Northeast Ohio’s educational organizations are committed to identifying and developing young talent, and were proud to feature an emerging trio of young musicians on this week’s program. All three performers in the Eli Leder Trio emerged from the Tri-C JazzFest Academy and performed in the Spirit of the Groove under the tutelage of Dominic Farinacci. Eli Leder leads the trio this performance and matriculates at William Patterson University. Liam Speaks sits in on piano and keyboards and is working his way through Ohio University. Nehemiah Stix Baker is heard in this performance on Drums and lets his gospel influence shine through both on this performance and as a leader in his own quartet. This performance will reassure you that musically, at least, the future is in good hands. From January 3rd, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Eli Leder Trio…Live at the Bop Stop.

Jimmy Witherspoon: 1945-50, Part 1. Jimmy Witherspoon is one of most influential blues shouters to emerge after WWII and yet he remains just a footnote in the evolution of Rhythm & Blues and Rock n' Roll. Originally from Arkansas, 'Spoon settled in Los Angeles after his time in the Merchant Marines during the war. He replaced fellow-shouter Walter Brown in Jay McShann's band and was featured on McShann's first single for the fledgling Philo Label in 1945. Witherspoon is best remembered for his 1949 chart-topper, "Ain't Nobody's Business," which was actually recorded at the end of '47 and released in mid-'48. That would prove to be his signature tune, even though he had strong chart success with "In The Evening," "No Rollin' Blues" and "Big Fine Girl" in late '49. The last 2 were recorded live at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena and really showcase the excitement of seeing 'Spoon perform live. His career spanned over 50 years and this week we’re looking at 'Spoon's early records from 1945-50 in part 1 of 2 on this talented and important figure in early Rhythm & Blues.

Big Band Holidays. Celebrate the season with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, recorded live at Rose Theater in New York. Enjoy fresh arrangements of holiday classics featuring guest vocalists Catherine Russell, Vuyo Sotashe, Veronica Swift, and Cécile McLorin Salvant.

On Part 2 of Ornette Coleman: Congeniality / The Early Years, 1958-1960, we present the revolutionary and historic recordings that Ornette made in that period in the company of Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell. On Contemporary and then Atlantic. Including tracks from Ornette’s desert island disc: The Shape Of Jazz To Come.

Islandic musician Steini Teague has spent most of his musical life touring with folk and rock bands, including an appearance on The Tonight Show with Of Monsters and Men. Now he’s turned his sights on jazz with his duo CDs with Icelandic vocalist Silva—with a last name I won’t even attempt to pronounce. I talked with Steini about their CD, More Than You Know a dreamy, romantic take on some of their favorite standards.

New York City based composer and pianist Daniel Meron brought his trio to Clevland to perform 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.

Jimmy Witherspoon: 1950-56, Part 2. Jimmy Witherspoon is one of most influential blues shouters to emerge after WWII and yet he remains just a footnote in the evolution of Rhythm & Blues and Rock n' Roll. In part 1 of our 2-part feature on Spoon, we focused on his early recordings with Jay McShann's band from 1945-50. During that time, Spoon recorded his signature tune, "Ain't Nobody's Business," which topped the R&B charts during the summer of 1949. This week in part 2, we pick it up in 1950, while he's still recording for LA's Modern Records. Spoon would score his last hit, "The Wind Is Blowin'" for that label in 1952. Then he jumps over to Federal Records, where A&R man Ralph Bass tries a few new things, like pairing Spoon with the R&B vocal group, The Lamplighters. Having no charting hits on Federal, Spoon signs with Checker Records in Chicago, where only 3 singles are issued. It becomes clear that blues shouters like Witherspoon are out of fashion with the new Rock n' Roll record buyers, so he takes a stab at a Rock n' Roll song, "My Girl Ivy" for Atco in '56, before reinventing himself as a jazz singer. All of these records must be heard in order to appreciate the depth of styles and influence on Rock n' Roll Music that Spoon had.

Blue Note Holiday Special. A holiday hour from Blue Note Records, curated by Don Was, a musician and producer known for his wide-ranging ear and love of great songs. This program drifts through snowy soundscapes with classics and deep cuts from Norah Jones, Horace Silver, Dianne Reeves, and more.

Coming Soon

Tony Award-nominated actress, singer, writer Melissa Errico is loaded with energy, ideas and inspiration. Melissa started singing at eleven and with her pianist father, trumpet-playing brother and Melissa on vocals, they would, in her words, make guerilla assaults on her neighbor’s pianos, going from door to door as a kind of Italian Partridge family, inviting themselves in to entertain anyone who’d have them. These adventures and others made clear where Melissa’s life was heading.