The Bridge features classic jazz recordings, new releases, local musicians and interviews with the people who make jazz exciting.
Host
Joel Hurd:
It all started with public radio. Growing up 50 miles
west of Boston I would tune in to WGBH-FM every night to hear Eric in
the Evening with Eric Jackson. His voice was (and still is) amazing
and the music he played gave my 12-year-old ears a thrill that exists
to this day.
That was right around the time that I started playing guitar. So the
Miles, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, Coltrane, Bill Evans and Duke
Ellington that Eric was playing got mixed in my brain with Pat
Metheny, John Scofield, Robben Ford, Mike Stern, Steve Morse and Scott
Henderson. The result is how I hear the music today.
On The Bridge you won't hear screaming guitars or drum machines, but
you will hear a program that embraces the new sounds of jazz and
celebrates the classics that have shaped those sounds. We'll also play a cut or two from a classic piece of vinyl from the NCPR jazz collection and usually spend a few minutes chatting with an artist about a new release or upcoming concert.
As with all of our programs, your input is welcomed and encouraged.
Please drop me an email and let me know what you think.E-mail Joel
The Bridge with Joel Hurd
The Bridgewith Joel Hurd airs
Saturdays from 9-10 pm.
The best in jazz each week. Here's your place to listen to the latest edition of The Bridge, hosted by Joel Hurd, anytime you want. This edition will be available until next edition is posted. (updates Sunday at 3 am)
(02/25/12) Jazz supergroup The SFJAZZ Collective will be playing three shows in the area next week. March 2nd at The Flynn Theatre in Burlington, March 3rd at Hosmer Hall at SUNY Potsdam, and March 4th at The Egg in Albany. The concerts will feature music of Stevie Wonder along with original compositions from the band members. The group's trombonist Robin Eubanks talked with Joel Hurd on The Bridge.
(02/18/12) Kevin Crabb grew up in Toronto but has lived in Los Angeles since his college days at Pepperdine University. His debut CD, Waltz for Dylan, was recorded in his hometown and features nine original compositions. He talked about it with Joel Hurd on The Bridge
(02/04/12) Jazz singer Shirley Crabbe's new CD, Home is getting rave reviews and lots of national attention. She joined Joel Hurd on The Bridge (via Skype from her home near NYC) to talk about the new disc, growing up in a musical family, and a vocal cord injury that nearly ended her singing career before it ever even started.
(10/22/11) Alan Leatherman's new CD, Detour Ahead, is a very appealing, yet simple, celebration of songs that fit the theme, "The Blues In Love". It's Joel Hurd's favorite CD release of 2011. Alan talked about it with Joel on The Bridge.
(08/06/11) Guitarist Paul Meyers grew up in Potsdam and now lives in the New York City area. He's a fixture on the Brazilian jazz scene in the city, teaches at two colleges, and is the longtime guitarist for legendary singer Jon Hendricks. Paul's latest CD, recorded here in the North Country, is called Welcome Home. He talked about it with Joel Hurd on The Bridge.
(07/09/11) Frank Vignola is one of the busiest guitarists on the jazz scene today. His versatility, showmanship, and blistering technique have made him a favorite around the world. Later this week he and his trio will play the Norwood Village Green Concert Series. He talked about his music with Joel Hurd on The Bridge.
(06/23/11) The Kingston Jazz Festival takes place today through Saturday with five headlining performances and other jazz activities around the city. Recently Joel Hurd spoke with Brian McCurdy, the cultural director for the City of Kingston, Ontario, to find out more.
(05/31/11) The Burlington Discover Jazz Festival kicks off this Friday at various venues around Burlington, and this year features more music than ever before. Joel Hurd spoke with the festival's Managing Director Brian Mital.
(05/14/11) Guitarist Steve Khan has always used Latin rhythms on his CDs, but the new CD, Parting Shot, is a full-out Latin Jazz effort from this veteran jazz guitarist. he talked about the new CD and more with Joel Hurd on The Bridge.
(05/07/11) At age 23 Julian Lage has just released the followup to his Grammy-nominated 2009 debut CD, "Sounding Point". Without any lyrics, "Gladwell" tells the story of an imaginary and forgotten town through music. He talked about the new CD and lots more with Joel Hurd on The Bridge.
At the 52nd Monterey Jazz Festival, three-quarters of the stellar fusion band Return to Forever reunited. Hear Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White — on piano, bass and drums, respectively — perform a highly charged acoustic set.
The Cuban trumpeter first met Dizzy Gillespie in 1977, when the American jazzman came to Havana to play a concert. It was the start of a friendship that would last until Gillespie's death in 1993.
<em></em>For arranger Gil Evans' centennial, we present a concert from the 2011 Monterey Jazz Festival. Terence Blanchard plays Davis' role with commitment and emotion.
It's rare to have three great pianists at three pianos in one studio. But given the recent marriage of keyboard masters Charlap and Rosnes, it was a perfect opportunity to present a special trio edition of <em>Marian McPartland's Piano...
If classic jazz has a contemporary voice, it's that of guitarist, vocalist and bandleader John Pizzarelli. He's fashioned an ultra-cool style that's both modern and rooted in the jazz tradition. Here, the John Pizzarelli Trio swings on "Here...