Culture Crawl 1049 “Intersection Between Literature & Music”

MusicIC Festival presents Sarah Kirkland Snider & Ellen McLaughlin’s Penelope featuring Grammy-nominated artist Shara Nova April 26, 7:30pm at The James Theatre. Festival founder, Tricia Park, and festival executive director, John Kenyon, are in the studio ahead of this one night only performance based on Homer’s Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope.

Tickets are limited so get yours now at musicic.org or iowacityofliterature.org.

Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.

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2025 Guest Djs Marion

Ethan Johnson and Jamon Buhr took time out from preparing for the Iowa Jazz Championships to spend an hour on KCCK. It’s been a big year for Marion. The school opened a new auditorium and got to perform two new commissions, one of which was their Corridor Jazz Project tune.

What’s next? The Universal Jazz Championships on Proxima Centauri B, of course!

Ethan and Jamon’s Playlist:

Count Basie, “Li’l Darlin'”
Joe Pass, “Cherokee”
Duke Ellington, “Portrait of Louis Armstrong”
Herbie Hancock, “Maiden Voyage”
Sungazer & Plini, “Whalefall”
Marion High School Jazz Band One featuring Anthony Williams, “Comandante/Comandanta”

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New Music Monday for April 7, 2025

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify

While growing up in Oklahoma, one album that became saxophonist Sharel Cassity’s personal guiding light was Christian McBride’s “Getting’ To It.” After moving to New York City in 2000, she worked her way up in the performing scene and eventually came to play alongside each member of the rhythm section featured on that album. Cassity decided to assemble that same rhythm section for the making of her new release, “Gratitude.” It includes the eight-time Grammy winning bassist and composer McBride, drummer Lewis Nash, and pianist Cyrus Chestnut as well as trumpeter Terell Stafford, and trombonist Michael Dease, a longtime collaborator of Cassity’s.

Award-winning jazz artist Pureum Jin brings together a group of up and rising female saxophonists and NYC’s most sought-after rhythm section for a full steam of straight-ahead jazz filled with sparkling reed ensemble work through her new group The Empress. With Pureum herself as the leader, the group features Grammy-winner Lauren Sevian, rising star Erena Terakubo, and the versatile Chelsea Baratz, supported by Steve Ash on piano, Joey Ranieri on bass and Pete Van Nostrand on drums. The group’s debut album, “Square One,” showcases the driving force and the movement of women in jazz as well as Asian musicians on a jazz scene that has developed tremendously in recent years.

Also this week, drummer and U.S. Navy musician Jonah David releases his debut album, “Waltz for Eli,” recorded last year while he was a percussion instructor at the Naval School of Music; Omaha-based organist Mitch Towne, who performed at last summer’s Iowa City Jazz Festival, steps into the spotlight with his debut recording, “Refuge”; and guitarist, composer and arranger Russ Spiegel embarks on the release of his seventh album, “Nitty Gritty.”

This Week’s Shows April 7 thru April 13

Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)

Mondays at 6:00pm

Booker Little Birthday Celebration

Craig notes the birth date anniversary of trumpet genius Booker Little, Jr. This seminal figure in jazz history passed on at the very early age of 23. We’ll hear examples of his brilliant artistry with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Teddy Charles, and others.

Wednesday Night Special

The Harlan, Iowa Jazz Combo

Wednesdays at 6:00pm

Student Openers at Jazz Under the Stars

April is Jazz Appreciation Month, when we celebrate talented student jazz performers. This week, we feature the Harlan Jazz Combo, Yesternite, the Kirkwood Jazz Combo, and Nexxus Brass. Each ensemble opened for a Jazz Under the Stars headliner,

Jazz Night In America

Thursdays at 11:00pm

The Limitless Omar Sosa

Cuban pianist Omar Sosa found his true path as an artist in early adulthood. A mysterious dream from his uncle guided him on the mystical path of the Santería, a ritual-intense and ancient religion from the Caribbean with roots from mother Africa. By following the ways of Elegguá – the owner of roads and doors in this world — he has unleashed his unlimited potential as an improvisor.

Jazz Corner of the World

Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm

Herbie Hancock’s Birthday

Join host Craig Kessler as he celebrates the 85^th birthday of the legendary Herbie Hancock by spinning a tasty variety of his music, including some classic charts for Blue Note Records, some work with his group Mwandishi, recordings for Columbia, Verve, and so much more!

KCCK’s Midnight CD

KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.

Memphis Blue by Rodney Jordan on Monday; Threads (Disc One) by Max Leake on Tuesday; Beneath the Skin by Nnenna Freelon on Wednesday; Mad Scientist Music by the Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra on Thursday; Roasted by Hughes Taylor on Friday; Young Fashioned Ways by Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Saturday; Just Us by Bob James & Dave Koz on Sunday.

This Week In Jazz April 6 through April 12

Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of songwriter E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, singers Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae, percussionists Mongo Santamaria, Victor Feldman, Pete LaRoca, and Steve Gadd, pianist/composer Claude Bolling, multi-instrumentalist Joe Defrancesco and more.

We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Birk’s Works” (1957), Freddie Hubbard’s “Hub Cap” (1961), Ella Fitzgerald’s “Ella in London” (1974), Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers feat. Wynton Marsalis’ “Album of the Year” (1981), Tony Bennett’s “MTV Unplugged” (1994), Kim Nalley’s “She Put a Spell on Me: Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone” (2004) and many others Mondays through Fridays at noon on Jazz Masters on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Big Mo Pod Show 057 – “It’s Like Cookin”

On this episode of the pod show Noah and John take you on a behind the scenes journey through how John builds his Friday night shows, discussing the ingredients he chooses in a blues dish. Tune in to learn how he does it! Songs featured in the episode:

Freeworld – “Give Until You Live”
Koko Taylor & Willie Dixon – “Insane Asylum”
Shawn Pittman – “Blame It On Me”
Janiva Magness & Joe Bonamassa – “Masterpiece”
Robert Finley – “Country Boy”

Listen to ‘da Friday Blues with Big Mo each week at 6pm, and catch the podcast for a behind the scenes look at the show!

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2025 Guest Djs-CPU

Kyle James, Connor Kreutner, and Shay Massner represented Centerpoint-Urbana as Guest Djs. The Centerpoint-Urbana jazz band’s competition season was highlighted by a Division One at the IHSMA State Jazz Festival, 2nd Place at Lisbon, and 5th place at NEIBA.

Unfortunately, several members of the band were sick on March 10 and the band couldn’t perform at the Corridor Jazz Project concert. We missed them, but were extra glad to have band members in studio, talking about jazz band, marching band, and… for some reason, pulled pork.

Kyle, Connor, and Shay’s playlist:

Maynard Ferguson, Chameleon
Billie Holiday, God Bless the Child
Stevie Wonder, God Bless the Child
Trombone Shorty, Buckjump (feat. The Rebirth Brass Band, 5th Ward Weebie)
Herbie Hancock, Watermelon Man
Trombone Shorty, Backatown
Count Basie and His Orchestra, The Wiggle Walk
Center Point-Urbana Jazz Band featuring Rich Wagor, Crunchy Frog

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Tickets for Taste of Jazz featuring Karrin Allyson on Sale now!

Tickets on Sale Now!!

Each spring, KCCK, The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, the Kirkwood Culinary Arts Department, and Kirkwood’s Hospitality Arts Department collaborate for a night of wine and beer, food and music on the Kirkwood campus at The Hotel At Kirkwood Center. All to benefit KCCK’s Jazz Education Programs.

The event features wine and beer tastings, heavy hors d’oeuvres, dessert and a silent auction.

And of course great live music!