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Serenade to a Cuckoo with Jerry Gordon

Feb 20, 2026 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Music

With Jerry Gordon

Serenade to a Cuckoo & Jerry's Room: first a two hour jazz show featuring new, modern jazz releases or special jazz features, followed by a one hour show of various themes that are non-jazz, including pop, r&b, rock, and blues from the forties thru the seventies! You will love it!

2.20.26 Sun Ra & Carole King

A two hour trip through the galaxy with Sun Ra, followed by a Carole King birthday party in which I will play the songs she wrote that were hits for others.

12:05 PM		Roland Kirk Quartet & Rahsaan Roland Kirk Quartet Serenade to a Cuckoo I Talk with the Spirits Verve 1963
12:09 PM		Sun Ra Sun Ra and His Band from Outer Space (Live) College Tour, Vol. 1: The Complete Nothing Is... (Live) ESP-Disk' 2010
12:22 PM		Sun Ra & His Myth Science Arkestra We Travel the Spaceways When Sun Comes Out (Remastered 2014) [feat. John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick & Danny Davis] Enterplanetary Koncepts 1963
12:29 PM		Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra Walking on the Moon My Brother the Wind, Vol. 2 (Remastered 2014) [feat. Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick & John Gilmore] Enterplanetary Koncepts 1971
12:30 PM		Sun Ra & His Solar Myth Arkestra Next Stop Mars (Stereo) When Angels Speak of Love (2019 Remastered) Cosmic Myth Records 2019
12:48 PM		Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra Love in Outer Space (Vocal) The Night of the Purple Moon (Remastered 2014) Enterplanetary Koncepts 1970
12:49 PM		Sun Ra & His Astro-Infinity Arkestra Pleasant Twilight My Brother the Wind, Vol. 2 (Remastered 2014) [feat. Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick & John Gilmore] Enterplanetary Koncepts 1971
12:51 PM		Sun Ra Rocket Number Nine Space Is the Place Impulse! 1972
12:53 PM		Sun Ra & Walt Dickerson Space Dance Visions SteepleChase 1978
1:08 PM		Sun Ra Calling Planet Earth (The OVC session) Inside the Light World: Sun Ra Meeets the OVC
1:18 PM		Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra We'll Wait For You Soundtrack to the Film Space is the Place
1:25 PM		Sun Ra There Are Other Worlds Lanquidity Phillly Jazz 1978
1:40 PM		Sun Ra Space is the Place Space Is the Place Impulse! 1972
1:46 PM		Sun Ra Drop Me Off In Harlem Celestial Love Modern Harmonic 1981
1:50 PM		The Cosmic Rays Dreaming The Singles Evidence
2:06 PM		Bobby Vee Take Good Care of My Baby Very Best of Bobby Vee EMI Catalogue 2008
2:07 PM		The Drifters Some Kind of Wonderful Sweet Soul Music 2014 Autarc Media GmbH, CH. 2014
2:18 PM		The Shirelles Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow: Great Tracks From the Scepter Records Vaults - Volume 1 (Original Scepter Records Recordings) Gusto Records Inc 2022
2:18 PM		Little Eva The Loco - Motion Classic Girl Groups, Vol. 3 Top Tracks 2013
2:18 PM		The Chiffons One Fine Day Riding In Cars With Boys (Music from the Motion Picture) Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax 2001
2:18 PM		Freddie Scott Hey Girl Hey Girl - Single Redwood Records 2014
2:18 PM		Steve Lawrence Go Away Little Girl Go Away Little Girl - Single Black Sheep Music 2013
2:24 PM		The Beatles Please Please Me Please Please Me UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) 1963
2:25 PM		Maxine Brown Oh No Not My Baby Oh No Not My Baby: The Best of Maxine Brown Wand Records 1989
2:26 PM		The Righteous Brothers Just Once in My Life The Very Best of the Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody Verve 1965
2:38 PM		The Animals Don't Bring Me Down Animalization ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. 1966
2:39 PM		Dusty Springfield Goin' Back The Very Best of Dusty Springfield Mercury Records 1998
2:41 PM		Aretha Franklin (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman Aretha's Gold Rhino Atlantic 1969
2:42 PM		The Monkees Pleasant Valley Sunday Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (Deluxe Edition) Rhino 1967
2:46 PM		The Byrds Wasn't Born to Follow The Notorious Byrd Brothers Columbia/Legacy 1968
2:48 PM		Laura Nyro Up On the Roof Christmas and the Beads of Sweat (Accompanying Herself On the Piano) Columbia 1970
2:56 PM		Carole King It's Too Late Tapestry Ode/Epic/Legacy 1971
2:58 PM		James Taylor You've Got a Friend Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (Remastered) Rhino/Warner Records 1971

Chat is archived.

Welcome to Serenade to a Cuckoo

Hello

Hey Mike!

Happy Friday to Jerry and Mike and everybody!

I hope you find the Ra music interesting

Well now let's get right into it

Space is the place!

Hi Rick

Rick, how are you? Right on, Rick!

There will be some baritone today

Oh baby!

And... some organ

Right off the top there's Christine's song :-)

Jerry, you are spoiling me!

Hey Vildachaya!

Swingin' right on in today. :)

I just saw a pic of Vilda on Fat Tuesday and he looked like a cross between Sun Ra and Dr. John

Sun Ra American Masters debut tonight!https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/sun-ra-do-the-impossible-documentary/37455/

Roffle, we are ready to swing!

Hey Roffle!

I'll top off this coffee then...

Hello!

Hey Rick - nice to have the gang here

I had breakfast with John Szwed this morning. John appears briefly in the Ra documentary airing tonight on PBS.

Hi Tony

Hey Jerry!

Jerry is very good at not Over Intellectualizing. He barely intellects at all. :) The Record of Sun Ra Hits is all inside stuff and some of my favorite. Also the Disney stuff is an easy entry to Sun Ra for some folks

Szwed's book on RA is ESSENTIAL!

As I've mentioned before, the Sun Ra albums on back wall of 3rd Street fascinated me.

So was the Coltrane wall at TSJ!

Vilda, my teachers didn't think I was much of an intellectual OR student!

Nice memories, thank you guys

I was at TSJ once when someone from the RA camp brought in a pile of records, each bearing original and unique artwork.

So cool looking

Anthony, I could send my grandkids to college on that pile if I had it still

Hi Jerry, I have been clicked in. Happy to have you in my digiteria. I hope you have a great show.

A reminder (posted last week) Marshall Allen and John Kimock. Friday Feb 27, 2026. 6:30pm. Moravian Tileworks. 130 E Swamp Rd Doylestown PA.

Thank you, Richard. We are traveling out into the digiteria today

https://store.thetileworks.org/products/a-night-of-song-in-the-big-room-february-27

Thank you, Brian. Thanks to you I was able to transmit that music to Will C

Mike, Sun Ra was at the first Be-In

Pretty cool

in S.F.

Oh....THAT Be In

I had no idea

"The meeting of the tribes", made it to the cover of Rolling Stone

Right!....heh that's what I used to call my yearly 4th of july party

Rofl, what is happening?

Rick, this is one of my favorite organ records

I've got a window seat in this spaceship. I'm looking out the window and there's a guy playing a B3. So good!

Next stop Saturn

And right next to the guy playing the B3 is a cranking bari sax guy!!!

Haha, Rick and Mike have front row seats

Aaaaaay

Hi Ears, glad your ears are hear, your good ears!

here to hear

Cacophony of love.

Speaking of ears, this is music to my ears.

You got it, bro!

A true stero Ra track from back in the day

Most were Mono?

I put a dedication to Sun Ra on my CD Cover - He influenced me so much. I've shared this before - He picked me out as one of 3 costume contest winners at a Halloween show they played. His eyes met mine as I went onstage and he gave me a big smile.

Half of Ra's output was mono, often rehearsals at the Ra houose on Morton Street in Germantown

Now that's a memory, VC! You had the spirit, still do!

At one point I called the Evidence office and asked if I could purchase the entire Sun Ra Catalog at once from them. I was told sure, but with no discounts offered. I think I ended up owning the all purchased from record stores. I have deliberately left 2 unopened so I can have some 'New" Sun Ra to listen to at some point in the future.

Love it, Benj

"Pleasant Twilight" is a twilight on another planet in space.

An outstanding show by one of the planet’s foremost experts on Sun Ra!

This tune is spiritually refreshing.

Thank you, Russ!

Russ interviewed Ra three times, I believe. Is that correct, Russ?

It sounds like they used a fishing rod here

📡in space, nobody can hear you count 🔭

Hi Jerry! This music is helping to perk up an otherwise dreary day

Haha, profound, Ears!

adding a little Sun...Ra!

Hi Li Maria, I like the way you put that!

Nice to know you are out there listening

Nice to know you are inspired by this music

Nice to know you and PRB are out there ;)

Stellar - or is that interstellar- music!

I interviewed Sun Ra twice on 88.9 FM: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fBUQoxt7X54 and https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ygRAhzhuH18

Russ, I didn't know it had been uploaded to YouTube!

Two other 88.9 interviews with Ra, one by Jules Epstein https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7abDw08WAww&pp=0gcJCUABo7VqN5tD and the other by Lisa Bruton https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob_yZflNoV8

SPACE IS THE PLACE!

Haha, Rick! The intergalactic National Anthem!

Happy friday everyone. Great show as always Jerry. Hope everyone is jammin out right now

Hi Adam! Glad you're out there in Galaxy GoGetter! Love your greetings every Friday!

Sylvie Courvoisier (piano) and Ellery Eskelin (sax) perform tonight at the Stone in Greenwich Village: http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php

ShortCuts featuring Ikue Mori with Sylvie Courvoisier (piano), Ned Rothenberg (reeds), Nasheet Waits (drums) Ikue Mori (electronics) play at the Stone tomorrow at 8:30 http://www.thestonenyc.com/calendar.php

Sun ra at the first be in in San Francisco..is that true?

Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński plays the music of John Coltrane at Roulette in Brooklyn on Tuesday, 2/24 at 8 pm https://roulette.org/event/raphael-roginski-plays-john-coltrane/ Free livestream!

It was well known that Ra roamed at least one of the Be Ins. I am not positive it was the first one, I have to investigate to refresh my memory. If you can find it, Space Cowboy, it is discussed in the Ra Rolling Stone Cover story

The Magic City: Birmingham According to Sun Ra, new documentary about the early years of Sun Ra will be screened at Bok Auditorium on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, presented by Ars Nova Workshop and Lightbox Film Center: https://www.arsnovaworkshop.org/programs/the-magic-city/

Ars Nova Workshop celebrates powerhouse saxophonist, Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader and NEA Jazz Master Marshall Allen on the historic occasion of his 102nd birthday at the RUBA Club on Sunday, May 24, 2026.in Philly: https://www.arsnovaworkshop.org/programs/marshall-allen-102nd-birthday-celebration/

Guy Klucevsek Memorial Concert: Comin’ On Home remembers the great accordionist at Roulette on Wednesday, February 25: https://roulette.org/event/guy-klucevsek-memorial-concert-comin-on-home/

Killer Sun Ra sets Jerry!

Hi Pat G, nice of you to say! Thank you!

The Really Rosie soundtrack got heavy play in my world last summer. Musically and lyrically so playful! ❤️

Impressive!

Really Rosie was one of my kids' favorites!

Little Eva once said that her BF beat her because he loved her which inspired Carol

And I guess the result was the song "He hit Me and It Felt Like a Kiss"

Indeed

This is such a great tune!

You old romantic, Rick!

Really is

Hello

Hey Rob

Freddie Scott performs this truly admirably on one of those old PBS specials.

Hi Rob, we're in the early sixties listening to songs written by Carol King in celebration of her birthday

Ah....those fund raising shows?

Never heard of 'em

@Russell thank you for those links to all the shows

My favorite John Lennon quote, "we wanted to be Goffin/King of England."

Liverpool being a port city, had sailors bringing records back from America so the Beatles got to hear these soul records.

Ears, Mike, good stuff!

There's your WPRB Beatles minute.

I saw Carole when I was young - the across the street neighbor worked for Waxie Maxies record stores and gave me 2 tickets to see her at Consitution Hall in DC. It was a snowy night and only half the audience showed up. She had everyone move down close. It was great. I was much older when I learned who she really was and how lucky I was.

A great one, you famous guy you. Mike did Beatles related things for WMMR!

I might have actually wondered why Carole King was playing covers of other bands ;)

Wow, NICE NEIGHBOR! GREAT STORY, Benj. BIG! And you got to drop in Waxie Maxies!

Hi Mike and ty Jerry. Happy birthday Ms King!

The changes in this tune are classic and make the hair on my arms stand up!

Nice, Rick!

Hi Jerry, it's great to hear this Monkees cover (Pleasant Valley Sunday)!

Mike and Pete play on this

Great song (anti-establishment) and King's lyrics reflected the changing times!

When I listened to Taj Mahal sing Giant Step, I wondered why he was covering a song by the Monkees and who this songwriters Goffin and King were.

Haha, Russ!

Russell, I heard this Monkees cover when I was around 10, first heard Carole King about 4 years later, and many many more years later learned that she had written Pleasant Valley Sunday

*co-written

Ah....reminds me of Easy Rider

One of the best Carole King covers ever! Laura Nyro!

That was a helluve version of Up On The Roof

Agreed, Mike.

Jerry!!!

Right on, Russ!

Jerry, your show was pure unadulterated enjoyable entertainment! Job well done!!! Everybody have a great weekend!

G Jax, yes!

Great show Jerry

Such a blast! Thank you Jerry

Thanks so much John C!

Ears, right on!

When in HS I worked at the local Drive In. ON Saturdays during the day, they'd pipe this album through the speakers

Wow, did not know that she wrote wasn't born to follow. I did know she wrote going back which also happens to be my favorite bird too. Yes I know not that kind of bird but I'm talking into this while I'm driving and I just happened to drive past Pleasant Valley Road

G Jax, we also have noted bird expert Rob from Maryland in the house.

Great show, Jerry. What a pair! Sun Ra and Carole King!

Yes, notorious Bird Bros, my favorite Byres album

Thank you Russ, I am going to listen to one of your Ra interviews tonight!

The album where Crosby left

I loved this last part of the show, Jerry. Ty and until the next time!

Mike, thanks

Til next time

Rick, excellent review, thank you!

Have a great weekend everyone

Everyone, have a great weekend! Vilda, ROFL!

Thx Jerry. Have a great weekend all!

Thank you Rob!

HA!

Got you in there Roffle! The opium kicked in I see!

There's opium?