Short List with host Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Cats On The Keys 4: Jaki Byard
This week’s Short List features the long-overlooked but excellent pianist Jaki Byard. He has a legacy of 35 solo recordings and another 50 as a sideman. Byard played with the best – Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Roland Kirk, and even the Duke Ellington Orchestra – and had an encyclopedic knowledge of piano jazz and jazz history. He became known as an effective, if unorthodox teacher at the New England Conservatory. Hear the music and stories of Jaki Byard this week on the Short List!
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Verve Records in 1957
Craig travels back 60 years to look in on some of the 240+ recording sessions that took place during 1957 for Norman Granz’ Verve Record label. We’ll hear choice examples from Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Buddy DeFranco, and many others. One of the top jazz labels in modern jazz!!
Jazz Profiles with host Nancy Wilson
Monday at 11:00 PM
Melba Liston: Bones of an Arranger
Melba Liston (1926-1999) made her mark as one of the few women to succeed as a jazz instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. A trombonist in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, she played in big bands and led her own group in the ’70s and ’80s. As an accomplished arranger, she brought musical life to the songs of artists as diverse as Billie Holiday, Gloria Lynne, Art Blakey, Milt Jackson, and even Marvin Gaye. And her musical collaboration with pianist Randy Weston for more than thirty years produced such critically acclaimed albums as The Spirits of Our Ancestors and Volcano Blues.
Wednesday Night Special
6:00 PM
Peter Schlamb Trio at the Opus Concert Café
Missouri-based vibraphonist Peter Schlamb brought his trio to First Friday Jazz as part of their recent national tour. He, along with bassist Karl McComas-Reichl and drummer John Kizilarmut, put on an excellent show that impressed the crowd at the Opus Concert Café. As local jazzman Bob Dunn commented, “these guys are the real deal.” The audience that evening learned that truth for themselves, as will you when you tune in to this week’s Wednesday Night Special!
Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride
Thursday at 11:00 PM
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
Jazz Night in America presents Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society and their latest project entitled Real Enemies. Argue describes the piece as “an exploration of real world beliefs, of the present day folklore that we call conspiracy theories.” Musically, Real Enemies draws from on 12-tone compositional techniques along with a collage of found text and media from dozens of sources that trace the historical roots, iconography, ideology, rhetoric, and psychology of these conspiracies.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
HighNote Records
As part of Craig’s tribute to the recently departed record producer and label owner, Joe Fields, we survey another jazz record label founded and operated by Joe Fields and his son Barney – HighNote Records. Craig spins a tasty variety of jazz gems from this classy label that was founded in 1996. Artists include the likes of Pat Martino, Etta Jones, Russell Malone, Tom Harrell, Larry Coryell, and a host of other present-day jazz greats!
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: