Believe it or not, harmonica, accordion, flute, banjo, and even the bagpipes have all made their impact on the jazz tradition thanks to the tireless efforts of pioneers of the music making these “weird instruments” a little more mainstream. We’ll sit down for a conversation with jazz tuba pioneer Howard Johnson, explore how banjo shaped the sound of early jazz, chat with Nancy Stagnitta about how flute worked its way from the jazz margins to the jazz mainstream, and explore the life and music of jazz bagpiper Rufus Harley.
 
Episode Transcript
 
Host: Jeff Haas
Guests: Howard Johnson, Lewis Porter, George Manney, Nancy Stagnitta
 
Music

Howard Johnson & Gravity “Kelly Blue”
Howard Johnson & Gravity “Stolen Moments”
Toot Thielemans “Bluesette”
Toot Thielemans “Old Spice Whistle” 
Bennie Moten “Elephant's Wobble”
Ikey Robinson’s “My Four Reasons”
Bix Beiderbecke “Singin’ the Blues”
Vess Ossman banjo solo
Jabbo Smith and Ikey Robinson “Michigander Blues”
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo”
Béla Fleck and Marcus Roberts Trio “Petunia”
Dorothy Ashby “Our Love is Here to Stay”
Rufus Harley “Crack”
Rufus Harley “Bagpipe Blues”
Rufus Harley “Scotch and Soul”
Rufus Harley “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”
Rufus Harley “Chim Chim Cheree”
Yusef Lateef “Sea Breeze”
Herbie Mann “St. Louis Blues”
Anchorman “East Harlem Shakedown”
Herbie Mann “Memphis Underground”
Missus Beastly “Rahsaan Roland Kirk”
PROJECT Trio “Blue Rondo a La Turk”
Rahsaan Roland Kirk “You Did It, You Did It”
Julius Watkins and Oscar Pettiford “The Edge of Love”
Richard Galliano “Ruby My Dear”
Howard Johnson & Gravity “Big Alice”
Howard Johnson & Gravity “Stolen Moments”
Howard Johnson & Gravity “Svengali's Summer / Waltz”
Howard Johnson & Gravity “Be No Evil”

 
Original Air Date: February 10, 2013
 
Radio broadcast produced by Lou Blouin and Jeff Haas
Radio broadcast audio engineering by Jack Conners and Brock Mormon
Podcast produced by Sam Boase-Miller and Erik Saras
Podcast audio remastering by Sam Boase-Miller
Transcripts and show notes by Erik Saras
 
Theme Song: Jeff Haas Trio & Friends “Giving In”
 
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The New Jazz Archive radio broadcasts originally sponsored by Chateau Chantal. The New Jazz Archive receives no revenue from podcast reissues of radio broadcasts.

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