Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
The Short List: A Personal History of Jazz
Benny Goodman
On The Short List this week Bob Naujoks starts a personal history of jazz and some reminiscences about how he came to love the music. It was the Swing revival of the early 1950s that was the catalyst. Recordings heard over the radio by Benny Goodman, Count Basie and the Metronome All-Stars became his favorites.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Paul Desmond: ‘The Sound of a Dry Martini’
Paul Desmond
Alto saxophonist Paul Desmond’s airy tone was just one aspect of his great artistry. He was a wholly original improviser whose unfailing lyricism, clear logic, and advanced harmonic sense produced some of the finest solos on record. Many of these solos were recorded during his long association with pianist Dave Brubeck. Their chemistry led to enormous success during the ’50s and ’60s, including one of the most popular jazz recordings of all-time — Desmond’s “Take Five.”
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“The Short-Lived, Cambridge, Ma Jazz Label, Transition Records”
Craig surveys and presents some of the exceptional material from the mid 50’s that was recorded and produced by the label founder, Tom Wilson. We’ll hear early recordings from Yusef Lateef, Cecil Taylor, Donald Byrd, Doug Watkins, Sun Ra, Herb Pomeroy, Paul Chambers, and others. Great music and interesting stories relating to the record label.
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
“Ain’t Misbehaving”
Leroy Jones
Leroy Jones started out his career playing trumpet in his parents’ garage in New Orleans — and he played so loud it caught the attention of jazz legend Danny Barker, who lived in the neighborhood. Since then his journey has taken him to the Superbowl Halftime show and around the world — and now all the way back to us for an intimate interview and performance at the historic Basin St Station.
Harry Connick Jr said “No one could touch him. For young musicians like me, he was exciting, intimidating. For the older ones, he was the keeper of the flame. But Leroy did more than keep the flame. He started a forest fire…”
Leroy was mentored by Danny Barker, forming the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, which also included Lucien Barbarin, Big Al Carson, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, Herlin Riley, Gregg Stafford, Joseph Torregano, and many others. This was followed by the Hurricane Brass Band, and many more.
The Leroy Jones Quintet played a special show for New Orleans Calling at the historic Basin St Station this spring, and we featured tracks on our Live from Basin St Station segment in this episode. Here’s a video of “Basin St Blues” from that show. Featuring Leroy Jones (trumpet), Katja Toivola Jones (trombone), Meghan Swartz (piano), Mitchell Player (bass), and Gerald French (drums).
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Tootie Heath Turns 80! – Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center
Al “Tootie” Heath
Jazz Night In America is honored to celebrate the 80th birthday of drummer, bandleader, and force of nature Tootie Heath. He’s recorded with Coltrane, lead a band for fifty years, and played with Dexter Gordon, Nina Simone, Wes Montgomery, and many more. In eight decades, Heath hasn’t missed a beat – listen in for the sound of a true jazz veteran.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Hot Latin Jazz for a Cold Winter Night: Airto Moreira and Eyedentity at the 2007 Iowa City Jazz Festival
Airto Moreira
A child prodigy in his native Brazil, Airto Moreira was singing and playing percussion by age 6 and soon had his own radio show. He became a professional musician at 13, moving to Sao Paulo at 16 to work in nightclubs and television as a percussionist, drummer and singer. He followed singer Flora Purim to New York, where he worked with Reggie Workman, JJ Johnson, Cedar Walton and bassist Walter Booker, who connected him to gigs Cannonball Adderley, Lee Morgan, Paul Desmond and Joe Zawinul. Airto worked for two years with Miles Davis, including the Bitches Brew sessions in the early 70s; he went on to co-lead Weather Report and work with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever. He founded Fingers with Flora Purim and later performed with Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, George Duke, Paul Simon, Santana and Chicago and appears on numerous movie soundtracks. Since 1973 he has won Downbeat’s readers and critics polls 20 times. The trio Eyedentity has been playing for ten years, the teaming of Moriera and Purim’s daughter Diana and Walter Booker’s son/Wayne Shorter’s nephew Krishna Booker with George Duke’s son Rashid Duke. The resulting music is an eclectic mélange of Afro-Brazilian, hip hop, acid jazz and funk.
Jazz Happening Now (hosted by Jeff Hanley)
Thursday at 6:00 PM
Jeff Hanley
The men and women who play jazz today, particularly the young musicians who are devoting their lives to this music, inspired the creation of “Jazz Happening Now” produced and hosted by Jeff Hanley.
Here is a personal note from Jeff about the new program:
Every week, as host of “Jazz After Hours,” I receive dozens of excellent new releases. The musicality and professionalism of the players and their recordings is extraordinary. The depth, breadth and variety of the music being written and performed is thrilling. These new artists and their work serve as the catalyst and the inspiration for each new episode of “Jazz Happening Now.”
The premise of this new show. The future of jazz is happening now, if you just listen.
Since the peak of what many people think was the golden age of jazz, there have been two or three generations of musicians who have dedicated their lives to building upon, sometimes deconstructing, but always honoring the work of those who came before. They’re committed to writing and recording and performing music that is beautiful and thrilling and as true to jazz as anything ever recorded. They’re playing it in cool bars and classy clubs and quality restaurants, and at vibrant, often sold-out destination festivals all over the country. They’re honoring America’s unique musical contribution to the world and every time they step on stage, or play before a microphone, they’re making something new of it.
They do it for love. Is there anything more authentic and important to our culture?
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“Blue Note Records in 1966” 
Craig travels back 50 years to look in on the jazz recordings that came from Blue Note Records in 1966. We’ll hear great, but sometimes overlooked, material from the likes of Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Andrew Hill, Donald Byrd, Sam Rivers, Duke Pearson, Blue Mitchell, and many others. Tune in for some satisfying selections that we don’t get to hear everyday!
Tropical Heat with Kpoti Accoh
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: