A New Look for KCCK.ORG

The ORIGINAL kcck.org, from December 1996

Welcome to the new KCCK website!

You may not know it, but KCCK has had an online presence longer than just about any other area organization. Our first website was set up by then-sixteen-year-old Michael Dorman, son of News and Operations Director George Dorman. This was in 1996, years before most people had even heard of the World Wide Web. In fact, kcck.org preceded kirkwood.edu by several years!

Mike Dorman has assisted his dad on and off with the website ever since. The previous design was created by coder-and-musician John Shultz in 2007, so it was definitely time for a refresh.

We’re now taking advantage of modern content management systems (CMS to the web-savvy) to make the site easier to navigate and update. We’re using the popular WordPress system, if you’re interested in the nitty-gritty. The site will also display better on your mobile device.

The snappy new look to the site, which beautifully captures the old-school-meets-the-modern-age ethos of KCCK, was created by graphic designer Michelle Wiese. Mike Long of the Kirkwood web team did the heavy lifting on updating the code.

We think all the important stuff has come over from the old site, but if you don’t see something you use, please let us know!

This Week’s Shows – Week of Aug. 24

Short List with Bob Naujoks

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

Jazz and the Spoken Word: N-Side with Norman Woods / Dan Jaffe with Mike Melvoin

“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 some modern-day poetry with jazz. The first segments feature N-Side, the healer — that is, Norman Woods from San Francisco. He is not only a poet, but a screenwriter, film producer and music publisher. His performances have steadily gained acceptance over the past decade and a half. The second poet to be featured is from Kansas City — Dan Jaffe. A few years ago he teamed up with the veteran jazz pianist Mike Melvoin to make a well-received recording. Jaffe also was the librettist for a jazz opera.

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson

Monday at 6:00 PM

Mel Tormé: The ‘Velvet’ Voice of Jazz

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)

“Prestige Records In 1955”

Once again, Craig travels back 60 years to look in on the recordings made for Bob Weinstock’s PRESTIGE record label back in 1955. We’ll hear from Miles Davis, Gene Ammons, Billy Taylor, James Moody, Sonny Rollins, and a host of other jazz giants!

New Orleans Calling with George Ingmire

Tuesday at 6:00 PM

“Fish Fries and Green Gumbo”

New Orleans seasons are defined more by what’s cooking than by the weather. On this week’s program we get a taste of some springtime food traditions in the Crescent City — fish fries, St Joseph’s altars with all manner of traditional Italian foods, and a seasonal gumbo that you might not believe is actually still a gumbo. Plus we have the debut of an exciting new live performance segment, with jazz singer Sharon Martin recorded live in an intimate setting at the historic Basin St. Station.

Jazz Night in America with Christian McBride

Wednesday at 6:00 PM

Celebrating Betty Carter

In this episode of Jazz Night in America, we hear stories from alumni of “the school of Betty Carter,” an esteemed collection of singers bound together by the thrall of Carter’s titanic influence on jazz. One of the most powerful voices in the American musical tradition, her lasting legacy is celebrated by vocalist Charenee Wade along with many past members of Carter’s band through the years.

Wednesday Night Special

7:00 PM (Follows Jazz Night in America)

USAF Band Airmen of Note: The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts #3

The Jazz Heritage Series 2015 Radio Broadcasts is a three-part concert series featuring The Airmen of Note. The Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of the United States Air Force, is internationally recognized as one of America’s finest big bands and a “national treasure.” This week enjoy The Best of the Jazz Heritage Series with memorable performances from the last 6 years. Guest soloists include Al Jarreau, Carmen Bradford, Doc Severinsen, Roberta Gambarini, Andy Martin, Phil Woods, Kurt Elling, Joe Locke and the New York Voices.

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland

Thursday at 6:00 PM

Hiromi

Pianist Hiromi Uehara was born in Shizuoka, Japan in 1979 and took her first piano lesson at age six. By age seventeen, she’d performed with both the Czech Philharmonic and with Chick Corea. She is an in-demand performer, capable of playing stride piano with blinding speed and deadly accuracy, and she’s also a thoughtful, impressionistic composer. On this episode of Piano Jazz from 2004, McPartland and Hiromi perform “Lullaby of Birdland” and McPartland improvises a “Portrait of Hiromi.”

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Saturday, Noon – 4:00 PM

“Celebration of The Music Of Charles Christopher Parker, Jr.”

Craig celebrates Bird’s birthday (8/29) by playing from a variety of records that feature music from the most important soloist in the history of modern jazz. We’ll hear music from Bird’s years in Kansas City in the early 1940s, through his early demise in 1955. You bring the cake and ice cream…Craig will bring the Charlie Parker records!

Riverwalk Jazz

Sunday at 5:00 PM

Gulf Coast Blues: The Clarence Williams Story

Clarence Williams certainly led a fascinating life — as an iconic record producer who brought the talents of Bessie Smith and Sidney Bechet to mainstream audiences, or as a hustler who stole the rights to top-selling jazz tunes. Topsy Chapman and Vernel Bagneris join The Jim Cullum Jazz Band to explore the story of this memorable musician.

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 August 24, 2015

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

When Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra traveled to Havana in December of last year to record his new CD, “Cuba: the Conversation Continues,” something nearly miraculous happened: President Obama unexpectedly announced the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba. O’Farrill had fought for political normalization between the countries through cultural diplomacy long before the announcement. His father, the late Latin music legend Chico O’Farrill, was born in Cuba, but was unable to return to the island after the revolution and he subsequently settled in the U.S. “It was an emotional experience for me,” O’Farrill explains,” a day that I hoped would come for years.” An auspicious moment in the celebrated pianist’s 30-year career, the recording is a profound statement that’s a touchstone of diplomatic engagement and cultural healing.

Mike LeDonne has appeared on over 100 CDs as a sideman with so many jazz giants it’s hard to keep count: Art Farmer, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson and others. LeDonne made his first recording as a leader on the B-3 in 2003 and has since added seven additional records to his discography. For his new CD, “Awwright!”, his Groover Quartet mates Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein and Joe Farnsworth are joined by guests Jeremy Pelt on trumpet and the venerable bassist Bob Cranshaw. With such an illustrious line-up there are few jazz combos that burn hotter, swing hotter or generate more excitement than this all-star aggregation.

Also this week, contemporary jazz stalwarts Jeff Lorber and Chuck Loeb delve into the mainstream jazz songbooks of Monk, Coltrane and Parker on “Bop,” with help from friends like Harvey Mason, Brian Bromberg and Rick Braun; saxophonist Corbin Andrick is joined by some of the very best young talent in Chicago on “Olmstead’s Whistle”; and singer/songwriter Melody Gardot takes on a rootsier sound on “Currency of Man,” embracing the West Coast soul, funk, gospel and pop of the early ‘70s as the backdrop for her new tunes.

Culture Crawl 086 “Streets Full of Soul.”

Culture Crawl 088 “Mom, There’s a 40′ Inflatable Lady In The Parking Lot.”

Culture Crawl 087 “Little Tour, Big Funk” – Shade of Blue

Visit Cuba! – SOLD OUT!!!

This trip has sold out! Please contact Lisa Baum at 319.398.5446 or email lisa@kcck.org for future departures.

MUSIC. CULTURE. EXPERIENCE.

Download the Brochure.

Travel with KCCK to Cuba in 2016!

We depart May 4, 2016 for 8 days of cultural exploration of this exotic island. Don’t delay – Cuban accommodations all over the island are at a premium.

Highlights

• Melia Varadero All-Inclusive Resort
• Varadero & Matansas
• Matansas School of Art & Music
• Havana & Museum of the Revolution
• Old Havana Walking Tour (UNESCO)
• Home & Studio of Artist Jose Fuster
• Walking Tour of the Colon Cemetery
•Hemingway’s Farm – Finca La Vigia
• Habana Compas Dance Group Performance
• Old Style Classic Car Club Discussion
• Nacional Hotel
• Former Cuban Baseball Player Discussion
• Pinar Del Rio & Vinales Valley (UNESCO)
• Francisco Donatien Cigar Factory Visit
• Tobacco Farm & Farmhouse Visit

What’s Included

• Round Trip Airfare from Miami
• U.S. Air Departure Taxes & Fees
• Havana Airport Departure Taxes
• Hotel & Airport Transfers In Cuba
• 7 Nights First Class Hotel Accommodations
• Professional Bilingual Cuban Guide
• U.S. Tour Manager
• Cuban Visa & Cuban Health Insurance
• 16 Meals – (6B, 6L, 4D)
• Daily Bottled Water
• Interactions & Admissions per Itinerary.
• Baggage Handling – (1 Checked Bag pp)
• Deluxe Air Conditioned Motorcoach
• Gratuities for Hotel Porters, Wait Staff
at included Meals, Step on Guides and All
People to People Visits & Interactions

Accommodations

• 1 Night Airport Miami Marriott
(www.marriott.com/miami)
• 2 Nights Melia Varadero Resort, Varadero
(www.meliacuba.com) – All Inclusive Resort
• 4 Nights Melia Havana Hotel, Havana
(www.meliacuba.com)

Regular Rate

$4,095 pp double

$600 single supplement

*$200 per couple / $100 pp booking discount. See flyer back for booking discount details.

Hotels, itinerary, inclusions and people to people visits are all subject to change.

New Music Monday for August 17, 2015

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

Helming a trio was the furthest thing from bassist Christian McBride’s mind—until an appearance with his band Inside Straight in 2009 became a trio date due to the absence of his saxophonist and vibraphonist. But instead of calling for replacements, he opted for expedience and played the gig with his pianist and drummer.

With his new release, Out Here, McBride introduces his latest working group, a trio with pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., who have been performing with McBride’s smallest group for about three years, honing their trio conception to a fine point of expressive depth and nuance with select performances around the world.

For his fifth CD as a leader, The River, pianist and composer Ryan Cohan navigates a path that courses through East Africa and his native Chicago, reflecting the sights, sounds and emotions along its shoreline. Cohan’s most ambitious work to date, the music was inspired by a trip that his quartet made to the tumultuous regions of Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cohan was chosen as a musical ambassador in the tradition of Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. This trip made such a powerful impression that he decided to depict it via the suite that comprises the new disc.

Also in the mix this week, guitarist John Scofield reassembles his Uberjam band after ten years apart for Uberjam Deux, a band he’s bringing to Iowa City’s Englert Theatre on September 4; veteran Canadian pianist and composer Oliver Jones documents the formidable rapport between he and his long-time sidemen, veteran bassist Eric Lagace and drummer Jim Doxas, on Just for My Lady; and bassist Tom Kennedy assembles an all-star cast including Lee Ritenour, Dave Weckl, Mike Stern, Tim Hagans and George Garzone for Just Play!.