Blog

Discovering John Coltrane Again

By Kim Kleinman, Contributing WriterIn his Sept. 13 blog post, titled “An Apex of Innovation,” Fritz shared a few of his thoughts about the recent release of “Evenings at the Village Gate,” a live 1961 recording of John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy, along with the pianist McCoy Tyner, the bassists Reggie Workman and Art Davis, and the drummer Elvin Jones. Read More

This week’s Song of the Week: “Dedicated to You” Notes on the Eight Versions

By Kim Kleinman, Contributing WriterThat descending figure and resolution over a I-IV chord pattern is what grabbed me when pianist Randy Ingram played “Dedicated to You” on a Small’s Live Stream from Mezzrow’s recently. I played Name That Tune with my usual level of success until Ingram announced it afterwards. 

Fritz offered me the chance to pick this week’s song; the choice was easy. Read More

Artemis – The Legend Grows

By Fritz ByersArtemis, in Greek mythology, is the goddess of free nature, wild animals, the hunt, and vegetation. (If Roman mythology is your thing, think Diana.) Her stature in the ancient world is marked by the countless shrines erected in her honor and by the pervasive cultural veneration directed toward her, in legend, literature, and visual art. Read More

This week on Jazz Spectrum – September 16, 2023

By Fritz Byers

The highlight this week, at least for a certain stripe of fan, are the three tracks you’ll hear from Evenings at the Village Gate, a new release documenting a fabled month-long stint at the Gate by John Coltrane and his working quartet, augmented by Eric Dolphy. The blog post immediately before this one reflects a few of my thoughts about the release and the musicians it showcases. Read More

An Apex of Innovation: John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy Together in 1961

By Fritz ByersYou – we -- can’t imagine the stature John Coltrane had in jazz and the broader culture at the dawn of the 1960s. His defining mythos would eventually be formed by how he would use the seven years he had left – he passed in July 1967, at the age of 40 – and the overtly spiritual quest he undertook as he pushed the limits of jazz tonality and harmonic logic further and further out. Read More

This week on Jazz Spectrum – September 9, 2023

By Fritz ByersI’ve called Jazz Spectrum an anthology since the show’s inception. It’s a baggy term, meaning not much more than that the thing is a compilation of pieces selected by the compiler. True enough. I aspire to make the show a tour through eras, styles, instrumentations, luminaries and unknowns, and so on. Read More

Honoring Jimmy Rowles

By Fritz ByersI’ve been voting in the annual DownBeat Jazz Poll for nearly as long as I’ve been hosting Jazz Spectrum – 34 years. I just sent in my ballot for this year’s poll. DownBeat, as you probably know, has been covering the world of jazz since 1934. It has survived, better than most, the challenges of the evolving world of publications, communications, and commentary. The current state of jazz journalism is fodder for a post or two, so maybe we’ll get to that down the road. Read More

New Episodes of Finding Festivals

WGTE Public Media is proud to present the full 13-episode season of Finding Festivals, created by local producer and show host Haylie Robinson. The series aims to unite communities through education and entertainment as Robinson travels throughout Ohio and Michigan, experiencing and sharing the story of many well-known festivals and events. The series' first episode will air on WGTE HD on Saturday, September 9 at 10:30 a.m. and new episodes air beginning on October 14 at 10:30 a.m. on WGTE HD. Read More

New Toledo Stories: Freedom Means Never Surrender

Join WGTE Public Media along with The Anastasia Fund and the Northwest Ohio Polish Cultural Center as it presents Toledo Stories: Freedom Means Never Surrender, a documentary that traces the exceptionally heroic lives of Colonel Marian Wojciechowski and Wladyslawa Poniecka-Wojciechowski. A live in-person premiere event is being held Friday, September 8 at 6 p.m. at the Franciscan Center building at Lourdes University. It will premiere on WGTE HD on Thursday, September 14 at 8 p.m. Read More