Short List with host Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturdays at 7 AM
Cats on the Keys: Lovie Austin
The Short List this week recalls Lovie Austin, a Chicago pianist and arranger of the 1920’s. She led her own band and played with some of the best of her time. Mary Lou Williams cites Austin as her greatest influence. Austin led her own band and backed up the early blues singers like Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter. She helped Louis Armstrong write and arrange his famous “Heebie Jeebies.”
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Mondays at 6:00 PM
Great Bands of the 70’s – Weather Report, Part One
Craig takes a loving look at one of the more prominent bands of the fusion era. Weather Report, was formed in 1971 by Austrian keyboard master, Josef Zawinul, top-ranked saxophonist and composer, Wayne Shorter, and the cutting edge Czech bassist and composer, Miroslav Vitous. Craig will talk some history of the band, as well as spin some choice selections from 16 of their US recordings.
Jazz Profiles with host Nancy Wilson
Billie Holiday – Lady Sings The Blues
Billie Holiday could take any song and make it her own. All of the great bandleaders loved Lady Day from Count Basie to Lionel Hampton to Artie Shaw. Billie’s personal battles are legendary, and it was that pain that fueled her songs. But she worked at her craft, found her own voice, and inspired countless singers and musicians.
Wednesday Night Special
Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
All-Star Big Band with Singers at Jazz Under The Stars 2018
Composer, arranger, musician, and bandleader Steve Shanley assembled a Who’s Who of Eastern Iowa Jazz talent for a special big band performance at the McGrath Amphitheatre. It was the culmination of KCCK’s 31st year of Jazz Under The Stars. Joining the band on stage were local singing talents, including Amy Friedl Stoner, Craig Boche, and even KCCK’s own Bob Stewart.
Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride
Thursdays at 11:00 PM
Into the Vault: Erroll Garner Uncovered
Jazz Night In America takes a close look at Erroll Garner’s ebullient magic – from the sparkling touch that kept countless other pianists in awe, to the wild improvisational flights that somehow always resolved just so, to his lasting reputation and legacy. Featured are many of Garner’s classic compositions, as well as commentary from Garner scholars and admirers.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Saturdays at Noon and Mondays at 6:00 PM
Hank Mobley As Sideman
Craig focuses on the many recordings that feature Hank Mobley as a sideman. We’ll hear Mobley’s work on stellar recordings by Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Art Blakey and many more.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
The jazz piano trio, a specialty with its own lineage and admirers, is currently alive and well. A keyboard master such as Cyrus Chestnut can imbue this tried-and-true format—whose practitioners range from Jell Roll Morton to Robert Glasper—with a relevance for today’s listeners and expand its parameters without losing sight of its historic past. For his new recording, “Kaleidoscope,” Cyrus has arranged eight compositions from the world of classical music, including pieces by W.A. Mozart, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Eric Satie, taking the classical themes through a series of rhythmic and harmonic turns and twists and subjecting them to a wildly innovative series of transformations. Completing his most recent trio are bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Chris Beck.
