On this most relevant of days, we’ll be digging through some of the important songs from the past century focusing on its meaning and significance. While the embodiment of the music could have touched on every genre because the influences are vast, we’ll settle on the inspirational sounds from every corner. Juneteenth is a jubilant, high energy celebration of a somber reality. First recognized in 1865 it is the oldest known celebration honoring the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops to Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been freed. Our observation on Deeper Roots includes tracks from Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, and gospel sounds galore leading off with Mahalia Jackson.
Category Archives: Jazz
Papa Come Quick
Friday morning free form sounds from the Cherry Street Historic District of Santa Rosa, California. We’ve been doing this Deeper Roots thing for almost nine years and, if you’re a regular, you’ll know that Dave’s always itching for a free form collection of sounds to complement the targeted shows that are featured weekly. This week we’ll be rolling out some Bill Kirchen, Dave Van Ronk, Ricky Nelson, Annisteen Allen, and Ethel Merman…to name a few. Blues, country, doo wop, rhythm & blues, gospel, and jazz all bundled up for your late spring listening enjoyment while sequestered for health and safety. Tune in on your FM if you’re local at 92.5 or stream us at kowsfm.com/listen.
Devil In Me
Dark days with the devil. Self-centered, morally lacking, and incapable of empathizing with human kind. Sound like someone you know? This morning’s show finds us down in the hole where Satan never sleeps and where darkness pervades. There’s a very wide range of topics in our show, including the harnessing of the atom, the soul of man, and the valley where Jordan slices across the heart. Hillbillies from hell, a trip to St. James Infirmary, the lion’s den, and the belly of the whale are all to be seen with tracks from Brother Claude, the Jordan River Boys, The Doors, El Radio Fantastique, and Otis Spann in a show that is certain to have you taking stock of yesterday, today, and tomorrow as we make this social distancing a not-so-transient fixture in our lives. Balance this theme against the sun shining bright on a Spring morning in Sonoma County.
Ants In My Pants
Whether it was Prohibition, the need for comic relief from the worst Depression our country has known, or the release from Victorian norms in the age of the flapper…something was afoot. The humor it portended is not something that we all understand in this age… but it’s worth looking at. Novelty ruled the day and every Victrola and Edison radio spilled a silly song, whether it worked from puns or light humor (pop music), corny songs that sometimes had hidden charms (country and folk), or right in your face real life naughty bits (the blues)…there was something for everyone to sample. We’ll hear from Lonzo and Oscar, Milton Brown, Frank Crumit, George Formby, and Lonnie Johnson in this week’s episode of Deeper Roots. A hoot and a holler by any other name on Sonoma County Community Radio.
At the Jazz Club
Cool November sounds from the catalog of cool itself. This week’s Deeper Roots looks for some relaxed sounds; reminders of what it’s like to sit in a smokey lounge below street level in the Village and listen to solos, breakouts, and instrumental wizardry. Join us as we dig the swinging backbeat and improvisations that exemplify an urban sound from some of the greats. We’ve got Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Illinois Jacquet, and a host of others taking us into the Friday morning club here on Sonoma County Community radio.
Blues is a Woman
This week’s show dedicates two hours to the incredible blues women of the past century. We’ll be going deep, featuring tracks from the great early century trailblazers: Mamie Smith, Trixie Smith, Ma Rainey, Sippie Wallace, and others. Plus, we’ll hear from Ruthie Foster, Big Mama Thornton, Dinah Washington, and Varetta Dillard; all of this being the background to to last Saturday evening’s Blues is a Woman performance at the Raven Theater in downtown Healdsburg. Our special guest on the show will be Pamela Rose, performer, author, and vocalist, who has toured nationally with her critically acclaimed show Wild Women of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era. Pamela is part of the San Francisco ensemble Blues is a Woman along with Pat Wilder, Ruth Davies, Kristen Strom, Shani Johnson, Jennifer Jolly, and music director/pianist/vocalist Tammy Hall. Dave Stroud will be talking the ‘pearls’ of the blues with Pamela in a prerecorded interview. Join us.
More Western Swing
The home page of the Western Swing Society describes western swing as “a division of the American phenomenon known as jazz [fusing] elements of musical roots…including blues, Dixieland, ragtime, big band, country, pop, and breakdowns.” That kind of explains why we revisit this genre so often here on Deeper Roots. What it has most in common with jazz is the use of improvisation; what it does try to do is to take things one step further: make it dance-able. The foot-tapping rhythm and the encouragement of participation drew audiences far and wide from the north, south, east and west. This week show meanders through some fun sounds including tracks Hank Penny, Milton Brown, Ocie Stockard, and (of course) Bob Wills. We’ll have some tribute songs and old standards for you on Sonoma County community radio.
Steel Guitar Retrospective
We’ll be serenading you with some island melodies, country tunes, and rock, all featuring the steel guitar, an instrument whose origins take us back to the late 19th and early 20th century invention by native Joseph Kekuku. The music this Friday features some early Hawaiian popular influences including Sol Ho’opi, Hoot Gibson, and King Nawah’s Hawaiians. The focus moves to mid-to late century greats featuring Pete Drake, Buddy Emmons, Buster Martin and Speedy West. The popularity of the ‘island sound’ in the early century brought us the sound of steel across many genres, including gospel, folk, blues, and country. Spend a couple of hours on an August morning in Sonoma County taking a journey from Hawaii to Forth Worth.
Too Darn Hot
One way to lounge about in the summer heat is to go directly at it with songs that complement the temperature from different angles (and genres). Tune in Saturday afternoon for a fresh look as Dave sits in for Steady Eddie once more with some rockabilly with Jimmy Simmons and Billy Lee Riley, hot country biscuits from Asleep at the Wheel and Al Dexter, hot soul stew from James Brown and Major Lance, and some humid yet playful pieces from Fats Waller and Lee Press-on & The Nails. We’ll also be taking a drone flight above some Mason-Dixon Line tradition from the very distant past with the Old South Quartette (featuring Polk Miller), and Victoria Spivey and Don Flemons. It’s summer and the heat will be with us for some weeks; too hot to handle? Too darn hot? Too hot for (fill in the blank)? Join this hot little collection in a special fill-in on a Saturday afternoon in Sonoma County. At least it’s a dry heat.
Hot Piano Rhythms
Celebrate this week with some rocking boogie woogie, country, and rhythm and blues with a special emphasis on the pounding of the ivories. We’ll put the speakers to the test as the rug gets thrown aside and the neighbors all celebrate and rocking good time with Fats, Ella Mae and Her Boogie Woogie Seven, Dr. John, Ray Charles, Merrill Moore, Moon Mullican and a host of others. Tune in for Beer Bottle Boogie, Cherokee Boogie, and Crazy Rhythm as the piano is given the top billing. A hundred years of American music with the focus on good…no, great…music. Friday morning antics coming your way on Sonoma Community radio.