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WKCR is honored to announce our annual 24-hour memorial broadcast for our very own Phil Schaap (1951-2021), held on the anniversary of his very first broadcast on WKCR back in 1970. The day will be full of archival programs––several of which have not been heard in years––to honor the legacy of the late great Phil Schaap. Born to jazz scholar Walter Schaap and pianist and librarian Marjorie Wood Schaap, Phil’s love of jazz started young. He grew up in Queens, where he was babysat by Jo Jones and carpooled with Count Basie during the 1966 subway strike. We fast forward to his time at Columbia University, where he studied history and hosted shows on WKCR. Listeners still enjoy archival episodes of his Birdflight and Traditions in Swing programs, which he hosted for over 40 years. While in college, Phil also handled the jazz programming for the West End Bar, just across the street from WKCR studios, booking some of the most important musicians on the scene––even some who had taken a break from performing.
Schaap did extensive engineer, production, and archival work: he rescued decaying Charlie Parker recordings for Mosaic’s The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker; he served as the archivist for Savoy Jazz; he wrote liner notes for reissue projects highlighting the likes of Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday. In recognition of his contributions to the preservation and appreciation of jazz, he has won seven Grammy awards and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2021. As Max Roach famously attested in 2001, even experienced jazz musicians marveled at his extensive knowledge: “He knows more about us than we know about ourselves.” It is impossible to count the generations of jazz fans that Phil taught and continues to teach. His reach is incredible and we are honored to be the station he called home.
Phil lives! Listeners can tune in to our 24-hour Phil Schaap Memorial Broadcast on 89.9FM or stream the birthday broadcast live on our website, wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates about this special broadcast and future events. As always, online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org via our web stream.
See the archival programming schedule below:
Midnight - 3:42am Out To Lunch on the music of Clark Terry shortly before the trumpeter’s 90th birthday
3:42 - 9:45am Parts 1 and 2 of An Examination Of The Impact Of Pre-1923 Jazz Recordings Post "Crazy Blues"
9:45 - 10:50am Phil interviews Howard McGhee for Coleman Hawkins festival, 10/8/75
10:50am - 2:00pm Sidney Bechet 108th Birthday Broadcast
2:00 - 5:30pm Out to Lunch on the music of Eric Dolphy & Booker Little
5:30 - 7:45pm WKCR alumni discuss Phil’s influence
7:45pm - 9:45 pm Phil and Jo Jones history of jazz master class, 3/5/75
9:45 - 10:15 pm Phil interviews Pepper Adams for Mingus tribute, 1/14/79
10:15 - 11:15pm Phil interviews Eddie Durham for Count Basie memorial, 4/27/1984
11:15 - 11: 40pm Sharif Abdus-Salaam interviews Phil for Phil’s 45th anniversary on the air, 2/5/2015
11:40pm - Midnight Phil interviews Curly Russell about Max Roach at the West End, 1/24/1981