The KCCK Featured Album for July is “Bossas and Boleros” from bassist Gabriel Espinosa, who recently retired after 27 years as the Director of Jazz Studies at Central College in Pella,. The title of the disc honors the music that Gabriel grew up with as a teenager during the Sixties in Yucatan, Mexico, and his …
The KCCK Featured Album for June is “Time Flies” from Steve Smith and Vital Information. The disc launches the latest incarnation of the band, and marks 40 years since the recording and release of the first Vital Information album in 1983. The band emerges with a new approach as a piano trio with a wide …
The KCCK Featured Album for May is “Dig It!” from 3 Dawgs and a Bone. This is the debut recording for this Eastern Iowa ensemble, who have been performing together since 2015. The lineup includes guitarist Steve Grismore and drummer James Dreier, both retired jazz faculty from the University of Iowa; and trombonist Rich Medd, …
The KCCK Featured Album for April is “Samba Sem Voce” by singer and guitarist Rosa Passos., whose playful yet sophisticated style is marked by spacious elegance and natural flair.. For years, the Brazilian bossa nova queen has had a devoted global following ,including fans who proclaim her to be the Brazilian Ella Fitzgerald. She has …
The KCCK Featured Album for March is KCCK’s Corridor Jazz Project Volume XVI. The disc showcases the outstanding high school jazz programs in the area and provides the opportunity for the student musicians to interact with and learn from college jazz directors and other professional players. The bands and their guest artists record tracks, under …
The KCCK Featured Album for February is the self-titled debut release from “The Heavy Hitters.” This brand new ensemble includes some of the most established players in the genre, co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and saxophonist Eric Alexander, long-time friends coming together for their very first sextet project as leaders. Recorded at the legendary Van …
The KCCK Featured Album for January is “On a Clear Day” from the Oscar Peterson Trio. In 1971, the ensemble was in transition. It was the beginning of a long musical partnership and close personal friendship between Oscar and bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, and the continuation of his years working with drummer Louis Hayes, which …
The KCCK Featured Album for December is “The Pan American Nutcracker Suite” by the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band. Tchaikovsky’s classic work has enjoyed tremendous popularity as a perennial winter holiday tradition. Drummer and bandleader Joe McCarthy and co-arranger Vince Norman infuse the original work with the rhythmic traditions of Cuba, Africa and …
