The Major Lift

The Major Lift Burundi, episodes 1-3

2011-09-20T03:46:00.000-04:00

Episode 1 features music from The Dave Brubeck Quartet and Alemayehu Fanta. I arrived in Burundi to confusion, but ended in a good place, ready to begin my adventure.
The Major Lift Burundi ep1 by Danny Schwartz 1

Episode 2 features music from Chick Corea and Hiromi Uehara, Paul Simon and The Carolina Chocolate Drops. My first week in Kigutu was an exciting one. Fitting in and starting projects and relaxing...lots of relaxing.

Episode 3 features music from The Kandinsky Effect, The Gossip and The Vijay Ayer Trio. Having settled into life in Kigutu, I start to learn more about Lake Tanganyika and hear about the communities stand against the corruption of the road construction company.

S02E08: Robert Glasper, Matt MacKinnon and the Recipe

2010-02-02T13:37:00.003-05:00

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This week, jazz was the name of the game as I played the brilliant new album "Double Booked" from Robert Glasper. Featuring sic tracks by the Robert Glasper Trio and six tracks from the Robert Glasper Experiment, the album fused old and new styles of jazz into one great collection. I also played Ottawa-born Matt MacKinnon's debut release "Bean Green Over Blue" which is filled with odd time signatures that swing and great instrumentation. To round out the program, I played a couple poems by the 2009 Canadian Poetry Slam champions, The Recipe. This quartet hails from Ottawa and is a must see if you get the chance, check out their schedule on Facebook if you can.

I'll have the show, "Bean Green Over Blue" and The Recipe's Mixtape uploaded soon. Stay Tuned.

Robert Glasper - Double Booked

S02EP08: Jay Reatard, Black Keys, Lhasa De Sela

2010-01-17T15:57:00.009-05:00

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This week I'll be paying tribute to Jay Reatard who recently died. I'll be playing his 2009 album "Watch Me Fail" and follow that with the Black Keys' 2006 release "Magic Potion". To round out the show, I'll be playing some Lhasa De Sela who also died in recent months.

Jay Reatard - Watch Me Fall

Lhasa de Sela - Lhasa

The Black Keys - Magic Potion

S02EP07: Blakroc, Matisyahu

2010-01-17T15:25:00.003-05:00

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I was super excited to play the Blakroc album this week. I've been a fan of the Black Keys since hearing Thickfreakness a few years ago and a bluesy hip hop album with heavyweights like Mos Def, RZA, Pharoah Monch and more was almost too much to handle. Following Blakroc, I streamed some Matisyahu and put on some great Canadian jazz trumpet. I have misplaced the jazz album and have forgotten the name of the artist, but if you listen to the show, you'll get all the info.

Blakroc - Blakroc

S02EP06: Calle 13 and Stylust Beats

2010-01-17T15:11:00.003-05:00

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I thought I'd play some Latin rhythms this week and so turned to Calle 13. I'l also be playing Stylust Beats from Vancouver, BC. Stylust Beats recently made the foray into dubstep from hip hop and, it is good! Link to download the mix and below for the Calle 13 album. Listen up for more shows in the coming months.

Calle 13 - Los de Atras Vienen Conmigo

S02E05: The Grateful Dead, Phish

2009-12-07T21:00:00.009-05:00

This week, I will play for you perhaps the two greatest jam bands of the rock and roll era. I will start off the show by giving you an idea of what going to a Grateful Dead show would be like. From their 1969 album Live/Dead, I have selected a few tracks set the tone. Live/Dead was compiled from recordings taken from a series of concerts between January and March, 1969. This was the Grateful Dead's first official live release, and as Jerry Garcia said, it reflects what the band was playing in their live shows at the time.

I will also be playing the entire second set from a Phish concert recorded in 1994 in Columbus, Ohio and released as Live Phish Vol. 10. Taking up where the Dead left off, Phish carries the jam torch to this day. Listen up during the Phish set for references to Game 7 of the NBA finals between the Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks.

Keep your ears peeled for classic songs and amazing improvisations. Sit back, relax, maybe indulge in your favourite narcortic and imagine you're in the crowd, a part of the spirit.

Download the full albums:
The Grateful Dead - Live/Dead

Live Phish Vol.10 - Live in Columbus, Ohio (June 22, 1994)

S02E04: Renee Yoxon and Francois Gravel

2009-11-23T20:53:00.008-05:00

Download the Episode 4: Renee Yoxon and Francois Gravel Live in Studio

Fresh from their performance at Crimson & Blues at Club 56, Renee Yoxon and Francois Gravel will be live in studio for The Major Lift's first on-air performance. In the first hour the Ottawa piano and voice duo will play a few songs and discuss the Ottawa Jazz scene, among other things. In the second hour, I will be playing The Kandinsky Effect's latest album. Pulling from rock, hip hop and electronica, this amazing trio from Paris can blow the house down, as the 6 or so people who attended their October concert in Ottawa found out.

Download:The Kandinsky Effect

S02E03:OCFF Redux

2009-11-09T22:59:00.007-05:00

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Over three days and nights from October 15th to 18th, the Crown Plaza hotel in Ottawa played host to the annual conference of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals. Folk musicians, promoters, managers, media-types, festival organizers, and stow-aways from far and wide gathered to mingle, jam, and have a lot of fun. I was lucky enough to attend, and spent most of my time wandering the 17th and 18th floor between the hours of 9pm and 4am, playing a folk inspired word association game, conducting impromptu interviews, and recording the jams and performances going on in every room.

This weeks show is the result of those recordings, with some tracks from albums and the net thrown in for good measure. Hopefully, I can shed some light on what the conference was like after business was taken care of and the festivities began. A big thank you to everyone at the Conference, and especially those who lent their voices and music to this show.

S02E02: Listen Live October 26th on CKCUFM.com

2009-10-25T21:40:00.014-04:00

Download the full episode: Hot 8, Hypnotic Brass, Xploding Plastix

This week marks the first full week of the CKCU funding drive. This is a crucial time for the station as much of teh years financing comes from donors within the community. If you listen, please consider making a tax-deductible donation either online at www.ckcufm.com or by calling the radio station directly an making a pledge over the phone (613-520-2898). The goal for the station this year is $109,000; the Major Lift is looking to gather a modest $250. Dig deep in support of community radio and eclectic programming.

On this weeks episode I will be mostly hyping the funding drive; however The Hot 8 Brass Band, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Xploding Plastix will keep the show moving.

I am also in the process of sifting through and editing together all the great material I recorded at the annual Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference. On November 8th listen up for interviews, word association games, live tracks and more.

Here are links for downloading the albums played on the show:

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble - The Brothas

The Hot 8 Brass Band - Rock With The Hot 8

Xploding Plastix - Treated Timber Resists Rot

S02E01: Listen Live on CKCU

2009-10-11T22:56:00.011-04:00

Download the full episode: Soil, Soul and JAM

For the second coming of the Major Lift, I'll be playing some music I picked up while in Tokyo over the summer. Over the two hours we'll have a listen to the first full-length album "Pimpin'" by Soil & "Pimp" Sessions and the full album release of their side project JAM, called Just a Maestro.

Soil & "Pimp Sessions, a sextet from Tokyo, have been tearing up the airwaves with their rambunctious, adrenaline-fueled jazz. Listen up for the infectious rhythms supplied by Midorin(drums) and Akita Goldman (bass). They never quit beneath the catchy riffs and wild improvisations of Motoharu (sax), Josei (keys), and Tabu Zombie (trumpet). Shacho, the agitator, adds some extra spice throughout the album and is integral to their live show. With six albums to date, there is plenty more fire from Soil & "Pimp" Sessions should you be so inclined.

JAM is a little brother of Soil & "Pimp" Sessions. Without Shacho, Motoharu and Tabu Zombie, JAM brings a more subdued, yet hardly calm, version club jazz. As always, Midorin never quits on drums, while Goldman on bass and Josei on keys keep the melodies intersting and accessible. This album has a number of collaborators, including Mitsu The Beats scratching on In the Sea and Jose James bringing the group to another level with his vocals on Jazzy Joint.

Interspersed throughout the show are snippets of The Souljazz Orchestra's latest album, Manifesto. Check these cats out live if you get the chance; this Ottawa sextet will have you dancing from the first bar until the last.

Here are links for downloading the albums played on the show:

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - Pimpin'

J.A.M. - Just A Maestro

The Souljazz Orchestra - Manifesto