Jazz88 is honoring a new set of notable Minnesota artists with Jazz Legends 2026. This year, we featured vocalist and radio personality Arne Fogel, bassist and educator, Gary Raynor, Drummer and innovator, Gary Gauger and Twin Cities jazz vocalist, the late Shirley Witherspoon, who toured with Duke Ellington. I was honored to be the host...Read More

Thomasina & Tom Wells of the Selby Ave Brass Band An esteemed jazz vocalist meets a storied brass band? Hear what Thomasina and Tom Wells of the Selby Ave Brass band have to say about this delightful collaboration, ahead of their mainstage performance at the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Dakota Ensemble  The kids keeping the...Read More

10 am to Noon: American Routes Memorial Day with the 2025 National Heritage Fellows… the musicians, storytellers, and artisans who have received our nation’s highest honor in the folk arts. -Creole French musician, Edward Poullard; -Haitian dancer and drummer, Peniel Guerrier; -Japanese folk dancer, Adrienne Reiko Iwanaga; -bit and spur maker, Ernie Marsh; -Lakota artist and educator, Steve Tamayo; -Mexican...Read More

Todd Harper Leads 6-Piece group into Metronome in Saint Paul, Saturday night May 16 at 7:30pm. Group members have played off and on with various combinations of each other literally for decades. Todd leads the group through a lot of original music. But when Todd talked to Phil Nusbaum, Todd talked about the inspiration for...Read More

The Hennepin County Library is a great resource for local music. They really invest in the community and provide a great opportunity for local artists to be heard through their MN Spin program. Not only does the program give local musicians some exposure in making their music available digitally to visitors who can download their...Read More

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band released their debut album Incarnadine this May 8th. Learn about the history of Big Band in Native communities. Listen to Yonci Jameson’s interview with Keefe about bringing Indigenous jazz to the fore:   More Posts for Show: This Just InRead More

Brooklyn-based trombonist and composer Kalia Vandever is a rising figure in the contemporary jazz landscape. Yonci Jameson chatted with Vandever about their most recent release, collaborations and composition process. Aired April 2026.  https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20260429123934-KALIAVANDEVER_mixdown.mp3 More Posts for Show: The Afternoon CruiseRead More

Bassist, bandleader and educator David Ambrosio has been a fixture of the New York jazz scene over the past three decades. His upcoming project Civil Disobedience explores buried Blue Note recordings from the late Civil-Rights era, alongside a stellar lineup. Hear the chat here: More Posts for Show: The Afternoon CruiseRead More

Jazz88 has brand-new studio spaces and boy are they impressive! We want to invite households, with a current 8th grade or high school student, to an exclusive open house. See the station, meet our hosts, visit our student production spaces, and learn how any Minneapolis High School students can be involved with Jazz88 for a...Read More

This week’s Hot New Local Single comes to us from Jenny Klukken, a Twin Cities – based percussionist who specializes in marimba. Klukken is a classically trained musician, but she performs in a wide variety of contexts including world music, folk music, and jazz. Marimba Standard, a new album slated for official release on Friday, March...Read More