Saul Lubaroff will perform at First Friday Jazz at the Opus Concert Cafe Friday, September 7, at 5 p.m. The first set will be broadcast live on KCCK. The First Friday Jazz Series features an eclectic mix of jazz, Latin, contemporary music and more in an intimate, upscale environment. For a $12 cover, enjoy live music and drink specials at the Opus Concert Café bar the first Friday of every month. Purchase tickets.
First Friday Jazz September 7
This Week’s Special Programs – August 27 thru September 1
Short List with host Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Formidable Flutes: Sam Most
Sam Most began his career at age 18 with the Tommy Dorsey Band. His first single, “Undercurrent Blues,” won Down Beat Magazine’s “Critic’s New Star Award.” He was a member of the Buddy Rich Band for a couple of years, and worked with the likes of Chris Connor, Teddy Wilson, and Frank Sinatra. He was the subject of a documentary film – “Sam Most – Jazz Flutist,” and played three command performances for the king of Thailand.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
A Birthday Celebration For Guitarist Pat Martino
Craig celebrates Pat’s 74th birthday. He spins a wide array of jazz gems spotlighting music featuring the dazzling guitar work of Pat Martino and his associates. You’ll hear his early recordings in 1963 and his more recent work in the 2000’s. Pat still performs live with organist Pat Bianchi, and the occasional drummer! This show is packed with fantastic material.
Jazz Profiles with host Nancy Wilson
Monday at 11:00 PM
Mel Torme – The Velvet Voice of Jazz
Like Ella Fitzgerald, Torme’s tender treatment of a ballad was offset with a powerful sense of swing. An accomplished drummer and pianist, he also sang songs much like jazz instrumentalists would play them. With help from friends and colleagues, we’ll examine one of the most fascinating careers in jazz.
Wednesday Night Special
6:00 PM
Blake Shaw Quintet at the Opus Concert Cafe
Bassist, composer, and bandleader Blake Shaw brought his quintet to the Opus Concert Café for a stunning First Friday Jazz Performance. While a student at the University of Iowa, Shaw worked with and studied under such Iowa greats as James Dreier, Brent Sandy, and Steve Grismore. He’s an alumnus of John Rapson’s Johnson County Landmark, and is one of the most in-demand bassists in the Midwest. His First Friday performance featured many of his original pieces.
Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride
Thursday at 11:00 PM
Jazz in the Country Music Capital
Nashville has always nurtured a small but serious jazz culture. Meet up with some of its enterprising artists and get a crash course in Nashville’s hidden jazz history.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Birthdate Anniversary Celebration for Art Pepper
Craig takes this special day to look back at Pepper’s years with Contemporary Records, one of the top west coast jazz record labels of the day. His association with the label began with a recording date with Shelly Manne in 1953, and went forward to 1977, with several records under his own leadership. Along the way, he made a number of absolute classic jazz records.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
New Music Monday for August 27, 2018
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
The Tokyo born, New York based Miho Hazama has made quite a name for herself as an arranger, composer and conductor. She has composed pieces for the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and Siena Wind Ochestra and has arranged for artists and ensembles as diverse as the Danish Radio Big Band and Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 2011, she was invited, as one of eight arrangers from around the world, to take part in the famed Metropole Orkest’s residency program, led by the legendary Vince Mendoza. There were master classes and rehearsals all week for arrangements the residents would write, in four days, to be performed by the Big Band. The trial by fire made Hazama crave another chance to arrange for the Orkest. She got that chance last year when her project to arrange original pieces and orchestrate solo pieces by Thelonious Monk, in his centennial year, was selected for the orchestra. The results can be heard on the new recording, “The Monk: Live at Bimhuis.”
Watching Joni Mitchell morph from acoustic chanteuse to sophisticated interpreter of jazz, accompanied by geniuses like Pastorius, Shorter, Metheny and Brecker truly floored Debra Mann. The pianist and vocalist seized on the idea of taking Mitchell’s material further into jazz and began trying it out at clubs. It captivated her audiences in the same way it did Mann herself. Now, “Full Circle” reflects on a lifetime of admiration for an artist who has been uncompromising in her approach to music and in writing, and this on the occasion of Mitchell turning 75 years old this year. The disc reimagines some of Mitchell’s most popular tunes, holding onto the timeless melodies while overlaying them with an irrepressible swing feel.
Also this week, the twenty-five year collaboration between saxophonist Houston Person and bassist Ron Carter continues with their sixth release as a duo, “Remember Love”.
Vibraphonist Mike Freeman pays tribute to Tito Puente and Bobby Hutcherson on his new disc, “Venetian Blinds”.
Vocalists Mark Winkler and Cheryl Bentyne team up for the second time on record with “Eastern Standard Time.”
Culture Crawl 379 “Let the Kids Get Dirty”
Bur Oak Land Trust hosts a Family Day at their Belgum Grove property on Sept. 16. Tammy Wright says there will be raptors, an interactive stream table, and other fun outdoor activities to get your family away from their screens.
“Under a Cider Moon… A Celebration of Autumn,” will be Oct. 6, with silent and live auctions, hors d’oeuvres, and more.
Details on these and other events at www.BurOakLandTrust.org.
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Talking Pictures 8-22-18
BlacKkKlansman, Crazy Rich Asians, Bright, Alpha and Christopher Robin with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Monica Schmidt.
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Clean Up Your Act 9-11-18
More rain and more heat predicted for Iowa the second half of the century.
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Culture Crawl 378 “More Than Just Horns On Your Tune”
Ian Draves formed the soul-funk band Soul Sherpa with musicians he met while a student at Kirkwood Community College. Today, it’s one of the Corridor’s busiest bands, and is putting on a unique, collaborative concert called The Corridor Record Project, where Soul Sherpa will arrange a tune written by another regional band, incorporating funk beats and their horn section.
Ian and Erika Pohlman tell Dennis that this means Soul Sherpa will incorporate the diverse elements of Folk, rock, blues, and hip-hop from the other bands into the tune they do together. It’s more than just adding horns. The concert will be recorded and distributed for free.
Guest musicians include:
• Jeremy Jacobs
• Evan Stock
• Ivory James
• Treesreach
• Joe Blesz (from 6 Odd Rats)
• Case the Joint
• Layton White
• Duchess
• Flash In A Pan
• The Uniphonics
Friday, Sept. 7 at The Englert Theatre. More information at www.englert.org.
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This Week’s Special Programs for August 20 thru August 25
Short List with host Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Formidable Flutes: James Newton
Musician, composer, educator, and author James Newton grew up immersed in the sounds of African-American music – including urban blues, R&B, and gospel. This background serves as inspiration for many cross-cultural projects throughout his career, including works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and ballet. His opera, The Songs of Freedom, opened to stellar reviews. Newton has been voted Top Flutist for 23 consecutive years in Down Beat’s International Critic’s Poll.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
The Chronological Early Years of Chick Corea, Part 3
Craig continues his survey of Chick Corea’s early recordings – 1968 thru 1969 – hearing Chick with Hubert Laws, the Chick Corea Trio, Armando Peraza, Bobby Hutcherson, Miles Davis’s studio recordings, Eric Kloss, Wayne Shorter, and others … all presented chronologically. 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
Louis Armstrong – The Singer
After establishing himself as an innovative jazz instrumentalist, Louis Armstrong was given a chance to sing — and turned the jazz world upside down. His singing voice would become one of the world’s most recognized and enjoyed in jazz and popular music.
Wednesday Night Special
6:00 PM
Eric Thompson Quartet at the Opus Concert Cafe
Percussionist Eric Thompson has been drumming almost his entire life. He made his professional debut at age 2 ½ on local television. At age 6, he was performing beside Buddy Rich on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. His decades of experience has made him one of the nation’s drumming powerhouses. Thompson brought his quartet to First Friday Jazz at the Opus Concert Café and showcased a well-received set.
Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride
Thursday at 11:00 PM
Allison Miller’s Melodic Drumming
What would you say if someone told you that drums can sing? The best jazz drummers have always understood this as fact. Allison Miller has even made it a core part of her artistic mission — as drummer, a composer and a bandleader. Jazz Night in America recently caught up with Miller, who skillfully demonstrates the concept of “melodic drumming” — using her drums and cymbals, a Duke Ellington tune, and a new piece of technology. We also dropped in at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola for portions of an engaging set by Boom Tic Boom.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
A Birthday Celebration For Guitarist Pat Martino
Craig celebrates Pat’s 74th birthday. He spins a wide array of jazz gems spotlighting music featuring the dazzling guitar work of Pat Martino and his associates. You’ll hear his early recordings in 1963 and his more recent work in the 2000’s. Pat still performs live with organist Pat Bianchi, and the occasional drummer! This show is packed with fantastic material.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: