On November 10th, the SF International Boogie Woogie Festival was held at SF Jazz, with artists from the USA, Germany, Spain. The sold out concert was a spectacular evening hosted by KCSM's Kathleen Lawton.

There’s no place like home. KCSM Station Manager Robert Franklin traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, home of Bobby Rush, the legendary and acclaimed 2024 Grammy Award Winner for Best Traditional Blues Album. We had a great time talking about his love of the South, his life, legacy and current plans for the coming year. Rush headlined the 47th Annual Mississippi Delta Blues and Heritage Festival held in Greenville, Mississippi in September.

San Francisco's GG Park featured, "A Love Supreme: A Tribute to John Coltrane" on September 21st Tem saxophonists (representing the entire family, from sopranino to bass) and a drummer performed a suite of Coltrane music arranged by the late Andrew White, a life-long Coltrane devotee. The event is a yearly labor of love brought together by Craig Bright's organization tranetraxx.org. Craig is an avid and passionate supporter of Jazz in all of its forms, and of KCSM as well. The saxophonists (left to right) included Lyle Link, Dave Salvator, Steve Nelson,Bob Kenmotsu, Charles McNeal, Jared Cruz, Jayn Pettingill, Dan Gonda, Doug Rowan, Michael Young. Drummer Deszon Claiborn kept it all inspired and Charles McNeal not only played but conducted. James Graves MC'd. Stay tuned for next year!

The Checkers. The featured artist is highly underrated R&B vocal group from the 1950s: The Checkers. They never scored a national hit, but they're one of the finest examples of polished 1950s R&B and their story deserves to be shared. The Checkers were formed after tenor Charlie White and bass Bill Brown split from Bill Ward & His Dominoes. They had some regional success with "House With No Windows," an uptempo version of "White Cliffs Of Dover" and "Don't Stop Dan," the sequel to "Sixty Minute Man." We’ll dig through a mess of King Records 78s to bring you the best and most influential sides that this great R&B vocal group has to offer.

Jazz Night in America pays tribute to the great "Sweet Papa Lou," Lou Donaldson. The legendary alto saxophonist passed away on November 9, 2024, at the age of 98. To honor his incredible legacy, we revisit our 2019 episode featuring an intimate interview between Lou and host Christian McBride, along with music from his quartet recorded in 2009.

On Part 3 of Paul Desmond Like A Dry Martini: Paul Desmond @ 100, we continue the celebration of his centennial. And we’ll feature him with the Modern Jazz Quartet, Don Sebesky, Gabor Szabo, Chet Baker and on his solo recordings with the Canadian guitarist Ed Bickert. Hope you can join us!

Two-time Grammy-nominee, bassist and educator, Rufus Reid has enjoyed a long career working with a wide variety of musicians including Dexter Gordon, Eddie Harris, Nancy Wilson, J.J. Johnson, Freddie Hubbard and other giants of jazz. A new, exciting pursuit for Reid is composing, and although he’s been doing it for over 25 years, he’s been playing much longer, so he considers composing a new part of his life, and something that has made him look at music differently and play differently. Instead of thinking of the note he’s about to play, he thinks about the bigger picture and the shape of the piece.Now, with his CD,Celebration, Rufus Reid has fulfilled a dream to record his compositions with strings.

Words and music with Carl Matthes, who in the early to mid-1960s worked with Jim Ball of Ball Records to record soloists, groups, and choirs, mainly from Los Angeles churches. Hear what LA gospel sounded like before the contemporary period.

In this episode we sit down with Kev Choice, a classically trained pianist, rapper, composer, and educator, who has reshaped the Bay Area music scene. Raised in Oakland with San Francisco roots, Kev blends hip-hop, jazz, soul, and classical music into a unique sound. His latest EP, All My Love, explores themes of love, vulnerability, and human connection, with soulful melodies and reflective lyrics capturing the complexities of relationships. Through music and mentorship, Kev uses his platform to inspire change and elevate consciousness.

Trudy Lynn is the featured guest this week. Rod Evans of living Blues wrote of Trudy Lynn, “with a voice that easily transitions from barroom growls to uptown sass and sophisticated soul, her special blend of blues, R&B and soul has won crowds from sweaty Houston juke joints to massive European festivals. Lynn talks about her music and her decades of joy performing blues music.

Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler Magazine, shares his experience of running a magazine for over 30 years and the unexpected lessons he has learned. He emphasizes the importance of having a supportive network of talented friends and seeking advice from mentors who have successfully navigated similar ventures. Tom also discusses the challenges of marketing and the impact of digital platforms on the publishing industry. He highlights the value of building a community of readers and subscribers and the benefits of a subscriber-funded business model.