Culture Crawl 1044 “The Boys Took the Credit”

Kirkwood Community College presents “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson, a five person play that explores the life of hearing impaired female astronomer Henrietta Leavitt as she defies odds in the early 1900s. In the studio to talk about the show are cast members Madeline O’Donnell (Henrietta Leavitt), Reuben Thomas (Margaret Leavitt), and Lyova Merkle (Peter Shaw). 

You can see the show in Kirkwood’s Ballantyne Auditorium Friday 3/28 at 7:30pm, Saturday 3/29 at 7:30pm and Sunday 3/30 at 2pm. 

Tickets and more info at kirkwood.edu/ballantyne. 

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.

 

 

2026 Corridor Jazz Guest DJs

Students from area high school jazz programs join KCCK in studio to talk music and play some of their favorite jazz songs

To hear the shows, click the listen link below or subscribe to the KCCK Specials podcast channel.

  • March 23 – Xavier – Benjamin Allard, Killian Simanek, Mia Deegan, Peter Huiskamp
  • March 24 -Anamosa – Andrew Davis, Mitchell Buckley, Audrey Zoller
  • March 26 – Washington – Alec Osako, Caden Messenger, Noah Van Meter
  • March 27 – Iowa City West – Derick Doresca, Lea Abou Alaiwa, Sean Kearney
  • March 30 – Linn-Mar – Grant Dupree, Peyton Stoller, Thomas Brough, Tom Fireman
  • March 31 – Clear Creek Amana – Elijah Thompson, Odin Hankins, Peter Tse
  • April 2 – Prairie – Benjamin Hollinger, Claire Cornelius, Jack Lopshire, Michael Davis
  • April 7 – Independence – Adele Smith, Cal Sweeney, Ramon Moore
  • April 8 – West Branch – Kellen, Lincoln Naber, Logan Christoffel
  • April 9 – Mount Vernon – Mya Stoner, Sam Neira, William Turner
  • April 10 – Mid-Prairie – Brock Lowenberg, Jillian Clark, Thomas Lueck
  • April 14 – Kennedy – Camden Neff, Evan Goedeken, Johnny Lane

New Music Monday for March 24, 2025

Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify

Step into a world of extraordinary talent and unrivaled creativity with Steve Allee’s latest endeavor, “Naptown Sound.” Celebrating the rich musical heritage of Indianapolis, or Naptown as locals affectionately call it, the disc pays tribute to legendary Indy musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, Slide Hampton and more. An Indianapolis native himself, Allee has been meticulously crafting new compositions for his big band, drawing inspiration from the hometown heroes who shaped the city’s musical landscape.

 

Vocalist Mafalda Minnozzi is a touring artist with three home bases. She performs in New York City and returns regularly to her native Italy, where she performs in some of the country’s leading jazz festivals. Mafalda is a longtime resident of Brazil, where she has a long career collaborating with the likes of Milton Nascimento and Joao Bosco, and has also recorded with stalwarts Helio Alves, Don Byron, Dave Liebman, and John Patitucci. Her new release, “Riofonic,” is her homage to the music, the band, and the people of Rio for all they have given her over the years.

 

                                                    

Also this week, Bay Area guitarist Mason Razavi breathes new life into the classic organ combo tradition, incorporating subtle, modern elements to the genre on “Even Keel”; the Bigger Badder Bones featuring Andre Hayward perform a variety of styles including funk, swing, samba, and light rock on their second release, “Sliders”; and multi-reedist John Ellis returns to original compositions with his new album, “Heroes,” inspired by mentors, legendary figures, friends and family.

 

 

 

Talking Pictures 3-19-25

“Novocaine” (2025) and “Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend” (2022) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Scott Chrisman.

Culture Crawl 1042 “The Frog Has a Lot of Tritones”

Cedar Rapids Opera is gearing up for “Song of the Nightingale,” a contemporary opera by Lisa Despain and Melisa Tien. Here to tell us more about it is Zara Zemmels (Collector), Sophia Formella (Nightingale) & Simon Brea (Curator). This family friendly, short (by opera standards) production will be at Kirkwood’s Ballantyne Auditorium March 22 at 7:30pm and Coralville Center for the Performing Arts March 23 at 2pm.

For tickets and more info visit cropera.org. 

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.

 

 

Culture Crawl 1041 “The Girl With The Hair”

TKM Productions presents “Over the River & Through the Woods” by playwright Joe DiPietro. Tom Milligan and Adam Burnham are in the studio with the rundown on this cleverly hilarious play. It’s March 29-30, Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm at The Amana Performing Arts Center. 

For tickets and more info visit tkmtheatricalproductions.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.

 

 

Culture Crawl 1040 “Simple is Powerful”

Educator and singer Mary Jane Knight is releasing an album entitled “Rising Free” at a concert on March 23 at Riverside Theatre. Mary Jane says the album is a deeply personal collection of original mantras and musical pieces that have benefited her own life journey, but the album is designed for any listener looking for help on their own journey of mental and physical healing.

Learn more at www.maryjanekinight.com. Concert tickets at www.riversidetheatre.org. 

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.

 

 

This Week In Jazz March 16 through March 22

Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of pianists Marian McPartland, Sir Charles Thompson, Lennie Tristano and Harold Mabern, singer Nat ‘King’ Cole, trombonists Grover Mitchell and Curtis Fowlkes, guitarist Bill Frisell, vibist Joe Locke and more.

We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Joe Roland (1955), Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto’s “Getz/Gilberto” (1963), Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Stone Flower” (1970), Branford Marsalis’ “Royal Garden Blues” (1986), The Oscar Peterson Trio’s “Encore at the Blue Note” (1990), Steve Khan’s “Patchwork” (2019) and many others Mondays thru Fridays at noon on Jazz Masters on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.