Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of vocalists King Pleasure, Frankie Laine, Astrud Gilberto, Stacey Kent and the Divine Ms. Sarah Vaughan, saxmen Ben Webster, James Moody, and Matt Catingub, and Lanny Morgan, bassists Steve LaSpina, Victor Bailey, Larry Gales and more!!! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Duke Ellington’s Seattle Concert (1952), Kenny Dorham’s “Afro-Cuban” (1955), Cannonball Adderley’s “Them Dirty Blues” (1960), and many more throughout the week and Mondays thru Fridays at noon on our ‘JAZZ MASTERS’ program on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
Gerardo Gomez and “Uncharted” will perform at First Friday Jazz at the Opus Concert Cafe Friday, May 3, at 5 p.m. The first set will be broadcast live on KCCK. The First Friday Jazz Series features an eclectic mix of jazz, Latin, contemporary music and more in an intimate, upscale environment. For a $12 cover, enjoy live music and drink specials at the Opus Concert Café bar the first Friday of every month. Purchase tickets.
The quartet that saxophonist Branford Marsalis has led for the past three decades has always been a model of daring, no-apologies artistry, of ever-widening horizons and deepening collective identity. With like-minded support from pianist Joey Calderazzo and bassist Eric Revis (each with 20 years of service to the group) and drummer Justin Faulkner (the “rookie” who has been aboard since 2009), the band has long been a model of how to sustain and enlarge a musical outlook that is both historically and stylistically inclusive. Successive recordings have revealed new plateaus, and “The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul,” the band’s first since 2016 and first pure quartet effort since 2012, captures a new emphasis on both how to express and how to document the music.
Six talented female musicians join together to deliver an entertaining and melodically engaging debut as the new collective Lioness roars into action with “Pride & Joy.” The record features the front line talents of alto saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, tenor saxophonist Jenny Hill, and baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian, along with the talented rhythm section of guitarist Amanda Monaco, organist Akiko Tsuruga and drummer Allison Miller. Four of the six, incidentally, have appeared at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in recent years. With a dazzling combination of talents and an evocative program of originals and musical selections by other female composers, the ear-catching performances are sure to bring bright moments to jazz fans everywhere.
Also this week, Five Play, the sister group of the world renowned Diva Jazz Orchestra, unveils its fifth release, “Live From the Firehouse Stage”;
bassist Pete Coco pays homage to his mentors and influences on his debut disc, “Lined With a Groove,” with fresh arrangements of tunes by bassists Ron Carter, Milt Hinton, Ray Brown, Charlie Haden and Paul Chambers;
and New Orleans icon Herlin Riley offers up “Perpetual Optimism,” an album made against the backdrop of serving as caregiver and then saying farewell to both of his parents
Fill out the form below and tell us the name of a favorite jazz song or album, along with a sentence or two about why it sparks joy for you.
Beginning April 5, we’ll play back the tunes submitted, both to celebrate the music that brings us joy and to remind other listeners that supporting KCCK is an important way to keep that Joy Spring flowing.
Miera Kim and Carey Bostian of Red Cedar Chamber Music welcome back the founders of Red Cedar, Jan Boland and John Dowdall for a series of concerts entitled (appropriately) “Founders Return.”
The program will consist of some favorites from Jan and John’s years at Red Cedar, plus a few surprises, including a piece set to T.S. Eliot’s poem “Macavity, The Mystery Cat,” from the collection that inspired the famous musical. Coincidentally, “Macavity” also happens to be Dennis’s favorite poem!
Main concerts April 6th in Cedar Raids and April 7th in Iowa City, with a variety of outreach events around Eastern Iowa. Full schedule at www.redcedar.org.
The biggest fundraiser of the year for Family Promise of Linn County, which supports homeless families, is “Joyful Noises,” a music event that brings together folk, classical, and jazz musicians. Event director Kay Galli and Family Promise board chair Tammy Stines say the event will be a fun variety, including the father-daughter duo of Steve and Vivian Shanley, the Schultz String Quartet, the Iowa Accordian Club, Jonny Lipford, and more.
And emceed by KCCK’s Ron Adkins.
Saturday, April 6 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cedar Rapids. Doors open at 6 for refreshments and a silent auction. Music begins at 7. No admission charge, just a free-will offering at the door. Visit www.familypromiseoflinncounty.org for more information.
Hey, Jazz fans!!!
