36 Hours of Christmas!
12:00pm December 24 – Midnight December 25 
Let KCCK be part of your Holiday festivities when we bring you an entire day and a half of wonderful seasonal music performed by many of the top names in jazz, both past and present. Our special holiday programming begins Christmas Eve at noon and continues throughout Christmas Day. You’ll be treated to many of your favorite Christmas songs and carols by everyone from Louis Armstrong to Cedar Walton plus brand new Christmas releases for 2015 by The Count Basis Orchestra, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Etienne Charles’ Creole Christmas and more!
Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
The Short List: Jazz Clubs Live – Pacific Northwest
Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle
Portland Oregon had an active jazz scene, but the bassist Leroy Vinnegar’s move to that city in the mid-80s, invigorated the jazz community even more. Portland is also home to several other fine jazz artists, including singer Rebecca Kilgore. Seattle is not known as a hot spot of jazz, but they too have some fine venues. Seattle also was the place for a significant appearance by John Coltrane. In addition the major music mogul Quincy Jones hails from Seattle.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Cab Calloway: ‘A Hi De Ho Centennial’
Cab Calloway
He was the “Hi De Ho” man, a legendary showman, gifted singer, bandleader, actor, and fashion trendsetter. This larger than life figure, immortalized in cartoons and caricatures, was also the leader of one of the greatest bands of the Swing Era. As an incubator for new talent, Cab’s band launched the careers of Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Milt Hinton, Cozy Cole, Chu Berry, and Doc Cheatham, among others.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“The Jazz Corner of The World’s 2015 Holiday Show”
In addition to obscure jazz holiday selections, Craig will play a variety of outstanding sounds from the mellow, contemplative side of the jazz landscape. The 19th is also the birth date anniversary of piano giant BOBBY TIMMONS, who happens to have recorded a wonderful holiday LP for Prestige Records in 1964…and Craig will also treat us to a variety of other tasty selections from Mr. Timmons! Toss aside the hectic, stressful intensity of the season and drop on down to the JAZZ CORNER OF THE WORLD!
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
Crescent City Christmas Card 
Enjoy music for the season New Orleans style with “Cresent City Classics” by Aaron Neville, The Heritage Hall, Leroy Jones and a host of others for a real holiday Christmas Gumbo!
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Merry Merry Big Band 
To ring in the holiday season, Jazz Night in America spends the hour with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performing highlights from their holiday songbook. We cozy up with members of the orchestra about their arrangements and favorite holiday moments. Recorded between 2012 and 2014, the music features appearances by guest vocalists Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gregory Porter and René Marie.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Iowa City Jazz Festival 2015: Ben Allison Think Free
Ben Allison Think Free at the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival
Bassist/composer Ben Allison is one of a few band leaders working in jazz today who has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to classical and world music, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.
Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe and a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene” by JazzTimes, Allison has released eleven CDs of original music, including 2013’s The Stars Look Very Different Today (on his own Sonic Camera Records).
Ben’s album Action-Refraction, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and remained in the top 20 for over three months, making it one of the most-played CDs of 2011. Action-Refraction was named one of the Best Albums of 2011 (of any genre) by NPR and Time Out New York.
Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland
Thursday at 6:00 PM
(pre-empted this week for KCCK’s special holiday programing)
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“The Jazz Scene In 1975” 
Craig travels back 40 years to look in on some of the great recordings from 1975. We’ll hear from Dexter Gordon, Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Kenny Wheeler, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and many others! We’ll also look at ’75 through the lenses of Down Beat Magazine’s reader’s poll and critic’s poll. Don’t miss this end-of-the-year party that will be filled with a host of surprises!!
Riverwalk Jazz
Sunday at 5:00 PM
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
Topsy Chapman
Riverwalk Jazz does it up big for this New Year’s Eve celebration. An all-star cast featuring vocalists Stephanie Nakasian and Topsy Chapman with trumpet star Nicholas Payton join bandleader Jim Cullum and host David Holt. Spend the evening dancing and romancing with an expanded Jim Cullum ‘Big’ Band performing favorites— “A Kiss To Build A Dream On”, “When You’re Smiling,” “High Society” and more.
Tropical Heat with Kpoti Accoh
Sunday, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Album: “Cape Verdean Melancholy” by Bau 
http://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/bau-melan.shtml
Born on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente, Rufino Almeida (aka Bau, which is the Portuguese word for box) was raised by a professional luthier who taught him both to build and to play the guitar, the violin, and an indigenous four-stringed instrument called the cavaquinho, all of which he mastered at a young age. During his tenure as musical director for singer Cesaria Evora in the 1990s, Almeida found time to record several albums of his own, highlights of which are compiled on Cape Verdean Melancholy for the U.S. market to coincide with the release of the Pedro Almodovar film Talk to Her (which features the album’s lead track, “Raquel,” in its soundtrack). The music is lovely and expertly played; the layered guitars and cavaquinhos are spiced with subtle percussion and an occasional Stephane Grappelli-esque violin; “Luanda” features saxophone as well, and the effect is not entirely successful, but the song’s overall groove is more intoxicating than the others on the album, which are mostly thoroughly pleasant but not always terribly interesting. Those who love the music of this region already will find much to enjoy here, but most newcomers will likely find it enjoyable but rather bland.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: