ON AIR
WKCR 89.9 FM
February 2024 Vol. xxiii, No. 2
OnAir · February 2024
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WKCR 89.9 FM Station Manager Ale Díaz-Pizarro stationmanager@wkcr.org Program Director Maria Shaughnessy programming@wkcr.org Director of Operations Zachary Vanderslice operations@wkcr.org Student Life Director Ted Schmiedeler studentlife@wkcr.org Publicity Director Georgia Dillane publicity@wkcr.org Jazz Heads Tanvi Krishnamurthy & Satch Peterson jazz@wkcr.org New Music Head Ben Erdmann newmusic@wkcr.org Classical Head Anika Strite classical@wkcr.org American Head McKenna Roberts american@wkcr.org In All Languages Head Alma Avgar Shohamy ial@wkcr.org Latin Head Natalie Najar latin@wkcr.org News & Arts Head Ian Pumphrey news@wkcr.org Sports Head Nathan Kim sports@wkcr.org
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Dear Listeners, This is the last OnAir in which I write to you as Station Manager. It is bittersweet: I am confident that the station is in good hands (and can't wait to see where it goes), yet I will also miss being entrenched in the ins and outs of daily station life. Which makes this a fitting issue to be my last in this role: in the feature piece for this month's issue, we look both back and forward as we present a retrospective on Phil Schaap, the mission of the Jazz Department, and an announcement of our brand new show (!!), Now's The Time, which promises to keep pushing WKCR's penchant for innovation by being a dedicated space for young jazz musicians working today. Speaking of contemporary jazz, this issue also includes some brilliant insights into the Winter Jazzfest courtesy of Maria Shaughnessy and Georgia Dillane, as well as a list of live music events to check out around the city this month (who knows? Maybe you'll run into your favorite WKCR host there...). This month, some OnAir classics are back: check out an interview with programmer David Gonzalez, get your unorthodox love song fix in our Valentine's Day "Around the Station," and glean a portrait of Nina Simone through eleven handpicked songs, leading up to her 91st birthday broadcast. All in all, this is an issue that showcases the best WKCR has to offer, new and old alike, and I couldn't be prouder to present it to you as if it were a parting gift—although, of course, I'm being melodramatic. WKCR will keep being my home for as long as they'll have me—a feeling I hope you share. Happy Listening! Alejandra Díaz-Pizarro Station Manager Cover photo by Tim Duncan.
Mailing Address
CONTACT US
2920 Broadway General Inquiries: board@wkcr.org New York, NY 10027 Listener Line: 212-854-9920 USA ©Copyright 2024 WKCR FM NYC
This Month OnAir Now's The Time: Keeping Jazz Alive . . . page 4
Meet a Member: David Gonzalez . . . page 8
Winter Jazzfest Reviews . . . page 10
Weekly Schedule . . . page 12
Special Broadcasts & Themed Shows . . . page 14
Show Listings for WKCR Listeners . . . page 15
Around the Station: Unorthodox Love Songs . . . page 18
Nina Simone in Eleven Songs . . . page 21
February Events Around NYC . . . page 26
WKCR Merch/Support WKCR . . . page 28 OnAir · February 2024
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FEATURE PIECE
Now's The Time: Keeping Jazz Alive by Alejandra Díaz-Pizarro
W
KCR may as well stand for “We Keep Collecting Relics.” Even the most surface-level survey of the station yields enough artifacts to fill a museum wing: a red Naugahyde armchair where Dizzy Gillespie once sat1— since reupholstered, but whose original fabric lives on in preserved scraps. Old (and oldfashioned) posters advertising WKCR’s flagship music festivals. Cracked and scratched records that have found a second life as décor pieces that herald our analog spirit. A stack of Billie Holiday books. Polaroids of board members dating back at least two decades. A wall’s worth of newspaper clippings tracing a loose and loopy chronology of the station. To say nothing of the miles, very possibly acres, of reel-to-reel tapes shelved in our archive room, so heavy that the building had to install a speciallyreinforced floor to bear the weight. Amid these piles of history, it is easy to forget that these items have not always been frozen in the past, but were once alive in a vibrant present. Those posters were once promotional, those records once spun on a turntable, those photographed folks were once up-and-coming DJs, those reel-to-reel tapes once were not rare but everyday occurrences on shows. WKCR has a dual mission to preserve and innovate, to be at once a haven for historical significance and a hub for artistic exploration.2 In the 21st century, the rapid pace and increasingly-commercial bent of the music 1. Remnick, David. “Bird-Watcher.” The New Yorker, 12 May 2008. www.newyorker.com, https://www.newyorker. com/magazine/2008/05/19/bird-watcher. 2. “About.” WKCR 89.9 FM, https://www.cc-seas.columbia.edu/wkcr/about. Accessed 31 Jan. 2024.
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landscape has often meant that we have had to place more emphasis on the latter half of the mission, as (proud) keepers of the flame. But in 1970—the year that marked the formal birth of the Jazz Department, and WKCR’s commitment to “the alternative”3—the station’s leaders weren’t looking to keep the flame so much as stoke it. When the first birthday broadcasts were proposed to the board in 1978, they took “a slight tilt towards living artists;” in fact, as Phil Schaap recounted in a 1992 interview, none other than “[John] Coltrane didn’t make the cut—you see, he was dead.”4 Their emphasis on musicians who were alive and working—which in ‘78 counted among their ranks Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Roy Eldridge5—was idealistic even for the time. The ‘golden age of jazz’ was already a cliché, and so was the fact that it was, by all accounts, long gone.6 “There was a jazz community that needed help,” Schaap remembered, and “radio [had] abandoned jazz.”7 Radio not only became a way to bring jazz to an audience, but also to bring an audience to the musicians. Later, Schaap would reflect:“I’ve been training musicians my whole life, but I can’t find ‘em gigs anymore—not unless we have audience 3. Spring, Evan. A History of WKCR’s Jazz Programming. Interview with Phil Schaap, 5 Oct. 1992, https://web.archive.org/web/20060222075049/http://www.columbia. edu/cu/wkcr/jazz/schaap.html. Columbia University Libraries, University Archives. 4. Spring. 5. Spring. 6. Kilgannon, Corey. “In a Life of Jazz, a Jarring Note.” The New York Times, 27 May 2001. NYTimes.com, https:// www.nytimes.com/2001/05/27/nyregion/in-a-life-ofjazz-a-jarring-note.html. 7 . Spring.
Phil Schaap, far right, presenting a certificate from the Jazz Oral History Project to Papa Jo Jones, second from right. The West End bar, January 1981.
development.”8 Keeping jazz alive not only meant taking jazz to the people, but also pulling the people toward jazz, which made all the difference between being a living, working artist and being forcefully relegated to the past under the all-too-polite label of ‘legend.’ As the giants of 20th century jazz—and his friends and mentors—began passing away, the mission of the Jazz Department Schaap led shifted more toward a spirit of keeping their memory alive.9 As a child, he was exhorted by his friend and sometimes babysitter, the drummer Papa Jo Jones—who would give him in-depth lessons on jazz listening—to “pass it on.”10 Schaap took this to heart: in a 2013 interview with jazz writer Mike Zirpolo, he expressed concern that “In the case of this cultural phenomenon called jazz, we are now at the point where the original generations of creators are gone. There is a wall now separating us from the originators. So we’ve 8. Scheinin, Richard. “2021 NEA Jazz Masters: A Q&A With Phil Schaap.” On the Corner: The SFJAZZ Magazine, 19 Apr. 2021, https://www.sfjazz.org/onthecorner/neaqa-phil-schaap/. 9. Kilgannon. 10. Kilgannon.
got to set up a system by which it can be passed on.”11 And what a system Schaap created: his flagship shows, Bird Flight and Traditions in Swing, remain cultural institutions more than 40 years after they first aired. However, much as it is easy to forget that the memorabilia lying around WKCR was once more than an extensive keepsake, it is easy to forget that the original impetus of the Jazz Department as conceived in 1970 was to celebrate living, working jazz musicians, to find them a listenership. Luckily, Jazz Heads Tanvi Krishnamurthy and Satch Peterson have not stopped looking forward even as they have kept one foot planted solidly in the past. Tanvi and Satch—as all Jazz Heads should be—are firmly embedded in the New York City jazz scene: Satch, a jazz guitarist himself, is responsible for bringing live jazz onto WKCR’s airwaves every Friday on Out to Lunch, while Tanvi is to thank for WKCR’s excellent representation at jazz venues around town. With a shared commitment to contemporary 11. Zirpolo, Mike. “Phil Schaap…at the Epicenter of Jazz.” Swing & Beyond, 2013, https://swingandbeyond. com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PHIL-SCHAAP-ARTICLE-final.pdf.
OnAir · February 2024
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A young Phil Schaap, right, with saxophonist Earle Warren on Columbia's campus, July 1st, 1985. The photo was taken on the occasion of Warren's 71st birthday, which received a birthday broadcast on WKCR that day. Photo by Nancy Miller Elliott.
jazz, one thing was for certain in Satch and Tanvi’s forward vision for the WKCR Jazz Department: it had to reflect jazz as it is today. From that vision emerges Now’s The Time, a brand new show dedicated to the promotion, exploration, and progression of contemporary jazz music produced within the 21st century, with an emphasis on emerging artists under the age of 35. This show—the first of its kind—will occupy the Friday 8:30-9:30 am slot, replacing one day of Bird Flight on the schedule, starting February 9th. Replacing Bird Flight is no small change to the schedule, but it is also not a decision taken lightly. “Schaap’s expertise in Bird’s music and his integration into the richest parts of the jazz scene embody the essence of Bird Flight
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and [Schaap’s] time at WKCR in general,” Tanvi writes. “Schaap was not just interacting with the jazz contemporaries of his time—he was celebrating them, analyzing them, and most importantly, sharing their music. Just as Schaap promoted and progressed the jazz artists of his time, we hope to do the same with Now’s The Time. Alongside being a celebration of contemporary jazz musicians, Now’s The Time is also our little ode to continuing the work of Schaap in furthering the genre of jazz.” 12 The aim of Now’s The Time is, in its own way, connected to Schaap’s mission: as stated in the show proposal, presented to the programming team in December of 2023, “as we see many jazz greats and pioneers from the 20th century 12. Written statement by Tanvi Krishnamurthy.
age, retire, and pass away, [the] show functions to mitigate” the perceived decline of jazz, “and pay homage to their work by highlighting how jazz is a progressive and developing genre, still currently being explored by emerging and established contemporary artists. In the ethos of maintaining our legacy in jazz’s history and progressing jazz’s future, this show proposes a weekly space for listeners to lend an ear to young artists and current musicians who are continuing the work of revolutionizing the genre.”13 In keeping with WKCR’s tradition of naming shows after well-known songs that fit the show’s theme, “using a Charlie Parker tune as the title felt like a fitting homage to its predecessor [Bird Flight],”14 so the programming team settled on the Charlie Parker classic “Now’s The Time” (proposed by another former Jazz Head, Stephen Park). The title, however, is more than just a nod to Bird: in the Jazz Heads’ words, “Now’s The Time feels representative of what this show means—an urging of listeners, musicians, programmers, etc. to realize that now is the time to be consuming and creating jazz in its most inventive and unique forms. An ode to that which set the stage before us and also what is to come in the future, Now’s The Time encapsulates the perpetual yet evolving state of jazz as music that is truly of the present.”15 This dual commitment to past and present echoes the sentiment espoused by Phil Schaap, who believed that “All music is present tense when it’s listened to or performed. [...] And the only way to contemplate music is in the present.”16 Additionally, by exposing listeners to artists they may not have heard before but may go on to love, Now’s The Time fulfills Phil Schaap’s original mission: all along, he was “trying to create an audience for the musicians. That’s my job. Their job is to be musicians. And 13. Internal proposal made to the WKCR programming team by Tanvi Krishnamurthy and Satch Peterson, 6 December 2023. 14. Proposal. 15. Proposal. 16. Hond, Paul. “Every Day Is Bird Day.” Columbia Magazine, Spring 2010, https://magazine.columbia.edu/ article/every-day-bird-day.
sometimes I help them in that endeavor too.”17 Now’s The Time creates a space to advance the original mission of the Jazz Department: to celebrate living artists, to bring them to the people, and to bring the people to them. By highlighting an evolving form of jazz, the show also forges the newest link in the long chain of jazz history behind it, retaining jazz’s connection to what came before while creating a path for new links to be added. Through it all, Now’s The Time is an exciting, exulting reaffirmation of WKCR’s commitment to its most fundamental mission: keeping jazz alive, in every sense of the word.
On February 2nd, 2024, WKCR will devote 24 hours to a Phil Schaap memorial broadcast, commemorating the date of his first broadcast on WKCR. In 1945, Charlie Parker recorded “Now’s the Time,” a blues-based jazz composition with Parker on alto sax and Miles Davis on trumpet. In the years following, interpretations of the Bird’s piece have transcended time and audience. Building on the legacy of Parker's work, WKCR is excited to introduce a new program titled Now's The Time, which will inherit the Friday 8:30am9:30am slot previously occupied by Bird Flight. This new show aims to embrace the spirit of exploration and innovation that Parker and his peers worked to cultivate. In line with WKCR's commitment to celebrating contemporary and alternative music, Now's The Time will showcase emerging artists of the 21st century. Hear its commencement on February 9th, 2024, at 8:30am.
17. NEA Jazz Masters: Phil Schaap (2021). National Endowment for the Arts, 2021. https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=yLK34aDdFw8.
OnAir · February 2024
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MEET A MEMBER
Interview with David Gonzalez by Ben Erdmann
Guerra, who is a very famous Dominican artist, widely regarded as one of the artists who popularized a current form of Dominican music—bachata—and gave it broad appeal that allowed it to spread across the island, where it used to be a niche and frowned-upon genre.
Art by Ale Díaz-Pizarro, working off a photo provided by David Gonzalez & Ben Erdmann.
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o, can you introduce yourself and talk a bit about your involvement at WKCR? I’m David Gonzalez, a senior at Columbia. I’ve been involved with KCR for a year and change now, so, since last fall. And since I became a programmer, I’ve been relatively involved in the Latin department. I’ve hosted Urbano Latinx, which is our Tuesday morning show of urban Latino music. I’ve hosted Mambo Machine a handful of times and a Sunday Profile. Who was the Sunday Profile on? I did it over the summer. It was on Juan Luis
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Over the last year-and-change, how has your relationship to the station evolved? It’s definitely changed a ton; I really didn’t know what to expect when I came in. I originally joined with my friend Noel Gomez, since he was interested in the radio and I was vaguely interested in the prospect of being on air but didn’t know what it was really about. As I got more involved with the station, I came to understand better what goes on around the station, how everything’s operated, and how to program stuff on air. Over time I’ve gotten to know a lot more people at KCR; I’ve gotten to be a part of this wonderful community which I think has really been a highlight of my time here at Columbia. I’ve also got to know a little more about the history of the station and get feedback from listeners, which has been very rewarding. It’s also nice to be able to express myself and learn a little more about different genres of music and have people appreciate that I’m putting in this time and effort. I’ve really grown to appreciate it all. You mentioned Urbano Latinx and Mambo Machine; have those shows always been in your repertoire? Have the shows you’re interested in changed? I originally took Urbano because it’s one of the slots that was open when I got licensed—you know, Tuesday [early] morning, I thought I’d
try it out. But as I got to do it a little more, I realized it was actually perfect for me. I come from a Mexican-Dominican family: my dad’s from Mexico City and my mom is from Moca, and I grew up in the Bronx. So, unintentionally, I listen to almost entirely urban Latino music, which works out. I stuck with the show and found it really fun. I appreciate the openendedness of it. It’s not super constrained since I can play urban Latino music from literally anywhere. It can be stuff being made in the US by second-gen Latino artists, or it can be stuff from the 50s that was being played out in Buenos Aires. So much variety has given me a lot of freedom with the show. It’s never the same thing every week; I still don’t think I’ve done the same thing on any given show. Do you have a favorite theme or artist you’ve done for Urbano? There’s so many. I did a ticket giveaway for Aterciopelados, and I got to listen to a couple of their songs. I had heard some stuff, but I hadn’t heard some others, so it was cool to listen to some more. My very first show [was] doing Latin indie music, which was secondgen Latino artists trying to get into the indie scene. That was super fun because I hadn’t heard most of the indie music I played, and the day before I was trying to listen to more stuff, to find music, which was a cool learning experience. It showed me that there are people out there who have similar backgrounds to me, making music and trying to put it out there on their own. What should listeners be listening to today? Do you have any recommendations? Oh boy. If you’re looking for a more modern scene, there are a lot of cool Latin indie artists out there. For some that are more homegrown, I can think of Cuco as a really big one who has blown up over the years. Kali Uchis has become a really big part of the indie/R&B scene, and she’s still putting out some really cool stuff while sticking to her roots. If you’re looking for recommendations abroad, the popular music now is reggaeton, and there are a lot of cool
artists doing stuff there. I am always going to be a little biased toward rock en español: Café Tacvba is a big one, Molotov is also really fun to listen to. And if you want to get to know some of the early stars in Latin America, Soda Stereo is a really big one. Between Latin indie and rock en español, there’s a lot of music you could dive into. Do you have a favorite piece of WKCR history? Ah, there’s so much! I didn’t know that we were the first FM radio station, which I think is very, very cool. There’s a lot of Latin lore that is really fascinating. We were the first station in the city to play salsa music, which is bizarre to me. I didn’t expect that to be the case, and especially with a lot of up-and-coming salsa artists and hip-hop artists—I think in the 80s—we’ve essentially been at the forefront of playing new music, which I think is really cool. The fact that a college radio station has so much impact and has been able to push new genres in New York is really sick. How has WKCR impacted your college experience? On the one hand, I got to experience a lot more community and get to know a lot more people. I’ve gotten to meet a ton of really cool people in my time here at KCR, and I’ve gotten to make some really good friends. I originally came in with my friend Noel, and we started out doing it for fun but ended up really bonding over doing KCR and sitting in on each other’s shows late at night, which has been really rewarding. And also the idea of just having a regular (though very active) time by myself that’s already allotted has been grounding for me. It’s been nice to have an hour where it’s just me, the music I’m playing, and any listeners that might call in. It’s been a grounding force even when I Continues on page 20.
Catch David’s next Urbano Latinx on Tuesday, 2/6/24, from 12:00-1:00 AM!
OnAir · February 2024
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JAZZ
The Many Movements of Impulse! Night by Maria Shaughnessy
A
lways look at a performer’s feet in concert. The feet provide an insight to how each musician feels their music and where their groove lies (because, you know, groove is personal). Whether it is a subtle tap of the foot, heavy stomping, or even complete stillness, there is a certain grounding that comes only from movement or the lack thereof. While some motions may seem more practical than others—say, the changing of a harp pedal or the tap of a looper pedal—all motion is indispensable in music. Impulse! Night at this year’s Winter Jazzfest, hosted at Le Poisson Rouge’s main stage, provided an interesting case study for these movements. To open the show, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis joined The Messthetics trio (made up of the former Fugazi members Joe Lally on bass, Brendan Canty on drums, and Anthony Pirog on guitar, for a quintessentially jazz-rock fusion set. The quartet balanced some surprisingly minimalist ballads with traditional head-bangers that energized the crowd. Here, I had a perfect view of Anthony Pirog’s pedal setup, which he subtly used to create hypnotic loops with his guitar riffs, over which James Brandon Lewis masterfully soloed, moving seamlessly between bebop and freer,
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Coltrane-esque lines. Overall, they set the tone for a great night to come. The next set was a classic trio: Brandee Younger on harp, Rashaan Carter on bass, and Allan Mednard on drums, all of whom I had seen almost exactly a year before at Winter Jazzfest 2023’s Impulse! Night at LPR. There was a similar awe in the audience both years upon hearing the first shimmering notes of Younger’s arpeggios. At first very free-flowing, Mednard and Carter’s entrance provided a structure and momentum to the music of Alice Coltrane that snapped the audience out of their daze and into a synchronized sway. This is where the feet get interesting. While I know it is hard to look away from a harpist’s hands, I would always recommend focusing more on the feet, especially when you get the rare opportunity to see harp performed in a non-classical setting. The pedals, a 19th century innovation to the harp’s mechanism, are what bring the
Irreversible Entanglements, 2024. Photo by author.
instrument from a diatonic accompaniment to the chromatic wonderland that it offers today. Watching Younger’s feet skillfully change pedals during her fast glissandos and arpeggios without a single buzz was a feat in and of itself, but the harmonic understanding that it provided made the performance all the more enjoyable for a harpist and music nerd like myself. The final set that I watched (though it was the penultimate in the lineup) was another mesmerizing experience. Before the free jazz ensemble Irreversible Entanglements was even on stage, their presence was made known with the soft ringing of bells, reminiscent of the beginning of Julius Eastman’s Femenine. As they walked up, always ringing their bells, words slowly started being thrown out. “Dedication” was the first one I heard, mumbled by drummer Tcheser Holmes. Soon, there was a chaos of “tranquility,” “l’amour,” “serenity,” “clarity,” “Congo,” “Palestine!” Some musicians began accompanying the poetry, until each member of the ensemble was playing in full swing. Vocalist Moor Mother preached to the audience: “Free Love!” Irreversible Entanglements, like few others I have heard before, toed the line between hypnotizing the audience and activating them. The instruments did not hamper the movement of these performers by a single step: they traveled the boundaries of the stage in their dancing and music-making until each member ended up in a different place than they had started. Due to jet lag and sore feet, I had to leave after the first few minutes of the final set (the one I had come to see, in fact), led by Shabaka Hutchings on flute with Brandee Younger returning on harp, Esperanza Spalding on bass, and so many other incredible musicians. I will not comment on much, considering my experience of it was so short, but I will say the stillness achieved in those first few minutes was what truly illuminated to me the importance of paying attention to movement—and feet. Always look at the feet.
How to Run (and Win) A Winter Jazzfest Marathon
By Georgia Dillane he frigid and rainy weather could not keep the jazz lovers inside this January as the New York Winter Jazzfest fell upon Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. As per Winter Jazzfest tradition, the Manhattan and Brooklyn Marathons forerun the lineup of headlining shows that takes place later in the weekend. As was indicated by the scurrying feet and hurried pace of people passing between venues, the attendees of Winter Jazzfest Marathons are quick on their toes making sure they see as much of the impressive lineup as possible. As was the case for me, traversing the cold LES streets on Friday night, by foot, by bus, and by train to see what I could. One could talk at length about all the shows available that night but here was the route I took: Starting at 7:30 PM sharp at Zurcher Gallery, Kalia Vandever entranced the already packed gallery space. This was the second time I’ve seen Vandever perform her solo trombone work and the second time I have, with great pride, shed a tear. Next came a quick jaunt over to catch the tail end of Marc Ribot and Mary Halvorson’s set at Bowery Ballroom. Ribot’s spin on the 1990’s Empire State Building brochure was a highlight for me. Funny, nostalgic, and precise. When we got to Nublu next to see Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons, it was packed. So packed, in fact, that I met Marshall Allen in line for the bathroom—no biggie. He was wearing a sparkling baseball cap, so I already knew the show was going to be good. And it was! Though I arguably could have stayed all night, two shows on the West side were calling our names. A quick run through the now rainy streets, a crosstown bus brought us to Racket where Ray Angry & Friends feat. J.Period paid tribute to J Dilla. Energy was high! Too few words remain here for me to describe the final show we saw that night: Shabaka with Quartetto Fantastico at City Winery. Pure bliss, pure talent. Winter Jazzfest is pure fun.
T
OnAir · February 2024 11
5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNE
Jazz ‘til Dawn (cont’d)
Daybreak
Field Trip
8:00 am 9:00 am
Amazing Grace
Monday Morningside
Bird F
10:00 am 11:00 am
Cereal Music
The Moonshine Show
12:00 pm 1:00 pm The Tennessee Border Show
Out to Lunch
2:00 pm
Sin Fro
3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm
Sunday Profiles
Afternoon New Music
6:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 9:00 pm 10:00 pm 11:00 pm 12:00 am 1:00 am 2:00 am
Raag Aur Taal SoundStage Live Constructions Back in the USSR The Celtic Show
Free Samples Caribe Latino Urbano Latinx
News + Arts P Honky Tonkin’
Nueva C
Tuesday’s Just as Bad
Som do
Night Train
Transfigur
Coordinated Universal Time
3:00 am 4:00 am
Jazz Alte
Phil Lives
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Transfigured Night
ESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY Transfigured Night (cont’d)
k Express
Sounds of Asia
5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am 8:00 am
Flight
9:00 am
Now's The Time Eastern Standard Time Early Music
10:00 am 11:00 am 12:00 pm
Across 110th Street
Out to Lunch
onteras
2:00 pm
Something Inside of Me
Bach Hour
Programming
Canción
o Brasil
red Night
Hobo’s Lullaby
Middle Eastern Influences
Sonidos Colombianos
Saturday Night at the Opera 11:00 pm 12:00 am
The Mambo Machine
Transfigured Night
8:00 pm
10:00 pm
Notes From Underground Offbeat
7:00 pm
9:00 pm
Workaround The African Show
5:00 pm 6:00 pm
Traditions in Swing
ernatives
3:00 pm 4:00 pm
Afternoon Classical
Extended Technique
1:00 pm
El Sonido de la Calle
1:00 am 2:00 am 3:00 am 4:00 am
Jazz ‘til Dawn
OnAir · February 2024 13
Special Broadcasts SPECIAL BROADCASTS
Phil Schaap Memorial Friday, February 2nd, all day
Celebrating the date of his first broadcast on 89.9 FM, WKCR hosts the third annual Memorial Broadcast in honor of the late Phil Schaap. A true jazz legend, Phil Schaap regularly hosted Birdflight, Traditions in Swing, and countless other programs throughout his 51-year tenure at WKCR and brought the station international acclaim with his encyclopedic knowledge of the jazz canon, specifically the music of Charlie Parker, his work in sound restoration, and his superb interviewing skills. Join us for 24 hours of archival Phil Schaap broadcasts from the last half-century.
Reggae Festival
Saturday, February 3rd through Sunday, February 4th, all day (48 hours)
THEMED SHOWS
SUNDAY PROFILES Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM
TBD
February 11th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Stephen Park
Labeled: Kudu Records
February 18th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Hosts: J Cohn & Steve Mandel
TBD
February 25th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Sid Gribetz
LIVE CONSTRUCTIONS Sundays 10-11pm
Sunday Sessions
February 11th, 10:00-11:00 PM
Sam Weinburg
February 18th, 10:00-11:00 PM
For the first time since the Jamaican Independence Festival in 2012, WKCR hosts a two-day festival dedicated to the wide umbrella that is reggae music, in honor of the legends Dennis Brown and Bob Marley, whose birthdays are February 1st and February 6th, respectively. Join us for a weekend of reggae, dub, ska, lover’s rock, dancehall, and more, with a performance by special guest, Sister Carol!
MBB vs. Harvard
Lunar New Year Festival
WBB vs. Princeton
Saturday, February 10th, all day
Continuing our streak of February festivals, February 10th marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. WKCR will celebrate this holiday with 24 hours of music from all over Asia, ranging from traditional Chinese instrumental music to K-Pop!
Nina Simone
Wednesday, February 21st, all day
What would February be without our annual Nina Simone birthday broadcast? Ms. Simone, who began her musical career hoping to become a concert pianist, is hailed as one of the most influential jazz pianists, vocalists, and composers of all time. We celebrate her 91st birthday with a full day of some of her most popular works and her rarest records.
14 OnAir · February 2024
Golder
February 25th, 10:00-11:00 PM
SPORTS
WBB vs. Brown
Friday, February 9th, 7:00-9:00 PM Saturday, February 17th, 6:00-9:00 PM Saturday, February 24th, 2:00-4:00 PM
FREE SAMPLES
Mondays 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Host: Ted Schmiedeler
2/5: Deltron 3030 (Delton 3030) 2/12: Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (Black Star) 2/19: Interview with Audrey Amsellem 2/5: Donuts (J Dilla)
SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE OPERA Saturdays 9:00 PM-12:30 AM Host: Ale Díaz-Pizarro
2/17: Valentine's Day Special 2/24: Enrico Caruso Birthday Celebration
Show Listings
JAZZ
Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm These three programs comprise the core of our jazz offerings. Programming consists of everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. In short, you’ll encounter the entire range of recorded jazz on these programs. Hosts rotate from day-to-day, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles Birdflight, Tues.-Fri. 8:20-9:30am Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years. Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm Archival programs hosted by the late Phil Schaap, this award-winning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs dealing with jazz up until about World War II. Schaap presents the music, much of it incredibly rare, from the best sound source, which is often the original 78 issue. Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am This overnight show features archival broadcasts of longform programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.
CLASSICAL Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm An entirely open-ended classical show to start your weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves! The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music, all from before 1800 (±50 years). Extended Technique*, Wed. & Thurs. 3-6pm WKCR’s first interdepartmental show (in the New Music and Classical departments) dedicated to contemporary classical music. You’ll hear everything from 12-tone and minimalist compositions to film and video game scores, and all things in between.
Afternoon Classical, Fri. 3-6pm. Similar to Cereal Music, most of Afternoon Classical has no restrictions on what type of classical music to play. The last hour of the show, however, is dedicated fully to the music of JS Bach. Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am. One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows operas to be played in their entirety, with room for commentary, descriptions, and some history.
NEW MUSIC Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases. Transfigured Night, Tues./Thurs./Sat. 1-5am Our overnight explorations into the world of new music, Transfigured Night rewards our late night listeners with a wide range of sounds and experimental music. Workaround*, Fri. 9-10pm WKCR presents live DJ sets from Columbia students and local artists. Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.
AMERICAN Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm One of WKCR’s longest-running American music programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party every Tuesday night. Tuesday’s Just as Bad, Tues. 11pm - Wed. 1am Tuesday’s Just as bad explores the world of blues prior to World War II. Shows weave their way through the first decades of recorded music history and turn to the postwar years in the final half hour.
* Indicates show was created after January 2022
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LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS Night Train, Wed. 1-5am All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts. Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio. Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s. Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles. Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day. From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby. Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration. Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition. The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through * indicates show was created after January 2022
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the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today. The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.
LATIN Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program. Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more. Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition. Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods. Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil. Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.
LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix. El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.
IN ALL LANGUAGES The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms. Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America. Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves. The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa. Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia. Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands. Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of Reggae and Jamaican dance music.
Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in and you may catch field recordings that were recorded fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those documented in New York City by WKCR itself. Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm Raag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program. Back in the USSR, Sun. 11pm-12am Back in the USSR features music from across the former Soviet Union and soviet states across Eastern Europe and East and Central Asia, from the mid-20th century through the present.
NEWS & ARTS Monday Morningside*, Mon. 8:30-9:30am Monday Morningside is WKCR’s morning news broadcast to kick off the week, featuring news segments on events around Morningside Heights and upper Manhattan. If you’re not an early bird, all episodes are available as podcasts on Spotify! Free Samples*, Mon. 9-10pm Explores landmark hip hop albums and their place in history and music at large by playing a selection of songs and breaking them down into the samples that make them up—meaning this show often crosses over with other genres, such as jazz, soul, and funk. SoundStage*, Sun. 9-10pm SoundStage features audio dramas and radio plays from the WKCR archives as well as new compositions by students and contemporary writers. Some shows also feature interviews with dramatists and directors.
SUNDAY PROFILES Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm* A WKCR classic, programmers use five hours to showcase longform profiles of pioneering artists. While the primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different programming departments.
* indicates show was created after January 2022
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Nitya Nigam, host of Cereal Music: Rachmaninoff, "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Var. 18." That is what falling in love feels like. Maria Shaughnessy, Program Director, host of Early Music: Erik Satie, Je te veux. The simplest way I have ever heard love expressed. Perry Wakatsuki, host of Offbeat: Westside Gunn, "Love U." Perhaps the crudest way to express love by just saying "b*tch I love you" over and over again, but the sampled beat is really sick. Nathan Kim, Sports Head: Queen, "Somebody To Love." Wrote my [Music Humanities] analysis around this song. Furthermore, Freddie Mercury took inspiration from Aretha Franklin while writing this.
McKenna Roberts, American Head: Kara Jackson, "brain." Maybe it feels unorthodox because it doesn’t gloss over any complexities that come with love, but brain by Kara Jackson so beautifully touches on love, the passage of time, fear, and vulnerability. Very much a yearning song and just feels very open and raw. David Gonzalez, host of Urbano Latinx: Daft Punk, "Something About Us." The song is not a love song in the traditional sense as it’s not about longing about love or about loving someone in a relationship, rather it’s a song that talks about mourning the loss of an unrequited love. There are not many lyrics at all (11-12 lines by
AROUND TH
What is you unorthodox
Måneskin, "THE LONELIEST." I’m not much a Måneskin fan, but I know a damn good song when I hear one. This is a powerful ode to life’s most complicated emotions with an instrumental that’ll instill a blast from the past. One of the few songs that had me stop everything I was doing and reflect on my life up until that point. Now, it’s a song to calm my nerves after a hard day of academia, basketball, work, or whatever challenges life throws at me. Isn’t that what love is? Måneskin wrote this: “This song is a power ballad, fully ‘90s style. It has a strong emotional charge, being something in between a love letter, a farewell, and a will. It is what you would say to your loved ones when something beautiful is coming to an end. These lyrics… express a universal love message. The song is a way to overcome the feeling of missing someone and… loneliness… something that everyone has experienced in their own way…” Alma Avgar Shohamy, IAL Head: Cibo Matto, "King of Silence." Just makes me smile.
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my count?), but the melodies and grooves by the instruments in the song somehow blend really well to portray the feeling of melancholic release and loss really well. The music video for the song sets it up as someone dying confessing his feelings as his last words, but I really felt the song when I was first processing my breakup with my long-term partner. Ted Schmiedeler, Student Life Director, host of Free Samples: Lauryn Hill, "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." We are really leaning into “The Alternative” with this prompt. I am choosing to be alternative by going against the norms of being alternative. This song is so so beautiful and always adds some pep to my step.
Stephen Dames, programmer: The Taxpayers, "I Love You Like An Alcoholic" & The Burning Hell, "Fuck the Government, I Love You." Both are mean, hilarious, and a lot of fun.
Ian Pumphrey, NARTS Head: Dismemberment Plan, "Spider in the Snow." It has that classic Dismemberment Plan anxiety but also super endearing lyrics.
Anika Strite, Classical Head: The Barr Brothers, "Even the Darkness Has Arms." Can't believe it took me this long to think of it. It even has a Cat Stevens reference.
Julie Byrne & Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, "Love's Refrain." Julie Byrne is a wonderful songwriter and takes this noise-ambient piece by Cantu-Ledesma and makes something completely new and fresh out of it. It’s very sweet and I used to listen to it all the time.
Ben Rothman, programmer: Bright Eyes, "First Day of My Life." My favorite love song of all time and also one I’d consider pretty unorthodox lyrically; it doesn’t mention love at all and is more about that initial feeling of knowing someone and not knowing where
HE STATION
Kyle Murray, programmer: Xiu Xiu, "Get Up." It just gets that desperate, consuming, destructively constructive side of love that you don’t want to acknowledge while you’re in its throes but, my god, it’s there. I feel like the instrumental outro is shouting, thrashing even, about how it feels—except it doesn’t include a single lyric (perhaps to juxtapose Jamie Stewart’s whisperpleading-confession-singings in the rest of the song?).
ur favorite x love song? it’s going but knowing it feels special. Absolutely incredible. Also—the only uplifting song on a super duper depressing album. Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Jazz Head: The Magnetic Fields, "All My Little Words." One of the most classic love songs of all time.... plus North Carolina reference. Casey Lamb, programmer: Talking Heads, "This Must Be The Place." Georgia Dillane, Publicity Director: Yo La Tengo, "Our Way to Fall." I've been trying to think of something better than this but alas I cannot. Because it's beautiful! Loving someone, even for just an hour. How modern.
Rachel Smith, programmer: Jazz at the Movies, "Run to You (From 'The Bodyguard')." This is the sound of romance. I've long thought that the sax was the most romantic instrument – and this is why. The sound is so full of air; it just makes you want to swoon. (Also, great movie.) Josh Kazali, programmer: The Magnetic Fields, "I Don't Want to Get Over You." Tanvi already got The Magnetic Fields, but this one has to be on here as well—"dress in black and read Camus / smoke clove cigarettes and drink vermouth" is too, too good. Natalie Najar, Latin Head: The Strokes, "Selfless." This song is absolutely gut-wrenching. As a person who is anti-being dependent on a lover to bring you happiness in life, this song has the ability to sway this ideology. But the song is definitely about being in a toxic relationship in which you are
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constantly waiting for your person to reciprocate their feelings (which will never happen) and instead you should probably move on with your life. Definitely an unconventional love song. Vivien Sweet, programmer: Yo La Tengo, "Today Is The Day." Might as well be an encyclopedic entry of limerence. Elena Hardy, programmer: Animal Collective, "The Purple Bottle." Alejandra Díaz-Pizarro, Station Manager, host of Saturday Night at the Opera: The Magnetic Fields, "Washington, D.C." I feel like, so long as Tanvi and Josh are already preaching the Magnetic Fields gospel, I have to join in. After all, they may well be the kings of unorthodox love songs—they famously have a triple album full of 69 on them (on which you should not get me started...). Anyway—this song is so silly! An ode to Washington D.C. that sounds straight out of one of those YouTube songs you heard once in elementary school and still know every line to (hey, I can spell 'Washington'!). But then it turns over to the chorus and it just hits you with enough sincerity to bowl you over. Isn't it nice when your love is your destination? Silver Jews, "Room Games and Diamond Rain." Okay, now for my real pick. This song is absolutely riddled with super-sweet lines that immediately make you do a double-take—"I'm gonna love you for a hundred years / through suffering and celebration, dear" is all fine and cute until it immediately moves into "'cause only you can make my lies come true"—and those are literally only the opening two lines! This song is ambiguous, uneasy, and yet permeated with an irresistible tenderness. Even the metaphors in the chorus, which I take as describing love, don't make too much sense—"a fox hunt," "an F-stop," "a ten-acre wood." Actually, David Berman may be a second king of unorthodox love songs: this may be a love on a tightrope, but it sure as hell has a net under it. And of course, all one can look for is love from someone who can make us "feel / like drinking wine in the shade all afternoon."
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Continued from page 9, "Interview with David Gonzalez."
have a hectic schedule. I’ve grown to appreciate the time I’ve dedicated to KCR and the slots I’ve programmed. Do you have a favorite WKCR memory? There are a lot. All of the WKCRBQs have been fun, getting to meet people in a more chilled out, relaxed environment. Phone banking for fundraising week is also really fun; no time during your shift is ever with the same people, so I get to meet some new people and get to know people better doing that. I always take the late shifts, so we always end up with some random shenanigans going on. (Just don’t ask me to be here at 7 or 8 am.) The KCR Bacchanal tent is always fun to visit, to see who comes in, and to see how people are doing there. And hanging out with people around campus, going to events with them, and going to their birthday parties has been super enjoyable. Anything else that you want the listeners to know? What’s on your mind? To the listeners—all of our programmers do a lot of work to create quality programming, and thanks for listening to it and being a part of the whole experience. The station would be nothing without the support of all of you over the years. I think you make or break the experience here and are the only reason we exist in the way that we do. Shoutout to all of our listeners out there!
JAZZ
A Portrait of Nina Simone in Eleven Songs by Ale Díaz-Pizarro
T
he first time I listened, truly listened, to “I Put a Spell On You” (I Put A Spell on You, Nina Simone was also the second… and 1965) the third… and the fourth… and possibly “I Put a Spell On You” is a Nina Simone mainstay the twentieth. I just couldn’t stop. With every in popular culture, and for good reason. One track that played, it was as if a veil lifted, of her best-known tracks, it would be Simone’s revealing yet another facet, another feeling. I intonation that most later covers emulated, as was entranced. It is small wonder, considering opposed to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s deliberately Simone’s stature: a child prodigy, a classically- macabre original rendition (which, make trained pianist drawing no mistake, is just as as much from the fabulous). Later versions blues as from Bach, a by Creedence Clearwater gifted composer and Revival, Bryan Ferry, and arranger, a committed even the Disney movie civil rights activist, and Hocus Pocus cemented a supremely talented Simone’s status as a singer—which, even as household name across I write it, seems at least generations. Beyond a gross understatement. just its recognition, Rather than try to however, this track encapsulate the breadth showcases Simone’s dual and brilliance of Nina gifts for arranging and Simone in yet another interpreting: where the profile, this list is original veers toward the intended as a sort of theatrically demented topographical map of the (Hawkins famously many sides to her artistry. rose out of a coffin and The selected songs are wore a cape in one live not necessarily the bestperformance), Simone known nor the most elegantly channels its Nina Simone, 1965. Photo by Ron Kroon. critically-acclaimed ones Courtesy of the Nationaal Archief of the Netherlands. same blues tropes of (although some are!), witchcraft and violent but rather samples of love in a more subdued— Simone’s reach and repertoire. No list like this but no less powerful—approach, trading the can ever aim to be comprehensive—but I will chugging saxophone of the original for a string be more than satisfied if it compels you to dive section. (The saxophone, however, is by no into her extraordinary work as if for the first means gone—the instrument’s protagonism time. in the bridge cannot be taken as anything other than an homage to Hawkins.) This is
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Simone at the height of her powers: making a song her own not by overshadowing but by reinterpreting it, and looking back to the blues without forgoing her own style. Nina Simone doesn’t just cover a song—she borrows, honors, innovates, reinvigorates, resuscitates it. Listen to the Hawkins and the Simone back to back. The experience is, if you’ll pardon the obvious, spellbinding. “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” (Pastel Blues, 1965) This track is a natural follow-up to “I Put a Spell On You:” like it, it borrows from an iconic blues track, and puts Simone’s own stamp on it in a way that makes it easy (and intentional) for a listener to find their way back to the original source. So these are not the reasons I included it—though this is one of my favorite Simone tracks, and it was always going to make the list. No—I chose it because “Nobody Knows You…” is perhaps one of the strongest examples of Simone’s stature. The track was originally brought to popularity by blues legend Bessie Smith, whose performance of the song was thereafter so associated with her that it dissuaded many a burgeoning blues singer from attempting the song, knowing Smith had set an impossible standard. The fact that Simone tackles the song, then, is impressive enough and speaks to her prowess as a performer, but so does the fact that she breathes new life into it. Smith’s original is sung in a Vaudeville style and amidst the throes of the Great Depression; this, coupled with its recent entry into the public domain, could make it easier to reduce it to a relic of its moment in time. But Simone sings its woes with stunning vibrancy, with a jazzier backing and her own delicious accompaniment on the piano. The first time I heard this song, it sent me straight to Bessie Smith, but kept me coming back for more of Simone’s vocal feats and rich sonic color. What more could I want a song to achieve? (And, for what it’s worth, Nina Simone’s version kept me well far away from Eric Clapton’s. I pray it at least does you the same service.)
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“Black is the Colour (of My True Love’s Hair)” (live at the Philharmonic Hall in New York City, October 1969) This is Simone’s take on a traditional American folk ballad of Scottish origin, among those cataloged by Alan Lomax in the Appalachians. However, any listen to a traditional rendition (say, by Jean Ritchie) is enough to see just how far a cry Simone’s version is. Slower, more somber, allowing the voice and therefore the feeling to occupy more room, sparsely populated by little more than the piano— Simone takes her time to unravel the melody, in an interpretation that can only be described as her voice making a nest for itself amid the words, its home for the next few minutes. Though the recorded version on Wild Is The Wind (1966) is excellent, the definitive version is the live performance at the Philharmonic Hall on October 26th, 1969. Though the 1970 live album Black Gold compiles the performance, I’m of the belief that for the full experience one should turn to the video recording. In it, Simone, dressed in sober black, sits at the piano and inhabits the music for seven minutes and three seconds. But I refer specifically to this version because it features a turn by guitarist Emile Latimer on the vocals, during which Simone can devote her full attention to an extended piano improvisation. Simone’s piano builds on and responds to Latimer’s vocal line, weaving through in such a way that the three elements—piano, guitar, voice—converge into a single, gripping piece. Seeing this version, I always remember Nina Simone the Juilliardtrained pianist, who started singing to make a living in an Atlantic City nightclub, and can’t help but to doubly marvel at the Nina Simone who could render an audience silent simply with the gravitas of her performance, and wonder how we got so lucky as to have her sing in the first place. “Suzanne” (To Love Somebody, 1969) In the late 60s, Simone’s repertoire included
a spate of covers, pulling from genres as diverse as country (her phenomenal twist on Jerry Jeff Walker’s “Mr. Bojangles”), folk (“Just Like A Woman,” which in my opinion is even better than the Bob Dylan original), and pop (“Here Comes the Sun” which is… ill-fated, to put it kindly, through no fault of Simone’s own in terms of the vocals but rather that of the maudlin arrangement). Amid this impressive collection, it should be hard to pick a favorite, but mine is indisputably her version of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” Backed by a warm calypsoinfused arrangement with a bassline that keeps time like a heartbeat, Simone’s voice draws the poetry out even further from Cohen’s words, delivering each line like a smoothly-polished river stone for you to hold in the palm of your hand. I’m a fan of Cohen myself, but it was Simone’s version that really made the “all men will be sailors” lines sink in for me. It has been said that it is as if Simone is embodying Suzanne herself. I have cried to both versions of this song: to the Leonard Cohen, as I looked out a window to a rainy summer morning, aching; to the Nina Simone, as I let the music envelop me and fill the room completely, imbibing every drop of the beauty the world has to offer, weeping, weeping joyfully. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (BroadwayBlues-Ballads, 1964) By 1964, Nina Simone had cemented her place in music enough to warrant songs written especially for her voice and style. This is one such song: Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott, and Sol Marcus wrote five songs for Simone’s 1964 record Broadway-Blues-Ballads, which also featured standards of the American songbook (both the Lomax kind and the Rodgers & Hammerstein type). Simone’s voice treads a delicate arrangement, lined by strings, a harp, bells, a choir, and a calm drumbeat. Many have speculated that the song came to symbolize a sort of credo for Simone, a way to define her career and demeanor in one song. To me, it feels misguided to attribute this to a song Simone did not write herself—
and which was written in the context of a temporary rupture between songwriter Ott and his girlfriend, rather than targeting the complexity of Simone’s career and character by that point, when the civil rights movement had become the primary focus of her activity. Still, this song deserves its place on the list not only because it is well-known, but because it offers a good crystallization of Simone’s status as an anchoring figure of music that decade. She was already an artist for whom songs were being tailor-made, and an artist whose music immediately rippled through the emulations of others (The Animals, famous Nina Simone fans, recorded a widely-recognized version the very month Simone did, and the Santa Esmeralda disco twist made it onto the highlyacclaimed soundtrack of Kill Bill Vol. I). “House of the Rising Sun” (Nina at the Village Gate, 1962) I promise it is not an Animals connection that brings us here again—although it is very likely that, committed Nina Simone fans as they were, this was the version that would lead to their biggest hit. Everyone has done “House of the Rising Sun:” off the top of my head, I can remember recently playing versions by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and even Waylon Jennings on WKCR shows. Simone’s own brief introduction to the track makes it clear that she already expects her audience’s familiarity with it. However, this track again pays testament to the gravitas she exuded in her live performances, exerting an irresistible influence over an audience from the earliest years of her career. This command is all the more impressive considering it is exerted by a bare-bones arrangement of guitar, bass, and Simone’s quiet voice, punctuated by Simone’s finger-snapping keeping time toward the end of the song. Simone frequently took on folk songs, and this was perhaps the best-known of them; however, no matter how many times one has heard a song, to listen to Nina Simone sing it is to hear it anew.
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“Sinnerman” (Pastel Blues, 1962) This track scarcely requires introduction. One of her most famous, her long 10+-minute version would often end her concerts in her early days in the Village, and has been featured in everything from movies to video games to plenty of hip hop samples. An African-American spiritual, “Sinnerman” hails back to Simone’s earliest days playing and hearing music in church. Her mother, a Methodist minister, would use the song at revival meetings, from where Simone claimed to have learned the lyrics. Simone’s “Sinnerman,” however, draws its compelling power not only from the words, but is also driven by the extended, jazz-like instrumental breaks peppered throughout the song. I always find myself tapping my foot, the same way it is hard not to feel the music course through your body at a concert—and I challenge anyone to go through a dedicated listening of the song without calling back “Power, Lord” at least once to Simone’s invocation.
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Simone in her home, July 1985. Photo by David Becker.
“Wild Is The Wind” (Wild Is The Wind, 1966) I was very surprised to learn “Wild Is The Wind” originated in a film soundtrack, accompanying the 1957 film of the same name. Listening to the Johnny Mathis original only made me feel bad for him—what must it have been like to record an Academy Award-nominated song only to, fewer than ten years later, have it sound stilted, rushed, mechanical, superficial when compared to the Nina Simone version? Simply compare its pithy 2:26 duration when stacked against Simone’s 6:56—and oh, what a nearly-seven-minutes it is. “Wild Is The Wind” is a masterclass in the art of taking one’s time: it unfolds, unfurls, building itself up and bringing itself down, the faithful bass in the back keeping pace for Simone’s fluttering piano, stretching every syllable so that Simone’s voice parts the slow silence. Getting lost in the song makes it so that when Simone croons, “You touch me,” the flesh on my arm
stands up on end. It is pure magic, and much as later versions by artists like David Bowie and Cat Power (who were obviously thinking of Simone, Mathis long out of the equation) may honor the tune, it is only Simone’s voice that carries like the wind. “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” (live at Morehouse College, June 1969) Nina Simone’s involvement in the civil rights movement is commonly associated with “Mississippi Goddam,” the song that marked her formal entrance into political songwriting. But it was her later composition “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” that would become an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. Written after the title of her friend Lorraine Hansberry’s autobiographical play, Simone would always say that Hansberry “had given it to her.” Though Simone grew increasingly disenchanted with performing, one wouldn’t know it from this performance at the historically Black Morehouse College, where Simone speaks to the crowd, sings with them, girlishly shows off a black orchid corsage, and ends on a rousing rallying cry and a gesture of jubilation from Simone. It is an exuberance shared with the crowd: their whoops throughout and standing ovation at the end make this live recording, however poor the acoustics, into a powerful display of Simone’s power to unite and rally. “Take Care of Business” (I Put a Spell On You, 1965) From the outset, this is an irresistible track: driven forward by lively percussion and underscored by choir, brass, strings, and an oompah-pah piano, Simone attacks every line in this song with ardor. Written by her thenhusband and manager Andy Stroud, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship, this track is a bursting expression of female sexuality: Simone’s delivery is forward about her desire and her pleasure (“you are God’s gift to all womanhood—take it from me” is a delightfully raunchy turn of phrase and double entendre),
unique in that it centers her experience of intimacy without being hypersexual or fetishistic. This is the Nina Simone of flesh and blood. “Compensation” (Nina Simone & Piano, 1969) It only feels fitting to close out this list with one of Simone’s own compositions. This short track ends the first side of Simone’s 1969 Nina Simone and Piano, which features her accompanying herself on her instrument. The blend of piano and gospel-style organ is a rich, soulful background for a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the acclaimed Black poet whose poetry was famously used as the epigraphs to the four movements of William Grant Still’s 1930 “Afro-American” Symphony. There is a certain finality to this song: it brings us back to the church where Simone got her start performing on piano; it connects to the Black liberation to which Simone was committed; it brings together Simone’s gifts as singer, composer, arranger, and musician; and it provides a sort of meditation on the life and role of Simone as a musician. I can think of no better way to leave you than with Dunbar’s words themselves: Because I have loved so deeply Because I have loved so long God in his great compassion Gave me the gift of song Because I have loved so vainly Sung with such faltering breath Oh, oh, oh, the Master in His infinite mercy Offers the boon of death.
WKCR will be celebrating the life and work of Nina Simone on what would have been her 91st birthday, February 21st, all day. Tune in for 24 hours of one of the greatest voices to ever grace American music.
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February Events Around NYC Jazz
Classical
Charlie Burnham Trio The Owl Music Parlor, Friday 2/2, 7:30 pm Brandon Ross, Pheeroan akLaff
Extraordinary Imaginations Alice Tully Hall, Sunday 2/4, 5 pm Coleridge-Taylor, Four African Dances; Hahn, Piano Quintet; Ysaye, Violin Sonata No. 3 “Ballade;” Bloch, Piano Quintet No. 1
Micah Thomas Trio Mezzrow, Wednesday 2/7, 10:30 pm & 12 am Musicians not yet listed Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis (Sextet) 92nd St Y, Saturday 2/10, 7:30 pm Patricia Brennan, Nick Dunston, Tomas Fujiwara, Jacob Garchik, Adam O’Farrill The Return of Plutonia: For Greg Tate The Stone, Saturday 2/17, 8:30 pm Tomas Fujiwara with Matana Roberts Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer, Dafnis Prieto The Jazz Gallery, Saturday 2/25, 7:30 and 9:30 pm American Josh Ritter Webster Hall, Wednesday 2/14, 8 pm Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Wednesday 2/14, 8 pm Corrine Bailey Rae Blue Note Jazz Club, Thursday 2/15 Sunday 2/18 Adi Oasis with Miranda Joan Le Poisson Rouge, Saturday 2/24, 6:30 pm Lilly Hiatt, Molly Martin Elsewhere: Zone One Thursday 2/29, 7 pm
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Broken Frames Syndicate plays Jalalu Kalvert Nelson Roulette, Thursday 2/9, 8 pm Nelson – “Jim is still crowing;” Abbasi – “Within the Hadal & Epi;” Rosmanich – “A Sky With A Thousand Windows;” Hallik – “To become a Tree;” Lee – “A little Night Music” Pavel Kolensnikov & Samson Tsoy Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Tuesday 2/13, 7:30pm Carnegie Hall debut as piano duo, featuring Rite of Spring for four hands Juliard Orchestra Composers Concert: Four World Premiers Alice Tully Hall, Monday 2/26, 7:30 pm Liu, Crossing; Ouyang, As if sharing a joke with nothingness; Schultheis, Governing Forces; Wray, Broken Record Trio Zimbalist and Roberto Díaz 92nd St Y, Wednesday 2/28, 7:30 pm Fauré, Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor; Dvořák, Piano Trio No. 4 in E Minor
February Events Around NYC Latin
In All Languages
Paco de Lucia Legacy Festival Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, Tuesday 2/20, 7:30 pm
Women in World Music Series: Zulal and Vlada Tomova DROM, Saturday 2/3, 6:30pm Armenian acapella folk trio and Bulgarian vocalist
Pedrito Martinez Quintet DROM, Thursday 2/22, 7 pm Recabarren / Menares / Vazquez ‘Familia’ album release The Jazz Gallery, Thursday 2/22, 7:30 & 9:30 pm Chilean rhythm section joins Galician pianist for jazz inspired by latin folk idioms. Trio: Taiga Ultan, Aliya Ultan, Aaron Dilloway The Stone, Thursday 2/22, 8:30pm Flute, cello, and tapes Dayme Arocena Album Release The Sultan Room, Thursday 2/29, 7 pm Cuban singer drawing on Salsa, Soul, HipHop, Jazz, and more
Kakande The Shrine, Saturday 2/3, 10 pm West African balafon (xylophone) group lead by Famoro Diubate Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Blues of Mali (RBA) Roulette, Saturday 2/17 Legendary Malian musician and griot leads ensemble of East African lutes. Haram & Taqbir: The Arab of Today TV Eye, Friday 2/23, 8 pm Muslim NYC Hardcore group shares bill with North African Feminist punk band.
New Music Julia Crouch and Saskia Lane’s Birdhard, National Sawdust Saturday 2/3, 6 pm A “chamber piece of animated theatre with a sheet of brown paper and a box of sand” Thantifaxath, Knoll Saint Vitus Bar, Thursday 2/8, 6:30 pm Canadian avant-garde black metal group Rebekah Heller Crossfades Quartet The Stone, Thursday 2/8, 8:30pm Flute, vocals, electronics, and bassoon Trio: Taiga Ultan, Aliya Ultan, Aaron Dilloway, The Stone, Thursday 2/22, 8:30pm Flute, cello, and tapes Contemporaneous: Lila Meretzky’s Songs at Night Roulette, Tuesday 2/27 Debut of large-ensemble song cycle inspired by Yiddish poet Anna Margolin.
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WKCR Merch
upport WKCR in style! Our merch is available online* at wkcr.org until mid-February. Your donation will go toward supporting general station expenses. Help keep our legacy going while you layer up, drive, or drink your coffee.
*For any issues with our merch portal, please contact us at board@wkcr.org or at publicity@wkcr.org.
28 OnAir · February 2024
SUPPORT WKCR TOP 5 REASONS TO DONATE TO WKCR 1. You’d be helping a student-run, listener-funded, and volunteer-based radio station continue to bring you the absolute best in what radio has to offer. Music, arts, news, and sports— we’ve got the works! 2. You wouldn’t be a free-rider anymore. 3. WKCR donations are tax-deductible (so make sure you donate before tax season). For more info on that, or anything else business-related, email business@wkcr.org 4. Being “the Original FM,” our equipment is getting a bit old. Thanks to your 2023 donations, we were able to retire Buzz, the hamster that ran the wheel powering us. But our new hamster, Roach, needs to start saving for retirement... and can you blame him? 5. Isn’t OnAir cool? Without proper funding, projects like this can’t come to fruition and, if they do, don’t make it very long. Donate to allow the little OnAir minions to stay in the job (we are all OnAir minions).
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30 OnAir · February 2024
WKCR 89.9 FM
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Sp e c i a l t ha n ks to Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Alma Avgar Shohamy, Anika Strite, Ben Erdmann, Ben Rothman, Casey Lamb, David Gonzalez, Elena Hardy, Georgia Dillane, Ian Pumphrey, Isabelle Fishbein, Josh Kazali, Kyle Murray, Maria Shaughnessy, McKenna Rober ts, Michael Onwutalo, Moksha Akil, Natalie Najar, Nathan Kim, Nitya Nigam, Perr y Wakatsuki, Rachel Smith, Sam Seliger, Satch Peterson, Stephen Dames, Tanvi Krishnamur thy, Ted Schmiedeler, & Vivien Sweet.
