KCSM's Fall Fund Drive is just around the corner, and we're looking for local restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and food businesses to help keep our staff and volunteers fueled and focused. (more)

Leslie Stoval, Dick Conte, and Claire Mack — have been selected for induction into the San Francisco Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as part of the BARHOF Class of 2026. They will be celebrated at Radio Day by the Bay in Alameda on July 18 and the BARHOF Induction Luncheon on October 10 . This is a meaningful recognition of three remarkable KCSM broadcasters whose work has helped shape Bay Area radio, music, and community life. Their induction also reflects the depth of talent, history, and cultural impact at KCSM.

If you were in Sonoma this past Sunday, (6/28/2026) you might have run into KCSM's very own Kathleen Lawton at a free Concert at Sonoma Plaza presented by Music in Place. It was a wonderful sunny day with Alabama Mike and the Mighty Revelators who tore it up! Bama even kindly gave KCSM a shout out! Another fabulous Bay Area talents!

If you attended the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, you may have spotted Greg Bridges, host of Jazz Oasis and Beyond the Oasis, serving as the festival's stage announcer. And if you stopped by the festival booths, you likely met Jim Sintetos, host of Jazz Without Borders and New Wave of Jazz (both on HD2) and Kathleen Lawton, host of Jazz Oasis and Crazy 'bout the Blues who were there representing KCSM. We hope you had the opportunity to say hello!

In 2024, singer-songwriter Nicole Zuraitis took home the Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album with a record of entirely self-written songs, practically unheard of in the jazz world. Now she's back with her most ambitious project yet: THE DEVIL I KNEW, a 20-track five-part jazz epic. On this episode, Nicole walks us through the personal story behind the record through standards, originals, and spoken word, revealing a candid artist with something to say.

Nnenna Freelon is a nine-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist, an arts education advocate, producer, arranger, and Award-winning Podcaster who has achieved great heights in recording and live performance. Having faced many losses in the past few years, Nnenna has felt the need to find her "voice" once more. through the lens of grief and loss. Her new album "Beneath The Skin" is a reflection of this new territory. It’s an intimate expression of her love for her family, her late husband Phil, and a universal love letter to all who’ve lost someone dear. Nnenna Freelon will be performing at this year’s San Jose Jazz Summer Fest with the all-star group, Birds Of A Feather, on Saturday, August 8 @ 4pm on the main stage. Nnenna joins Jesse “Chuy” Varela for an intimate conversation of where she’s been and where she’s going on the occasion of her birthday.

Tony Bennett @100: The Jazz Sides, 1955 - 2015, Part 1. In celebration of his Centennial, we present the beloved vocalist in some of his most jazz-oriented recordings with Art Blakey, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, and more.

Tamir Hendelman. Pianist Tamir Hendelman and vocalist Tierney Sutton’s CD Spring honors the season that Tierney views as a metaphor for hope and renewal, a perfect focus for our unsettling times. Tamir and Tierney have enjoyed a long musical partnership, and creating Spring was an opportunity to celebrate their collaboration and enjoy the creative freedom and flexibility a duo affords. I talked to Tamir Hendelman from Tierney’s alma mater, Wesleyan University, before their teaching activities that day and their performance that night.

Aanya Sengupta. One of the rising stars of jazz, New Delhi native Aanya Sengupta heads off to Julliard but not before a Northeast Ohio farewell performance. The two-time DownBeat Student Award winner finished 2025 as the vocalist chair for the Oberlin College Sonny Rollins Jazz Ensemble. Featuring Aanya on Vocals, Wilson Woods on Piano, Ahmed McLemore on Bass and Paul Samuels on Drums, and from June 8th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Aanya Sengupta Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop.

This episode is all about hymns that were published in the 1875 songbook Gospel Hymns & Sacred Songs and recorded by gospel artists such as the Roberta Martin Singers (pictured), Ward Singers, Aretha Franklin, Bells of Joy, Greater Harvest B.C. Church of Chicago, Fordhamaires, Mary Johnson Davis Singers, and others.

Mike Stevens is the owner of Island Savoy Market. Opened in 2022, Island Savoy is a true Community Market, featuring a selection of some of the Bay Area’s finest local foods. Island Savoy also features a café, and a deli that serves traditional sandwiches with a gourmet twist. More than just a grocery store, Island Savoy is an anchor in what has become a hidden gem for foodies: Bay Station, which also features previous Alameda Connection guests Forbidden Island and Whisk Cake Creations.

Like It Is host, Dr. Robert Franklin and Melba Moore reconnect after a previous interview in 1996 in Houston, Texas, where they discussed Melba's gospel musical "Mama, I'm Sorry" and her song "Songs My Mother Taught Me." (more)