Discover a little something about your favorite Jazz hosts by clicking the links below
Morning Jazz: 9 AM to 12 Noon
Evening Jazz: 9 PM to 12 Midnight
Listeners to Thursday’s Accent on Jazz will be treated to lots of straight-ahead jazz, including Big Bands and vocalists, from the 40s to the present.
Your host Bill Measom appreciates masters like Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans, Miles, and Coltrane, but he also features music by many of today’s improvisers, such as Steve Turre, Dave Douglas and Steve Davis. Bill produces the WWUH Jazzline (860-768-5267), which keeps our audience up-to-date on the area’s live jazz performances. Expect to hear music on a regular basis by artists who will be performing locally.
All forms of jazz are appreciated, but Latin is my ultimate. It's passionate and exciting, yet thought-provoking and expressive. I enjoy creating three hours of music as a spontaneous process. Each set begins like a blank canvas, with an idea or an inspiration. From there some aspect of the piece will be threaded - the particular instrumentation, the rhythmic pattern, or perhaps that all the musicians happen to be female - and find another selection that weaves in just right (always in search of the perfect segue). From set to set a lot of styles are touched upon - from bebop to vocals to big band to contemporary to ragtime to fusion to blues. This is partly because it's all wonderful music, and mostly because I don't think I would choose to listen exclusively to any one jazz genre for three hours straight! There are three hallmarks: First, the request lines are always open. This policy reinforces my notion that the listeners are as eclectic as our jazz library; plus, it's a great opportunity to learn constantly about additional great names in jazz. Second, during the 10 O'clock hour there is a set called the Meditative Moment. This is a "jazz meets ambience" pause for relaxing, for intro-spection, for whatever spiritual refreshment the music provides. Can jazz really be contemplative? Try Lyle Mays' "Closer to Home" on his first solo album - you'll see what I mean. Thirdly, the 11 O'clock hour has the Fantasy Interlude. Make no mistake about it: nothing beats jazz for romance! Here the listener gets a double scoop of the most sensuous and concupiscent jazz selections I can find. Our listeners can create a much more original "music video" in their own minds than could ever be seen on cable! This set of music serves as the catalyst - ENJOY!
Venture Out Here & Beyond every Tuesday with host Chuck Obuchowski!
What's in a name? My show title includes a veiled reference to Out There, a recording by one of my all-time favorite improvisers: Eric Dolphy. As for the "Here" segment, I always call attention to the many wonderful jazz musicians, events and venues in our region---whenever possible, I play music by local jazz artists and by musicians touring the area. I frequently conduct interviews (usually at 10 a.m.) with such people. My focus is primarily on music "Beyond" the standard repertoire, beyond the young lions, beyond smooth jazz, beyond current fads and/or nostalgic retreads of past styles.
In order to maintain its vitality, jazz has always relied on improvisation and the willingness to explore new directions. I devote a major portion of every program to new releases, with an emphasis on independent artists and those musicians who allow their creative impulses free reign. Open your ears, and let the music take you...
Sadly, Dean Hildebrandt passed away in March of 2010. Please read Chuck Obuchowskis rememberance here.
Monday Morning Jazz is mainly mainstream jazz from the 1940's to the 1990's, including Latin jazz but excluding avant garde (free jazz), fusion and "smooth" jazz. It presents a wide variety of artists from new releases and from the extensive station jazz library in a balanced mix of trios, quartets, combos, big bands, and vocals. Music of well-known artists appearing locally and artists whose birthdays fall on the show date is sometimes featured. Requests are welcome and are usually played during the last half of the program. The host is a jazz musician who plays in several local bands.
The jazz I play is generally energetic music rooted in the past and pointing toward the future. I revere and return regularly to music by the great 20th century masters (Pops, Duke, Bird, Trane, etc.) and also seek out recordings by some of the less recognized but particularly visionary and unique artists of the past.
In the jazz of the present, I tend to favor musicians who, like the historic giants, are creating music that reflects the times in which they live and stretches jazz in new directions, including those from diverse cultures who have been drawn to jazz, continually broadening its musical language.
I especially enjoy exploring Latin jazz in its many varieties -- Afro-Cuban, Afro-Puerto Rican, Brazilian, Panamanian, Argentine, Iberian, etc. I try to tie various musical strands together, often on the spur of the moment, in long sets that ideally gather momentum in an entertaining and/or educational way...and if all those highfallutin' hopes don't pan out, you at least end up hearing one good tune after another.
For many years I hosted Tuesday Evening Accent On Jazz on WWUH Radio. My program always opened with a version of the familiar Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart tune, My Romance--a standard that has had its arrangement musically embraced and individualized extensively over the years. That one enduring and endearing selection is likewise the catchphrase of my own approving and playfully affectionate romance with jazz.
My show was lovingly dedicated to two jazz legends: vocalist Joe Williams and bassist Keter Betts. I am twice blessed to have made their acquaintance.
I am grateful to my listeners over the years. Thanks for your enthusiastic and dedicated listener support of our entire jazz department's efforts.
As I pled my case to you each Tuesday evening: "Shape your own personal statement of support for jazz in our community. Why not attend a youth band concert or a jazz jam? Join or support our local jazz society? Or donate an unused musical instrument, or just shake a musician's hand and offer a single word of appreciation at the next show you attend. It's all good."
Regards, JazzyJayne
E-Mail: jazzyjayne1@sbcglobal.net
Mark Channon is the host of Thursday Morning Jazz on WWUH radio.
He is "a long time listener" to WWUH, being first turned on to it in 1976. He has been on the station since 1989 and was asked to take over the Thursday Morning Jazz program in the fall of 1994.
The nucleus of his show is drawn from, but not limited to, contemporary big bands. Some of his music training and influence comes from his father, Bill Channon, who worked as an arranger for Buddy Rich, Bob Chester and Buddy Fischer's bands in the 40's. Mark's dad started the formal music program in the Simsbury, CT public school system in 1956 and was his high school band director.
Mark has produced over 30 Big Band shows with The Woody Herman Orchestra, Buddy Rich and his Big Band, The United States Air Force Airmen of Note, The United States Air Force Falconaires Jazz Ensemble, The United States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, The United States Navy Commodores Jazz Ensemble, The Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, The University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band, The New England Jazz Ensemble, and The Mike Vax Big Band featuring the alumni of the Stan Kenton Orchestra playing before full houses. He has been Emcee at The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz and Jazz in the Park (Torrington) Jazz Festival.
He is the recipient of The Commander's Award and Medallion for Public Service from the United States Army, and also an honorary member of the premier big band of the USAF, "The Airmen of Note".
Since Mark has taken over Thursday Morning Jazz, he's had the opportunity to interview some of Connecticut's jazz community as well as nationally and internationally known jazz figures such as Doc Severinsen, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Maynard Ferguson, Slide Hampton and Louie Bellson. Louie says that Mark conducted "one of the best interviews I ever did." In his "Artist on the Hour" series, Mark selects an artist to feature at 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 and just prior to noon. You'll hear the artist's biography, music, and frequently an interview with him or her. What radio stations do you know that will devote this amount of time to expose such wonderful jazz talents?
A 1981 graduate of The Connecticut School of Broadcasting, Mark enjoys being a part of WWUH's unique programming. With jazz radio having fallen on hard times in many parts of the US, WWUH offers Connecticut (as well as the whole world) a tremendous outlet for both jazz musicians and listeners!
Greetings. My name is Maurice D. Robertson and I've been a jazz music announcer with WWUH since October 1976. My format is all-inclusive, i.e. straight-ahead, Afro-Cuban, avant-garde and hip hop. I try to connect the various time periods and innovations in improvisation. I present interviews and birthday specials to spice up the mix, and will take sensitive music requests. Peace...
Coming soon...