Cornetist, pianist, and composer Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke was one of the great musical innovators to emerge in the 1920s. One of jazz’s earliest soloists, he is of enduring importance to the dynamic history of jazz. This Wednesday, WKCR will dedicate 24 hours of programming to Bix in honor of his 118th birthday anniversary.
Join us Tuesday March 9 for a 24-hour Broadcast celebrating Ornette Coleman's birthday!
Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 - June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. Born and raised in Fort Worth, TX, he was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, a term he invented with the name of a 1961 album.
Tune in on Sunday February 21 for a 12-hour (12pm-12am) Nina Simone Birthday Broadcast!
Join WKCR from Friday, January 29th through Saturday, January 30th as we celebrate 110 years of life and music of the jazz trumpeter who, according to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, put "more soul in one note that a lot of people could get into the whole song."
Tune in on Monday January 25th for our 22nd annual 24-hour Antonio Carlos Jobim Birthday Broadcast!
Tune in this Sunday, January 10th for our annual 24-hour Max Roach Birthday Broadcast, in celebration of the legendary drummer on what would be his 97th birthday!
Due to the current circumstances, BachFest 2020 will rely on archival programming and prerecorded programs produced from programmers' own materials.
Ragas Live 2020 kicks off TONIGHT, and we have the schedule for the festival right here for you! Tune in!!!!!!
*NOTE: All programming has been shifted 12 minutes forward, as there was a technical issue; please adjust schedule accordingly
7PM Raga Maqam: Amir ElSaffar with Brooklyn Raga Massive - Pioneer Works, Brooklyn NYC, USA
Tune into WKCR FM starting Friday, November 20 at 7AM EST for a very special 36-hour Coleman Hawkins Birthday Broadcast! The broadcast, shifted forward due to the Ragas Live Festival’s commencement at 7PM on Sunday the 21st, will feature an extra 12 hours of programming this year to make up for the scheduling conflict. From 7AM on the November 20th to 7PM on Hawkins’s birthday, November 21st, join WKCR at 89.9 FM NY or on the website for non-stop Hawk!
Ragas Live Festival 2020 reimagines the world music festival with an epic 24-hour, 24 set broadcast!
Born at WKCR 89.9 FM-NY in 2012, the festival will feature artists in 13 cities will contribute to a celebration of ‘Community, Unity, and Harmony,’ from Mysore to Madagascar.
Terry Riley, Zakir Hussain, Toumani Diabate, Betsayda Machado among the global music icons contributing to “24 hours of global resonance.”
Rag Aur Tal is on from 7-9PM on Sunday, November 8th, 2020!
From November 21st @ 7PM - November 22nd @ 7PM, the Ragas Live Festival, the 24 hour musical event will broadcast on WKCR. The event has the participation of artists in 13 cities across Asia, Africa, North and South America. There are 90 musicians participating including some of the greatest instrumentalists of our time including Grammy Award winners Zakir Hussain, Toumani Diabate and Vikku Vanayakram.
Join WKCR on air this Friday, October 30th as we dedicate 24 hours of programming to legendary trumpeter Clifford “Brownie” Brown!
Airing Tonight:
Melting the ICE / Derritiendo el Hielo, a bilingual radio show sharing information, love and support to people currently detained by ICE in New Jersey, NYC and beyond is airing tonight and on the Third Thursday of Every Month at 9pm on WKCR 89.9 FM, reaching the Hudson, Essex, Elizabeth and Bergen County Jails and ICE detention centers in New Jersey.
WKCR will be celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day this Monday, October 12 with a special 12-hour preemption centering Indigenous voices, artists, and histories. Tune in from 10AM-10PM tomorrow!
Tune in on October 10 to WKCR 89.9 FM-NY for 24 hours of Thelonious Sphere Monk’s music in celebration of his 103rd day of birth!
Hey! Due to some difficulties with our FM signal the first time around, we’ll be re-airing our 24-hour John Coltrane Birthday Broadcast! Tune in all day Tuesday (Oct. 5) to re-live the celebration.
Check out the broadcasting schedule below:
12AM-3AM: Charles Iselin plays a Trane potpourri with special tributes to McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Cobb
3AM-5AM: Program Director Mac Waters plays a variety of live and studio sessions, featuring the 1965 Paris recordings
Join WKCR this Wednesday, September 23 as we celebrate a Jazz GIANT with our annual John Coltrane Birthday Broadcast! Stay tuned for more info...
In honor of Bachfest2020, WKCR is offering MERCHANDISE again!!!
For the duration of Bachfest (until the 31st of December at midnight), t-shirts will be available for purchase, with profits going towards operating costs (as usual).
The Blue option can be seen below, available in Blue and Violet:
Like last year's drive, things are a little different this year: the traditions of extreme phonebanking and live-on-air appeals are on hold for now, but we've adapted to the times and found new ways to move forward nonetheless!
For those looking for additional assistance on how to donate, you're in the right place!
In his autobiography, Swing That Music, Louis Armstrong titled the first chapter “Jazz and I Get Born Together.” Dating his birthday July 4, 1900, Armstrong created a mythology that linked his own birth to the birth of Jazz and the birth of America. For some odd reason, historians believe his true date of birth to be August 4th, but Armstrong was definitely not wrong to connect his life with the beginnings of this American art form.
WKCR presents... BLACKOUT: VISIONS OF LIBERATION. This weekend, we’ll be airing 72-hours straight of all Black programming, curated by Black WKCR programmers. ••• The Blackout will begin at 12AM on Friday, July 3 and continue until 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 5 — with our annual Louis Armstrong Birthday broadcast airing all day July 4. Strap in for 72 hours of Black music, programs, and content!
(Originally Posted Friday, June 12, 2020)
Join us today, June 2nd, for a 24 hour Memorial Broadcast for legendary American jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb who passed away last week in Manhattan. We'll be honoring his life and musicianship all day on air with special programming, interviews, and commentary.
Tune in at 89.9 FM or here at wkcr.org!
Hi all!!!
This Thursday from 9-10 PM EST, tune in to WKCR News and Arts for an interview with Jamael Dean, 21-year-old jazz pianist, composer, producer, and rapper. Acclaimed as a ‘jazz prodigy,’ Dean is the bandleader of “Jamael Dean and the Afronauts,” plays with the Pan-Afrikan People’s Arkestra in LA, and has toured, performed, and recorded alongside the likes of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Thundercat, and Kamasi Washington.
Dear Listeners,
The WKCR staff structure in its entirety, from the Executive Board to its programmers and interns, has been majorly displaced due to COVID-19 and the measures Columbia University has put in place to limit contagion.
Hi all, an update on streaming using Chrome,
Due to a recent Google Chrome update, streaming from the Chrome browser has been inconsistent. However, the problem is now rectified, and streaming from Chrome should no longer be an issue. Other browsers should continue to function normally.
Thanks for bearing with us!
-WKCR Board
Hello Everybody!
This Sunday, February 2, marks legendary WKCR programmer and worldwide Jazz icon Phil Schaap's 50th anniversary at WKCR!
Phil's importance to WKCR over the years is truly immeasurable.
He will be programming Jazz Profiles from 2-5pm.
Tune in Sunday and enjoy as one of Jazz Radio's greatest does what he does best.
Hey everyone!
Jazz Alternatives will be partially preempted tommorow by our Sports Department's coverage of Columbia Men's Basketball's Ivy League clash with Yale in New Haven tomorrow. The show will air from 6-7pm EST before the sports team takes over until 9.
Thanks, and Enjoy!
A page from an archival On-Air Guide, take a look at Sun Ra visiting WKCR in 1987!
WKCR depends on your contributions. With your tax-deductible donation, we can continue to bring you innovative live-hosted radio.