Hey, Jazz fans, be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of bassists Slam Stewart, Tommy Potter, Red Mitchell and Jimmy Woode, saxophonists John Coltrane and Frank Foster, singers Ray Charles, Irene Reid, Les McCann and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of “Charlie Parker at Storyville” (1953), “The Kenny Drew Trio” (1956), Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Big Band’s “Trane Whistle” (1960), Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery’s “The Dynamic Duo” (1966), Spike Robinson/”Sweets” Edison Quintet’s “Jusa Bit O’ Blues, Vol. 2” (1988) and many others Mondays thru Fridays at noon on JAZZ MASTERS‘on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Jazz Corner of the World Encore  

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Strata East Records, Part 4 

Host Craig Kessler totes in another batch of CDs and vinyl from this top-notch, extremely hard to find, ‘power’ jazz record label. We’ll hear a tasty array of jazz styles from a broad spectrum of vaunted Black artists, mostly from the mid-1970s, like John Betsch, Shamek Farrah, poet Jayne Cortez, Weldon Irvine, and others. It important music from a very important record label!

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

Chris Merz at Kirkwood

Saxophonist, educator, and band leader Chris Merz is a driving force in jazz. As the director or Jazz Studies at the University of Northern Iowa, Merz has launched the careers of dozens of young jazz stars. In his own right, he has fronted a number of critically acclaimed bands, including the X-tet, Equilateral, and Christopher’s Very Happy. Band. In 2016, he joined the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble on stage for their spring concert.

Jazz Night in America

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

Jazz and Sesame Street

It’s an hour of “sunny days,” as host Christian McBride tells us how to get to Sesame Street. McBride, Joe Fiedler’s Open Sesame, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis play new takes on the classic music. And we’ll hear the jazz stories behind the music of the legendary program.

Jazz Corner of the World

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

Bennie Maupin’s Reed Artistry

Host Craig Kessler looks at the terrific jazz recordings from master flautist, saxophonist, and bass clarinetist Bennie Maupin. Bennie is probably best known for his work on Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and several of Herbie Hancock’s classics. But we’ll also hear him with Woody Shaw, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Andrew Hill, and others, as well as some of his own recordings. Don’t miss it!

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

Each night, KCCK gives you the chance to hear a new CD played start-to-finish.

Latin Jazz Project, Vol. 2 by Ray Obiedo on Monday; Clique by Patricia Barber on Tuesday; Kinds of Love by Renee Rosnes on Wednesday; Absence by Terence Blanchard on Thursday; Tell Tale Heart by the Avey Grouws Band on Friday; A Bluesman Came to Town: a Blues Odyssey by Tommy Castro on Saturday; Samara Joy by Samara Joy on Sunday