Author: chiefengineer

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, WRTC remains on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week providing a diverse range of programming for our listeners.

Unlike the overflow of hysteria being ginned up about COVID-19 across social media and from many news outlets, the staff and management at WRTC are focused on broadcasting responsible programming and providing useful information to our audience.

Some things to consider during this challenging time:

Practice good hygiene
• Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
• Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.

Keep in Mind
• Listen and follow the directions of your state and local governments.
• If you or your children feel sick, stay home, contact your healthcare provider and follow their directions. Above all, avoid contact with people.
• If you’re older or have any underlying health conditions, stay home and avoid contact with people.
• If someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, keep the entire household at home.
• Work and/or study at home if possible.
• Avoid social gatherings.
• Avoid discretionary travel as much as possible such as trips to stores or social visits.
• Do not visit nursing homes, retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.

Some Useful Resources
The Centers For Disease Control
FEMAThe American Red Cross in Connecticut
Crisis resources in Connecticut

We invite comments at 860-297-2450 and be sure to check out our updated schedule. If you’re out of range of our terrestrial signal, you can listen
online and be sure to visit our archive for programs from the past two weeks.

James Taylor, Women’s Suffrage Anniversary Spotlighted Tuesday

Five-time Grammy Award winner James Taylor will be featured along with music celebrating women’s history month on the March 10 edition of Jocko Jim’s Gig & Get Together.

This program aired 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m. on March 10.

Jocko Jim will also mark the 100th anniversary women’s suffrage with the passing of the 19th amendment, guaranteeing and protecting women’s constitutional right to vote.

In addition to playing some classic oldies, Jim also plans on springing some mystery artists on listeners as well as opening up the phone lines for some challenging quizzes.

Consider Shaun Hague’s March 29 appearance at Infinity Hall in Hartford perfect timing.

The Chicago-based guitarist brings his Journeyman: A Tribute To Eric Clapton to town just a day before Clapton turns 75 and it just so happens that Hague will be spotlighting tracks from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs which marks its 50th anniversary later this year.

An interview with Hague — who is close to a spitting image of a later-era Clapton — was featured on the March 7 edition of Greasy Tracks. Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

While he admittedly is partial to Clapton releases from 1989’s Journeyman onward, he fully appreciates and includes a healthy amount of material from Clapton’s formative years, including John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith as well as the 1970s period where Clapton emerged as a solo artist.

The 50th anniversary of the release Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs isn’t lost on Hague and for good reason. The double album — which came out just three months after his self-titled, Delaney Bramlett-produced debut – featured the core of Delaney & Bonnie’s backing band: keyboardist Bobby Whitlock, drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Carl Radle. Added to that line-up was Duane Allman whose amazing slide guitar would effectively provide some of the most memorable licks on the album as he appeared on 11 of 14 tracks.

Hague has garnered attention for his chops. At the age of 17, he was named “The Best Young Blues Guitarist” by The House of Blues. At 21, he was playing with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. He’s shared the stage with Amos Lee and John Waite, performed on Jay Leno and even sat in with John Fogerty.

The Feb. 25 edition of Jocko Jim’s Gig & Get Together spotlighted The Temptations as the special coincided with Black History month wrapping up.

Referencing Dr. Martin Luther King’s famed quote: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools,” Jocko Jim focused on a theme of “Come Together” for the program.

The Feb. 15 edition of Greasy Tracks was blues laden as guitarist Chris Beard and legendary harp player Charlie Musselwhite were spotlighted.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Musselwhite plays Infinity Hall in Hartford on on Feb. 27 while Beard appears appears at Black-Eyed Sally’s in Hartford on March 6. The program featured interviews with each and a wide range of music from across their respective careers.

As was the case with many blues greats — especially harp players like Walter “Shakey” Horton, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells, Little Walter and James Cotton — Musselwhite was born in the south, cut his teeth as a musician in Memphis before ultimately making his mark in Chicago, initially moving to the Windy City lured by a well-paying factory job.

Working a series of different jobs in Chicago, Musselwhite, surrounded by literal blues legends, honed his skills and in 1967 at the age of 22, he had signed with Vanguard Records — known for traditionally releasing classical material, but then starting to move into the folk, blues and jazz styles — and released Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Band. Despite his first name being misspelled, the album has been deemed a classic and also marked the recording debut of guitarist Harvey Mandel who was part of the session.

One track on the album, which remains part of Musselwhite’s live sets, was Duke Pearson’s “Cristo Redentor” which Mandel — who later went on to play with Canned Heat and John Mayall — covered on his debut album a year later.

Musselwhite and harp player Paul Butterfield, who was also based in

Chicago, were at the forefront of the burgeoning “white blues” movement as the duo and their associated musicians, such as guitarists Elvin Bishop and Michael Bloomfield and keyboardist Barry Goldberg, were standard bearers for the style handed down by those who had influenced them.

Musselwhite has released more than 20 albums, been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and his 2014 Get Up album, recorded with Ben Harper, won a Grammy for Best Blues Album.

Over the years, he has collaborated with John Lee Hooker, Eddie Vedder, Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Gov’t Mule, INXS, Mickey Hart, George Thorogood and Cat Stevens.

The blues lineage runs in Beard’s family. His father, Joe Beard, grew up with Matt “Guitar” Murphy in Ashland, Miss., and started playing guitar in his teens. He would record a handful of albums, share the stage with the likes of Bobby Bland, Buddy Guy and Albert King, do occasional tours and even played the 1989 inaugural gala for President George H.W. Bush.

It was the likes of the aforementioned Guy, Murphy and King making visits to the Beard household that helped inspire Chris at a young age to pick up the guitar. The first song he claims to have played, at the age of six, was “Green Onions,” the chart smash for Booker T & the M.G.s that no doubt was on the radio often in the Beard house.

Chris Beard, nicknamed “Prince of Blues,” released his debut, Barwalkin’ in 1997 and since that time has put out four additional albums. Much like his live shows, he prefers to play his own material and eschews relying on covers to fill space.

In 1999, he was recognized as “New Talent of The Year” by Blues Beat magazine.

Beard says he plans on releasing his next studio album this summer after doing sessions with guitarist Kenny Neal and The Neal Brothers Blues Band — known as Baton Rouge’s first family of the blues — backing him up last summer in the studio..

The Feb. 8 edition of Greasy Tracks featured about as diverse a mix of music that can be packed into a two-hour time frame as blues, soul, country, zydeco and rock were included along with interviews with Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and Memphis-based bandleader John Németh.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Németh, who grew up in Boise, Idaho, was singing in a church choir before he got into rock music. Then a literal life-changing event happened when a friend played him Hoodoo Man Blues, the debut album by harp master Junior Wells that was recorded in 1965 and featured guitarist Buddy Guy.

From there, there was no looking back as Németh forged a path as a working musician, heading west where he immersed himself in what he calls “the early East Bay Grease sound” of San Francisco and Oakland before moving, in 2013, to one of the historic soul music capitals, Memphis.

Nine albums later and with two projects pending release, Németh is out on a winter tour with The Blue Dreamers. He plays Black Eyed Sally’s  in Hartford on Feb. 15 and  Darryl’s House in Pawling, N.Y., on Feb. 19.

Berlin is a Grammy-winning producer who plays saxophone and keyboards with Los Lobos who play Infinity Hall in Hartford on Feb. 21.

Berlin joined “The Wolves” in 1984 after leaving The Blasters. Los Lobos had opened for The Blasters — led by the often-at-odds brothers Dave and Phil Alvin — in the past which helped expose them to a wider audience. The stylistic change of direction The Blasters were headed in, especially the reduced emphasis on horns, sealed the deal for Berlin who got the blessing from the group to make the move.

Berlin and Los Lobos were no strangers. Working with the legendary T-Bone Burnett, he co-produced their 1983 EP …And a Time to Dance and then teamed up with Burnett to co-produce their debut release How Will The Wolf Survive in 1984 which was met with critical acclaim and help elevate the group to national and soon, international stardom.

When not on the road or in the studio with Los Lobos, Berlin immerses himself with session or production work. He’s won seven Grammy’s and worked with a veritable who’s who of the industry including: R.E.M. Sheryl Crow, String Cheese Incident, The Tragically Hip, The Dandy Warhols, John Lee Hooker, Deer Tick, The Smithereens, The Replacements, Tish Hinojosa, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Gomez.

Keyboardist/producer Jay Rowe will be an in-studio guest on the Feb. 10 edition of Day Break Jazz with host Kevin McCabe where he will discuss the up-coming “Smooth Jazz for Scholars” benefit concert he annually produces.

The program airs 6-9 A.M. Click here to listen live.

The veteran musician, who earned a degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, regularly works with Marion Meadows, Chieli Minucci & Special EFX, Ken Navarro, Eric Darius, The Sax Pack and others. He’s been a featured performer at The Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz, Berks Jazz Fest, Rehoboth Beach Jazz Fest and many others.

Rowe produces the yearly spring concerts in Milford, Conn., to benefit the music departments at the town’s public schools.

The 18th edition runs May 1-2 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Parsons Complex, 70 West River Street in Milford with doors at 7 p.m. and shows starting at 8 p.m. each evening.

The line-up for May 1 is guitarist Peter White, singer Lindsey Webster, saxophonist/flutist Nelson Rangell and Rowe, while May 2 features: saxophonist Steve Cole, guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa and Four80East.

An interview with Prof. Brian Torff was featured on the Feb. 1 edition of Greasy Tracks which will included a wide range of music from the legendary Stax Records.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Torff — a veteran bassist, composer and band leader, in addition to being music program director at Fairfield University — will preview a Feb. 9 presentation he’s making at the West Hartford Public Library: “Soul, Stax, And Civil Rights.”

The event, which is free and open to the public, focuses on the impact of soul music during the 1950s-70s, with Torff giving special attention to the legacy of Stax which was based in Memphis.

Torff visited Tennessee and Mississippi in 2018 and part of his presentation will include photos he took during the trip which provided him a better insight of Southern blues and soul, largely rooted in gospel music and how it all made its way to the recording studio.

During the aforementioned time period, Memphis was in its heyday as a recording mecca.

Sam Phillips, who founded Memphis Recording Service — later known as Sun Studio — in 1950, is the one who got the ball rolling and where the likes of Ike Turner, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Milton, Johnny Cash, Bobby Bland and Roy Orbison all recorded.

In the ensuing years, Sun was followed by Stax, American Sound

Studio, Royal Studio and Ardent Studios. Many studios boasted top-notch house bands: Stax had the Mar-Keys and later, the renowned Booker T & the MGs; Royal had the Hi Rhythm Section; and American The Memphis Boys.

Torff brings a unique background to the classroom as a historian, but also as a working musician who effectively got his first paying gig at the urging of the legendary bassist Milt Hinton who connected him with singer Cleo Laine who had Torff back her on a U.S. tour. Torff made his professional debut at Carnegie Hall with Laine. He would later play with pianists Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland, did a brief stint with violin icon Stephane Grappelli and had the honor of being part of pianist Erroll Garner’s last group.

When noted pianist George Shearing opted to play in a trio or duo instead of his traditional quintet, Torff became a trusted go-to and would work with Shearing for nearly four years. Their third album together, An Evening with George Shearing & Mel Tormé, won a Grammy.

In addition to hosting their own PBS special from the Café Carlyle in New York City, the duo appeared on The Tonight Show and Merv Griffin Show as well as performing for President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan during Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands state visit in 1982 to mark 200 years of peaceful diplomacy between the two nations.

As a composer, Torff’s work has been performed by the Boston Pops, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony.

Torff currently leads New Duke, an eight-piece jazz-rock band that performs his compositions as well as updated arrangements of Duke Ellington’s music.

The Weight Band was featured on the Jan. 25 edition of Greasy Tracks.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

In addition to tracks from their studio album, World Gone Mad, there were interviews with guitarist Jim Weider and keyboardist Matt Zeiner as well as a selection of tracks from The Band.

The group appears at Infinity Hall in Hartford on Feb. 14.

Tracing its roots to some impromptu performances by former members of The Band — Weider and drummer Randy Ciarlante — joined by guitarist Jimmy Vivino and bassist Byron Isaacs along with Band founder Garth Hudson, The Weight Band was formed in 2013 with the goal of carrying on the tradition of the legendary group.

From its humble beginnings playing in Levon Helm’s barn, the group began to take its show on the road, playing dates across the country. Through some personnel changes over time — in addition to Weider and Zeiner — the group includes Brian Mitchell (keyboards/vocals), bassist Albert Rogers and drummer Michael Bram.

Weider spent 15 years in The Band, which called it quits in 2000 following the passing of bassist Rick Danko.

While The Weight Band’s concerts typically feature an in-depth selection of The Band’s catalog, the group’s debut studio album which came out in 2018 — minus a pair of interesting covers — is all original material, albeit in the style of The Band.

Throughout the program, there was music featuring Marty Grebb — a former member of The Weight Band — who passed away at the age of 74 on Jan. 1. Grebb, who did time with the Buckinghams and was a founding member of the Fabulous Rhinestones, was a longtime sideman for Bonnie Raitt and also worked with J.J. Cale, Leon Russell, Taj Mahal, Elton John, Roger McGuin and Roseann Cash to name but a few.

There was also an interview with Barry Sless, who plays guitar and pedal steel in the David Nelson Band. Sless discussed the Robert Hunter track “Movin’ Right Along,” which was recorded by the Nelson Band and released on Jan. 22.

An interview with veteran musician, producer and songwriter Al Kooper was featured on the Dec. 21 edition of Greasy Tracks where the legendary Super Session album will be featured.

Click here to listen to an archive of the show, while a playlist is here.

Super Session: Al Kooper (left) and Michael Bloomfield taking a break during recording for what would ultimately be “Super Session” in 1968. (Jim Marshall photo)

Kooper, best known as one of the founding members of The Blues Project and Blood, Sweat & Tears, was involved in landmark recording sessions with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. In addition to releasing a number of solo albums, his behind-the-scenes work as a producer and player with such artists as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Don Ellis, The Tubes, Nils Lofgren, Joe Ely, Shuggie Otis and Lenny White helped pave the way for critically acclaimed releases from each.

Recorded in 1968, Super Session was the first production for Kooper who had recently been signed to Columbia. It was initially supposed to be a collaboration between Kooper and Michael Bloomfield, a guitarist he’d met in 1965 during studio work for what would become Dylan’s famed Highway 61 Revisited.

Electric impact at Newport: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, guitarist Michael Bloomfield (left), drummer Sam Lay, Butterfield and guitarist Elvin Bishop (right). Bloomfield would back Bob Dylan later that day. (Dr. John Rudoff photo)

Although invited to observe, not play on the recording session, Kooper, then 21, took his guitar with him, determined to be a participant. Recognizing Bloomfield’s ability and possibly intimidated, Kooper realized there was no way he could measure up to such talent, but eager to be part of the recording, he got behind the Hammond organ in the studio. Even though he had little or no experience as a keyboardist, Kooper’s improvised organ lines impressed Dylan so much that he directed the recording engineers to bring it up in the mix that would become “Like a Rolling Stone.”

Dylan goes electric: Michael Bloomfield (left), bassist Jerome Arnold and keyboardist Al Kooper backed Bob Dylan (center) at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where Dylan shocked the folk world by playing an electric set. Bloomfield and Kooper sessioned on Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” a month earlier. (Photo courtesy of newportfolk.com)

A month later, Dylan sent ripples through the folk world when he played an electric set at the Newport Folk Festival with Bloomfield, Kooper and several members of the Butterfield Blues Band backing him up.

Kooper and Bloomfield formed a friendship during the Highway 61 proceedings, but each would be involved with other groups – Kooper with The Blues Project and Bloomfield with the Butterfield Blues Band and Electric Flag – before linking up for what would become Super Session which was essentially planned by Kooper to be a jam session over a two-day period.

Kooper and Bloomfield — joined by bassist Harvey Brooks and drummer Eddie Hoh — would play a handful of pre-determined tracks along with potentially on-the-spot creations in the studio. Barry Goldberg, who along with Brooks, played with Bloomfield in the Electric Flag, played piano on two tracks.

During the first day of recording at Columbia’s studio in Hollywood, the group played came up with a handful of original tracks in what was largely a blues/jazz format, including the Kooper-Bloomfield penned instrumentals “Albert’s Shuffle,” “His Holy Modal Majesty” and “Really” along with an instrumental version of the Jerry Ragovoy/Mort Shuman nugget “Stop” and a soulful take of Curtis Mayfield’s “Man’s Temptation” with Kooper handling vocals.

Improvisational jamming: Guitarist Michael Bloomfield and bassist Harvey Brooks during recording for “Super Session.” The pair sessioned on Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” and would later play together in The Electric Flag. (Jim Marshall photo)

The longest selection on the side, “His Holy Modal Majesty,” topped nine minutes and while a tribute to John Coltrane, drew comparisons to the title track of Butterfield’s East-West which came out two years earlier.

As it turned out, Bloomfield, who suffered from insomnia, returned to San Francisco home and did not return for the second day in the studio forcing Kooper to dig into his phone book and make calls to Randy California (Spirit), Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead), Steve Miller and Stephen Stills who was then with the soon-to-be-broken-up Buffalo Springfield.

Stills was the only one to return the call and his contributions would end up making the second side of the album which included a version of Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry”; an extended version of Donovan’s Season of the Witch”;  a cover of Willie Cobbs’ “You Don’t Love Me” and “Harvey’s Tune” — an instrumental by Brooks.

Following the two-day session, Kooper returned to New York to mix the album and add some horns to a handful of tracks. It was released less than two months later and would eventually go to No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and gain gold status in sales. Total cost to make the album, $13,000.

Following the release of Super Session, Kooper and Bloomfield joined up for a three-night run at the Fillmore West in San Francisco that September. The recordings culled from these shows were released as The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, and included a rare vocal by Bloomfield on a version of Albert King’s “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong.”

Bloomfield died in 1981 at the age of 37.