Sound Ideas (Jazz & Blues)

Series produced by Clay Ryder

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Sound Ideas explores the artistry of jazz, blues, and the spoken word. Hosted by Clay Ryder, each episode explores a different theme or genre of the jazz idiom through recorded performances pulled from more than eighty years of recorded art. The music is the focus. It is complemented by a few minutes of intelligent commentary to set the context and make the music understandable and personal for both the jazz aficionado and those who listen on the jazz periphery.

Each episode can air as a stand-alone or run in a series.

What is Sound Ideas?
More than just a jazz show, each episode presents some great story telling by jazz and blues musicians and spoken word artists. By exploring the many different genres within the Jazz idiom, the show appeals both to the jazz aficionado and those who listen on the jazz periphery. In both cases, listeners enjoy exposure to a broad cross-section of this creative art without the limitations of stylistic labels. Spoken word features reflect jazz sensitivities or the life of the jazz musician and offer a unique twist on the many colors and hues painted with a brush called jazz.

One aspect of Jazz that distinguishes the art form is its ability to engage the listener on different levels (intellectual, emotional, spiritual, etc.) simultaneously. Jazz is a musical oxymoron. Jazz is a classical music, a high art form that demands much from its performers and at times from its audience; yet jazz is as down home as fried chicken, baked beans, cornbread, and your favorite glass or beer or soda.

Jazz comes from toil in the fields reassured by the gospel on Sunday morning. Jazz oozes out from under the door frame at the late night rent party. Jazz emanates from a student practicing with his or her Jamey Aebersold play-along records. Jazz is created at the university in an advanced composition class. Jazz is created by tales spun by the stand-up comic. Jazz is about learning; it's about life experience.

Listening to jazz on the melodic level reveals one experience, listening on the harmonic, another. Listening to the stories that are embedded in the melodic and harmonic levels takes the listener to another plane of communication.

Jazz is a language, and as with all languages, if one doesn't know the vocabulary and the grammar, there isn't much to gain from the interaction. With practice, however, picking up a language enables communication; and with time, the subtle nuances, the play on words (or notes), and inclusion in the greater discussion can lead to a rich and very satisfying experience. Sound Ideas seeks to engage the listener and broaden his or her musical horizons.

When should Sound Ideas be aired?
While this program would fit well within any jazz formatted day part, its intention is to engage the listener and offer a path for musical exploration and deep understanding. It works equally well as a stand-alone program within a block format or as a lead-in to locally programmed music.

What is the format?
Sound Ideas is just under an hour. It features a cold opening so it can easily transition from top of the hour news segments or from other programming. It is self-contained without local cutaways; however, there is ample space for local promotions or other transitions at the beginning and end of the show.

What’s the show’s vibe? How does it sound?
Sound Ideas is conversational and informative with a laid-back vibe. While the performances are the focus of the program, details about musicians and where to find the music are key components of the programming. Each episode has a playlist plus additional information about its theme available on the jazzstreams.org web site.

What is the cost?
Sound Ideas is free of charge. Customized promotions for stations are available for a nominal fee.

Does the series have to run in order?
No. Each episode can stand alone or run in a series. Since each program is thematic, you may run them in any order at any pace you choose (limited only by the number of available shows). An obvious exception would be holiday-themed shows, which would make sense to run during the holiday season in question.

Does the show have its own web site?
Yes. Additional information about each episode and its theme is available at http://jazzstreams.org/soundideas Hide full description

What is Sound Ideas?More than just a jazz show, each episode presents some great story telling by jazz and blues musicians and spoken word artists. By exploring the many different genres within the Jazz idiom, the show appeals both to the jazz aficionado and those who listen on the jazz periphery. In both cases, listeners enjoy exposure to a broad cross-section of this creative art without the limitations of stylistic labels. Spoken word features reflect jazz sensitivities or the life of the jazz musician and offer a unique twist on the many colors and hues painted with a brush called jazz.One aspect of Jazz that distinguishes the art form is its ability to engage the listener on different levels (intellectual, emotional, spiritual, etc.) simultaneously. Jazz is a musical oxymoron. Jazz... Show full description


508 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Welcome to another Blue Hue Review. The Blues are an inherent part of jazz. Even the most seemingly abstract intellectual jazz composition has a li...

Bought by KCMJ Community Radio, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), and WOUB


  • Added: May 15, 2016
  • Length: 55:59
  • Purchases: 4
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Any aspiring jazz student of the 1970s and 1980s likely spent a week, once, twice or more at one of Jamey Aebersold's jazz improvisation clinics. T...

Bought by WLPR , KCMJ Community Radio, GCR (Global Community Radio), and WOUB


  • Added: May 22, 2016
  • Length: 55:55
  • Purchases: 4
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Jazz is more than just blowing notes over the chord changes. Granted, this is often the approach in cutting sessions or live dates. Nevertheless, t...

Bought by KCMJ Community Radio, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), and WOUB


  • Added: May 29, 2016
  • Length: 55:58
  • Purchases: 4
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With the change of the season often comes a change in the mood. After a hard day's work, the evening represents a change to relax a bit and contemp...

Bought by WMOT, KHNS, KCMJ Community Radio, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio) and more


  • Added: Jun 06, 2016
  • Length: 55:30
  • Purchases: 6
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Once a year we set aside a special day to honor our paternal heritage. In this hour we will listen to songs and melodies focused on dads, from a va...

Bought by KHNS, GCR (Global Community Radio), WLPR , WOUB, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 12, 2016
  • Length: 55:42
  • Purchases: 5
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Jazz paints on a broad canvas with a variety of sounds and textures. Some are cool, others hot; some linger in the background, others demand the fo...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB, and WLPR


  • Added: Jun 19, 2016
  • Length: 55:56
  • Purchases: 3
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In the words of Art Blakey, "No America, no jazz". In this hour we will celebrate another anniversary of the birthplace of jazz with music that ref...

Bought by WMOT, WLPR , Delmarva Public Media, WOUB, KCMJ Community Radio and more


  • Added: Jun 25, 2016
  • Length: 55:57
  • Purchases: 6
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Life is an emotional journey. We've all experienced times where in a fraction of a second our emotional standing suddenly shifts for no apparent re...

Bought by KHNS, KCMJ Community Radio, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), and WOUB


  • Added: Jul 03, 2016
  • Length: 55:50
  • Purchases: 5
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Time has a habit of moving forward whether or not we are prepared for it. With the passing of time also comes change in the context of life and the...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, KHNS, KCMJ Community Radio, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio) and more


  • Added: Jul 10, 2016
  • Length: 55:58
  • Purchases: 7
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One of the creative challenges is reaching forth beyond the comfortable and well understood. Often this involves uprooting oneself to travel to new...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), WLPR , WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Jul 16, 2016
  • Length: 55:42
  • Purchases: 4
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Jazz is a broad canvas with many sections of color that stand alone, intertwine, and coalesce through the mural. While the hard bop and post-bop er...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, Delmarva Public Media, GCR (Global Community Radio), WLPR , WOUB and more


  • Added: Jul 24, 2016
  • Length: 56:00
  • Purchases: 6
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On the surface, music is a pretty simple affair: melody, harmony, chord changes, and rhythm. Each could stand on its own, but it's the combination ...

Bought by WMOT, KHNS, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB and more


  • Added: Jul 30, 2016
  • Length: 55:50
  • Purchases: 6
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There are many giants in the world of jazz, but few were as unique as Thelonious Sphere Monk.

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), KHNS, WLPR , WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 07, 2016
  • Length: 56:00
  • Purchases: 5
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Jazz is about the storytelling of life and one of life's rewards is a good home cooked meal. Southern cooking morphed into soul food and there is p...

Bought by RadioStPete Florida, WMOT, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB and more


  • Added: Aug 13, 2016
  • Length: 56:00
  • Purchases: 6
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The coast, water, and the sea all invoke images which act as the backdrop of a vast perspective. Whether it is walk along the sandy shores, a sunse...

Bought by WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 20, 2016
  • Length: 56:00
  • Purchases: 4
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Jazz is a collection of endless hues projected onto a broad canvas that encompasses many influences from around the globe. However, the essence or ...

Bought by WMOT, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Aug 27, 2016
  • Length: 55:41
  • Purchases: 5
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A trio of incredible talent with un-calculable impact left the earth these past couple of weeks. Bobby Hutcherson, Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor Ba...

Bought by KRPS, KHNS, WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), WOUB and more


  • Added: Sep 04, 2016
  • Length: 56:30
  • Purchases: 6
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Every once in a while, it's just time to play the blues. Stay tuned for an hour that jumps, swings, cries, wails, suffers, and declares the human c...

Bought by WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), and WOUB


  • Added: Sep 10, 2016
  • Length: 55:57
  • Purchases: 3
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Jazz is a continual music reinvention of the past and present with an eye to the future.It does not matter the date, if you listen to enough conver...

Bought by WLPR , GCR (Global Community Radio), KHNS, WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Sep 17, 2016
  • Length: 56:30
  • Purchases: 5
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A satisfying conversation is never rushed and a true story takes time to tell. This is also true of jazz, one of the most conversational story tell...

Bought by GCR (Global Community Radio), WLPR , WOUB, and Delmarva Public Media


  • Added: Sep 24, 2016
  • Length: 56:17
  • Purchases: 4