jazz

With her distinctive musical voice and vision, composer Maria Schneider has helped shape the evolution of large ensemble jazz over the past two decades. In 2019 she was named an NEA Jazz Master, the nation's highest honor in jazz. Her most recent recording, "Data Lords", deals with the conflicting relationships between the digital and natural worlds, and it features her acclaimed orchestra of 18 world-class musicians. FM89's David Aus recently spoke with Maria Schneider about the latest project and the state of music today.

Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro has been stretching the boundaries of the instrument’s capabilities for a couple of decades now. A mid-2000’s YouTube video of him went viral and brought him to worldwide recognition. He is currently winding up a US tour, working his way down the West coast, before heading to Japan for a month of tour dates. His latest album, The Greatest Day, was released in late 2018 to critical acclaim. His trio are performing Sunday October 20th at the Tower Theatre in Fresno.

Making audiences feel good: That’s the goal of the Count Basie Orchestra, which formed nearly 85 years ago under the leadership of celebrated jazz musician and composer Count Basie. The group will be performing what it’s dubbed “explosive jazz” at the Visalia Fox Theater on October 11 and the Bakersfield Fox Theatre on October 12. In this interview, FM89’s David Aus previews the concerts with director Scotty Barnhart, getting a taste of what makes the group’s sound unique and what audiences can expect next week.

Pianist and composer Pascal Le Boeuf returns to northern California in late May with a nine-piece jazz-classical hybrid ensemble for a string of performances from his large scale work “Ritual Being.” This suite explores the differential manifestation of human behavior at micro (individual) and macro (en masse) scales, and how these "rituals" can be propitious or disastrous. FM89’s David Aus spoke with Pascal about this tour, his recent Grammy nomination, and what it’s like to compose for and perform with a jazz quintet and traditional string quartet.

A new project from Fresno-based jazz artist Benjamin Boone is getting national attention. It combines original compositions by the Fresno State professor and saxophonist, with the poetry of the late Pulitzer Prize winner and U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine. It also features some of the top names in the jazz world as guest stars including Branford Marsalis and Tom Harrell, as well as Valley Public Radio’s own David Aus. Levine was known for his love of jazz and recorded with Boone's band shortly before his death in 2015.

Gregory Porter is one of the brightest stars in the jazz world. Since he burst on the scene in 2010 with his critically acclaimed debut album Water, Porter has won two Grammy Awards for best jazz vocal album, and is one of the most in-demand artists in the genre. His new record Nat King Cole and Me has earned him spots on NBC's Today Show and Late Night With Stephen Colbert, and soon a concert at Carnegie Hall. 

Kevin Mahogany has been called the standout male jazz singer of his generation. His rich baritone is equally at home singing romantic ballads or on uptempo bebop songs. With influences that range from Motown to Charlie Parker, he’s been one of the top jazz vocalists for the last three decades, and he’s performing at Fresno’s Tower Theater this Saturday at 8:00 PM. A few days ago, FM89’s David Aus – host of our Sunday night jazz program – spoke with Kevin over the phone to learn a little more about his career and what valley audiences can expect.

Jazz mandolin virtuoso Eva Scow and her band Le Petit Strings visited Valley Public Radio for a special performance Thursday as part of the station's Summer Fund Drive. FM89 Development Director Joe Garcia hosted the performance in the Barrman Chaney Performance Studio, which comes a day before their Friday August 11th concert at Bitwise in downtown Fresno. 

The Fresno's Philharmonic's Pops Concert Series continues this weekend with a concert at the Saroyan Theatre in Fresno celebrating the music of Louis Armstrong "It's A Wonderful World." The orchestra will perform with trumpeter and vocalist Byron Stripling and conductor Chelsea Tipton II, who joined us at Valley Public Radio for a talk about the concert. 

For years, saxophonist Donny McCaslin has been the quintessential jazz musician. A virtuoso improviser, he’s been a vital part of the New York jazz scene for two decades, equally at home in his own small groups or as a sideman with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. McCaslin, who grew up in Aptos, was also largely under the radar – at least outside of the tight-knit jazz community.

Jazz and world music mandolin artist Eva Scow will bring her unique blend of music to Fresno’s Fulton 55 for her annual Crescent Concert this Sunday.

The event will feature Scow’s band The Experience, as well as Brazilian pop/funk band Boca de Rio and jazz singer Sara Cabral.

Scow joined KVPR for a live broadcast in the Bonner Performing Arts Center with bassist Patrick Olvera and guitarist Mike Taylor. 

This week on Valley Edition we a take a look at why some dairies are leaving California for what they say are greener pastures in the Midwest. Also on the program you'll hear the story of a once homeless female veteran who now helps homeless veterans in Fresno.

Bakersfield-based jazz pianist Jay Smith is a fixture in the south valley music scene. In addition to playing with the acclaimed band Mento Buru he also leads his own band "The Jay Smith Group." Their new cd "Too Many Notes" debuts on Friday with a CD release party at Sandrini's in Bakersfield. Jay recently visited the station for an in-studio performance with violinist Patrick Contreras and to talk about his music and the new album. 

This week on Valley Edition we take a look into our vault to three of what we consider the best segments on the program over the last year or so.

This weekend the CSU Bakersfield Amphitheatre will be filled with the sounds of some of the top jazz groups in the world for the 28th annual Bakersfield Jazz Festival. Top local talent like Mento Buru and the Kern County Honor Jazz Band will share the stage with headliners like Latin jazz legend Poncho Sanchez, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and smooth jazz superstar Gerald Albright. Festival founder Doug Davis joined us on Valley Edition to talk about this year’s lineup. 

This week on Valley Edition we talk about Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome, drought at Friant Dam, a health partnership in Bakersfield about community design and a look into the Bakersfield Jazz Festival.

Fresno jazz artist, educator and composer Benjamin Boone has embarked on a fascinating new musical journey: mixing his music with the poems of former Poet Laureate of the United States and Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Levine. 

Levine, who is a longtime Fresno resident is among the nation's most revered poets. He's also a big jazz fan, dating back to his youth in Detroit. In fact, many of his poems reference jazz, including iconic stars like Clifford Brown and John Coltrane. 

This week on Valley Edition we take a look at the current state and future of California politics. Will Governor Jerry Brown run for another term? Fresno State political science professors Thomas Holyoke and Jeffrey Cummins  give their analysis. 

It's not often that international jazz critics and festivals turn their attention to artists from Fresno. But Central California vocalist Karen Marguth is the exception to that rule. In 2010, veteran jazz critic Christopher Loudon called Marguth "one of the finest American jazz vocalists" in a JazzTimes article about the singer.