New and Noteworthy Releases

This Christmas Day I’m on the air doing Christmas Becomes Eclectic once again, something that’s become a holiday tradition at KCRW.

We’ll start this Christmas Day’s Rhythm Planet with a great new CD by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra – wowing the crowd in Havana, Cuba. I love the playing of Dan Nimmer, the pianist. He plays with precision and intensity, and great ideas too.

Gregorio Uribe’s big band cumbia is next, featuring a vocal by Ruben Blades. After that it’s a live set from Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, featuring Alex Ligertwood on vocals. This band has been playing since the late 1960s, and just sound better than ever now. I love this song “Happiness is Just Around the Bend”. Let’s have that as a New Year’s resolution.

Finally a great live version of Peter Gabriel’s love ode, “In Your Eyes”, in Athens, Greece, in 1987. It’s on Youssou N’Dour’s new Real World CD. I don’t know why they waited so long to put this out! 

Rhythm Planet Playlist for 12/25/15 

  1. Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra / Inaki’s Decision / “Live In Cuba” / Blue Engine
  2. Gregorio Uribe Big Band / Cumbia Universal (Feat. Ruben Blades) / “Cumbia Universal” / Zoho Music
  3. Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express / Happiness Is Just Around the Bend / “Live In Los Angeles (feat. Alex Ligertwood)” / Freestyle Records
  4. Youssou N’Dour Et Le Super Etoile De Dakar / In Your Eyes (Live with Peter Gabriel) /“Fatteliku (Live in Athens 1987)” / Real World

Playlist

[PLAYLIST GOES HERE]

Credits

Host:

Tom Schnabel