If you're bored out of your tree this afternoon from 2 to 4 (Central), I'm extending an invitation to listen on-line as I get warmed up for April Fools' Day - practically a high, holy day in my house. Our Local Public Radio station KRUU-LP, people-powered, grass-roots, open-source radio, has foolishly (ha!) allowed me another 2 hours to inflict some jazz on listeners far (you) and wide (me).
JPJ stands for Jolly Playful Jazz today as I unleash some merry, mirthful, musical mayhem.
My diary last week attracted some great comments and suggestions (still working my way through the guitar list!) and I'm happy to say I took note(s) and will be featuring some Monk (the most hilarious cover by him I've ever heard and some amusing covers of his music), and an Albert Ayler (not at his fire-breathing mightiest I'm afraid). Oh, and an Egberto Gismonti if I don't forget (funny Egberto Gismonti? Well, context is everything...).
More usual suspects will include Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, Louis Jordan - how can you not smile when listening to any of those three? - while the unlikely range from the Matthew Shipp Quartet to a piano duo of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Will there be jazz covers of NRBQ? Well, at least one, because they've done so much damage by their covers of jazz that turnabout is fair play. Will there be a grudge-match showdown between Spike Jones and the Clusone Trio? There will be if they let me stay on the air long enough. Howzabout some Lord Buckley? The Hip Semantic will be illustrated by way of "The Nazz".
Of course there's tons of stuff that came to mind that I would have loved to have included (has anyone seen my copy of "Stay Awake"? I really, really wanted to play "Pink Elephants on Parade" by Sun Ra) but time has not been kind to my collection and it will take a while to build it back up to full, fighting weight.
I had the distinct pleasure of getting to meet about 50 of my fellow hosts and hostesses at a staff meeting Saturday and to a man and woman they are as nutty as a fruitcake. I fit right in! But seriously (rimshot), there's a great deal of inspiration to be had by seeing what happens when a diverse group gets together and creates something "new" and "unique" (I'm old enough to be a little jaded when faced by the new and unique most of the time - hence the quotation marks). It's what this site represents - it's what got me off my ass and involved in the campaign. It's an empowering attitude that takes community involvement out of the theoretical and into daily life. Hell, last week I was able to remind someone they needed more Mingus in their life! If that ain't doing the Lord's work I don't know what is. And, it should go without saying, if you don't dig the show, bookmark KRUUFM.com and check back at any random time for something more to your liking. There's a whole lot of radio coming out of Fairfield, Iowa.