Special Programs for the Week of December 30 - January 5

Toast of the Nation: Ring in the New Year in style with KCCK and NPR – Live!                                             

Tuesday at 8:00 PM – Wednesday at 4:15 AM                  

Toast of the Nation 2013-14 will make New Year's Eve stops in Boston, Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Denver and the Monterey Jazz Festival! An NPR tradition every New Year's Eve, Toast of the Nation is perfect for the occasion. It's jazz that you can party to all night, with musical fireworks from coast to coast, with countdowns to midnight in all four continental time zones. Spirited, improvised, grooving and swinging, each segment is a stop in a sequence of celebrations and contributing something new to the musical feast. Hosted by Rhonda Hamilton of WBGO, Boston.

THE COAST-TO-COAST LINE-UP FOR TOAST OF THE NATION 2013-14 

• Donald Harrison Quintet LIVE at Berklee College of Music.
• Cecile McLorin Salvant with the Aaron Diehl Trio from the Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Festival.
• The Wynton Marsalis Septet LIVE at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola.
• Paquito D'Rivera with Strings and More at Mayne Stage in Chicago
• Convergence with Special Guest Larry Goldings at DazzleJazz in Denver.
• Bobby McFerrin and the Spirityouall Band from the 56th Monterey Jazz Festival

KCCK’s Annual Top 88 Countdown New Year’s Day Special

Wednesday 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM (repeated 3:00 pm -Midnight)

Listen for your favorite artists and CDs of 2013 during our Top 88 Countdown with many of today's top players and singers making our list including; Hiromi, Terence Blanchard, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Christian McBride, Jacky Terrasson, Poncho Sanchez, Kenny Garrett, Patricia Barber, Oregon, Kevin Mahogany, Bill Frisell, Gary Burton, Paquito D'Rivera and many, many more. 

Short List with Bob Naujoks                                           

Mon. - Thurs. at 8:35 AM and Saturday at 7 AM

Vocal Short List 13: Jennifer Barnes                              

Jennifer Barnes is a new discovery for host Bob Naujoks. The listing of her accomplishments and associations is enough to tell one that she is a singer of the highest caliber. Her alto voice is fresh, flexible, warm and resonant; and she can scat with the best of them. She teaches at the renowned jazz incubator, the University of North Texas, and is also a member of two jazz oriented acapella groups.   

Jazz Profiles with Nancy Wilson    

Monday at 6:00 PM

Mel Tormé: The 'Velvet' Voice of Jazz

Like Ella Fitzgerald, Torme's tender treatment of a ballad was offset with a powerful sense of swing. An accomplished drummer and pianist, he also sang songs much like jazz instrumentalists would play them. With help from friends and colleagues, we'll examine one of the most fascinating careers in jazz. 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Monday, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM (follows Jazz Profiles)

"Birth Date Anniversary Celebration For Pianist, Earl "Fatha" Hines"

Craig celebrates this occasion with a grand tour of the lengthy career of one of the all-time greats -- Earl Kenneth Hines, known universally as "the Fatha"....born December 28 in 1903, and brightening our souls up until April 22, 1983. We'll hear Mr. Hines from his early days with Louis Armstrong in the late 1920s, up through his final recordings in the late 1970s. Don't miss this celebration of the "father of modern jazz piano"!  

Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wendell Pierce  

Tuesday at 6:00 PM

Kansas City: K.C. and The Count feat. Frank Wess

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis romp through the Kansas City songbook of the Count Basie Band. Basie alum and saxophonist Frank Wess joins pianist Eldar Djangirov to perform "One O'Clock Jump," "The Golden Bullet" and "Moten Swing." The passing of reedman Frank Wess on October 30 led us to recall "K.C. and the Count" from our 2008 Jazz at Lincoln Center season, in which we featured Wess as part of a spotlight on the Basie Band. A Kansas City native who grew up in DC, Frank Wess joined Basie in 1953 as a tenor saxophonist, but with the Count's encouragement, Wess redefined the role of the flute in jazz. He was honored as an NEA Jazz Master in 2007. Frank Wess would have celebrated his 92nd birthday on January 4th. 

Toast of a Nation (NPR) Live! 

Tuesday at 8:00 PM – Wednesday at 4:15 AM

(see above)

JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

Wednesday at 6:00 PM  

(Pre-empted this week for KCCK’s Annual New Year’s Day Top 88 Countdown Special)  

Wednesday Night Special     

7:00 PM (Follows JazzSet)

(Pre-empted this week for KCCK’s Annual New Year’s Day Top 88 Countdown Special)

Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland    

Thursday at 6:00 PM

Marian McPartland with Elvis Costello (Part 1)

The tables are turned as McPartland sits at the guest bench to discuss her life as a performer and as host of Piano Jazz. Elvis Costello guest hosts as McPartland reminisces about moments from the program’s early days— such as her interviews with debut guest, Mary Lou Williams, and with Bill Evans, who gave McPartland a lesson in the structure of his playing on air. Costello sings and McPartland plays “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.” 

Jazz Corner of the World with Craig Kessler

Saturday, Noon - 4:00 PM

"The 75th Anniversary Celebration of Blue Note Records"

In this detailed series of shows, Craig will give us a close look at the evolution of the greatest of all 20th century jazz labels -- Blue Note Records.  We'll hear at least one selection from each and every recording session beginning with the January 6th, 1939 piano recordings of Albert Ammons and Meade 'Lux' Lewis. Also, in this inaugural show, we'll hear from the Port of Harlem Jazzmen, J.C.Higginbotham, Sidney Bechet, Earl Hines, Teddy Bunn, Josh White, Edmond Hall, and a number of other infrequently heard 'traditional jazz' masters. Don't miss this first episode spotlighting the story of the fascinating development of the history of Blue Note Records! 

Riverwalk Jazz

Sunday at 5:00 PM

Jim Cullum’s Jazz Cabaret — Live at Pearl Stable

Classic American jazz is a gold mine of great music. The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and their guests dig up some personal favorites and flex their creative muscle on tunes never before performed on Riverwalk Jazz. It’s “the best of what you’ve never heard” in a rollicking concert performance.             

KCCK's Midnight CD

The Monday - Sunday Midnight CD for this week can be found at:

http://www.kcck.org/onair/midnight_cd.php