November 2, 2026

This week was a return to "regular" Breaking The Tethers, after last week's Funding Drive episode. As this is kind of a start of a new year for CJSW, I figured I'd go with an "all-new" program. Musically, it was perhaps a mellower show than usual but there was some nifty new numbers presented. My fave tracks were two that came later in the show, "Sands-II. jump" by Jean Derome & Somebody Special, from the album Le sourire, and "From here to dexterity" by Ray Russell, from Dangerous bends.

As usual, there's more BTT next week, on Monday, November 9. Tune in at 10 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 29, 2026 - Alternative To What?

I was invited to be co-pilot on the 2026 Funding Drive episode of Alternative To What (thanks, Kerry!). We played some tunes, we chatted away, and many kind listeners donated. The total at the end of the show was about $5,000, a wonderful number, and more than last year, IIRC. There were about 60 individual donors. Many thanks to all who donated on ATW and many thanks to everyone who donated during the Funding Drive!

You can listen to the show right here.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 26, 2026

This was the 2026 Funding Drive edition of Breaking The Tethers, the 21st one for me (go here to give it a listen). It was mostly talking, me alone and me with CJSW station manager, Adam Kamis. But there were a few tracks played as well, all from the BTT Funding Drive mix. Donation-wise, by the end of the show, if memory serves, $665 had been put forward, from 10 donors (I'll have an update on this in the future). Many thanks to all donors, both to BTT and to CJSW as a whole.

It'll be back to a regular BTT show next week. Please come hang with me on Monday, November 2, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. There'll be good music, good times, etc.

I'll also be making an appearance on the Funding Drive version of Alternative To What, hosted by the returning Kerry Clarke. This will be on Thursday, October 29, 4 to 6 pm, same station. I hope you can tune in.

Thanks.

Andrew

PS Donations are still being accepted! Call 403-220-5000 or go to cjsw.com/donate!

CJSW Funding Drive 2026 and Breaking The Tethers

The annual CJSW Funding Drive (FD) is back! This is the yearly opportunity for the listeners of Calgary's only campus and community radio station to help support the station, to help it grow, develop, and more. Here's the basics about this year's Drive:

*The theme is Brave New Airwaves.

*The Drive will run from Friday, October 23 through Friday, October 30 (the Drive will end at 6 pm MT that day, at the conclusion of the Road Pops program).

*The fundraising goal is $200,000.

*There is all sorts of great CJSW swag available at various donation levels. You can check this out at cjsw.com/donate.

*You can donate by calling 403-220-5000 or by going to cjsw.com/donate.

I'll be involved in two CJSW shows during the FD, Breaking The Tethers and Alternative To What.

The main thing for me will be Breaking The Tethers. The Funding Drive show for BTT will take place on Monday, October 27, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. I'll play some tunes from this year's mix (more on this below), chat up the airwaves, hopefully bring in some money, and have loads of fun.

In addition to the station-level swag (again, see cjsw.com/donate), there will be some BTT-only incentives. There will be some nifty jazz CDs and some made-by-me mix CDs. There may also be some other incentive items... check in live on Breaking The Tethers on Monday. Looking at the mix CDs (yes, I'm going old school this year), there will only be four of them available (when they're gone, they're gone...). The CDs will all have the same music, tunes that were featured in the past year on Breaking The Tethers episodes, a selection of stuff that listeners (and me) especially liked. Here's the track list: 

Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band - “War pigs”

Rich Brown - “Turiyasangitananda - The transcendental lord's highest song of bliss (meditation for Alice Coltrane)”

Asher Gamedze - “Following up”

Nicole Rampersaud - “…and then”

Hadley Caliman - “Iapetus”

Russ Anixter’s Hippie Big Band - “No quarter - bitches brew”

Hugo Blouin - “Soupe pragmatique”

Anna Webber - “Idiom I”

The FreeJazz WallPaper - “Short abstraction”

Lukas Ligeti - “Uncommon notion”

Rich Brown - “The kingdom of heaven is within”

I'll also be joining Kerry Clarke on her FD program, Alternative To What. Kerry is back after a few weeks away (I guest-hosted Alternative To What in her absence) and should be more than ready to play the tunes and rake in the money! The Funding Drive edition of Alternative To What will be on Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 6 pm MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. 

Please be sure to tune into both shows (and other CJSW programs!) You'll be more than welcome! 

Thanks.

Andrew

October 22, 2026 - Alternative To What?

Showfill number two for me on Alternative To What this October. I had much fun, as always (despite the fire alarm!), and played the usual mess o' great tunes that I normally do on ATW. This time, there was less newly-released music and more longer tracks (one piece, "Blend", by Sandy Bull, was nearly 22 minutes long). You can give this show a listen here.

Kerry Clarke will make an auspicious return to her show next week, Thursday, October 29, from 4 to 6 pm MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. It'll be auspicious because she's coming back after missing two programs and because this will be the Funding Drive 2026 episode of Alternative To What! Good times will be had by all! Please tune in!

Thanks.

Andrew

PS You can get a head start on donating for Alternative To What. Go to cjsw.com/donate or call 403-220-5000!

October 15, 2026 - Alternative To What?

This was the first of three Alternative To What programs on which I appear. I'm fully (guest) hosting the October 15 and 22 shows and will be hanging out with Kerry on the October 29 edition (which, BTW, will be the 2026 Funding Drive program for ATW).  This was a fun show, featuring pretty much the usual mixed bag of music that I tend to play on ATW when I'm behind the mic. Not much more to be said. It's all here for your listening pleasure.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 19, 2026

Largely new releases featured this week, the last episode of Breaking The Tethers before the 2026 CJSW Funding Drive (more on this below). While BTT does often lean to the free or avant or experimental sides of jazz (and jazz-adjacent music), sometimes these styles are actually in the minority on the show. This might have been one of these weeks. Everything that was presented was cool, however, and there were still one or two more out-there tracks played (e.g. "Logic" by Micah Thomas from Lucid). You can listen to this show here.

Here's when I'll be back on air at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM:

*I'll be filling in for regular host Kerry Clarke (thanks Kerry!) on Alternative To What once again, this time on Thursday, October 22. Things get going on at 4 pm MT.

*I'll be hosting Breaking The Tethers again on Monday, October 26, starting at 10 am MT. But it won't be the usual BTT show, because next week, from October 23 through October 30, it's the 2026 CJSW Funding Drive! And next week's BTT show will be the BTT Funding Drive program! I'll have more on the Drive and the BTT show soon.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 12, 2026

On the page on the CJSW site for this edition of Breaking The Tethers (you can listen to the show on this page), I said that this show was "a solid six". I meant that six solid tunes were featured in the program. And solid they were, I think. We had some avant jazz with Cecil Taylor, some new boy Canadian jazz from Josh Warren and Ardeshir, a trip to the 70s that wasn't a trip to the 70s from Azar Lawrence, a real trip to the 70s by Marion Brown, and more. Be sure to give it a listen.

As normal, I'll be back with another BTT outing on Monday, October 19. Please come hang with me and dig the music starting at 10 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

I've also been called back for service on Alternative To What. I'll be filling in for Kerry twice, very soon, on Thursday, October 15, and Thursday, October 22. The start time will be 4 pm MT, same station.

Thanks.

Andrew

PS Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving, one and alll!

PPS CJSW Funding Drive 2026 is coming... October 23 to 30... more info to follow... 

October 5, 2026

Lots of music squeezed into a mere 60 minutes, 11 tracks in all. We had a couple of jazzy Bowie covers for kids, lots of piano, some free jazz, grunge turned jazz, and more. Simply, this was a fun show. To give it a listen, go to shorturl.at/lfNKy. 

We keep on going into October, musically, with the next BTT show on Monday, October 12. Come hang out with me on CJSW, 90.9 FM or cjsw.com, at 10 am MT. 

Thanks.

Andrew

PS CJSW Funding Drive 2026 is coming!

September 28, 2026

I’ve said it before, maybe too many times, but some episodes of Breaking The Tethers (BTT) just work well and this was one of them. Eight tracks played, nothing too long and nothing too short, with nice stylistic variation. It all came together nicely. And you can listen to the whole thing here (which I recommend you do!)

Thanks.

Andrew 

September 21, 2026

I was back doing my thing on Breaking The Tethers after last week's absence and all went well. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this was a super-solid show (at least musically 😂). The right tracks were played at the right time. In addition, there was one song that caused some (positive) hubub, the tropicalia-infused cover of Nirvana's "In bloom", sung by Benny Benack III, from the new release Kind of grunge by Ulysses Owens Jr and Generation Y. A bunch of folks texted in - "What is this??!!" It was nice to have this reaction. Please listen to this edition of BTT here.

There's one more September show for Breaking The Tethers, in a week's time, on Monday, September 28. Please go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM at 10 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

September 14, 2026

Breaking The Tethers is my program on CJSW but this wasn't my show. I took sick that morning (or I was locked in a tiger cage) and didn't make it to the station. CJSW station manager, Adam Kamis, stepped in and hosted BTT in my place and did a fine job, playing some great tunes. It was very smart the way he did this; basically, he played music that I would play when I guest-host Alternative To What but he did this on Breaking The Tethers! Listen to it all here.

Everything returns to "normal" (should such a thing actually exist) on Monday, September 21. Barring disaster, I'll be back behind the board and on the mic for the next edition of BTT. Please join me for this last-day-of summer 2026 (or last-day-of-winter 2026 if you're in the southern hemisphere) show at 10 am MT at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com.

Thanks.

Andrew

September 10, 2026 - Alternative To What?

This week, I felt the call back to host Alternative To What. Well, actually, Kerry Clarke messaged me and asked me if I could host this show. And, of course, as always, I said "yes"! There were 19 tracks featured in two hours, from here, there, everywhere, and beyond. Here's a word list (salad) of some of what showed up on the program, in no order:

an Ace Frehley live guitar solo

Arab instrumental pop

Captain Beefheart

late period John Coltrane

new Dinosaur Jr.

new (yes, new) Strawberry Alarm Clock

creepy ambient sounds

Indo-violin

And much more.

You can take in the whole mess here.

Thanks.

Andrew

September 7, 2026

This might be one of my top BTT shows. The music was great and everything flowed well. Looking at the music, two of the tracks played really made this episode, I think:

"Slightly all the time" by Soft Machine, from the album Third. An all-time fave, I nearly played this as part of the BTT 20th anniversary shows in June (I played "Out-bloody-rageous" from the same album instead) and figured it needed an airing.

"War pigs" by Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band from What's next. I didn't announce what the title of the song was before I played it (I mentioned the group and album) and some listeners went nuts (in a good way), texting in. This one will definitely be on the BTT Funding Drive 2026 playlist.

Here's the podcast of this show: tinyurl.com/y6zvthmr

Thanks.

Andrew

August 31, 2026

There's two things to note about this edition of BTT. First, it's an almost all-new show, with 10 of the 11 tracks played being new releases (the piece by Moraine, "In that distant place", is the only "old" track). I didn't plan it this way but this is the way it went. Nothing wrong with it, of course (I had a ton of new stuff to pull from anyway... and still do!). The other notable item to mention deals with the number 11. For an hour-long jazz program, playing 11 pieces is almost amazing; normally, I might get in eight or nine at most. So, it was a music-heavy show. Again, nothing wrong with that! You can take in the whole show here.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 24, 2026

Jazz-rock! That was the term that best described much of the music in this BTT show. I didn't quite plan it that way but, as I heard the sounds and looked back at the track list, lo and behold, it was kind of a jazz-rock program. And I liked it! My fave tune was the first tune, the team-up of Led Zeppelin's "No quarter" and Miles Davis' "Bitches brew" by Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band, from their recent release, What's next (the same group made a memorable appearance on the Sept. 7 show - stay tuned for that!), which I thought worked just great. Be sure to give the whole episode a listen here.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 17, 2026

For each episode of BTT, among various lists, I keep a list of newly-released material that I could draw on for the show. Just before I began this edition of BTT, I looked at the list and noticed that it was several pages long (it still is on the long side!). What did that tell me? That it was time to do an "all-new" program, which is what this show was. It ended up being pretty good one, I say, with lots of edge and variety and 10 tracks played, which is a fair number for an hour jazz show. Give it a listen here.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 10, 2026

It was the usual nice mix o' jazz-type music on this episode of Breaking The Tethers, with a large chunk of the tracks being new releases. The word that came to mind to describe the proceedings was "moody". I know all music evokes moods of one sort or another but "moody" in and of itself seemed to fit best here. Define it as you will. And listen to the show here.

BTT hits mid-August next, with the show returning on Monday, August 17. To listen, head to 90.9 FM or cjsw.com at 10 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 6, 2026 - Alternative To What?

Kerry was away from ATW (or A2W) for this episode so I filled in. Musically, it was the usual weirdo mix of tracks that I feature when my turn comes on ATW but there were a few slants this week. For example, there was a fair amount of ambientness, more than normal spoken word(ish) stuff, and a fair amount of blues; also less jazz than usual. I'm biased, of course, but this show is worth checking out and you can do that here.

I'm not sure when I will return to Alternative To What (Kerry should be back next week!) but I do know that I will be back at my usual CJSW gig, Breaking The Tethers, on Monday, August 10. Tune in at 10 am MT and go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

August 3, 2026

I've said this before, probably a bunch of times now but, on occasion, a Breaking The Tethers show just works well, The music is great and fits together well, my patter works (well, as best as my patter can work 😆), and there are no technical issues. This was one of those programs. I'm not going to point out any specific tune as the whole thing is well worth listening to in one go. And you can do that here. 

There's BTT next week, on Monday, August 10, starting at 10 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM to take it in.

In addition, if you're keen to hear me do more of my thing on CJSW, I'll be guest-hosting Alternative To What again on Thursday, August 6, beginning at 4 pm MT, at the same coordinates.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 27, 2026

Like the previous week, most of the music featured today was newly released, with a similar lean to Canadian stuff. It started on the mellow side, with a hymn ("Refugee hymn" by Ted Chubb from Live at the statuary) and then headed into different territories. My top two tunes from this show were the live version of "Chunga's revenge" from 1972 by Frank Zappa and the Eddie Harris medley by Seamus Blake. But it was all good stuff and here's where you can listen: shorturl.at/J9R4R.

August 2026 BTT shows are coming soon, with the first program on Monday, August 3 (a holiday in most of Canada). Join me from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 23, 2026 - Alternative To What?

Once again, I was very willingly drafted in to temporarily host Alternative To What this week. Kerry was away (probably at some sort of Folk Fest thing 😆) so I filled in and, as always, was very glad to do so. I went to a lot of musical ports in this show; here's some words to describe where I went: Canada (much of the music was by Canadian artists); new (most of the tunes were newly released or re-released); not loud (no metal this time - next time!); prog (Yes and Max Webster); India (Araina Kim and Amrita); and more. You can listen to the whole kit and kaboodle here.

I'll be returning to Alternative To What fairly soon, on Thursday, August 6. Please join me if you can. Things will be starting at 4 pm MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. In the meantime, I'll still be doing my regular program, Breaking The Tethers, every Monday morning. Same station, CJSW, same coordinates. BTT begins at 10 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 20, 2026

The main labels on this program were "new" and "Canadian". Most of the tunes played were new releases and by Canadian artists, all fine stuff. That being said, perhaps both my fave tracks were neither new or Canadian (well, one of these was a reissue). These were:

"Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt" by Pharoah Sanders and Sonny Sharrock, recorded live in 1993. Great playing on a classic avant jazz tune.

"Iapetus" by Hadley Caliman from the 1971 album of the same title, named after a moon of Saturn. A tenor sax player that I'd never heard of before (or had forgotten). I've glad to have heard him now.

You can listen to these and everything else here. 

There'll be more BTT at CJSW in a week, on Monday, July 27. Tune in starting at 10 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

But I'll on air again sooner than that! I'll be guest-hosting Alternative To What on CJSW on Thursday, July 23. Please join me from 4 to 6 pm MT that day, same station coordinates.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 13, 2026

Mostly new, a few old. That pretty much describes this episode of Breaking The Tethers. There was also a nice variety of sounds and instrumentation. Not much more to say than that. I'd recommend giving it a listen and you can do that here. 

And you can also listen to next week's program! The date will be Monday, July 20. The time will be 10 am MT. The radio station coordinates will be cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

July 6, 2026

The three weeks of celebration for the 20th birthday of Breaking The Tethers comes to an end and we're back this week with a usual sorta BTT show (go here to listen). Mostly it was just music and me rambling a bit between the tunes but also, there was an interview. I was joined by Christophe Magnan-Bossé from the group Greenhouse Ensemble. We talked about the band and their new album, Mezzanine. We concluded by playing a track from Mezzanine, "Variations sur une turlute". Many thanks to Christophe for joining me!

There'll be more "regular" Breaking The Tethers on Monday, July 13. Tune in from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

June 29, 2026

The three weeks of celebration for the 20th anniversary of Breaking The Tethers comes to a close with this episode. While I very much liked the music featured in the previous two shows, I think I liked this one best. I'd make a list of my faves here but it would basically be the tracklist for the program! Anyway, be sure to check it out.

We're back to a "regular" BTT show next week. Please tune in from 10 to 11 am MT at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. 

Thanks.

Andrew

June 22, 2016

Welcome to the second of three Breaking The Tethers shows in celebration of 20 years of the program. If memory serves, BTT started on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 though I'm not 100% sure. At any rate, June 22, 2026 is probably the closest to an exact 20th anniversary day that there is going to be. Musically, like the June 15 program, this episode featured a bunch of "hits" from BTT past; basically, some favourite tracks of mine that have been featured on the show. This week, my fave of faves was "Out-bloody-rageous" by Soft Machine, the version from the Third album. I may not have actually played this exact piece for almost 20 years (I think I played it in summer or fall 2006); I've played no small amount of Soft Machine in the years since and I've played different versions of "Out-bloody-rageous" by Soft Machine but not this exact one. You can listen to "Out-bloody-rageous" and more from this program here.

The 20th anniversary musical celebration comes to an end with the next BTT show, on Monday, June 29, from 10 to 11 am MT. Come sit in with me at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

June 15, 2026

This was the first of three shows in celebration of the (first) 20 years of Breaking The Tethers, featuring a selection of my fave tracks (and hopefully listeners' faves as well) played on BTT over the years. Some of these tunes have been played off and on over the years, some haven't been played for ages. The latter would include the first track in this program, "Song of the Underground Railroad" by John Coltrane, from The complete Africa/Brass sessions. This actually the first piece of music played on BTT in June 2006 and I don't think I've played it since! The whole show is here. 

The second celebratory BTT event will take place next week, on Monday, June 22, from 10 to 11 am MT. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Fine music will be featured.

Thanks.

Andrew

 

June 8, 2026

Piles and piles of newly-released music has floated into my world recently. Regular Breaking The Tethers listeners will know that this often means that an "all new" edition is forthcoming. And that's exactly what emerged this week. Lots of great tunes were played (all new, of course! 😆), in a variety of different styles. My fave track? Without a doubt, the fully-crazed "Generative open graphic score #1" by Nolan Hildebrand from the aptly-named album Noise trip explosion. Some folks went nuts over this number and let me know. I suspect that some had seizures. You can listen to this "song" and the rest of the show here.

The next show brings the first of three programs in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Breaking The Tethers. Come hang with me on Monday, June 15 at 10 am, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM for an hour of BTT faves from over the years.

Thanks.

Andrew

Breaking The Tethers 20th Anniversary Shows

On a Tuesday morning in late June 2006 (sorry, I can't quite recall the exact date - maybe it was June 20?), at 6:00 am MT, Breaking The Tethers on CJSW began. What this means is that BTT is going to be 20 years old this month! This warrants some celebration, musically, on the show itself. Here's what's going to happen: The June 8th program will be a regular BTT show; I think going to do an "all-new" program, considering loads of new music has crossed my path. After that, the next three shows, June 15, June 22, and June 29, will be in celebration of the BTT big anniversary. On each of these episodes, I will play fave  tracks from the BTT past; mostly stuff I really dig and some things that I remember that listeners did as well. So, please tune in! Much fun will be had! Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM at 10 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

June 1, 2026

The main element in this show was a live performance and interview with Fraser, Nat, and Alex from Bowline Jazz. Fraser and Nat came in to chat in April and made a return visit, this time playing four tunes live with Alex. They also talked about their upcoming concert at the Congress Coffee Company on June 26 (there's more details on that here). Many thanks to the Bowline guys for coming on BTT this week. The live recording of the show is here.

As per usual, Breaking The Tethers carries on next week, Monday, June 8. Tune into cjsw.com or 90.9 FM at 10 am MT. I think this is going to be an all-new program; loads of new music has come my way!

Thanks.

Andrew

May 25, 2026

This last Monday in May brought a fairly out-there, heavy-on-guitar version of Breaking The Tethers. Maybe my subconscious thought I was getting too mellow over the past while and made me put this episode together 😄. Regardless, it was a good show and I particularly dug it. A note about the last track, a speedy version of "Footprints" by Miles Davis and group from 1967: This one had been on my "to play on BTT" for ages and I finally managed to give it the air time it deserves! For your listening pleasure, the whole show is here.

Thanks.

Andrew

May 21, 2026 - Alternative To What?

I did the guest-host thing on Alternate To What this week, very gladly, as always. 20 songs played over two hours, coming from death/black metal, modern classical, slick jazz, modern chamber music, Bjork-style pop, Booker T, and much more. When I host Alternative To What, I often use the term "all over the musical map" in some way and I think I hit that mark with this particularly show. Listen to it here. 

I don't know when I'll be back on ATW but I will return to CJSW, hosting Breaking The Tethers on Monday, May 25, 2026. Go to cjsw.com or 90.9 FM from 10 to 11 am MT. 

Thanks.

Andrew

May 18, 2026

There was one longish new track to start off the show this week, "Black cat" by Phil Miller/In Cahoots from 2003. After that, it was all new stuff, six tunes in all. A surprising amount of new content has headed toward me and CJSW in recent weeks and months (so much that I'm backed up, in fact!). I've mentioned this before and I've played a lot of new stuff on BTT already but I still needed to have an "almost all-new" program. Regardless of the label, it was all good music and well worth listening to here.

There's still one more episode of Breaking The Tethers left in May 2026, on Monday, May 25. You can join me for that one starting at 10 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9.

This week, you can also hang with me as I fill in on Alternative To What again. This will be on Thursday, May 21, 4 to 6 pm MT, same radio station. 

Thanks.

Andrew

April 27, 2026

I've recently returned to doing the occasional "all-new" Breaking The Tethers program (that new music just comes my way) and this was another one of those shows. All good stuff was played but probably my top tracks were the first and last ones played: "The longest night" by Soft Machine from their new release, Thirteen (yay! new Soft Machine!) and "Hold on tight to your music" (always good advice!) by the Setting from their self-titled album. Check this out here. 

Thanks.

Andrew

May 11, 2026

Nine tracks played this week, which is a fair number given the fact that BTT is only an hour long and a jazz show (jazz not being known for very short tunes); I guess I packed 'em in! A nice mix of old and new and various styles. Here's a few of the tunes played that you might want to focus on:

"Five" by Ivo Perelman and Damon Smith: Straight-up free jazz. Haven't played anything quite like this in a little while.

"Three headed dragon" by Jimmy Farace: It's always good to hear some baritone sax.

"Uncommon notion" by Lukas Ligeti: This one went almost everywhere.

"Turmoil" by Soft Machine: New Soft Machine! Always a good thing!

Go to this spot to listen to the show.

Breaking The Tethers returns very soon, on Monday, May 18, starting at 10 am MT. Go to 90.9 FM or cjsw.com and take it all in.

Thanks.

Andrew

May 4, 2026

Part new, part old, part this, part that... A good way to describe the May 11 Breaking The Tethers program. Alternately, I could just point out the lengthy title of the first piece played in the show, some Indo-Jazz from Shakti with the name "What need have I for this, what need have I for that, I am dancing at the feet of my lord, all is bliss, all is bliss". John McLaughlin was WAY INTO his guru at that point, wasn't he? Anyway, the whole show is here for you to listen to.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 30, 2026 - Alternative To What?

I hosted Alternative To What three times in April 2026 and this was the last of the three times. It was interesting how the show turned out. The first hour ended up being mostly older tracks (led by the 23+ minute "Septober energy, pt. 2" by the 54 - I think I counted correctly! - person band, Centipede, from 1971) while the second hour presented all newly-released music. I didn't quite plan it this way but this is how it turned out and I think it turned out fine. Go here to listen to it all.

I'll be making a return to Alternative To What on Thursday, May 21. It'll be fun! Please join me from 4 to 6 pm MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

And my regular hosting gig, Breaking The Tethers, continues as well. I'll be back on air for that on Monday, May 18, 10 to 11 am MT, same station.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 23, 2026 - Alternative To What?

This was the first of two Alternative To What episodes hosted by me at the end of April 2026. Only 14 tracks played, in two hours (when I last hosted ATW, on April 2, I played 22 tracks). So, longer pieces played this week. The overall tone of the program was interesting, too; experimental-ambient-rock? I'm sure there are better terms that can be employed but these will do for now. My fave song from this show was "Buffet tea for two" by Family, from their last album, It's only a movie, released in 1973; it's a nifty, well-structured song with nice solos (piano and guitar) and I've become somewhat obsessed with it. You can listen to this song and the rest of the show here.

My second April ATW hosting gig will take place on Thursday, April 30, from 4 to 6 pm MT, at 90.9 or cjsw.com. Please join me.

I'll also put a plug in for my regular CJSW hosting job, Breaking The Tethers. The next edition of BTT will take place on Monday, April 27, 10 to 11 am MT, the usual place. Please join me then and there too.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 20, 2026

This week, I did what I was planning to do last week. I played a big, old tune (in this case, it was “Sahara” by McCoy Tyner from the 1972 album of the same name, a great trip into sonic space) followed by five great newly-released songs. It’s all here for your listening pleasure.

There’ll be more of the same, at least in a general sense, next week on Breaking The Tethers. Go to 90.9 FM or cjsw.com from 10 to 11 am MT on Monday, April 27.

Thanks.

Andrew

April 13, 2026

The original plan for this week was to play one long, older piece at the start of the program and then shift to some newer releases for the remainder (I've been doing this on BTT a fair amount recently). However, I completely forgot that I had an interview in this episode! I talked with Fraser Calhoun and Nat Lazorrotto about their concert series, which was a lot of fun. Best thing of luck to them with their shows! The rest of the program was filled with new material, plus a couple of Art Blakey tunes. Listen to it all here!

Thanks.

Andrew

April 6, 2026

This was another BTT program in what has become somewhat of a recent pattern: One long older track (in this case, “Music for electric violin and low budget orchestra” by Jean-Luc Ponty, composed and arranged by Frank Zappa), followed by some newly-released music. Well, it mostly followed this pattern; I received a request to play “Alice” by Tom Waits so I fit that into the song list as well. You can listen to the whole lot here.

The show on Monday, April 13 will follow “the pattern”, as described above. I’m planning to play a long track by the late, great McCoy Tyner, with new stuff in its wake. Tune into 90.9 FM or cjsw.com at 10 am MT. 

Thanks.

Andrew

April 2, 2026 - Alternative To What?

This was the first of three Alternative To What episodes in April 2026 that will feature me as host (thanks to regular host, Kerry Clarke!). This week featured the usual ATW mixed bag of beats and sounds; however, most of the tracks played were newly released or newly re-released, something that usually doesn’t happen when I host ATW (I play new stuff but not this much). Only four of the 20+ tracks played were “old”. But it was all nifty stuff and you can listen to it here.

I’ll be back as ATW host on Thursday, April 23 and Thursday, April 30. Join me at 4 pm MT at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com.

Thanks.

Andrew

March 30, 2026

Today's program was 3/4 new, 1/4 old, at least in terms of playing time. Song-wise, it was 4/5 new and 1/5 old. The "old" was a long piece by Lee Morgan I haven't played on BTT for many years, "Search for the new land", from the album of the same name.  I've played Lee Morgan more recently but not this track. It might be my fave Lee Morgan tune; if not, it's up there. You can listen to it and more here.

Breaking The Tethers pops up again on Monday, April 6, usual time, usual place: 10 to 11 am MT at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. 

Thanks.

Andrew

March 23, 2026

The operative word for this episode of Breaking The Tethers was “new”. New, new, new, new. Everything played in this program was newly released or newly re-released. I do programs like this every now and again, but, off the top of my head, I haven’t done one of these for several months, maybe longer. Plenty of “new” material has crossed my path recently so a “new” show seemed appropriate. Listen to the thing here. 

There’s one more Breaking The Tethers in March 2026, on Monday, March 30. Tune in from 10 to 11 am MT at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. Good things will happen. 

Thanks.

Andrew

March 16, 2026

This program definitely leaned into the avant-garde/experimental stuff, particularly large group sounds in this style. This could be seen with all the gongs! Gongs showed up on more than more track. Jazz needs more gongs, I say. Plus, there was Shatner! Listen to the show here. 

There’s more music on Monday, March 23. Join me from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks!

Andrew

March 9, 2026

11 tracks played today (which is a lot for a jazz show in one hour), most of which were new releases. Many different styles covered. I can’t say much more. It was just a good show. You should listen to it. It’s here.

Monday, March 16 will bring many things but, most important among them will be the next episode of Breaking The Tethers. Join me for loads of jazz music from 10 to 11 am MT at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

March 2, 2026

New and old gather together in this week’s program. The main thing was a version of “My favourite things” played by John Coltrane and group from his late period, in fact, recorded at his second last concert (and the last one recorded). It’s a major, furious freakout. I played this several years ago (maybe longer?) and was happy to inflict it on the world again. Check it out here. 

Breaking The Tethers will carry on next on Monday, March 9 at 10 am MT (going for one hour, to 11 am MT). Join me then at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. 

Thanks.

Andrew

February 23, 2026

This episode of Breaking The Tethers followed in the mould of the previous week in that it presented several new tracks along with a featured older piece or two pieces in this case (though they could be thought of as one thing). The older works were "Peace one" and "Peace two" by John McLaughlin from his high-point album My goals beyond; two fave tracks of mine, from a fave album. There was also a taste of "regional" music; some of the tunes had Afrobeat, Indian, and Middle Eastern sounds. It was all very good stuff, I say, and you can listen to it here.

Thanks.

Andrew

February 16, 2026

This was a split show of sorts. A quarter of the program was "old", basically one long track ("Kings and queens" by the Soft Bounds group, as they can be called). The rest of the things played were all new releases; I had a bit of build-up of new stuff that I wanted to play. Of the new ones, my faves were probably "Liquid sunshine" by Glenn Makos & BRu, from Arrowsic, and "Soupe pragmatique by Hugo Blouin, from Le buffet. Go here to listen this show. 

There's one last episode of Breaking The Tethers left in February, on February 23. You can join me from 10 to 11 MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

February 9, 2026

Nine tracks played this week, some old, some new, maybe leaning a little more "light" in sound. Here's a few I particularly liked:

"Once upon a time" by John Surman. There are some great solos in this piece recorded in 1969 in Germany.

"Bouquet" by Bobby Hutcherson. A mellower piece from what might be my fave Bobby Hutcherson album, Happenings.

"Phthalo green" by Bluebird. New, woodwind-fronted avant jazz.

"Clav it up your way" by Lettuce. Ends the show in a funky way.

You can listen to this show here.

Please tune in for the next BTT show, which will be on Monday, February 16, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. 

Thanks.

Andrew

February 5, 2026 - Alternative To What?

I was willingly drafted back to duty on Alternative To What this week. Loads of great tracks played, with a bit of an overall slant to guitars. There were also some wonderful song titles e.g. “When Satan ruled the earth, Jesus made my fish tank boil” by Upsilon Acrux and “A steady heartbeat is the sound of death” by Rick Parker and Li Daiguo. I am always a sucker for an interesting or crazed title. You can listen to this show here.

I believe Kerry will return to Alternative To What on Thursday, February 12. I’ll return to my regular show, Breaking The Tethers, on Monday, February 9. Come hang with me at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com from 10 to 11 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

February 2, 2026

Apart from a few newly-released songs played at the end of the program, this main event for this show was a tribute to the Man From Saturn, Sun Ra, inspired by the album My words are music: a celebration of Sun Ra’s poetry. Here’s what was played: Two Sun Ra pieces, one solo piano, one full band; five poems, and two short interludes (played on EVI by 101 year-old Arkestra bandleader, Marshall Allen). It was all fine stuff. Listen to it here.

I’ll be back with more BTT soon, on Monday, February 9, 10 to 11 am MT, cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. If you can, please join me.

You can also join me on Thursday, February 5, when I guest-host Alternative To What on CJSW. Regular host Kerry Clarke is away so I will be doing my thing in her stead. Tune in from 4 to 6 pm MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 26, 2026

Only four tracks this week, mostly crazy stuff . The first two played this week were particularly nuts. These were "Septober energy pt. 1" from Centipede (50+ people in the band!) and "My friend, blood is shaking my heart" by Masayuki Takyanagi, which was totally bonkers. On a mellower note, I also played a jazzy version of the Grateful Dead's "The music never stopped", co-written by Dead guitarist Bob Weir, who passed away earlier this month.

February 2026 rolls around with the next BTT program, on Monday, February 2, 2026. Come hang with me at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com, starting at 10 am MT.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 19, 2026

Recently on BTT, I've been playing some longer tunes, often faves of some sort. This week, I brought out the longer version of Miles Davis' "Circle in the round", which is definitely a favourite. I've played this before but not for several years, maybe longer. Anyway, I was glad to put this one back on air again.

I was also pleased to feature a track from piano-player and composer Jason Moran ("Sound it out" from the album Black stars). Years back, I played Moran tunes here and there but, for some reason, I haven't done so recently. Like "Circle in the round", I was glad to play some Moran music.

Here's a link to the podcast for this show. 

We hit the end of January soon, with the next edition of Breaking The Tethers taking place on Monday, January 26, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. Please join me there and then.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 23, 2025 - Alternative To What?

In addition to hosting the 2025 Funding Drive (FD) show for Breaking The Tethers, three days earlier than this, I took part in the FD program for Alternative To What. I guest-hosted Alternative To What during funding drives 2024 and 2025. Regular host Kerry Clarke was back in person this year (she called in during the last couple of years) but asked me to join her live, which I was very glad to do. The songs played were mostly Kerry's fine selections but I picked a couple of tracks myself, "Sixteen shots" by Sugar Brown (which was a big hit when I played it on Alternative To What a few months earlier) and "Enlightenment" by the Atlantic Jazz Ensemble. You can take in the whole thing here.

Thanks.

Andrew

October 20, 2025

This was the annual Funding Drive (FD) program for Breaking The Tethers, part of CJSW's 2025 FD. You can listen to the whole thing here.

Musically, it featured a handful of great tracks that had been featured on various BTT episodes since the last FD show. I really liked all of the music but I think my favourite was "Theme from electric surfboard" by Brother Jack McDuff from Ain't no sunshine: live in Seattle.

Money-wise, nearly $800 was pledged on this show, a fantastic number, especially considering that BTT is a niche program and only on the air for one hour a week. Here's who donated; many, many thanks to them:

Daniel

Doug

Helen

Janine

Jaydene

Kat

Kerry

Kyle

Miguel

Peter

Rod

Scott

Steve

Tim

Thanks.

Andrew

October 27, 2025

This was the first show after the Breaking The Tethers CJSW 2025 Funding Drive program and a solid one it was at that, I think! My fave two bits were the Rich Brown track, "Turiyasangitanandada - the transcendental lord's highest song of bliss (meditation for Alice Coltrane)", which includes some spoken word by Alice herself, followed by "Battle at Armageddon" from Alice's record Universal consciousness. Check it out here.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 12, 2026

After playing the "father" (John Coltrane) two weeks ago, the "son" (Pharaoh Sanders) last week, it was the turn of the "holy ghost" or Albert Ayler this week. I selected one of his crazier tunes, featuring bagpipes in a free jazz setting, to inflict on the world. I've played this before, once or twice over the years, and it was time to turn to this fave again. The rest of the program was pretty nifty too; mostly newly-released stuff (including music inspired by Isaac Asimov!) that fit together very well. Go here to listen to this show.

Things carry on as per normal next week. Breaking The Tethers returns on Monday, January 19, from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM, Please join me then!

Thanks.

Andrew

January 8, 2026 - Alternative To What?

Alternative To What host, Kerry Clarke, summoned me to host this edition of ATW (or A2W), to which I gladly said "yes"!. I played the usual mixed bag o music though, if there was a lean this time, it was a lean to hard(er) rock (heck, I played Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult!). Also, I managed to fit in 22 songs. That's a fair number, even for two hours. If you're hosting a punk show, 22 songs is no problem but most other types of programs can't make that total, usually (coming from a jazz show, if I play 8 or 9 tracks in an hour, I've squeezed things about as much as I can). You can listen to the podcast of this Alternative To What episode here.

Thanks.

Andrew

January 5, 2025

The first show of a new year. I figured I would start with a bang of sorts, by playing "Sun in Aquarius" by Pharoah Sanders, from his Jewels of thought album. It's got melodic segments but most of this track is a freak-out, complete with gong action (we need more gongs in music these days, I say). In the free jazz tenor sax player pantheon, as described by Albert Ayler, John Coltrane is the Father, Pharoah Sanders in the Son, and Ayler is the Holy Ghost. As I played Coltrane last week, playing Sanders this week seemed appropriate. Next week, I think I'll pull out some Ayler. Here's where you can tune into this week's program: shorturl.at/4hrGP.

The second episode of BTT for 2026 will take place on Monday, January 12, running from 10 to 11 am MT, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM. I'm hoping you can join me!

I should note that I will be back on air before next Monday. On this coming Thursday, January 8, I'll be subbing for regular host Kerry Clarke on her program, Alternative To What. Come hang with me from 4 to 6 pm MT, again, at cjsw.com or 90.9 FM.

Thanks.

Andrew

November 3, 2025

This was an “all-new” edition of Breaking The Tethers. All the music played in this show was newly-released (I don’t recall that think there was any re-released music). Every once in a while, when the new music that I want to play on BTT piles up a bit too much, I do an “all-new” program. Sometimes, it’s a once-in-a-while thing, sometimes it’s more frequent (I’ve done a few weeks of “all-new” shows in a row). At any rate, good music was played; check it out here.

Thanks.

Andrew

November 10, 2025

Unlike the previous episode, which was an “all-new” show, this was more of the usual fare for Breaking The Tethers, a mix of dates and styles. Perhaps the main thing to note was that a whopping 12 songs were played; this is a lot for a 60 minute show, and a jazz one at that (jazz tunes are often notoriously not short). And I don’t recall that any of the tracks were particularly short (though there was nothing particularly long  either). Anyway, you can check it out for yourself at this place.

Thanks.

Andrew

November 17, 2024

This was a fun show! The main thing that made it so fun was that there was a live band performance, featuring Calgary group the Way Ahead Trio. They played four of the tracks from their new EP and then came into the booth for an interview. It was a pleasure chatting with them. I especially enjoyed talking with them about the use of the EVI instrument in their music, played by David Lavoie. You can hear everything here. 

Thanks.

Andrew

November 24, 2025

The 11th month comes to an end for BTT with a mixed bag episode; part new, part old, part “normal”, part out there. Sounds like a regular Breaking The Tethers show. Also, 10 tracks were played, which is a bit more than usual. One particular track to note, “Monoceros 4” by Evan Parker; I’ve been playing pieces from Parker’s Monoceros album here and there in the latter part of 2025. You can listen to “Monoceros 4” and more here.

Thanks.

Andrew

December 29, 2025

For the last Breaking The Tethers program for 2026, I decided to go with one. One long, long track played over the better part of 60 minutes. And who better to go with for this than the great John Coltrane. In 1966, he was playing, far out tunes, taking a big dip into the sonic bath. His Live in Japan album, recorded in 1966, features six pieces on four CDs - do the math! The song I selected was "Crescent", originally released on the album of the same title in 1964 (the band also plays a bit of "Leo" at the end of the performance). I've played this before, when I had a multi-hour show, but as it's about 55 minutes long, it still fits nicely into the one hour I have for BTT these days. You can listen to the whole shebang here.

BTT show number one of 2026 will take place on Monday, January 5, 2026, starting at 10 am MT, at 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. I will play more than just one track on this show - maybe four or five! 😁

Also this coming week, I'll be appearing on Alternative To What, filling in for Kerry, on Thursday, January 8, starting at 4 pm MT, again on CJSW, 90.9 FM or cjsw.com. I'm not sure what'll be on the bill for ATW but, at the least, I'll be doing my usual trip all over that musical map.

Thanks.

Andrew

December 22, 2025

This was the closest Breaking The Tethers show to December 25 so I made it the Christmas edition of BTT. In past years, I've mixed up the usual BTT jazz fare, some of it with a Christmas or holiday theme, with a few non-jazz tracks of a more crazy but seasonal nature. This year, I just went for the latter. No "normal" jazz just Christmas, crazy Christmas. There were 12 songs, some played in previous years, some new to BTT. Here's a sampling of what we had:

Christmas death metal: "Greensleeves" by J.J. Hrubovcak

Daniel Johnston: "Christmas in the looney bin"

Chapman Stick Christmas: "Skating" by Brian Baggett

Experimental Christmas: "Holy night" by Eigenradio

Jimi Hendrix Christmas: "Little drummer boy/Silent night/Auld lang syne"

Sound collages: "Merry fucking Christmas" by Alias Frequencies and "Xmas (excerpt)" by Wayne Butane

Soul Christmas: "I want to come home for Christmas" by Marvin Gaye

Folky Christmas: "Cutty wren" by Richard Thompson, and "The cherry tree carol" by Pentangle

And more! 

The place to go to listen to this fine mess is here. Do it!

Thanks.

Andrew

December 15, 2025

The December 15 show... Christmas is a-comin' and the music is getting weirder... Not that that's a bad thing at all! My fave two tracks this week were probably "Idiom I" by Anna Webber and "As though they knew" by Valley Voice (both Canadian!) but, really, I quite liked all the tracks. I think you will too! You can listen to this show here.

Thanks.

Andrew

December 8, 2025

On the page for this show on the CJSW site (which also includes a link to the recording of the program), my comment on this BTT episode was "Just a bit of this, a bit of that...", which pretty much well describes the proceedings. And I started with a Tony Williams track, which is never a bad thing. Anyway, I invite you to give it a listen.

Thanks.

Andrew