B-Side Morning Brew w/ Bij & Niles

Wes Knight
0:00:00
The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz & More, the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Niles
0:00:10
Good morning and welcome.

Bijon
0:00:11
You're listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Eve and Niles.

Niles
0:00:23
Hot coffee, cool chatting, chilling on the corner of Lifestyle Ave and Music Street on 91.5 KUNV Jazz and More.

Chipmunk Voice
0:00:34
Look at you man with the new background, new office, all adult-like. It was more out of necessity since half my house got damaged when we were replacing the roof, but hey, everything happens for a reason, right? Well, I will say also, let's start with our sip of coffee.

Niles
0:00:48
Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's it. It's nice to see your Grammy trophy behind you. Did you just get that? Did it finally come in? Or did you...

Bijon
0:00:59
Oh no, I've had it for a while.

Niles
0:01:00
It would have been in a box kind of thing.

Bijon
0:01:01
It was in a box.

Niles
0:01:02
So you, dude. That's so you to do that.

Bijon
0:01:06
Well, I didn't have the proper place for it yet, so, you know, now I do. You're patient. I gotta keep up with you, man. You've got your guitars hanging up in the background and everything and you know your crib is set up nice man you know Casa Thomas is slamming man you know as a wonderful visitor to Casa Thomas you got it dialed in brother proud of you man.

Niles
0:01:33
I'm proud of you your office space has been like that of Charlie Brown or something. It's like a little kid, dude. It's like, what is going on back there, bro? But now, I like it.

Niles
0:01:45
It looks good.

Bijon
0:01:46
We're in it, you know?

Niles
0:01:47
We're in it.

Bijon
0:01:48
It's time. Some things, it's time.

Niles
0:01:51
Yeah.

Niles
0:01:52
Oh, good for you, man.

Bijon
0:01:52
It's awesome.

Niles
0:01:53
Thank you, sir.

Niles
0:01:54
So, finally cooling down here a little.

Bijon
0:01:57
I don't believe you.

Niles
0:01:58
It is, actually. It is. At least in the mornings it's been anywhere from 79 to 83.

Bijon
0:02:07
Oh, that probably feels like cold. People will be busting out the parka compared to this.

Niles
0:02:12
I know, I almost wore my beanie cap and just like, dude, it's winter here already. It's calm, it's here.

Niles
0:02:17
Winter!

Niles
0:02:18
But it drops below 80, it's winter here, bro.

Bijon
0:02:22
Well, we're going through a heat wave here, but we have the humidity to contend with. That just makes it feel that much more oppressive. Highs in the 90s and stuff like that with 90% humidity is something a little different. But, as you know, I just returned from a family cruise.

Niles
0:02:42
Oh yeah, you and your cruises, man. I'm on the Jazz Cruise this week. I'm going on a cruise with my family, everything with these cruises, Bijan the Sailor Man.

Bijon
0:02:54
Well, you know, hey, it's like a floating city. I was on a Royal Caribbean ship, Allure of the Seas, which is one of the top three largest cruise ships in existence. And a pretty amazing time.

Niles
0:03:11
You were out in Pirate?

Bijon
0:03:12
My family, 11 people.

Niles
0:03:13
The old Pirate area, right?

Bijon
0:03:15
That whole...

Bijon
0:03:16
Yeah, actually there was a private island that we went to, which was awesome. It's amazing how wonderfully clean and refreshing the water is. The ocean water is there. They had a freshwater lagoon pool type thing. Great entertainment. Healthy food options.

Bijon
0:03:36
Smoothies and stuff like that, smoothie bar, along with the standard comfort fare, you know? Yeah, we know what you're getting. Got burgers, hot dogs, shakes, soft serve. And of course, we got the premium drink package, which included pina coladas with a white claw back.

Bijon
0:03:53
Wow.

Niles
0:03:54
So what does that mean when you get that package, that you can just kind of order anything within that package kind of thing throughout the whole cruise? Like, how dangerous is that? What is that?

Bijon
0:04:02
It means I can drink everything. All the premium water. No matter how many. No matter how many unlimited. Wow. So you just saddle up to the pool bar and get to know the bartenders really well. Then they start making different drinks. I think you would like this, Mr. Watson. So yeah, good time. My mom's 84 so she went with us 11 people on the

Niles
0:04:28
Wow

Bijon
0:04:30
As well or no my brothers went with their with their kids and wives and wow Yeah, that was great really good time. So it's a family of

Niles
0:04:38
Happy to be back, but hey man

Bijon
0:04:40
Yeah, it was good nice to get away for a little bit. Yeah, of course now

Niles
0:04:44
You're getting ready for you getting your lunch boxes ready and stuff or back to school and your pencils and your number two pencils and stuff Like what's going on?

Bijon
0:04:56
Yeah, yeah, we got school coming up here in about a few weeks, but everyone's ready to go and we're just

Niles
0:05:04
Now doing the right. Sorry. Do you have to prepare for any I mean, do you know what you're coming in with or is it just

Bijon
0:05:10
Oh, yeah. Well, so for my schedule at Berkeley, yes I have an enhanced schedule this year, teaching more theory classes and going to be working in some other departments doing professional development and so on and so forth. So yeah, it will be a busy time. It's good to shape young minds in the arts.

Niles
0:05:33
Skits was here last week for our listeners. Sam Skits Lemos is our saxophone player here in town and he also teaches here and he came over to record some stuff. He's like, man, I gotta get back to school. We're getting back to school like in a week or I think on the fifth or something. And I'm like, man, I'm like, why are you dreading it? He's like, I've been recording the whole summer, it's been so fantastic. But then he goes, but then we have a break at the end of September.

Niles
0:06:09
I'm like, so you're only going back for a month and you've got like a two or three week

Bijon
0:06:13
break?

Niles
0:06:14
So anyway, yeah.

Bijon
0:06:15
Yeah, he's doing the Lord's work though. He's teaching them little chillens. Yeah, true.

Niles
0:06:20
Yeah, yeah.

Bijon
0:06:21
That's a whole different level of, yeah. So you deserve sainthood actually. I think

Niles
0:06:36
it's what. Yeah, yeah man. But no, it's good. Well speaking of skits and the gang, I mean and back to Heat for a second, when you were here a couple weeks ago, two and a

Bijon
0:06:57
half weeks ago now, wasn't that long ago? You know, we had our little pop-up show at the dispensary lounge, which was

Niles
0:06:49
You know, I don't think you and I really knew what was gonna happen kind of idea. We haven't done that kind of show in a long time. So, and-

Bijon
0:06:56
It was a great venue. The, you know, the Dispensary Lounge is a iconic venue, jazz venue here that's been for several decades. Yeah. Run by the same proprietor. And the staff was fantastic.

Bijon
0:07:13
Yeah, it was really guys and or for who curates the whole curates the thing did a great job of putting it together and making sure we were all taken care of and it was a good time we

Niles
0:07:36
got to make some new fans and play for some new people and it's really well received so kudos to the dispensary lounge and all their staff yeah for making it help and make it a great show We played well, yeah.

Niles
0:07:38
It was, uh, and which was cool because the telltale sign for me always is the rehearsals. Although it's a bit of a misnomer because sometimes we've had the, I mean, terrible rehearsals and you and I walked out of there going, what are we doing? And the show always turns out great, you know.

Bijon
0:07:54
Absolutely.

Niles
0:07:55
You know, which is cool. But yeah, it was, um, that was a fun time. over there in that area and where Uli lives, that was 121 degree days, dude.

Bijon
0:08:06
Nuts.

Niles
0:08:07
Yeah, but nonetheless, we had a wonderful time. Crowd was great, it was a packed house, which was amazing. Speaking of packed house, we got a show coming up. We do, but let's get into it in segment two. Fair enough, fair enough.

Bijon
0:08:19
So you, so, well, I will say,

Niles
0:08:22
before we get into the details of that concert, when you're working on a brand new song to introduce for that evening so you've been listening to, you were telling me, a

Bijon
0:08:31
lot of Roy Hargrove, right? Roy Hargrove is a very influential trumpet player died way too soon. Wasn't he only in his 50s or something? Like young, right? I don't even think, he was McNatally, close to 40s. Yeah, definitely missed, missing his impact. Definitely he worked with a lot of younger people coming up in the jazz and music and arts world and he's sorely missed. One of the groups that he had that really influenced me, kind of building off of the Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis when they did contemporary jazz offerings is Roy's group RH Factor. Just really great stuff. Groove,

Bijon
0:09:20
vocals, horns, a whole kit and caboodle. Funky, yeah, straight up funky groove. Yeah, this song I think we're going to introduce to the audience is off his album Strength, and this is the title track off that EP entitled Strength. This is Roy Hargrove's, I said that like straight.

Niles
0:09:49
Allow myself to introduce myself.

Bijon
0:09:53
Okay, here we go.

Bijon
0:09:54
You wanna try that, take two?

Bijon
0:09:55
Yeah, take two. So one of the artists I'm very influential in my playing is a trumpet player named Roy Hargrove and this is his group RH Factor. My favorite tunes is a tune entitled Strength and it's the title track of his EP entitled Strength. This is Roy Hargrove's Strength.

Niles
0:10:21
You're listening to it here on B-Side Morning Brew with Beej and Niles here on 91.5 KUNV Jazz and More.

Niles
0:10:34
So, I'm going to play it. Time is closing in on us So we strive for greatness Never giving up I'm burning up, faith, life, truth In your love so much pride for

Niles
0:11:40
Pregnant, never giving up Faith, life I'm So so So

Niles
0:12:12
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Welcome back. That was RH Factor, Roy Hargrove, the song entitled Strength. And man, I dig that ending, just the way they all just kind of fade away or crumble away somehow. You know what I mean with the different expectations? I mean, that's the Jazz Republic standard ending. We are king of the vamp fade out groove.

Niles
0:15:40
Yeah, it's probably why I like it, now that you say that.

Bijon
0:15:42
I love it.

Niles
0:15:42
But yeah, wow, man.

Bijon
0:15:44
It's not good if you put a button on some things and it's kind of too abrupt.

Niles
0:15:49
Well, that's the thing. For the longest time, for the last number of years, people just ending songs on an album. And I never got into that trend. I don't think it's cool at all, unless the song genuinely calls for that.

Niles
0:16:01
You just got to end it But for me come on when we're listening to records, and I'm sure a lot of our listeners would agree What when the song fades out? It rides off into the sunset You know what I mean it kind of leaves It leaves room for imagination like where are they going and you know sometimes?

Niles
0:16:16
When the musicians would do something quirky, and you can barely hear it when it's like just coming off absolutely it like engages the audience much more closely.

Bijon
0:16:28
And, let's face it, if that hook is grooving, people just want to groove to that hook.

Niles
0:16:33
Yeah. Yeah. Love it.

Niles
0:16:36
That's so cool, man. And so you. I mean, it makes sense that you're listening to this right now and being inspired again with this in this direction. Because we all know and love you for Big Band as well. So this other side of you, the flip side of you. This is great. So I look forward to hearing what you're coming up with. With, I'm sure, another single name title?

Bijon
0:16:57
Of course. I am the king of the single name.

Niles
0:16:59
You are. That's great.

Bijon
0:17:00
Well, you've got some project going on right now that's really fun. I know I'm looking forward to contributing some horn lines to some of this music in the direction you're taking. Memory Lane, the music of our youth that we grew up listening to, you know, some of the swinging, what would you call it? So what would you call this hybrid of? Because you're all about hybrid music and not being pigeonholed into necessarily one genre. So what would you call this hybrid?

Niles
0:17:33
I'll let you describe it. Well you know me in that I always live, musically speaking, I live in the Pangea period. You know what I'm saying? In terms of, you know what I mean? There's no borders, bro. There are no borders, everything's one.

Niles
0:17:47
But in terms of this particular style, you know, with the project I was starting at the beginning of the year, I went down a rockabilly, more rockabilly swing kind of thing, right? Which is a trio. Then I realized, after listening to some of the

Niles
0:18:02
resurgence of swing, guys like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Squirrel Nut Zippers and Royal Crown Review, those bands that did the resurgence of swing back in the 90s into the 2000s, I realized I'm like, man, this is exactly what I'm doing with the rockabilly stuff with the exception of horns. You know what I mean? You put a two or three piece horn section, all of a sudden, you're leaning into the swing world, so to speak, which is weird to even say.

Niles
0:18:31
I don't know if that's the case, but it feels that way.

Bijon
0:18:34
Well, but it's a hybrid of those things, which is fine. It is, yeah. Because it's not a straight swing, we've talked about that even as I was listening to the tracks. Yeah. It's definitely more of a shuffle, like you said.

Bijon
0:18:45
Yeah, which is more rockabilly shuffle.

Niles
0:18:47
Exactly. With a bit of swing. Not all that stuff is straight. So yeah, so my definition of swing is different than yours, obviously.

Bijon
0:18:58
Sure, no, absolutely. But there's elements of it in, for sure, absolutely.

Niles
0:19:01
Yeah, but the thing for me is like, it's so much fun. And you know, when we were rehearsing for our other show recently, I told you, like, man, I'm just bored. I'm bored right now. And I didn't understand what that meant. And I realized for me later that I think I've just been bored of doing the same thing. And it's like me getting on a bicycle and just I know exactly, you know, it's just so smooth and easy. I feel like I don't have to think, kind of on autopilot. And I, I think what I meant by that being bored was just that being on autopilot. And I'm like, you know, even with the guitar playing, and so with this kind of music whether it's rockabilly swing

Niles
0:19:44
or a tip of the hat to that those genres

Bijon
0:19:49
it's forcing me to look at music differently and forcing me to play guitar

Niles
0:19:56
differently and even sing differently you know it's like I'm singing again you know I'm not whispering and which is awesome by the way and you're going to be playing guitar on my stuff on our upcoming show so no that'll be fine as well yeah

Niles
0:20:18
you know and long overdue yeah and the cool thing too is like I'm it's like I have split music personalities as well, like you do, but like I'll kind of hide myself behind a character, so to speak, and I'll maybe play it up a little bit more than I need to.

Niles
0:20:13
And I don't want to do that anymore. I'm in a place right now in my life where, I was telling Skits when he was recording some horns, I'm like, I just want to laugh. I just want to have a smile on my face, have a good time, put a smile on

Niles
0:20:28
listeners faces. You know I'm not always the brooding artist. You know you know me well that I am, but like not all the time. Which is awesome. Yeah so I want

Bijon
0:20:50
to show myself and to the audience that there's what you guys see, my close friends, the fun side of me and not being so serious all the time within within music.

Niles
0:21:16
So I know that the name of your project is the Velveteen Rabbits, is that correct? Kind of like the straight cats. So what influences kind of, so you said, listen, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

Niles
0:21:29
Well, what are we gonna be? Yeah, so what would be a song that I would listen to

Bijon
0:21:34
or that we can share with our listeners

Niles
0:21:14
Yeah, a hint of what what's to come yeah for me Yeah, I've been listening a lot to also. There's a great song. It's an older song. It's about 10 10 plus years old by cherry pop and daddy's and That tune is called. I love American music

Bijon
0:21:30
You're listening to b-side morning brew with Beej and Niles on 91.5 KUNV jazz and more.

Niles
0:21:43
From a group of I was born and bred I followed where it led I swallowed and I bled but only If it is one who is living Then suffer in a fallen den

Music
0:21:53
As the years go by Yeah, my inside flowers When that night comes saxophone

Music
0:22:00
Cuts a thousand years

Music
0:22:01
A cigar sour Playing, playing a gangstam On American music I'm playing, playing against them, I need American music I'm playing, playing against them on American music I'm playing, playing against them, I love American music

Niles
0:22:44
Boy, I smashed my fingers down on the truth that still was nowhere Playin', playin' against Sam on American music

Music
0:22:55
Playin', playin' against Sam, I need American music Playin', playin' against Sam on American music Playin', playin' against Sam, I love American music My mama never can be dead That's what I wanna know, baby

Music
0:23:15
When the lights go down and my steel stops showing I'm gonna smash my fingers down on the lonely truth that still was knowing I love American music. I love American music. I love American music.

Niles
0:24:04
That was I Love American Music by Cherry Pop and Daddy's. You're listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Beej and Niles on 91.5 KENV Jazz and More. Man, you know what I like about that, of course?

Music
0:24:32
And I love A&V, jazz and more. Man, you know what I like about that, of course, is the horns. Well, yeah. That was the epitome of that genre, using those horns to kind of create that energy and the swing. And, you know, definitely I look forward to hearing your voice with your original music doing that.

Bijon
0:25:00
It's going to be awesome. Well

Niles
0:26:07
the cool thing is when I hear that stuff and again I know your wheelhouse really is big band right so but when I

Bijon
0:26:24
hear these these horns on all those

Niles
0:26:29
different bands even though it's just a three-piece horn section it sounds to

Bijon
0:26:39
me like what a big band would do. Oh absolutely no no they're definitely filling three horns yeah we're

Niles
0:26:32
gonna have three horns at the yeah our upcoming show yeah I know you got upset

Bijon
0:26:40
at me recently I'm like I don't think we need a trombone though like I'm like

Niles
0:26:46
the trombone sounds like a trumpet anyway. You've known me for several

Bijon
0:27:00
decades and you have the audacity to

Niles
0:27:04
say the trombone sounds like a

Bijon
0:26:57
Uh, the plunger? I will have all the mutes.

Niles
0:27:03
I'm actually going to... Go ahead. Yeah, go ahead. Let's go ahead and tell the people again about our upcoming concert. Jump in.

Bijon
0:27:10
to sharing all this new music with all of our listeners and beyond at our upcoming show with the Smithson on Tuesday September 10th. It's gonna be an amazing show featuring a lot of... Yeah I was gonna say we got a lot of a lot of

Niles
0:27:25
special guests on this show so... Yeah, Linda Woodson of course will be

Bijon
0:27:30
singing with us. The Duchess, Laura Schaefer will be joining us again. Yeah. And artistic curator of the

Niles
0:27:50
Dispensary Lounge, Mr. Uli Geisendorfer.

Bijon
0:27:56
Uli Geisendorfer. Will be joining us on a tune or two on piano. What about drummer Y.L. Ah yes, we've got Y.L. Barry Manilow.

Niles
0:28:05
Barry Manilow's drummer, Barry Manilow.

Bijon
0:28:07
Barry Manilow's drummer. And along with lots of other amazing artists as well. So looking forward to having him contribute his musical talents. And the name of the show is, we're calling it, we're returning to the Smith Center,

Bijon
0:28:22
we're calling it the Jazz Republic Review. And because we have had the privilege of over the past seven, eight years of being in existence, really working with so many of the great musicians in the community and we wanted to showcase those collaborations at an amazing venue with original music once again.

Niles
0:28:44
Now we're looking forward to an amazing, an amazing event, an amazing concert at Smith Center. So as always, we'd like to thank our listeners for being there for us. Once you close this out, Bees, you're great at closing this out.

Bijon
0:28:57
Well, there's so many people we'd like to thank, but not the least of which is KUNV 91.5, Jazz and More, for always being a stalwart media partner. Of course, High Note Roasters, are coffee drinkers and we really appreciate them keeping us caffeinated. And of course, we thank you the listener. We

Niles
0:29:34
encourage you to bring out your

Bijon
0:29:38
friends and and share an amazing evening of music with us at the Smith Center. We invite you to go to thejazzrepublic.com which links directly Have a great Sunday, everybody. You've been listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Bij and Have a great Sunday, everybody. You've been listening to B-Side Morning Brew with Bij and

Niles
0:29:47
Niles, chillin' on the corner of Lifestyle App and Music Street on 91.5 KUNV Jazz and More.