It's February 10th 2022, and tomorrow is FUNDRIVE 2022. Support CKUW and this program between 11-25 Feb with a donation at fundrive.ckuw.ca.
December 30th, 2021 - After broadcasting from home and with all the interruptions of the pandemic, this website has been totally abandoned except for the Playlists that have been basically up to date. Some great jazz in 2021, and you can almost ignore this page and stick with the playlists. Comments are always welcome.
Be Well.
March 19th, 2020 - Due to COVID-19, my ability to continue with Voyage is being impacted. Postings for the next period of time will be questionable. I hope that when things stabilize i will be able to resume the show. Keep tuned to CKUW - it's not going anywhere.
Here we are at February 13th and the annual Fundrive is on. Yesterday Voyage got $300 (a record for this show)1 in pledges for CKUW and I thank all who contributed - either to my show or another here at CKUW. We appreciate every dollar, as it allows us to continue to provide a wonderful alternative to much of commercial radio. Thank you!
I don't very often upgrade these notes. Today is January 8th 2020 and there are several things I need to comment on. First, on January 22nd I will broadcast the 1000th show in this series. Who could have predicted that??? Also the CKUW annual Fundrive is coming, and February 12th will be my Fundrive show. Please give serious consideration to supporting the station through my show - on line or pledge through the CKUW website or here. The station and the jazz goes on!.
May 22nd 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Voyage. It doesn't seem possible, but there it is. A huge thank you to everyone - CKUW and most importantly you folks out there for keeping this jazz flame alive. For shows I personally have done, this one was 969, with over 19,300 tracks played. Thanks again!
February 21 2019 - Fundrive is officially over for the year, and THANK YOU to all who contributed to the station and my show. If you are still interested in participating, you can still go to fundrive.ckuw.ca add your voice to our family.
Okay, now it's February 14th and my Fundrive show is over. We made about $1800 which is a bit disappointing as we have done much better in recent years. Your donations are always welcome, and you can go to fundrive.ckuw.ca to pledge securely on line. Thanks to all who support community radio and my show at CKUW. We need you to keep going!
Okay, it's now February 2019 and Fundrive number 19 is just around the corner (February 8 to 15).. I've been involved with all of them, and I assure you your help goes exactly where it is needed. You can help keep this great little station and my program on air by pledging support for the Fundrive. Go to ckuw.ca and there are links to pledge on line. Or contact me with your pledge and I'll acknowledge it on air.
And the 2019 Junos were announced a few days ago and many of the nominations have aired on Voyage.
December 2018 and I hadn't messed with this page for ages. Things are still humming along - programs now totals over 946 and total tracks played are over 18,000. As usual the Grammy nominations show only a few albums I have sampled. I still write album reviews for the Winnipeg Free Press each Thursday, so you might check that out.
May 23rd 2018 marked my 19th anniversary for Voyage. It's been a privilege to be able to share this music (well over 18,000 tracks), and thanks to all who made it possible.
I've been playing a different theme for the last couple of weeks (early May 2018). It may stick or it may not. (It Didn't) But if you can identify the tune and who's playing it, there's a bag of cds in it for the winner. Phone 204-774-6877 during the show if you want to claim the prize. Listen in at the start of the show... No-one won - it was Manny Albam with Minor Matters.
CKUW's annual Fundrive was from February 9-16, 2018, but donations are still possible and appreciated. Please consider donating to the station through my show. Lots of ways to make a pledge, but pledging on line is the best option for outside of Winnipeg donors. Go to ckuw.ca, follow the link to Voyage, and click on the donate option - secure and added to my show total. Thanks for considering this chance to keep great jazz on the air!
February 15th, 2018: My Fundrive show was yesterday, and raised over $2400 for the station. Thanks to all who donated - and it's not too late to add your pledge. Just follow the directions above. Thanks!
For several years now, I have been able to submit jazz album reviews to the Winnipeg Free Press' Uptown section on Thursdays. Check it out.
Saxophonist/composer/leader Quinsin Nachoff (new album called Flux) gave a great concert here in Winnipeg on November 14th 2016 with his quartet - David Binney alto, Matt Mitchell piano and Kenny Wollesen drums. From Toronto but now working mainly in NY, Nachoff is a major talent. Check out Flux.
Jazz icon and long time mentor and leader Henry Threadgill has recently been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his 2015 album In For A Penny, In For A Pound. It's a pretty interesting avant-garde effort, and worth a listen.
Our 2017 Fundrive took place as usual in February.
My Fundrive show was February 15th, and thanks to many of the show and station supporters, the show raised about $2350 during the three hours . With late pledges, the Fundrive is almost at our $63,000 goal, so if you go on line to fundrive/ckuw.ca you can still join the list of those supporting Voyage and CKUW generally. Thanks to everyone who pledged to keep us going!
Sometimes I seem to be a jazz obit commentator, but the death of a real jazz giant is worth mention here.
In early January 2016 the jazz world lost another "pioneer". Pianist, leader and icon Paul Bley, a Canadian born innovator for decades died in florida at age 83. Bley was an infant terrible on the Montreal jazz scene, establishing the Montreal Jazz Workshop, replacing Oscar Peterson at a Montreal club, and working in the avant-garde world with all the greats. He studied at Julliard and has a huge recorded discography. Perhaps under-appreciated on the Canadian jazz scene, he remained one of the greats throughout his lengthy career. (He was part of my historical segment on April 5th 2017.)
The big news in the jazz publishing world in the last several years was the new book on Charlie Parker by Stanley Crouch. This is the first book in a trilogy about Bird, and is getting fine reviews. Crouch is hugely knowledgable on jazz, although sometimes has been quite narrow in acceptance of the universality of the music. The book, however, should be an important look at Parker's troubled life.
December 30th, 2021 - After broadcasting from home and with all the interruptions of the pandemic, this website has been totally abandoned except for the Playlists that have been basically up to date. Some great jazz in 2021, and you can almost ignore this page and stick with the playlists. Comments are always welcome.
Be Well.
March 19th, 2020 - Due to COVID-19, my ability to continue with Voyage is being impacted. Postings for the next period of time will be questionable. I hope that when things stabilize i will be able to resume the show. Keep tuned to CKUW - it's not going anywhere.
Here we are at February 13th and the annual Fundrive is on. Yesterday Voyage got $300 (a record for this show)1 in pledges for CKUW and I thank all who contributed - either to my show or another here at CKUW. We appreciate every dollar, as it allows us to continue to provide a wonderful alternative to much of commercial radio. Thank you!
I don't very often upgrade these notes. Today is January 8th 2020 and there are several things I need to comment on. First, on January 22nd I will broadcast the 1000th show in this series. Who could have predicted that??? Also the CKUW annual Fundrive is coming, and February 12th will be my Fundrive show. Please give serious consideration to supporting the station through my show - on line or pledge through the CKUW website or here. The station and the jazz goes on!.
May 22nd 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Voyage. It doesn't seem possible, but there it is. A huge thank you to everyone - CKUW and most importantly you folks out there for keeping this jazz flame alive. For shows I personally have done, this one was 969, with over 19,300 tracks played. Thanks again!
February 21 2019 - Fundrive is officially over for the year, and THANK YOU to all who contributed to the station and my show. If you are still interested in participating, you can still go to fundrive.ckuw.ca add your voice to our family.
Okay, now it's February 14th and my Fundrive show is over. We made about $1800 which is a bit disappointing as we have done much better in recent years. Your donations are always welcome, and you can go to fundrive.ckuw.ca to pledge securely on line. Thanks to all who support community radio and my show at CKUW. We need you to keep going!
Okay, it's now February 2019 and Fundrive number 19 is just around the corner (February 8 to 15).. I've been involved with all of them, and I assure you your help goes exactly where it is needed. You can help keep this great little station and my program on air by pledging support for the Fundrive. Go to ckuw.ca and there are links to pledge on line. Or contact me with your pledge and I'll acknowledge it on air.
And the 2019 Junos were announced a few days ago and many of the nominations have aired on Voyage.
December 2018 and I hadn't messed with this page for ages. Things are still humming along - programs now totals over 946 and total tracks played are over 18,000. As usual the Grammy nominations show only a few albums I have sampled. I still write album reviews for the Winnipeg Free Press each Thursday, so you might check that out.
May 23rd 2018 marked my 19th anniversary for Voyage. It's been a privilege to be able to share this music (well over 18,000 tracks), and thanks to all who made it possible.
I've been playing a different theme for the last couple of weeks (early May 2018). It may stick or it may not. (It Didn't) But if you can identify the tune and who's playing it, there's a bag of cds in it for the winner. Phone 204-774-6877 during the show if you want to claim the prize. Listen in at the start of the show... No-one won - it was Manny Albam with Minor Matters.
CKUW's annual Fundrive was from February 9-16, 2018, but donations are still possible and appreciated. Please consider donating to the station through my show. Lots of ways to make a pledge, but pledging on line is the best option for outside of Winnipeg donors. Go to ckuw.ca, follow the link to Voyage, and click on the donate option - secure and added to my show total. Thanks for considering this chance to keep great jazz on the air!
February 15th, 2018: My Fundrive show was yesterday, and raised over $2400 for the station. Thanks to all who donated - and it's not too late to add your pledge. Just follow the directions above. Thanks!
For several years now, I have been able to submit jazz album reviews to the Winnipeg Free Press' Uptown section on Thursdays. Check it out.
Saxophonist/composer/leader Quinsin Nachoff (new album called Flux) gave a great concert here in Winnipeg on November 14th 2016 with his quartet - David Binney alto, Matt Mitchell piano and Kenny Wollesen drums. From Toronto but now working mainly in NY, Nachoff is a major talent. Check out Flux.
Jazz icon and long time mentor and leader Henry Threadgill has recently been awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his 2015 album In For A Penny, In For A Pound. It's a pretty interesting avant-garde effort, and worth a listen.
Our 2017 Fundrive took place as usual in February.
My Fundrive show was February 15th, and thanks to many of the show and station supporters, the show raised about $2350 during the three hours . With late pledges, the Fundrive is almost at our $63,000 goal, so if you go on line to fundrive/ckuw.ca you can still join the list of those supporting Voyage and CKUW generally. Thanks to everyone who pledged to keep us going!
Sometimes I seem to be a jazz obit commentator, but the death of a real jazz giant is worth mention here.
In early January 2016 the jazz world lost another "pioneer". Pianist, leader and icon Paul Bley, a Canadian born innovator for decades died in florida at age 83. Bley was an infant terrible on the Montreal jazz scene, establishing the Montreal Jazz Workshop, replacing Oscar Peterson at a Montreal club, and working in the avant-garde world with all the greats. He studied at Julliard and has a huge recorded discography. Perhaps under-appreciated on the Canadian jazz scene, he remained one of the greats throughout his lengthy career. (He was part of my historical segment on April 5th 2017.)
The big news in the jazz publishing world in the last several years was the new book on Charlie Parker by Stanley Crouch. This is the first book in a trilogy about Bird, and is getting fine reviews. Crouch is hugely knowledgable on jazz, although sometimes has been quite narrow in acceptance of the universality of the music. The book, however, should be an important look at Parker's troubled life.
If you like Voyage, you should check out One Man's Jazz with CKUW alumnus Moe Hogue, now broadcasting again from Taint Radio. Moe's show is accessible at several times, and he plays the most cutting edge jazz available anywhere.
There's an interesting biography of Duke Ellington that apparently digs into the conundrums of Duke's life. Much of his persona was complex and ambiguous, and while leading one of the most amazing and important bands in jazz history, his relationships with his band members and especially his "alter ego" Billy Strayhorn were often strained. Sounds like an interesting read.
Bassist Charlie Haden died in July 2014 at the age of 76. He was a ground-breaker in many ways - from free jazz with Ornette Coleman to melodic later releases and periodic social comment with his Liberation Jazz Orchestra. I played a couple of tracks from his legacy on my historical segment on July 23rd. A release in November 2016 is a wonderful Liberation Music Orchestra album. Haden is on two of the five tracks, and the other three were recorded following Haden's death with his successor, bassist Steve Swallow, as leader. It's Called Time/Life (Song For The Whales And Other Beings). It's worth a listen.
Sadly Canadian born trumpeter Kenny Wheeler died in London England on September 18th 2014. He was hugely respected in the jazz world, and as well was a humble and beautiful person.
And another trumpet legend died in January 2015. Clark Terry, who played with bands like Basie and Ellington and many others, died in his mid-90's. He influenced whole generations of trumpeters in a long and productive life.
April 7th 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Billie Holiday. There was lots of acknowledgement of this over the next while as her amazing legacy was revisited. Lady Day was someone very troubled but very special.
Saxophonist/arranger/composer Bob Belden died suddenly in May 2015, before his final project was released in October. It's called Machine Language, and it is a bittersweet final legacy for an important person in the jazz world. I've played it on my show.
Thanks for listening, and feel free to give me suggestions for the show.
There's an interesting biography of Duke Ellington that apparently digs into the conundrums of Duke's life. Much of his persona was complex and ambiguous, and while leading one of the most amazing and important bands in jazz history, his relationships with his band members and especially his "alter ego" Billy Strayhorn were often strained. Sounds like an interesting read.
Bassist Charlie Haden died in July 2014 at the age of 76. He was a ground-breaker in many ways - from free jazz with Ornette Coleman to melodic later releases and periodic social comment with his Liberation Jazz Orchestra. I played a couple of tracks from his legacy on my historical segment on July 23rd. A release in November 2016 is a wonderful Liberation Music Orchestra album. Haden is on two of the five tracks, and the other three were recorded following Haden's death with his successor, bassist Steve Swallow, as leader. It's Called Time/Life (Song For The Whales And Other Beings). It's worth a listen.
Sadly Canadian born trumpeter Kenny Wheeler died in London England on September 18th 2014. He was hugely respected in the jazz world, and as well was a humble and beautiful person.
And another trumpet legend died in January 2015. Clark Terry, who played with bands like Basie and Ellington and many others, died in his mid-90's. He influenced whole generations of trumpeters in a long and productive life.
April 7th 2015 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Billie Holiday. There was lots of acknowledgement of this over the next while as her amazing legacy was revisited. Lady Day was someone very troubled but very special.
Saxophonist/arranger/composer Bob Belden died suddenly in May 2015, before his final project was released in October. It's called Machine Language, and it is a bittersweet final legacy for an important person in the jazz world. I've played it on my show.
Thanks for listening, and feel free to give me suggestions for the show.