Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Nineteen ninety-seven will not go into the record books as a great year for music. There were few acts who made you excited about the ride ahead. Unlike rock and roll, which seems to have finally run out of ways to reinvent itself, jazz grew in popularity as its young artists took a page from the past.

"For a long time, there was a void," explains WICN jazz director Stephen Charbonneau, who hosts A Tasteful Blend Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 10 a.m. "People were only trying to do something improvisational and ignoring the history and there was no linkage." Imagine the Beatles and Stones without R&B and Chuck Berry, the Clash without reggae or rockabilly, or Elvis minus his gospel background to guide him through those heartfelt ballads.

"One of the reasons jazz is thriving is people aren't listening to the radio the way they used to. They want to be educated. It's interesting and hip to delve into the history of jazz. One of the things we're trying to do is open their ears and their minds. It's a very credible and deep music."

Nothing, according to Charbonneau, symbolizes the growing attention being paid to jazz than the Pulitzer Prize that was awarded to Wynton Marsalis for his Blood on the Fields oratorio. "That's a pretty good indication of the interest level." Another person with a bloodline to jazz greatness, pianist T.S. Monk, paid tribute to the legacy of his father, Thelonious Monk, while beginning to carve out one of his own. The Monk on Monk (N2K Encoded Music) Tour featured young players. "They've sold out a lot of shows. Every venue has been attracting young people looking for something with substance. They're starting to understand the differences between jazz and smooth jazz." Making WICN audiences (and perspective listeners) understand that difference is Charbonneau's major priority. He's aware there are people who would like the station to air more over-the-edge improvisational pieces, but he's not interested in offending a majority of listeners. "We try to put it together in a way that makes sense."

Part of that effort includes giving Worcester audiences a chance to see the world's top performers live. He's glad WICN helped bring the late jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli (who died on December 1) to town for one of his final shows and is looking forward to the appearance by the Cyrus Chestnut Trio on January 16 at Mechanics Hall. "That's going to be a killer show. It's a great way to start the new year. In 1994, Chestnut had the best jazz album voted by the Village Voice. He's traveled extensively around the country and world with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra." Prior to the show, Bertriam Ashe, director of Holy Cross College's African-American Studies Series, will present a lecture as part of its "Jazz and American Culture" program. "It's given us a chance to do work in the African-American community, which was long overdue." Earlier that afternoon, Kyle Warren, host of Saturday's Tasteful Blend, moderates a jazz clinic featuring Chestnut, the WPI Jazz Band, and IAJE, the Massachusetts All-State high school jazz all-star ensemble, at WPI's Alden Hall.

Jazz can be heard weekdays from midnight to 5 p.m. and from midnight to 4 p.m. on weekends on WICN (90.5 FM). "What's nice for us is 65 percent of our programming is locally produced," says Charbonneau, who also hosts Jazz New England every Tuesday at 1 p.m. The program features interviews and music by regional artists. "We get to talk about places like the Acton Jazz Cafe, which has worked really hard to make things happen."