Airwaves

by Brian Golslow

The 1997 Jazz at Sunset Series begins on June 6. WICN, which co-sponsors the series at the New England Science Center, recently completed its most successful fundraiser. Vibraphonist Cecilia Smith, who broke through nationally with her third CD, High Standards, kicks off this year's program, with help from trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater and saxophonist Gary Burtz. "It's a great way to open up," says Stephen Charbonneau, WICN's head jazz man. "It should be a highly energized show. She'll be playing with some very talented musicians who play different kinds of styles."

Charbonneau, who's entrusted with guiding WICN's (90.5 FM) jazz ship, keeps an eye out for recordings that can be used to introduce the music to new audiences. One of those is pianist Michel Camilo's Thru My Eyes (Tropi Jazz) "It's a great Latin album -- a nice transition for people who are not sensitized to jazz. It's not smooth at all. It's got a straight-ahead feel." You want killer? Chick Corea and Friends' Remembering Bud Powell (Stretch) features a who's who of jazz. "It's got a lot of high-energy, broad-based appeal, and everything you want in a jazz album."

Looking for some familiar names? Frank Sinatra and the Red Norvo Quintet's Live in Australia (Blue Note) is a wonderful record that transcends generations. "Kids were kicking and screaming when their parents played it -- now they can't get enough of it." Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite (Rhino) is the ultimate Bird collection. "Rhino cross-licensed multiple labels representing his entire career. It has 40 cuts from all of his diverse outfits, from strings to Gillespie, and [it] comes along with a 60-page book."

What's not to love about Shirley Horn's Loving You (Verve)? "She continues to make truly tremendous music since returning from her hiatus. This is a sweet, sensual jazz album." The same can be said for Mary Stallings's Manhattan Moods (Concord). "She's another gal out of the Bay Area who took some time off. It's a warm romantic album, with a couple of standards, that's very accessible. You can put it on at dinner or in the middle of the afternoon."

One of the best of the hot young horn players blazing through America is Sherman Irby, who hits all the right notes on Full Circle (Blue Note). "He surrounds himself with top musicians. If this first album's any indication, I'm very excited about his future." Other hot new releases include David "Fathead" Newman's sweet-sounding Under a Woodstock Moon (Kokopelli), Ray Brown's (with Christian McBride and John Clayton) highly energized Super Bass (Telarc), and the latest by Milt Jackson ("Fifty years and still going strong"), Sa Va Bella (Qwest/ Warner Bros.).

The local scene is being revitalized by three recent releases. Toni Ballard's I'm Your Pal (Dolphin) is receiving rave reviews. "It's a who's who of New England," Charbonneau says. "Bevan Manson deserves a lot of credit for putting together the arrangements." Jim Porcella Sings Antonio and Jon is "a terrific end result to an interesting idea. He took two diametrically different styles [Antonio Carlos Jobim and Jon Hendricks] and his voice is terrific. Artistically and commercially, this should be his biggest success." He's also pleased with the Sonic Explorers' Birth of the Kakalla (J.S.) "I don't know if I'd call it avant-garde in the traditional sense. To put out improvisational music takes a lot of guts. They are truly what improvisational is." Every Tuesday at 1 p.m., WICN interviews and plays the music of regional artists on Jazz New England.

THE SONIC EXPLORERS are featured on the June 2 Sunday Night Concert on WCUW (91.3 FM) at midnight. Funk-rockers Borderland share the bill.