New Music Monday for December 29, 2025
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Masterful trio interplay reliant on deeply honed three-way communication and a refined sense of understatement make Fred Hesch’s third recording for ECM Records, “The Surrounding Green,” an essential entry into the piano trio canon. Hersch tackles a handful of 20th century compositions—spanning from standards to less frequented jazz tunes—as well as three originals, with Drew Gress on bass and Joey Baron on drums—two longstanding companions of Fred’s who have played with him on and off since the late ‘80s and early ’90 respectively.
Following their previous two Grammy nominated albums, vocalist Kurt Elling and guitarist Charlie Hunter return with “SuperBlue: Guilty Pleasures Vol. 2,” the latest installment in their creative partnership. The new release finds the pair continuing their bold, groove-driven approach to familiar songs, reinterpreted with grit and jazz-forward musicianship. With a powerhouse rhythm section and arrangements that blur genre lines, the duo transforms well-known tunes into something strikingly fresh.
Also this week, 15 year veteran of the Western Canada music scene drummer Neil Gray’s “In the Streets” is a bebop/hardbop love letter to Vancouver; saxophonist Chad LB runs the gamut of styles, from classical and jazz standards to classic rock and doo-wop, on “The Shadow of Your Smile”; and contemporary jazz supergroup JazzFunkSoul, featuring keyboardist Jeff Lorber, saxophonist Everette Harp and guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr., unveil their latest project, “Simpatico.”
This Week’s Shows December 29 thru January 4
Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)
Mondays at 6:00pm
Eric Dolphy on Prestige
Craig presents a variety of impressive and unique modern jazz gems from the 18 Prestige sessions featuring the award-winning clarinetist, alto saxophonist, flautist, bandleader, and composer Eric Dolphy, who continues to receive tributes from around the world. He’ll always remain an important inspiration in jazz, and in all musical genres!
KCCK’s Best of 2025 Live (December 31)
Beginning at 1:00pm
Join KCCK as we listen back to incredible live performances from 2025, as selected by our listeners. From 1:00pm until Midnight, we’ll hear rising stars and living legends play the best in jazz, blues, funk, and soul from KCCK’s 50th Anniversary Year!
Jazz Corner of the World
Saturdays at 12:00 noon
Herbie Nichols’s Birth Date Anniversary
Craig presents some top-notch material from Herbie Nichols, born January 3, 1919, whom Craig considers one of jazz music’s superior composers and pianists. We’ll hear Herbie’s work for Blue Note, Bethlehem, Savoy, and several other labels. Herbie Nichols is certainly one of jazz’s most tragically overlooked geniuses.
KCCK’s Midnight CD (December 22 – December 28)
Every Night at Midnight
KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.
Cortadito by The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective on Monday; Speaking of Gravity by Andrew Carroll on Tuesday; No Midnight CD on Wednesday; Memories of Home by John Scofield & Dave Holland on Thursday; Not Holding Back! by Kyle Rowland on Friday; Have Mercy! by Sean McDonald on Saturday; Cat & the Hounds by Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds featuring Catherine Russell on Sunday.
Top 88 for 2025
The Yellowjackets’ “Fasten Up” was the Number-1 album in KCCK’s Top 88 jazz releases of 2025. Conrad Herwig “Reflections: Facing South” was Number-88. Following is the list of everything else in between.
Click here for a printable version of KCCK’s Top 88 for 2025
- Yellowjackets “Fasten Up” (Mack Avenue)
- Russ Anixter Hippie Big Band “What Is?” (Russ Anixter)
- Artemis “Arboresque” (Blue Note)
- Paquito D’Rivera “La Fleur de Cayenne” (Sunnyside)
- Judy Wexler “No Wonder” (Jewel City Jazz)
- Airmen of Note “The 2024 Jazz Heritage Series” (U.S. Air Force)
- John Clayton & Mulgrew Miller “Talk to Me About Mulgrew” (ArtistShare)
- Rachel Therrien “Mi Hogar II” (Lula World)
- Rachael & Vilray “West of Broadway” (Concord)
- Mike Clark & Mike Zilber “Standard Deviations” (Sunnyside)
- Sharel Cassity “Gratitude” (Sunnyside)
- Michel Petrucciani Trio “Jazz Club Montmarte”—CPH 1988” (Storyville)
- Kandace Springs “Lady in Satin” (SRP)
- Neal Miner “Invisibility” (Cellar)
- Michael Dease “City Life” (Origin)
- Igmar Thomas Revive Big Band “Like a Tree It Grows” (Soulspazm)
- Peter and Will Anderson “The Best of Berlin” (Arbors)
- Holly Cole “Dark Moon” (Rumpus Room)
- Scott Hamilton “Looking Back” (Stunt)
- Erik Jekabson “Breakthrough” (Wide Hive)
- Brad Mehldau “Ride Into the Sun” (Nonesuch)
- Giacomo Smith “Manouche” (Stunt)
- Nnenna Freelon “Beneath the Skin” (Origin)
- Albare “Eclecticity” (Alfi)
- BeatleJazz “Reunion” (Yama)
- George Cables “I Hear Echoes” (High Note)
- Bruce Harris & Ehud Asherie “Thank You, Barry Harris” (Arbors)
- Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell “We Insist 2025” (Candid)
- Nanami Haruta “The Vibe” (Origin)
- Willie Morris “Unbound Inner”(Posi-Tone)
- Sean Nelson New London Big Band “Don’t Stop Now” (Sean Nelson)
- Jeremy Pelt “Woven” (High Note)
- Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap “Elemental” (Mack Avenue)
- Carl Allen “Tippin” (Cellar)
- Richard Baratta “Looking Back” (Savant)
- Ron Blake “Scratch Band” (7ten33)
- Christian McBride Big Band “Without Further Ado Vol. 1 (Mack Avenue)
- Nicole Glover “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” (Savant)
- Harold Lopez-Nussa “Nueva Timba” (Blue Note)
- Diego Rivera “West Circle” (Posi-Tone)
- Jim Snidero “Bird Feathers” (Savant)
- Ben Sidran “Are We There Yet” (Bonsai)
- Russ Spiegel “Nity Gritty” (Russtone)
- Isaiah J. Thompson “The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry” (Mack Avenue)
- “Ali Bello & the Charanga Syndicate” (Circle)
- Jim Mullen “For Heave Sake” (Stunt)
- Triology “The Slow Road” (Cellar)
- Queen Esther “Things are Looking Up” (Queen Esther)
- Tom Rotella “Right Time Left” (High Note)
- WDR Big Band “Bluegrass” (MCG Jazz)
- Jacob Wutzke “You Better Bet” (Cellar)
- Cyrus Chestnut “Rhythm, Melody and Harmony” (High Note)
- The Dam Jawn featuring Dick Oatts “Forward!” (Cellar)
- Lorraine Feather “The Green World” (Relarion)
- Mike Freeman ZonaVibe “Circles in a Yellow Room” (VOF)
- Jackson Potter “Small Things” (Shifting Paradigm)
- Steve Smith & Vital Information “New Perspective” (Drum Legacy)
- Blue Moods “Force & Grace” (Posi-Tone)
- The Empress “Square One” (Cellar)
- Bob James and Dave Koz “Just Us” (Just Koz)
- Josh Lawrence “Still We Dream” (Posi-Tone)
- Anais Reno “Lady of the Lavender Mist” (Club44)
- Greg Murphy “Snap Happy” (Whaling City Sound)
- Poncho Sanchez & his Latin Jazz Band “Live at the Belly Up Tavern” (Regime)
- Wild Iris Brass Band “Way Up” (Ear Up)
- The Chicago Jazz Orchestra featured Bobby Broom “More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery” (CJO)
- Mike Conrad Trio “Pretzel Letters” (SkyDeck)
- Caili O’Doherty “Bluer Than Blue: Celebrating Lil Hardin Armstrong” (Outside In)
- Jim Witzel “Very Early: Remembering Bill Evans” (Joplin & Sweeney)
- Renee Rosnes “Crossing Paths” (Smoke Sessions)
- Greg Abate Quartet “Positive Energy” (Summit)
- George Coleman “George Coleman with Strings” (HighNote)
- Claire Martin “Almost in Your Arms” (Stunt)
- The Reid Hoyson Project “In Your Dreams” (Reid Hoyson)
- Ryan Middagh Jazz Orchestra “Tenor Madness” (Ear Up)
- Joshua Redman “Words Fall Short” (Blue Note)
- Cory Weeds and Jerry Weldon “Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon” (Cellar)
- Kate Wyatt Trio “Murmurations” (Cupfa)
- James Zito “Zito’s Jump” (James Zito)
- Ledisi “for Dinah” (Candid)
- Andy Baker “From Here, From There” (Calligram)
- Daggerboard with the Erik Jekabson Orchestra “Axes Volume II” (Wide Hive)
- John Ellis “Heroes” (Blue Room Music)
- Eric Scott Reed “Out Late” (Smoke Sessions)
- M.T.B. “Solid Jackson” (Criss Cross)
- Samara Joy “Portrait” (Verve)
- Behn Gillece “Pivot Point” (Posi-Tone)
- Conrad Herwig “Reflections: Facing South” (Savant)
Listen to the Top 88 here on Spotify:
KCCK’s Year-End Fireworks with 25 Live and Top 88
Iowa’s Jazz Station ends 2025 the same way we spent this banner year: Giving you great music!
Each during during the final week of 2025, we’re look back at the year’s best jazz releases with KCCK’s Top 88 of 2025. Listen at 11am each day for our annual countdown of the most-played CDs from this year.
On New Year’s Eve, we’ll play back your choices from KCCK’s 50th anniversary music events. Our “25 Live” special includes Jazz Under The Stars Reunion shows with Daugherty, Davis, & McPartland, Kings of ‘da Blues, and Al Naylor’s I-380 Express. Plus student bands 10th Street Rapids and the Go Benesh Quartet. And from the Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Mike Conrad Trio and BYO Brass. The fun starts at 1pm Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Then, on New Year’s Day, we’ll count down the entire Top 88 beginning at 6am, from 88 all the way to number one.
Relax into 2026 with America’s Music on KCCK!
Clean Up Your Act 12-22-25
A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer is out with a new book that examines the damage humans have done to Iowa’s rural land and waterways.
Podcast (cuya): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
New Music Monday for December 22, 2025
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Guitarist John Scofield and bassist Dave Holland, two of jazz’s contemporary masters, have played together over the years in contexts including projects with Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson and a spirited co-led band with Joe Lovano and Al Foster. “Memories of Home” is their first duo album together. It was recorded last year after extensive touring activity and features tunes each composed, some old, some new.
Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds team with three-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Catherine Russell on “Cat & the Hounds,” reimagining the sound of early 1920’s Black jazz and blues through historical research and contemporary interpretation. Drawing from rare archival recordings and obscure material alongside canonical pieces, the group approaches these century-old traditions not as re-enactment but as restoration, exploring the complex, cosmopolitan roots of Black popular music in the early recording age.
Also this week, the Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective reflects the musical heritage of Puerto Rico mixed with the sophistication of modern jazz on their fourth album, “Cortadito”; Toronto-based pianist Anthony D’Alessandro’s sophomore album “City Lights” was inspired by the many cities his music has brought him to; and “Speaking of Gravity” melds modern jazz styles, forms and aesthetics to create an aural representation of pianist Andrew Carroll’s compositions.
Holiday Music, 2025’s Best Liven Up Your Holidays on KCCK
Iowa’s Jazz Station is THE place to enjoy great music throughout the holidays.
We begin Christmas Eve morning at 10, with 38 hours of uninterrupted holiday music to make your time with family and friends even more special. All commercial free, of course.
Beginning December 26, we’ll look back at the year’s best jazz releases with KCCK’s Top 88 of 2025. Listen at 11am each day through Dec. 31 for our annual countdown of the most-played CDs from this year.
On New Year’s Eve, we’ll play back your choices from KCCK’s 50th anniversary music events. Our “25 Live” special includes Jazz Under The Stars Reunion shows with Daugherty, Davis, & McPartland, Kings of ‘da Blues, and Al Naylor’s I-380 Express. Plus student bands 10th Street Rapids and the Go Benesh Quartet. And from the Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Mike Conrad Trio and BYO Brass. The fun starts at 1pm Wednesday, Dec. 31. Click here for the broadcast schedule.
Then, on New Year’s Day, we’ll count down the Top 88 beginning at 6am, from 88 all the way to number one.
Relax into 2026 with America’s Music on KCCK!