WKCR 89.9FM NY

Beginning at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, July 13, WKCR will dedicate nine hours of programming to the music and influence of visionary saxophonist, singer, and composer Albert Ayler in honor of his eightieth birthday anniversary. The birthday broadcast will culminate in a special edition of The Musician's Show from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM hosted by Jeff Lederer, who will be joined in the studio by Ayler's former bassist, Steve Tintweiss. Together they will present Ayler's music along with music that he inspired and some previously unreleased material.

Thanks to conductor William Christie's ensemble Les Arts Florissants, the operas of the French Baroque era have made a major resurgence back into the international repertoire, and the group's near-annual appearances in New York are awaited like no other early music ensemble today. Tune in to this week's Saturday Night At The Opera to hear the performance that instantly took the opera world by storm, Jean-Baptiste Lully's Atys.

Tune in to Live Constructions at 10:00 PM on Sunday, July 10 to hear a live set performed by two multi-instrumentalists: Rick Parker on trombone, effects and synthesizer, and Li Daiguo on cello, pipa and throat singing. The one-hour program will feature 50 minutes of Parker and Daiguo's avant-garde psychoacoustic music followed by a quick interview in which the duo will talk about their collaboration and their new album, "Free World Music."

Starting at 12:00 PM on Saturday, July 23, and lasting until 12:00 PM on Sunday, July 24, WKCR will preempt all regular programming to present a live broadcast of this year’s Ragas Live Festival, which will take place at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York. For the first time, fans of the festival, which is now in it’s fifth year, will be able to attend in person as well as listening in on the radio or online.

Tune in to Live Constructions this Sunday from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM to hear a live set by bassist Jair-Rohm Parker Wells. Wells will perform solo on upright electric bass and effects. The live set will be followed up by a brief interview.

Tune in on July 4th as we celebrate the chosen birthday of Jazz great and American hero, trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong. We will play 24 hours of only his music beginning at midnight.

Louis was born in New Orleans at the turn of the century (officially on August 4th) and grew up surrounded by a vibrant musical culture informed by the rags of Scott Joplin and the funeral marches that comprised the New Orleans music scene.

Vidushi Veena Sahasrabuddhe was born on September 14, 1948 in Kanpur. She passed away on 29 June 2016. She was a noted vocalist of the Gwalior Gharana, profound thinker and a revered teacher. Sahasrabuddhe learnt music from her father Pandit Shankar Shripad Bodas, and her brother, Pandit Kashinath Shankar Bodas. Morning Ragas (6:00-8:00am) and Raag Aur Taal (7:00-9:00pm) on July 3, 2016 features her music as a tribute.

Tune in to Art Waves at 9:00 PM on Friday, July 1 to hear an in-studio interview with Danielle Smith and Fernanda Douglas, co-writers of a new musical comedy called "From Russia, With Love." The musical, which tells the story of the first Russian boy band to almost start a nuclear war, will premier later this month at The WorkShop Theater and is being presented in association with The Midtown International Theatre Festival.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music at 3:00 PM on Monday, June 24 to hear an exclusive interview with pianist Anthony Coleman, who will talk about his residency at The Stone. Topics of discussion will include the sets he's going to play throughout the week, his improvisational style, playing with different drummers, and deconstructing the music of Thelonious Monk. The program will also feature new music by Anthony Coleman.

Tune in to Art Waves tonight at 9:00 PM to hear an in-studio interview with writer, performer, and designer Noah Diamond.

Diamond plays Groucho Marx in "I'll Say She Is: The Lost Marx Brothers Musical,” his own adaptation of the Marx Brothers’ first Broadway show, which was performed in 1924. The original show was never filmed and remained largely forgotten until Diamond began excavating it. His adaptation had a sold-out run at the Fringe Festival in 2014. Now, it has another sold-out run at Connelly Theater until July 3rd.

Ralph Stanley, one of the most influential pioneers of bluegrass, or, as he called it, mountain music, passed away this Thursday, June 23, at the age of 89. Stanley first achieved fame along with his brother Carter through their genre-defining recordings of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s and continued to act as a force of both tradition and innovation with the Clinch Mountain Boys until his death.

This Sunday, June 26, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Jazz Profiles, Sid Gribetz will present a five-hour program celebrating the career of organist Richard “Groove” Holmes.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music at 3:00 PM on Wednesday, June 15 to hear an exclusive interview with Amirtha Kidambi, organizer of the TONGUES series at ISSUE Project Room. Kidambi will talk about the upcoming edition of this concert series, which will take place on Saturday, June 18 at ISSUE Project Room, along with topics ranging from the influences of John and Alice Coltrane to her personal approach to curating concerts, South Indian music, and the philosophy of impovisation.

Tune in to Live Constructions this evening from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM to hear a live set by improviser and arranger Jamison Williams and his band. The set will feature Jamison Williams on soprano saxophone, Nathan Corder on guitar and Leo Suarez on drums.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music at 3:00 PM on Monday, June 6 to hear three exclusive, back-to-back interviews with Marc Ribot, Cooper-Moore and Chad Taylor in anticipation of their performances at the upcoming Vision Festival. Topics of discussion will include the influence of jazz musician Henry Grimes, whose achievements will be celebrated at the festival, what it’s like to be a part of the Vision community, their own contributions to the Vision Festival and more.

Sid Gribetz celebrates the career of composer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson on “Jazz Profiles” this Sunday, June 5, from 2-7 PM.

Tune in to Live Constructions this evening from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. to hear a live set with New York City based drummer, songwriter, and vocalist Jeremy Carlstedt. The live set will feature Carlstedt playing an hour long improvised set with bassist François Grillon and guitar player Anders Nilsson.

Last month, maestro Román Díaz brought a world class group of Afro-Cuban musicians to perform with the Brooklyn Raga Massive All-Stars during the artist collective's residency at Pioneer Works. We'll share the recording of that innovative concert, where, for the first time, sarod, bansuri and Carnatic violin dialogue with Afro-Cuban vocals and the sacred batá drumming tradition.

Debo band explores the rich and varied traditions of Ethiopian music with a dose of funk, punk and soul. With a large instrumental ensemble and a charismatic singer Bruck Tesfaye it all adds up to an undeniable party band. We got to hang with the leader of this amazing group, Danny Mekonnen and give a first listen to their new album Ere Gobez (FPE Records; May 20, 2016).

Tune in to Afternoon New Music at 3 pm today for a exclusive in-studio performance and interview from FEN (Far East Network). The 45-minute program will feature an all-improvised set from FEN recorded in-house at WKCR, plus an interview with FEN's four members.

Tune in to join us for an exclusive interview with Bobby Avey, jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Learn more about the highly acclaimed and sweepingly powerful musician here: http://bobbyavey.com/

Tune in for an interview featuring Roscoe Mitchell, Lucie Vítková, George Lewis and Alvin Singleton in anticipation of two S.E.M. Ensemble concerts that will mine the legacy of John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, happening on May 9th at the Bohemian National Hall, NYC and May 11th at Roulette. The ensemble, conducted by Petr Kotik, will play world premiere's of compositions from Roscoe Mitchell, Petr Kotik and Lucie Vítková on Monday and will conclude the the "Darmstadt Institute New York 70th Anniversary" series on May 11.

American soprano Ailyn Pérez has quickly established herself as one of the most promising lyric sopranos of our time. In 2012, Pérez became the first Hispanic recipient of the Richard Tucker Award, and she has just been announced as the 2016 Beverly Sills Award recipient. Although Pérez has already become a regular guest of almost every major opera company, last season was her first at The Metropolitan Opera, where she received rave reviews as Micaela in Bizet's Carmen.

Tune in to an exclusive in-studio interview with jazz guitarist/composer Mike Moreno. Over the years, Mike has performed with The Joshua Redman Elastic Band, Lizz Wright Band, Nicholas Payton Quartet, Stefon Harris Sonic Creed, Me'Shell N'Degeocello, Jason Moran, Terence Blanchard, Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Aaron Parks, Claudia Acuña, Greg Osby 4, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Jeremy Pelt, John Ellis, Myron Walden, Kenny Garret, Yosvany Terry, Ralph Bowen, Will Vinson and more.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music this Tuesday, May 3rd at 3 pm for an exclusive in-studio interview featuring the project VOICE, led by Jason Kao Hwang. The 2.5 hour program will feature an interview with composer Jason Hwang, vocalists Deanna Relyea and Thomas Buckner, sopranino saxophone and bass clarinet player Piotr Michalowski and poets Yuko Otomo and Steve Dalachinsky. The program will also feature segments of Lifelines and Word of Our Own, the two suites comprising VOICE.

Tune in tonight as we invite Ms. Janel Leppin at the station to speak about her music. "Janel Leppin is predominantly a cellist and has honed her skills as a composer and professional musician in multiple genres over the years." Learn more about Ms. Leppin here.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music this Tuesday, April 26th at 3 pm for an exclusive in-studio and set with drummer/composer Ches Smith. The 50-minute program will feature Smith playing a solo set in-studio at WKCR, as well as discussing his recent projects, including his new album The Bell.

Join us on Friday, April 29th as we celebrate the 117th anniversary of the birth of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, one of the most significant figures in the history of jazz. His innovations in orchestration and composition have informed much of the development of the music. Originally from Washington DC, he moved to New York City where, in 1927, he began his tenure at the Cotton Club. It was there that he rose to international stardom.