On Saturday night Kathleen Harris, KCSM Development Director, headed to the Golden Gate Theatre to soak in the sounds of live jazz from one of KCSMs favorites, Kamasi Washington, who delivered a powerful performance that had the crowd on its feet. After the show, Kathleen captured a special moment: Karen, a devoted KCSM fan, reaching out to thank Kamasi for the music that has meant so much to her. This simple handshake between artist and listener captures what KCSM is all about—real connections, shared love of jazz, and a community that stretches from the airwaves to the concert hall. A moment of pure jazz joy that reflects KCSMs unequaled connection to the Bay Area jazz scene.

Kathleen Lawton, Host of Crazy 'Bout The Blues and Jazz Oasis (Friday) was the MC for the San Francisco International Boogie Woogie Festival on November 9, 2025. Kathleen said it was a wonderful show — very appreciative audience. Performers were from Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France and Hungary. It was a lot of fun with great and enthusiastic crowd, and the music was delicious. The weather was lovely and balmy in the city. Kathleen also noted that she was promoted to Mistress - LOL!

If you joined us at the Alameda Theatre for the screening of the KCSM Documentary, thank you for being part of such a special day. Nearly 300 jazz lovers, listeners, and friends came together to celebrate the music, the memories, and the people who make KCSM what it is. The afternoon featured the documentary premiere, a Q&A with beloved station hosts, and a wonderful reception and tour at the California Historical Radio Society Museum. Click the story subject line to relive the moments and see some photos from this unforgettable gathering that reflects KCSM’s deep roots and ongoing connection to our jazz community.

Percussionist, bandleader, and educator, John Santos has been called “the renaissance man of Latin music” by the San Francisco Chronicle. This Sunday, Santos joins Jesse “Chuy” Varela to talk about his career and most recent recordings as well as his upcoming 70th Birthday celebration at the SFJAZZ Center

Atlantic Records, Part 13 - ATCO Records. Atlantic Records was the most influential, significant and important independent record label to come out of the late-1940s, during a time when there were many great, small indie labels being born. What gave Atlantic the advantage over Specialty, Chess, Modern, Vee-Jay, Exclusive, King, etc is the breadth of material, variety of music styles and the sheer number of hit records that led to the Rock n' Roll explosion of the mid-1950s. The presentation of this behemoth, 14-part series celebrates the first 10 years of Atlantic's existence: 1947-57. This week, part thirteen focuses on Atlantic's most successful subsidiary label, ATCO Records. When Atlantic co-founder, Herb Abramson returned from his military duty in 1955, he found a very different company that had continued to grow without him. His partner, Ahmet Ertegun suggested starting a subsidiary that would be fully managed by Abramson and so ATCO was born. ATCO originally focused more on vocal groups than its parent company had. The first national hit for the label was by The Sensations, a Philly group that featured Yvonne Mills on lead. The Royal Jokers, The Pearls, The Castelles and The Ray-O-Vacs also released singles on ATCO, but by far the biggest vocal group on the label was The Coasters. They came over in a big deal that Atlantic struck with songwriter/producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Atlantic would buy Leiber/Stoller's Spark records and take on the two of them as staff songwriters/producers. Some of their signed artists were also included in the deal and that's what brought Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn of the Robins over to Atlantic to form a new group called The Coasters. They scored ATCO's first #1 record with "Searchin'." So, buckle in and prepare yourself for an in-depth look at the history of ATCO Records.

Banjo, harp, and drums, three instruments rarely found in the same band. Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, and Antonio Sánchez turn that unlikely combination into something vibrant and deeply musical, finding shared rhythm and shape in spontaneous conversation. The episode also returns to Fleck and Castañeda’s first duet in 2019, when the idea for this trio first came to life.

Part 1. We present "Making Records With Christian McBride", a very special edition of The Jazz Legacy on this night. With renaissance man Christian guesting, we reminisce about some great times at Verve Records in the 1990s. We’ll talk about Grammy-winning small group and big band sessions with Joe Henderson, a Verve 50th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall with Ray Brown, Betty Carter, Herbie Hancock, J.J. Johnson, Jackie McLean, and more, and Christian’s very first album as a leader.

Over the past thirty-five years, Jim Snidero has come to be known as one of the finest jazz musicians of his generation. As an alto saxophonist, composer, arranger, author and educator, Snidero has been called both a “master musician” and “alto saxophone virtuoso” by Downbeat Magazine. This week’s show is a fine example of why. Playing an extensive catalog of original compositions, Jim is joined by Phil Degreg on Piano, Dave Morgan on Bass and Reggie Jackson on Drums. From a November 6th, 2021 performance Gabe Pollack is your host for Jim Snidero – Live at the Bop Stop.

This episode includes long sets in memory of Spencer Taylor Jr. of the Highway QCs and Supreme Queen Mother Doris Lee Rogers (pictured) (Bibleway Temple).

Pamm Drake is the creator of The Tap Dancing Christmas Trees, the Alameda troupe that has become a beloved part of the Bay Area’s Holiday season, as well as making multiple appearances in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Host Scott Piehler talks with Pamm about the history of the Trees, what it takes to bring the Trees cross-country, and what it means to be a dancer for life.

Trevor Parham, CEO of Oakstop Inc, and Executive Director, Oakland Xchange established a partnership with Jaylen Brown, a National Basketball Association (NBA) player with the World Champions Boston Celtics and NBA Hall of Fame player Jason Kidd and current coach of the Dallas Mavericks.The Oakland Xchange is focused on bridging the racial gap in cities across the country with economic opportunities in underserved communities in Oakland, California.