“Predator: Badlands” (2025 Amazon Prime) and “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Ron Adkins.
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New Music Monday for January 5, 2026
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Grammy-winning vocalist, pianist, and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis shows she is a one-of-a-kind artist with the release of her first concert album, “Live at Vic’s Las Vegas,” recorded at the eponymous club, and just nominated for another Grammy Award. In the span of a two-hour show, Zuraitis delivers a masterful performance that reflects the full scope her artistry and makes clear why she stands out in today’s musical landscape.
Born on Japan’s main island, Michika Fukumori began playing piano at the age of three and, within the next three years, was composing and playing her own music. She would go on to study with renowned Japanese pianist Colgen Suzuki and begin working professionally at a wide variety of jazz clubs in and around Tokyo. In 2000, Michiki moved to the states and studied with Ron Carter, Geri Allen and Steve Kuhn. Since then, she’s been playing at Manhattan’s most prestigious jazz clubs and making critically acclaimed music. Her newest release is “Eternity and a Day,” her third disc for Summit Records.
Also this week, Japanese-born, New York based composer, vocalist & shamisen player Emi Makabe unveils “Echo,” featuring special guests Bill Frisell, Jason Moran and Meshell Ndegeocello; contemporary jazz group The Blackhawk Quintet, led by saxophonist Elijah Freeman and trumpeter Ariel Mejia, unveil “Englewood,” named after the legendary recording studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersy, where they recorded the disc; and saxophonist Jon Bentley makes his recording debut with “Go Ahead!”
This Week’s Shows January 5 thru January 11
Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)
Mondays at 6:00pm
Herbie Nichols’s Birth Date Anniversary
Craig presents some top-notch material from Herbie Nichols, born January 3, 1919, whom Craig considers one of jazz music’s superior composers and pianists. We’ll hear Herbie’s work for Blue Note, Bethlehem, Savoy, and several other labels. Herbie Nichols is certainly one of jazz’s most tragically overlooked geniuses.
Beaker Street Live (January 7)
Wednesdays at 6:00pm
It was a night of fond memories and classic music as the Beaker Brothers Band and KCCK’s own John Heim recreated the legendary Beaker Street broadcast from the glory days of underground radio. Featuring Big Mo as immortal DJ Clyde Clifford and performed for a live audience at the Englert Theatre.
Jazz Corner of the World
Saturdays at 12:00 noon
A Tribute to Jack DeJohnette (1942 – 2025)
Craig salutes the life and legacy of drummer, pianist, and composer Jack DeJohnette with a variety of his recordings and collaborations. We’ll hear Jack both as a leader, and as a sideman with artists including Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd, Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, Josef Zawinul, Sonny Rollins, and others.
KCCK’s Midnight CD (January 5 – January 11)
Every Night at Midnight
KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.
Simpatico by Jazz Funk Soul on Monday; In the Streets by Neil Gray on Tuesday; The Shadow of Your Smile by Chad LB on Wednesday; The Surrounding Green by Fred Hersch on Thursday; Glass Half Full by The BC Combo on Friday; Granite by Kelli Baker on Saturday; SuperBlue: Guilty Pleasures Vol. 2 by Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter on Sunday.
Culture Crawl 1159 “Not The Bloody Kind”
Cast members Chad Sonka (Dr. Falke), Emily Secor (Adele), and Keely Futterer (Rosalinda) from the Cedar Rapids Opera’s upcoming production of Johann Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus” are in the studio with insights into this timeless comedic operetta. Shows are Friday, Jan 16, 7:30pm and Sunday, Jan 18, 2pm at Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids.
For tickets and more info visit cropera.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.
https://vimeo.com/1151253354?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
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This Week In Jazz January 4 thru January 10
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of brassmen Wild Bill Davison, Henry “Red” Allen, Dizzy Reese and Wendell Culley, singers Betty Roche and Johnny Adams, trombonist Vernon Brown, percussionist Chano Pozo, drummer Kenny Clarke and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Count Basie and His Orchestra’s “April in Paris” (1956), Jackie McLean’s “Bluesnik” (1961), George Benson’s “Breezin’” (1978), Woody Shaw’s “Lotus Flower” (1982), Arturo Sandoval’s “Swingin’” (1996), Louis Hayes’ “Crisis” (2021) and many others, Mondays thru Fridays and at noon on JAZZ MASTERS on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
This Week In Jazz December 28 thru January 3
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of bassist Al McKibbon, drummers Nick Fatool and Lewis Nash, singers Susannah McCorkle and Arthur Prysock, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist/saxophonist/conductor Gordon Goodwin and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Jean “Toots” Thielemans’ “Man Bites Harmonica!” (1957), Bobby Hutcherson ‘s “The Kicker” (1963), Joe Henderson’s “Relaxin’ at Camarillo” (1979), Carmen McRae’s “For Lady Day, Vol. 1” (1983), Chick Correa & Origin “Live at the Blue Note” (1998) and many others, Mondays thru Fridays and at noon on JAZZ MASTERS on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
New Music Monday for February 2, 2026
Dr. Scott Routenberg is an award-winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator whose accolades include the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year. His works have been premiered at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and around the world, and he is an established arranger for the Metropole Orkest since 2011. The Scott Routenberg Trio presents a swinging tribute to legendary pianist Oscar Peterson on “Live at Merriman’s Playhouse,” crafting a joyous set of Peterson’s memorable originals and the master’s arrangements of timeless jazz standards.
Hailed as a ‘prodigiously gifted composer and virtuoso pianist,’ James Fernando leads his dynamic Philly-based trio with a refreshing take on the piano trio format. The ensemble, featuring Kyon Williams and drums and bassists Sam Harris and Dan McCain, first came together in 2023, when Fernando assembled the band on just three days’ notice for a performance at The Kennedy Center. Since then, the trio has honed its sound through performances across the country, developing a voice that is both distinctive and deeply collaborative. “Philly 3”is their debut recording.
Also this week, The DZ Combo, an award-winning jazz quartet based out of Dubuque, debuts with “It’s Just Your Turn”; drummer John Clay, whose resume includes work with Zoot Sims and Jimmy Rainey, unveils “About Time”; and Boston-based saxophonist and composer Noah Preminger offers up “Dark Days.”