KCOU JAZZ
May 4, 2025
An athletically motivated evening of jazz radio programming.
Songs Included
Featured on an album with such titles as We Are The LA Raiders and Here’s To The NBA, Universe opens a galaxy of sporting circumstance.
A classic piece of hard bop that swings like a baseball bat, the Sidewinder became one of Lee Morgan’s most celebrated compositions.
Settling into a baseball groove, Vince Guaraldi composes an impression of a sunny day at the ballpark. With Guaraldi’s piano chasing melodies along with walking bass and chugging drums, the trio find a pocket of cool jazz in the outfield.
A dream-like cut of latin-inspired guitar and vocals, Tom Ford’s Recordasinhas fits into his 2022 album The Tennis Champion, which emphasizes alternative grooves.
A golf-inspired single, Straight Down The Middle follows big band vocalist Bing Crosby along the green.
Athletic Progression | And1 | (2020)
From modern jazz outfit Athletic Progression’s self-titled album, And1 hangs onto a rising and falling piano, stuck in motion and accentuated by shifting percussion.
El Michels Affair | Shadowboxing | Return To The 37th Chamber (2017)
Another contemporary jazz artist, El Michels Affair creates a fighting-inspired sonic trance on Shadowboxing, ornamented by ringing bells.
Art Blakey | Ping-Pong | Ugetsu (1963)
A piece that plays like a heated match of table tennis, Ping-Pong raps back and forth across melody and bridge, with Blakey’s drums informing much of the hard-bop style.
Stan Getz, Luiz Bonfa, Maria Toledo |
Saudade Vem Correndo | Jazz Samba Encore! (1963)
Nostalgia Comes Running is the English translation of this 1963 bossa nova classic featuring the best of pioneering Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfa, samba-infused American saxophonist Stan Getz, and vocalist Maria Toledo.
Bill Evans, Jim Hall | Skating in Central Park | Undercurrent (1962
Showcasing the delicate nature of sport, Bill Evans and Jim Hall combine on Skating in Central Park and bring forward a softly-tempered winter day on an ice-rink.Dizzy Gillespie | The Champ | World Statesmen (1956)
As a finalist to a show dedicated to sports, The Champ stands tall as a thumping winning display of big band bebop.