This Week’s Shows – Week of September 14

Short List with Bob Naujoks

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

Jazz and the Spoken Word: Robert Pinsky w Laurence Hobgood / David Gonzalez / “Jazz Canto”

Robert Pinsky with Laurence Hobgood

Robert Pinsky with Laurence Hobgood

                                        

“Jazz and the Spoken Word” Short List series is about a small group of writers and musicians who have worked to blend the rhythm of jazz with the rhythm of poetry and the spoken word. The series reveals some of the best attempts at combining the two art forms during the past 90 years. On the Short List this week it’s a continuation of the jazz and poetry collaboration of writer Robert Pinsky and pianist Laurence Hobgood. They call their work ‘Poem-Jazz’ and it is quite modern and often freewheeling. Then a listen to Latin-tinged work of David Gonzalez who is a “storyteller-musician and poet,” but also has a Ph.D. His recording with drummer Bobby Sanabria’s music is titled “City of Dreams” with the so-called Poetic License Band. Then from an obscure but interesting souvenir recording from the late 1950s titled “Jazz Canto” comes poetry from Walt Whitman, Dylan Thomas, William Carlos Williams and Lawrence Ferlinghetti read by Hoagy Carmichael, John Carradine and Bob Dorough.

 

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson  

Monday at 6:00 PM

Charlie Parker: ‘Bird Lives!’ Part 1

CCP

Charles “Yardbird” Parker was a self-taught innovator who could fly higher and cut deeper than any other musician of his day. Parker pioneered the bebop movement in jazz with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. He influenced generations of musicians. He accomplished all of this and other feats despite a crippling drug addition that ended his life at thirty-four. This program focuses on “Bird” the improviser, and traces his instrumental virtuosity from his early days in Kansas City to his bebop experiments in New York to his ill-fated trip to Los Angeles in 1945.

 

 

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)

“The Incomparable Artistry of Andrew Hill — Part Three”             

Craig brings us the 3rd of 4 shows in which he’ll throw the spotlight onto the career of one of the most innovative jazz pianists of the last 65 years! In this show, we’ll examine more material from Mr. Hill, including groups under his leadership, as well as some of the many appearances of Hill as a sideman.

 

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire    

Tuesday at 6:00 PM 

“Play It By Ear”

Danny Barker

Danny Barker

    

This week we find the connections between the legendary musician Danny Barker, a Baptist Church marching band from New Orleans, and brass bands like the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth.   Late in life, Danny Barker gathered young musicians for a marching band — and what he did wound up keeping New Orleans jazz alive for a new generation.

 

 

 

 

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride

Wednesday at 6:00 PM

Duke, Dizzy, Trane & Mingus: Jazz Titans     

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

        

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis present music of the Americas through the lens of four pioneering giants of jazz.

     

 

 

 

 

Wednesday Night Special               

7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)   

Roots of Rhythm: Lynne Hart / Richard Wagor / Pat Smith live at the Opus Concert Café   

Pat Smith / Lynne Hart / Richard Wagor   Photo by Mark Clark

Pat Smith / Lynne Hart / Richard Wagor   Photo by Mark Clark

            

Clarinetist Lynne Hart, bassist Richard Wagor, and guitarist Pat Smith are some of the area’s top jazz players and educators. Their relatively new trio, Roots of Rhythm, explores the many possibilities of the music of Benny Goodman, Rube Bloom, Spencer Williams, Django Reinhardt, Harry Warren, George Gershwin and others through their own, unique interpretations  of this timeless music. Their self-entitled CD was released last year and this performance was originally broadcast live on KCCK on August 7th during “First Friday Jazz” at the Opus Concert Café in downtown Cedar Rapids.

 

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland      

Thursday at 6:00 PM

Onaje Allan Gumbs   

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Pianist, arranger, and songwriter Onaje Allan Gumbs began playing piano at age seven and drew his early inspiration from Henry Mancini. He studied classical piano and honed his skill in multiple genres, from jazz and pop to R&B and soul. He has played with greats such as Woody Shaw, Nat Adderly, and Cassandra Wilson. On this 1998 Piano Jazz, Gumbs performs his original compositions “The First Time We Met” and “The Eyes of Wisdom.”

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler  

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

“Blue Note Records In 1965”      

BNR

Craig travels back 50 years to look in on some of the nearly FORTY recording sessions done by Alfred Lion and company for his BLUE NOTE record label back in 1965.  We’ll hear jazz gems from the likes of Herbie Hancock, Larry Young, Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, and a host of others!  Some would certainly say that this is the essence of modern jazz!

 

Riverwalk Jazz

Sunday at 5:00 PM

Ev’rything I Love: The Songs of Cole Porter           

Cole Porter

Cole Porter

      

Live from San Francisco’s historic  Filoli Gardens, The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and jazz vocalist Nina Ferro spotlight the swinging music and witty, sophisticated lyrics of the incomparable Cole Porter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:

http://www.kcck.org/onair/midnight_cd.php

New Music Monday for September 14, 2015

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

kennywerner_themelody_db Pianist Kenny Werner has played with greats across a wide spectrum of styles, including Charles Mingus, the Mel Lewis Orchestra, and harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans. He’s been leading a trio with drummer Ari Hoenig and bassist Johannes Weidenmuller since 1999, an ensemble that has played the Iowa City Jazz Festival. “They were pretty much youngsters at the time,” says Werner as he looks back some 15 years to the beginning of the trio’s relationship. “It was easy to start working together with such eager young players who could play anything I could come up with…They are so creative while being so advanced rhythmically and in every other way.” There is sparkling brilliance to the pieces on their new release, “The Melody,” including four of Werner’s originals and tunes by Brubeck and Coltrane.

cd-page-fwd On the vocal sides of thing, Grammy nominated lyricist and singer Lorraine Feather unveils her eleventh disc as a leader, “Flirting with Disaster,” featuring her unique original material and intimate performance style. The All Music Guide describes her as “easily one of the most creative lyricists of her generation…Feather’s skills as an actress and her infectious, versatile voice add to her appeal.” She is once again joined by her longtime collaborators Eddie Arkin, Shelly Berg, Russell Ferrante and Dave Grusin.

51bAbEBxx7L._SY355_     Over the years, vocalist Rebecca Kilgore and bassist Nikki Parrott have had occasions working together where Nicki was part of the rhythm section and Becky the singer. Parrott has now added vocalizing to her performances and they have begun to add vocal duets to their joint appearances. It was only logical that they would eventually talk about recording a vocal album together. “Two Songbirds of a Feather” is the result of those talks, with saxophonist Harry Allen, drummer Chuck Redd and pianist Mike Renzi rounding out their dream team.

51QjjNM8xML._SY355_Also this week, two of the most renowned instrumentalists from the world of contemporary jazz, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and guitarist Chuck Loeb, come together on “Bridges”; and pianist Adam Shulman and his San Francisco Bay area sextet offer up “Here/There.”

 

 

 

 

Culture Crawl 094 “Cannon, Church Bells, and a Little Teapot.”

Culture Crawl 093 “PoJam and a Freaky Love Story”

Culture Crawl 092 “Come for the Concert, Stay for the Swordfight.”

New Music Monday for September 7, 2015

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

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It is fitting that four-time Grammy Award winning bassist Christian McBride would eventually record at the Village Vanguard, the most hallowed and historical nightclub in jazz: an underground Mt. Olympus where the gods of the music—from John Coltrane to Bill Evans—have cast their syncopated spells. “You can literally feel the ghosts of all the legends that played there,” McBride says. “You feel Coltrane hovering in the vortex. You feel Monk hovering in the vortex. Miles, Mingus…you feel all of that in the air.” And with his new CD, “Christian McBride Trio: Live at the Village Vanguard,” you can feel and hear McBride in the same air, with his magnificent trio, which features drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr. and pianist Christian Sands. It’s the fruit of McBride’s long association with the Vanguard, where his first appearance as a leader for the club was in 1995.

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As one of modern jazz’s premier voices on the tenor sax, John Ellis is also a highly in-demand sideman with an impossibly busy schedule. The runner-up in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone competition, he’s since worked with artists as diverse as bass great John Patitucci, organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith, guitar groove master Charlie Hunter and pop icon Sting. His band Double-Wide, which he formed in 2007, has proven to be a fertile and colorful outlet to ease the tension of Ellis’ internal tug-of-war between New Orleans and New York. For their new CD, “Charm,” the band is anchored as always by sousaphonist Matt Perrine and drummer Jason Marsalis, who lend the group its buoyant New Orleans groove. Gary Versace returns to the fold on keyboards. Completing the line-up is trombonist Alan Ferber, who appeared as a special guest on Double-Wide’s second album.

Also this wemindset2ek, guitarist Lee Ritenour twists, flips and reconstructs some new material and tunes from his catalogue on “A Twist of Rit,” featuring Dave Grusin, Patrice Rushen, Ernie Watts, Dave Weckl, Bob Sheppard and others; guitar master Pat Martino is special guest for saxophonist Eric Alexander and his quartet on “The Real Thing”; and ace trumpeter Joe Magnarelli takes the court with trombonist Steve Davis, organist Brian Charette and drummer Rudy Royston for “Three on Two.”

This Week’s Shows – Week of September 7th

Short List with Bob Naujoks

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

Jazz and the Spoken Word: UpSurge! upschromaCDF2x2                                        

“Jazz and the Spoken Word” Short List series is about a small group of writers and musicians who have worked to blend the rhythm of jazz with the rhythm of poetry and the spoken word. The series reveals some of the best attempts at combining the two art forms during the past 90 years. On the Short List this week it is the work of the Los Angeles poetry jazz ensemble, UpSurge! One writer call them “a free-pushing band with two strong poets out front.” The two poets and readers are Zigi Lowenberg and Raymond Nat Turner. Turner grew up in the Watts area of Los Angeles and is an activist for social change. Lowenberg is from Queens and recently the band relocated to New York. The amazing thing is that UpSurge! Has been in existence for twenty-five years.

 

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson

Monday at 6:00 PM

(pre-empted this week for our special Labor Day rebroadcast of the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival)

 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)

(pre-empted this week for our special Labor Day rebroadcast of the 2015 Iowa City Jazz Festival)

 

 

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire    

Tuesday at 6:00 PM 

Remembering Katrina – 10 Years Later    

Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans on August 29, 2005 and changed countless lives forever. One of the remarkable stories from that fateful day and its aftermath was the loss and ultimate resurrection of New Orleans Public Radio Station WWOZ. Host George Ingmire shares this tale of how hundreds of people including WWOZ staff, volunteers, listeners, friends and community activists came together to help reclaim the airwaves for this public institution.

 

 

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride

Wednesday at 6:00 PM

Remembering Rahsaan Roland Kirk RRK            

Legendary trombonist and conch shell virtuoso Steve Turre brings a monster lineup to Jazz at Lincoln Center to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of his influences, the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 Wednesday Night Special               

7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)   

Saul Lubaroff Quartet live at the Opus Concert Café images              

Saul Lubaroff wears many musical hats. He has played saxophone and studied the art of jazz improv for 34 yrs. An acomplished free-lance woodwind artist, Saul has played clarinet with Orchestra Iowa, as a sideman with notable musicians Dan Knight, Nick George, and Denny Redmond. He has played with world famous jazz pianist Michael Wolff and his touring band with Mike Clark of Herbie Hancock fame on drums and bassist Jeff Berlin. The Saul Lubaroff Quartet played KCCK’s Jazz Under the Stars in 2003 and more recently Saul has been part of our JUTS line up as a member of The Johnny Killowatt Band, The Fez- Iowa City’s Steely Dan tribute band, and just this summer he got back with the original members of Shade of Blue for a special Reunion performance at our final JUTS concert of the 2015 season. Saul is an adjunct instructor in the Iowa City Community Schools and also is an endorsed performing artist for P. Mauriat and Bari Woodwine Supplies.

 

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland CT      

Thursday at 6:00 PM

Clark Terry        

One of the great innovators and educators in jazz, Clark Terry (1920 – February 21, 2015) was celebrated for his technical virtuosity and swinging lyricism. He is featured in the 2014 documentary Keep on Keepin’ On, which chronicled his mentorship with emerging jazz pianist Justin Kauflin. In memory of Clark Terry, Piano Jazz brings you this 1994 episode, which captures the master trumpet player’s magic and humor as he and McPartland play “The Snapper” and “WHAM.”

 

                                                                                                                                                                           Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler AH  

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM and Monday, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

“The Incomparable Artistry of Andrew Hill — Part Three”             

Craig brings us the 3rd of 4 shows in which he’ll throw the spotlight onto the career of one of the most innovative jazz pianists of the last 65 years! In this show, we’ll examine more material from Mr. Hill, including groups under his leadership, as well as some of the many appearances of Hill as a sideman. ASTONISHING MUSIC THAT IS NOT TO BE MISSED!!

 

Riverwalk Jazz PK 

Sunday at 5:00 PM

Peck’s Bad Boys: The Peck Kelley Story            

Dick Hyman joins The Jim Cullum Jazz Band for the story of piano virtuoso Peck Kelley. He was a 1920s East Texas sensation, in high demand by top bands. But he preferred to spend his life playing in honky-tonks.

 

Peck Kelley

 

 

KCCK’s Midnight CD

The Monday – Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:

http://www.kcck.org/onair/midnight_cd.php

Culture Crawl 091 “Actors Take Up Less Space When They’re In The Air”