The Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival (LHJF) is a jewel among the rolling Palouse hills. Held for 56 years at the University of Idaho in Moscow, this festival has gathered on stage such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and the man of note, Lionel Hampton, who has the U of I School of Music named in his honor. This festival is a grand event that brings together Read More
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On April 19, 2022, KOHO 101.1 FM began broadcasting jazz programming in the Wenatchee Valley. The new programming is provided by Northwest Public Broadcasting (NWPB) under a programming and services… Continue Reading Jazz on Wenatchee’s KOHO 101Read More
Simmons died last week at the age of 87. The cause of death remains unknown, but his life is cause for considerable celebration. Although jazz has established a place in academic and cultural institutions, it was and largely still is an outsider's music, and Simmons was an outsider's outsider. Read More
Pixar's new animated film Soul is the story of Joe Gardner, a middle school school music teacher with big dreams about performing jazz onstage. "Music is all I think about, from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I fall asleep at night," he says. "I was born to play." Read More
This year's edition of "A Jazz Piano Christmas" features REDWOOD, Cory Henry and Kenny Barron. We're celebrating the holidays with swing from the East Coast jazz scene. Continue Reading A Jazz Piano Christmas: 2020Read More
The film continues writer Linda Kuehl's unfinished investigation into Holiday's life through never-before-heard interviews with jazz luminaries, and explores her experiences with institutional racism. Continue Reading New Read More
On this show, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis invite the Sesame Street gang onstage. Plus, trombonist Joe Fielder's Open Sesame share rare songs from the Sesame songbook. Continue Reading Swinging The Clouds Away: Jazz Takes Read More
In 1965, two young fans heard the jazz giant John Coltrane play at a San Francisco club and had a religious epiphany. Their church is an idiosyncratic and joyful blend of devotion to the divine — and to jazz. Continue Reading Five Read More
As jazz experienced an awakening in the late '60s and early '70s , a record label from Oakland was at the forefront of capturing it. Now, those records are finally returning. Continue Reading Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Read More
Ronald Bell, along with his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, brought generations of music fans together on the dancefloor with hits like "Celebration," "Get Down On It" and "Jungle Boogie." Continue Reading Ronald Bell, Co-Founder, Read More
Performances and speeches honor this year's NEA Jazz Masters award recipients, including Dorthaan Kirk, Roscoe Mitchell, Reggie Workman and Bobby McFerrin. Continue Reading WATCH: The 2020 Jazz Masters Tribute Concert From SFJAZZRead More
The platinum-selling, low-key superstar performs a solo set at her piano for Tiny Desk's quarantine series. Continue Reading Norah Jones Keeps The Music Tastefully Spare In A Tiny Desk (Home) ConcertRead More
Guitarist Julian Bream, who died Friday at the age of 87, was as important to the history of classical guitar as Andres Segovia. Continue Reading Remembering Julian Bream, The Classical Guitar Giant With The Soul Of A Jazz Read More
Woods played in the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a history-making all-female big band. She was 96. Continue Reading Helen Jones Woods, Groundbreaking Female Trombonist, Dies At 95 From COVID-19Read More
Denin Koch's trip to the Hanford B Reactor when he was 19 stirred his musical passion. It eventually inspired a full jazz album exploring the complicated history of Hanford, 75 years after the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan ended WWII. Read More
Host Ari Shapiro talks with Linda Diaz, the winner of this year's NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest. Her entry, "Green Tea Ice Cream" is a dreamy R&B song anchored by her skilled and soulful voice. Continue Reading Meet Linda Diaz, The Winner Of NPR’s Read More
After collaborating with David Bowie in 2014, the multiple Grammy-winning composer found her artistic process had been recombobulated a bit — much like our ever-more digital world. Continue Reading Composer Maria Schneider Returns, With A Read More
The trumpeter, who died last week at the age of 78, was at the vanguard of jazz's midcentury development and is regarded as a legend by his peers. Continue Reading The Galaxy-Expanding, Peace-Loving Trumpet Of Eddie Gale: Hear The Read More
In 1968, a teenager convinced Thelonious Monk to play a concert at his high school to ease racial tensions in his community. More than 50 years later, it's been rediscovered and remastered. Continue Reading A Previously Unreleased Read More
Ari Shapiro talks to jazz saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin about her new album Pursuance: The Coltranes and an artist she is grateful for: James Blake. Continue Reading Play It Forward: Lakecia Benjamin Sings Through Her SaxophoneRead More
The drummer's subtle and steady hand guided some of jazz's most beloved recordings, including Miles Davis's iconic Kind Of Blue. Continue Reading Jimmy Cobb, The Pulse Of Miles Davis’ ‘Kind Of Blue,’ Dies At 91Read More
Drummer Alvester Garnett joined MacArthur "genius" violinist Regina Carter's band in 1998. It was purely professional at first, but it soon grew into a romantic relationship; the couple married in 2004. "She's the boss two-times over," Garnett says half-jokingly. Read More
On April 30, the global jazz community will celebrate International Jazz Day with an expert panel and a global concert featuring pianist Lang Lang, bassist Marcus Miller and more. Continue Reading Stream These Virtual Events To Celebrate Read More
On this episode of Alt.Latino, we pull an interview from the archives with the great Cuban percussionist. From Havana nightlife in the 1940s to the pulsing streets of New York just after World War II, he reminisces about the seminal recordings and jam sessions that took place. Read More
The patriarch of the famous musical Marsalis family, Ellis Marsalis was not only a performer but a teacher, a mentor and a coach. Continue Reading Remembering Ellis Marsalis: Pianist, Teacher And New Orleans Jazz PatriarchRead More
The Cameroonian musician who became an international star with his song "Soul Makossa" died Tuesday at age 86 in Paris. His music helped fuel disco — and songs by Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Continue Reading Afro-Funk Saxophonist Manu Dibango Dies Of Read More
The album, recorded in 1982 after Simone had relocated to France, captures the legendary artist reinvigorated and exploratory. Continue Reading We’ll Soon Be Able To Stream Nina Simone’s Late-Career Rarity Read More
The saxophonist and composer — an artist who wrote for Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, and who nurtured John Coltrane — died Sunday at age 93. Continue Reading Jimmy Heath, Jazz Saxophonist, Composer, Bandleader And Legend, Dies At Read More
The irrepressible harpist proves that the instrument can be as tempestuous as a tango, as complex as a Bach fugue and sing as serenely as a church choir. Continue Reading Harpist Bridget Kibbey Brings Blistering Bach And Jazzy Read More
Know someone who just LOVES Jazz? Use this guide from KJEM, the Jazz Gem of the Palouse to help you pick out a gift they will appreciate! Continue Reading KJEM Gift Guide For The Jazz-Lover In Your LifeRead More
The singer and pianist says he's loved Porter's music since he was a little kid. Connick's latest album pays tribute to an enduring influence. Continue Reading Harry Connick Jr. Celebrates The Music Of Cole Porter On His New Read More
Before Nat King Cole became known for his velvety singing voice, he was a pianist working nightly gigs to hone his craft. Continue Reading New Anthology ‘Hittin’ The Ramp’ Traces Nat King Cole’s Read More
His radical combination of symphonic and popular music comes eight years after a controversial statement about the word "jazz." Continue Reading Nicholas Payton Reimagines Musical Tradition With ‘Black American Read More
We revisit pianist, singer and composer Andy Bey throughout his life: growing up in Newark, N.J., working with Horace Silver, performing during his 1990s renaissance and now, looking back at 80. Continue Reading Andy Bey At 80: A Love Letter To A Jazz LegendRead More
The Alabama Shakes singer and guitarist brought an eight-piece backing band to the Tiny Desk for a set of deeply personal and affecting songs. Continue Reading Brittany Howard Brings Commitment And Passion To NPR’s Tiny Desk Read More
In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation. Continue Reading Ella Fitzgerald: The Voice That Shattered Read More
The Brazilian singer and guitarist, who won wide acclaim for his abundant technical skill and minimalist style, was behind one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, 1964's Getz/Gilberto. Continue Reading João Gilberto, Master Of Bossa Nova, Dies Read More
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim about his latest album, The Balance. Continue Reading Finding ‘The Balance’: Jazz Legend Abdullah Ibrahim Looks To Read More
Music historian James Karst explains his recent research into the early life of the legendary Louis Armstrong. Continue Reading Satchmo In His Adolescence: 1915 Film Clip May Show Young Louis ArmstrongRead More
Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist Judy Wexler recently released her fifth album, Crowded Heart. Why, in the age of streaming, did she choose to release it solely as a CD? Continue Reading ‘Something To Hold’: Read More
New Orleans has a fairly spotty track record when it comes to preserving cultural landmarks, but Buddy Bolden's blighted former residence may avoid being lost to time, as he nearly was. Continue Reading Preserving The New Read More
In Melbourne for its eighth iteration, the All-Star Global Concert brought together marquee names in jazz around a concert program of international, but borderless, collaboration. Continue Reading Herbie Hancock Aims All-Star Jazz Day Read More
Join KJEM 89.9FM in Pullman at the Gladish Auditorium, April 11th, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Jazz Night spotlights local to the Palouse groups Jazz Wires and Fatt Jazz. No ticket… Continue Reading KJEM’s Free Concert: Jazz Night On April 11thRead More