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KCSM Jazz 91 presents Jazz On The Hill 2026 - A free community event. As a thank you, to our listening community we invite you to join us for a fun-filled day of Jazz! Your support throughout the year means the world to all of us at KCSM. Our line-up includes jazz, blues and Latin music presented on two stages! Food, beverages, and a variety of vendor booths will also be available. Come early to claim your spot! Located in front of the Library, building 9. Visit Jazz On The Hill 2026 for more information and directions (FREE Parking!)

Congratulations and good luck to KCSM’s very own Chris Cortez, who was nominated for the 2026 Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in the category Bay Area Audiocaster of the Year! VOTING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Jayn Pettingill will be making a presentation on Duke Ellington and radio at The JazzSchool - a free and open to the public event. Her presentation will focus on how technology (radio) bloomed at just the right time for Ellington and for Jazz. (click story subject for more)

With over 33 releases, two GRAMMY® Awards, two Latin GRAMMY® Award wins and over ½ billion streams to her credit, Eliane Elias has proven she is a master of the recording studio and the queen of Brazilian Jazz. Now, with the release of her fourth Candid Records release, AO VIVO (translates from Portuguese as “Live”) she captures the unmistakable elegance and exhilarating energy of a world-class artist sharing an authentic, exciting and high-level musical dialogue with a live audience. Recorded at the SFJAZZ Center in 2023, Eliane Elias joins Jesse “Chuy” Varela to talk about this exciting new album on The Sounds of Brazil segment.

Imperial Records, Part 7 - 1955, Part 2. Last week in the first part of 1955, It was alluded to Fats Domino's big crossover breakthrough and in June it happened when "Ain't It A Shame" topped the R&B chart and crossed over to a whopping #10 on the Pop chart. It became the biggest selling R&B record of 1955 and along with Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" helped to usher in Rock n' Roll. Though 1955 was a strong year for Fats, Dave Bartholomew, The Spiders and Imperial's New Orleans roster, the Los Angeles vocal groups were also making a dent with The Barons and The Jewels having a few solid releases. Blues legend Roosevelt Sykes stops by Imperial for a quick few singles, while guitarist Jimmy Nolen gives us a glimpse of his future greatness. We're keeping those records spinning in part seven of the Imperial Records Story.

Jazz Fest in America. Summer is just around the corner, and with it comes sunshine, fresh air, and music festival season. This week, Jazz Night in America becomes Jazz Fest in America, with sets from Gabrielle Cavassa at Exit Zero, Cory Wong at the Newport Jazz Festival, and Gregory Porter in Saint Lucia.

Founded in Chicago and Led by Bassist Kevin Robert Martinez, Reclamation Band is modern jazz with an open rural backdrop. Its unique combination of composed and improvised elements evokes an array of moods and styles such as Americana, Avante-Garde and Blues. A number of things make this group’s sound unique. The first is the equal division between a guitar and two saxophone leads versus a rhythm section that includes Bass and Bass Clarinet along with drums. I’m a sucker for the Bass Clarinet sound and Kevin really understands how to leverage that sound in a way few other composers do. The second is that the group functions more as a versatile collective than as a fixed unit. Some configurations exchange a saxophone for a trumpet while others exclude guitar. (click story subject for more)

This episode includes "in loving memory" sets for Roscoe Robinson and Jessie Jeffcoat (Five Singing Sons), plus selections by J. Robert Bradley, Ora Lee Hopkins (pictured) & New Nazareth BC Choirs and others.

Coming Soon.

Part 2. Sonny Buxton is a legendary Bay Area jazz performer, night club owner, retired KCSM radio host, and former pro football player for the Oakland Raiders. Sonny shares career highlights in part two of the program.