode on Monday, October 17, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please join me then.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 3, 2022

Breaking The Tethers headed into October 2022 with a show featuring only music released in this century. Not that this was the plan at all, just how things ended up. Most of the tunes were actually from 2022 with trips back to 2021, 2014, and 2011. The key track today was probably "Movement 5" from the Promises album featuring Floating Points and Pharaoh Sanders; this was the last record released by Sanders in his lifetime. You can take the show in at bit.ly/3SQDVmi.

The next BTT episode will be on Canadian thanksgiving. Accordingly, all the songs played with deal with turkey. Well, maybe not, but good music will be played regardless! Come hang with me on Monday, October 10 from 10 to 11 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

PS More on this to come but, just to put it in your brain... CJSW Funding Drive 2022 is coming soon...

September 26, 2022

There's two main things to point out from this Breaking The Tethers show. First, it's a bit longer than usual. I ended up going on air at 9:45 am instead of the usual 10:00 am. I didn't mind; more time for more music! Second, I played a tribute to the the late great Pharaoh Sanders, who had moved to the next plane of existence a few days earlier. The track I selected was a live version of "The creator has a master plan", with no vocals, recorded in France in 1968. The whole shebang can be heard here.

We enter into month no. 10, October, with the next edition of BTT. As always, join me from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM, the day being Monday, October 3. Much fine music will be played.

Thanks.

Andrew

September 19, 2022

I very much liked this edition of Breaking The Tethers, for two reasons.  First, it "worked" really well. The just tracks fell into place alongside each other; things just felt "right". Second, there ended up being a theme of sorts to the program, sort of a spaced out spiritual jazz thing. Not all the tracks quite fell into this category but it's kind of easy to pick out those that did e.g. "How to be in the body...", "Trance du jour", "Within you, without you", "From the river to t  Anyway, it's all well worth a listen; go here to do that.

We hit the end of September 2022 with the next BTT show, starting at 10 am MT on the 26th. Please join me at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM

Thanks.

Andrew

September 12, 2022

Eight solid songs in this show, which had a bit of a vibey feel. They also leaned to the newer side of things, all being released in the 2014 through 2022 period. My favourite was probably "The non-profit prince of Lexington" by Kneebody, a band I knew nothing about, hadn't even heard about (unless I've completely forgotten) until a month or so ago. You can listen to this program here.

The music and the month continues. The next edition of BTT will be on Monday, September 19, at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com, from 10 to 11 am MT. I'll be there and I hope you will be too.

Thanks.

Andrew

September 5, 2022

They let me back on air for this, the first show of September 2022, end of summer, new school term, and all that. Lots of tracks played, from all over the BTT musical map. I dug all of them, as usual, but maybe my favourite was the first one, "For brother Thompson" by Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake; it's always good to get things going with some Islamic chanting!

There'll be more of the same (but different!) on Monday, September 12, 10 to 11 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 29, 2022

I'm reporting on the this show, which was guest-hosted by Tim Mah while I was away. Many thanks to Tim for doing the program! It was an interesting tracklist, as per usual. Check it all out here. Also be sure to listen in to Tim's regular CJSW show, Jazz Today.

It's a holiday in many places but I'll still be back for the next edition of Breaking The Tethers on Monday, September 5, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please join me if you can!

Thanks.

Andrew

August 22, 2022

A music-packed episode of Breaking The Tethers this week. Not too much talk, plenty of tunes, in different styles. My faves were "Woven forest" by Janel Leppin, "First movement" by Maupin & Rudolph, and "Bike lane" by Richard Undersell. Also of note, I fit in three short tracks, by Jon Batiste and Cody Chesnutt, from the soundtrack of the Disney Pixar film, Soul, which has a jazz theme; they made nice fillings in a few musical sandwiches, so to speak.

Next week, on Monday, August 29, there will be a BTT show but I won't be there. I'll be away that day but  once again, Tim Mah, host of Jazz Today, will be holding the fort. Tune in to hear Tim from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. I'll be back behind the boards on Monday, September 5.

Thanks.

Andrew

 

August 15, 2022

A nice mixed bag kinda show here; older, newer, different styles. I’m particularly fond of the middle section in the program, bookended by the two Curlew live tracks, 11 years apart. The middle parts of this musical sandwich were great, too, songs by Barry Coates et al and Mehldau & Guiliana. Take it all in here.

I’m going to be away in a couple of weeks (I’ll be gone for one show; Tim Mah will be hosting that day). There’s one more BTT show before then, on Monday, August 22, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Hope you can join me then.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 8, 2022

This show marked my return to the board at CJSW for Breaking The Tethers. Plenty of nifty stuff played today, in several different styles. The centrepiece of the program was "Now's the time" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from the previously-unreleased First flight to Tokyo. In (large) part, I picked this song to play because it features Blakey doing his thing on the drums, at least two long solos. Here's where you can listen to the show: bit.ly/3JFzpDT.

The second BTT program back for me will be Monday, August 15, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.  I've lots of great music on deck! Please join me if you can!

Thanks.

Andrew

August 1, 2022

This episode was the last of three BTT shows hosted by Tim Mah in my absence. As always, Tim presented an interesting program, with a setlist in the same vein as the earlier shows. Be sure to check it out here. Much thanks to Tim!

My grand return (ha!) to CJSW and Breaking The Tethers will be on Monday, August 8, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. 

Thanks.

Andrew

July 25, 2022

This week was another fine show hosted by Tim Mah in my absence. Check it out at Breaking The Tethers - Episode July 25, 2022 | CJSW.

Tim has one more show to go, on Monday, August 1, 10 to 11 am MT. Please join him at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 18, 2022

This was the first of three Breaking The Tethers episodes featuring guest host Tim Mah, Tim is the regular host of Jazz Today on CJSW and playing some nifty stuff today, in part focusing on a few artists (e.g. Jocelyn Gould).  You can listen to this show here. 

And you can hang with Tim for show #2 on Monday, July 25, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 11, 2022

It was the long and short of it for this week's episode of Breaking The Tethers. The long was "First light" from the recently released (but recorded in 1973) Freddie Hubbard album, Music is here. Good stuff, taking almost half of the show. The rest of the material was shorter but just as cool and was nicely varied.

A reminder that I'll be away from BTT for the next three shows. I'll be back on air for the Monday, August 8 program. Tim Mah, host of Jazz Today on CJSW, will more than ably fill in for me. Many thanks to Tim!

Thanks.

Andrew

July 4, 2022

While the music on this BTT show was great, perhaps the most interesting thing was that I managed to fit 13 tracks onto the program. This is a hard thing to do when you're playing jazz and all you have for time is 60 minutes. I think this ties the record for number of tunes played on the one-hour version of BTT. Give it a listen here.

The next Breaking The Tethers program will on Monday, June 11, usual time, usual place: 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please tune on in!

Speaking of new shows, I should note that I'll be away for the next three programs after July 11 (July 18, July 25, and August 1). Tim Mah, host of Jazz Today on CJSW, will more than ably fill in for me (Tim will also be hosting a BTT episode later in August; more on that to come). Thanks in advance to Tim! I'll be back on air for the August 8 show.

Thanks.

Andrew

June 27, 2022

Another fine show this week, much in the vein of the June 20 program, I think (others may think different and that's cool, too). My top tracks:

"Abandoned" by the Matthew Shipp Trio. A new release. I always dig what Shipp puts out. I haven't played music by him in far too long.

"We now interrupt for a commercial" by Ornette Coleman. Late 60s Ornette, a period I am less familiar with but I am enjoying it as I get into it.

"Jessica" by Bruce Kaphan and group. It's a cover of the Allman Brothers song, which is a point in my book, plus it's pedal steel-led jazz, which is an interesting sound and not common.

Next week's Breaking The Tethers episode is up on Monday, July 4, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Join me, please!

Thanks.

Andrew

PS For anyone who heard the first few minutes of this show, yes, there was supposed to be a band interview but it didn't happen. Apologies for any confusion.

June 20, 2022

Lots of great music played today, long and short, different styles. Let me point out two of many:

1) "Sky dive" by Freddie Hubbard, from a 1973 Paris concert, previously unreleased. I've been waiting to play this one for a while. I'll feature another track from this record sometime in the weeks to com.

2) "Kind folk" from Kenny Wheeler, Lee Kontiz, Dave Holland, and Bill Frisell (great lineup!) off the album Angel song. A longtime fave of mine that expresses the late Wheeler's songwriting and style well.

But it's all worth checking out. To do that, go to this place.

Thanks!

Andrew

June 13, 2022

Plenty of fine music in this show but the main element was an interview with Ernesto Cervini, drummer, publicist, and bandleader. Ernesto is going to be in Calgary soon with his band Tetrahedron for the JazzYYC Summer Festival, playing at the King Eddy on June 30. It was great to be able to chat with Ernesto, someone who's music I have played a fair amount of on Breaking The Tethers over the years.  You can listen to the interview (and the rest of the show) here.

There's no interview on the next edition of BTT (though there might be one on the program after that - stay tuned) but some great tunes are set to be featured. Join me for that on Monday, June 20, 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

June 6, 2022

Some shows are just "good all around" shows and this one falls into that category. I would still say that there were a few high points (or high points of high points). For instance, I loved the two tracks from the Summer of soul soundtrack, Ray Barretto rapping his way through "Together" and "Hold on, I'm comin'" from Herbie Mann, featuring a wild, spaced-out guitar solo from Sonny Sharrock. Check these and more out here.

The next Breaking The Tethers program will be on Monday, June 13, 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Join me that day for a special interview with drummer and bandleader (and more) Ernesto Cervini; his band, Tetrahedron, will be playing at the upcoming JazzYYC Summer Festival.

Thanks.

Andrew

May 30, 2022

May comes to an end with a solid show. Mostly newly-released content with a couple of trips into the past, from the always interesting late great Don Cherry (no, not the hockey dude) and Wayne Shorter, who I seem to be getting into more and more these days. I'd recommend giving this show a listen here.

Tune in with me on Monday, June 6 at 10 am MT for the next Breaking The Tethers show. Go to 90.9 FM or cjsw.com

Thanks.

Andrew

May 23, 2022

Whereas the last Breaking The Tethers show, on May 16, ended up being kinda straight-ahead, partly by default, today's episode was fairly deliberately on the outside side of things (gotta have balance!). The show also came together and flowed well. For me, musically, some of the high points were "Down void way" by Dickey, Parker, and Shipp, "Minitrue (reprise)" by Hugh Hopper, "Creative musicians" by Jazzanova, and "Mild" by Brian Baggett. 

Next week, join me on the last Monday in May, Monday, May 30 for Breaking The Tethers again.  More interesting music is on deck to be featured. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM from 10 to 11 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

May 16, 2022

I didn't quite plan it this way but this edition of  the show ended up being kinda straight-ahead, at least by Breaking The Tethers standards. There was a bit of oddness in the first track, "To do nothing" by the World's Experience Orchestra, and definitely in the last, "No. 5" by Sam Gendel, but the rest was, perhaps, surprisingly "normal". I'll have to "fix" that next week 😆.  Anyway, you can listen to the whole thing here.

And, as always, there is a show next week, on Monday, May 23, from 10 to 11 am MT. Tune yourself to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Hope you can join me!

Thanks.

Andrew

May 9, 2022

For the most part, this edition of Breaking The Tethers resided in the out there/avant/experiment side of town. No apologies on my part for this; I always like to feature the freakier stuff, the more the merrier 😁. However, perhaps I should apologize for playing Soft Machine yet again ("Esther's nose job/Pigling bland"); I almost certainly play them a bit too much. Then again, it was a track from the recently-released Facelift live album and we always like to showcase the new stuff at CJSW. Anyway, take it all in here.

Hang with me at the next BTT program, on Monday, May 16, at 10 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

March 7, 2022

For me, the key tune played here was “India” by John Coltrane, from the complete Village Vanguard set. It’s an awesome track, melding west and east, and pointing a bit to Coltrane’s future directions. I’ve played a version of “India” from this collection before but I’m not sure if the one I played today was the same one in the past; there are four versions of “India” on the record. Anyway, you can listen to “India” and the rest of the songs in this show at bit.ly/3vXLQ7H

Thanks.

Andrew

March 14, 2022

For lack of a better description, this was an all-new show without quite being an an all-new show. My faves: The Sonata Islands Komandoh song (it has a long, odd title), “New sky” by Azar Lawrence, and the Weiss and Okazaki guitar and drums freak out.

Thanks.

Andrew

March 21, 2022

I was away (in Mexico!) for the week that included that this edition. The guest host was Brennan Chaudry, the man behind another fine CJSW program, Prisoner’s Dilemma. Brennan has hosted BTT several times in the past, always doing a great job, something he continued with the March 21 show. Lots of nifty music played. Listen to it here. 

Thanks.

Andrew

March 28, 2022

Many tracks played today, all new or new-ish (it wasn’t quite an all-new program, which I haven’t done for a while… maybe I should amend that…). Plenty of variation, from straight to weird and some points in between. Not much more to say, just listen. 

Thanks.

Andrew

May 2, 2022

There were only six tracks played in today’s program but they were mighty tunes. For me, the mightiest were the first piece, “Nation time” by Joe McPhee from the album of the same name (which is a great record!), and the third piece, “Twister Uranus” from the always-interesting Rob Mazurek (who I haven’t played for ages). Everything is worth checking out, though, and you can do that here.

We head further into May next week with the next BTT episode. On Monday, May 9, go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM from 10 to 11 am MT. As usual, great music shall be played.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 4, 2022

There’s a fine mix of sounds, styles, and dates here but the key tune is the first one played, “Facelift” by Soft Machine from their newly-released live album, Facelift France and Holland. It’s great stuff. I have to restrain myself from playing many more tracks from this album, at least on air :-) You can take in the show at bit.ly/39vPJZY.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 11, 2022

COVID hit my household a few days before this show. I ended up trapped at home and couldn't host the program. CJSW Music Director Tyra Sanderson stepped up and more than ably presented BTT for this week. She picked some good stuff, including one track that was on my "play this soon" list! Many thanks to Tyra! Check it all out at bit.ly/3ME3ynd.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 18, 2022

I think this was a fine with lots of great music played, nine nifty tracks in all. A few faves of mine from this program:

-"Keep on moving on" by Sir Edward. Groovy early 70s soul jazz.

-"Out-bloody-rageous" by Soft Machine. A rare quintet version of this classic tune, recorded in 1970 but only released in 2022.

-"Drum nerds" by Hamid Drake and Jesse Stewart. I've played this before, at least once, but it's so good I felt the need to return to this. An appropriately-titled track.

Dig all of these and more here.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 25, 2022

This week's episode was dominated by one track, "Lift" by Immanuel Wilkins, a free piece which went to several different territories and took up almost half of the program. A few other points to note:

*The fine soul-jazz of "A few miles from Memphis" performed by Steve Kaldestad, written by the late, great Harold Mabern.

*Some NYC loft-era jazz from Sunny Murray. Haven't played anything from him for a long time.

*A couple of new, short, ostensibly classical pieces that worked well in a more jazzy context.

Listen to all of this and more here.

Hang with me as May arrives, for the next Breaking The Tethers show. It'll be on Monday, May 2, 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM

Thanks.

Andrew

February 28, 2022

We finish off February 28 with perhaps a slightly mellower show than usual but still a solid one at that. This edition featured a few tracks that were on my "I should play this sometime" list, maybe for too long e.g. the live version of "Four folk songs" by Ben Allison and Man Size Safe, one of my fave jazz tunes; "Summit" by Rudresh Mahanthappa and Bunky Green - it's always good to showcase that carnatic jazz sound. You can take it all in here.

BTT episode number 1 for March will be on Monday, March 7, usual time, usual place: 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please join me if you can!

I should also note that I'll be away on Monday, March 21 so no BTT hosting duties for me that day. I'm not sure who will be taking over for me but I'll post about it when I find out (I'm sure whoever it is will do a fine job!)

Thanks.

Andrew

February 21, 2022

February rolls along with a pretty diverse show today. What did we have? Free-jazz stoner rock (Black Bombaim & Peter Brotzmann), solo improvised piano (Esteban Herrera), and big band Zappa (The BBB Featuring Bernie Dressel), among lots of other nifty sounds. Feed it all to your ears at bit.ly/3IaapmI.

We close off February for BTT next week, Monday, February 28, 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please join me then.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 3, 2022

Happy New Year! This was the first show of 2022. It was interesting. Check it out, please. Go to bit.ly/3sXlv86

Thanks.

Andrew

January 10, 2022

Lots of music, all sorts of styles in this episode. I mention two tracks that I really quite liked (no shade on the others, of course): “Black acid soul” by Lady Blackbird, from the album of the same title, the only instrumental on the record, and “Black narcissus”, Middle Eastern-influenced version of the classic composition by Joe Henderson (check out his Power to the people album), from Behrooz Mihankha’s record Lydium. 

Thanks.

Andrew

January 17, 2022

Some editions of Breaking The Tethers end up all over the map, musically, and this program was one of them. And there was no shortage of tracks played, 12 in an hour. Fave tracks: Alex Lefaivre’s version of Zeppelin’s “Immigrant song” (which kicked off this show), “Covid blues” by Shuffle Demons (who are always fun to play), and “The mask” by Miles Davis (from Miles at the Fillmore: Miles Davis 1970: The bootleg series vol. 3, a Davis set I really like)

Thanks.

Andrew

January 24, 2022

This was perhaps a mellower show than usual, maybe more on the straight-ahead or normal side of things. No worries. It’s always good to have variation. Surprise track was “Submarine” by Bob James, someone I’ve associated with smooth jazz (which I hate) in the past but I’ve since realized that his career palette is broader than that.

Thanks.

Andrew

February 7, 2022

This edition of BTT featured a fine selection of music, I think, but let me discuss a couple of the tracks:

In 1961, Oliver Nelson released the classic album Blues and the abstract truth, perhaps most well-known for the track "Stolen moments".  I very recently discovered that there is a sequel to this album, More blues and the abstract truth, from 1965. Interestingly, there is a tune called "Blues and the abstract truth" on More blues but not on the original record. This is in the long music tradition of having title tracks for one album appears on a different one e.g. Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the holy" song is on Physical graffiti, not on the Houses of the holy album; Queen's "Sheer heart attack" is on News of the world not on Sheer heart attack.

I will admit to being somewhat obsessed with Bill Evans' song "Time remembered". The version I played on Feb. 7 was a recent discovery for me and is a "full band" version as opposed to a jazz piano trio version, which is how Evans commonly played the tune. This fuller version is definitely interesting, adding extra elements that make the song sound more fulsome (not that it's anything less played in piano trio style).

You can listen to these two tracks and the rest of the show at bit.ly/3H2QdSj

Thanks.

Andrew

February 14, 2022

This was the Valentine's Day show though there was no love but no hate either. I considered doing something thematic but the show ended up just being the usual mix of jazzy stuff. And a good show it was, too. Nice music all around including a cover of one of my favourite Captain Beefheart songs, the trance-like "Abba zaba". The podcast of this program is here.

We head into the second part of February 2022 (already!) for next week's episode. Hang with me for an hour on Monday, February 21, from 10 to 11 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 31, 2022

Just a good show, maybe a tad more on the mellower side than usual (which is fine). A main feature of this episode was the double shot of the song “Something spiritual”. I thought it would be interesting to contrast  two very different versions of this, recorded 10 months apart by Tony Williams’ Lifetime (for Emergency!) and by John McLaughlin (for My goals beyond), with McLaughlin playing on both versions.

Check these and the other tracks played this week at bit.ly/34zmvH4

We arrive at February 2022 next. Join me for the first show of the month on Monday, February 7, from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM

Thanks.

Andrew