AMERICAN ROUTES
Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland & Balla Kouyaté Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland & Balla Kouyaté May 18th, 2022 (Hour 1)
Blues and Jazz, African Roots and Branches with Shemekia Copeland & Balla Kouyaté

It’s Blueswomen, Jazzmen, African roots and branches. Chicago blues singer Shemekia Copeland‘s father, the late blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, brought her into his music as a child. As an adult, she found new ways to use blues to express her perspective. We’ll hear from some of Shemekia’s heroes including Etta James, Ruth Brown, Alberta Hunter and Big Mama Thornton. Then a conversation and performance by Boston-based Mandinka balafon player Balla Kouyaté and music inspired by and from the continent of Africa from Randy Weston, Miriam Makeba and the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Shemekia Copeland photo by Mike White

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TOM WAITS & DAVE BRUBECK

January 23rd, 2008

We visit with two pianists and men of music, each eccentric in his own right. Since the early ’70s singer, songwriter and piano player Tom Waits has gone from anachronistic barfly and lounge singer to avant-vernacular iconoclast. Twentieth century jazz legend Dave Brubeck made his name by using odd, unconventional time signatures back when jazz was for dancing. And we radiate the 88s with some of the best piano music around.

  • Listen to Hour One
  • Listen to Hour Two

HOUR ONE

  • Open Bed: Way Down in the Hole Tom Waits
    Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years, Island
  • Hang on St. Christopher Tom Waits
    Frank's Wild Years, Island
  • Mr. Highway Man Howlin' Wolf
    Memphis Days: The Definitive Edition, Vol.1, Bear Family
  • I Want a Butter and Eggman Louis Armstrong
    Butter & Eggman, Tomato
  • I'm Sharp When I Hit the Coast Joe Turner
    Savoy On Central Avenue, Savoy Jazz
  • Instrumental: Dansero Tab Smith
    Crazy Walk, Delmark
  • INTERVIEW: Tom Waits

    Listen
  • Instrumental: In Shades Tom Waits
    Heartattack And Vine, Elektra
  • Way Down in the Hole Blind Boys
    Spirit of the Century, Real World
  • Diamond in Your Mind Solomon Burke
    Don't Give Up On Me, Fat Possum
  • In The Wee Small Hours of The Morning Frank Sinatra
    In The Wee Small Hours, Capitol
  • Tom Traubert's Blues Tom Waits
    Small Change, Elektra

HOUR two

  • Open bed: Who Said That Dave Brubeck
    Dave Brubeck Time In, Columbia
  • Cow-Cow Boogie Ella Mae Morse
    Capitol: The Birth of a Label, Capitol
  • Red Hot Mama Deuce Spriggens
    Swing West! Vol. 3, Western Swing, Razor & Tie
  • Raggedy Ride The Four Blazes
    The United Records Story, Delmark
  • Thanks for the Boogie Ride Anita O'Day
    Anita O'Day with Gene Krupa: Let Me Off Uptown, Columbia
  • Instrumental: Dee's New Blues Ramsey Lewis Trio
    Consider the Source, Chess
  • He Done Her Wrong Dave Brubeck
    Time In, Columbia/Legacy
  • Baby Please Don't Go Mose Allison
    Allison Wonderland: The Anthology, Rhino
  • Old-Fashioned Morphine Jolie Holland
    Escondina, Anti
  • Blue Monk McCoy Tyner
    Nights of Ballads & Blue, Impulse
  • Instrumental: Unsquare Dance Dave Brubeck
    The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Further Out, Columbia
  • INTERVIEW: Dave Brubeck

    Listen
  • Rainy Weather Blues Amos Milburn
    Amos Milburn: Blues, Barrelhouse and Boogie-Woogie 1946-1955, Capitol
  • Louisiana 1927 Randy Newman
    The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 1, Nonesuch
  • Basin St. Blues Harold "Duke" Dejan and Preservation Hall Jazz Band
    Preservation Hall Hot 4 with Duke Dejan,
  • End Bed: Closing Time Tom Waits
    Closing Time, Elektra

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • May 18th, 2022

    BLUES AND JAZZ, AFRICAN ROOTS AND BRANCHES WITH SHEMEKIA COPELAND & BALLA KOUYATé

    Listen
  • May 11th, 2022

    BREAKING OUT: BRITISH BLUES TO NEW ORLEANS BOUNCE

    Listen
  • May 4th, 2022

    KINGPINS OF THE GULF COAST: RODNEY CROWELL & DR. JOHN

    Listen
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