"Don't call it jazz! This is social music!" Miles Davis gave us that gem of a quote as he was admonishing a reporter for using "that dirty word, jazz" in an interview. What is a confusing remark at first becomes clear when you dive deeper into the mind of a professional musician. All great musicians are poly-genre, meaning they care less about the style of music than the quality of it, and its cultural resonance.
Host Jon Armstrong is a professional musician, and a professor of jazz music and recording technology at Idaho State University. Before moving to Idaho, Armstrong worked in Los Angeles for seven years as a player, composer, and educator. He's performed jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, R&B, bluegrass, country, folk, reggae, and everything in between. He still gigs and writes a lot of music and is constantly checking out recordings from every corner of the creative music world.
Each show, Armstrong will play tunes that have caught his ear over the years, while telling fun stories and informative anecdotes from his unique perspective. On special occasions, he will also bring in a guest musician to do an in-studio live interview and performance!
Don't Call it Jazz. First and final Saturdays of every month at 7pm.
-
The ISU Video Game Music Ensemble will be presenting their spring concert Saturday April 19th at 7:30pm in Jensen Concert Hall. I am joined in-studio by my colleague and co-director of the VGME, Dr. Eddie Ludema to talk about the concert, the ensemble, and the work our amazing students put into the performance. -
Roy Ayers was a visionary composer, musician, bandleader, vibraphonist, and vocalist. He forged a powerful and unique blend of jazz, funk, R&B, rap, and soul that was all his own. His music was brilliant, sounded amazing, and grooved like crazy. He died at the age of 84 in March of 2025. -
For this episode of Don’t Call it Jazz, I am honored to present the live recording from the debut performance of my new composition, “Voluntary Breath” a concerto for orchestra and solo saxophone. The piece was premiered by the Great Falls Symphony, based in Great Falls, Montana, under the direction of Grant Harville. -
I am very excited to welcome my wonderful music department colleague Jenna McLean back on the show, to talk about and check out her new album, For Your Love.
-
This episode of Don’t Call it Jazz will provide a full preview of the upcoming ISU Jazz Fest, happening on Friday February 7th and Saturday February 8th featuring the wonderful musician, world-percussionist and drummer Randy Gloss coming from Los Angeles. -
The last few weeks have been so sad for me and my family, as we watch helplessly from our home in Idaho, the devastation from the wildfires in Los Angeles. My wife and I lived in Northern Altadena for many years while we were down there, and our old neighborhood is completely gone. Obliterated in the blink of an eye by a brutally violent wildfire. -
Jon curates a playlist of some of the great music released on City Creek Records in 2024, discussing the projects in detail, revealing some planned projects for 2025, and shares his new year’s resolution for the ISU Commercial Music Program and City Creek Records. -
Merry Christmas from Don’t Call it Jazz! 🎄✨ This year, we’re celebrating the season with a festive mix of old-timey and bluegrass Christmas tunes. Join us for a heartwarming musical holiday!
-
I am happy to welcome Keith Kelly again to the show, this time to share the music that each of us is teaching our students at our respective schools! Keith is a professor of music at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, AZ.
-
Don't Call It Jazz welcomes back Kieth Kelley to take you on a deep dive into two great records: Alice Coltrane's Ptah the El Daoud and Qasim Naqvi's Two Centuries. Jon and Keith put together a playlist of tracks from each of the principal players on both of these legendary albums.
