Lisa Engelken with Alisa Clancy
Big Skies, Kansas native Lisa Engelken spent time in Washington DC working successfully with her band the Zimmerman’s and the Black Olive Quintet before relocating to San Francisco. Her operatic and theatrical background inspires her fearless and dynamic performances that incorporate a variety of moods and styles.

The Cookers with Jesse "Chuy" Varela
The Cookers are a collective of revered and legendary improvisers based in New York that have been performing and recording together for the last seven years. Trumpeter David Weiss and Saxophonist Donald Harrison discuss the band's latest release and their experiences leading up to joining the super group.

Cal Tjader with Dick Conte
Multi-instrumentalist Cal Tjader successfully traversed several musical styles during his illustrious career but is best known for fusing Jazz with Afro Cuban and Latin music coining the phrase “Latin Jazz”. KCSM’s own Dick Conte presents one of his timeless interviews from his personal KJAZ archive.

Bob Florence with Chris Cortez
Grammy winning bandleader, arranger, composer and pianist Bob Florence known for his Limited Edition Big Band received over 15 Grammy nominations and two Emmy Awards for his various works in Hollywood. Chris Cortez revisits a conversation with Florence made shortly before his untimely death from pneumonia in 2008.

Ed Reed with Michael Burman
Vocal stylist and East Bay resident Ed Reed grew up and participated around the Central Avenue jazz and blues scene in Los Angeles. After being sidelined from addiction and incarceration he triumphantly recovered and began his celebrated singing career in his later years.

International Jazz Day
We're aiming for an International Jazz Day show, though we aren't yet sure if we can get it. If that's what it is, it'll be highlights from International Jazz Days from all over the world, featuring artists like Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride, and Aretha Franklin.

Portraits of America
Jazz Night in America dives into the world of "jazz and art" with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. We'll hear from members of the orchestra on how they mined inspiration from paintings from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Cyrus Chestnut and the Turtle Island String Quartet
Jazz Night in America examines a rare collaboration between the jazz string quartet Turtle Island Quartet and pianist Cyrus Chestnut. We'll spend time getting to know Chestnut's lineage, and the backstory of the quartet specifically their leader David Balakrishnan, who founded the group more than thirty years ago. Turtle Island and Chestnut joined forces to present their "Carry Me Home" program in Blacksburg, Virginia, featuring music spanning Bill Withers, Duke Ellington, classic Indian music, and American folk traditions.

Stefon Harris + Blackout
Vibraphonist Stefon Harris + Blackout is a testament of how a modern jazz quintet should sound – tightly wound, yet somehow loose and nimble. Harris calls the bandstand a "sacred space," and, as you'll hear, his dynamic performance at Clement's Place (on the campus of Rutgers University in Newark) gets into mystical territory with Marc Cary (piano); Ben Williams (bass); Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone); and Terreon Gully (drums).