Last month, KCSM On-Air Host Harry Duncan, (In The Soul Kitchen and Thursday's Jazz In The Afternoon) spun a special late night set on the last night of The Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. In the legendary Crystal Palace venue, Duncan served up a hour’s worth of freestyle roots and rhythm to a very enthusiastic, open and diverse group of dancers. (click the subject line to see a short video.)

On Saturday July 26th the incomparable Sonny Buxton presented his last broadcast at KCSM JAZZ 91. With a 60-plus year career in broadcast media, Sonny decided to hang up his headphones to retire at the age of 88 from our Saturday Mid-Day Jazz Show. It was bittersweet but the response was overwhelming and filled with appreciation and well wishes. It was a gracious exit for a class act! In recent weeks we have seen the retirements of Dick Conte and Michael Burman as well as the untimely passing of Leslie Stovall from KCSM JAZZ 91 airwaves. Their presence is very much missed but the team at JAZZ 91 is here to serve our audience with the best in Jazz. (click the story subject line to see the new lineup)

Atlantic Records, Part 5 - 1952-53. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc. is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. This 14-part, behemoth series celebrates the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week in part five, we'll pick up in late 1952 and hear Ray Charles' first release for Atlantic, "The Midnight Hour." It didn't chart, but it marks a very important time for both the singer, who would soon find his voice and style and begin racking up hits, and the label, who bought his contract from SwingTime Records and invested in his development. The Clovers continue to score huge records as we make our way into 1953. Along with more hits from Ruth Brown, we'll also dig up a few one-off singles that have been lost to history from The Tilters, Eunice Davis and guitarist Chuck Norris. This program is highlighted by an excerpt from an interview Matt The Cat conducted with Atlantic's co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, a few years before his death in 2006. So buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth, 14 part look at the history of Atlantic Records, which could also be described as a look at the history of American Music itself.

Highlights from the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, featuring Christian Sands, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Bria Skonberg, Melissa Aldana, Yasushi Nakamura, and Jamison Ross.

Join Jesse ‘Chuy’ Varela for a celebration of the birthday of John Coltrane (b.Sept.23,1926), considered among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Highlights include a retrospective on the life of John Coltrane as told by Nancy Wilson and “Jazz Profiles.”

The Bobby Hutcherson & Harold Land Recordings, Part 3. The great vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and the great tenor saxophonist Harold Land joined forces many times between 1967 and 1990. On Part 3 we’ll hear from sessions they did together between 1983 and 1990, with the Timeless All-Stars, the cooperative band that also included Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, Buster Williams, and Billy Higgins.

Tonight we are celebrating the life of Akiko Tsuruga, who tragically passed away on September 13 after a short battle with illness. Raised in Osaka, Japan, this talented musician began studying the organ at the age of three, at the famed Yamaha Music School. After discovering her passion for jazz very early on in her musical journey, Akiko launched her career immediately after graduating from the Osaka College of Music. While living and playing in Osaka, she had many opportunities to perform with world-renowned jazz musicians from the United States.

Selections from Mighty Clouds of Joy (pictured), Sister Ida Maxey, Devella Norton Tuck, Brother Joe May, International Gospel Singers, Sensational Propheteers and others.

Michael Thanos is the co-founder and owner of Forbidden Island, Alameda’s beloved Tiki Bar. Not just a local hangout, Forbidden Island is well known in the Tiki Bar Scene, and features one of the deepest Rum menus in the Bay Area. An Alameda fixture since 2006, Forbidden Island is literally keeping the tiki torch burning.

Starletta Dupois, Part 1. Starletta Dupois is an actress with countless movie and film credits. Dupois was cast as Whitney Houston’s mother in the film, “Waiting to Exhale”. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dupois shares her memories during the Like It Is interview about her career as an activist, poignant Civil Rights moments during formative years and her career as an actress. Part one of a two-part series.