Ari Hoenig Trio, Set 2. Ari Hoenig is a jazz drummer, composer and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members. Ari is widely noted particularly for his drumming not being relegated to just keeping tempo, or being a side issue to the music he plays in, but rather for elevating drumming as an indispensable part of the performance. Ari’s trio joins us for two sold out sets in the midst of a world tour in support of his 2022 release Golden Treasures which features Ari on Drums, Gadi Lehavi on Piano and Ben Tiberio on bass. From July 21st, 2023 here’s the second set of a performance from the Ari Hoenig Trio, Live at the Bop Stop.

Chess Records Part 8 spends more time in 1956 as it was a very fruitful year for Chess. Paul Gayten was working full time for the company as a New Orleans talent scout and producer and he's the reason Clarence "Frog Man" Henry's "Ain't Got No Home" was issued on Chess' Argo subsidiary. That was a huge crossover hit in early 1957. The Blues was still strong at the end of '56 and into '57 with stellar releases from Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter. Leonard Chess continued to ramp up vocal group releases and scored more hits with the Moonglows, but also added Lee Andrews & The Hearts, The Ravens and the Pastels to the Chess roster. We wind down our special series on Chess with part 8 as R&B and Rock n' Roll start to become synonymous in 1957. Chess continued to release groundbreaking hit records well into the 1960s from Etta James, Buddy Guy, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Ahmad Jamal, Chuck Berry, Fontella Bass and their roster of classic Blues artists. Leonard and Phil sold Chess to GRT in early 1969, but the Chess magic can still be felt today and we hope you felt it during this series on this influential label.

Oran Etkin (ENCORE). Meet clarinetist and saxophonist Oran Etkin, who forges musical connections across Brazil, Zimbabwe, Eastern Europe, and beyond — and brings instruments to life through his playful and imaginative Timbalooloo program for children.

Herbie Hancock: V.S.O.P. The Quintet + 2 Trios, Part 3. V.S.O.P. The Quintet was a specially assembled jazz supergroup that recorded several live and one studio album between 1976 and 1979. Most of their recordings were not issued in the U.S. at the time they were recorded, so they’re not as well-known as they should be. Members of the band were Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. On Part 3 of HERBIE HANCOCK: V.S.O.P. THE QUINTET PLUS 2 TRIOS we’ll hear the quintet, and the trio of Herbie, Ron and Tony, playing classics like “Red Clay”, “Dolphin Dance” and “Stablemates”, plus rarely heard tunes by Tony Williams and Ron Carter. As well as a rare live duo performance by Herbie and Wayne, on a medley of “Stella By Starlight” and “Green Dolphin Street”.

Eliane Elias. Multi-Grammy winner, and twelve-time Grammy nominee, Brazilian pianist/vocalist/ composer, Eliane Elias has been a favorite of mine throughout my career, so it was great fun to finally meet her and entice her onto my show for a conversation about her music, Brazilian culture, and how her early musical life contributed to the artist she is today. Eliane’s latest CD, Time and Again, is a celebration of all aspects of romance, love and how we move through life with hope and joy.

Cuban born Hilario Durán grew up in Havana in a musical family surrounded by a variety of diverse musical influences on a daily basis. He began working as a professional musician in Cuba’s Los Papa Cun¬-Cun Ensemble and in a variety of musical formats. Later on, in the 70’s, Durán was Chucho Valdés’ chosen successor in Cuba’s most modern big band, Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna. Since arriving in Toronto in 1998, Hilario has made a name for himself, he is a multi-Canadian Juno Award winner and nominee; an American Grammy nominee; a multi-Canadian National Jazz Award winner & nominee; and the proud recipient of the 2007 Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award, from Latin Jazz USA, for his outstanding contributions to Afro-Cuban Jazz and Latin Jazz. This group, Contumbao has an impressive dynamic range of different tempos, tones and moods and features not only Hilario but other heavyweights from the world of Cuban and Canadian Jazz including Yoser Ridriguez on bass, Amhed Mitchel on Drums and Jorge Luis Torres on Percussion. From a July 29th, 2023 sold out performance, here’s the second set of Hilario Duran’s Contumbao – Live at the Bop Stop.

Paul Gayten is one of the unsung heroes of rhythm & blues and one of the many architects of rock n' roll. This week spotlights Gayten's great contributions to music. Paul Gayten scored the first New Orleans' hit of the post-World War II R&B era with "True (You Don't Love Me)" in 1947, thus kicking off a legacy of rhythm hit-making and influence from the Crescent City. His work with vocalists Annie Laurie and Chubby "Hip Shakin'" Newsome is legendary. As a songwriter, producer and talent scout for Chess Records, Gayten discovered and signed Clarence Henry and Bobby Charles and worked with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. Gayten made great contributions to R&B and Rock n' Roll, but gets very little recognition these days. We’re out to change that with this week's heartfelt dedication to the late, great Paul Gayten.

Linda May Han Oh (ENCORE). We revisit the rise of bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh. When she’s not on tour with Pat Metheny, she’s leading her own boundary-pushing projects like Aventurine. This episode features music from that project recorded at NPR’s Studio One and traces her journey from Perth, Australia to New York City.

Daniel Meron Trio. New York City based composer and pianist Daniel Meron brought his trio to Clevland to debut pieces from his 2024 Pinch Records based release Pendulum. Over the past decade Meron has established himself as a prominent figure in the modern jazz scene releasing four critically acclaimed albums, along with featured performances at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Costa Rica Jazz Festival, and tours of the US, Canada, Europe and Israel. From a May 5th, 2024 performance that features Pablo Menares on Bass, Jimmy Macbride on Drums and Daniel Meron on piano, it’s the Daniel Meron Trio – Live at the Bop Stop.

The Heartbeats. With so many wonderful vocal groups present during the 1950s, it took a few distinct ones to lead the pack and blaze the trail. The Heartbeats are always right up there with The Clovers, Harptones, Moonglows, Flamingos and the other leaders who carried the torch lit by the Orioles and Ravens during the late '40s. The Heartbeats began as the Hearts in 1953, but before making their first record in 1955, changed their name after a female group called The Hearts scored a big hit with "Lonely Nights." Their first record came out in mid-1955 on Network Records. Although it was not successful, it gave them something to interest Hull Records, a tiny startup looking to enter the vocal group scene. Their first few records for Hull got regional airplay and made the charts in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It was "A Thousand Miles Away," their 4th Hull single that really took off nationally. Knowing the record would do better on a label with greater distribution and push, they jumped over to George Goldner's storied Rama Records and "A Thousand Miles Away" went top 5 R&B and #53 Pop. Now one of the biggest vocal groups in the country, they continued to release slightly more polished songs for Rama and Gee, before falling apart by the end of 1959."