“The Woman in the Yard” (2025) and “The Residence” Season 1 (2025 Netflix) with Hollis Monroe, Phil Brown and Monica Schmidt.
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2025 Guest Djs-Xavier
Cate Brown, Aaron Stadelmann, and Sophia Mittlestat from Xavier kicked off our 2025 parade of guest Djs. This year, Xavier Jazz Band One received their 10th consecutive Division I rating at the State Jazz Band Festival, 3rd place at Tallcorn and Coe, 2nd place at Liberty, and 2nd Place at the NEIBA District Jazz Festival! This earned them a spot to compete in the Iowa Jazz Championships on April 8.
But most importantly, after years of hearing about JBO’s pineapple mascot, for the first time ever, we had it in-studio!
Cate, Aaron, and Sophia’s playlist:
- Etta James, At Last
- Dave Brubeck, Blue Rondo a la Turk
- Ramsey Lewis Trio, The “In” Crowd
- Maynard Ferguson, Chameleon
- Herbie Hancock, Watermelon Man
- Cedar Rapids Xavier High School Jazz Band One feat. Toni LeFebvre, La Luz En Ti
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Kirkwood Board of Trustees to meet April 10, 2025
The regular meeting of the Kirkwood Board of Trustees will take place April 10, 2025. Time, place, and meeting agenda can be found at this link.
Culture Crawl 1047 “The Same 12 Notes”
Jazz music meets Chamber music as Miera Kim and Carey Bostian of Red Cedar have commissioned leading Iowa jazz players Blake Shaw and Dan Padley to write new music for this “all strings but different strings” group, dubbed the Crossover Quartet. Also on the program will be some new arrangements of jazz standards, along with a tune composed by John Rapson, a mentor to both pairs.
Several changes around the region to see this unique show, culminating in performances at Kirkwood, Marion’s Lowe Park, and CSPS April 15-18, Full scheduled at www.redcedar.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.
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New Music Monday for March 31, 2025
Listen to this week’s playlist on YouTube and Spotify
Nnenna Freelon’s voice is a reflection of life, filled with personal stories, deep emotion, and quiet wisdom. Since her 1992 debut, the seven-time Grammy nominee has used her unique perspective to tell familiar stories—from reimagining Billie Holiday to paying tribute to Stevie Wonder. On “Beneath the Skin,” she goes the extra step, reaching in to create heart-spoken songs, born from curiosity to more closely visit stories inhabiting her own life. With co-arranger and pianist Alan Pasqua, Nnenna has created her most personal musical statement to date.
Max Leake began his musical training early and by the time he was 15 was working with local Pittsburgh bands and backing up national acts in local supper clubs. The accomplished keyboardist has been recording, composing, arranging and performing for 30 years now with some of the best jazz and blues artists in the world including Roger Humphries, Stanley Turrentine, Slide Hampton, and David ‘Fathead’ Newman, to name a few. His new project, “Threads,” pays homage to the threads that have woven the tapestry of his musical life. The musicians all play a role in who Leake is as a musician and are considered family.
Also this week, trombonist, composer and arranger Ben Patterson and his Washington, D.C.-based jazz orchestra deliver “Mad Scientist Music,” an expansive display of the state of the art in large ensemble composing and performance; bassist Rodney Jordan, born and raised in the city known as the “Home of the Blues,” channels that heritage on “Memphis Blue,” his personal tribute to the “soulful people of Memphis”; and contemporary jazz icons Bob James and Dave Koz mark a milestone in both their careers with the aptly titled duo album, “Just Us.”
This Week In Jazz March 30 through April 5
Hey, Jazz fans! Be sure to tune in this week as we celebrate the birthdays of singers Alberta Hunter and Doris Day, vibist Red Norvo, trumpeters Booker Little, Al Hirt and Al Naylor, guitarists Freddie Green and Larry Coryell, pianist/composer Duke Jordan, saxophonist Harry Carney, bassist Scott Lafaro, drummer Duduka da Fonseca and more.
We’ll also mark the recording anniversaries of Miles Davis All-Stars’ “Walkin’” (1954), Bud Powell’s “The Complete Essen Jazz Festival Concert” (1960), Maynard Ferguson’s “Chameleon” (1974), Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff’s “On the Blues Side” (1989), Mongo Santamaria’s “Mambo Mongo” (1992), Ernest Dawkins ‘s “Afro Straight” (2012) and many others Mondays thru Fridays at noon on Jazz Masters on Jazz 88.3 KCCK.
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.
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This Week’s Shows March 31 thru April 6
Jazz Corner of the World (Encore)
Mondays at 6:00pm
Happy Birthday Tete Montoliu
Craig celebrates the birthday anniversary of pianist Vicenc Montoliu I Massana, aka “Tete” Montoliu, born in Catalonia, Spain in 1933 and with us until August of 1997. Craig plays a number of absolutely wonderful solo and group recordings from this master of the piano.
Wednesday Night Special
Wednesdays at 6:00pm
Student Openers at Jazz Under the Stars
We begin our celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month with some of the fantastic student performers who’ve opened for Jazz Under the Stars. The Sam Ross Quartet, Next Gen Jazz Collective, the Murphy Fisher Quartet, and Ship of Fools all feature talented, up-and-coming young jazz performers who had the chance to show off their chops before the Noelridge Park crowd.
Jazz Night In America
Thursdays at 11:00pm
Justin Tyson’s Heroes
Drummer Justin Tyson – who has lit the scene ablaze with his work alongside Robert Glasper and Esperanza Spalding – shares his top five drum heroes and the tracks that got him hooked. Plus, the seasoned sideman shares tracks and stories from The Paper Doors, his debut record as a leader, filled with trippy symbolism and tales of the mystical.
Jazz Corner of the World
Saturdays from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm
Booker Little Birthday Celebration
Craig notes the birth date anniversary of trumpet genius Booker Little, Jr. This seminal figure in jazz history passed on at the very early age of 23. We’ll hear examples of his brilliant artistry with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Teddy Charles, and others.
KCCK’s Midnight CD
KCCK features a new album every night, played from start-to-finish.
Naptown Sound by the Steve Allee Big Band on Monday; Sliders by The Bigger Badder Bones on Tuesday; Even Keel by Mason Razavi on Wednesday; Heroes by John Ellis on Thursday; Hold On by Shari Puorto on Friday; Live From Daryl’s House Club by Sean Chambers on Saturday; Riofonic by Mafalda Minnozzi on Sunday.