Best Local Jazz Stations

[Thelonious Nick]

In the DC area, the local jazz station is WPFW. It has some great jazz shows done by local DJs who really know their stuff. And because the DJs all program their own shows, you get a real variety of styles and artists. Some of the DJs are less professional than others (I really hate when they talk over the music!), but all bring a different take on jazz to the airwaves.

The one big disadvantage of the station is that it is a Pacifica station. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a network of left-leaning public radio stations that exists in about a half-dozen cities. Now I don't necessarily mind the politics, but I do dislike that the prime driving times of the day are taken up by what is essentially political propaganda. Around here, there's no lack of talk and opinions on the radio, but there is a real shortage of jazz. I wish WPFW would program more jazz music and relegate the talk to very late nights and very early mornings.

Do you have a jazz station (or more than one?) where you live? If so, what do you think of it?

[Gary Sisco]

I wish I could say I had one.

[Gentle Giant]

WGBH in Boston has Eric Jackson's Eric in the Evening on weeknights and Steve Schwartz's (stevebop) Jazz From Studio 4 on the weekends. These guys are highly knowledgeable and have great taste.

I also enjoy hearing the morning jazz programming on Harvard's WHRB, which tends to be a little more "out" than what you typically hear on GBH.

[clinthopson]

As most of you know, we are lucky to have a great 24 hour jazz station in SoCal. KKJZ, formerly KLON, has been broadcasting straight ahead jazz for over 20 years.

With the death of the great Chuck Niles, the station has added new djs, unfortunately the ladies in the morning yammer way too much and their music selections seems to be limited to "the best of. . ." As an example they seem to be unaware that Miles recorded other things besides KOB.

Sam Fields in the afternoon is very laid back, which some folks don't like, but I do, and has great taste in music.

Helen Borgers is the personality queen in the early evening and plays the right kind of music for drive time and dinner time.

A few years ago Ken Borgers, the guy who started the jazz concept at KLON, left because of some kind of dispute. Next to Chuck, he was the best dj on the station. It's a great loss to the station and its listeners.

But all in all KKJZ is pretty damned good and can be listened to anywhere on the net.

[hornplayer]

WBGO, BABY!! 88.3FM celebrating 25 years of Jazz broadcasting... Jazz Blues and award winning news 24-7.....

There's a big bash outside the station on Park Place in Newark on Thursday, April 29th... The BGO/NJPac Jazz For Teens All Stars, Mulgrew Miller - SOLO and the Gerald Wilson Jazz ORchestra will be featured.....

Come on DOWN!!

[stonemonkts]

WKCR in NYC is one of the best radio stations of any kind. I've certainly never listened to anything comparable to it. It is a magnificent blessing to all NY area listeners, and anyone with a decent web connection for streaming.

[JazzAt52ndStreet]

KCSM 91.1....over in the bay area.

-52nd

[Deke]

I live just outside the area for London's JazzFM (To the East) and the West Midland's SmoothFM (To the er.. West). So I figured I'd take a listen on the net, and like an idjit I typed jazz.fm into the bar, and found myself listening to a pretty good Canadian station.

I can't say if it's always good because I haven't listened enough, but it sounded just all right to me!

[chuckyd4]

WCLK 91.9 here in Atlanta does a pretty good job. Not the place to look for experimental stuff, and too much of the average vocalist type stuff mixed in... but more times than not if I turn it on at random, there's some quality mainstream type things that I may not have heard before.

[cookie]

WAER Jazz 88 in Syracuse, NY! I always listen when I'm driving around up there. Some good NPR shows but also some excellent DJs. They are great promoters of local live jazz as well. In addition, just as some classical-music oriented public radio stations feature jazz on the weekend, WAER has shows devoted to the Grateful Dead and to blues artists on the weekend. And they have a wonderful Sunday morning gospel show. They also carry Syracuse University sports and produce a weekly feminist show called "Women's Talk". I listen to the station on the internet when I'm not in the area.

There is also a good jazz station in Binghamton, WSQX. Unfortunately, I can't pick it up in downtown Ithaca. I listen to their parent station WSKG all the time, but there was a huge political battle here about putting a translator for the jazz station here. Proponents of another (Pacifica) public radio station effectively kept the jazz station out. You can pick it up on the outskirts, though, so when I'm headed south, that's the one I listen to.

[HLJ]

In my neck of the Hood the jazz radio is fair at best .I can pick up WVTF in Roanoke,VA ,WNAA-N.C.A&T University in Greensboro,NC and WFDD Wake Forest University.Thank God for the net where I can dig Jazz all over the world.T.Nick I have dug WPFW over the net but the reception wasn't very good I'll give it another listen.CD-4 WCLK is one of my favorite stations and Abdul Taymullah is great.Everytime I have a day off I listen to his set the night before.I've got peeps in Kennesaw and I'm down the way often.Chuck the next time I roll up I'll give you a holla on the e-mail.Maybe we can bump heads and dig some sounds.WNCC from Durham,NC is way cool to. Peace and all that.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

WKCR in NYC is one of the best radio stations of any kind. I've certainly never listened to anything comparable to it. It is a magnificent blessing to all NY area listeners, and anyone with a decent web connection for streaming.

Agreed.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Not a Jazz station per se, (although a LOT of Jazz) my favorite station of all time is WPKN out of Bridgeport, Connecticut, my hometown. The station is totally listener funded. They will not accept corporate sponsorship or money from any organized group. It's totally listener supported.

The programs offered range from political talk shows to classical, Jazz, ethnic, you name it. It's an eclectic offering of anything one can imagine. I've been listening to this station for at least 30 years and never tire of it's off-center nature.

89.5 on the FM dial. "Some songs I like, some songs I don't like" That's their hook.

Other than my beloved WPKN, I regularly listen to both WKCR out of NYC and KCSM out of northern Ca. via the Internet...........

[Pete C]

I haven't listened to either in a while, but I give KCSM the edge over WBGO. I haven't tried KLON recently, but when they started webcasting there were major audio problems, so I never got a feel for it.

[Harold_Z]

I live in the metropolitan Ny area and we are blessed with two good stations - WBGO and WKCR. Both are excellent. A year ago I would have given a slight preference for WKCR, but I think WBGO's programming has been slightly tweaked and is improved - imho,although I think there is a little too much time wasted on what amounts to Disco on Saturdays around the noon hour. The R&B is fine, but some of the mid 70s stuff....YIKES !

When it comes to an in depth look into a particular artist and to hearing rare recordings, WKCR is unsurpassed. They'll play Trane for 5 days and do birthday broadcasts all through the year where they'll play at least 24 hours of a given artist. Bird every weekday at 8:20. Great!

[clinthopson]

Originally Posted by Pete C

I haven't listened to either in a while, but I give KCSM the edge over WBGO. I haven't tried KLON recently, but when they started webcasting there were major audio problems, so I never got a feel for it.

I found that I couldn't get good reception of KLON (KKJZ) on Netscape but it is ok on IE. I've recently been trying MyIE2 which I think may be the best browser around. Check it out.

[GA Russell]

We have two in the Raleigh area. WSHA is Shaw University. WFSB (I think) is Fayetteville State. Both are NPR with Travis Smiley taking up the afternoon, and the weekends are devoted to other forms of black music, but the jazz when it's on is great!

[Ivy]

Jimmy Cantiello, is your avatar that of the Brasilian singer Luciana Souza? It looks like a new album- I think it says Neruda on it. How is that cd? Souza is one of my favorite singers. Thanks in advance. Ivy

On the subject- I listen to KCSM and KPFA(Berkeley, Ca) in the Bay Area.

[Jazzooo]

I have to mention KSDS here in San Diego. They're run out of San Diego City College and are all jazz 24/7 (with a blues show thrown in on weekends). A couple of syndicated shows, but mainly live djs who have distinct styles and tastes. They've been getting behind my new album in a big way, bless 'em. Plus they play Graypencil's excellent big band album quite a bit.

[stonecrest]

KUVO in the denver area is a great jazz station. i only get to listen to it when i'm driving somewhere, which isn't often, but they play quite a diverse spectrum of jazz. they've got a nice website too (www.kuvo.org) but unfortunately their online streaming is very low quality, otherwise i'd listen in more.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Originally Posted by Ivy

Jimmy Cantiello, is your avatar that of the Brasilian singer Luciana Souza? It looks like a new album- I think it says Neruda on it. How is that cd? Souza is one of my favorite singers. Thanks in advance. IvyOn the subject- I listen to KCSM and KPFA(Berkeley, Ca) in the Bay Area.

Yes, Ivy, that's Luciana. That's a photo of her latest album which I haven't heard in it's entirety. I'v heard certain selections via the radio. It's a tribute to poet Pablo Neruda...........

[vyr1908]

Originally Posted by clinthopson

As most of you know, we are lucky to have a great 24 hour jazz station in SoCal. KKJZ, formerly KLON, has been broadcasting straight ahead jazz for over 20 years.

With the death of the great Chuck Niles, the station has added new djs, unfortunately the ladies in the morning yammer way too much and their music selections seems to be limited to "the best of. . ." As an example they seem to be unaware that Miles recorded other things besides KOB.

Sam Fields in the afternoon is very laid back, which some folks don't like, but I do, and has great taste in music.

Helen Borgers is the personality queen in the early evening and plays the right kind of music for drive time and dinner time.

A few years ago Ken Borgers, the guy who started the jazz concept at KLON, left because of some kind of dispute. Next to Chuck, he was the best dj on the station. It's a great loss to the station and its listeners.

But all in all KKJZ is pretty damned good and can be listened to anywhere on the net.

I also like James Janisse in the evenings and Katt Tait shows promise in the middays. I can't evaluate Shawnee Smith, the overnight host, much because I only hear her when I awaken at night, once in a while. I've heard her jazz knowledge isn't all that, but she also doesn't talk a lot.

The morning show, IMO, is a poor fit -- Alfredo Cruz was much better. The happy talk is extraordinarily grating, and there have been a couple of gaffes that stick out in my mind. For instance, they said Frank Wess was playing tenor on a track where he played flute, and there was another classic when the lead host mentioned calling Emily Remler for an interview. Ms. Remler's been dead for over a decade - d'oh!