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It was a special Valentine's Day here at KCSM with Tiffany Austin turning the day into a celebration of everything you love about Jazz. Listeners turned their donations into "Jazz Love Notes" - dedicating their gift in honor of someone special and shared short notes about what jazz or their favorite artists meant to them. It was a fun, funny and inspiring day!

Ira Liss & Dan Radlauer. Like many creative artists during the pandemic, saxophonist/band leader Ira Liss and multi-instrumentalist/composer Dan Radlauer were inspired by their unexpected gift of time. They had collaborated previously on a number of projects but with this CD, they did something unusual. Dan and Ira invited musicians not usually associated with jazz to perform with Ira’s big band with arrangements by Dan. Artists as diverse as Country Music’s Vince Gill and jazz recorder virtuoso Tali Rubinstein—and everyone in between—jumped at this unique opportunity to play or sing with a big band with original compositions by Dan or songs of their choosing. The result is the CD, Unexpected Guests.

Jackie Warren is a legend behind the piano, from her work in the 3D Jazz Trio, to her work with Tito Puente and her place as one of the anchors of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra.She leads this performance, where she’s joined by Saxophonist Steve Kortyka. Beyond the four releases as a band leader, Steve is a core member of the Brian Newman Quintet and his work anchors releases by Tony Bennett and live performances with Lady Gaga.But wait, as they say, there’s more. Jim Rupp joins this group on percussion and beyond some legendary performances with Woody Herman, Ray Charles and Natalie Cole and his extensive work as a drum educator Jim has forgotten more about drum performance than many of us will ever know.George Delancy rounds out this quartet on bass. George was a core member of the Larry Fuller Trio and has performed with Ben Patterson, Wynton Marsalis and Houston Person, among others.Enjoy this talented quartet as they perform a mix of standards and originals. From February 8th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Jackie Warren Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop.

We honor Black History Month with the trailblazing big bands that defined the swing era and changed American music forever. Hear the irresistible rhythms and powerhouse arrangements of Jimmie Lunceford, Lucky Millinder, Chick Webb, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more bands that packed ballrooms, launched legends, and kept the country dancing. Roll up the carpet, grab your partner, and get ready to swing

George Goldner, Part. 2 - Gee Records. It's part 2 of our 3-part series on record man, George Goldner. He is said to have had the "golden ear" for hit records and songwriter Jerry Leiber even complimented his talent for picking hit songs by saying that Goldner had, "the musical taste of a fourteen-year-old-girl." Born to Jewish immigrants in 1919, Goldner's first love was Latino dance music and he began his career by opening night clubs and starting Tico Records, a Latino label in 1948. By 1953, he was interested in Rhythm & Blues and began releasing records under the Rama subsidiary. We featured Rama Records in part 1. This week, the "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat will take a close look at Goldner's second R&B label, Gee Records. It's been said that the label was named after the huge success of The Crows single, "Gee" on Rama Records, but it's more likely that he named the Gee label after himself. Gee was very vocal group focused and we'll hear seldom-played classic records from The Coins, The Five Crowns, The Valtones, The Debonaires and The Quintones. Goldner scored the biggest and most influential hit of his entire career on Gee with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by The Teenagers featuring 14-year-old Frankie Lymon. The late, great Herbie Cox of The Cleftones was in Goldner's office when the Teenagers auditioned as The Premiers and we'll hear Herbie recall that story as well as how the Cleftones came to sign with Goldner. Next week, we'll close the series with a spotlight on Gone and End Records, Goldner's last 2 labels under his

Jackie Warren is a legend behind the piano, from her work in the 3D Jazz Trio, to her work with Tito Puente and her place as one of the anchors of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. She leads this performance, where she’s joined by Saxophonist Steve Kortyka. Beyond the four releases as a band leader, Steve is a core member of the Brian Newman Quintet and his work anchors releases by Tony Bennett and live performances with Lady Gaga. But wait, as they say, there’s more. Jim Rupp joins this group on percussion and beyond some legendary performances with Woody Herman, Ray Charles and Natalie Cole and his extensive work as a drum educator Jim has forgotten more about drum performance than many of us will ever know. George Delancy rounds out this quartet on bass. George was a core member of the Larry Fuller Trio and has performed with Ben Patterson, Wynton Marsalis and Houston Person, among others. Enjoy this talented quartet as they perform a mix of standards and originals. From February 8th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Jackie Warren Quartet…Live at the Bop Stop.

Music from Sis. Rosetta Tharpe, The Harmonizing Four (pictured), Thomas Whitfield Company, Treadwell Community Singers, Patterson Singers, two "send me my flowers" living legend sets for Rev. Ernest Franklin, and others."

Coming Soon.

Chief Phillip Martin. An encore interview segment and spotlight on the late, Phillip Martin, Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a federally recognized tribe in east Central Mississippi.Their reservation included lands in Neshoba, Leake, Newton, Scott, Jones, Attala, Kemper, and Winston counties in Mississippi.Chief Martin had a 40-year record of service to the Tribal government, including 32 years as the Representative of the Tribe’s principal elected official.