Special Programs: Week of August 14 – 20

Short List with Bob Naujoks    

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

“The Jazz Standard”

The Short List this week features the Jazz Standard club. It’s a throwback to the clubs of the 1930s and 1940s in that it is located in a basement below a Southern cuisine restaurant. The music is mostly straight-ahead jazz, playing seven days a week. Their “Mingus Mondays” with the Charles Mingus Big Band are quite popular, as is the Sunday afternoon “Jazz for Kids.” Hear about the Jazz Standard each morning at 8:35 and Saturday at 7:00 a.m. on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

“The Piano Artistry of Barry Harris”    

Craig celebrates the brilliant, award-winning career of jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator, Dr. Barry Harris, one of only a handful of artists that have been around long enough to have played with Charlie Parker.  We’ll hear a variety of material from his 20 + albums as a leader, and from his 60 + albums as a sideman with jazz giants like Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Benny Golson, Yusef Lateef, Coleman Hawkins, and many others!  Don’t miss this loving look at one of our true giants of jazz!

 

 

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson    

Monday at 11:00 PM 

“Sarah Vaughan”

Musicians and audiences alike marveled at the ease with which Sarah Vaughan moved up and down her four-octave range, turning even the most mundane songs into operatic riffs. Her sound possessed a full-bodied purity, with an approach not unlike an instrumentalist. Early in her career, “Sassy” cut her teeth on bebop, performing with Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker. She also ventured into the pop world, recording hits such as “Broken-hearted Melody,” “Day-O,” and “Send in the Clowns.” Enjoy Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson Monday night (tonight) at 11:00 on Jazz 88-3, KCCK.                                                                          

 

Wednesday Night Special               

6:00 PM   

First Friday Jazz: Telluric at Opus Concert Café (Encore Broadcast) 

Join Telluric – a new group of young lions, all recent graduates of the University of Northern Iowa and students of Dr. Bob Washut and Chris Merz – as they present their original charts in a style both modern and accessible. Doors open at 4:30 with live music from 5-7. If you can’t be there in person, the first set is broadcast live on KCCK. Enjoy Telluric at the Opus Concert Café on our Wednesday Night Special, 6:00 on Jazz 88-3, KCCK. For more about the Opus Concert Cafe and the First Friday Jazz Series, you may log on to http://www.artsiowa.com/opus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America

Thursday at 11:00 PM

“Robert Glasper Live at Summerstage”

The Robert Glasper Experiment has built a solid following by combining jazz, funk, rock, rap, and hip-hop. He combines it all into a dynamic stage performance. Hear Robert Glasper and his band as they bring this exciting show to Summerstage, one of New York’s premier summer music festivals.

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler     

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

“Mode Records”    

Craig spotlights the short-lived Hollywood, CA jazz label from 1957, MODE RECORDS.  With some 29 releases to their credit, featured artists include Thad Jones, Pepper Adams, Warne Marsh, Clora Bryant, Marty Paich, and many others. Some eye-popping jazz that, for the most part, languishes in obscurity. You’ll be glad that you tuned in!

 

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 August 14, 2017

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

 

Though he was only 43 years old when he passed away in 1975, Oliver Nelson left behind a body of work that is staggering in its breadth and depth. He’s revered for his work with Monk, Basie, Clark Terry and Jimmy Smith, his soundtrack work for television and movies, as well as his own classic albums. More than 40 years later, his influence as a composer and arranger is still felt, although Nelson’s name isn’t mentioned as often as his innovations. Bandleader/composer John Vanore is determined to change that with “Stolen Moments: Celebrating Oliver Nelson,” the first large ensemble recording of Nelson’s music in decades. Vanore revisits nine pieces that were either composed or arranged by Nelson over the course of his prolific career.

 

 

For his new CD, “To Love and Be Loved,” Harold Mabern reunites with 88-year-old drumming legend Jimmy Cobb, with whom he first played in Miles Davis’s band during a brief but memorable stint in 1963. The rhythm section is completed by the impeccably swinging Nat Reeves, while the frontline features Mabern’s prize student and frequent collaborator Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone and, on three tracks, another Mabern protégé, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix. In discussing his reimagining of classic tunes and the inspiration for the album, Mabern quotes an unlikely mentor for a jazz musician: Albert Einstein. The famed physicist once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, all there ever will be to know and understand.”

 

 

Also this week, saxophonist Jeff Coffin unveils his twelfth album as a leader, “Next Time Yellow,” his first full-length group recording produced in his home studio. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian McCarthy explores music from the Civil War era for his new nonet recording, “The Better Angels of Our Nature”.

 

 

Trumpeter Farnell Newton offers up his second release as a leader, “Back to Earth.”

 

 

 

Culture Crawl 281 “Turning the Soul Up to 11”

Davenport’s 10 of Soul was just finishing their sound check at Jazz Under the Stars 2016 when a thunderstorm rolled in. So, we’ve invited them back for 2017.

Founded by trombonist Mike McMann, band director at North Scott High School, 10 of Soul (which actually has 11 members!), is comprised of some of the top musicians in the Quad Cities, playing the music of Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, and many of your other soul and funk favorites.

The concert is free and begins at 7pm August 17 in Noelridge Park in Cedar Rapids. Details at www.kcck.org.

Talking Pictures 8-10-17

Amelia 2.0, Dark Tower and The Beguiled with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Phil Brown.

Clean Up Your Act 9-5-17

The Iowa DNR is proposing a 90,000-acre bird conservation area in the Lower Loess Hills.

Special Programs: Week of August 7 – 13

Short List with Bob Naujoks    

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

Short List: Jazz Clubs – Chicago Jazz Clubs                   

The Short List this week surveys Chicago jazz clubs, both old and new. The emergence of rock & roll often forced the closing of such great venues, like Chicago’s Blue Note Club, Mr. Kelly’s, and the sophisticated London House. However, the Green Mill and the longest running jazz venue, Joe Segal’s Jazz Showcase, still hold fast. Enjoy The Short List with host Bob Naujoks.      

 

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

 

“Tribute to Pianist Geri Allen – 6/12/57 To 6/27/17”        

Craig salutes the life and legacy of educator, composer, and pianist extraordinaire, GERI ALLEN. Geri will be featured from her 20 albums as a leader, and from some of her 30 albums as a guest artist – a star-studded career that began in the mid-1980s includes her work with Ron Carter, Charlie Haden, Tony Williams, Paul Motian, Ornette Coleman, and many others. Join Craig Kessler for a “Tribute to Pianist Geri Allen” on the Jazz Corner of the World               

 

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson    

Monday at 11:00 PM 

Zoot Sims    

Sims was one of the most natural of all jazz musicians, whose warmth, creativity and humor earned him the admiration of musicians and fans alike. He found fame as part of Woody Herman’s “Four Brothers” saxophone section, and later, in a celebrated partnership with fellow “brother” Al Cohn. His singular sound and style was infused with a simple directness that was irresistibly Zoot Sims.                                                                          

 

 

Wednesday Night Special               

6:00 PM   

First Friday Jazz: Blake Shaw Quintet at Opus Concert Café (Encore Broadcast) 

Iowa City’s Blake Shaw is an upright/electric bassist, composer, and bandleader, whose musical chops range from jazz, Latin, funk, R&B, and everything in between. As part of the group Laranja, he’s played the Twin Cities Jazz Fest and was a main stage performer at the Iowa City Jazz Festival. Shaw was also a featured guest artist on KCCK’s Corridor Jazz Project. He channels his bass heroes Dave Holland, Christian McBride, and John Clayton on his debut CD, “Listen Here,” and his live performances.

The First Friday Jazz Series features an eclectic mix of jazz, Latin and contemporary music the first Friday of every month. Doors at Opus open at 4:30 p.m. with live music from 5-7 p.m. If you can’t be there in person, the first set of each performance of the series is broadcast live on KCCK. The Opus Concert Cafe is operated by Orchestra Iowa. More information at: http://www.artsiowa.com/opus

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America

Thursday at 11:00 PM

Rahsaan Roland Kirk at Jazz At Lincoln Center

For what would have been Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s 80th birthday, former bandmate, Steve Turre, leads a sextet at Jazz at Lincoln Center.  The show features interviews with Turre and with Rahsaan’s widow, Dorthaan Kirk, as well as a field recording of Rahsaan’s original instrument, the Stritch.                   

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler     

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

“The Piano Artistry of Barry Harris”    

Craig celebrates the brilliant, award-winning career of jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator, Dr. Barry Harris, one of only a handful of artists that have been around long enough to have played with Charlie Parker.  We’ll hear a variety of material from his 20 + albums as a leader, and from his 60 + albums as a sideman with jazz giants like Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley, Benny Golson, Yusef Lateef, Coleman Hawkins, and many others!  Don’t miss this loving look at one of our true giants of jazz!

 

 

 

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 August 7, 2017

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

Two of John Pizzarelli’s greatest influences, Frank Sinatra and the Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, joined forces in 1967 to present a softer, sultrier side of Sinatra. Sinatraphiles consider the disc, “Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim,” one of Frank’s greatest, a meeting that found him in an out-of-character setting.  Half a century later, Pizzarelli pays tribute t o those original recordings with “Sinatra & Jobim @ 50,” enhancing that collection with two originals, Michael Franks’ ode to Jobim and songs that Sinatra and Jobim recorded in a 1969 session. “A lot of what we did on this record, the medleys and the arrangements for the new songs,” says Pizzarelli, “came out of what they did on their album and the influence they have had on my music.”

 

 

“Individually or collectively, these are first class musicians, and their expertise and rapport are explicitly manifest on every page of ‘Chapter Four’.” That quote from All About Jazz describes the work of Paul Tynan and Aaron Lington on their 2014 release, “Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Four.”  With the fifth album from their decade-long collaboration, “Bicoastal Collective: Chapter Five,” the Nova Scotia-based trumpeter and Bay Area baritone saxophonist are at their most ambitious. With eight new large ensemble compositions for a big band that includes friends and colleagues from their days at the University of North Texas, they further solidify a captivating musical partnership that restlessly pursues new vehicles for their compositions and music visions.

 

 

 

 

Also this week, the duo of guitarists Francesco Buzzurro and Richard Smith take on the music  of Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and others on “One World, Two Guitars”.

 

 

Guitar master Russell Malone returns with his talented quartet on “Time for the Dancers”.

 

Bassist Gerald Cannon is joined by an all-star ensemble including Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron, Steve Slagle, Jeremy Pelt and others on “Combinations.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Culture Crawl 280 “Just a Cannonball Guy”

The Damani Phillips Trio headlines KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars on Aug. 10. Damani talks about his career and influences, and also about the challenges of making his music relatable to a wide variety of audiences while still staying true to his artistic goals.

Damani will be joined by Mitch Towne on the Hammond B3 and Tim Crumley, drums at Noelridge Park. Music starts at 7pm. Pick through thousands of classic vinyl and CDs during the show, too, all for just $1 a disk at KCCK’s CD and Record Sale.

Details at www.kcck.org.