This Week’s Shows: Week of June 13 – 19
Short List with Bob Naujoks
Monday – Friday at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM
The Short List: Vocal Short List 14 (Ori Dagan)
Ori Dagan
Ori Dagan is a deep-voice male jazz singer who scats. Dagan who was born in Israel, but moved to Canada at a young age. He is a significant part of the active Toronto music scene and in a few short years has issued two albums and several singles. His musical career began by studying classical piano, but after he discovered Ella Fitzgerald, it was all jazz. He was attracted to Ella’s scat style and that of Anita O’Day and with a lot of practice seems to have mastered the tricky nuances of scatting.
Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson
Monday at 6:00 PM
Norman Granz: Jazz Genious Behind the Scenes
Ella Fitzgerald with Norman Granz
Norman Granz has no equal as an impresario in jazz and popular music. He founded Verve and Pablo records. He created Jazz at the Philharmonic, a touring concert series that was helpful in promoting the careers of Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, Lester Young, and Art Tatum. As a jazz producer, he has probably done more than anyone to bring modern jazz to a wider audience. This show celebrates Granz’s outstanding achievements while exploring the shrewdness and audacity of his producing style. Interviewees include Granz, pianists Oscar Peterson and Benny Green, drummers Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson, and others.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)
“Birth Date Anniversary Celebration For Sheldon “Shelly” MANNE”
Craig celebrates the birthday of extraordinary drummer and percussionist SHELLY MANNE (6/11/20 to 9/26/84) by spinning a tasty collection of tunes from throughout the lengthy career of this jazz master. We’ll hear selections from Manne’s early days (30s and 40s) with Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton, as well as a host of (mostly) “west coast jazz” recordings from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire
Tuesday at 6:00 PM
Aint Misbehavin: Leroy Jones
Leroy Jones
Leroy Jones started out his career playing trumpet in his parents’ garage in New Orleans — and he played so loud it caught the attention of jazz legend Danny Barker, who lived in the neighborhood. Since then his journey has taken him to the Superbowl Halftime show and around the world — and now all the way back to us for an intimate interview and performance at the historic Basin St Station.
Harry Connick Jr said “No one could touch him. For young musicians like me, he was exciting, intimidating. For the older ones, he was the keeper of the flame. But Leroy did more than keep the flame. He started a forest fire…”
Leroy grew up in the same neighborhood as famous musicians Danny Barker, Dave “Fatman” Williams, and Ernest Cagnolatti.
Leroy was mentored by Danny Barker, forming the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band, which also included Lucien Barbarin, Big Al Carson, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, Herlin Riley, Gregg Stafford, Joseph Torregano, and many others. This was followed by the Hurricane Brass Band.
The Leroy Jones Quintet played a special show for New Orleans Calling at the historic Basin St Station this spring, and we featured tracks on our Live from Basin St Station segment in this episode.
Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride
Wednesday at 6:00 PM
Wayne Horvitz, The Pianist and the Poet
Wayne Horvitz
The keyboardist and composer Wayne Horvitz made his name in New York, but for over 20 years, he’s been synonymous with his adopted hometown of Seattle. He’s one of the key players of the town’s improvised music community — as a player, a bandleader, a venue operator, and a teacher
at several levels. Jazz Night returns to Seattle to track his influence on the city’s jazz ecosystem through his students, his collaborators, and a concert he leads during the annual Earshot Jazz Festival of music inspired by the late local poet Richard Hugo.
Wednesday Night Special
7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)
Best of the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival: Ben Allison Think Free
Ben Allison Think Free at the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival
As we are looking ahead to the 2016 Iowa City Jazz Festival (July 1-3), we revisit some of the best performances from the main stage at last year’s festival.
Bassist/composer Ben Allison is one of a few band leaders working in jazz today who has developed his own instantly identifiable sound. Known for his inspired arrangements, inventive grooves and hummable melodies, Ben draws from the jazz tradition and a range of influences from rock and folk to classical and world music, seamlessly blending them into a cinematic, cohesive whole.
Called “one of today’s best young jazz musicians” by the Boston Globe and a “visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene” by JazzTimes, Allison has released eleven CDs of original music, including 2013’s The Stars Look Very Different Today (on his own Sonic Camera Records).
Ben’s album Action-Refraction, reached #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio charts and remained in the top 20 for over three months, making it one of the most-played CDs of 2011. Action-Refraction was named one of the Best Albums of 2011 (of any genre) by NPR and Time Out New York.
Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler
Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
“A Salute to The Genius of Organist, Larry Young – Part Two”
Larry Young
On May 14th, Craig tipped his hat to one of the masters of the Hammond B – 3 organ. For this week’s show (Part 2), we’ll hear an entirely different program of classic material highlighting Young’s genius…more from Miles Davis, Tony Williams, Sam Rivers, Grant Green, and many others. As one of the truly gifted innovators in jazz, this show is not to be missed!!
Tropical Heat with Kpoti Accoh
Sunday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Album: “Live at the St. George Theatre” by Galt MacDermot 
http://www.allmusic.com/album/hair-live-at-the-st-george-theatre-mw0002192654
In a career packed with varying types of compositions, Galt MacDermot is still best-known for the music he wrote in the late-’60s Aquarian musical Hair. Born and raised in Montreal, MacDermot was the son of a Canadian diplomat. He studied at Bishop’s University, then at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, before moving to New York in 1964. Three years later, MacDermot’s music for Hair, combined with lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, made the show first an off-Broadway success, then a Broadway smash, and later a major motion picture. Of the several pop standards are “Let the Sunshine In,” “Aquarius,” “What a Piece of Work Is Man,” “Good Morning Starshine,” and the title song. In addition to the musicals, Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Human Comedy, MacDermot composed ballet and film scores, chamber music, band repertory, and drama accompaniments. Also, he formed the New Pulse Jazz Band in 1979. ~ John Bush
KCCK’s Midnight CD
The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:
New Music Monday for June 13, 2016
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify.
For 20 years
, Guillermo Klein has been creating some of the most singular and exciting music for his highly adept 11-piece ensemble, Los Guachos. His compositional style has been evolving over the years, though always utilizing elements of jazz, folkloric music of his native Argentina, rock and modern classical music. Klein’s musical voice has established a number of unique composing concepts. His new recording, “Los Guachos V,” heralds his use of a new method: symmetries. To highlight his work, Klein has created two suites that use familiar works of the jazz canon and his own material reworked using mirroring, inversions and retrogrades of harmonies and melodies to create new compositions.
For about twenty-five years, Frank Catalano has been billed as a “young, up-and-coming prodigy” saxophonist cut in the Chicago tenor tradition. But a musician can only retain the ‘young prodigy’ title for so long. Now 39-years-old and a fixture on the Chicago music scene, Catalano has assumed his rightful place as a torchbearer of the great Chicago tenor tradition. He continues what has become a musically simpatico and prolific relationship with Jimmy Chamberlin, who is best known as the drummer for the pioneering Chicago rock band Smashing Pumpkins, with a new disc that pays tribute to Von Freeman and Eddie Harris. “Bye Bye Blackbird: Blowing In From Chicago for Von and Eddie” also features New York-based guitarist Nir Felder, Chicago’s Demos Petropoulos on Hammond B-3 organ and special guest David Sanborn on alto.
Also this week, trumpeter Wayne Bergeron highlights work by special guests Arturo Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Dave Weckl, Eric Marienthal and others on his new big band project, “Full Circle”.
Saxophonist JD Allen delves into a personal investigation of the blues on “Americana: Musings on Jazz and Blues”; and pianist Louis Heriveaux, a mainstay on the Atlanta jazz scene for many years, enlists noteworthy sidemen Curtis Lundy on bass and Terreon Gully on drums for his debut as a leader, “Triadic Episode.”
Talking Pictures 6-9-16
The Lobster, The Do Over, Love and Friendship, X-Men: Apocalypse
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profiles by Laura Eckles
KCCK’s programming intern, Laura Eckles, has been spending a lot of time listening to the artists performing at this year’s Iowa City Jazz Festival. She’s been largely responsible for setting up the music for the Jazz Fest Channel, and has researched and listened to each artist in preparing profiles that include bio and sample tracks from each.
While she was at it, we asked her to include some of her own thoughts about each artist and what she likes or is looking forward to at their show.
Laura is a second-year student at Kirkwood, where she has played (sax) in the Kirkwood jazz ensemble. She graduated from Solon High School, where her band played in the Iowa Jazz Championships, and KCCK’s Corridor Jazz Project.
Check out her thoughts and form your own opinions as we all get ready for the biggest three jazz days of the year, July 1, 2, and 3 in downtown Iowa City!
Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom
Iowa City Jazz Fest Profile– David Berkman
By Laura Eckles, KCCK Programming Intern
David Berkman, an award-winning composer/bandleader and jazz pianist, has been a major contributor to the New York jazz scene over the last thirty years. Along with being a talented pianist, Berkman is currently an educator at Queens College.
David Berkman is well known for his post-bop playing. His CD’s have been praised in numerous best records of the year critic’s lists (the New York Times, the Village Voice, Downbeat, JazzIz, and Jazz Times). Berkman has played and arranged for countless jazz musicians including Tom Harrell, Cecil McBee, Joe Lovano, and many others. His latest album is 2015’s “Old Friends and New Friends.” Berkman does a spectacular job at adding a new and inventive spin on this album; he connects both old and new styles. David Berkman closes out the Iowa City Jazz Festival on Sunday, July 3, at 8 p.m. on the Main Stage.