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!

Krantz/Carlock/Lefebvre, Set 2. In set 2, Wayne Krantz, Keith Carlock and Tim Lefebvre form a powerhouse trio of improvisational jazz, when they aren’t busy being sidemen for artists such as Steely Dan, Tedeschi-Trucks and John Mayer. With an improvisational style rooted in funk, rock and electronica and anchored by Keith Carlock’s powerful Drums, Wayne Krantz on Guitar and Tim Lefebvre on Bass, the group returned for their first tour together in 13 years. From a sold-out performance on February 25th, 2022

The Griffin Brothers. This week features The Griffin Brothers, one of the unsung Rhythm & Blues groups from the early 1950s. Jimmy and "Buddy" Griffin began in their hometown of Norfolk, VA in the late '40 playing jump blues. They settled in Washington, DC and were asked to backup Roy Brown on "Hard Luck Blues" in April, 1950. That recorded went to #1 in August and soon the brothers had their own record deal with Randy Wood's Dot Records out of Gallatin, TN. With vocalists Margie Day and Tommy Brown, The Griffin Brothers Orchestra scored six charting R&B hits from 1950-52, before embarking on separate solo careers in 1954. We’re featuring The Griffin's biggest hits, jumpin' B-sides and solo records this. The Griffin Brothers were an important part of R&B's rise, scoring a #1 smash in early 1952 with "Weepin' & Cryin'" (featuring Tommy Brown on lead vocals) and now they're finally getting their due, even if time has left them behind.

George Benson (ENCORE). Vocalist-guitarist-icon George Benson sits down with host Christian McBride for an exclusive conversation about his early years on the jazz scene, his favorite tracks, and his new “lost” album 'Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon.'

Kurt Elling. Vocalist Kurt Elling’s spectacular technique and four-octave range are often mentioned and celebrated: each of his ten recordings has received Grammy nominations. What’s most important to Kurt, is his emotional connection to music, and telling a story through his performances, which draws his audience into a shared, heightened experience. Today is the first half of a conversation I had with Kurt in spring 2015 in NYC.

A conversation with the authors of The Black Female Body: A Photographic History. A review of the book states “"Why the black female body?" rhetorically ask the authors at the opening of this coffee-table history of African-American women in photographs. Willis, a MacArthur Fellow and professor of photography at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and writer Williams (www.carlagirl.net) answer the question convincingly. They find that, until the 1940s, most photographic images of black women fall into three categories: the naked "Jezebel," the "neutered" "mammy" or the "noble savage" and her more modern descendants. They set out to present them critically and unflinchingly, along with the recent trope-destroying photographic work of artists like Adrian Piper. Among the book's 200 clearly reproduced duo-tones, most of them nudes, Willis and Williams find that the 19th-century European photos of black women most often had colonialism, scientific evolution or sexuality as their subtext. They move from anonymous studies and exotic travel shots to posed work by the likes of Atget, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Gertrude Käsebier, Walker Evans, Nadar and Edward Weston. Contemporary artists like Gordon Parks and Catherine Opie are also here.

Lasada Pippen: Obstacles into Opportunities. Lasada shares his journey from IT professional to motivational speaker. He talks of growing up in Atlanta, Georgia; a city with a vibrant culture and a deep history. Familial and societal expectations had pressured Lasada into pursuing a “safe” career in IT, but his real passion was motivational speaking. It took a lot of time and willpower for him to switch gears to pursue his dream, but after years of using his personal time to speak at free events, and encouragement from his wife, he finally took a leap of faith and pursued motivational speaking full-time. ● Lasada initially hesitated to pursue speaking due to fear and societal expectations but ultimately chose to follow his passion. ● Lasada’s philosophy revolves around turning opposition into opportunity, leaning into one's strengths, and maintaining resilience despite setbacks. ● To change one’s life to pursue a dream requires a lot of sacrifice, discipline, consistency, and faith in oneself. ● Remember to be patient and gentle with yourself, and not beat yourself up.

Krantz/Carlock/Lefebvre, Set 2. In set 2, Wayne Krantz, Keith Carlock and Tim Lefebvre form a powerhouse trio of improvisational jazz, when they aren’t busy being sidemen for artists such as Steely Dan, Tedeschi-Trucks and John Mayer. With an improvisational style rooted in funk, rock and electronica and anchored by Keith Carlock’s powerful Drums, Wayne Krantz on Guitar and Tim Lefebvre on Bass, the group returned for their first tour together in 13 years. From a sold-out performance on February 25th, 2022

An all-female gospel singers featuring Mahalia Jackson, Original Gospel Harmonettes (pictured), Willie Mae Ford Smith, Roberta Martin, Ward Singers, Mary Johnson Davis Singers, Victoria Hawkins, Davis Sisters, and others.