Special Programs for February 17 thru February 22

Short List with host Bob Naujoks    

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

Bob’s Baker’s Dozen: Victor Borge

The joyful music and comedic performances of pianist Victor Borge deflated the pomposity of classical music with jokes, physical humor and hilarious melodic interplay. Four years after escaping the Nazi invasion, Borge he had his own radio show and appeared in a movie with Frank Sinatra. He performed with major orchestras regularly, right up to his death at age 90 in 2000.

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler

Mondays at 6:00 PM

The Piano Artistry of Mal Waldron – The Early Years, Part 1

Craig travels back to the early and mid-fifties to look in on the artistry of pianist and composer Mal Waldron. We’ll begin with some classic Charles Mingus, as well as some early Jackie McLean, Gene Ammons, Teddy Charles, John Coltrane, and others. Amazing material that is not to be missed!!

 

 

 

 

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

Rene Marie at ICJF 2018

KCCK’s Wednesday Night Special continues its celebration of Black History Month with an amazing live set from singer Rene Marie & Experiment In Truth. Rene Marie’s professional career didn’t begin until age 42, when her then-husband demanded she either quit singing or leave. She left, and has never looked back. Her critically-acclaimed live shows (featuring many of her original songs) are packed with energy and thoughtful soul. She was a huge hit at the Iowa City Jazz Festival in 2018.

 

 

 

Jazz Night In America with Host Christian McBride

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

Nels Cline’s Lovers (For Philadelphia)

Guitarist Nels Cline brings his new band, Lovers, to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, to debut his most recent project. Music by Philadelphia-based composers make up the core of the set. And, as Cline described, the audience was treated to music that was “sweet, but with some darker, realistic overtones.”

 

 

 

 

Michel LeGrand

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler 

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

Saluting Michel LeGrand, Ethel Ennis, Ken Nordine, & Ed Bickert

Craig takes a loving look at four artists that we lost in 2019….band leader Michel LeGrand, vocalist Ethel Ennis, wordsmith Ken Nordine, and guitarist Ed Bickert.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

Each night, KCCK gives you the chance to hear a new CD played start-to-finish. Tune in at Midnight for: 

Reality Check by Theo Hill on Monday; Incontre by Massimo Biolcati on Tuesday; Chimes of Freedom by Lynne Arriale Trio on Wednesday; The Music of Wayne Shorter (Disc 1)  by Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on Thursday; Drive On  by Tas Cru on Friday; Rise Up by Harper & Midwest Kind on Saturday; Acustico by Negroni’s Trio on Sunday. 

This Week In Jazz February 16 thru February 22

Hey, Jazz fans!!! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of  trumpeters Charlie Spivak, Lew Soloff and Warren Vache, drummers Walter Johnson, Frank Isola Joe Labarbera and Joe Farnsworth, vocalists Nina Simone, Irma Thomas and Nancy Wilson, pianist/composer Tad Dameron and more!!! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Bessie Smith’s “Downhearted Blues” (1923), Kenny Dorham Septet’s “Blue Spring” (1959), Wynton Kelly’s “Kelly Blue” (1959), Stan Getz’ “Stan the Man” (1961, Cannonball Adderley/Bill Evans’ “Know What I Mean?” (1961), Pete Christlieb & Bob Cooper’s “Mosaic – Live” (1991) and many others through and out the week and Mondays thru Fridays at noon on our ‘JAZZ MASTERS’ program on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

New Music Monday for February 17, 2020

     Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify 

Baltimore pianist Lafayette Harris Jr. is known for an energetic sense of rhythmic vitality, a tasty, full bodied musical approach to the keyboard, and a sensibility drenched in the blues. A staple at the Lenox Lounge in Harlem for a number of years as well as a member of various aggregations led by Max Roach, Harris’ new recording, “You Can’t Lose with the Blues,” reflects this experience as well as a myriad of influences, from boogie-woogie legend Sammy Price to Kenny Barron and Barry Harris, all of whom encouraged Lafayette as an up-and-coming player. Bassist Peter Washington brings a forceful sense of rhythm and lyrically rounded solos for the date and drummer Lewis Nash keeps the rhythms swinging strongly and as steady as a Swiss watch.

 

 

 

 

     It’s a delight to hear three supremely talented musicians find common ground, especially considering it’s their first recording together. Pianist Tim Ray, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington have diverse styles, backgrounds and experiences. Ray is currently Tony Bennett’s musical director and a longtime road companion to Lyle Lovett. Patitucci initially made a name for himself with Chick Corea and has spent the better part of the last two decades with Wayne Shorter. Carrington, also with Shorter and a myriad of other great jazz artists, is at the vanguard of today’s drum corps. They come together on “Excursions and Adventures,” a powerful inaugural recording session for this trio that often transcends description with its gorgeous fidelity, colorful arrangements, and fabulous, nuanced performances.

 

 

 

 

           

 Also this week, the exhilarating and exuberant Canadian trombonist Audrey Ochoa introduces strings into her previous configuration of horn, piano, bass and drums for “Frankenhorn,” a mix of chamber music with contemporary and Latin jazz;

 

 

 

 

 

                  

 The Airmen of Note from the United States Air Force celebrate their 70th anniversary with “Air Power.”

 

 

 

 

         

    and with a sound reminiscent of small group swing from the ‘30s and ‘40s, violinist Jonathan Ng aims to get feet tapping with his sophomore release, “The Sphynx”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking Pictures 2-12-20

The Two Popes and Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey plus post-Oscar thoughts with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Monica Schmidt.

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Culture Crawl 546 “Framed So You Can See The Grocery List”

Gilded Pear Gallery is bringing in the big guns for their next show, “Collector Showcase.” It will feature some of the best-known names in art history with connections to Cedar Rapids, including pieces by Grant Wood, Mauricio Lasansky, Conger Metcalf, Bertha Jaques, and Marvin Cone.

The Cone piece is the first time his work has been offered for sale locally in many years. And some of the Metcalf pieces include personal notes and reminders scrawled on the back. Including a grocery list!

Opening reception February 21 at 5pm at the Gallery. More information at www.gildedpeargallery.com.

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This Week In Jazz February 9 thru February 15

Tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of bassist Walter Page, singer Roberta Flack, pianist Sir Roland Hannah, drummers Chick Webb Walter “Baby Sweets” Perkins and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of “Chet Baker Sings” (1954), Sonny Rollins’ “Freedom Suite” (1958), Art Blakey’s “Free for All” (1964), VanguardJazz Orchestra’s “Monday Night Live at the Vanguard” (2008) and many others through and out the week and Mondays thru Fridays at noon on our ‘JAZZ MASTERS’ program on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

Special Programs for February 10 thru February 15

Short List with host Bob Naujoks    

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

Steve Allen: Comedian-musician-composer

This week brings you the creative work of comedian-musician-composer and show host Steve Allen. By his estimate Allen wrote over 85-hundred songs in his lifetime, including words to the pop and jazz hits: This Will Be the Start of Something Big, The Theme from “Picnic,” Meet Me Where They Play the Blues, and Gravy Waltz. He was the originator and the original host for NBC’s Tonight show that often featured jazz players.      

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Herbie Hancock’s “Mwandishi” Years, Part One

This is the first of 2 shows that spotlight the remarkable music of Herbie’s ‘Mwandishi’ bands.  We’ll hear selections from his three Warner Brothers records, a Columbia release called Sextant, and several releases from band mates Julian Priester, Bennie Maupin, and Eddie Henderson.  This is exquisite music from a very special transitional time in the development of our modern jazz.

 

 

 

 

 

The Wednesday Night Special

Wednesdays at 6:00 PM

The Cookers at ICJF 2017

KCCK’s Wednesday Night Special continues its celebration of Black History Month with an amazing live set by The Cookers at the 2017 Iowa City Jazz Festival. According to the IC Press Citizen “No act at the Jazz Fest, or maybe any other jazz act in the country, has as much collective experience as The Cookers. This septet is made up of drummer Billy Hart, pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, trumpeter David Weiss, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Billy Harper and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw. Most of the member got their start performing in the 1960s.”

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night In America with Host Christian McBride

Thursdays at 11:00 PM

Patrick Bartley Plays Cannonball Adderley

Host Christian McBride takes a fond look at the legacy of Julian Cannonball Adderley. We’ll hear from some of Adderley’s former bandmates, like drummer Roy McCurdy and tenor sax player Ernie Watts. McBride highlights a young also saxophonist, Patrick Barley Jr., whose portrayal of Adderley’s music and message is phenomenal from one so young (in his 20’s). Stories from Cannonball and the 1971 live recording of “The Black Messiah.”

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Host Craig Kessler (February 15)

Saturdays at 12:00 Noon

The Paino Artistry of Malcolm Earl “Mal” Waldron – The Early Years, Part 1

Craig travels back to the early and mid-fifties to look in on the artistry of pianist and composer Mal Waldron. We’ll begin with some classic Charles Mingus, as well as some early Jackie McLean, Gene Ammons, Teddy Charles, John Coltrane, and others. Amazing material that is not to be missed!!

 

 

 

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

Every Night at Midnight

Each night, KCCK gives you the chance to hear a new CD played start-to-finish. Tune in at Midnight for: 

Can you Imagine by John Bailey on Monday; Quite Frankly by Sam Hirsh on Tuesday; T-Man by Jason Tiemann on Wednesday; Joie de Vivre  by Eric Lilley Trio on Thursday; Stand Up!  by Whitney Shay on Friday; El Dorado  by Marcus King on Saturday; Dreamers Do by Kat Edmonson on Sunday. 

New Music Monday for February 10, 2020

     Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify 

Pianist/composer Lynne Arriale’s career is graced by a love of melody and a joy of musical discovery. She was the first prize winner of the 1993 International Great American Jazz Piano Competition, and soon after launched her touring and recording career. Arriale has performed on international concert and festival stages over the past 25 years, including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Montreux and Monterey. Her 14 albums as a leader have topped the Jazzweek Radio Chart. On her new CD, “Chimes of Freedom,” Lynne reflects on freedom, cultural diversity, and her wish that all refugee families reach an inclusive safe harbor among the democratic nations of the world.

 

 

     21st century jazz is a global movement, and New York bassist Massimo Biolcati embodies the music’s creative reach. A first-call accompanist, producer, composer and bandleader, he’s known as a founding member of Gilfema, the acclaimed collective trio with Hungarian drummer Ferenc Nemeth and West African guitarist and vocalist Lionel Loueke. He’s thrived as a sideman as well, working widely with Paquito D’Rivera, Terence Blanchard, Ravi Coltrane, Lizz Wright and others. He also runs iReal Pro, a music app he created in 2009 that has become an essential tool for musicians and music students. For the first disc under his own name in ten years, “Incontre,” he’s joined by saxophonist Dayna Stephens and keyboardist Sam Yahel on a program of originals and covers of music by Mingus, Monk and Holland.

 

 

 

 

 

         

Also this week, “The Music of Wayne Shorter” is a previously unreleased live session from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis featuring Mr. Shorter;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          

 keyboardist Theo Hill is joined by Downbeat Rising Star vibraphone phenomenon Joel Ross for “Reality Check”;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

      and Negroni’s Trio, the Puerto Rican father-and-son team of keyboardist Jose Negroni and drummer Nomar Negroni with bassist Josh Allen, unveil their tenth studio album “Acustico.”