Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of violinist Joe Venuti, singers Helen Ward, Jon Hendricks, Bobby Short, Wesla Whitfield, organist Jack McDuff, bassists Arvell Shaw, Earl May and Lisle Atkinson, saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, bluesman B.B. King, guitarist Charlie Byrd and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of John Coltrane’s “Blue Trane” (1957), Coleman Hawkins’s “Desafinado” (1962), Joe Turner’s “Stormy Monday” (1974), Terumasa Hino’s “Bluestruck” (1989), Scott Hamilton/Ken Peplowski/Spike Robinson’s “Groovin’ High” (1991), George Cables’ “Icons and Influences” (2013) and many others Mondays thru Fridays and at noon on JAZZ MASTERS on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
This Week In Jazz September 14 thru September 20
Big Mo Pod Show 076 – “Planting Seeds”
Welcome back to the show folks! This week’s episode features a selection of blues tracks from across different eras of blues, as always, and also discusses how certain blues tracks are composed. Tune in to learn how! Songs featured in the episode:
- The Kinsey Report – “One Step Back”
- Little Milton – “Who’s Cheating Who”
- Alastair Greene – “Standing Out Loud”
- Jessie Mae Hemphill – “Jump, Baby, Jump”
- Ronnie baker Brooks – “Stuck On Stupid”
Listen to ‘da Friday Blues with Big Mo each week at 6pm, and catch the podcast for a behind the scenes look at the show!
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Talking Pictures 9-10-25
“Nobody 2” (2025) and “Extraordinary” (TV series Hulu/Disney+) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Denny Lynch.
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New Music Monday for September 15, 2025
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Bassist Neal Miner has always been drawn to writing contrafacts because, when musicians are deeply familiar with the harmony of a tune, creativity and connection become second nature. Most of the original compositions on his new CD, “Invisibility,” are based on American standards and inspired by jazz from the 1950s into the ‘60s, alongside four originals and two blues tunes. His trio, with Chris Byars on tenor sax and Jason Tiemann on drums, functions as a true collective, exploring the full range of textures and colors that can be achieved with just three instruments.
After many recordings as a sideman or bandmember, New Orleans-born saxophonist, composer and arranger David Bode releases his debut album as a leader, “Good Hang,” leading a 19-piece big band that includes some of NOLA’s finest musicians. The record is imbued with the history of Bode’s native city, as it was recorded at Marigny Studios, just blocks away from the world-famous Frenchmen Street. It’s where Bode and many other musicians on the album cut their teeth. The album gets its release 20 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina and the federal levee failures swamped the city.
Also this week, bassist, composer, arranger, producer and bandleader Christian McBride reconvenes his Grammy Award-winning big band for the star-studded “Without Further Ado, Vol. 1,” with special guest vocalists including Samara Joy, Jose James, Dianne Reeves, and Cecile McLorin Salvant; “Un Harmonica Pour Django” is Yvonnick Prene’s heartfelt tribute to Django Reinhardt, reimagining his iconic gypsy jazz through the unique voice of the chromatic harmonica; and Irving Flores Afro-Cuban Jazz Sextet takes us on a Latin jazz carpet ride with “Armando Me Conga.”
Culture Crawl 1112 “Smell the Derring-Do”
Maestro Tim Hankewich returns to the studio as Orchestra Iowa kicks off their 2025-26 season with Masterworks I on Sept. 13, 7:30pm at Paramount Theatre & Sept 14, 2:00pm at Voxman Concert Hall. The program includes works by Korngold, Rachmaninov, and Barber’s Piano Concerto featuring Corey Hamm on Piano. Insights will be held at 6:45pm (Saturday) and 1:00pm (Sunday).
In celebration of Tim’s 20th year with the orchestra, everyone is invited to “Martinis with the Maestro” on Sept 13, 5:00pm at Craft’d in downtown Cedar Rapids & Sept. 14 at Vue Rooftop in Iowa City after the Voxman concert.
For tickets and more info visit artsiowa.com.
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.
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Culture Crawl 1111 “Eddie Spaghetti”
Riverside Theatre has been hard at work in preparation for their production of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Director Adam Knight and cast member Tim Budd (George) are in the studio ahead of opening night to talk about this deceivingly complex play. It’s September 12-28 at Riverside Theatre with tickets and more information at riversidetheatre.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.
This Week In Jazz September 7 thru September 13
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of bassists Wilbur Ware, George Mraz, Will Lee and Victor Wooten, trumpeters Cat Anderson, and Stacy Rowles, singers Lorraine Feather, Caecilie Norby and Barbara Morrison, saxmen Scott Hamilton, James Clay and Jim Tomlinson, organists Baby Face Willette and Papa John Defrancesco and more! We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Pure Ella” (1950), Leo Parker’s “Let Me Tell You ‘Bout It” (1961), Elvin Jones “Live at the Lighthouse” (1972), Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers’ “Feeling Good” (1986), “Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton” (1996), George Cables’ “Too Close for Comfort” (2020) and many others Mondays thru Fridays and at noon on JAZZ MASTERS on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
This Week’s Shows September 8 thru September 14
Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)
Mondays at 6:00pm
Sunnyside Records, Show 4
Craig continues his exploration of Sunnyside, a top-notch record label operated by Francoise Zalacain (founded in 1982). We’ll hear a variety of diverse selections from premier jazz artists such as Wayne Escoffery. Norma Winstone, John McNeil, Becca Stevens, Frank Kimbrough, Diego Urcola, and many others!
Vocalist Aviana Gedler
Wednesday Night Special
Wednesdays at 6:00pm
Alayna Ringsby & Aviana Gedler on the Side Stage
Down Beat-notable, vocalist Aviana Gedler and her Trio took the Iowa City Jazz Festival’s Side Stage for a rain-shortened set of standards and inspired originals. Plus, the Alayna Ringsby Trio proved why they are a first-call ensemble in the region.
Jazz Night in America
Thursdays at 11:00pm
Isaiah Collier’s 400 Years
Isaiah Collier’s The Story of 400 Years is an ambitious 13-movement suite that traces Black American history through sound—from the Middle Passage to the Great Migration to modern times. Collier takes us inside the music, sharing the personal and historical moments that shaped his powerful work.
Jazz Corner of the World
Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
A Listen to Michael White, Show 1
Craig explores different areas of violinist Michael White’s diverse recording career. We’ll hear recordings that feature White on several albums from the legendary group The Fourth Way, co-founded with Mike Nock, Eddie Marshall, and Ron McLure. We’ll also focus on his five Impulse recordings, and some of his work with jazz reedman, John Handy.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.
Reverberations by Alex Sipiagin on Monday; Waking Dream by Randy Napoleon on Tuesday; Painter of the Invisible by Jaleel Shaw on Wednesday; Split Decision by Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring on Thursday; The Last Dance by Kip London on Friday; The Sound of Muscle Shoals by Mike Farris on Saturday; My Latin Heart by Roger Glenn on Sunday.