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KCSM HEADLINES
  • In case you didn't notice, this Spring Fund Drive on KCSM is different. We’ve designed it around what listeners value. Uninterrupted music. Time with the hosts and programs you trust. The full set.That’s intentional. This season, we’re taking a quieter approach—moving most of our fundraising off the air so you can spend more time with the music and the programs you rely on. And it’s possible because of you. KCSM is fully listener-supported. No commercials. No subscriptions. Just people who value this music and choose to keep it part of their day. (click story subject for more)
  • Tickets! Join KCSM Jazz 91.1 and the Friends of Jazz on the Hill for An Evening with Tuck & Patti—a special live performance and conversation with the 2026 Jazz on the Hill ICON Award recipients. This intimate program features a selection of live performances by Tuck & Patti and an on-stage conversation reflecting on their artistry and influence, with an opening performance by the Jazz Education Ensemble (Oakland). (click story subject for ticket link)
  • 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)
HIGHLIGHTS: KCSM HD1 (Jazz 91)
  • Bassist/vocalist Kristin Korb’s latest CD Sweet Dreams is a tribute to the music of The Eurythmics, an idea inspired by her being asked to be a part of a 2023 international Jazz Festival which had the theme of celebrating world-famous duos. Kristin was given a choice of focusing on the Carpenters or The Eurythmics and for multiple reasons, including that she felt it would be the more challenging of the two options, Kristin chose The Eurythmics. I met Kristin Korb on a jazz cruise in 2009 and became fast friends. I’ve been on stage with another woman only a handful of times during my long career, so our sets were especially welcome. Playing with Kristin is great fun not only because of her deep swing feel and time, but because of her dedication to her craft and her determination to move through life with positivity and joy, a focus I admire and try to practice myself.
  • Charlie Ballantine Trio. Indianapolis based guitarist Charlie Ballantine returns to our stage and to our program – this time in front of a live audience. Charlie released two albums in 2021; Cold Coffee is a collection of his own works and Life is Brief – a Tribute to Bob Dylan, which landed on Jazziz Magazine’s Top Ten Best Releases list. His most recent release is 2024’s East by Midwest and he performs selections from it on this episode. Featuring Charlie Ballentine on Guitar, Quinn Sternberg on Bass and Paul Wells on Drums, and from April 10th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Charlie Ballantine Trio…Live at the Bop Stop.
  • Joe Zawinul and 50 Years of Weather Report. Hear an electric fusion set from keyboardist Joe Zawinul and The Zawinul Syndicate in concert from 2006. Plus, we celebrate 50 years of Weather Report with co-founder Wayne Shorter and other alumni.
  • Part 2. Jimmy Smith: The 1995 Verve Recordings. Hear the s tory organ giant Jimmy Smith in the company of Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Arthur Taylor, Bernard Purdie, and more. Playing classic jazz standards never otherwise recorded by Jimmy. In solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, and septet instrumental combinations.
HIGHLIGHTS: KCSM HD2
  • Indianapolis based guitarist Charlie Ballantine returns to our stage and to our program – this time in front of a live audience. Charlie released two albums in 2021; Cold Coffee is a collection of his own works and Life is Brief – a Tribute to Bob Dylan, which landed on Jazziz Magazine’s Top Ten Best Releases list. His most recent release is 2024’s East by Midwest and he performs selections from it on this episode. Featuring Charlie Ballentine on Guitar, Quinn Sternberg on Bass and Paul Wells on Drums, and from April 10th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Charlie Ballantine Trio…Live at the Bop Stop.
  • Music on this episode comes from James Cleveland (pictured) & Gospel Chimes, Sis. Wynona Carr, Jessy Dixon & Chicago Community Choir, Holy City Travelers, Cosmopolitan Community Church Choir, a special selection from the Kronos Quartet, and others.
  • Abby Thorne-Lyman is the Director of Base Reuse and Economic Development for the City of Alameda. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the closure of Alameda Naval Air Station, host Scott Piehler talks with Abby about the challenges and opportunities of managing what many have called “The most desirable real estate left in the Bay Area.”
  • A Portrait of Bobby Rush. Rush reflects upon his 2024 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and his recognition by the Mississippi Legislature Concurrent Resolution saluting and extending congratulations to the 90-year-old Mississippi Blues Legend for winning the prestigious Grammy Award.