Latest Posts – Page 294 – Jazz 88.3 KCCK

This Week In Jazz August 2 thru August 8

Hey, Jazz fans!!! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of trumpeter/singer Louis Armstrong, singers Tony Bennett, Jeri Southern and Abby Lincoln, drummers Billy Kilson, Teri Lynne Carrington and Airto Moreira, guitarist Herb Ellis and more!!! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Johnny Hodges’ “Used to Be Duke” (1954), Oscar Peterson Trio’s “Vancouver 1958”, Thelonious Monk “Live at the Five Spot” (1958), Wayne Shorter’s “Juju” (1964), The Milt Jackson Quintet feat. Ray Brown’s “That’s the way It Is” (1969) and many others throughout the week and Mondays thru Fridays at noon on our ‘JAZZ MASTERS’ program on Jazz 88.3 KCCK!!!

Special Programs for August 3 thru August 8

Short List with host Bob Naujoks

Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturdays at 7 AM

B-3 Blitz: Jimmy McGriff

While serving as a Philadelphia police officer, Jimmy McGriff bought his first B-3 organ, spent six months learning the instrument, then enrolled at the Julliard Music School. Throughout his career, he proved to be an adept and versatile performer, playing with, among many others, Buddy Rich, Frank Wess, and Lonnie Smith. His musical curiosity drove him to experiment and bring jazz into many other genres, including disco.

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Charlie Parker on Clef and Norgran

Jazz Corner of the World dedicates the month of August to the centennial anniversary of Charlie Parker. This week, Craig surveys Bird’s work that he did for various labels owned by Norman Granz (1948 to 1954). These classic recordings include small and large bebop groups, his Latin jazz recordings, and the famous “Bird with strings” recordings.

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

Kevin “BF” Burt

Eastern Iowa bluesman Kevin “BF” Burt is just hitting his stride. In 2017, he was crowned champion of the International Blues Challenge. Soon after, he recorded his first national release. And yet, Kevin Burt has never lost his love of playing for the hometown crowds. We revisit his standout 2018 Jazz Under the Stars performance with his band Big Medicine.

Jazz Under the Stars

Thursdays in August at 6:00 PM

Eastern Iowa Big Band with Singers

Voted one of the memorable Jazz Under the Stars performances by you the listener, we kick off August at the McGrath Amphitheatre for a night of amazing swing. The Eastern Iowa Big Band invited some incredible singers, including Craig Boche, Amy Friedl Stoner, Eddie Piccard, and KCCK’s Bob Stewart, to the microphone to celebrate the Great American Songbook.

Jazz Night In America with Host Christian McBride

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

More Newport Gems

Host Christian McBride hand-picked another set of rare recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival. Tune in for some classic performances from Ray Charles, “Cannonball” Adderley, Sarah Vaughn at the peak of her powers, and some later-career sets from Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

Charlie Parker on Savoy Records

Craig spins classic Savoy bebop and Parker records from the years 1944 to 1950.

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

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

The Color of Noize by Derrick Hodge on Monday; Alive In Harlem by the Steve Slagle Trio on Tuesday; Better Times (Are a Comin’): Steve Grismore Trio Plays the Music of Ornette Coleman by the Steve Grismore Trio on Wednesday; Just Coolin’ by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers on Thursday; Ain’t No Man a Good Man by Wily Bo Walker & Danny Flam on Friday; Memphis Loud by Victor Wainwright & the Train on Saturday; The Question by Glenn Zaleski on Sunday

Kirkwood Board of Trustees to meet August 13, 2020

The regular meeting of the Kirkwood Board of Trustees will take place August 13, 2020. Time, place, and meeting agenda can be found at this link.

New Music Monday for August 3, 2020

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Ray Mantilla was one of the true conga giants from the 1950s through the ‘70s recording hundreds of album sessions and pioneering the use of unique combinations of Latin percussion instruments. In 1977, he was chosen by the great jazz ambassador Dizzy Gillespie to accompany him to Cuba as the first U.S. band to visit the island since the travel embargo of 1962. For his new CD, “Rebirth,” Mantilla surrounded himself with his longtime colleagues Edy Martinez, Ivan Renta, Guido Gonzalez, Diego Lopez and others. After a long illness, the irrepressible conguero passed away a few short months after completing sessions for the CD.

The Black Art Jazz Collective was founded in 2012 by Wayne Escoffery and Jeremy Pelt with the aim of honoring and preserving the art of some of the progenitors of jazz who inspired them, hired them and mentored them first hand. And while the band does pay homage to the greats of the past they also continue the evolving tradition of jazz with a body of work that remains firmly entrenched in the modernism of today. On their new CD, “Ascension,” the ensemble extends the range and potential established by their illustrious predecessors with innovative original compositions, solos that run the gamut from thoughtful to virtuosic and a shared sense of purpose that is unique on today jazz landscape.

Also this week, pianist Art Hirahara undergoes a transformative journey of self-exploration to discover the “Balance Point” on his fifth release;

pianist Jordan Siegel combines the inventiveness and interplay of jazz with the transportive emotional power of the best film scores on his debut release, “Beyond Images”;

and pianist, saxophonist and composer Zen Zadravec pushes the boundaries in the use of harmony, melody, rhythm and time signatures on his latest CD, “Human Revolution.”

KCCK’s Featured CD for August 2020

The KCCK Featured CD for August is “Just Coolin'” from Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. In the fall of 1958, saxophonist Hank Mobley had returned to the band after the departure of Benny Golson. He would join trumpeter Lee Morgan on the front line, with bassist Jymiie Merritt and pianist Bobby Timmons rounding out the quintet. The ensemble entered Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio the following March to record a new album. Yet the results of the session remained unissued for sixty years. In 2020, it’s great to find more Morgan, Mobley and Timmons in their prime on the newly issued “Just Coolin'”! It’s on Blue Note Records. Purchase the CD.

Jim Dreier – The JEI Hall of Fame Interview

Dennis Green talks to Latin Jazz guru Jim Dreier on the occasion of Jim’s induction into the Jazz Educators of Iowa Hall of Fame. Jim talks about how he didn’t even play in high school band, but still attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music, and how it was listening to Chick Corea and Airto Moriea that helped him connect to jazz. Always fascinated by Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, Jim had to move back to Iowa to play in a full-time Latin band, the legendary Orquesta Alto Maiz. He has written a book on teaching and performing Latin Jazz, directs the UI Latin Jazz Ensemble, and keeps busy as clinician. Along the way, we’ll hear tunes from Jim performing with the Salsa Band, Ritmocano, and the Beaker Brothers.

Podcast (specials): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Culture Crawl 582 “Pop-Up Boosktore”

Swamp Fox Bookstore has just opened in a new shopping district in Marion, West End Shops. Terri LeBlanc says she and co-owners Ursla Lamphear and Amanda Zhorne offer unique ability to help you find books to your taste, even if you never set foot in the store!

On Aug. 1 at 3pm, Swamp Fox will offer a virtual author chat with best-selling writer Alison McGhee. .gister to attend or find your next favorite book at www.swampfoxbookstore.com