Get Tickets Now ! KCSM Jazz 91 presents an unforgettable KCSM evening inspired by the music, stories, and legacy of Miles Davis.

Get Tickets Now !

KCSM Jazz 91 presents Jazz On The Hill 2026 - A free community event. As a thank you, to our listening community we invite you to join us for a fun-filled day of Jazz! Your support throughout the year means the world to all of us at KCSM. Our line-up includes jazz, blues and Latin music presented on two stages! Food, beverages, and a variety of vendor booths will also be available. Come early to claim your spot! Located in front of the Library, building 9. Visit Jazz On The Hill 2026 for more information and directions (FREE Parking!)

In case you didn't notice, this Spring Fund Drive on KCSM is different. We’ve designed it around what listeners value. Uninterrupted music. Time with the hosts and programs you trust. The full set.That’s intentional. This season, we’re taking a quieter approach—moving most of our fundraising off the air so you can spend more time with the music and the programs you rely on. And it’s possible because of you. KCSM is fully listener-supported. No commercials. No subscriptions. Just people who value this music and choose to keep it part of their day. (click story subject for more)

Jayn Pettingill will be making a presentation on Duke Ellington and radio at The JazzSchool - a free and open to the public event. Her presentation will focus on how technology (radio) bloomed at just the right time for Ellington and for Jazz. (click story subject for more)

For the last few years, KCSM JAZZ 91 has collaborated with the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble as part of the BHS Honors Project initiated by director Sarah Cline. The premise of the project is to allow these young jazz musicians to explore other facets of the jazz world other than playing their instruments. One of the options was to produce a radio program about their instrument or a particular aspect of jazz. Jesse “Chuy” Varela, welcomes Hani Khayatei Houssaini, a young trombonist and bassist with the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, to share his insights into the world of Arabic jazz with a curated playlist and commentary.

Joe Zawinul and 50 Years of Weather Report. Hear an electric fusion set from keyboardist Joe Zawinul and The Zawinul Syndicate in concert from 2006. Plus, we celebrate 50 years of Weather Report with co-founder Wayne Shorter and other alumni.

Part 2. Jimmy Smith: The 1995 Verve Recordings. Hear the s tory organ giant Jimmy Smith in the company of Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Arthur Taylor, Bernard Purdie, and more. Playing classic jazz standards never otherwise recorded by Jimmy. In solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, and septet instrumental combinations.

Actor, singer and writer Julie Benko made that exciting understudy to star journey we all love with her celebrated turn as Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl in 2022 when she stepped in and wowed critics and audiences alike. Her performance earned a Dorothy Loudon Award for excellence in Theatre, and the NY Times named her The Breakout Star in Theater in 2022. I saw her onstage as Emma Goldman in the Broadway revival of Ragtime at Lincoln Center two days before this conversation, where we talked about her Broadway adventures and her latest CD Euphonic Gumbo, produced with her husband, jazz pianist Jason Yeager. Euphonic Gumbo celebrates Julie and Jason’s longtime love for New Orleans music.

Indianapolis based guitarist Charlie Ballantine returns to our stage and to our program – this time in front of a live audience. Charlie released two albums in 2021; Cold Coffee is a collection of his own works and Life is Brief – a Tribute to Bob Dylan, which landed on Jazziz Magazine’s Top Ten Best Releases list. His most recent release is 2024’s East by Midwest and he performs selections from it on this episode. Featuring Charlie Ballentine on Guitar, Quinn Sternberg on Bass and Paul Wells on Drums, and from April 10th, 2025 Daniel Peck is your host for the Charlie Ballantine Trio…Live at the Bop Stop.

Music on this episode comes from James Cleveland (pictured) & Gospel Chimes, Sis. Wynona Carr, Jessy Dixon & Chicago Community Choir, Holy City Travelers, Cosmopolitan Community Church Choir, a special selection from the Kronos Quartet, and others.

Abby Thorne-Lyman is the Director of Base Reuse and Economic Development for the City of Alameda. As we approach the 30th anniversary of the closure of Alameda Naval Air Station, host Scott Piehler talks with Abby about the challenges and opportunities of managing what many have called “The most desirable real estate left in the Bay Area.”

A Portrait of Bobby Rush. Rush reflects upon his 2024 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and his recognition by the Mississippi Legislature Concurrent Resolution saluting and extending congratulations to the 90-year-old Mississippi Blues Legend for winning the prestigious Grammy Award.