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Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Donny McCaslin Group
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern Donny McCaslin is a critically acclaimed saxophonist who is recently known for working with David Bowie on his album, “Blackstar.” McCaslin has created a bold, exploratory new sound in jazz, blasting out new styles of rhythms and arena-inspired rock sound with gusto while still keeping a loyal bond to …
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Stacey Kent
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern “Stacey Kent is a revelation. There is nobody singing today who can compare with her. She has the style of the greats, like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. And she sings the words like Nat Cole – clean, clear and almost conversational with perfect phrasing. And that’s as good …
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – John Raymond & Real Feels
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern “Electrifyingly new and strangely familiar at the same time…with his mix of modern sounds and old-fashioned feeling, Raymond is steering jazz in the right direction.” (DownBeat Magazine) As a trumpeter, educator, and composer, Raymond brings a modern take to the classics we all have come to love. He was …
Culture Crawl 258 “From Red Rocks to Telluride, via Iowa City”
Kevin Hanick and the music committee for the Iowa Arts Festival have brought dozens of famous musicians to the June event over the years. This year is no exception, with headliners that include Son Volt, Elephant Revival, and Jeremy Kittel. This is not to take away from over 100 artist booths in a juried show, …
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Kris Davis Quintet
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern “A deeply thoughtful, resolutely individual artist who offers an ‘uncommon creative adventure.’ Davis draws you in so effortlessly that the brilliance of what she’s doing doesn’t hit you until the piece has slipped past.” according to JazzTimes. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Piano from the University of …
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Christopher’s Very Happy. Band.
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern “The jubilant sound of Christopher’s Very Happy. Band. results from a combination of bright sounding compositions played with joyous abandon by its members.” Christopher Merz brings the audience an innovative type of sound, Happiness, through jazz, rock, pop, and classical influences. Merz and fellow musicians Michael Conrad, Dave Tiede, …
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile – Laura Caviani Trio
By Jordan Maldonado, KCCK Programming Intern Laura Caviani has performed and recorded for over 15 years. The Minneapolis Star Tribune hailed her debut CD, Dreamlife as “…in a word, outstanding“. Marian McPartland called it “…sparkling and inventive“. Her second release, As One, was touted as “stunningly fresh” by Jazz Times. Caviani is a veteran of …
Culture Crawl 257 “Junior Zombies”
Teresa White is Site Supervisor for Ushers Ferry Historic Village, which takes visitors back in time to what life in a small town was like in the 1890s. Ushers Ferry hosts dozens of summer camps each summer, designed to get kids away from screens, and doing hands-on activities that give them a taste of what …