Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of bandleader Jimmie Lunceford, trumpeter Ernie Royal, trombonists Britt Woodman and Al Grey, singers Dakota Staton and Ian Shaw, guitarist Grant Green, drummer Charlie watts, pianists Pete Jolly and Monty Alexander and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Miles Davis’ “‘Round About Midnight” (1956), Betty Roche’s “Singin’ and Swingin’” (1960), “Zoot Sims & the Gershwin Brothers” (1975); Richie Cole’s “Popbop” (1987), “Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note” (1994), Chester ‘CT’ Thompson’s “Mixology” (2012) and many others Monday thru Friday and at noon on JAZZ MASTERS on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
This Week In Jazz June 1 thru June 7
Big Mo Pod Show 64 – “Salad of Influences”
This week’s episode of the pod show is a special one! The drop the needle game has an additional player, local blues man Bryce Janey! This episode’s tracks are a little different than usual, featuring a mix of songs from artists that influenced Bryce. Tune in to hear more about his takes on them all! Songs featured in the episode:
- Bukka White – “Aberdeen Mississippi”
- Junior Wells & Buddy Guy – “Help Me”
- Paul Butterfield – “Blues With A Feeling”
- Johnny Winter – “Dallas”
- Lightnin Hopkins – “Come Back Baby”
Listen to ‘da Friday Blues with Big Mo each week at 6pm, and catch the podcast for a behind the scenes look at the show!
Podcast (bigmopodshow): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS | Subscribe to the Big Mo Pod Show
1074 “A Long History with the Parking Ramp”
Ed English and the rest of The Beaker Brothers Band will be performing at the Inside Out Reentry Community Spring Concert “Be an Instrument for Change” Annual Fundraiser, June 1, 3pm at Chauncey Swan Park in Iowa City. He and Dai Gwilliam from the Inside Out fundraising committee are in the studio to talk about the event and spread awareness about the ongoing struggles ex-convicts face post-jail time.
More info can be found at insideoutreentry.com.
Subscribe to The Culture Crawl at kcck.org/culture or search “Culture Crawl” in your favorite podcast player. Listen Live at 10:30am most weekdays on Iowa’s Jazz station. 88.3 FM or kcck.org/listen.
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Talking Pictures 5-28-25
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (2025) and “Lilo and Stitch” (2025) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Denny Lynch.
Podcast (talkingpics): Play in new window | Download
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Clean Up Your Act 5-27-25
“Green” ammonia fertilizer is being tested at a farm coop in Boone.
Podcast (cuya): Play in new window | Download
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This Week In Jazz May 25 thru May 31
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of clarinetist/bandleader Benny Goodman, trumpeters Miles Davis, Shorty Baker, Ziggy Ellman and Claudio Roditi, saxophonists Bud Shank and Jim Snidero, singers Peggy Lee, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Ann Hampton Callaway, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen pianist Ramsey Lewis and more. We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Kenny Dorham’s “‘Round About Midnight at the Café Bohemia” (1956), Oliver Nelson Sextet’s “Screamin’ the Blues” (1960), George Benson’s “Bad Benson” (1974), Pat Metheny’s “80/81” (1980), Joey DeFrancesco’s “The Champ, Round 2” (1998), Jim Snidero’s “Tippin’” (2007) and many others Monday thru Friday and at noon on Jazz Masters on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
Clean Up Your Act 5-26-25
The American Lung Association’s Annual State of the Air report finds the air quality in Iowa getting worse.
This Week’s Shows May 26 thru June 1
Lakecia Benjamin
KCCK’s Memorial Day Special (May 26)
All Day Monday – 6:00am to Midnight
2024 Iowa City Jazz Festival
KCCK is your Memorial Day soundtrack as we present a day-long listen back to the 2024 Iowa City Jazz Festival. You’ll hear the stellar performances of headliner Lakecia Benjamin, plus Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble, Emiliano Lasansky, Ingrid Jensen & the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra, outstanding student combos, and much more!
Wednesday Night Special
Wednesdays at 6:00pm
Ray Blue, at a 2014 concert in Marion
We here at KCCK are deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend, saxophonist and composer Ray Blue. Though he was a fixture on the worldwide jazz stage, he had very strong Eastern Iowa roots and returned home often, playing gigs to sold-out crowds and enjoying the company of old friends. He and his music will be deeply missed.
Tonight, we feature Ray Blue at a 2014 concert in Marion. The Wednesday Night Special, on Jazz 88.3 KCCK!
Jazz Night In America
Thursdays at 11:00pm
The Iconic George Benson
Vocalist-guitarist-icon George Benson sits down with host Christian McBride for an exclusive conversation about his early years on the jazz scene, his favorite tracks, and his recent “lost” album, Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon.
Jazz Corner of the World
Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
Gypsy Jazz, Part One
Tune in for some real surprises as Craig presents fascinating music inspired by the guitar and violin traditions of Django Reinhardt, Stepane Grappelli, and many others. We’ll hear from Bireli Lagrene, Jimmy Rosenberg, Dorado Schmitt, John Jorgenson, Pearl Django, several “hot clubs” (of San Francisco, Norway, and more), and a number of other groups and artists.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.
Like a Tree It Grows by Igmar Thomas’s Revive Big Band on Monday; The Brahms Project by Kurt Rosenwinkel & Jean-Paul Brodbeck on Tuesday; Big Band Brasil by CCCN Jazz Orchestra & Hendrik Meurkens on Wednesday; Out Late by Eric Scott Reed on Thursday; Lemon Live! by Blind Lemon Pledge on Friday; Grease to Gravy by Terry Hanck on Saturday; Reunion by BeatleJazz on Sunday.