Mike Janssen

Some months ago I was at the Whole Foods in Arlington and happened to notice the art on the walls in the cafe area, and the accompanying artist’s statement. The artist said his artwork was inspired by his hobby of foraging for edible wild plants. Immediately I thought, This could make a really cool radio story.

I tracked down Matthew Best and later interviewed him in his studio at the Arlington Arts Center. He took me to Roundtree Park in Falls Church and gave me a forager’s tour. Months later (my trip to Brazil intervened) I finally wrote, edited and mixed … Continue Reading

Playlist for Late Night Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 11pm–1am, Nov. 18, 2009

I’ll be on again this week, Nov. 25, so tune in. I might have to play “Alice’s Restaurant.”

1. “Make It Funky” — Roots Foundation, Various Bilongo
2. “Olvidalo” — Brownout (download)
3. “Armee Mali” — Rail Band, Belle Epoque Vol. 1: Soundiata
4. “Bemgnot Alnorem” — Girma Bèyènè, Tesfa Maryam Kidané and others, Ethiopiques Vol. 1: Golden Years of Ethiopian Music 1969–1975
5. “Chronology” — Ornette Coleman w/Don Cherry, The Shape of Jazz to Come
6. “Next to the Quiet Stream” — Don Cherry, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, Ed … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 11pm–1am, Nov. 4, 2009

I’m back on the air at WPFW in a new time slot — 11pm–1am alternating Wednesdays. So the next show is Nov. 18. I’ve resurrected up my WPFW Twitter feed — check it out for a live playlist and use it for requests, comments and questions. Also, I started a Facebook page for the station, so become a fan.

Without further ado, the playlist:

1. “Ugali” — The Tony Benson Sextet, Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-sounds & Nigerian Blues
2. “La Realite” — Amadou & Mariam, *Dimanche a … Continue Reading

Some quickly dashed-off thoughts about Studs Terkel’s Giants of Jazz, which I finished last night and just reviewed on Goodreads.

This is the first book of Terkel’s I’ve read, as well as his first book. It’s a model of clear and effective writing and a loving and reverent portrayal of 13 great jazz musicians. (I admit I skipped the chapter about Woody Herman, since I’ve never listened to much of his stuff.) The writing level would probably suit a middle-schooler just fine, but that’s no insult. In fact, the simplicity of the writing and the relative absence of complicated musicology … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3–5 a.m., Oct. 13, 2009

1. “Zombie” — Fela Kuti, The Best Best Of
2. “Fogo Fogo” — Chopteeth, Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band
3. “No Agreement — Part 2” — Fela Kuti, The Best Best Of
4. “No Discrimination” — Tony Allen, No Accomodation for Lagos — No Discrimination
5. “World War IV” — Antibalas, Various Ouelele
6. “Rings” — Nomo, Ghost Rock
7. “Live from Tigre Lounge” — Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics, Inspiration Information 3
8. “Hasabé” — Tèshomè Meteku, Ethiopiques Vol. 1: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music, 1969–1975
9. “Security Lock” — Glows … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3-5 a.m., Oct. 6, 2009

1. “Bee Vamp” — Eric Dolphy, Live at the Five Spot Vol. 1
2. “Conversation #4” — Connie Crothers and Bill Payne, Conversations
3. “Strata (For Max Beckmann)” — Vandermark 5, Elements of Style
4. “Blunt Instrument” — Naked City, Torture Garden
5. “The Lagoons” — The Muffins, Air Fiction
6. “Interplanetary Music” — Sun Ra, We Travel the Spaceways
7. “Panis Et Circenses (Bread and Circuses)”
8. “Ave Lucifer” — Os Mutantes, Everything Is Possible! The Best of Os Mutantes
9. “Misterio … Continue Reading

Obviously I’m moving my blog over to WordPress. It’ll probably be a few days before I have things looking better and get my old blog’s posts into here, so hang tight. Visualize a sweet “Under Construction” GIF circa Web 0.1.

I walked in to the Busboys and Poets at 5th and K Sts. in D.C. just as the show was getting underway. Reverend Billy was descending a spiral staircase in the middle of the two-story space, and the noise he and his entourage of 16 singers, dancers and performers — the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir — was turning heads throughout the restaurant. The Reverend was clad in a cerulean jacket with matching slacks, a black shirt, and a priest’s stiff white collar. Most of his performers, who ranged widely in age and appearance, wore shiny green robes. One was an … Continue Reading

Entertainment Weekly has picked their 50 best Beatles songs and worst five. And “All You Need Is Love” is … on the “worst” list. EW‘s take: “All You Need Is Love … which get [sic] repeated to the point of self-parody in this catchy but thoroughly maddening novelty song.” (I am not usually a siccer, but I’m happy to sic all over this statement.) Novelty song? Maybe “Octopus’s Garden”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Maxwell Silverhammer”, and “All Together Now” would fit in that category. But not “All You Need Is Love.” From the Wikpedia entry on the song:

“It was an inspired song … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3-5 a.m., Sept. 29, 2009

1. “elevating device” (excerpt) — Nels Cline and G.E. Stinson, elevating device
2. “Canonic Living” — Quiet Orchestra [free download]
3. “Hum” — Digital Primitives, Hum Crackle & Pop
4. “The Grade” — Money Mark, Mark’s Keyboard Repair
5. “Evil” — James Brown, Soul Pride: The Instrumentals, 1960–1969
6. “One Mint Julep” — Ray Charles, The Very Best Of
7. “Grazing in the Grass” — Willie Bobo, Talkin’ Verve
8. “What’s It Gonna Be” — The Dynamites, Kaboom!
9. “Shadow of a Memory” — The 21st Century, *Funk/Soul Revival: Classic Tracks & … Continue Reading