With the coming of Veterans Day, it’s worth noting that several veteran KCCK staffers are also veterans of military service.

KCCK Morning Man, Talking Pictures co-host and Got-a-Minute’s Mark Yother was in the Air Force for three years. He was editor of the base newspaper at Ent Air Force Base in Colorado, then worked in radio and television with the American Forces Korea Network (AFKN) for a year.

News Director George Dorman spent two years in the Army, including a year in Korea — the first six months in field artillery, the next six months as a reporter/photographer for the 2nd Infantry Division newspaper and as a weekend radio newscaster and occasional television sportscaster for the American Forces Korea Network (AFKN).

Big Band Memories co-host Cary J. Hahn served four years in the Navy, broadcasting on Armed Forces Radio aboard the USS Hancock aircraft carrier during Vietnam service and on the island of Kodiak, Alaska.

Our other BBM co-host, Murray Kent, was a news and sports announcer for American Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) and an FM radio music host.

Gentle Jazz’s Bob Naujoks spent his entire two-year army tour at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., managing an enlisted men’s service club and did some interviews for the Public Information Office.

George Dorman – News Director
george@kcck.org

Are you a fan of Talking Pictures but sometimes miss it when it’s aired? Or do you want to find out what’s happening this weekend but you didn’t catch the Culture Crawl? Well, all you have to do is listen to the Podcasts on our web site. It’s as easy as clicking “On the Air” in the menu bar and scrolling down to “Podcasts and Downloads.” Got a Minute and Clean Up Your Act archives are also found there as well as a long list of interviews we’ve done with jazz musicians who have performed in this area. You can also subscribe to the Podcasts and have them automatically downloaded to your computer.

This is Membership Week on KCCK, which means we come to our listeners, both on the air and online, and ask them to do something counter-intuitive: Voluntarily pay for something they could get for free.

Why would we expect people to do this? Well, KCCK listeners are the kind of people who take responsibility. They understand that good things only continue if they receive enough support. Right here in Iowa, we’ve seen stations that used to play jazz cancel their jazz programs, so you can’t take it for granted. And, thanks to our webcast, we’ve heard from new members around the state and around the world that KCCK is worth supporting.

Won’t you help as well? Pledge securely online at this link. Or, if you’d like to talk to a live person, call 1.800.373.5225.

And thanks!

On-air announcements will start in a few days, but I wanted to let you know about some exciting changes coming to KCCK’s weekend Lineup. Both Saturday and Sunday are affected, so we’ll proceed chronologically.

First off, we are pleased to announce that one of the Corridor’s most-recognized jazz experts is joining KCCK. Craig Kessler is the owner of Real Records and CDs in Iowa City. Craig began his retail music career in the Chicago area, where he got to know many of the Windy City’s musicians and label owners.

Craig has also been one of hosts of “As Night Falls” on KSUI-FM, with the UI’s John Rapson and Dan Moore. As you may know, Iowa Public Radio has debuted a new state-wide, classical music schedule , and they weren’t able to find a spot for “As Night Falls,” making Craig available.

Craig’s KCCK program will be similar to the one he hosted on KSUI, with jazz music, stories and history, all around a central theme. We hope that John and Dan will be regular guests.

Craig’s yet-to-be-titled program will air 3-6pm Saturdays. Ken Rinehart will move up to the Noon-3pm shift, right after Doug Jackson’s Smooth Brunch.

Sunday’s changes are equally as exciting.

I’m pleased to announce that Gentle Jazz will soon be expanding to four hours. For years, one of the most-requested program ideas for KCCK has been for a “softer jazz-brunch program on Sundays,” to complement the vintage jazz programs which are also very popular. The return of Bob Naujoks from a summer off has given us that opportunity.

The temporary host of Gentle Jazz, Ron Adkins, did such an outstanding job that we didn’t want let him go! So Gentle Jazz will double in size, now airing from 9am-1pm. Bob will host the first half, and Ron the the second.

But don’t worry. Your other favorite Sunday shows aren’t going away. Mark Yother’s Sunday Morning Swing will remain three hours long, but will now air from 6-9am Sunday. Big Band Memories will continue to air from 1-5, with Cary J. Hahn and Murray Kent. Riverwalk Jazz moves to 5pm.

The new lineup takes effect the weekend of Sept. 29.

As always, let us know what you think!

Dennis Green
General Manager

The good news reported in the Chicago Tribune this week is that, after closing their old location at the end of last year due to the high rent, one of the premiere live jazz spots in the Midwest will be back up and running this winter. The Jazz Showcase has announced that it’ll be opening up at a new location at the Dearborn Station, on Polk Street between Dearborn and State Streets. The Showcase has been presenting major jazz acts since 1947. No other Chicago jazz spot picked up the slack in the absence of the Showcase, so it’ll be nice to have that option again, in addition to the Bistro in St. Louis and the Dakota in Minneapolis.

Bob Stewart, Program Director
bobs@kcck.org

Well, the 20th anniversary season of Jazz Under The Stars is history, and it’s full of fond memories and great music. We had four outstanding concerts (although it took us five weeks to get them all staged), concluding with a smokin’ set from GrooveShip.

Thanks to the members of the Rod Pierson Big Band, Eddie Piccard Quartet, Euforquestra and GrooveShip for the awesome performances, to our sponsors for supporting the series and to YOU for attending! Pictures from each night are here.

We still have a few 20th anniversary commemorative T-Shirts remaining. They’re navy blue, and on the back, list every band who has ever played Jazz Under The Stars. A true collectors item. We still have some youth sizes, as well as several XLs, 2X and 3X.

They’re just $12.00. Reserve yours by emailing Kim. Tell her which size you want and a daytime phone number. Don’t delay! When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Dennis Green

Steve Carpenter, Public Information Director for Kirkwood (and former KCCK Manager) alerted us to a complimentary post jazz bassist Christian McBride made on his blog about his April performance in Cedar Rapids with the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble and CR Jazz. He had particularly nice things to say about director Tim Feldkamp. Read it here.

We will have at least one, and possibly two chances to see Christian this fall. He’s a part of the Pat Metheny Trio, playing at Hancher on Oct. 10. Details here.

And we may see him nine days earlier, also at Hancher, as he has been touring with Queen Latifah’s band. Details.

If he wants to save on air travel, he can crash at my place…

Maybe we should have known when we hired a band called GrooveShip that we should worry about excess water….

We’ve had to postpone tonight’s Jazz Under The Stars concert to next week, due to continued rain and saturated grounds at Noelridge Park, with the threat of more showers tonight. There is standing water all over the park and the seating area is a marshland. Even if it’s not actually raining at concert time, the soggy ground makes for an unpleasant concert experience and a safety hazard for the sound crew and musicians.

But, that’s why we have rain dates. So, please mark your calendar for next Thursday, Aug. 30 for both the KCCK Member event, Dinner At The Duck Pond at 5:30, and the concert with GrooveShip at 7pm.

The 7-day forecast for next Thursday?

Partly Cloudy and 76.

Dennis Green