David Dalle
Thursday December 2nd, 2021 with David Dalle
From the collection of Bill Drake part I: honouring a fellow Ottawa radio DJ, William Drake with a slice of classic Americana from his collection.
A very special program today, honouring a fellow Ottawa radio DJ, William Drake. Bill Drake was born in 1936 in Dodge City, Kansas, and was interested in radio from an early age. He worked as a DJ at several radio stations in the Midwest before ending up at WCOP in Boston in the 60's. Around 1970 he heard of an opening at CKSO in Sudbury and decided to apply, despite never having visiting Canada. He spent a couple years there before he moved to Ottawa and CFRA. He spent the next decade at CFRA, at which time CFRA was the most popular station in Ottawa. I remember listening to CFRA as a kid and a big event was following the top 100 songs on New Year's Eve with the list printed in the Citizen. In the early 80's he left the radio business for good to become a writer for high tech in Ottawa, but he kept his passion for music and photography until the end of his life. Bill Drake was also the father of my brother-in-law and I enjoyed talking music with him over the years. I am now the grateful custodian of a large music collection from him. Bill Drake's first love in music was jazz. I would say more specific than that, it was a love for Americana. His jazz was primarily American musicians from the 30's to the 60’s; as well, he had some early and mid-20th century American composers. All of which really defined a national American sound in the 20th century. These recordings really helped fill out a large gap in my collection, and we will hear some amazing music over the course of two programs to honour Bill Drake and his love of music.
| Duke Ellington was enjoying a career revival in the late 50's as he continued to navigate the drastically changing post-war musical landscape. The Swing age of the 30's was a distant memory as was playing to capacity crowds in premiere dance clubs. He had an enormous success playing at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival (which had only been founded in 1954). His summers became busy touring the US playing at jazz festivals, often playing outdoors during summer afternoons which was quite different than playing clubs for dancing patrons until late in the night. In September 1959 he recorded this album featuring mostly compositions he wrote for the just ending summer festival circuit. A superb recording that benefited from being later in Ellington's career, allowing for longer compositions due to lp's. |
| Copout Extension Duke Ellington - Festival Session - Sony |
| Things Aren't What They Used To Be Duke Ellington - Festival Session - Sony |
| Launching Pad Duke Ellington - Festival Session - Sony |
| Two great saxophonists who had played as sidemen for Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck, they recorded this album together in 1957 with Joe Banjamin on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. |
| Blues In Time Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet - Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet - Verve |
| Body And Soul Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet - Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet - Verve |
| Paul Desmond was the mainstay of the Dave Brubeck Quartet from 1951 to its break up in 1967. We hear four titles (including their cover of Duke Ellington's signature tune "Take the A Train") recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956 (the same edition with Duke Ellington's famous concert). They are joined by Norman Bates (what an unfortunate name!) on bass and Joe Dodge on drums for these fantastic recordings. This was three years before their enormous hit album "Time Out". |
| In Your Own Sweet Way Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond - At Newport 1956 & 1959 - Phoenix Records |
| Two Part Contention Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond - At Newport 1956 & 1959 - Phoenix Records |
| Take the "A" Train Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond - At Newport 1956 & 1959 - Phoenix Records |
| I'm In a Dancing Mood Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond - At Newport 1956 & 1959 - Phoenix Records |
| The American national sound in the 30's to 40's was not just defined by jazz, but also the popular concert music of Aaron Copland. His most popular works from the late 30's and 40's were deceptively simple, using diatonic harmonies and sometimes referencing folk tunes, such as in his 1938 ballet "Billy the Kid" which references six folk tunes from the old West. This ballet was one of his most successful works and we hear a recording of it from Bill Drake's collection with that most quintessentially American of conductors, Leonard Bernstein. |
| Billy the Kid i. Introduction: The Open Prairie Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid ii. Street in a Frontier Town Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid iii. Mexican Dance and Finale Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid iv. Prairie Night (Card Game at Night) Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid v. Gun Battle Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid vi. Celebration (After Billy's Capture) Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid vii. Billy's Death Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| Billy the Kid viii. The Open Prairie Again Aaron Copland/New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Copland: Rodeo - Billy The Kid - Columbia |
| We conclude with some Canadian influence. Bill Drake loved Oscar Peterson, and we hear several alternate takes of the same blues-based piece with a trio of great trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, and Freddie Hubbard, joined by a quartet led by Oscar Peterson with Ray Brown on bass, Joe Pass on guitar, and Bobby Durham on drums. From the 1980 album "The Alternate Blues". |
| Alternate One Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Joe Pass, Bobby Durham - The Alternate Blues - Pablo Records 
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| Alternate Three Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Joe Pass, Bobby Durham - The Alternate Blues - Pablo Records
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| Alternate Four Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Joe Pass, Bobby Durham - The Alternate Blues - Pablo Records
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2:03 PM, December 2nd, 2021