This year, KCSM is proud to partner with NorCal MLK 2026 Music and the Movement. The MLK2026 Celebration Program will feature a celebration of music and the civil rights and social justice movements. We will celebrate the 60th anniversary of KCSM Radio, with a documentary screening and a historic conversation with KCSM media personalities, Clifford Brown, Jr., Jesse 'Chuy' Varela, Dr. Robert A. Franklin, Miranda Wilson, and award-winning music artist Tiffany Austin. For more information: https://norcalmlkfoundation.org/mlkcelebration/mlk2026/the-mlk2026-celebration-program-music-and-the-movement/

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Dan Odum this past December 2025. Everyone, from students to colleagues who have passed through the doors of KCSM owes a debt of gratitude to Dan, it is because of his vision and efforts as an radio instructor that so many got their start in radio and helped shape KCSM for the future. (click story headline for more)

Hundreds of listeners gathered last week to start their holiday celebrations and the festive season with KCSM. It was an evening of good friends, good food and great live jazz! A Special thank you to everyone who brought a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots toy drive. Lots of local kids will have a happier holiday because of your generosity. (click story headline for more photo)

David Bixler’s Beatitude. Saxophonist, composer, and educator David Bixler cut his teeth touring the world with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Toshiko Akioshi. He later joined the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band, with whom he played a decade-long residency at Birdland and won a LATIN GRAMMY for Final Night at Birdland.Beatitude is his quartet project that you’ll hear selections from no this show including the best of their 2019 release In the Face of Chaos. Featuring Jon Cowherd on Piano, Ike Sturm on Bass, Rogerio Boccato on Percussion and David Bixler on Alto Sax, and from an April 3rd, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for David Bixler’s Beatitude…Live at the Bop Stop.

1946: Jukebox Rhythm Review, Part 2. Our old Rockola Jukebox is once again in the forefront as we spotlight the biggest Rhythm & Blues jukebox hits of 1946. This week, in part 2, we'll focus on the second half of the year, featuring three #1s from Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. During 1946, Jordan held the top spot on the Race Record Chart for an incredible 35 weeks. The King Cole Trio scores one of their most memorable hits, "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons," which tops the Pop Chart, but only makes it to #3 R&B. The Ink Spots continue to dominate, but like Nat "King" Cole, they're scoring bigger Pop Hits. Jay McShann tells us about his "Voodoo Woman Blues," while Roosevelt Sykes takes us down that "Sunny Road." T-Bone Walker, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup and Julia Lee make appearances as well as Bull Moose Jackson, who makes his first chart appearance in the middle of 1946 for Queen Records. Matt The Cat wraps up 1946 with movie and sports highlights and as always, the "story behind the story," on some of the greatest blues and rhythm records of all-time.

The Jazz Centennials of 1926. In 1926, a generation of artists was born that would reshape jazz for decades to come. This special episode celebrates eight of those centennials: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Melba Liston, Randy Weston, Ray Brown, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Heath, and Tony Bennett.

Charlie Parker: Ornithology / The Savoy & Dial Masters 1945-1948, Part 1. Featuring the alto saxophone giant on some of the greatest jazz recordings ever made. With the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and more.

Guitarist Brenna Esmée.Performing live in Studio 91 -aka: KCSM's Vinyl Library- is Brenna Esmée Au Miller who is a singer, songwriter and actor and former College of San Mateo student.

David Bixler’s Beatitude. Saxophonist, composer, and educator David Bixler cut his teeth touring the world with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Toshiko Akioshi. He later joined the Chico O’Farrill Afro-Cuban Big Band, with whom he played a decade-long residency at Birdland and won a LATIN GRAMMY for Final Night at Birdland. Beatitude is his quartet project that you’ll hear selections from no this show including the best of their 2019 release In the Face of Chaos. Featuring Jon Cowherd on Piano, Ike Sturm on Bass, Rogerio Boccato on Percussion and David Bixler on Alto Sax, and from an April 3rd, 2025 performance, Daniel Peck is your host for David Bixler’s Beatitude…Live at the Bop Stop.

This episode includes music by Ernestine Washington & Washington Temple Choir, Thomas A. Dorsey & Mahalia Jackson, Staple Singers, Faith Temple Church Choir (pictured), Supreme Angels, Gospel Silhouettes, and others.

Gia Schneider is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Natel Energy. The Alameda-based company is at the forefront of modern hydropower, making power generation safe for the wildlife that inhabit the waterways. Host Scott Piehler talks with Gia about the history of Natel, the science behind a technology that has achieved a 100% survival rate for fish, and the challenges and rewards of being part of the solution for a greener future.