Archive | Episode 4: Red Rodney

Talking Jazz with Ben Sidran

Episode 4: Red Rodney

Here’s the story: back in the mid-80’s on National Public Radio (NPR) in America, a show ran called Sidran On Record. Presented by Ben Sidran, a musician, author, lecturer and journalist, the show featured interviews with the great and the good from the world of Jazz. Miles, Dizzy, Herbie and Grover were amongst 60 interviews that ran over the course of 5 years. Many of the legends featured are sadly no longer with us, but the recordings are, and several years back Ben released these as part of a wonderful, 24 CD box set called Talking Jazz – bringing to life a golden period of entertainment and understanding as we learn about the masters, their thoughts and their works. Whilst this may seem like an advert for this prestigious box set, it isn’t really. Promise. We’ve been in touch with Ben and asked for his permission to use these interviews and create our own shows based on his works. Ben gave it two thumbs up and we’re delighted to present to you Talking Jazz with Ben Sidran, our most ambitious project to date.

Episode Four of this intriguing series is once again produced by Scott Fugate and details the music and inspiration of Robert Roland Chudnick, better known as Red Rodney, an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Born in Philadelphia, he became a professional musician at fifteen and worked with many of the Jazz legends: Woody Herman, Jimmy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. His life was certainly colourful and his career, which spanned the mid-forties through until the late nineties, was inspired by such greats as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Not necessarily a household name, he certainly was an important part of the Jazz Continuum – as Ben Sidran finds out.

If you fancy buying the essential box set, which includes the full sixty interviews, then here’s where you need to go.