“Songs that Made the Phones Ring” is an unabashed bit of theft from the fertile mind of the late record man Joel Dorn. Several years ago when Joel was mining his 32 Jazz label for fresh ideas he came up with an interesting compilation disc that was based on tunes he’d played during his days as one of Philadelphia’s ace jazz deejays. The phone lines were apparently always open during Dorn’s programs and he dutifully kept a log of those songs which elicited listener calls to the studios. I’ve been doing likewise on my weekly “Ancient Future” programs for WPFW (Pacifica Radio at 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC market; also listen live at www.wpfw.org). Our “Songs That Made the Phones Ring” for the first half of 2010 was posted in this space last June. So in the spirit of Joel Dorn, here are the songs that made the studio phones ring during the second half of 2010 on “Ancient Future.” (Listed by Artist – Tune – Album Title – Label):
Songs That Made the Phones Ring
(2nd half of 2010)
Horace Silver
The African Queen
The Cape Verdean Blues
Blue Note
*Ahmad Jamal
Poetry
A Quiet Time
Dreyfus
*Bob Fraser/Ki Allen
Wish You Were Here
Calling Card
Ki Allen
*Marc Cary
Runnin’ Out of Time
Live 2009
Motema
Sandra Sharpe
(poem)
Jazz Speaks
Idiot Savant
Thelonious Monk
Straight No Chaser
Monk’s Blues
Columbia
*Roland Vazquez
Whirlpool
The Visitor
RVCD
Miles Davis
Someday My Prince Will Come
In Person
Columbia
*Gregory Porter
Black Nile
Water
Motema
*Russell Gunn
Three Card Molly
Ethnomusicology Vol./Return of the Gunn Fu
*Dave Morgan
Karnak
The Way of the Sly Man
Being Time
*Esperanza Spalding
Knowledge of Good and Evil
Chamber Music Society
Heads Up
*Yotam
Renewal
Resonance
Jazz Legacy
Tulivu Donna Cumberbatch
Equinox
Daughter of the Nile
*Musicians for Musicians (leader: Detroit Brooks)
New Orleans Swagger
On My Way Back Home
MFM
*Sonny Fortune
The Blues Are Green
Last Night at Sweet Rhythms
Sound Reason
Mulatu Astatke
Green Africa
Mulatu Steps Ahead
Strut
*Howard Wiley
Song For a Hot Summer’s Night
Gates to the City
*Chucho Valdes
Chucho’s Steps
Chucho’s Steps
Four Quarter
*Xiomara
Delirio
La Voz
Chesky
Danny Mixon
Some Other Time
Danny Mixon
*John McLaughlin & 4th Dimension
Special Beings
To The One
Mediastarzz
*Art Pepper
Straight Life
Unreleased Art Vol. V
Widow’s Taste
*Afro-Semitic Experience
I’m on the Road That Heals the Spintered Soul
(same)
Reckless DC
Pascal Bokar
Yaye
Savanna Jazz Club
Abdoulaye N’Diaye
Casa Teule
Taoue
Justin Time
*The Trio of Oz
King of Pain
The Trio of Oz
Ozannes
Jacques Swarz-Bart
Home
Rise Above
Dreyfus
*Bobby Watson
Wilkes BBQ
The Gates BBQ
Freddie Hubbard
Red Clay
Red Clay
CTI
*Nasar Abadey
Diamond in the Rough
Diamond in the Rough
Multi-D
*James Blood Ulmer
I Believe in You
In and Out
In & Out
*Benito Gonzalez
Elvin’s Sight
Circles
Furtherance
*Eric Wright
Afro Blue
Can You Hear Me Now?
*Milton Suggs
Round Midnight
Things to Come
Skiptone
*Sameer Gupta
Salaam
Namasky
Motema
*(reissue of the year)
Ahmad Jamal
Isn’t It Romantic
The Complete Ahmad Jamal Argo Trio Sessions
Mosaic
*Randy Weston
Loose Wig
The Storyteller
Motema
John Boutte
I’ll Fly Away
New Orleans Brass
Putumayo
James Moody
I Remember Clifford
Moody with Strings
Argo
Omar Sosa
Gnaoua Festival
(private recording)
Joe Zawinul
Ganawa Festival
(private recording)
(reissue)
*Stanley Turrentine
Gibralter
Sugar
CTI
*Charenee Wade
Sometimes I’m Happy
Love Walked By
*2010 release