The regular meeting of the Kirkwood Board of Trustees will take place March 9, 2017.
Time, place, and meeting agenda can be found at this link.
KCCK’s Featured CD for March 2017
The KCCK Featured CD for March is “Mr. EP: a Tribute to Eddie Palmieri” by Charlie Sepulveda and the Turnaround. At age 20, Sepulveda earned the first trumpet slot in the band of fellow New York native of Puerto Rican ancestry, heralded pianist Eddie Palmieri, eventually becoming the ensemble’s music director. Now, some thirty years later, after working with other Latin jazz icons like Hilton Ruiz and Tito Puente, the trumpeter has come full circle to honor his former boss. Sepulveda brings his distinctive style to eight imaginative tracks, with Palmieri himself joining in on a few. “Mr. EP”is on High Note Records. Click here to purchase the CD.
Special Programs: Week of February 27 – March 5
Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Corridor Jazz (Jim Dreier)
Jim Dreier
Latin percussionist Jim Dreier of Iowa City is an educator at the University of Iowa, but also a familiar face for Latin and jazz fans. He is one of the founding members of the Orquesta Alto Maiz, plays with the popular Beaker Brothers Band, and fronts his own group—Familia. It was the Carlos Santana recording of Black Magic Woman that turned his ears to Latin music and the impact carried on through his training at the Berklee School of Music and to his Masters degree at the University of Iowa.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
“The State of The Instrument — Current Jazz Organists”
In this installment of “the state of the instrument series”, Craig uncovers the exciting music of some of today’s top jazz organists…. Pat Bianchi, Joey DeFrancesco, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Mike LeDonne!
Night Lights (Classic Jazz) with David Brent Johnson 
Monday, 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Corner the World)
Night Lights, is a weekly one-hour jazz radio program hosted by David Brent Johnson, focusing on jazz from the 1945-1990 era—covering artists such as Jackie McLean, Charles Mingus, and Nina Simone and themes ranging from jazz recordings of spirituals to avant-garde interpretations of the Great American Songbook. Night Lights also features many lesser-known talents of post-1945 jazz. Every program is archived after broadcast for online listening. This week: “Soul Eyes: The Early Mal Waldron Songbook”. http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/archives/2017/1/
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 11:00 PM (follows Nightlights)
Wes Montgomery: ‘The Unmistakable Jazz Guitar’
Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery created the first new sound on jazz guitar since Charlie Christian revolutionized the instrument in the late ’30s. His innovations such as his celebrated octaves and his style of playing with his thumb rather than a pick continue to have an influence today. Wes also became a popular musician, whose later recordings sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Wednesday Night Special
6:00 PM
Johannes Wallmann with the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble (new)
Johannes Wallmann
Photo: Keith Borden
German-born pianist and composer Johannes Wallmann is a veteran of the New York and San Francisco Bay Area jazz scenes, he has performed extensively as a bandleader and as a sideman in local, national, and international venues.
In New York and in the Bay Area, Wallmann established himself as a prolific performer in styles as diverse as mainstream jazz and electric fusion, American spirituals, Cantonese pop music, and 20th century classical music. He has performed or recorded with many other artists, including the Dennis Mitcheltree Quartet, the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, the American Music Group, jazz tubaists Howard Johnson and Marcus Rojas, drummers Jeff Hirshfield, Danny Gottlieb, Tim Horner, Terry Clarke and Donald Bailey, bassists Jeff Andrews, Sean Conly and Martin Wind, saxophonists Gary Bartz, Seamus Blake, Pete Yellin and Phil Dwyer, trumpeters Ingrid Jensen and Ralph Alessi, trombonist Josh Roseman, guitarist Brad Shepik, operatic tenor Dr. Francois Clemmons, the Billings Symphony Orchestra, and Canto-pop star Faye Wong.
Wallmann’s groups have performed throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has released four critically acclaimed CDs and his most recent The Coasts (2010), features his Brasstet of Ralph Alessi, trumpet; Josh Roseman, trombone; Marcus Rojas, tuba; Sean Conly, bass; and Fred Kennedy, drums performing a program of all original compositions.
He is currently the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble is directed by Joe Perea.
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Thursday at 11:00 PM
“Jazz Night Goes to La la Land “ 
Josh Nelson
Jazz Night travels to the ‘City of Angles” (or the “city of stars” as Christian McBride calls it) to find out what L.A. musicians think of how jazz and jazz musicians were portrayed in the award-winning movie La La Land – what it got right, and what it got wrong. We’ll visit with budding jazz pianist and composer Josh Nelson and look in on his latest project inspired by the history of Los Angeles – from Hollywood to amusement parks to Tiki music.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
“Tribute To Bassist Bob Cranshaw”
Bob Cranshaw
Craig salutes the memory of recently departed Bob Cranshaw. Bob was best known for his long association with Sonny Rollins, but he also provided the “rock solid” bass for literally hundreds of famous jazz recordings over the years. We’ll hear great records of Hank Mobley, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Duke Pearson, Nat Adderley, and so many more. A very important musician who will be greatly missed!
Tropical Heat (hosted by Kpoti Senam Accoh)
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
TBA
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
New Music Monday for February 27, 2017
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
In many ways, Charles Mingus and Gerry Mulligan couldn’t have been more different. One was notoriously fiery and confrontational; the other understated, the epitome of cool. But one thing the two jazz icons did share—beyond their influential shaping of the music’s low end—was their singularity of vision, a wholly unique perspective that in different ways redirected the trajectory of jazz through their own individual conceptions—with complete disregard for the naysayers. With that in mind, both Mulligan and Mingus would no doubt approve of the reimagining that Mark Masters has made of their compositions on “Blue Skylight.” The eleven pieces are vivid acts of recomposition, each vividly rendered and finely tailored to fit the gifted and distinctive players of the Mark Masters Ensemble.
Mandolinist and singer Chris Thiele and pianist Brad Mehldau first performed together in 2011 as part of Mehldau’s residency at London’s Wigmore Hall. The Guardian said of the performance, “Mehldau struck up his signature rocking chord vamp over which lightly struck motifs swell to sensuous extended melodies. Thile kept cajoling him with percussive snaps, flying runs, and chords strummed fast enough to sound as seamless as a purring string section, inducing Mehldau…to bat back the playful provocation with stinging rejoinders.” Longtime admirers of each other’s work, the pair first toured as a duo in 2013. At the end of 2015, they played a two-night stand at New York’s Bowery Ballroom before going into to the studio to record “Chris Thiele & Brad Mehldau,” a new CD featuring a mix of covers and original songs.
Also this week, Steve Khan continues to expand the potential of the guitar in the context of Latin music with the third in a series of discs, “Backlog”.
Pianist Ben Markley with guest trumpeter Terell Stafford showcases the work of pianist and composer Cedar Walton through new arrangements for big band on “Clockwise: the Music of Cedar Walton”.
Trombonist Nick Finzer offers up the third disc with his quintet, “Hear & Now.”
Culture Crawl 234 “The First Sign of Spring”
for many is “Prairie Preview,” a free event presented by the Bur Oak Land Trust of Johnson County, March 9 at 6:30 pm. You can browse a variety of exhibits on the theme of nature and conservation, and hear a talk by UI professor Steve Hendryx called “Wild Bees of Iowa: Hidden Diversity in the Service of Conservation.”
Executive Director Tammy Wright also reminds us that the land trust has a variety of volunteer opportunities and work days throughout the spring and summer for any person or group interested in nature preservation.
Learn more at www.BurOakLandTrust.org.
Clean Up Your Act 3-28-17
The 1,000 Acres Pollinator Initiative looks to help restore butterfly and bee populations.
Culture Crawl 233 “Musical Omnivores”
Jeff Collier, CEO of Orchestra Iowa, stops by to talk about “Faithfully,” A symphonic tribute to the music of Journey, FEb. 25 & 26. Jeff says that while accompanying “pop” music may not be the most challenging thing a classically-trained musician will do, many symphony players enjoy a variety of music. They enjoyed these tunes on the radio just like the rest of us, and getting to play them can be a treat.
Jeff also talks about the Branford Marsalis appearing with the orchestra, March 10 at Hancher, and March 11 at the Paramount.
Branford’s concert will be the culmination of a full week of jazz-related events, beginning with KCCK’s Corridor Jazz Project on March 6.
Information at www.artsiowa.com.
Talking Pictures 2-23-17
The Great Wall and Rings with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Phil Brown.