WUTC-FM 88.1 is undergoing a lot of changes and from here it all appears to be for the better. I just learned last week, for example, that Ken Dryden is bringing his "Timeless Jazz," a weekly radio series produced from 1987 to 2002, back to the airwaves.
Dryden is a jazz aficionado of the highest order with a long resume that includes writing reviews and stories for The New York City Jazz Record, Hot House, AllMusic.com, All Music Guide to Jazz, AllAboutJazz.com, Cadence, Jazz Review, the Chattanooga News-Free Press, Chattanooga Times Free Press and other publications.
Barry CourterWe go back at least 35 years.
He has also written liner notes for numerous CDs, including releases by Oscar Peterson, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Jaki Byard, Gerry Mulligan, Mel Torme, George Shearing, Hal Galper and Ellis Marsalis, among others.
His show returned last Sunday, and airs from 2 to 4 p.m. on at 88.1 FM, or as a webcast live at WUTC.org, along with a separately scheduled airing on the station's HD2 signal at a time and day to be announced.
He says the show will cover a variety of topics, including surveys of a single artist's work with an interview, styles, record labels, individual instruments and more. Some shows may include vintage interviews from past broadcasts, along with some that have never been aired. Ken has collected many rare, hard-to-find LPs and CDs to share with listeners. He has a huge record collection that he started building in 1972.
» If you were lucky enough to get a ticket for Monday night's "The Light Outlives the Star Concert" t0 benefit the Hunter Worley Foundation, you are in for a great show. Organizers put together Danny Shirley, Roger Alan Wade and Walt Wilkins.
A show by any of those three is worth the admission price, so getting all three together is pretty strong. Folks around here should already know Shirley from his days at Governor's Lounge and his band, Confederate Railroad, and of course, RAW is a longtime local favorite who happens to have another great, brand new record in "Simmering Rage."
Wilkins is a Texas guy, but he has been here before playing at Hippie Fest. It should be a great evening of playing and storytelling.
» The Moon River lineup will be announced Monday morning. We will have it in the paper then, but co-counder Drew Holcomb will join us on Facebook Live via phone at at facebook.com/timesfreepress to talk about it.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.