This broadcast from Overlook Mountain will be the fifth and final in a multipart series devoted to showcasing overlooked jazz musicians whose careers were sadly cut short by early deaths, whether due to disease, accidents, addiction, murder or mysterious circumstances. The series, “Points of Departure," is named after an Andrew Hill album. It's surveyed nearly 100 musicians from across 110 years of recordings, beginning with a rag by Scott Joplin from 1907 and ending on a recording by Jaimie Branch from 2017. The series offers recordings as points of departure to envision what these talented artists might have done had they lived longer. This installment concludes the list of those who died accidentally, and finishes up with those unfortunate musicians who died from murder and mysterious circumstances. “Overlooked” host Rob Saffer will be joined by series collaborator/jazz archivist Marc Epstein for this series finale. 

Playlist: 

Vitus Labrusca (“Overlooked” theme) - Ben LaMar Gay

Confessin’ I Love You - Doug Watkins

Your Last Chance - Lem Winchester

My Man’s Gone - Scott LaFaro

Two Autumns - Mike Taylor

Spring Wind - Colin Walcott

Hesitation Blues - James Reese Europe

Guarachi Guaro - Chano Pozo

The Creep - Al Killian 

Twisted - Wardell Gray

Two Sons - Ray Draper

Ghosts - Albert Ayler

Slumber - Lee Morgan

The Chicken - Jaco Pastorius

Reverse the Charges - Freddie Webster (Frank Socolow’s "Duke Music")

A Crush for the Crab - Richard Twardzik

Lotus Blossom - Ernie Henry

Some Clark Bars - Sonny Clark

Complete - Carl Perkins (Curtis Counce’s “You Get More Bounce”)

Theme 001 - Jaimie Branch

After the news at noon, “Overlooked” is a show focusing on overlooked and under-heard jazz, improvisational, and other fringe music, from early roots to contemporary experiments, a mix of familiar to rare, classic to weird. Pre-recorded on Overlook Mountain in Ulster County.

Host Rob Saffer is the former Executive Director and Producer of the Creative Music Foundation. While living in Brooklyn for 25 years, he served on advisory boards for Celebrate Brooklyn and Symphony Space. He also curated the Brooklyn Museum’s summer jazz series and helped found The Mingus Big Band.