Latest Posts – Page 392 – Jazz 88.3 KCCK

Culture Crawl 371 “Paul’s Leg Warmers and Headband”

We begin a special Culture Crawl series this week featuring the artists performing at KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars. First up are Gail and Paul Williams of “The Jazz Standard,” a new name for this group of musicians who have performed at Ramsey’s in Marion, First Friday Jazz, and around the community. Also in the band are Eastern Iowa stalwarts Lynne and Peter Hart, Tim Crumley, and Danny Oline.

Paul and Gail tell Dennis not only about the music they’ll be playing at the concert, but also how jazz figured in how they met!

Join Iowa’s Jazz Station for Jazz Under the Stars, 7pm on Thursday, Aug. 2, Noelridge Park. More info at www.kcck.org.

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Culture Crawl 370 “Definitely the Aquarium”

Rich Heritage of Cedar Rapids Theatre Company – RHCR Theatre presents “Closer” Aug. 4-11. RHCR Artistic Director Kerry Covington steps into the four-person cast in this story of love and betrayal, and says there is a lot of room for the actors to interpret the characters. Katie Starks directs the show, and says that there are lot of funny moments, but it’s definitely rated R.

More info and tickets at www.rhcrtheatre.com.

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Culture Crawl 369 “That ‘Hamilton’ Music is Pretty Good!”

The Cedar Rapids Municipal band has just two more weeks of concerts remaining in their 2018 season. The July 25^th and 29^th programs feature the bugler for the Kentucky Derby, Steve Buttleman, who is a CR Washington graduate. He’ll be teaming up with two student trumpeters for “Buglers Holiday.” Hannah Langley, from Oak Ridge Middle School will reprise an outstanding solo she performed with her band at the Iowa Bandmasters convention.

The Aug. 1^st and 5^th shows feature Jorge Mantilla, clarinet professor at the University of Iowa, who will also perform a quartet piece with members of the clarinet section. That program also will include a medley of music from “Hamilton,” which Steve saw a few weeks ago, and finally understands what all the hype is about!

Details at www.crmuniband.org. Check the Muni Band’s pages on Facebook and Twitter for last-minute weather information, if necessary.

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Talking Pictures 8-25-18

Mamma Mia 2, Leave No Trace, Sorry To Bother You, Hearts Beat Loud with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Monica Schmidt.

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This Week’s Special Programs – July 23 through July 28

Short List with host Bob Naujoks

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

Formidable Flutes: Moe Koffman

Canadian Moe Koffman was not only a gifted saxophonist and flautist, he was also a much-sought-after composer and arranger, as well. During his 50-year career, Koffman was one of Canada’s most prolific musicians, working steadily in clubs and recording sessions, and releasing 30 albums. His 1957 record Cool and Hot Sax made Koffman one of the first Canadian jazz musicians to record a full-length album. Koffman was also a long-time member of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass.

Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler

Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The Chronological Early Years of Chick Corea, Part 2

Craig continues his chronological survey of Chick’s early recordings, beginning where we left off in last month’s program – November 17, 1966. We’ll hear Chick working with Miles Davis, Blue Mitchell, Cal Tjader, Stan Getz, and others, as well as his first several recordings under his own leadership. This is historically interesting and very important music from one of today’s pillars of jazz!

Jazz Profiles with host Nancy Wilson

Monday at 11:00 PM

Mary Lou Williams, “Perpetually Contemporary”

Mary Lou Williams achieved and maintained a status that many women in jazz found elusive: unwavering respect from male colleagues as a musical equal. Her accomplishments are many as arranger and pianist with Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy, with her own small groups, and with the be-bop artists of the ’40s. Throughout, she was always — as Duke Ellington once said — “perpetually contemporary.”

Wednesday Night Special

6:00 PM

10 of Soul at the 2017 Jazz Under the Stars

Our countdown to KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars 2018 continues with another look back at the artists who made 2017’s Thursday night jams at Noelridge Park such a success. This week, we spotlight a true jam band. 10 of Soul rocked the park at their Cedar Rapids debut. Their high energy and infectious groove tunes had the crowd up and dancing. Join us for 10 of Soul, live at Jazz Under the Stars 2017!

Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride

Thursday at 11:00 PM

In Conversation With Benny Green

Christian McBride sits down with hard-bop pianist Benny Green to talk about his life, career and influences. On the table will be Benny Green’s very early work with Eddie Henderson, as well as his time with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Betty Carter’s band. He’s been out front leading his own trio for many years and currently teaches at the University of Michigan. They talk about it all on this week’s Jazz Night In America.

Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Prestige Records in 1968 – Part Two

Craig travels back 50 years once again to look in on the recording activities at Bob Weinstock’s Prestige Records in 1968. In this week’s show, Craig spins records from the second half of the year (June thru December). We’ll hear Pat Martino, Don Patterson, Jaki Byard, Pepper Adams, Richard “Groove” Holmes, and many others. Mighty fine material that’ll make you feel mighty fine!

KCCK’s Midnight CD

The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:

http://www.kcck.org/midnight-cd/

New Music Monday for July 23, 2018

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.

Throughout the past 40 years, Antonio Adolfo has had a very busy career as a pianist, composer and arranger. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, his teachers included Eumir Deodato and Nadia Boulanger. Adolfo has worked with such major singers as Elis Regina, Flora Purim and Milton Nascimento and has recorded more than 25 albums as a leader. He has long considered it a major goal to someday record an album with a larger ensemble, a big band with a full understanding of both Brazilian music and jazz. “Encontros—Orquestra Atlantica” is the realization of that dream. After having seen a performance in Rio by Orquestra Atlantica, a Brazilian orchestra founded in 2012, Adolfo invited the group to be a major part of his new recording. The result is an exciting set comprised of nine of his originals plus Miles Davis’ “Milestones.” The inventive arrangements mix together the sound of big band jazz with such Brazilian styles as samba, bossa nova, baiao, frevo, and the afoxe.

When saxophonist Cory Weeds gets an idea for a project and decides to pursue it, chances are it’s going to happen. Case in point: “Explosion” by the Cory Weeds Little Big Band. The idea to form a little big band—so named because there are eleven musicians in the ensemble and not 16 or 17, the typical number in big band—came to Weeds after he looked at the liner notes for two classic albums he hugely admires by the Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Big Band (“Trane Whistle”) and Gene Ammons (“Late Hour Special”). He was shocked to see that neither tenor-led recording from the early 1960s used a full big band, yet both have an impactful big band sound. Weeds curated a dream lineup of top players from Vancouver, Edmonton and New York, and was equally ambitious in commissioning two of Vancouver’s best big band arrangers—Jill Townshend and her husband Bill Coon—to create the charts.

Also this week, “Nightconcert” is a never-before-released performance by the Erroll Garner Trio from 1964 at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

The Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra delves into the compositions of the late pianist Mulgrew Miller with “Mulgrew-ology”.

Drummer Bobby Sanabria and his Multiverse Big Band present a new treatment of a timeless Leonard Bernstein masterpiece with “West Side Story Reimagined.”

Culture Crawl 368 “Faces for Radio”

Tom Schwans and Sean McCall play 20 characters between them in “Greater Tuna,” the classic story of the hilarious people of Tuna Texas. They tell Dennis that they’ve done other plays in the Tuna series, but this is the first time they’ve tackled the original work. From Arlen to Bertha to not one, but two dogs, Tom and Sean bring Tuna, Texas to life July 19-29 at The Old Creamery Theatre.