If you were in Sonoma this past Sunday, (6/28/2026) you might have run into KCSM's very own Kathleen Lawton at a free Concert at Sonoma Plaza presented by Music in Place. It was a wonderful sunny day with Alabama Mike and the Mighty Revelators who tore it up! Bama even kindly gave KCSM a shout out! Another fabulous Bay Area talents!

If you attended the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, you may have spotted Greg Bridges, host of Jazz Oasis and Beyond the Oasis, serving as the festival's stage announcer. And if you stopped by the festival booths, you likely met Jim Sintetos, host of Jazz Without Borders and New Wave of Jazz (both on HD2) and Kathleen Lawton, host of Jazz Oasis and Crazy 'bout the Blues who were there representing KCSM. We hope you had the opportunity to say hello!

Congratulations and good luck to KCSM’s very own Chris Cortez, who was nominated for the 2026 Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in the category Bay Area Audiocaster of the Year! We'd also like to congratulate Dick Conte (retired Jazz In The Afternoon Host) and Leslie Stovall (posthumously) for their nomination in the category of Performer (Disc Jockeys, Talk Show Hosts, etc.)

Thank you to the incredible audience that made the 20th Jazz on the Hill such a joyful celebration — the guests who filled the hill, the listeners who tuned in, the families who brought the next generation, and every person who helped make the 2026 festival feel unforgettable. Every cheer, every quiet listen, and every moment shared on the hill became part of something that reached far beyond the stage — from master artists to young musicians, from College of San Mateo to listeners around the world. Photos coming soon.

BEATrio (Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez). Banjo, harp, and drums meet in the BEATrio, where Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez explore a sound they never planned to create. Hear how the trio first came together.

On McCoy Tyner, The Large Ensemble Recordings, Part 3 we present the piano giant leading large ensembles in 1991 and 1993. In the company of Eddie Henderson, Billy Harper, Dianne Reeves and more.

“Jazz is a gift that America gave to the world. And now the world is giving us the next evolution of jazz,” the words of Christian Vela, incoming San Jose Jazz Festival and Artistic Director. Distinguished in the jazz world for a decade with SFJAZZ as senior production manager as well as his countless years in artist management and as a working musician, Christian Vela joins Jesse “Chuy” Varela to talk about the upcoming 2026 San Jose Jazz Summer Fest happening August 7-9 and his new role shaping the future of the San Jose Jazz organization.

Melinda Rose and Frenchy Romero. Longtime friends and musical collaborators, vocalist Melinda Rose and pianist Frenchy Romero first met in their teens during a weekly jam session in Miami, then stayed in touch with mutual support and encouragement as they continued studying and developing their individual creative visions. Now, after years of gigging and teaching together and on their own, they’ve joined forces on their first CD as a team, I’m On My Way, a collection of standards and originals.

Don Shirley was a unique musician who was classically trained but who was told he would never have a career on the concert stage because of his race. So, Shirley created a new genre of music, blending European and American traditions into jazz. He played standards in a non-standard way. He drew inspiration from Indigenous American music, show tunes, ballads, Negro spirituals and folk music to create something new. He recreated the jazz trio, replacing the drums with a cello. And what he created was a totally unique musical genre and truly unusual musician.

Altin Sencalar. Hailed by Stereophile Magazine for “sound[ing] like the 21st-century grandchildren of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding” and praised by the International Trombone Associations Journal for his “virtuosity [and] melodic and harmonic mastery,” Altin Sencalar is in high demand across the country as a performer, educator, and composer. We caught Altin on tour in support of his 2025 release ‘Unleashed’. Featuring Altin on Trombone, Matt Twaddle on Piano, Leland Nelson on Bass and Sofia Goodman on Drums, and from a May 24th, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for Altin Senclair – Live at the Bop Stop.

Gospel Memories pays tribute to Arizona Dranes (pictured) on the 100th anniversary of her initial recording session: June 17, 1926; also, music from the Tommies, Fairfield Four, Gerald Sisters, Greater Rosehill B.C., Dorothy Norwood, and others.

Vincent Phua is the General Manager and Managing Member of Alameda Brewing. Alameda’s only East End brewery was formerly known as Alameda Island Brewing. A 2024 rebrand, including the hiring of new brewmaster Justin Green led to a 2025 Silver Medal at the World Beer Cup for “Burma Ale,” their rendition of the ancient beer known as Gruit, a style that predates the widespread use of hops. Alameda Brewing has also become known as a community oriented third space.