Greetings! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you some highlights of new music we are featuring here on Jazz88. This is all connected to This Just In, our weekly show that celebrates new jazz releases. You can catch This Just In, hosted by moi, on Fridays at Noon on 88.5 or catch it on your own […] […]
Though he’s short on released material, Kavyesh Kaviraj is already one of the most sought after collaborators in the Twin Cities. Sharing the stage with artists like Lady Midnight, Kevin Washington, Lady Midnight and more, Kaviraj brings a tangible enthusiasm and inspiration to every note he plays. The glimpse we’ve gotten into his work as […] […]
Greetings! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you some highlights of new music we are featuring here on Jazz88. This is all connected to This Just In, our weekly show that celebrates new jazz releases. You can catch This Just In, hosted by moi, on Fridays at Noon on 88.5 or catch it on your own […] […]
Greetings! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you some highlights of new music we are featuring here on Jazz88. This is all connected to This Just In, our weekly show that celebrates new jazz releases. You can catch This Just In, hosted by moi, on Fridays at Noon on 88.5 or catch it on your own […] […]
Greetings! Every Friday I’ll be bringing you some highlights of new music we are featuring here on Jazz88. This is all connected to This Just In, our weekly show that celebrates new jazz releases. You can catch This Just In, hosted by moi, on Fridays at Noon on 88.5 or catch it on your own […] […]
Hot New Local Singles highlight local new songs. Sean will let you know a bit about the song and we will share a link to the song so you can check it out. 2023 was a good year for Jake Baldwin; he got a shining review in Downbeat magazine for his “Misc. Items” albums, showed […] […]
I’ve loved Blue Note Records for as long as I’ve loved jazz. Growing up as an aspiring jazz musician not much felt better than leaving Applause/Cheapo on Snelling in Saint Paul with a couple of those white jewel boxed Blue Note releases and heading home and finding out what they were all about. Early on […] […]
The state of the jazz union is good. We’ve got jazz artists all over the upcoming Grammy ceremony in early February, and according to Axios Gen Z is connecting with jazz in a big way. And even though historically January can be a bit of a lull for new releases, this year I’ve been getting […] […]
This year Jazz88 has kept track of all the songs we’ve played from the year 2023. We are asking you to vote for your ten favorite tunes to help us put together an hour celebrating the best releases of 2023. Please place your votes before 10pm on Thursday, December 7. Loading… […]
Grammy-nominated alternative jazz drummer, producer, and rapper Kassa Overall has released “2 Sentimental,” a melancholic reimagining of Duke Ellington’s ballad, “In a Sentimental Mood,” which Overall has transformed into an anthem for musicians struggling to survive the economic upheaval of the post-pandemic era. Enjoy the single, and check out an email conversation between Kassa Overall […] […]
1- Meshell Ndegeocello – Gatsby 2- Javon Jackson – Amy’s Theme 3- Robert Glasper and Derrick Hodge – New Potential 4- Joel Harrison – Today is Tomorrow’s Yesterday 5- Alfredo Rodriguez – El Llamado feat. Cimafunk 6- Sarah Morris – Something That Holds 7- Joe Alterman – Ruby Jubilation 8- HEYARLO – Rememberance 9- Honeybutter– […] […]
Jazz is having a moment. I start most every day here at Jazz88 reviewing music that comes in via mail and email from players all over the globe. Is it all excellent? Absolutely not. I receive some duds, and I know that, in my music career, I have definitely sent out my share of duds […] […]
Saxophonist and composer Lakecia Benjamin connected with Sean from The Afternoon Cruise via Zoom to chat about her new record, Phoenix, and her rising star in the music world. Listen to the interview here: Portions of this interview originally aired April 7, 2023 on This Just In. This interview was produced and edited by […] […]
It’s been a while since we’ve done a Rhythm Changes update, and we’re very glad to be back! For the first few months of 2023, we’ve been focusing on one new release per week for This Just In. That pushed our Rhythm Changes series to the side. but with this great influx of new music, […] […]
I love Bessie Smith, but there are times where, no matter how much you love the sound, you wish you could hear those songs done faithfully, but recorded with technology that wouldn’t become available until after Smith’s passing in 1937. That’s where this set of performances from Dinah Washington fit in. By 1958, the studios […] […]
When an album gets sampled over and over by hip-hop artists, it’s a clear indicator that something incredibly funky was happening on said release. In the case of Bobbi Humphrey’s Blacks and Blues, there’s a reason so many artists gravitate to the sounds. Larry Mizell laid down the compositions for Humphrey to sink into, with […] […]
Cassandra Wilson could’ve been the “next great” jazz singer, but she chose a vastly more interesting path. By bringing the sounds of blues, R&B, and more into her fold, Wilson tossed a well-deserved middle finger to the gatekeepers who expect jazz musicians to stay in the Real Book and blues musicians to stay in Mississippi. […] […]
This year, Jazz88 is sharing space with the team from iHeart Media, including KFAN, while our North Minneapolis studios and offices are undergoing renovations. Turns out, these sports people also know their music, and we’ve received a couple of thoughtful jazz gifts from Mr. Paul Allen. His gifts have been welcome, thoughtful, and, most importantly, […] […]
This Just In is Jazz88’s weekly celebration of new releases. It hits the airwaves every Friday at noon and this week, we are diving into Kassa Overall’s latest mixtape, Shades 3. Kassa Overall is a drummer, producer and vocalist who refuses to water down any part of his skill set to fit into a single genre […] […]
If you’re a music enthusiast, chances are your “favorite” is a moving target–something that changes with the season; perhaps a new release that you predict will turn into a core album for years to come. I’m full of “favorites” that wax and wane. I just had a long discussion with Fletcher from Cities 97 about […] […]
You’re on a jazz radio station’s website right now. Chances are, I’m preaching to the choir here, but in case you’re new to jazz, Mingus Ah Um is the cream of the crop. If you thought jazz was stuffy background music for academics who are afraid to feel anything, every note of this record will change […] […]
In my job, I’m lucky to receive mountains of world-class music in my inboxes–both digital and physical–day in and day out. It’s beautiful, receiving all this music, but it becomes important to use shorthand to seek out the truly high quality stuff as a matter of efficiency. Jeremy Pelt, a celebrated trumpeter based out of […] […]
This Just In is Jazz88’s weekly celebration of new releases. It hits the airwaves every Friday at noon and this week, we are diving into Lakecia Benjamin‘s latest release, Phoenix. It is worth mentioning that the producer of this new release is none other than Terri Lyne Carrington, whose own album was featured last week on […] […]
Happy Robert Glasper week, Twin Cities. This weekend, Robert Glasper sets up camp at The Dakota for a run of shows starting on Friday night. Today, on The Afternoon Cruise, we are taking a Deep Dive into one of my favorite records from Glasper’s catalog, 2012’s Black Radio. If you’re making world class music, […] […]
This Just In is Jazz88’s weekly celebration of new releases. It hits the airwaves every Friday at Noon and this week we are diving into Terri Lynn Carrington’s latest release, New Standards Volume 1. For her latest effort Carrington worked with purpose at every turn, working up material exclusively from women composers and drawing in an […] […]
It’s a Deep Dive Wednesday on The Afternoon Cruise and we are going to check out Chris Potter‘s 2006 effort Underground. Ten albums deep into his solo career, Underground has been critically acclaimed as an album where many of the most promising pieces of Potter’s previous releases came together in one package. Chris Potter has a […] […]
This Just In is Jazz88’s weekly celebration of new releases. It hits the airwaves every Friday at Noon and this week we are diving into Jason Marshall‘s latest release, New Beginnings. It’s not a coup to see a baritone sax player leading a band by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s still certainly not […] […]
On today’s Afternoon Cruise we’ll be doing a deep dive into Abbey Lincoln’s 1991 album You Gotta Pay The Band. The featured guest on the album is the esteemed legend Stan Getz in one of his last recording sessions before his passing in June of 1991. Throughout the album I am reminded of three primary […] […]
1 – Yussef Dayes – Marching Band feat. Masego 2 – Ambrose Akinmusire – Weighted Corners 3 – Johnathan Blake – Groundhog Day 4 – The Dave Brubeck Quartet – Multnomah Blues 5 – JD Allen – Boom-Bap 6 – Jahari Stampley – To Be With You Again 7 – Sean Mason – Lavender 8 […] […]
This Just In is Jazz88’s weekly celebration of new releases. It hits the airwaves every Friday at Noon and this week we are diving into Lauren Falls‘ new album A Little Louder Now. Lauren is a bass player/composer who spent some time out in New York before returning to her hometown of Toronto. The release features […] […]
On today’s Afternoon Cruise we’ll be doing a deep dive into Joe Henderson’s debut album as a leader, the 1963 release “Page One”. This album marks the second time that Kenny Dorham and Joe Henderson got into the studio together, though it was the first session to be released to the public. There’s a Ghostface […] […]
Greetings! Sean here, Music Director and Afternoon Host at Jazz88. I’m honored to share the Top Ten Songs of 2022 on Jazz88. A quick note about the methodology: I gathered the fifty most played songs on Jazz88 that were released in the year 2022 and then put up a poll for listeners to pick their […] […]
We’ve got some new releases, including some holiday fun, to welcome into the rotation here at Jazz88. As always, if there is some new jazz you are loving that you aren’t hearing, I’d love to know about it! I can be reached at sean@jazz88.fm. ST4TA– “Lazy Days feat. Emma-Jean Thackray” from their album ST4TASFEAR Listen Here […] […]
NOTE: This show has been postponed. When there is a new date we will announce it here. Award-winning music icon Vijay Iyer was nice enough to join Sean McPherson from The Afternoon Cruise in anticipation of his Thursday (11/3) show at the Dakota. In this interview, Iyer discusses his new record, Uneasy, his love […] […]
The great music just keeps on coming in and we haven’t even tapped into the pile of holiday releases that have come in in the last couple weeks. As always, if there is some new jazz you are loving that you aren’t hearing, I’d love to know about it! I can be reached at sean@jazz88.fm. […] […]
In anticipation of his Saturday show at Jazz Central (10/22), saxophonist Dennis Mitcheltree hopped on a Zoom with Sean from The Afternoon Cruise to talk about new album, Golden Rule. […]
The celebrated vocalist Kendra Morris, who is currently on tour with labelmates, Monophonics, hopped on a ZOOM to chat with Jazz88 host, Christian Fritz, in advance of her upcoming show at the Fine Line. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20220929162343-KendraMorrisPodcastInterview.mp3 […]
Kelly Finnigan, the leader of psych soul/funk group, Monophonics, connected via ZOOM with Jazz88 host, Christian Fritz, in advance of their show on October 3 at the Fine Line in Minneapolis. Listen below. https://kbem-od.streamguys1.com/kbem/20220929154643-MonophonicsPodcastInterview.mp3 […]
The Minnesota-based music icon, Nachito Herrera, hopped on the phone with Jazz88’s Sean McPherson to discuss his upcoming performance at The Ordway. He’ll be playing with a 7-piece band featuring the cream of the crop from the Cuban music scene. Enjoy the conversation about what concert-goers can expect from the show. […]
William Eddins, the accomplished pianist, conductor, and proprietor of Jazz88 business sponsor, MetroNOME Brewery, was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk about his gig this weekend. Mr. Eddins will be conducting both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for their performances at Orchestra Hall. […] […]
Acclaimed Cabo Verdean singer, Lucibela, is out on the road and coming through town to play a show at the Cedar Cultural Center on Friday, September 16. She was nice enough to swing through Jazz88 with her guitar player and her tour manager/translator before the show. She performed the songs “Amdjer Ka Bidje” and “Adeus […] […]
We are in a golden age for new jazz releases, and figuring out the right tunes to get into our playlists has been a true joy. Check out a couple of these highlights and be sure to let us know what you think of the new music. I can be reached at sean@jazz88.fm. Samara Joy […] […]
Julian Lage is out on the road in support of his new Blue Note release, View With A Room. He’s swinging through the Dakota in Minneapolis on Saturday, September 17, and he was nice enough to connect with Sean on The Afternoon Cruise to discuss Bill Frisell’s contributions to the album, the history of jazz […] […]
Theo Croker connected with Sean for This Just In to talk about his new record, Love Quantum, and recommended a couple of artists he’s been listening to lately. Check out the full conversation right here! […]
When vocal and piano powerhouse Diana Krall burst on to the jazz scene in the mid-nineties, the form was getting a bit long in the teeth. Most of the legends had passed on or exceeded their peak as far as female vocalists go. In walked Diana: Great vocal and piano chops, a reverence for the […] […]
