Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
The Short List: Corridor Jazz (Dennis McPartland)
Dennis McPartland leads The Jazz Underground at KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars (Photo by Ann Kinney)
The Short List “Corridor Jazz” series continues with drummer Dennis McPartland who was a part of the revered 19980s & 90s local trio – Daugherty-Davis & McPartland. Aside from being a well-known part of the Eastern Iowa music scene, he is also an educator teaching at Kirkwood Community College and Indian Hills College in Ottumwa. He also teaches through the KCCK sponsored “Schoolhouse Jazz.” Though he spent three years in Los Angeles when just out of college and played with people like Joe Lovano, Richie Cole and Steve Allen, he came back to Iowa to forge his career.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Louis Armstrong: ‘The Man and His Music,’ Part 2
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong transcended a lifetime of obstacles to become America’s most influential singer and trumpeter. In the process, he became a true American hero, shaping the destiny of the jazz world forever. By going from rags to riches, Louis Armstrong realized the American dream and became arguably the most important artist in American culture.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“Birth Date Anniversary Celebration For Kenny Wheeler”
Craig salutes trumpet and flugelhorn master, KENNETH VINCENT JOHN WHEELER (1/14/30 to 9/18/14), by spinning a dazzling array of selections from the exquisite sounds of this important composer and player. We’ll hear Kenny both as a leader, and as a sideman, spanning his 64 + years in the jazz recording business. Be sure to tune in for the mellow beauty that Kenny was able to produce for us.
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
Ponderosa Stomp: The Doctor Is In
Dr. Ike, a.k.a. Ira Padnos, founder of the Ponderosa Stomp Festival
We all have at least one friend who is a complete record geek, an aficionado of Americana, or a passionate purveyor of obscure music. For some, this love of music grows into something much bigger than they could ever imagine. New Orleans’ own Dr. Ike is a perfect example -– a man whose quest for music has made him into a walking encyclopedia of American pop culture: rock and roll, soul, R&B, swamp pop, jazz, cajun, zydeco, garage rock, blues, and more.
Not only is Dr Ike an encyclopedia – he’s also one of the main people responsible for the Ponderosa Stomp, a music festival that celebrates the unsung heroes of American music. This week we hear how his quest for the perfect wedding band led him to create a New Orleans institution, and brought him to Lincoln Center and beyond. Plus we have a set from Eddie Daniels, recorded live at the 2013 Ponderosa Stomp!
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Celebrating Dave Brubeck
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis @ Davies Symphony Hall ©JamesKnox
Dave Brubeck’s music is reimagined by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. Jazz Night in America explores various Brubeck compositions adapted for big band, as we sit down and discuss with the arrangers the decisions they made when approaching the material.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Hot Latin Jazz For a Cold Winter’s Night – James Dreier and ¡RITMOCANO! (ICJF)
James Dreier (white hat and shirt) leads ¡Ritmocano! at the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival
¡RITMOCANO! is a 6 – 7 piece Latin jazz group from Iowa City led by percussionist James Dreier (formerly of Orquesta Alto Maiz) that features some of the best jazz musicians in the Midwest. ¡RITMOCANO! plays many styles from various regions of Latin jazz, including mambo, cha cha chá, rumba and bembé from Cuba, samba, bassa nova and maracatú from Brazil, merengue, calypso form the Caribbean and much more. Of course, American jazz elements also play an important part of this energetic and entertaining genre.
Dreier was a founding member of Orquesta Alto Maiz from 1986 until 2012. Dreier has long had a dream of forming a more jazz-oriented Latin group. ¡RITMOCANO! is the realization of that dream. Although born and raised in Iowa, Dreier has been a life-long student of Latin music, studying it at Berklee College of Music in Boston, traveling to Cuban and Brazil numerous times and of course, playing and touring for 26 years with Orquesta Alto Maiz. The formation of ¡RITMOCANO! is simply the latest path on this long road of discovery.
Members of ¡RITMOCANO! are drawn from the highest ranks of Iowa’s jazz musicians, including Rich Medd (trombone), Greg Mazunik (bass), Steve Shanley (piano) and others.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“The Amazing Piano of Conrad Yeatis “Sonny” Clark” 
Craig will present a variety of selections from one of the hippest jazz pianists from the decade of 1953 to 1962. We’ll hear Sonny as the “house pianist” on many of the greatest Blue Note sessions from that era, as well as a number of own his sessions. Clark was a magnificent player whose legend continues to grow! Don’t miss it!
Tropical Heat (hosted by Kpoti Senam Accoh)
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Album: “Grand Masters” by by Oliver Mtukudzi 
http://www.emusic.com/album/oliver-mtukudzi/grand-masters/16122230/
Gifted with a deep, gutsy voice and a talent for writing songs that reflect on the daily life and struggles of the people of his homeland, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi is one of Zimbabwe’s greatest artists. His blending of Southern African music traditions, including mbira, mbaqanga, jit, and the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore, has created such a unique sound that it has been respectfully dubbed “Tuku music.” While Parade referred to Mtukudzi as “one of the few genuine innovators on the Zimbabwean music scene,” Prize Beat proclaimed that “his music has been instrumental in strengthening our freedom, socially, politically, and economically.” Bonnie Raitt, who has recorded several of his songs, explained, “The juxtaposition of what Mtukudzi sings about and his raw, imploring, vocal reminds me of Otis Redding, Toots Hibbert, and some of my favorite reggae, an odd pairing of agonizing, thorny lyrics over basically lighthearted music.” Mtukudzi released his debut single, “Stop After Orange,” in 1975.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: