Category: KCCK Blog

New Music Monday for April 14, 2025

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify The members of the all-star family band the 3 Cohens—with siblings Anat on clarinet, Avishai on trumpet and Yuval on soprano sax—have always taken time out from their individual careers to reconvene for music-making together. They developed a deep musical bond while growing up in Tel Aviv, with …

Continue reading

This Week In Jazz April 13 through April 19

Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of trumpeter Shorty Rogers, saxmen Gene Ammons and Leo Parker, bassists Richard Davis, Gene Cherico and Buster Williams, guitarist Jeff Golub, flutist Herbie Mann, pianists Pete Malinverni, drummer Danny Gottlieb and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Lester …

Continue reading

This Week’s Shows April 14 thru April 20

Jazz Corner of the World  (Encore) Mondays at 6:00pm Herbie Hancock’s Birthday Join host Craig Kessler as he celebrates the 85th birthday of the legendary Herbie Hancock by spinning a tasty variety of his music, including some classic charts for Blue Note Records, some work with his group Mwandishi, recordings for Columbia, Verve, and so …

Continue reading

New Music Monday for April 7, 2025

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify While growing up in Oklahoma, one album that became saxophonist Sharel Cassity’s personal guiding light was Christian McBride’s “Getting’ To It.” After moving to New York City in 2000, she worked her way up in the performing scene and eventually came to play alongside each member of the …

Continue reading

This Week’s Shows April 7 thru April 13

Jazz Corner of the World  (Encore) Mondays at 6:00pm Booker Little Birthday Celebration Craig notes the birth date anniversary of trumpet genius Booker Little, Jr. This seminal figure in jazz history passed on at the very early age of 23. We’ll hear examples of his brilliant artistry with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, …

Continue reading

This Week In Jazz April 6 through April 12

Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of songwriter E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, singers Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae, percussionists Mongo Santamaria, Victor Feldman, Pete LaRoca, and Steve Gadd, pianist/composer Claude Bolling, multi-instrumentalist Joe Defrancesco and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birk’s Works” …

Continue reading

New Music Monday for March 31, 2025

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify Nnenna Freelon’s voice is a reflection of life, filled with personal stories, deep emotion, and quiet wisdom. Since her 1992 debut, the seven-time Grammy nominee has used her unique perspective to tell familiar stories—from reimagining Billie Holiday to paying tribute to Stevie Wonder. On “Beneath the Skin,” she …

Continue reading

This Week In Jazz March 30 through April 5

Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of singers Alberta Hunter and Doris Day, vibist Red Norvo, trumpeters Booker Little, Al Hirt and Al Naylor, guitarists Freddie Green and Larry Coryell, pianist/composer Duke Jordan, saxophonist Harry Carney, bassist Scott Lafaro, drummer Duduka da Fonseca and more. We’ll …

Continue reading