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Serenade to a Cuckoo with Jerry Gordon

May 29, 2026 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Music

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!

5.29.26

3 hours of the music of Sonny Rollins who just passed away on Memorial Day

12:03 PM		Steinski I Like It Like That What Does It All Mean? - 1983-2006 Retrospective
12:03 PM		Roland Kirk Quartet & Rahsaan Roland Kirk Quartet Serenade to a Cuckoo I Talk with the Spirits Verve 1963
12:07 PM		Sonny Rollins St. Thomas Saxophone Colossus Prestige 1955
12:23 PM		Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins Airegin Miles Davis With Sonny Rollins Prestige 2016
12:33 PM		Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins Oleo Miles Davis With Sonny Rollins Prestige 2016
12:33 PM		Miles Davis & Sonny Rollins Doxy Miles Davis With Sonny Rollins Prestige 2016
12:37 PM		Sonny Rollins & Thelonious Monk The Way You Look Tonight The Complete Prestige 10-Inch LP Collection Craft Recordings 2017
12:42 PM		Sonny Rollins It's All Right With Me Work Time Craft Recordings 1956
12:50 PM		Sonny Rollins There's No Business Like Show Business Work Time Craft Recordings 1956
1:01 PM		Sonny Rollins Pent up House (2007 - Remaster) Plus Four
1:27 PM		Sonny Rollins Quartet Tenor Madness (feat. John Coltrane) Tenor Madness (Remastered) Prestige 2014
1:41 PM		Sonny Rollins Blue 7 (Rudy Van Gelder Remaster 1956) Saxophone Colossus Prestige 1955
2:11 PM		Sonny Rollins Moritat Saxophone Colossus Prestige 1955
2:12 PM		Sonny Rollins I'm an Old Cowhand Way Out West (Deluxe Edition) Craft Recordings 1957
2:13 PM		Sonny Rollins Tune Up Newk's Time Blue Note Records 1957
2:17 PM		Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt & Sonny Rollins On The Sunny Side Of The Street Sonny Side Up Verve Reissues 1959
2:26 PM		Sonny Rollins Grand Street Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass (Expanded Edition) Verve Reissues 1958
2:29 PM		Sonny Rollins The Bridge (Remastered 2003) The Bridge RCA Bluebird 1962
2:36 PM		Sonny Rollins You Do Something to Me The Bridge RCA Victor 1961
2:40 PM		Sonny Rollins Alfie's Theme (From "Alfie" Score) Alfie (Original Music From The Score) Verve Reissues 1966
4:44 PM		The Rolling Stones Waiting On a Friend Tattoo You Polydor Records 1981
4:53 PM		Sonny Rollins Quartet Paul's Pal Tenor Madness (Remastered) Prestige 2014

Chat is archived.

Welcome, everybody, to Serenade to a Cuckoo!

Ola

Ola, Senor!

Happy Friday to Jerry and Mike and everybody!

Hi Rick! Happy Friday, everybody!

Hi Rick

How are you guys? Rick, sorry to hear about your buddy

Thanks, Jerry.

Tired! been up since 3:30

How come? Or does that happen often?

Way too often....sleep eludes me

I hear you. We all hear you.

That little piano bit at the end of the solo makes me crazy

I now have to squeez 5 minutes of words into 2 minutes and I will thrip all over mself.

And type poorly to boot

If Blavat could do it you can do it

Haha, you don't want to hear me attempting to be Blavatt

You doing Hyski Lit would work for me!

Now he had a golden voice!

Philly did have some good vocal talent

Top 'O the day to all.

Hi ET

Hey Elias!

Greeting to all. Requiescat en Pace to the great Sonny Rollins. A true Saxophonus Colussus.

Dag, i guess I missed it. Miles 100th birthday? No kidding. No wonder I keep hearing and seeing Miles stuff.

Hi Jerry, hi fellow Cuckoodians 🎶 🐦

Hey Patrick!

Right into the theme song at noon, I love it. Wasting no time!

Hi Patrick! Hi Christine! Correct!

What an Imperial (margarine) list so far Jerry!

Christine, the 8 new icons or whatever are now available and in use. Have you seen them yet?

Rest in power, Sonny Rollins 🕊 🎷

Hey Christine and Dan!

You butta believe it Dan, how ya doin'?

Christine- annoyed, i was trying to find my front turnsignal lens and missed the Cuckoo.

Dang. Hi, @Elias 👋

Moi? Super Fine, and I’ll be standin’ tall on the weekend, thanks to you, Sonny.

Rick!

Hi dan C, Elias, Patrick, Rick & Mike

Is there anyone with an adequate voice to broadcast?

No worries, Vein. Ozzy coming on in a few minutes. for a guest appearance.

sonny here and only gettin better

Sonny appeared at Keswick theater a number of times but his most memorable local appearances were the Academy of Music 1983 Kool Jazz Fest and a free appearance at Penns Landing.

@Jerry, I DID see that about the new emojis. One of which is a ✨️trombone✨️

Rollins, a rare artist who’s beyond ranking his output. IMHO

I look forward to seeing you introduce them into your vocabulary.

Hey Christine

That's the Apple operating system, and as an Android user 🤖, I don't see them in my line-up. I'll look into it further.

Aha

Let me take you through the streets of London, and I will show you something that will really make you ....Siiiiiiick

Best windshield squeegee guy ever at light was December, London. ‘92

In my first hour, rental, wrong side of road. Heading to Lakes District.

8/8/54, dating myself

yeah I feel you Dan. That rental car just wanted to keep right.

Stonehenge, here we come!

August 8? Thats my pretend birthday, being a Capricorn.

It felt like days trying to get out of London, sprawling city.

Finally made it all the way you to Lands End, on the dual carriageway.

Pretend?

Pretend name, pretend birthday, I am just a simulacrum of a Jerry's room participant.

Did they ever ban smoking in pubs? God awful

Nice! I’ll pretend I’m left-handed, bilingual, etc.

These vibes are immaculate. 💯

Wish I could pretend to finish cutting grass

I'm pretending that I'm a bari sax player.

Blowbigman

Haha!

Richeous reedy

apparently there is a double contra bass sax. Somehow u tube sent that over. It stands about 6 foot 7.

Now thats the Sax I be seein in my sleep

Sax chasing a hot dog bun?

First recording with Babs Gonzalez …. 1949

Christine and I agree on a left hook.

12 minutes ‘til SHOWTIME!

Who’s on skins here?

Drum guy!

This percussion 🥰

My god

That's not percussion, that's drums. lol

Philly Joe Jones?

Lol @ Roffle

Kate Smith’s favorite

Good guess, Dan. Very good. It's Max Roach

Hi Roffle! Beautiful Day, were you out already?

Max! Monster

Christine, good taste as always

American jazz "drummer". Says so in Wikipedia! :)

Percussion is the fancy-schmancy way of saying drums.

I just got in Jerry, and glad to be here.

Wiki called Matovani, Mitch Miller “Jazz”

BAM! had a good feeling / hope that today would be a Sonny Rollins tribute. Thank you Jerry!

I roll my R’s, same affect

Hi Chef! I hope you enjoy!

@Christine, it's like vocabulary, we all know what it is, but we all don't know how to make it work. I'm soooo Guilty of that. :)

girrrard avenue

A lot of covers evoke Flintstones theme for me

Very diplomatic…

J. E. R. R. Y

Edie Huggins one classy lady

Mitch Miller, Dan? Now that's rich.

Only TV sing-along show ever. For good reason.

Ha, @Dan

This just gets better and better

Mitch was between Perry Mason, and Larry Welk Show.

Any Clifford Brown jazz festival fans I believe they moved it to the Fall time season

I want more bouncing balls on TV or YouTube or whatever for sure.

Torture to sit thought, waiting for Jack Parr.

Bubbles too!

Mitch inspired the V for Vendetta mask

And some kind of royalty sisters and such.

Ha Jack Parr! What were you doing up, Dan?

Patrick, yes Edie Huggins!

There’s gotta be a jazz standard called “TANG”

Pop hated Jack Parr

Its like Sugar Mountain up in this. All my friends are here.

Hoping for Jane Mansfield naturally

Hello everyone

It's probably in the American Jazz chart book somewhere Dan. :)

Hi Robb

Hi Jerryyy

Or atomic age instrumentals like Telstar

Tornados original

Joe Meek was a genius

I watched the Beatles via satellite, but I think they were just across the Hudson at the time. Not sure on that.

Or Studio One at Abby Road

Telstar. what was that anyway? Always sounded like something spinning very fast to me.

Abbey

Great Vocal performance by Jayne Mansfield in the too cool for school movie The girl Can’t Help It.

Yep

Don't loose yer head

lose

Your guy max roach, Christine

@Mike Constantine, Abby studios?

@Mike- Both are correct.

I always think of her as a closeted Rhodes Scholar for some reason now

Well, it was EMI studios back in the Beatles day

I'm from NJ, I don't know these things Mike! LOL

Royalty all

Jayne Mansfield is buried in Pen Argyl, PA, very near the Pocono Mountains.

Godzilla/Kong…neither wins

Tokyo loses

Trane in mouth

Now Sonny & John Coltrane can fight it out/hug it out in the afterlife. 🎷🎶 vs. 🎶🎷

@Christine, you just solved a lot of my internal conflicts! LMAO

Indeed

@Roffle, ha

Fine line between spiritual, transcendent and addiction, obsession? One thought

Thinking of course about the Third Name, Horn

We all want to be god until we realize the job description.

Hi @Rob 🦀! I heard you were feeling crappy (or crabby). I hope you're feeling improved.

Roffle, that's deep!

Creating floods and pestilence is ehausting

When you're god, everyone's a critic.

@Rick, They tell me I should probably stop digging

Jerry, this set is actually evoking my Uncle Al’s Whirlitzer basement jukebox. Huge influence on my childhood music listening.

Uncle is the root of 'Avuncular'

@Christine, Yes! That's the job I want! Critic at large!

He must have bought it loaded with jazz singles, because he preferred polkas.

Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins. 800 pages and worth every word. Highly recommended https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/aidan-levy/saxophone-colossus/9780306902802/

I'm waiting for the unauthorized version of the Jerry Gordon story.

Bless you Woessner! You always bring the recipts!

I will track that down. Closest I got was Wayne Shorter a couple times live. Also Jarman in Art Ensemble of Chicago.

receipts.. those things...

Working on it feverishly Elias. Preliminary title I Gordon !!Still trying to pin down Carly Simon for an interview. Will be unauthorized as Gordon refuses to cooperate.

There are people who don't like Polkas? I knew I made a wrong turn at Universe you like - this way.

“Jerry & Gordon…NO, Not Them!”- working title

Easy to hear the difference between Rollins and Coltrane, trading back and forth!

Jimmy Sturr is the Sonny Rollins of Polka

This show has been FAB, Jerrrrry

Thank you, Jimboooo!

Punctuation, and accents for sure.

I concur

Thanks, Dan

Jimmy Sturr is the Sonny Rollins of Polka?Yes, that's a solid analogy. Jimmy Sturr is widely known as the "King of Polka." He's a multi-instrumentalist (trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, etc.) and bandleader who's dominated the genre for decades. His band, Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra, has won 18 out of the 24 Grammys ever awarded in the Best Polka Album category (before it was discontinued), more nominations than anyone else in polka history, and he's earned gold records and massive popularity, espe

“Music to get used to seatbelts by”

Yep

Thanks, ET

Jimmy Sturr annually appears at Musikfest in Bethlehem and he always packs the venue.

My Favorite Things is my Coltrane number one. With live at newport

I only do what the Archons ask.

Great information, @Elias. Who knew?!

A bass player totally keeping in register is a gift.

Someone who plays reeds and brass has my unending respect. Now about that bagpipe...

You got it, Roffle, this bass is just outstanding, Doug Watkins

it's a wmuh thing

An act of love and giving.

Other Rollins gigs in Philly: 5/3/79 at Walnut Street Theater; 10/7/86 at Memphis; 10/25/88 at the Trocadero.

Thanks, Russ

I'm not going to be able to make any of those shows Russel.

Wow long forgotten short lived MEMPHIS. Nice hit Russ

Best Memphis BBQ…Cozy Corner.

Call me a nut job if you will but I say we were a far better country when people were listening to Laura NYRO music regularly!!

Hands down

This is equilibrium. We balance the saxophone against the high hat. I sense a Bass solo in my future

And not Nero covers I’d only add

Nyro sorry

@Patrick White, Carly Simon called out this whole administration in the 70's ffs! Crazy. I hope she talks to you. I bet she will.

Suetonius certainly had a entry for Nero He may have been slandered. He played the violin quite well. .

Nimble piano fingers.

Now, jazz bagpipe....that's something else entirely.

Sign me up Christine!

Laura Nyro? Still trying to understand Shira Small and Carla Bley

Rufus Harley king of Jazz bagpipes

beware the Red Hot Chili Pipers

The great Rufus Harley

Was he an Irish guy?

Or from that other place with the skirts?

Tonight & tomorrow at the Jazz Gallery: A John Coltrane 100th Birthday Celebration & The Life of Sonny Rollins presented by Jaleel Shaw. Livestreamed! https://jazzgallery.org/calendar/jaleel-shaw-may-29-30-2026

Great info, thanks @Russell!

I don't want to make it 'about me' BUT- it is a great story. I found Rufus Harley in the phone directory, and asked him for a lesson. I had bought s cheap set of bagpipes on craigslist. Anyway, he played a tape of himself and Larry Kane together. He was at least 6'3" Jerry has told me he used to come into the Shop. No True Scotsman would ever disagree.

Rufus was an African American son of North Philadelphia who any ethnicity would be glad to claim . Inspired to take up the bagpipe when he saw the Black Watch at JFKS funeral

Rufus Harley would come into the store in his kilt!

Jerry, I have to bow out early today. Your tribute to Sonny Rollins, including the history lesson (!), has been VERY special! Well done by you! Everybody enjoy your weekend!

my mind is still in awe of seeing him blow those pies in his living room for a private performance.

Thanks, Rick. You're a good man!

pretty cool Patrick.

You too, Patrick. Making key points today

Tonight at Roulette: John Zorn's New Masada Quartet. Also livestreamed https://roulette.org/event/john-zorn-new-masada-quartet-2026/

Jerry, that is as insane as I expect from you. The no kilts above the knee rule was no doubt in effect. :)

No, he was respectful

I had bought Zorn's rendition of 'the Big Gundown' Where he covers the music of Ennio Morricone. No idea what ever happened to 'A Shot in the Dark'

Very modest

ET, what a CD

Probably changed it to A# Shot in the Dark for the horns.

Next Friday Jerry will be doing a 24 hour jazz marathon titled They Shoot DJS Don’t They? Gig Young will be emceeing.

Ha! I always liked Gig Young although they say he was a terrible drunk. Who was he married to again?

Do you spin wax here Jerry? I know a lot of things are archived digitally.

The wax drums are in the stacks. :)

video will be in technicolor

So I guess you would know Shira Small, but I had thought that they put all the 24 track machine out next to the dumpster. Apparently not so. To add wow and flutter to expand a vocal or lead track, the old tape machines work best. trying to do it digitally is apparently quite difficult. on the sunny side of the street

Wow just found out guy was married to Bewitched and offed himself!! Also just found out strait laced Robert Cummings was a raging crazed methamphetamine meth monkey.

what are you doing later Patrick?

Without the beard Sonny and Don Newcombe really did look similar.

@Patrick White, I had a cheap lunch at a weird Chinese restaurant the other day and saw all that shit before I finished the eggroll.

I've been told I look like Smokey Burgess

Vein want a date with you Jerry. Speak sweet nothings into his good ear.

2 great Viatnamese restaurants within 2 minutes of each other on Adams Ave. pho ha and pho today…

Pho nie is what I would call a Viet restaurant here.

And I'm Phonic!

Adams Ave? I'll be right over, but the line at the Home Depot is snaking well past the plumbing aisle. Its like Gilligan himself on the Williamsburg Bridge.

Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess was an American professional baseball catcher, pinch hitter, coach, and scout, who played in Major League Baseball from 1949 to 1967. Burgess was selected as an All-Star in six seasons

I knew we could count on Jerry for an excellent Rollins tribute! The Bridge was the first Sonny Rollins album I bought, and it also introduced me to Jim Hall

Bud, you always show your refined taste! Thanks, Bud

@Bud, I too saw the storm upon the horizon.

Great album you chose, there

Sign the petition to rename the Williamsburg Bridge after Sonny Rollins:https://sonnyrollinsbridge.net/

Can I do that from Philly? Or is it more of a suggestion?

I can't recall the details, but someone I trusted recommended it to me, and I loved it instantly. It's been too long since I've listened to it!

Pretty cool Russell. I say- we re name the 3rd street Jazz way- Jerry Gordon Street.

As a member of the Rofflephonics you automatically qualify.

Headed to bank with that now Jerry.

Green Gordon Street?

Jazz drum solos just seem more legit than in rock to me. Live when band members went for a smoke, seemed logical.

Oh, not to mention not only one giant gong, but Carl Palmer really going extreme, 3 or 4, giant bell overheard rope in mouth activated.

On rotating platform. Silly, and spinal tap besides.

I signed the petition, but it's a bit much. These people and their websites. It's fucking endless.

Way Out West was my intro to SR. First cd I ever bought I think.

1874 Maurice Ravel.

arranged 'Pictures at an Exhibition. '

@dan. that stadium performance with gloves on.

Okay! Okay!

I love enough.

Vein was obviolsy trolling.

I think Alfie has popped up on YT recently. His sampled line “I don’t like music!!” On big audio dynamite first record too, with other Michael Caine lines.

“Who are you, the Lone Ranger?!?”

Genius is very good at reflecting genius in the most interesting ways. Thanks Jerry! See you...

Its the battle for the ages. I prefer word jazz. And I do have a bass clarinet when words do not suffice.

Great show! Thanks!

So good I’ve put off lunch afraid to miss something

The Jazz Archives have stunning pictures of Sonny playing on the Williamsburg Bridge in the winter. They are hauntingly beautiful

@Elias, a barrie bass sax or and Chinese double bass?

So many questions, so little time...

its a wet dream Roffle. Actual Bass Clarinet. Eric Dolphy on Last Date. Chinese Double Bass? I'll be in the basement.

WTH? Three hours passed me in the fast lane.

Weird! Wiki makes it look like serenade to cuckoo is by Jethro Tull. Funny

Great album

I understand the basement. It helps the the family AND the neighborhood. :)

They did a version

I'll take you down to that bright city mile there to powder your sweet face and paint on a smile, that will show all of the pleasures and none of the pain,

As they often do, these three hours have flown 🐦 like a Cuckoo!

Hey Mike, thanks for hanging in.

Sonny Rollins & Ornette Coleman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhXlwdkcLc4

Very enjoyable show

Christine, you are the greatest!

Glad this one hasn’t been overplayed like wild horses.

Thanks, Jerry for the excellent tribute to Sonny Rollings, may he r.i.p. 🕊

Thanks, Mike. That was a lot of Sonny Rollins to listen to.

now what am I going to do? Pull weeds from my garden and plant the tomatoes?

Cheers everyone...enjoy this fine weather and get some Vitamin D

Both very rewarding

Great show, Jerry. Thanks!

B bye

👏 👏👏

An interesting character, that Sonny! Thank you Christine, Dan, great to have youo here today, Russ, great stuff and thanks for your suggestions, ET good stuff

Spin meister extraordinaire

Thats Rollins? Not a big stones fan. maybe I'm just late I realize i don't really understand anything at all. I am totally getting a date with Joni in the afterlife.

Thanks Dan

Till next time

👍

This is another Sonny Rollins composition, Paul's Pal, dedicated to Paul Chambers

Thanks very much, Rofflephonic! You make the shows fun!

Patrick, you are the hippest

But you make them GOOD!