Return To Vinyls Podcast focuses on what makes the great music that we love from Jazz, Soul and R&B artists and the stories behind the creation and the creators. As a working visual artist and retired professor in Art, Journalism and Liberal Studies host and creator David Husom has spent his life surrounded by creative people in the arts. He brings that perspective of the creative process. The podcast goes beyond just music—looking at the process and work that goes behind creating music and art and the history of the music industry. It is much more than just another record review podcast
EP: 32 Miles Davis For Beginners Part Three The Orchestral Projects
For artists many times there is a precursor. Something they dabbled in or explored and then got sidetracked and headed off in a different direction. But that precursor comes back. And this time that earlier experiment, that earlier spark or exploration becomes a driving force.
The idea for Miles Davis and Gil Evans to record with a large orchestra did not happen overnight. It was the evolutionary result of a musical partnership that began years earlier with the Davis and Evan’s work on the so called Birth Of The Cool sessions.
But that partnership lead to Miles Davis and Gil Evans working with a large orchestra yielding their landmark Columbia Records trilogy Miles Ahead in 1957, Porgy and Bess in 1959, and Sketches of Spain in 1960.
Although Miles Davis was known for always looking ahead and not back, Quincy Jones finally convinced him to revisit his orchestral work at the Montreux jazz festival in Switzerland on July 8th 1991. On this, the one hundredth birth year of Miles Davis we look at his ground breaking work with Gil Evans and a large orchestra.
25 Sept 2026
EP: 31 There Are Two Kinds of Harmonicas and Two Kinds of Players—Toots Thielemans and Peter "Madcat" Ruth.
When you think of a harmonica you might think of some lonesome cowpoke entertaining the other cowboys with "Home On The Range" sitting around the campfire in a cowboy movie. Or you might think of the blues greats bending notes on a harmonica, or what is also called a “blues harp.” The most common is the Hohrner Marine Band harmonica. It is known as a Diatonic harmonica. Ten notes in and ten notes out.
The other kind of harmonica is a Chromatic. It has 48 notes— it can play sharps and flats like a piano and therefore play full octaves. Stevie Wonder plays a Chromatic on Fingertips. In the end the two different kinds of harmonicas are as different as a ukulele and a guitar.
There are two harmonica greats that played with some of the biggest names in jazz and music. Toots Thielemans played his Chromatic on over 150 albums. Peter "Madcat" Ruth primarily plays the Diatonic harmonica — but he too has appeared on over 150 albums. They are the perfect harmonica virtuosos to explore the harmonica playing jazz, soul, pop, Bossa Nova and the blues. But also making a surprise musical appearance is Dave Brubeck along with his sons Darius, Chris and Danny. Yep, "Madcat" played with them as well.
1 Aug 2026
EP 30: Ray Charles: That Cat Has Nine Lives.
Host Ann-Marie Rose explores Ray Charles' groundbreaking career, from R&B and jazz to country music, and the revival of his Tangerine Records label.
Who has been a guest on Return to Vinyls
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Rufus Thomas
Marvell Thomas
Vaneese Thomas
Carla Thomas
Helen Humes
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
30
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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