There's always a local component to Notes From The Jazz Underground, but this week's show stayed particularly close to home, featuring a ton of Chicago Jazz and and interview with sax player Frank Catalano.
Frank spoke with host Paula Abella about his new project with Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno, Soft Machine) and Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins) and he played a couple of tracks off of their soon to be released disc. Unfortunately, those tracks aren't available to stream on our Spotify playlist, but we've discovered a nice video of Catalano and wonder-drummer Paul Wertico that will have to suffice.
Of course, Paul has access to a ton of records that even Spotify can't match, so we also stuck performance videos by Kick The Cat (badass Chicago fusion that at one time featured Umphrey's McGee's Kris Meyers) and Canadian hip-hop / jazz outfit BADBADNOTGOOD after the playlist on this page.
Local crossover jam-jazz artists like Fareed Haque, Joe Marcinek, Bonzo Terks and Spare Parts also get the nod this week. On the flip side, Charles Earland (who made Tinley Park his home in the latter years of his life), Matt Ulery (we had to substitute his track on the playlist) and the absolutely bad ass Hypnotic Brass Band are also featured.
Paul says, "I'd say for jam band folks trying to reach across the aisle into jazz, Chris Greene's band is a great place to start. Funky as all get out, plays odd meter stuff that doesn't feel odd at all, all four of them are great writers. Just a killing band."
But the one track that really turned my head was by Frank Russell. "Frank's an old school fusion guy, and he plays like it," Paul explains. "Monster bass player, music is just ripping and his band just completely rocks. I can't see how anyone that gets into Return To Forever or Weather Report or Miles' fusion era stuff wouldn't absolutely adore Frank. Not to mention, absolutely the nicest guy you'd ever meet."
Beyond that, this was a pretty darned eclectic show: A Tribe Called Quest, a dubstep (a Barn Presents first!) remix of some Ella Fitzgerald, old school fusion from Freddie Hubbard and a solo piano take on The Cranberries' Zombie.
Notes From The Jazz Underground runs Friday nights on WDCB 90.9 FM. Going forward, we'll try to have these playlists up the Monday after it airs (and so far, we suck at that).
Kick The Cat
Frank Catalano & Paul Wertico
BADBADNOTGOOD
Complete Playlist:
| Song | Artist | Album |
| Gritty Folk | Derrick Hodge | Live Today |
| Ham and Eggs | A Tribe Called Quest | People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm |
| Serenade to a Cuckoo | Frank Catalano | not released |
| You Did What? | Paul Wertico & Frank Catalano | Topics of Conversation |
| Sona | Frank Catalano | not released |
| Black Talk | Charles Earland | Black Talk |
| Blue Skies (Maya Jane Coles Remix) | Ella Fitzgerald | Verve Remixed: The First Ladies |
| Adamantium (part III) | Chris Greene Quartet | Soul and Science 2: Electric Boogaloo |
| Noble Street Five | Frank Russell | Circle Without End |
| Carry On | Fareed Haque | Carry On |
| Hash House | Kick the Cat | Weirdo |
| Epistrophy | Russell Gunn | Ethnomusicology Volume 2 |
| Travelling Suite III | Spare Parts | Bright Minor |
| Coriander | Matt Ulery | Wake An Echo |
| Windjammer | Freddie Hubbard | Windjammer |
| Both Sides | Joe Marcinek Band | Both Sides |
| CMYK | Bad Bad Not Good | BBNG2 |
| Starfighter | Hypnotic Brass Band | Bulletproof Brass |
| River Monster | Bonzo Terks | Quartet |
| Zombie | ELEW | Rockjazz Volume 2 |
| Without A Face | Todd Clouser's A Love Electric | Entre: Selections in Garage Jazz |
