Jazz With Marty Friedman

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Spotlight on: Dave Brubeck Air Date: 10/11/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks . I went through a HUGE Dave Brubeck phase. That has happened to you, right? You get stuck on one artist and that is practically all you'll listen to. I haven't done this in quite some time, since college, and that's a really long time ago. 😁 So it is with great memories of this phase that I put together this spotlight show for you.  It has all the hits, and for the biggest hit - you know what that is - we have at least two versions from Mr. Brubeck, and three versions from other folks who like songs in 5/4 meter, like Take Five .  Speaking of Take Five , I always enjoyed the fact that this title is a double entendre. On one hand, it refers to the 'five beats per measure' inherent in a 5/4 meter. But it also has the vernacular meaning of 'take a five minute break.' However, when I...

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Sunday's Playlist Air Date: 10/4/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .   Photo: Johnny Mathis, from Columbia Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons  HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning Bria Skonberg\Brass 2026\Somewhere Out There Hendrik Meurkens\Samba Tonto 2026\Chelsea Nocturne Johnny Mathis-How Do You Keep The Music Playing-01 How Do You Keep The Music Playing 1993 Tierney Sutton-Dancing In The Dark-10 Last Night When We Were Young 2004 Johnny Hartman-The Voice That Is!-06 The Day the World Stopped Turning-1994 Don Sebesky-I Remember Bill- Tribute to Bill Evans 1998-13 Epilogue Jacqui Naylor-Treasures of the Heart 2024-09 Love in Springtime George Benson-Bad Benson-02 Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams 1974 Harry Connick Jr.-25-07 Tangerine 1992 Jackie Ryan-This Heart of Mine-14 Seasons of the Heart 2003 Halie Loren-Simply Love-13 Simply Love 2013 Gretchen Parlato-The Lost...

Spotlight On: Joshua Redman Air Date: 9/27/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .    He graduated Harvard summa cum laude  and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa . Then, having been accepted into Yale law school, he decided to take a year off and move in with some buddies in New York City.    Of course, he never went to Yale. Instead, he won the 1991 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, and signed his first record deal, with Warner Brothers, in 1993.    Can you imagine if instead of having the music of Joshua Redman, we instead had ads on TV for the Joshua Redman Law firm representing you for falls and other bad things that can happen to you?      I didn't think so.   On today's edition of the Sunday Jazz Brunch, we'll take a deep dive into the music of self-taught tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman. We'll hear a track from his Elastic band, as wel...

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Support Public Radio Air Date: 9/20/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archi ves for up to two weeks . This Sunday we'll be taking your pledge during the Sunday Jazz Brunch, to support the kind of music that you love. I hope you value what we do here at 90.5 WICN and I look forward to hearing from you during our pledge drive. Call this Sunday, 9/20 , between 9am - 12pm: 508-752-0700. Alternatively, during that time you can visit our website and pledge online by clicking here . Thanks for your support. Without you, our valued listeners, we would not exist. Best, Marty 

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Sunday's Playlist Air Date: 9/13/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks . HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning Hendrik Meurkens\Samba Tonto 2026\The Summer Knows Peter Erskine\Peregrine 2026\On The Lake Stacey Kent-Tenderly-10 In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning 2015 Tierney Sutton-Dancing In The Dark-06 Where Or When 2004 April Varner\April 2024\Dear April Harvie S-Witchcraft 2013-08 Until Tomorrow feat Kenny Barron p. Stella Cole\It's Magic 2025 feat Alan Broadbent\Say It Paul Marinaro\Not Quite Yet 2022\12-12 Searching (É Luxo Só) Michael Franks-One Bad Habit-08 Still Life 1980 Michael Morreale-The Piano Album Vol VI 2023-10 Beautiful Love McCoy Tyner-What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach-07 (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me 1997 Michael Bublé-Call Me Irresponsible 2007-11 Always on My Mind HOUR TWO: New For You Bill Evans\Bill Evans at BBC 2026\Els...

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Sunday's Playlist Air Date: 9/6/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archi ves for up to two weeks HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning Carlos Franzetti-The Jazz Kameratan-06 When Autumn Comes 2005 Chris Keefe\Opening 2023\Dream Claudio Roditi-Brazilliance x4-07 Song For Nana 2007 Clarence Penn\Behind the Voice 2024\Send One Your Love feat AARON MARCELLUS v. Dianne Reeves-Bridges-05 Bridges 1999 Eric Marienthal & Chuck Loeb-Bridges-02 Crossing (2015)  Diana Krall-The Look of Love-07 Dancing in the Dark 2001 Dmitri Matheny\Cascadia 2022\Dark Eyes Don Braden-Earth Wind And Wonder-03 Visions 2018 Emi Meyer-Monochrome-01 Odyssey 2017 HOUR TWO: New For You Stella Cole\My Funny Valentine 2026\The Nearness of You Mark Wade\New Stages 2026\Idyll Carl Schultz\The-Road-to-Trantor 2026\The Spirit of Adventure Rachael & Vilray-Rachael & Vilray (Disc 1)-04 Treat Me Better 2019 Carolyn Trowbridge\Found Memories 20...

Spotlight On: Peter Bernstein Air Date: 8/30/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .    There are a number of very good jazz guitarists around these days. But for me, there is one who pretty much tops the list.    Peter Bernstein plays from the heart, with a tone and technique that makes him a top first-call guitarist. He is in great demand.   On this edition of the Sunday Jazz Brunch, we dig deep into the catalog of Mr. Bernstein, including work with vocalist Jane Monheit, with bebop saxophonist Ken Fowser, and with pianist Brad Mehldau,     His new CD is a collaboration with organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart, entitled Rhombus . We'll hear a couple of tracks from this CD during the New For You hour.   I hope you enjoy the show. Please remember that if you miss it, you can still listen for up to two weeks at the WICN archive .    Best,   Mart...

The Sunday Jazz Brunch Presents Sunday's Playlist Air Date: 8/23/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archi ves for up to two weeks   HOUR ONE: Contemplative Morning Laura Taylor\Think I'm In Love 2025\Care for Me Leslie Pintchik-True North 2015-07 Falling In Love Again.wav Linda Calise-La Vie - My Life-06 Sunday Kind of Love 2015 Melody Gardot-The Absence-10 My Heart Won't Have It Any Other Way 2012 Michael Bublé-Call Me Irresponsible 2007-08 Wonderful Tonight Duet With Ivan Lins McCoy Tyner-What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach-05 One Less Bell to Answer 1997 AL Jarreau with Metropole Orchestra-Live-08 Midnight Sun 2012 Natalie Cole\Unforgettable- With Love\20 Non Dimenticar (1991) Judy Wexler\No Wonder 2024\The Summer Knows Franck Amsallem\The Summer Knows 2025\The Summer Knows  Fareed Haque\Deja Vu\Our House Freddy Cole-To the Ends of the Earth-13 I'll Be Seeing You 1997 HOUR TWO: New For You Carolyn Trowbridge...

Spotlight On: Kenny Barron Air Date: 8/16/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .  He's been around a long time, and he has played with everybody! Well, not really everybody, but you know what I mean.  Look below at some of the recordings that you'll hear, where Kenny Barron is a sideman: Cheryl Bentyne (of the Manhattan Transfer), George Benson, Stan Getz, Russell Malone, Jane Monheit, Jeannie Bryson. The Benson project goes back a bit, to 1974 (our remastered version sounds like it was recorded yesterday). Of course, there are plenty of projects with Mr. Barron as the lead. His latest release, Songbook,  features a number of vocalists who have applied lyrics to some of the pianist's original compositions. Check out the New for You hour and you'll see vocalists like Ann Hampton Callaway and Ekep Nkwelle. One of my favorite Kenny Barron CDs is Sambao , released in 1992. It contains eight original song...

Spotlight On: Stacey Kent Air Date: 8/9/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .    I've been trying to think of vocalists who might compare to Stacey Kent, whose voice might have the same quality as hers, or similar. But I could not.  She has a voice that I like to describe as crystalline.   I can contrast her voice with others. Say for example, Dianne Reeves, another great jazz singer. Ms. Reeves has clarity, with great power in her voice. With Stacey Kent, there is power, but what stands out most is the sweetness and clarity. I love that you can readily hear and understand the lyrics. It feels like perfection.   Okay, maybe I can compare her to Jane Monheit, who has also a great sweetness as well as range. Now I am realizing that this thought experiment is fruitless. Each of the singers mentioned, most especially our spotlight artist Stacey Kent, is sui generis - one of a kind. ...

Spotlight On: Joe Magnarelli Air Date: 8/2/2026  on 90.5 WICN 9am-12pm ET If you miss the air date: click here for the archives for up to two weeks .    I have enjoyed the music of Joe Magnarelli since I started as an announcer at WICN in 1995. Yes, that's a long time, and from my point of view, it proves to me that what we have here is an enormous talent.    The other day at a jam session, someone came over to me and wanted to talk about the importance of song selection in the career of a musician. The point being, that it is not enough to be technically competent or even technically superior if the you pick songs that are, well, duds. Or maybe not duds, but nothing very interesting, and you don't make it interesting.   But Mr. Magnarelli always has several really great tunes on his releases, usually with some standards mixed in. For example, two of my favorite songs on his  2008 CD Persistence , Ballad for Baretto and Soul Sister , are his original ...