The Hot Box covers the best in Irish recorded jazz, set it in the wider context of the international language that is jazz.
This edition of The Hot Box features a major re-issue, a remixed and remastered release of Louis Stewart's quartet album with John Taylor, Sam Jones and Billy Higgins from Livia Records. Originally recorded in 1977, and released in 1980 with some edits and overdubs, this impeccable version restores the original London recording and adds two extra tracks. The results are possibly the best Louis Stewart studio recording, with top level accompaniment from the brilliant supporting trio. Track list for The Hot Box #140 – I Thought About You Litha – Louis Stewart The Sidewinder – Lee Morgan Spontaneous Combustion – Cannonball Adderley Straight No Chaser – Louis Stewart Wagon Wheels – Grant Green All Blues – Louis Stewart Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
This edition has both a tilt towards new material and a tilt towards jazz guitar, with material from the French guitarist Romain Pilon's new album Open Roads, and from the archive, tracks from Tommy Halferty's extensive back catalogue. Track list for The Hot Box #139 – New Material Giant Steps: Oz Noy Blackbird: Tommy Halferty with Mike Nielsen Ralph's New Blues: Tommy Halferty Trio Long Story Short: Romain Pilon Golden Rod: Michael Buckley At Swing Two Birds: Ronan Guilfoyle Ready for Cooky: Romain Pilon Divergent Journeys: Christian Sands Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
The Hot Box #138 celebrates the music of another recently departed musician, “Roy Ayres.” Originally known as a jazz vibraphone player, he rapidly expanded his status and became, some would say, one of the major creators of jazz funk. Track list for The Hot Box #138 – Roy Ayres Compared to What – Roberta Flack The Ringer – Roy Ayers Searching – Roy Ayers Memphis Underground – Herbie Mann Muscle Shoals Nitty Gritty – Herbie Mann Virgo Vibes – Roy Ayers Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
A selection of some wonderful music from albums released in recent weeks, from concert performances in the 1990s to brand new compositions and recordings both Irish and American. Track list for The Hot Box #137 – New Releases There Will Never Be Another You: Oscar Peterson Quartet from the album “City Lights”recorded in 1994 Strange Taste: Michael Buckley from the album Ebb And Flow recorded in 2024 Fun One: Oz Noy from the album Fun One recorded in 2024 Milestones: Oz Noy from the same album Lion Song: Emmet Cohen from the album Vibe Provider recorded in 2024 Vibe Provider: Emmet Cohen from the same album Christian Sands: Ain't That The Same from the album Embracing Dawn recorded in 2024 Kelly's Blues: Oscar Peterson from the album City Lights Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
He was born in 1926 and lived to be just 98 years old, having played in public well into his 80s. Donaldson was an alto saxophonist who began his career as a disciple of Charlie Parker, with whom he played, but, as part of the group of young players recruited to Blue Note Records in the 1950s he developed a more soulful sound. In the hour-long tribute to his music, we sample that great era of jazz, “Hard Bop” in which Donaldson was so important. Track list for The Hot Box #136 – In Memory of Lou Donaldson Watusi Jump: Lou Donaldson: “Here 'Tis” Hipty Hop: Lou Donaldson: “A Man with a Horn” Spaceman Twist: Lou Donaldson “The Natural Soul” Wee Dot: Art Blakey: “A Night at Birdland Volume Two” Alligator Boogaloo: Lou Donaldson “The Scorpion” Polka Dots and Moonbeams: Lou Donaldson “Gravy Train” The Sermon: Jimmy Smith: Blue Note “The Sermon” All tracks are on the Blue Note Records label. Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
The Hot Box 134 is devoted to the memory of the great drummer Roy Haynes. Haynes died, at the age of 99 in November last year, secure in his place as one of the greatest drummers of all time. His career spanned the whole of the era of modern jazz, his first big job being with Charlie Parker in then1940s. Track list for The Hot Box #134 – Roy Haynes Red Rose: Roy Haynes/Henri Renaud: Vogue Records Moose the Mooch: Roy Haynes: Dreyfus Jazz Ah Leu Cha: Roy Haynes: Dreyfus Jazz Hoe Down: Oliver Nelson: Impulse Light Blue: Thelonius Monk: Riverside Bouncing with Bud: Bud Powell: Blue Note Bud Powell: Blue Note Questions and Answers: Gary Burton: Concord Smoke Stack: Andrew Hill: Blue Note Reaching Fourth: McCoy Tyner Like Minds: Gary Burton Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
Welcome to the first Hot Box of 2025. Regular listeners will know that we had a rush of obituary type shows at the back end of last year but we start 2025 with some new material as well as a quick nod in the obituary section again, I'm sorry to say, to remember the great saxophone player Lou Donaldson. Track list for The Hot Box #135 – Some New Stuff Musicians: Yonathon Avishai: Shapes & Sounds; Jazz & People JPCD824005 The Signalman: Sue Rynhart: Say Pluto; mrsuesue records Here 'Tis: Lou Donaldson: Blue Note 5099 5 14371 2 1 Blue in Green; Pat Leary (Live at Midnight Tea When You're Smiling: Yonathon Avishai (as above) Long Years Ago: Sue Rynhart (as above) The One Who Smiles: Yonathon Avishai (as above) Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
(The Ghost of Christmas Past) Celebrating Christmas and also celebrating the 90th anniversary of the campaign to ban jazz in Ireland, which seems to have failed. Track list for The Christmas Box 2024 Gin for Christmas: Lionel Hampton Swingin' Them Jingle Bells: Fats Waller Jingle Bells: Benny Carter When Winter Comes: Artie Shaw Christmas Night in Harlem: Paul Whiteman Santa's Secret: Johnny Guarneri & Slam Stewart Bounce of the Sugar Plum Fairy: John Kirby Wild Party 1934: Fletcher Henderson I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm:Billie Holliday Santa Claus is coming to Town: Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters Freeze and Melt: Eddie Lang The Christmas Song: Dinah Shore It Happened in Sun Valley: Glenn Miller Santa Claus Blues: Red Onion Jazz Band Freeze Out: Clarence Williams At The Christmas Ball: Bessie Smith Snowfall: Claude Thornhill Sleighride: Eddie Higgins Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
The celebrated composer, orchestrator and arranger, and sometime trumpet player, Quincy Jones, died November 3rd aged 91. The Hot Box looks at the jazz contribution he made in the latter part of the 20th century, with tracks from Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole and the man himself. Track list for The Hot Box #133 – Remembering Quincy Jones Rat Race: Count Basie Orchestra Muttnik: Count Basie Orchestra Hicky Burr: Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones Eubie Walkin': Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones No More Blues: Quincy Jones Big Band Birth of the Band: Quincy Jones Big Band Let the Good Times Roll: Ray Charles The Midnight Sun Never Sets; Sarah Vaughan Joe Turner's Blues: Nat King Cole Have You Met Benny Bailey? Count Basie Orchestra Rat Race: Count Basie Orchestra Listen Up: Quincy Jones Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
The Hot Box #132, an hour-long exploration of fresh and exciting sounds in jazz. This episode dives into new material from remarkable artists, blending the vibrancy of contemporary jazz with the timeless artistry of legends. Featuring tracks from John Donegan's Irish Sextet, Shuteen Erdenebaatar, and the Jihye Lee Orchestra, the episode showcases dynamic compositions and inventive storytelling. Listeners will also revisit the brilliance of guitar virtuosos Louis Stewart and Martin Taylor, alongside a stirring collaboration from Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel. It's a rich, varied playlist that promises to engage jazz enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Tune in and discover something new! Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
This special episode pays tribute to the remarkable life and music of the late Benny Golson — a saxophonist, composer, and arranger whose profound influence on jazz endures through both his compositions and recordings. Golson's legacy is woven into jazz history, known for iconic pieces that have become standards in the jazz repertoire. In today's episode, we'll hear selections from Golson's esteemed career, including his own performances and interpretations of his work by legends like Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Quincy Jones. We'll journey through classics like “Along Came Betty,” “Whisper Not,” and “I Remember Clifford,” showcasing the depth of Golson's contributions to jazz. So, sit back and join us as we celebrate the music and memory of Benny Golson. The Hot Box #131 Track Listing Along Came Betty: Quincy Jones “Birth of the Blues” Essential Jazz EJC55448 Moanin': Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers: Not Now NOT2CD344 Whisper Not: Benny Golson “New Tunes, New'tet” Concord 0888072311213 Domingo: Benny Golson “Domingo” Dreyfus Jazz FDM36557-2 Dear Kathy: Benny Golson “Turning Point” Gambit 69250 Killer Joe: Benny Golson “Terminal 1” Concord CCD 2259-2 I Remember Clifford: Quincy Jones “Birth of a Band” Essential Jazz EJC55448 Blues March: Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers Not Now NOT2CD344 Uptown Afternoon: Benny Golson “New Tunes, New'tet” Concord 0888072311213 Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
In this episode of The Hot Box, we revisit a theme from episode #128 where we took a deep dive into the piano files, looking for the slightly less obviously famous musicians but still among the very best in the world. The Hot Box #129 Track Listing 1. Blues in Baxters Pad: Gene Harris Quartet (from the album “At Ste.Chapelle Winery”) 2. Japanese Brunch: David Budway (from the album “A New Kiss”) 3. Ask Me Now: Russell Malone & Benny Green (from the album “Jazz at the Bistro”) 4. Tale of the Fingers: Russell Malone& Benny Green (from the album “Jazz at the Bistro”) 5. Alligator Crawl: Ralph Sutton & Peter O'Brien (from the album “A Stride Odyssey”) 6. My Little Suede Shoes: Gene Harris Quartet (from the album “At Ste.Chapelle Winery”) 7. Wine Wine Wine: Freddie Roach (from the album “Good Move”) 8. Maintain Speed Through the Tunnel: David Budway (from the album “A New Kiss”) 9. Caravan: Dick Hyman (from the album Music of 1937”: Maybeck Recitals volume 3) Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
(Note HB 129 is in production but has not been posted yet so will follow 130) In this special episode of The Hot Box, we pay tribute to the remarkable Russell Malone, a virtuoso guitarist known for his versatility, impeccable swing, and soulful sound. Throughout his distinguished career, Malone collaborated with legends like Diana Krall and Ron Carter, while also shining as a solo artist. Join us as we journey through a selection of tracks that highlight his incredible artistry. From his unforgettable performances on classics like “Sweet Georgia Peach” to his original compositions like “Malone Blues,” this episode is a celebration of Russell Malone's enduring legacy in jazz. Enjoy the music, and let's remember the brilliance of Russell Malone together! Diana Krall: I'm an Errand Boy for Rhythm: Impulse IMP 11642 Ron Carter: Soft Winds: In and Out records LC07588 Diana Krall: Frim Fram Sauce: Impulse IMP 11642 Russell Malone: Sweet Georgia Peach Impulse IMP12822 Diane Reeves: I'm in Love Again Blue Note 0946 3 89658 2 4 Russell Malone: St Louis Blues Columbia CK52825 Russell Malone: You've Got a Friend. MaxJazz MXJ601 Russell Malone: Sugar buzz. MaxJazz MXJ601 Russell Malone: He said What? MaxJazz MXJ602 Russell Malone: Malone Blues MaxJazz MXJ602 Tune In: Live Broadcast: Every two weeks on Jazz Radio Eire. Listen Live Listen Back: Catch past episodes on The Hot Box Jazz and Jazz Ireland. Subscribe to The Hot Box: Via Android: Subscribe on Android By Email: Subscribe by Email Spread the Word: Help us grow our jazz community by sharing The Hot Box with your friends and on social media. Your support keeps us going!
Hot Box #128 – Piano and more piano……
Welcome to the 127th edition of The Hot Box! In the last two episodes, we celebrated Irish albums from start to finish. If you missed them, I highly recommend catching up—those shows were packed with fantastic music. This time, we're diving into longer, more immersive tracks designed to help you unwind and savor the beauty of the music. Expect to hear works from the likes of Andy Sheppard, Bill Evans, and selections from the upcoming release of The Dublin Concert, featuring Louis Stewart and Jim Hall, brought to you by Livia Records.
Firstly, we would like to welcome back Jazz Ireland to the jazz scene and without further ado here's #126! www.jazzireland.ie
A long jump in just one hour, from a live concert by Duke Ellington's Orchestra in Paris to settings of the poetry of Emily Dickinson by the Italian guitarist Daniele Cervigni, with a few new releases in between!
Another root in the big band files yields some great performances from bands you may never had heard before….
It happens to be Ella's anniversary of her first concert in Ireland and also her birthday. Join Donald for 100% Ella!
As the title suggests, here are some big bands you've never heard of! The Lloyd Ryan Big Band? The Jazz Pacific Orchestra? Ring a bell? All on the 119th Hot Box!
Your latest edition of The Hot Box with Donald Helme. Put the kettle on, sit back and relax with #117!
Keeping you all in suspense as to what happened Hot Box #115, heres episode #116!
John Pizzarelli, Bobby Short and Mose Allison. All will be revealed on The Hot Box #114!
Our delve into new releases for our first edition of 2024. Happy New Year!
Donald Helme brings you a festive Hot Box. Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year.
The clarinet has been an endangered species for most of the last 50 years, and despite much admiration for modern-day exponents such as Anat Cohen, it remains on the outer fringes of jazz. Hot Box takes a look at clarinet from the heyday of Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet and Jimmie Noone through to today's most admired exponent, Anat Cohen. Some critics have suggested its decline is due to the difficulty of playing it: “It was invented by three people who never met each other” was the comment of Basie band sax player Frank Wess!
After the great reaction to Hot Box 108's focus on big bands, we felt that a second dip into this big reservoir of music was advisable, if not inevitable. Some of the best ever herein!
Big Bands! A selection of recordings of big bands modern and not-so modern.
Stimulated by the upcoming release of John Donegan's album Light Streams featuring his Irish Sextet, Hot Box 107 checks out some new releases, and a couple of returns to recent albums for a second look.
Hot on the heels of a little exploration of the role of the Hammond organ in jazz (HB104) a listener suggested we take a look at the role of another “minority” instrument in jazz music – the vibraphone. So we have. Starting at the beginning we hear from Lionel Hampton through to some modern-day masters like Warren Wolf and Stefan Harris. And we find Roger Beaujolais along the way. Who?
This edition of the Hot Box is comprised 9 pieces of new material, with all of it coming from USA and Canada.
In which we devote over an hour to the Hammond organ! In vogue during the 1960s and having star exponents like Jimmy Smith, and latterly Joey DeFrancesco, the Hammond B3 occupied a secure slot in instrumental jazz. Has it lost that? Hot Box this time is Organic!
Tony Bennett died on July 21st, aged 96, representing in a very real sense “the end of an era”. Across much of the history of crooning and singing jazz, Bennett succeeded in transferring a reputation amongst older fans of the Great American Songbook to an entirely new generation. He never lost his conviction that good music, good songs would eventually triumph. Hot Box 103 peeks into his enormous catalogue………
Some jazz journalists have been using phrases like “the end of an era” since the death of Wayne Shorter and Ahmad Jamal. In this Hot Box we pay tribute to a few of the jazz greats who have left us in recent years…….or stopped performing.
As the title suggests, this is a new record for the hot box. Five fantastic tracks, one hour show! Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) kicking things off with 13 minutes of magic.
We made it! 100 episodes of The Hot Box. Thank you to all our listeners and subscribers for sticking with me. In this episode we feature two tracks from our good friend Linley Hamilton, with Gerry Buckley starting us off. The new Hot Box website is now online, http://www.hotboxjazz.com
This episode brings us one away from 100 epsiodes of The Hox Box. Included this week are some new releases and two tracks from the Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson.
New Stuff! Its Donald's first show on JazzÉIRE!. This show features all new releases for this Hot Box www.jazzeireradio.com
After the great reaction to Hot Box 96, we decided to do a second edition devoted to the fantastic 42 volume series of solo piano recitals known as the Maybeck Series. Recorded over 6 years from 1990 to 1996, the concerts took place in the wood lined hall designed by the now iconic architect Bernard Maybeck, with just 50 seats in the audience and a perfectly tuned Yamaha grand piano. Long unavailable on LP or CD it is now available on Spotify, but here Donald takes us through more of the stellar pianists who featured - Gerry Wiggins, Toshiko Akyoshi, Cedar Walton and more.
The 96th edition of The Hot Box! This an all-piano affair that marks the re-release (on Spotify) of all 42 albums recorded in the 90's, of the solo piano recitals branded as The Maybeck Recitals. Recorded by the independent Concord Jazz label, they present a who's who of jazz pianists of the last decade of the last century. The real biggies aren't there - the Herbie Hancocks, the Oscar Petersons - perhaps Concord couldn't afford their fees - but taken overall the recordings represent a diversity of brilliance. From stride to modernism. In this edition we sample 9 of the players, from JoAnne Brackeen to Jim McNeely, and have cause to celebrate the amazing acoustics of the hall itself - lined with rosewood panels and an audience of only 50 - and the Yamaha grand piano at its centre. If the very best piano music is your bag, tune in to The Hot Box.
The Hot Box 95: What's in it? Some great new music that's what. Two from America, one from Belgium, and two from Ireland. The album Tim Fitzgerald's Full House was awarded to Daniel Cervigni who emailed Donald@jazzireland.ie, and now you can contact Donald to “win” the copy of Chick Corea's Acoustic Band double album “Live”, which marks the second anniversary of Chick's death.
The Box goes abroad this time, heading south east to Italy, where some exceptional and distinctive jazz can be found. In this edition we highlight the marked attention to lyricism which informs so much Italian jazz, as though perhaps the traditions of Italy's great classical tradition and opera lie beneath much of the contemporary jazz scene. We start however at the inception of jazz in Italy, banned as it was by the Fascist regime in the 1930s.
Why do some bands choose brand names rather than the name of their leader? A very brief investigation in the Hot Box #093.
The 92nd Hot Box is hot with guitars all the way. And there's a reason. The new album from Chicago-based guitarist Tim Fitzgerald. Better still, you could become the lucky owner of a copy. An album that has been Album of the Month in Downbeat with a four and a half star review! So check in to the Box and see how you could get lucky!
The 91st Hot Box takes a look at Christmas (already!) A selection of jazz from all eras that celebrates or satirises Christmas from the personal collection of Donald Helme.
A cornucopia of delights from new recordings makes up the 66-odd minutes of this edition, starting out with a track from one of the new jazz superstars.
Tracks this time are exclusively (well almost) from brand shiny new albums. The exception sadly is another of those remembrance pieces, this time for the singer Tina May who died earlier this year.
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