WKCR is excited to announce a 24-hour broadcast for May 22nd celebrating the 110th anniversary of the arrival of Sun Ra (1914-1993). This special broadcast will run from 1:00 am on the 22nd until 1:00 am on the 23rd. It will preempt all regularly-scheduled Wednesday shows.
WKCR is excited to announce a special broadcast celebrating the shared birthday of two of the greatest composers of the 19th century: Johannes Brahms and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Both born on May 7th, (Brahms in 1833 and Tchaikovsky in 1840) WKCR will play the music of both, in alternating installments to honor their lives and work.
The special broadcast not only honors both composers work and contributions to mid-Romantic and Romantic periods of classical music, but facilitates a dialogue between both composers.
Tune in at 89.9 FM on the dial, and at WKCR.org
Tune into WKCR on May 9, 2024 starting at 12 noon ET to hear an exclusive, 40-minute interview with saxophonist Charles McPherson on his latest album, Reverence. McPherson speaks of his time with Barry Harris and Charles Mingus, the inspiration for the tracks on his new album, and the crossover between musical, artistic, and literary worlds. After the interview, we will listen to the album.Jazz host Rachel Smith recorded this interview on April 20, six days before the album's release.
BREAKING NEWS: At around 4am this morning, students on campus occupied the East Lawn outside of Butler Library, with approximately 50 tents and banners reading “Liberated Zone” and “Gaza Solidarity." WKCR is currently covering these events on Columbia’s campus. Regularly scheduled programming will be intermittently preempted by these developments as they progress. This is a developing story. Tune in at 89.9 FM or WKCR.org.
WKCR is thrilled to announce a birthday broadcast in honor of bassist, composer, and cultural icon Charles Mingus, born April 22, 1922, in Nogales, AZ. The broadcast is scheduled for 24 hours on Monday, April 22.
WKCR was deeply saddened to hear the news regarding legendary Philadelphia born drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath, who passed away yesterday afternoon at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe. In honor of Tootie Heath's extraordinary legacy, WKCR will be dedicating a special 9-hour program tomorrow, April 5th, from 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm. This programming will preempt our regular Out to Lunch, Afternoon Classical, and Jazz Alternatives shows.
Jazz host Rachel Smith brings in a special guest, Aidan Levy, to celebrate 67 years of Sonny Rollins's iconic album, Saxophone Colossus, live on the air from 12 noon to 2 PM (ET) this Thursday, April 4. Aidan is the author of Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins, which is the first full biography of this living saxophone legend.The two-hour celebration will include, of course, tracks from the album, as well as stories of Sonny's life and the album's conception and a discussion of the album's legacy.
WKCR is very excited to announce a special birthday broadcast in honor of jazz vocalist and luminary Billie Holiday.
This Thursday, March 21 from 12 noon to 3 PM ET, jazz host Rachel Smith is back with another special guest: legendary pianist Matthew Shipp. All biographies of Shipp begin with words like "prolific, "genius," and "iconic." He is hailed, above all, for the uniqueness of his style. Those descriptions only scratch the surface.Together, Rachel and Matthew will trace the trajectory of his career, from the 1980s to today.
WKCR is very pleased to announce a 48-hour broadcast in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan.
Nicknamed “Sassy” and “the Divine One,” Vaughan had a range that went from baritone to soprano. With her inventive, lyrical style, she helped popularize the art of jazz singing, along with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
Sun Ra visits WKCR! Is he eating ice cream? Yogurt? Who knows?
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