Mike Janssen

One of my favorite signs ever seen, a handwritten one on the door of a place in Danbury, N.C., where I rented a tire tube and floated down the Dan River: IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET DRUNK AND RAISE HELL GET OUT NOW I wish I’d taken a picture. This was before the days of ubiquitous cameras in cell phones and artificial limbs. Later that day I did see great swine of men stand in the river and pee openly, after having consumed, no doubt, many cans of beer. In fact I saw coolers afloat near them holding beer. I don’t … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3–5 a.m., May 19, 2009

1. “Adowa (Otanfo)” — Seprewa Kasa, s/t
2. “Saudade Do Meu Amor” — Taffetas, s/t
3. “I Follow You” — Amadou and Mariam, Welcome to Mali
4. “Kadia Blues” — Orchestre de la payotte, African Roots
5. “Masenqo” — Mulatu Astatke w/ The Heliocentrics, Inspiration Information 3
6. “Yegelle Tezeta” — Mulatu Astatke, Ethiopiques Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale
7. “Shelela/Fano/Degmom Balele/Chebelew” — Girma Moges, Instrumental Music
8. “Doit” — Mouse on Mars, Idiology
9. “Breaking Up Dubwise” — King Tubby
10. “I’d Rather Go Blind” — James Etta
11. “Sittin’ On … Continue Reading

what if you/I/both of us curated some of your strings of tweets, and then you read them and recorded them into something or other and you sent me the recording somehow and I edited it and mixed it up with music to go with it. which tonight I was thinking would be stuff like Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk. I should be clear that I was not suggesting that I would be writing the music myself because I haven’t done that before but maybe I could. Whatever the case then I could play it on my radio show enjoyed by all of 5 insomniacs and one guy who sounds really out there. (though if … Continue Reading

Playlist for Overnight Jazz with Mike Janssen on 89.3 FM WPFW, 3–5 a.m., May 12, 2009

1. “Next Love” — Don Byron, Tuskeegee Experiments
2. “Saturn” — Sun Ra, Visits Planet Earth
3. “Sentimental Journey” — Esquivel, Space Age Bachelor Pad Music
4. “Time Passes By” — Leo Stephenson with Rex Ofosu and His Ambassadors
5. “Simini-yaya” — Collins Oke Elaiho and His Odoligie Nobles Dance, Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro-sounds and Nigerian Blues
6. “Shemonmwanayewa and Fikre Hoy” — Girma Wold Michael, Loga — Contemporary Ethiopian Music
7. “Tezalegn Yetentu” — Getachew Mekuria and the Ex and Guests, Moa Anbessa
8. “Tchero adari negn” — Alemayehu … Continue Reading

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

1. “The Devil’s Ring Tone” — Jeff “Tain” Watts, Watts
2. “Jair” — John Zorn and Masada, Live in Jerusalem
3. “Seido 4” — Matt Darriau’s Paradox Trio, live on WFMU from the 2009 Golden Festival in NYC
4. “World War IV” — Antibalas, Various Oulele
5. “Tamba Zimba Navashe” — Hallelujah Chicken Run Band, Take One
6. “Le Laboreur” — Masanka Sankayi feat. Kabongo Tshisensa, Congotronics 2
7. “Cler Achel” — Tinariwen, Aman Iman: Water Is Life
8. “Let Them Knock” — Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, *100 Days, 100 … Continue Reading