Anthony Dean-Harris

I was in a pretty bad mood a couple of days ago and I just needed to play a bunch of ballads to get myself out of it. The next morning, I filled a whole Post-It note with songs I knew I'd play this week. I don't normally play an evening of ballads but that's where I'm headed for this show and I hope you come along for the ride. Christian Scott - Isadora I find this song placement sort of odd on this album. Much of the press and commentary for Yesterday You Said Tomorrow lauds it for being such a spot on political jazz album, but in the midst of all those angry tunes with a message is a song to Scott's girlfriend that's as beautiful as any other love song. Sometimes when you're fighting the power, you still have to take some time for loving. I guess this song isn't that out of place, after all. Esperanza Spalding - Wild is the Wind A friend of mine some months ago wanted me to play this song originally as Nina Simone sang it. I told him I couldn'

Hey, everybody! The Line-Up is a cool, funky episode tonight. I go where the wind blows me, you know. It's totally not the reverential feel I was noting this week over at Nextbop . It's all about enjoying the music this week. The Dominant 7 - An Ounce of Hope This is a cool track from a band with a cool name. That's all I really have to say about that. Esperanza Spalding - Winter Sun It's pretty much impossible to escape this album lately and I still haven't yet heard it (though I'm about to fix that nigh immediately). This track is here largely because JJ Lopez said it was awesome. Robert Glasper - No Worries I'm pretty sure this is my favorite track off of Double Booked and I know I haven't played it in a while. Brad Mehldau - When It Rains Before I got Mehldau and Jon Brion's Largo , I used to go to the Apple Store in Atlanta's Lenox Mall and listen to it on any iPod they had on display. This song sounds really great but it sounds

Yes, it's Friday the 13th but I'm not the superstition sort so this week's show is just as awesome as you would expect it to be. This week is focused initially on everything from the Newport Jazz Festival (many of the sets are available at NPR ), but then things just splintered out to a grab bag of all sorts of great stuff. Give it a listen... Esperanza Spalding - Inútil Paisagem I didn't want to be the last person on earth to play Esperanza Spalding's latest album (still streamable in its entirety at NPR First Listen for the week) but she wasn't at Newport this year, so I had to find some way to play her while still adhering to the initial theme of this week's show. Fortunately, Gretchen Parlato shares this track and she had a great set last weekend. Fly - Super Sister It is amazing how more and more Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, and Jeff Ballard make their own accolades. Listening to them live should be proof of that. Darcy James Argue's Secr

Last week's Line-Up didn't quite gel right and that sort of bugs me. For a moment, I considered playing the exact same songs but in a more coherent order, but instead I chose to just move forward as I do with everything else I do and make this show at least 200% better than before. Hopefully, you'll agree that this show fulfilled that promise... St. Germain - Sure Thing I try not to get too far from this song. It's just too cool to let go. Gerald Clayton - Scrimmage I find it funny when an artist I would want to play anyway is chosen by the computer. I didn't even have to ask, "When's the last time I heard some Gerald Clayton?" This computer knows me too well. Jaspects - Chitlins & Chalupas Nothing says "black guy on the radio in San Antonio" than a song called "Chitlins & Chalupas." Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay JJ Lopez had a whole CTI label feature on his Diggin' Deep Soul Shakedown show last Saturday and it so