Special Programs for December 20 thru December 26

Jazz Corner of the World Encore  

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Kenny Burrell’s Guitar Artistry 

Host Craig Kessler takes a first look at Kenny Burrell’s very important early work, focusing on classic recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and other top jazz labels. Burrell is still highly revered by fellow musicians and fans alike.

 

 

 

 

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

The Christmas Channel

KCCK keeps up the jazzy good cheer of the holidays as we present two hours of KCCK’s Christmas Channel! For our Wednesday Night Special all month long, you’ll hear the best in holiday jazz (just like we play on KCCK Jazz-2) to keep you merry and bright all season long.

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

It’s The Holiday Season!

It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas! Host Christian McBride gives us all the gift of festive songs and stories from three favorite singers – Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum, and Jose James.

 

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

The Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler is pre-empted for the Holiday. Enjoy KCCK’s Christmas Channel as you celebrate. Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

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

Serenade to Highland Park by Doug MacDonald on Monday; Restless by Jackson Potter on Tuesday; Impetus by D’Andre Lettsome on Wednesday; Rhythm of the Night by Pete Escovedo on Thursday; No Midnight CD enjoy KCCK’s Christmas Channel on Friday; Flathead by Seth Lee Jones on Saturday; Unamuno Songs & Stories by Dave Meder on Sunday

Top 88 for 2021

Gerry Gibbs’ Thrasher Dream Trios “Songs From My Father” was the Number-1 album in KCCK’s Top 88 jazz releases of 2021.  Rahsaan Barber’s “Mosaic”  was Number-88.  Following is the list of everything else in between.

   Click here for printable list.

  1.  Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios “Songs From My Father” (Whaling City Sound)
  2. Veronica Swift “This Bitter Earth” (Mack Avenue)
  3. Helen Sung “Quartet+”   (Sunnyside)
  4. Roy Hargrove & Mulgrew Miller “In Harmony” (Resonance)
  5. Till Bronner & Bob James “On Vacation”  (Sony Masterworks)
  6. Matthew Whitaker “Connections”  (Resilience)
  7. Diana Krall “This Dream of You” (Verve)
  8. Ethan Iverson “Bud Powell in the 21st Century”  (Sunnyside)
  9. Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm “Not a Novelty”  (Sunnyside
  10. Marc Cary “Life Lessons” (Sessionheads)
  11. Leo Sidran “The Art of Conversation” (Bonsai)
  12. David Larsen “The Mulligan Chronicles” (David Larsen)
  13. Quincy Davis “Q Vision” (Qore)
  14. Dave McMurray “Grateful Deadication” (Blue Note)
  15. Dave Stryker “Baker’s Circle” (Strikezone)
  16. Nnenna Freeelon “Time Traveler” (Origin)
  17. George Kahn “Dream Catcher” (Playing Records)
  18. Julian Lage “Squint” (Blue Note)
  19. Anibal Rojas “Cachai” (Anibal Rojas)
  20. Dave Zinno Unisphere “Fetish” (Whaling City Sound)
  21. Alexa Tarantino “Firefly” (Posi-Tone)
  22. Behn Gillece “Still Doing Our Thing” (Posi-Tone)
  23. Melody Gardot “Sunset in the Blue” (Decca)
  24. Bob Mintzer & the WDR Big Band “Soundscapes” (MCG Jazz)
  25. Charles Lloyd & the Marvels “Tone Poem” (Blue Note)
  26. Victor Gould “In Our Time” (Blue Room)’
  27. Band of Other Brothers “Look Up!” (Ear Up)
  28. Julian Gerstin “Music for the Exploration of Elusive Phenomena” (Zabap)
  29. Art Hirahara “Open Sky” (Posi-Tone)
  30. Rebeca Kilgore Trio “Volume 1” (Heavywood)
  31. Antonio Adolfo “Jobim Forever” (AAM)
  32. Tom Kubis Big Band “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (Ray Kat)
  33. George Cables “Too Close for Comfort” (High Note)
  34. Professor Cunningham & His Old School “The Lockdown Blues” (Arbors)
  35. Mark Masters Ensemble “Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster” (Capri)
  36. Greg Murphy “Cool Water” (Whaling City Sound)
  37. Samara Joy “Samara Joy” (Whirlwind)
  38. Ulysses Owens, Jr. Big Band “Soul Conversation” (Outside In)
  39. Renee Rosnes “Kinds of Love” (Smoke Sessions)
  40. Mike LeDonne “It’s All Your Fault” (Savant)
  41. Diego Rivera “Indigenous” (Posi-Tone)
  42. Dave Weckl Band “Live in St. Louis” (Autumn Hill)
  43. Terence Blanchard “Absence” (Blue Note)
  44. Norah Jones “…’Til We Meet Again” (Blue Note)
  45. Lisa Hilton “More Than Another Day” (Ruby Slippers)
  46. Vincent Herring “Preaching to the Choir” (Smoke Sessions)
  47. Keith Brown Trio “African Ripples” (Space Time)
  48. Eric Lilley “Follow Up” (Twin Goat)
  49. Ray Obiedo “Latin Jazz Project Vol. 2” (Rhythmus)
  50. Ojoyo “Ojoyo Plays Safrojazz” (Sunnyside)
  51. Patricia Barber “Clique” (Impex)
  52. Michael Dease “Give It All You Got” (Posi-Tone)
  53. Code Quartet “Genealogy” (Justin Time)
  54. Santi Debriano “Flash of the Spirit” (Truth Revolution)
  55. Joey De Francesco “More Music” (Mack Avenue)
  56. Steven Feifke Big Band “Kinetic” (Outside In)
  57. Harold Land “Westward Bound” (Reel to Real)
  58. Stacey Kent “Songs from Other Places” (Candid)
  59. Chad Lefkowitz-Brown & the Global Big Band “Open World” (LaReserve)
  60. Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra “Bernstein Reimagined” (MCG Jazz)
  61. Out to Dinner “Play On” (Posi-Tone)
  62. Jacques Schwarz-Bart “Sone Ka-La 2: Odyssey” (Enja)
  63. Lunar Octet “Convergence” (Summit)
  64. John Stein “Serendipity” (Whaling City Sound)
  65. Mark Winkler and David Benoit “Old Friends” (Café Pacific)
  66. New Faces “New Sounds” (Posi-Tone)
  67. David Sills Double Guitar Quintet “Natural Lines” (Gut String)
  68. Throttle Elevator Music “Final Floor” (Wide Hive)
  69. Larry Carlton & Paul Brown “Soul Searchin’” (Shanachie)
  70. Emmet Cohen “Future Stride” (Mack Avenue)
  71. Eliane Elias “Mirror Mirror” (Candid)
  72. Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet “The Democracy Suite” (Blue Engine)
  73. Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble “…dreaming in lions…” (Blue Note)
  74. Eric Reed “For Such a Time as This” (Smoke Sessions)
  75. Leon Lee Dorsey “Freedom Jazz Dance” (Jazz Avenue 1)
  76. Judy Wexler “Back to the Garden” (Jewel City Jazz)
  77. Kyle Asche Organ Trio “Five Down Blues” (Cellar)
  78. Willie Jones III “Fallen Heroes” (WJ3)
  79. Jihye Lee Orchestra “Daring Mind” (Motema)
  80. Pat Metheny “Side-Eye NYC V1.VI (Modern)
  81. Troy Roberts and Tim Jago “Best Buddies” (Toy Robot)
  82. Anais Reno “Lovesome Thing” (Harbinger)
  83. Jae Sinnett “Altered Egos” (Jae Sinnett)
  84. Damani Phillips “No More Apologies” (Openmind)
  85. Leni Stern “Dance” (Leni Stern)
  86. Roseanna Vitro “Sing a Song of Bird” (Skyline)
  87. Baylor Project “Generations” (Be a Light)
  88. Rahsaan Barber “Mosaic” (Jazz Music City)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Music Monday for December 20, 2021

      Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Carlos Henriquez is one of the preeminent bassists of his generation. A member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for over two decades, Carlos is a master of both jazz and Afro-Latin traditions. His upbringing in the South Bronx, a rich musical hub that boasts local legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Tito Puente, and Cecilia Cruz, played a major role in the virtuoso’s musical and personal development. His new album, “The South Bronx Story,” is a bold multi-movement all-original retrospective of the social history of his stomping grounds and draws on his personal Puerto Rican heritage.

 

 

 

 

     Originally from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, guitarist Greg Amirault has been living and performing in Montreal for over 30 years. A long-time faculty member of the jazz programs at McGill and Concordia Universities, Amirault has won numerous awards as a mainstay of the Montreal jazz scene. “News Blues” is his third recording as a leader. It features three of Canada’s finest jazz musicians: Jim’s brother Steve on piano, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas. The four have been playing together in a variety of formations for over twenty years.

 

 

 

 

                                   

 Also this week, Lady Blackbird presents a wholly fresh take on the jazz vocal idiom on her debut release, “Black Acid Soul”;

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

  “A Time for Love” is a previously unreleased live set from the Oscar Peterson Quartet recorded in Helsinki in 1987;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

   and saxophonist Jon Gordon’s latest release, “Stranger Than Fiction,” is a nonet recording of his original music featuring a stellar band including Derrick Gardner, John Ellis, Orrin Evans and Alan Ferber.

 

 

 

 

Talking Pictures 12-15-2021

Old Henry (2021), Belfast (2021) and 8-Bit Christmas (2021) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Monica Schmidt. 

Podcast (talkingpics): Play in new window | Download

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Culture Crawl 682 “Fixing The World”

Craig Campbell and Priscilla Steele have collaborated throughout their life together. On Campbell Steele Gallery, Liars Theatre, not to mention three children.

Now they have published a book inspired by an art installation they created for their orthodontist friend, Dr. William Olin.

“The History of Orthodontics Through Time and Space follows the adventures of Buddy and Balthazar as they… well, explain the history of orthodontics through time and space.

Fun for both kids and adults, the book is available at area bookstores locally, as well as Amazon, and through their publisher, www.icecubepress.com.

Podcast (culturecrawl): Play in new window | Download

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Special Programs for December 13 thru December 19

Jazz Corner of the World Encore  

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Muse Records, Part Two 

Don’t miss out as host Craig Kessler takes a second look at the substantial jazz label, Muse Records, that made a huge impact on jazz between 1972 and 1995. We’ll hear more excellent material from a variety of jazz greats like Kenny Barron, Etta Jones, Sonny Stitt, Willis Jackson, and many others.

 

 

 

 

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

The Christmas Channel

KCCK keeps up the jazzy good cheer of the holidays as we present two hours of KCCK’s Christmas Channel! For our Wednesday Night Special all month long, you’ll hear the best in holiday jazz (just like we play on KCCK Jazz-2) to keep you merry and bright all season long.

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

Celebrating West Side Story

As the new film hits the big screen, host Christian McBride celebrates the “universality” and “kinetic energy” of West Side Story. We’ll hear concerts from saxophonist Ted Nash and drummer Bobby Sanabria, both of whom have recorded new interpretations of Leonard Bernstein’s classic musical.

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

Kenny Burrell’s Guitar Artistry 

Host Craig Kessler takes a first look at Kenny Burrell’s very important early work, focusing on classic recordings for Blue Note, Prestige, and other top jazz labels. Burrell is still highly revered by fellow musicians and fans alike.

 

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

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

Jazz-Blues Brothers by Jeremy Monteiro & Alberto Marsico on Monday; Last Days of Studio A by Daggerboard on Tuesday; Distant Voices by David Janeway on Wednesday; Something to Say: The Music of Stevie Wonder by Pat Bianchi on Thursday; Once in a Blue Moon by Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson on Friday; B-Side of My Life by Jon Spear Band on Saturday; Songwrights Apothecary Lab by Esperanza Spaulding on Sunday

This Week In Jazz December 12 thru December 18


Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of drummer Sonny Greer, bandleaders Spike Jones and Stan Kenton, horn man Clark Terry, pianists Phineas Newborn, Jr. and Barry Harris, trombonist Curtis Fuller and more! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Horace Silver & the Jazz Messengers (1954), Bill Evans’ “Everybody Digs Bill Evans” (1958), Charles Earland’s “Black Talk!” (1969), George Cables’ “Cablevision” (1979), Sathima Bea Benjiman’s “Southern Touch” (1989), Eric Reed’s “The Dancing Monk” (2009) and many others Mondays thru Fridays at noon on JAZZ MASTERS ‘on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

New Music Monday for December 13, 2021

   Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
 Legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo is an artist who broke down the barriers between Latin jazz, salsa and contemporary music. He’s been known worldwide for over fifty years for his live performances, session work and solo albums. He’s done projects with Tito Puente and his daughter Sheila E. Just last month, Pete was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Latin Grammy Awards. His latest release, “Rhythm of the Night,” is a collection of nine old-school soul and R&B hits, rearranged and transformed into an explosion of Latin jazz articulated through at 14-piece Latin jazz orchestra.

 

 

 

 

     Pianist, composer and educator Dave Meder is one of the prominent artists of his generation, known for a panoramic musical approach that has earned him slots in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and the American Pianists Awards. His compositions have garnered various awards and commissions, and he’s headlined at a host of prominent performance venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls Jazz Club and the Kennedy Center. For his new disc, “Unamuno Songs and Stories,” Meder uses the writings of Spanish Civil War-era philosopher Miguel de Unamuno as the basis for an intensely emotive set.

 

 

 

 

                                      

 Also this week, the young guitarist Jackson Potter, who has performed with Grammy Award-winners Dafnis Prieto and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, unveils his debut album, “Restless”;

 

 

 

 

            

guitarist Doug MacDonald and his trio gained inspiration from the historic neighborhood in Los Angeles that has recently seen a renaissance for their new disc, “Serenade to Highland Park”;

 

 

   

and saxophonist D’Andre Lettsome, who has shared the stage with notable musicians like Delfeayo Marsalis and Marcus Printup, offers up “Impetus.”