It’s going to be a cooooold weekend in Eastern Iowa, but there’s some live jazz out there to warm things up, starting with the great Latin jazz reedman Paquito D’Rivera tonight at Hancher Auditorium…or the Cuban Penguin as he referred to himself in a conversation I had with him last week as he was braving the cold in New Jersey. That chat,by the way, can be heard on our website at kcck.org. His originally scheduled concert was snowed out last month. He and his quintet take the stage tonight at 7:30.
Also tonight, guitarist Steve Grismore and his trio will be playing the Tuscan Moon in Kalona, which is becoming quite the jazz venue for Eastern Iowans. They’ll be playing from 7-10pm. Morning After plays there Saturday from 8-11pm.

You can also experience what some student jazz musicians are doing these days with a couple of high school concerts. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids will have their Band Carnival on Saturday from 4-9pm in the auditorium there. The jazz bands will be included in the concert with all the other ensembles from that school’s program. And at City High in Iowa City, the jazz bands will be featured in concert along with our good friend, pianist Dan Knight, sitting in as special guest. There’ll be two shows, at 6 & 8pm, taking place in the school cafeteria.

And, of course, it’s the regular gigs from pianists Eddie Piccard and Dick Watson and their ensembles this weekend, too. Eddie plays Konstantino’s in Cedar Rapids tonight from 7-10 and Saturday night at the Top of the Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids. Dick has his regualar gig at the Lighthouse in Cedar Rapids Friday and Saturday.

Bob Stewart, Program Director bobs@kcck.org

If you missed out on the special for Jazz Masters this afternoon, “Lush Life: the Music and Life of Billy Strayhorn,” hosted by Rhonda Hamilton, you can catch it again tonight. We’ll be replaying that on John Heim’s Jazz Masters session at 10pm. This coincides with our Featured CD for the Month of February, “Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life,” which by the way we’ll have in its entirety tonight for our Midnight CD. This is the companion soundtrack to a brand new 90-minute documentary film about the pioneering African-American composer, arranger,and pianist. There are 15 Strayhorn compositions by several of today’s jazz stars: Bill Charlap, Joe Lovano, and Dianne Reeves, as well as piano legend Hank Jones and special guest Elvis Costello provide vibrant new performances, and are also featured throughout the PBS/Independent Lens documentary, which will air on Iowa Public Television at 10:30pm on Sunday February 11.

Bob Stewart, Program Director bobs@kcck.org

A big night for the arts and culture crowd, KCCK in particular last night, as we were honored at the inaugural Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance Awards for Innovation and Excellence, the “ICCYs” (Pronounced “Ickies”).

Jazz Under The Stars was recognized in the Music Programming category, a field that also included Holiday Pops and Cabaret in the Courtyard.

It was a fun night, not only for awards but also great performances from City Circle Acting Company (whose collaboration with the Iowa Children’s Museum and the Englert, “Suessical,” won two ICCYs), the University of Iowa Opera company, Kevin “BF” Burt, Riverside Theatre and New Beat Society.

Z102.9’s Schulte and Swann hosted the event and I served as booth announcer which meant, yes, when we won I was able to say… “Accepting the award for KCCK is…well, me.”

Thanks to ICCA Executive Director Joe Jennison and his organizing committee for a great evening that reminded us just how much innovation and excellence there is in our arts and culture community!

In anticipation of his rescheduled concert next Friday, February 2, at Hancher Auditorium, we’ll be having a chat with NEA Jazz Master Paquito D’Rivera tomorrow right around noon or so. Saturday will see the return to the KCCK airwaves of Abe Kellison, who’ll be filling in for John Heim from noon-3pm. John will be plying his other trade of working musician that day. It’s been some months since we’ve heard from Abe and it’ll be nice to hear his voice again.

Looking ahead to New Music Monday, we have a new big band disc from Harry Connick, Jr., the latest in the Marsalis Music “Connick on Piano” series…some really nice arrangements by Harry of some original and traditional New Orleans jazz. Guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli is joined by cornetist Warren Vache, pianist John Bunch, bassist Jay Leonhart, and drummer Mickey Roker in saluting Basie’s great guitarist Freddie Green with “5 for Freddie.” Another guitar disc, “Joko,” comes from Frenchman Sylvain Luc and his septet. Norah Jones fans can look forward to her third disc, “Not Too Late.” And the very gifted young Japanese composer and arranger Chie Imaizumi makes her recording debut with “Unfailing Kindness.” She leads an ensemble that features, among others, baritone sax man Gary Smulyan and trumpeters Ron Miles and Greg Gisbert.

Bob Stewart, Program Director bobs@kcck.org

Monday, January 22
11:00 am

We start out the week with a lineup shift. I will be in for Gordon Paulsen this afternoon. It will certainly be a radio adventure as we’ll learn whether I still know how to fly the control board.

I’ll feature JJ Johnson, Teddy Smith and Lizz Wright on their birthday, and remember Jimmy Cheatham, who passed away this weekend. On Funk at Five, get ready for Tower of Power and local faves Grooveship.

Got a request? studio@kcck.org anytime after 3pm.

There’s lots of live jazz to take in this weekend in the area. In addition to Eddie Piccard’s regular gigs at the Fireside Grill in Kalona tonight, Konstantino’s in Cedar Rapids tomorrow night, and the Top of the Five Seasons Hotel in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, plus the Dick Watson Trio at the Lighthouse Friday and Saturday, there’s a handful of other events of note. First off, it’s the first installment of the KCCK series, “Looking at Jazz: America’s Art Form” at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, which explores the culture and history of jazz. Our own Mark Yother is your host for “New Orleans: the Birthplace of Jazz” and “The Jazz Age & the 1920s,” Friday night at 7 with pianist Brent Watkins providing the music. This three-part series continues February 16 and March 16.
The U of I School of Jazz is providing us with a couple of nights of great jazz. On Friday in Clapp Recital Hall at 8pm, it’s the Jazz Extravaganza, featuring student groups the Jazz Guitar Ensemble, Chuck and the All-Nighters, Living Proof, and the Jazztet. Then on Saturday, the action moves to the Englert Theater downtown for the OftEnsemble, a collective of U of I jazz faculty and alumni, in concert at 8pm. This group features Brent Sandy, Bob Thompson, Chris Merz, Rich Medd, Steve Grismore, John Rapson, Greg Mazunik, Jim Dreier and Paul Cunliffe. They’ll be featuring works by Rapson, Merz, Grismore, Chris Potter, Bennie Maupin and Jymie Merritt. You can follow this concert by staying downtown and heading to the Sanctuary for some late night jazz with saxophonist Saul Lubaroff and his quartet.
We’ve also learned of an appearance by Des Moines native Dick Oates on Saturday night. The nationally-known saxophonist appears with Al Naylor’s jazz bands at Linn-Mar High School in Marion starting at 7:30pm. Who says there’s never anything to do around here?!

Bob Stewart, Program Director bobs@kcck.org

Another day of seminars and great music.

There is a jazz radio track at the IAJE, and we spent a great deal of time today in various meetings talking about what is wrong with, andright with, jazz radio.

The good news: Jazz radio’s audience is not decreasing as fast as the overall radio listening audience. The bad news: The audience is in fact, declining, not growing.

The reasons for this are varied. Satellite radio takes some of the blame, but not all. Only a small percentage of satellite radio subscribers buy the service to listen to the jazz channels.

But, satellite, Ipods, the Internet and simply a busier lifestyle for all of us, siphon away time that previously might have been spent enjoying jazz on the radio.

And another prevalent theme is what can we do to attract more people, and in particular more young people, to the music and to our stations. Ironic, because the IAJE is the single largest gathering of middle, high school and college musicians anywhere.

I’m pleased to say that based on what I’m hearing from our peers, KCCK is doing a lot of things right.

But, there are also areas where we can improve. And we’ll be working on those.

Tomorrow, I’ll get my turn in the spotlight as I’ll be on a panel about making your station important in your community, particularlythrough jazz education.

Brushes with greatness: I got to spend some time today with guitarist Fred Woodard, now of Boston but with Iowa roots, and a performer at Jazz Under The Stars 2003. Fred will have a new CD out later this yearand sends a shout out to his dad and friends in Iowa City.

Rode an elevator with Bob Mintzer as he tried to straighten out some sound issue over cell phone. Passed Nancy Wilson in the hallway, and followed behind her for a few minutes just so I could listen to her voice. But I wasn’t stalkingher, honest….

Tonight, it’s a reprise of the Iowa City Jazz Festival 2005, as ConradHerwig and Brian Lynch present an extended version of the “The Latin Side of Miles,” included the full suite of “Sketches of Spain” a piece they didn’t have time for in Iowa City. Then Randy Brecker takes the stagewith the Bill Evans Soul Jazz Project.

I love this job.

Greetings from The International Association of Jazz Educators conference in Manhattan!

In between plenary sessions (I have no idea what that means, I just like to say the word “plenary”) and concerts, I hope to sneak away to give you a little flavor ot the King of All Jazz Meetings here in the Jazz Capital.

Today, most of the business was done at the registration table and hotel bar…

“Whenja get in?” “When ya flying out?”

There are several jazz radio stations represented here. WBGO, the New York station, is doing several days of live broadcasts. At one point today, someone in their booth turned around, and there was Tony Bennett, knocking on the window, asking if he could sit down for a chat.

You can guess what the answer was.

My personal brush with greatness was bumping into Joe Lovano, who I thanked again for the great interview he had at KCCK in 2005.

I also spoke with Wendy Oxenhorn, the Executive Director of the Jazz Foundation of America, which is raising and investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to help indegent musicians all over the country, but these days they are primarily working to support the musicians of New Orleans. She told me they recently shipped several semi-trailers full of pianos to give to New Orleans musicians. One of them went to Fats Domino, who was so thrilled he had the movers set the piano down right in the middle of the street and played a mini-concert for the crew in thanks!

More tomorrow