Split, The Founder, 20th Century Women with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Scott Chrisman.
This Week’s Shows: Week of January 23 – 29
Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
Corridor Jazz (Dan Knight)
Dan Knight
Ottumwa, Iowa native Dan Knight was a fixture in Eastern Iowa music circles for several decades. It was his mentor, Dr. Billy Taylor, who turned him on to becoming a jazz performer. However, jazz piano is not the only thing he has done. A classical composition, Leaves of Grass, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2008. Knight also performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland three consecutive times. Though Dan Knight has moved to North Carolina, he will always be an Iowa musician.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Mel Tormé: The ‘Velvet’ Voice of Jazz
Mel Tormé
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.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“The Amazing Piano of Conrad Yeatis “Sonny” Clark”
Craig will present a variety of selections from one of the hippest jazz pianists from the decade of 1953 to 1962. We’ll hear Sonny as the “house pianist” on many of the greatest Blue Note sessions from that era, as well as a number of own his sessions. Clark was a magnificent player whose legend continues to grow!
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
“Rampart Street Ramble”
Evan Christopher
This week on New Orleans Calling we get a special invitation into one musician’s journey through the world of the New Orleans jazz clarinet. Evan Christopher moved to the Crescent City after discovering such clarinet legends as Sidney Bechet, Alphonse Picou, and Barney Bigard — and now he’s become part of the clarinet tradition himself, touring the world as a jazz master and as an ambassador for New Orleans music. In addition to giving us a personal guided tour of the instrument from a musician’s perspective, Evan performs a special exclusive show just for us, of all new compositions, live onstage at the historic Basin Street Station.
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Samora Pinderhuges: The Transformations Suite 
Samora Pinderhughes says that jazz has the power to reflect “radical imagination.” To the Bay Area-native, mid-twenties pianist and composer, that means challenging the status quo with his multi-movement “Transformations Suite.” The suite combines theater, music and poetry to examine and explore the history of African American protest movements. Jazz Night in America travels to Berkeley, CA to showcase the “Transformations Suite” and explore Samora’s journey into forming his musical life around activism from his parents to his peers, pupils and mentors.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Hot Latin Jazz For a Cold Winter’s Night – Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band (ICJF)
Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band at the 2016 Iowa City Jazz Festival
Artist Profile by Laura Eckles, KCCK Programming Intern
One of the most influential Afro-Cuban jazz percussionists is without a doubt, Poncho Sánchez. Sánchez has been performing for more than three decades. Apart from his solo career, Sánchez has been featured on many albums including Tito Puente, Freddie Hubbard, Terrence Blanchard, and many others. His “Latin Soul,” received a Grammy award in 1999 for Best Latin Album.
Sanchez’s first big break came when his idol, vibraphonist Cal Tjader, hired him after hearing him play just one set with Tjader’s band. His last album released was, “Chano y Dizzy (2011),” a collaborative album with Terrence Blanchard. Sánchez and Blanchard emit ebullient and passionate playing into this afro-cuban jazz album. Today, Sánchez is internationally acclaimed by percussionists and jazz experts. His albums include the technique of layering Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban, salsa, bop, funk, and rhythm and blues.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“Jazz In Paris — Part One”
Nearly 9 years ago, Craig first presented a series of 3 or 4 shows dealing with jazz in Paris. This week, he begins a new series looking at French jazz artists, as well as Americans living and/or performing in Paris. We’ll hear from Pierre Michelot, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Alain Goraguer, Earl Hines, Henri Crolla, Django Reinhardt, and a host of others…full of lots of surprises!
Tropical Heat (hosted by Kpoti Senam Accoh)
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Album: “Intensamente Con Canciones de Juan Gabriel” by La India 
La India is one of the best Spanish singers in the Salsa genre who continues to grow and deliver vocals and passion.
India tribute to Juan Gabriel is simply brilliant honoring his music with the help of Sergio George they both have given the fans one of the best albums of India’s career. India delivers passion from her heart and soul in this tribute to her friend and Idol Mr Juan Gabriel.
This album is very-well produced, and La India’s voice sounds amazing! Loved the album, also loved that she covers Juan Gabriel songs, some that were not so popular but made them her own and made it work great! One of my favorite salsa albums right now! Especially “Dimelo” “Ahora Que Te Vas””Me Voy Acostumbrar” and “No Vuelvo a Molestarte”.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/intensamente-con-canciones/id1013067089
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
New Music Monday for January 23, 2017
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
On November 24th, 1980, Dizzy Gillespie invited five jazz legends—Milt Jackson, James Moody, Hank Jones, Ray Brown & Philly Joe Jones—to join him onstage in Montreal to pay tribute to the legendary Charlie Parker. A limited quantity bootleg LP of the concert soon appeared and then disappeared from the marketplace and the tapes lay dormant for over thirty years. Now, “Concert of the Century—A Tribute to Charlie Parker” has been fully re-mastered and is once again available. The music, ranging from beautiful ballads to rollicking blowfests, demonstrates an adventurous modernism that kept these stalwarts in the forefront of the music throughout their careers.
Multiple Grammy nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenon is one of a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Zenon has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American folkloric music and jazz. His new CD, “Tipico,” is above all a celebration of his longstanding quartet. “I was thinking about what this band and the guys in the band mean to me as I was writing the music,” he explains. “I kept going back to this idea of us developing this common language that identifies us as a band.” That language has been developing for more than a decade. Pianist Luis Perdomo and bassist Hans Glawischnig have been with Zenon since the turn of the millennium; Henry Cole joined the band in 2005.
Also this week, the U.S. Army Blues Swamp Romp, representing the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” and featuring Iowa City’s own MSG John DeSalme, drop their newest CD, “Voodoo Boogaloo”.
Award-winning bassist, composer and vocalist Brandi Disterheft unveils “Blue Canvas,” joining forces with veteran pianist Harold Mabern and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
Saxophonist Jeff Rupert and pianist Richard Drexler, faculty members of the University of Central Florida’s acclaimed jazz studies program, are in a duo setting for “Imagination.”
Kennedy Freshman Wins Corridor Jazz Art Contest
Lauren Stangl, a freshman at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, has been chosen as the winner of the 2017 Corridor Jazz Project CD Cover design. Lauren will receive a $100 cash prize from KCCK-FM and the design will adorn the cover of the “The Corridor Jazz Project X”, a compilation of recordings from the top jazz bands from Jefferson, Kennedy, Prairie, Xavier and Washington High Schools in Cedar Rapids, Linn Mar and, Marion in Marion; Iowa City High, Solon High School, Mt. Vernon High School, and Lisbon High School. Receiving Honorable Mention in the contest were eight other students:
- Kayla Donahue, Kennedy
- Kylie Easton, Kennedy
- Emma Eltze, Kennedy
- Marissa Lofton, Kennedy
- Alissa Tiedemann, Prairie
- Jennifer Sanchez, Jefferson
- Hannah Montgomery, Jefferson
- Jozlyn Wright, Jefferson
Lauren’s original piece, and those receiving Honorable Mention will all be exhibited during the Corridor Jazz Project concert, March 6 at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids. The Corridor Jazz Project is a jazz education and mentoring program for jazz band students at the high schools in the Creative Corridor. The program, developed as a part of the education outreach of Jazz 88.3 KCCK, matches each school’s top jazz band with a professional jazz player, who performed as a guest soloist with the band. The subsequent recordings have been collected and will be released on a compilation CD. CDs will be made available to each school to sell and keep the proceeds. CDs will be available at local retail outlets as well. Support for the Corridor Jazz Project comes from MidWestOne Bank, and West Music. For more information, contact Dennis Green, dennis@kcck.org or 319.398.5446
Clean Up Your Act 3-15-17
How healthy is your workplace?
Talking Pictures 1-19-17
Lion, La La Land, The Dressmaker, Hidden Figures with Hollis Monroe, Denny Lynch and Monica Schmidt.
Culture Crawl 224 “He Makes It Look So Easy”
Sean Christopher Lewis, artistic director at Riverside Theatre, directs “A View From The Bridge,” opening Jan. 20.
The last of Arthur Miller’s “Big Three” (“Death of a Salesman” and “All My Sons” are the others), “View” tells the story of longshoreman Eddie Carbone who at first welcomes his Sicilian cousins to the land of freedom. But when one of them falls for his beautiful niece, they discover that freedom comes at a price.
An award-winning playwright himself, Sean says that Miller is the quintessential American playwright, who makes the combining of meaty, well-rounded characters, startling plot twists look easy.
The same can be said about Sean. Two of his plays are being staged around the midwest, and his graphic novel “Saints,” has been optioned for TV.
Tickets and info at www.riversidetheatre.org.
This Week’s Shows: Week of January 16 – 22
Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
The Short List: Corridor Jazz (Dennis McPartland)
Dennis McPartland leads The Jazz Underground at KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars (Photo by Ann Kinney)
The Short List “Corridor Jazz” series continues with drummer Dennis McPartland who was a part of the revered 19980s & 90s local trio – Daugherty-Davis & McPartland. Aside from being a well-known part of the Eastern Iowa music scene, he is also an educator teaching at Kirkwood Community College and Indian Hills College in Ottumwa. He also teaches through the KCCK sponsored “Schoolhouse Jazz.” Though he spent three years in Los Angeles when just out of college and played with people like Joe Lovano, Richie Cole and Steve Allen, he came back to Iowa to forge his career.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Louis Armstrong: ‘The Man and His Music,’ Part 2
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong transcended a lifetime of obstacles to become America’s most influential singer and trumpeter. In the process, he became a true American hero, shaping the destiny of the jazz world forever. By going from rags to riches, Louis Armstrong realized the American dream and became arguably the most important artist in American culture.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“Birth Date Anniversary Celebration For Kenny Wheeler”
Craig salutes trumpet and flugelhorn master, KENNETH VINCENT JOHN WHEELER (1/14/30 to 9/18/14), by spinning a dazzling array of selections from the exquisite sounds of this important composer and player. We’ll hear Kenny both as a leader, and as a sideman, spanning his 64 + years in the jazz recording business. Be sure to tune in for the mellow beauty that Kenny was able to produce for us.
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
Ponderosa Stomp: The Doctor Is In
Dr. Ike, a.k.a. Ira Padnos, founder of the Ponderosa Stomp Festival
We all have at least one friend who is a complete record geek, an aficionado of Americana, or a passionate purveyor of obscure music. For some, this love of music grows into something much bigger than they could ever imagine. New Orleans’ own Dr. Ike is a perfect example -– a man whose quest for music has made him into a walking encyclopedia of American pop culture: rock and roll, soul, R&B, swamp pop, jazz, cajun, zydeco, garage rock, blues, and more.
Not only is Dr Ike an encyclopedia – he’s also one of the main people responsible for the Ponderosa Stomp, a music festival that celebrates the unsung heroes of American music. This week we hear how his quest for the perfect wedding band led him to create a New Orleans institution, and brought him to Lincoln Center and beyond. Plus we have a set from Eddie Daniels, recorded live at the 2013 Ponderosa Stomp!
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Celebrating Dave Brubeck
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis @ Davies Symphony Hall ©JamesKnox
Dave Brubeck’s music is reimagined by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. Jazz Night in America explores various Brubeck compositions adapted for big band, as we sit down and discuss with the arrangers the decisions they made when approaching the material.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Hot Latin Jazz For a Cold Winter’s Night – James Dreier and ¡RITMOCANO! (ICJF)
James Dreier (white hat and shirt) leads ¡Ritmocano! at the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival
¡RITMOCANO! is a 6 – 7 piece Latin jazz group from Iowa City led by percussionist James Dreier (formerly of Orquesta Alto Maiz) that features some of the best jazz musicians in the Midwest. ¡RITMOCANO! plays many styles from various regions of Latin jazz, including mambo, cha cha chá, rumba and bembé from Cuba, samba, bassa nova and maracatú from Brazil, merengue, calypso form the Caribbean and much more. Of course, American jazz elements also play an important part of this energetic and entertaining genre.
Dreier was a founding member of Orquesta Alto Maiz from 1986 until 2012. Dreier has long had a dream of forming a more jazz-oriented Latin group. ¡RITMOCANO! is the realization of that dream. Although born and raised in Iowa, Dreier has been a life-long student of Latin music, studying it at Berklee College of Music in Boston, traveling to Cuban and Brazil numerous times and of course, playing and touring for 26 years with Orquesta Alto Maiz. The formation of ¡RITMOCANO! is simply the latest path on this long road of discovery.
Members of ¡RITMOCANO! are drawn from the highest ranks of Iowa’s jazz musicians, including Rich Medd (trombone), Greg Mazunik (bass), Steve Shanley (piano) and others.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“The Amazing Piano of Conrad Yeatis “Sonny” Clark” 
Craig will present a variety of selections from one of the hippest jazz pianists from the decade of 1953 to 1962. We’ll hear Sonny as the “house pianist” on many of the greatest Blue Note sessions from that era, as well as a number of own his sessions. Clark was a magnificent player whose legend continues to grow! Don’t miss it!
Tropical Heat (hosted by Kpoti Senam Accoh)
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Album: “Grand Masters” by by Oliver Mtukudzi 
http://www.emusic.com/album/oliver-mtukudzi/grand-masters/16122230/
Gifted with a deep, gutsy voice and a talent for writing songs that reflect on the daily life and struggles of the people of his homeland, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi is one of Zimbabwe’s greatest artists. His blending of Southern African music traditions, including mbira, mbaqanga, jit, and the traditional drumming styles of the Korekore, has created such a unique sound that it has been respectfully dubbed “Tuku music.” While Parade referred to Mtukudzi as “one of the few genuine innovators on the Zimbabwean music scene,” Prize Beat proclaimed that “his music has been instrumental in strengthening our freedom, socially, politically, and economically.” Bonnie Raitt, who has recorded several of his songs, explained, “The juxtaposition of what Mtukudzi sings about and his raw, imploring, vocal reminds me of Otis Redding, Toots Hibbert, and some of my favorite reggae, an odd pairing of agonizing, thorny lyrics over basically lighthearted music.” Mtukudzi released his debut single, “Stop After Orange,” in 1975.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at: