“Conference of the Birds” is my weekly radio program on WNUR-FM. It airs on Tuesdays from 5-7:30 am Chicago time (UTC-6). And, of course, when technology cooperates, you can just come here for the archives.

For today’s show, I was also happy to be joined in the studio, albeit briefly, by my friend and former DJ colleague Nikki and her boyfriend, in town for the holidays. I forgot to really collect up a bunch of great holiday music, although I did play a few favorites I had on my iPod.  I also am currently amazed by the first track from today’s show, from Indigo Trio.  Speaking of which…

With my man Chris, I had the pleasure of greeting another solstice sunrise at a performance by Hamid Drake (of Indigo Trio) and Michael Zerang last weekend.  It’s one of my few rituals and it is always energizing.  Remarkably, after about an hour’s worth of percussion, the entire audience listens to the silent room for another five minutes or so (a John Cage encore?).  At first it was truly silent, but as the relative shock of the finish wore off, the ticking clock became audible, and finally, a CTA brown line train rolled by at a relatively mellow pace, in the aural equivalent of a fade to black, and we clapped and stretched and noticed the sun had come up while we’d listened.  As Hamid noted in remarks after, something really powerful happens when people stop and listen. (He encouraged us all to do it every day, for five minutes, or ten seconds even.) When a whole room full of people do it together for an hour, there’s a nearly tangible sense of power.

Which is perhaps a good lead in to sincerely wishing peace and happiness to anyone who ever takes the time to listen.  And God Bless Us Every One.

complete program (129 MB, 2 hrs 21 min)

Artist: “Track” – Album (Label)
Indigo Trio: “Anaya with the Sunlight” – Anaya (RogueArt)
Kahil El’ Zabar’s The Ritual: “Day of the Celestials” – Sacred Love (Sound Aspects)
Steve Lacy: “Ugly Beauty” – The Door (BMG/Novus)
Duke Ellington: “The Swinger’s Jump” – Blues in Orbit (Columbia)
Oliver Nelson: “Post No Bills” – Fantabulous (Argo/Verve)
Barney Rachabane Combo: “Love For Sale” – Archive Africa: Jazz, Jive and Jibe (Afribeat)
Kenny Burrell: “Greensleeves” – Guitar Forms (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan: “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – Decca 24644 (Decca)
John Zorn: “Of Wonder and Certainty (for Lou Reed)” – The Dreamers (Tzadik)
Harris Eisenstadt: “And When To Come Back” – Canada Day (Clean Feed)
Ben Goldberg: “Head and Tail” – Go Home (BAG Records)
Jeff Chan: “Waiting” – Jeff Chan’s Horns of Plenty (Asian Improv)
Thomas K. J. Mejer/Peter A. Schmid: “Dogs Resume” – Nautilus (ear up)
SNCC Freedom Singers led by Cordell Reagon: “Which Side Are You On?” – Voices of the Civil Rights Movement (Smithsonian Folkways)
SNCC Freedom Singers led by Bernice Johnson: “I Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Set on Freedom” – Voices of the Civil Rights Movement (Smithsonian Folkways)
James Austin and the St. Luke COGIC Youth Choir: “I’ll Take Jesus For Mine” – Good God: Born Again Funk (Numero Group)
Rev. Louis Overstreet: “I’m Working On a Building” – With his sons and congregation of St. Luke’s Powerhouse Church Of God In Christ (Arhoolie)
Vijay Iyer Trio: “Galang” – Historicity (ACT)
Sticks and Stones: “Zombie” – Shed Grace (Thrill Jockey)
Mahalia Jackson: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” – Mahalia Sings Songs of Christmas! (Sony)
Stevie Wonder: “The Christmas Story” – Someday At Christmas (Motown)
Duke Ellington: “Jingle Bells” – Jingle Bell Jazz (Sony)
Donny Hathaway: “This Christmas” – Soul Christmas (Atlantic)