WKCR is happy to announce a very special broadcast: our first full-day birthday broadcast in celebration of the life of American saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who would have made 84 revolutions around the sun this year. Broadcast on FM and HD radio and online for 24 hours on Sunday, October 13, 2023, this broadcast will preempt all other regularly scheduled programs.
For our 10/6 Tennessee Border Show, WKCR will be celebrating the life and legacy of Kris Kristofferson who passed away this past week. Tune in to hear his music as well as covers of his songs and tracks from artists he inspired! Hosted from 12-2 by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
WKCR is very excited to announce a three-part birthday celebration for virtuoso Yusef Lateef. We will dedicate all three of our jazz shows (5-8:20 AM, 12-3 PM, 6-9 PM) to Yusef’s music. He was born William Emanuel Huddleton in Tennessee, but moved to Detroit at five years old. There, he discovered the sounds of jazz from the likes of Milt Jackson, Paul Chambers, Elvin Jones, and Kenny Burrell. He bought an alto saxophone for $80 when he was eighteen and started to play.
Tune in to WKCR on Thursday, October 10, for 24 hours of Thelonious Sphere Monk’s music in celebration of the 107th anniversary of his birth. Monk was born in North Carolina, but moved into the San Juan Hill (now Lincoln Center) neighborhood of Manhattan at 4 years old. He started playing piano at age 9, learning in the stride piano style. Monk dropped out of high school to pursue music. In 1941, Kenny Clarke hired Monk to be the house pianist at Minton’s Playhouse, the epicenter of “modern” music.
Tune into WKCR 89.9 FM or wkcr.org this Sunday, September 29th, 2-7 PM EST for a Sunday Profile featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, praised by Angela Davis as "her generation's most accomplished jazz vocalist." Hosted by Ari, this Sunday Profile starts at the beginning of Salvant's career and features selected performances up through her newest studio album, Mélusine. Salvant's incredible storytelling shines through in each performance, particularly Mélusine, which illustrates the Euro
WKCR is excited to announce a special 48-hour salsa festival broadcast starting on Monday, September 30, in honor of Puerto Rican salsa legend Héctor Lavoe’s birthday. The festivities will continue on Tuesday, October 1, celebrating the greats of salsa. During this time, all regularly scheduled programs will be preempted. WKCR takes pride in being the first radio station to bring salsa music to the airwaves of New York City in 1971.
WKCR mourns the loss of Philly native jazz icon Benny Golson, after it was reported today that he has passed away at the age of 95. An incomparable musician, composer, and arranger, it is hard to imagine what the jazz world would be like today without his contributions over a near 70-year career.
Tune into WKCR 89.9 FM or wkcr.org on Sunday, September 22 from 2 - 7 PM (ET) to catch host Rachel Smith's five-hour profile of master musician, composer, and bandleader Charles Mingus. The interview will feature Mingus music, recorded from the '50s through today. The music will be enhanced with exclusive interviews with Charles's son Eric, a musician in his own right; Charles's friend and biographer Janet Coleman; and many members of the Mingus Big Band. Learn about the man and his music––only on WKCR!
WKCR is delighted to announce a unique 24-hour broadcast to celebrate the life and work of pioneering music historian, feminist, and record-label head Rosetta Reitz. This broadcast will truly be one of a kind, including both the entire catalog of Rosetta Records—a label founded by Rosetta Reitz that released often sidelined or underappreciated music of early women of the Blues and Jazz—and special interviews, recordings, and finds from the WKCR library and other archival collections.
WKCR announces a special 24-hour broadcast on Friday, September 27, in celebration of the centennial of Bud Powell’s birth. This celebration will preempt all regularly scheduled programs.
Sun Ra visits WKCR! Is he eating ice cream? Yogurt? Who knows?
WKCR depends on your contributions. With your tax-deductible donation, we can continue to bring you innovative live-hosted radio.