Earth Day
KCOU JAZZ
April 27, 2025

I n celebration of Earth Day, this edition of KCOU Jazz embraces the spirit of the season with a setlist inspired by the natural world. Featuring nature-adjacent tracks that evoke flowers, sunlight, rain, and growth, the show ventures across a varied palette of musical reference points. From the earthy tones of “Windflower” to the bright  blue skies of “Nature Waltz,” this hour of jazz celebrates the planet’s diversity and paints the musical landscape in shades drawn from nature and jazz textures.





Songs Included

Wayne Shorter | Wild Flower | Speak No Evil (1966)


A graceful waltz that drifts like a breeze through a meadow of blooming, unfamiliar color. Shorter pairs his searching tenor saxophone with Freddie Hubbard’s bright trumpet and Herbie Hancock’s poignant piano in this landmark ensemble. Driven by the flowing rhythm and subtle tension between Ron Carter’s steady bass and Elvin Jones’ restless drums, this piece feels both grounded and untamed—like a sonic wildflower in the landscape of post-bop.

Cal Tjader | Black Orchid | Breeze from the East (1964)


In “Black Orchid,” vibraphonist Cal Tjader blends the shimmer of gongs with Latin rhythms to cultivate a rich, flowery groove. Taken from his 1964 album Breeze from the East, the track balances exotic atmosphere with laid-back swing. Jerry Dodgion’s flute drifts over Tjader’s vibraphone textures like a breeze gliding across petals on a spring morning.

Herb Ellis, Remo Palmier | Windflower | (1977)


An all-guitar affair, “Windflower” brings Herb Ellis and Remo Palmier together in a gentle musical dialogue. The title track of a late-70s Ellis album, this tune flows with easy interplay between the two guitarists, backed by a subtle, supportive rhythm section. As its title suggests, the song unfurls soft melodic lines in a bending and swaying tone, mirroring a quiet spring day.

Sven Libaek | Nature Waltz | Nature Walkabout (1966)


Norwegian-Australian composer Sven Libaek, wrote Nature Waltz for a pioneering eco-jazz documentary by the same name. The piece drifts like a quiet stroll through a sun-dappled garden, where instruments flutter past like insects and birds. The soft hum of low flutes and brushed drums blend with muted horns and bouncy electric guitar, painting a vivid soundscape of the natural world.

John Coltrane | Nature Boy | Both Directions at Once (recorded 1963, released 2018)



John Coltrane’s take on “Nature Boy” was long considered lost until Impulse! released the 1963 recording in 2018. This version of the tune strips away Coltrane’s usual pianist, McCoy Tyner, leaving his tenor saxophone alone to wander, only guided by Elvin Jones’ tumbling drums and Jimmy Garrison’s pulling bass. In this raw, searching setting, Coltrane echoes the story of the lost boy in nature: untamed, curious, and solitary against a vast, shifting backdrop.

Junior Mance | Lilacs in the Rain | Junior (1959)



A slow, meditative piano piece, Lilascs in the Rain unfolds like a flower opening gently after a spring shower. With each delicate phrase, Junior lets the melody linger and breathe. His twinkling touches on the keys fall like raindrops, gradually watering the tune into full bloom, reaching its quiet peak in a final, reflective solo.

Paul Desmond | Bridge Over Troubled Water | (1970)


Released in the same year as the original Simon & Garfunkel version, this grooving instrumental cover of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Paul Desmond paints a colorful stream of jazz texture. Desmond is joined by Herbie Hancock on Fender Rhodes and Ron Carter on electric bass, creating a lush, flowing arrangement. The song moves like fish in a streaming river: Carter’s moving bassline forms the riverbanks, Hancock’s Rhodes ripples with hues of green and blue, and the textured percussion rises like rocks interrupting the current. It’s a gently shifting, jazz-funk interpretation that feels alive in every layer.

Gretchen Parlato | Blue in Green | The Lost and Found (2011)

With a title that mirrors the planet’s most iconic colors, “Blue in Green,” earns its place on a nature-themed playlist. Taken from Gretchen Parlato’s 2011 album The Lost and Found, this interpretation of the Miles Davis/Bill Evans classic is intimate and atmospheric. Kendrick Scott’s textured percussion whispers beneath Taylor Eigsti’s gentle piano, while Parlato’s voice floats in soft, unhurried arcs—like wind through trees or light on water.

Hiatus Kaiyote, Arthur Verocai | Get Sun | Mood Valiant (2021)


The energetic Hiatus Kaiyote made “Get Sun” with help from Brazilian jazz legend and orchestrator Arthur Verocai. Featured on their 2021 release Mood Valiant, the track bursts with solar energy—Verocai’s sweeping strings and bold horn arrangements complement Nai Palm’s radiant vocals and the band’s signature rhythmic layering. Trumpets flare like sunbursts, keys shimmer like heat waves, and the strings ripple like sundresses in a warm breeze. It’s a bright, electric celebration of light and motion.

Tarika Blue | Dreamflower | Tarika Blue (1977)

“Dreamflower” comes from Tarika Blue’s self-titled album and plays a soulful, meditative melody later sampled by Erykah Badu in “Didn’t Cha Know.” The tune blooms like a dream, layering a steady, loop-like bassline with plucky guitar and a searching soprano saxophone. It's a spacious, quietly psychedelic groove that bridges jazz, soul, and future sounds. With its organic textures and steady pulse, the track feels rooted in earthiness.

Arawak | Accade a Bali | Accade a… (1970)

While its title may not be explicitly nature-themed, Arawak’s “Accade a Bali” belongs in a Earth Day set for its atmosphere alone. The album cover shows a red sun setting over a jungle bay, and the music feels just as sweltering. Flute floats through a humid groove built on pulsing bass, crisp cross-stick drums, and woozy guitar. Like the lightheaded haze of a sun-drenched afternoon, this track radiates tropical heat and offers a psychedelic, sun-soaked detour into nature’s wilder corners.

Javier Santiago | Gaia’s Warning | Phoenix (2021)

To close the show, Javier Santiago’s “Gaia’s Warning” offers a poignant reminder of Earth’s powerful abilities amid environmental uncertainty. Named for the Greek goddess of the Earth, the track pulses with urgency and spirit, fusing soulful harmonies, layered keys, and percussive tension. It’s a modern jazz meditation on environmental fragility—an evocative farewell from Gaia herself.