WKCR 89.9FM NY

Tune in to Studio A, tomorrow, April 16 from 9:00-10:00 PM EST to hear an in-studio reading and interview with writer Darrel Alejandro Holnes. Holnes is a poet and a playwright from Panama and a professor at NYU and Medgar Evers College. His poems can be found at American Poetry Review, Poetry Magazine, Callaloo, Best American Experimental Writing, and elsewhere in print and online.

Tune in to Jazz Profiles, this Sunday, April 16 from 2:00-7:00 PM EST to celebrate the work of Charlie Holmes. In a series of astonishing recordings made over a span of just two years from January 1929 to December 1930, Charlie Holmes laid the fundamental groundwork for the role of the alto saxophone in Jazz.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music today, April 12 at 3:00 PM EST to hear a live set featuring the trio Jeremy Carlstedt (drums), Rick Parker (trombone, electronics) and Martin Philadelphy (guitar). The trio will perform 40 minutes of live music, followed by a short interview.

Tune in to the Musician's Show this Wednesday, April 12, from 6:00-9:00 PM EST for a live interview with bassist, composer, and bandleader Max Johnson. Known for his big sound, eclectic style and prolific output, Johnson has made a name in both the jazz and improvised music world, playing with musical icons including Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Muhal Richard Abrams, among others, in addition to becoming a first call bluegrass bassist, playing with legends Sam Bush, David Grisman, the Traveling McCourys & Tony Trischka.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music on Tuesday, April 11 at 3:00 PM EST to hear an interview with the Brooklyn-based contemporary classical piano-bass-drums trio, Bearthoven. Hear pianist Karl Larson and bassist Pat Swoboda discuss the trio’s upcoming album and the unique musical approach and objective of this project.

Tune in to WKCR on Friday, April 7 in celebrating the life and work of virtuoso jazz vocalist Billie Holiday with our annual 24-hour birthday broadcast. Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan in Philly in 1915. Despite an intensely difficult childhood, Holiday honed her craft young by learning songs by Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. In 1929, she joined tenor saxophonist Kenneth Hollan and slowly built her reputation as a vocalist, replacing Monette Moore at Covan’s on West 132^nd in 1932.

Tune in to WKCR on Thursday, April 6 as we celebrate country music legend Merle Haggard with a 24-hour birthday broadcast. Active since the early 1960s, Haggard was a pioneer of the 'Bakersfield' country sound, breaking into stardom in 1966 with the release of "Swinging Doors." This broadcast also marks a year since Haggard's passing in 2016, and will explore the breadth and depth of his musical influence.

Tune in to the Musician's Show, tonight from 6:00-8:30 PM EST for a a live set and interview with Luke Sellick. Sellick is a virtuoso bass player who lives and works regularly in New York City. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, he studied music at the University of Winnipeg as an undergraduate and went on to learn under the tutelage of the legendary Ron Carter. He has found considerable work with luminaries like Johnny O’Neal, Russell Malone and Kenny Barron recording a number of albums as a side man.

Tune in to the end of the Musician’s Show, this Wednesday at 8:30 PM EST for an interview with guitarist Aram Bajakian. Bajakian has played beside rock legend and Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed during his final final two tours in 2011 and 2012. Bajakian also performed over 100 concerts alongside multiple Grammy winner Diana Krall during her Glad Rag Doll Tour in 2012 and 2013.

Tune in to Live Constructions, tonight, April 2, at 10:00 PM EST for a performance from Chelsea-based visual artist, writer, and multi-instrumentalist Allan Andre. Listen at 89.9 FM and wkcr.org.

During the Swing Era, when Jazz scholarship began and Jazz enthusiasm crested, there was already no doubt that the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band recordings were supreme among all surviving music from Jazz’s dawn. This widespread perception, however, was limited by the paucity of information about the band and its recording sessions; a problem furthered by the rarity of the 78RPM discs that had all been out-of-print since the late 1920s. Over the last 75 years, many of the blank spots have been filled in. All of the music is in print!

Tune in to Late City Edition tonight, March 27, at 9:00 PM EST to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which gave birth to the European Economic Community. WKCR reporter David Mejia had a conversation with 4 young Europeans about the current state of the European Union, and it's main goals and threats in an increasingly polarized world.

Tune in to Live Constructions, tonight, March 26 at 10:00 PM EST for a set and interview with the New York-based and internationally acclaimed Mivos Quartet. The string ensemble, featuring violinists Olivia de Prato and Lauren Cauley, violist Victor Lowrie, and cellist Mariel Roberts, will perform selections from composers Taylor Brook and Martin Stauning and discuss their new album Garden of Diverging Paths, as well as several other upcoming performances and projects.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music on Monday, March 27 at 3:00 PM EST to hear a field recording of experimental guitarist Loren Connors playing in his home in Brooklyn. Most well-known as a composer and improvisor, Connors has released over 50 albums over the course of his music career. Connors, who cites painter Mark Rothko as his chief influence, is renowned for his moving and immersive extended blues abstractions.

Tune in to the Musician's Show on Wednesday, March 22, from 6:00-9:00 PM EST for a pre-recorded interview with saxophonist, composer, and educator Tia Fuller, accompanied by music Fuller has recorded herself and/or found inspiration from.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music on Wednesday, March 22, at 3:00 PM EST to hear violist and composer Jessica Meyer perform her composition “But Not Until” with Andrew Yee of the Attacca Quartet. Additionally, hear Meyer speak about composition, performance, loops, and her upcoming projects.

Tune into Afternoon New Music on Monday, March 20, at 3:00 pm EST for an interview with New York-based flutist and composer Robert Dick, in anticipation of his upcoming residency at The Stone from 3/21-3/26.

Tune in this Sunday, March 19th from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM EST as we remember guitarist and singer Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry. A St. Louis native and pioneer of rock and roll, Berry passed away on March 18th at age 90. Join us as we celebrate the energy and innovation of Berry’s music by listening on 89.9 FM or online at wkcr.org.

Tune into WKCR 89.9 FM this Saturday, March 18th, from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm as we celebrate the life and work of blues harmonica player and singer James "Superharp" Cotton. Cotton, known for his collaborations with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf as well as his solo work with the James Cotton Blues Band, passed away on Thursday, March 16th, at age 81.

Tune into Live Constructions this Sunday at 10 PM for an exclusive interview with composer and multi-instrumentalist Toby Driver, in anticipation of his new album "Madonnawhore", out on April 21st on The Flenser. Listen to hear Driver break down the production of his upcoming release and talk about composing solo ballads, touring Europe, and more.

Tune in to the Musician's Show on Wednesday, March 15 from 6:00-9:00 PM EST for a live interview with vocalist and composer Kendra Foster. Kendra is currently working on a solo project with producer/writer/musician, Kelvin Wooten. She has recorded regularly in George Clinton’s recording studio, who signed her to a production deal and asked her to join Parliament/Funkadelic on the road, and she recently toured with D’Angelo. Kendra released her first album, “Myriadmorphonicbiocorpomelodicrealityshapeshifter” in 2003.

Join WKCR as we celebrate the birthday of Bix Beiderbecke from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM on Friday, March 10, 2017. Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 - August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist and composer. With Louis Armstrong and Muggsy Spanier, Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s. His turns on “Singin’ the Blues” and “I’m Coming, Virginia” (both 1927) particularly exemplified his unusual purity of tone and a gift for improvisation.

Happy birthday, Ornette Coleman! Join WKCR as we honor Ornette Coleman by playing 24 hours of his music from all day Thursday, March 9, 2017 from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM. Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 - June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. Born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, he was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, a term he invented with the name of a 1961 album.

Tune in to the Musician's Show today, March 8, from 6-9 pm EST for an interview with singer-songwriter Nadia Washington. Nadia hails from Dallas, Texas, and her vocals blend Jazz, Soul, R&B, and World Music. She has performed with esteemed artists including Esperanza Spalding, Lalah Hathaway and George Duke. Since the release of her EP singles, Nadia has toured around Europe, including in Russia and Siberia. Recently, Nadia worked as a background singer and songwriter for Dianne Reeves’ 2014 album “Beautiful Life,” which received a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocals in 2014.

Tune in to Live Constructions, Sunday, March 5 from 10:00-11:00 PM EST for a live set and interview with vocalist and percussionist Anaïs Maviel, who is joining us on WKCR for the second time this year. Maviel is a New York-based improviser, composer, and performer who invokes her French and Haitian origins in traditional and experimental forms. As a scholar, Maviel strives to interweave art, life, and activism as part of her musical practice, and uses her musical production as a platform to continue her research on afrocentric music as alternative politics.

Tune in to Studio A this Sunday, March 5 from 9:00-10:00 PM EST for a live reading and interview with poet JP Howard. Howard, a Cave Canem graduate fellow, is the author of SAY/MIRROR, a debut poetry collection published by The Operating System (2016, 2nd expanded ed and 2015, 1st ed) and a chaplet "bury your love poems here" (Belladonna Collaborative*, 2015). SAY/MIRROR was a 2016 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in the Lesbian Poetry Category.

Tune in to the Musician’s Show Wednesday, March 1 from 6:00-9:00 PM EST for an interview with pianist, composer, and producer Gustavo Casenave. Originally from Montevideo,
Uruguay, Casenave is an active performer in the jazz world and the contemporary classical scene. He moved to New York City in 1997, after graduating with honors from Berklee College of Music.

Tune in to the Musician’s Show Wednesday, February 22 from 6:00-9:00 PM EST for an interview with tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. James has shared stages with icons including Benny Golson, Geri Allen, Wallace Roney, Dorinda Clark Cole, as well as Weather Report bassist Alphonso Johnson, William Parker, Gerald Cleaver, Charles Gayle, Ed Shuller, Kirk Knuffke, Jason Hwang , Marilyn Crispell, Ken Filiano, Cooper Moore, Darius Jones, Eri Yamamoto, Federico Ughi, Kenny Wessel, Marvin “Bugalu” Smith, and Sabir Mateen.