Many people don’t know that in addition to being one of Iowa’s most popular jazz performers, Eddie Piccard also drives a bus for College Community Schools. One of the many students he’s struck up a friendship with is Riley Kruse, who rode Eddie’s bus from the time he was in elementary school.
Riley’s mom has been a music teacher, so music was a big part of his young life. And when he boarded Eddie’s bus for the first time, he immediately noticed that Eddie’s bus offered a unique amenity: Iowa’s Jazz Station. Eddie always plays KCCK on his bus.
“I didn’t really know what that was at the time,” Riley says, “but slowly learned that it was jazz playing (on) KCCK. Hearing KCCK on the radio had an awesome effect on my love for music, because it was always around me, every day, before school, after school.”
Riley soon came to accept and appreciate jazz on KCCK as a part of his daily ride, but it wasn’t until he attended a Prairie Jazz I concert that featured Eddie as a guest (singing a song he recorded with the Prairie band for the Corridor Jazz Project), that RIley realized his bus driver was a talented musician.
On the day Riley successfully auditioned for middle school jazz band, Eddie was the first person he told. Riley went on to play saxophone in high school jazz band, culminating in Prairie’s runner-up finish at the Iowa Jazz Championships, their best ever.
Riley graduated in the spring 2024, but Eddie hopes their paths will cross again. “Hopefully, one day he’ll be able to sit in with the Eddie Piccard group. I’m hoping for that.”
Riley will continue his music career at UNI, where he’ll major in music education. We’re sure he’ll follow Eddie’s example of sharing his love of music with the next generation.
34-year-old Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012 and in the past decade has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the leading personalities of her generation on the piano and beyond. Critics laud her “light, expressive touch and solidly crafted mainstream approach,” while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Yamanaka has gained international recognition from her albums as a leader. Her new release, “Chance,” is her first classic piano trio disc. It was recorded at the historic Van Gelder studios with her working trio of Tyrone Allen on bass and Jimmy Macbride on drums.
Guitarist Peter Bernstein has become an expert in crafting remarkable music from the bonds he’s forged over his three-and-a-half-decade career. His own mastery is reflected in the hall-of-fame roster for whom he’s been the guitarist of choice over the years, from legends like Sonny Rollins, Lou Donaldson, Jim Hall and Dr. Lonnie Smith to peers including Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Eric Alexander and Nicholas Payton. His new project, “Better Angels,” is a once-in-a-lifetime summit of four revered artist: Bernstein, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Al Foster.
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of Bluesman Big Joe Williams, drummers Cozy Cole, J.C. Moses and Bill Stewart, trumpeters Al Killion, Roy Hargrove and Wynton Marsalis, bassists Palle Danielsson and Reid Anderson, singers Anita O’Day and Esparanza Spalding and more.
Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)
Jazz Night in America 