Travel through North Carolina with the best in mainstream Jazz

Jazz fans, if you're traveling by car anywhere near central North Carolina, you'll find the best in mainstream Jazz by tuning in to award winning 90.7fm, wncu.

Now, you could say that I'm biased. After all, I did spend almost a decade hosting the Evening Jazz Program at 90.7fm. But, I can tell you that it was not uncommon for folks driving through my neck of the woods to call the station, from their cell phones, and give high marks to our playlist. We also got good feedback for having live programs, with real people.

Certainly, there are many great Jazz stations out there. So, all I'm saying is check out 90.7fm, and see how it stacks up.

For more info go to: wncu.org

Jazz in the park, then and now

Gone, but not for forgotten

If  it was a summer, between the years 1968 and 1976, and you were in New York City, you may have attended one of the many music concerts at Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park. The concerts were sponsored by the Schaefer Beer people, and it was only a dollar to get in. I was in my early twenties.

At my first Schaefer Beer concert I saw Herbie Mann, whose musical journey had allowed him to blend the sounds of many different cultures. That said, at this particular concert some guy tried to give Herbie a hard time. The guy was in the front row, right below the stage, and as Herbie played this guy actually stood up and also played the flute, right in Herbie's face! Well, the great musician stopped playing, looked down at the guy and said, "...I can't play if you're going to". Within seconds, the NYPD was escorting the guy from the park. All turned out well.

Still free

There are still free Jazz concerts around the planet. One of the really good ones, if you

Pleasantly surprised at Chicago's Green Mill

Before leaving on a trip to Chicago a few years ago someone suggested I check out the Green Mill, North Side Chicago's historic Jazz hang. Looking forward to the experience in one of my favorite cities, I was glad to hear that Kurt Elling was artist in residence there.

Elling is a favorite of mine, and was a regular in my rotation when I was host of the Evening Jazz Program at 90.7fm, wncu in Durham, NC. A few of my listeners were quite critical of Elling, and told me they actually turned down the volume when I played his music. I reminded one listener that in 2006 the legendary Jazz vocalist, John Hendricks, was quoted as saying that