We asked our listeners to support the next generation at our "Passing the Torch," celebration for Jazz Appreciation Month and you showed up! It was an afternoon of amazing young jazz musicians from St. Ignatius Preparatory School, SF Conservatory of Music (RJAM), CSM Big Band and an appearance by none other than celebrated pianist Larry Vuckovich who all delighted a full house - and the many viewers who tuned in on Facebook. Thank you all for showing your support! If you missed the event, you can watch it on Facebook. (click the story subject for the Facebook Link)

If you missed the original airing of Harry Duncan's (producer and host of In The Soul Kitchen) exclusive interview with Van Morrison during his recent run of five sold out shows at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts, you can still listen to this great interview. Van and Harry sat down for an exclusive interview to talk about his new album, Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge. The album features covers and fresh interpretations of some of Van’s favorite blues, R&B and soul artists by Van and his band plus special guests Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy and Elvin Bishop. Van and Harry share a love and deep respect for these artists and their music. Both the artists Van honors on Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge and beyond. This interview was a welcome opportunity for them to talk freely about the inspiration these artists provided and the influence these artists have had on both of them. (click the story subject to hear the interview)

JAZZ in IRELAND: Part 1 of a new series of articles from Ireland and Europe for KCSM.org INTRO by Melanie O’Reilly, jazz singer, radio host & producer, jazz educator. Happy St Patrick’s Day! On this day when Irish culture is celebrated around the world, we begin a new series of regular articles on Jazz in Ireland on the KCSM website. Jazz is alive and well in contemporary Ireland with jazz festivals, jazz workshops, and jazz education in third-level institutions flourishing, with bebop, swing, blues, fusion, ethno-jazz, jazz rock, Celtic jazz, Latin-jazz and improvised explorations being the norm. (click story subject to continue)

The low end gets some love with a profile on Stanley Clarke. We hear music from the 2022 NEA Jazz Master’s storied career as a leader, and as a founding member of Return to Forever.

Part 2 of Louis Armstrong: Let's Do It / The 1957 Verve Solo Recordings. Jazz trumpet/vocal giant Louis Armstrong performs classics from the Great American Songbook. Including songs by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and more.

Jesse “Chuy” Varela welcomes jazz vocalist, Allan Harris, one of the preeminent jazz singers of his generation to the KCSM studio. Allan Harris, is a transcendent figure who not only sings on stage but performs musical theater as well. His latest album is titled, The Poetry of Jazz, which he will perform live at the SFJAZZ Center, April 25 & 26. Details at SFJAZZ.org

Part 2. Clarinetist/saxophonist, Ken Peplowski had his first professional gig when still in elementary school and went on to play with everyone from Marianne Faithfull and Leon Redbone to Peggy Lee and Charlie Byrd. Ken was only sixty-six when he passed away February 1, 2026 after a five-year battle with multiple myeloma. Ken was a joyful, generous spirit and one of the first musicians I played with when I came to New York when we were paired in a jazz festival in front of thousands. I was nervous and he was cool, and his lovely attitude carried me along musically and otherwise, so no one knew I was shaking in my boots except me.This is the second-half of my 2016 conversation with Ken, recorded in 2016 in Manhattan.

A chance meeting with Wynton Marsalis in Dayton, Ohio led Stacy Dillard to New York where the saxophonist thrives fronting three of his own bands that cut across R&B/Funk and Hip Hop and serves as an in-demand sideman. It’s also where he met pianist Kiego Hirakawa with whom he partners for this performance. Keigo has spent the last 20 years touring the Midwest with his piano trio and has released three full length albums as a leader including his most recent release Pixel. From a July 20th, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for Stacy Dillard and Kiego Hirakawa…Live at the Bop Stop.

This episode includes sets in loving memory of Nate Luckett (pictured) (Luckett Brothers of Milwaukee) and Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. plus Caravans, Stars of Virginia, Bishop G.E. Patterson, and others.

Coming Soon.

This week’s program features an encore interview with the acclaimed jazz singer, Dianne Reeves. Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan. Reeves father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell and her cousin is George Duke. Her father died when she was two years old, and she was raised in Colorado by her mother, Vada Swanson, and maternal family. In 1971, she started singing and playing piano. She was noticed by trumpeter Clark Terry, who invited her to sing with him. "He had these amazing all-star bands, but I had no idea who they all were! Said Reeves, “The thing I loved about it was the way they interacted with each other – the kind of intimate exchange that I wasn't part of.”