June On-Air Guide

ON AIR

WKCR 89.9 FM

June 2023 Vol. xxii, No. 6

OnAir · June 2023

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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 Razvan Matei newmusic@wkcr.org Classical Head Melisa Nehrozoglu classical@wkcr.org American Head McKenna Roberts american@wkcr.org In All Languages Head Ann Vettikkal ial@wkcr.org Latin Head Leni Bryan latin@wkcr.org News & Arts Head Josh Kazali news@wkcr.org Sports Head August Phillips sports@wkcr.org

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Dear Listeners, Summer is in full swing at WKCR! Though most of our student programmers have taken off for the summer, the station is still alive and running thanks to our summer staff and to our alumni programmers, which means OnAir is still on.

Though summer is a busy time at the station— after all, it is when we (the Executive Board) get most of our planning and administrative tasks done—it is also in many ways a much-needed breath for many of us: without homework or classes to focus on, summer is the time of year when most of us can devote as much time as we want to WKCR. That means that, for the next few months, you can expect to hear especially thoughtful, passionate programming—even more so than we deliver on the regular.

To start off strong, on the docket this month are two brand new special broadcasts: Reggie Workman and Erroll Garner (on our cover, and the winner of our Fundraising Week listener poll!). We also bring you the last of our senior spotlights as we say goodbye to our Class of 2023 members. And as always, we continue to give you a glimpse at what our members are listening to (and hopefully some new finds or new perspectives) in this month's Around the Station—an especially good one.

As the temperature climbs, whether you're outside enjoying the sun or staying inside to cool off, we hope you'll bring 89.9 with you—no matter where you tune in this summer, what's important is that you do.

Happy Listening!

Alejandra Díaz-Pizarro Station Manager Cover photo taken by William P. Gottlieb.

Mailing Address

CONTACT US

2920 Broadway General Inquiries: board@wkcr.org New York, NY 10027 Listener Line: 212-854-9920 USA ©Copyright 2023 WKCR FM NYC

This Month OnAir Music and AI: A Conversation . . . page 4

The Unique Genuineness of Erroll Garner . . . page 7

Meet a Member: Josh Kapilian Weekly Schedule Special Broadcasts & Themed Shows

Show Listings for WKCR Listeners

. . . page 8

. . . page 10

. . . page 12

. . . page 13

Around the Station . . . page 16

Donate to WKCR . . . page 19

OnAir · June 2023

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FEATURE PIECE

Music and AI: A Conversation

by Ale Díaz-Pizarro & Ted Schmiedeler

O

n April 4, 2023, TikTok user ghostwriter977 released the song “Heart on My Sleeve,” which featured artificial intelligence (AI)generated vocals of artists Drake and The Weeknd.

The song was taken down from all streaming platforms by Universal Music Group, but not before garnering considerable attention on social media and sparked a debate surrounding the ethics of using AI in music. Weighing in, the following conversation between Station Manager Ale DíazPizarro and Student Life Director Ted Schmiedeler is adapted for publication from a News & Arts segment that aired on May 17, 2023.

Ted: There’s this AI generated Drake song called “Heart on My Sleeve” by AI Drake featuring AI The Weeknd. And it goes crazy. Like, it is a great song. The AI did a great job. Not only replicating a Drake song but creating a new, pretty good, pretty above average Drake song.

Ale: We don't even think it's legal to play. And the thing about it is, we're not even sure. I mean, it's probably not legal, but if you were to pursue legal action against us for playing this weird AI generated song, who was it even a copyright infringement against? The makers of the AI tool, or the fake AI Drake, or Drake himself—because it was, you know, samples of his music that were used to create that AI generated song? Who do you even pursue legal action against?

T: Because the voice on the song sounds exactly like Drake's voice. But it's technically not Drake's voice, it's just an almost perfect replica created by computers. It's like if I were

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to randomly have almost the identical voice of someone else that I know, you can't copyright my voice then even though it's super similar to somebody else's. But in this case, it's created by a computer to sound like someone else.

So it's not like Drake is saying the words, the computer is creating something to mimic the Drake voice. So it gets into a really weird gray area. And then with the beat and the writing—I think, for this song, it was written by a human, but I know there are other songs that are AIgenerated, like the AI writes the lyrics, and then they have a different AI, do the production or make the beat and then they put it all together with the AI voice generator, so just gets into like a really weird gray area. So who is really responsible for making this art?

A: But since we are primarily a music radio station, I do kind of want to talk about AI in music, because I think when we think about AI art, it's mostly limited to the realm of the visual, like AI-generated images or photos or paintings. But I feel like we've had, in the past few weeks, a news cycle that has kind of come to, I guess, similar trends. On one hand, you have this fake Drake song. And then on the other hand, you have this Ed Sheeran trial for allegedly copying Marvin Gaye's “Let’s Get It On” for his “Thinking Out Loud”—which he won. I'm really only playing devil's advocate here, because I don't think that AI music is something feasible. But if we've been saying, like, “Oh, AI only works from things that already exist,” a defense that a lot of musicians bring up when they are brought to trial over songs that sound very similar is, “Well, there are only

so many chords or chord arrangements that a musician can produce. It's not really my fault that they sound similar, it was not with the intent of copying.” Couldn't a similar argument be leveraged for AI music?

T: I think a similar argument could be made. But I think that the difference is in the production of that art. I mean, Ed Sheeran won his case. So let's assume he was proven to not have copied, so he came up with that chord progression.

And he made that song entirely on his own, in his own space, and did not build on anything that Marvin Gaye had produced. But if it was an AI, producing a song, inherently, it has to rely on songs that already exist to come up with the new song. In order for it to run its production process, it must copy from things that it already knows.

A: You said build on as kind of like a throwaway phrase, but my other kind of line of thinking with this are samples. Aren't samples also a form of directly taking from something else?

T: I love this quote on samples. It's from RZA, de facto leader of Wu Tang Clan: he says that his goal is to use “the sampler more like a painter's palette than a Xerox.” Don't just directly copy it to make the song better, but make a sample like a drum or make it like a chord progression or something like that. Make it like a piano, make that an instrument in and of itself.

A: Well, I don't know if this counts. I mean, I guess it's a sample, but it's entirely composed of samples. Have you listened to the Grey Album?

Danger Mouse? And it's just Jay-Z samples from the Black Album and the Beatles’ White Album?

Which is why you can't get a record copy of it anywhere. But that one might be a good one to discuss, because you could argue that there's no original material in it in the sense that it's all Beatles samples. It's all Jay-Z samples. And yet, what's unique about it or original about it is the method of production. So I guess that gets us back to the same, you know, “it's process, not product” kind of cliché sentiment there.

T: But I do think it's valid. And one thing is, I feel like sampling is so cool. It's such a creative method of flipping something that's already produced into something that's newly produced. But one thing I think that's super important with samples is you have to get the sample cleared with the original artist.

And that's one thing that thus far the AI is not doing. This random guy on the internet is not like clearing this with Drake at all. And Drake definitely is not giving permission.

So it still feels kind of like the Wild West out there. That’s the thing with AI, I think it can be used for a lot of nefarious things, for example easily cheating on assignments. My mom is a high school English teacher, and when, the first weekend after the first big wave of news articles came out, she ran a bunch of her students’ assignments through an AI checker or something like that, and she caught a few kids doing it.

A: So your mom has been able to detect some of these AI-generated essays. They're kind of transparent, some of them, and that's what's scary about the Drake song, is the fact that it's not quite so transparent.

T: Yeah, it's definitely not transparent.

A: I don't really know what to make of AI music.

Because I feel like that is such a different realm than for visual art and, and so on. We've talked about samples, remixes. Even just songs that sound like one another,— feel like music is a is a medium that's uniquely conducive to reinterpretation and rewriting. In jazz, as in country music, there are standards, and it's all about your own take on the standard. Why couldn't there be an AI take on this? I don't know. Again, I'm not subscribing to this, but I am concerned about the kind of arguments that might be leveraged in favor of AI in music or something similar.

T: I think it's so hard because it's not like above ground yet. The only places that it exists are

OnAir · June 2023

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TikTok and YouTube where anyone can really post anything.

A: Well, but you could have someone saying, like, “Well, because AI generated music is not created by an artist, you're not losing out on any royalties but you are benefiting—like all the people who are listening to it and enjoying it.”

In that scenario, I think opposing AI becomes more of a value thing or an existential thing over benefits.

T: It's super bleak. If in, like, 20 years, everyone is just in their headphones, and it's just a different AI making their music, you totally lose an aspect of music in the production process of a human putting effort into making this.

A: Well, I do think that when algorithms and AI DJs are proliferating, there's real value in places like radio stations. Which is why I don't believe that radio is dead or dying. That's why a lot of the “music industry,” quote-unquote, is kind of in a tailspin right now, because you're not really making songs anymore to get on the Top 100. You're making songs to go viral on TikTok instead of climbing the charts. That just means pop looks different. But to me that's not necessarily an indictment of where music is headed as a whole. I think there've been some incredibly ambitious and worthwhile musical projects in the last couple of years, in the last year, even, that have had absolutely nothing to do with climbing the Top 40. But if it becomes the fact that streaming and pop increasingly turn to algorithms to recommend content—and I hate the term content to refer to creations, but some of it is just content—then that just highlights the value of curation even more.

T: Yeah, I totally agree. I very much echo the point about how there is still music out there that is not just for the algorithm. You know, I think one common critique is the, you know, the songs are getting shorter, the albums are getting longer. I think it's about what the goal of the artist is, like, if you if you're just trying to run up your numbers, you know, you're gonna

6 OnAir · June 2023

make like a 22-track, hour-and-10-minute album, and you're gonna hope that there's two or three million-plus songs in there. But if you're trying to make music that speaks to you, speaks to an audience, then you're you're more willing to do the 40-minute album, or the hourlong album with only ten songs on it, or something along those lines. Yeah, I think the music it's still out there, even if it's getting harder to find. And again, that gets back to the point about curation and the importance of radio and all that.

A: I definitely agree. And I also think, you know, places that still kind of tie the new to the old in the way that KCR does—and anyone reading this does not need us to preach to the choir and talk about how great KCR is, hopefully. But I've had the chance to put together such great shows that have had thought behind them, and meaning, and have allowed me to learn something from them. And I think it's it's so different to come at something with the goal of discovering or helping others discover something, rather than just pushing stuff or selling you on something.

The fact that the way to get your song to be big now is to make sure that it gets on some Spotify playlists somewhere. I do think art has nothing to do with sales numbers. And again, that's very romantic, what have you, but— T: I don't know if that's romantic. I will fight tooth and nail that sales do not equal quality.

I will die on that hill. My brother loves to use the argument of, "Oh, well, you know, this person has more streams than this person per month." I'm like, that is a horrible argument.

It's terrible.

A: It is. I mean, I don't love to talk about AI, but I'm glad that I don't feel like a Luddite anymore.

And of course, anyone still listening to analog radio? Probably not going to vehemently disagree with us. But it's good to know that, as AI art gets pushed as this inevitable, revolutionary thing, KCR is still a home for music beyond its increasing commodification.

JAZZ

The Unique Genuineness of Erroll Garner

by Zachary Vanderslice

T

his June 15th, WKCR is celebrating the birthday of the great jazz pianist, Eroll Garner. During this year's fundraising drive, WKCR asked you, our listeners, to vote on an additional birthday broadcast to be aired this summer. You had the option of picking between Eroll Garner, Chick Corea, and Sonny Clark, and by an astounding margin, Erroll Garner won.

Born in 1921, Eroll would have turned 102 this year but sadly passed in 1973 at 55.

Garner grew up in Pittsburg and started playing piano at the young age of three. He was self-taught, choosing to learn everything by ear instead of by lesson or by reading. After playing in his high school band, Garner began playing in New York. His early work is best characterized by his 1947 recording session with Charlie Parker (“Cool Blues,” for example). At this point, his distinctive style— characterized by polyrhythm and virtuosic melodic lines in the right—was already evident but it wasn’t until almost a decade later that his popularity would skyrocket.

In 1955, Columbia released Garner’s immediately classic Concert by the Sea. It was a live recording of Garner with Eddie Calhoun (b) and Denzil Best (d) in the assembly hall of Sunset School in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

The album featured Garner’s signature ballad,

"Misty," and was an instant best-seller. "Misty," Garner’s best-known standard, is undoubtedly one of the genre’s greatest, most wrenching, and most beautiful ballads. It is unsurprising that its fame has endured in the works of great singers and even in the Clint Eastwood film, Play Misty for Me. Garner continued playing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, recording numerous classic albums. Particular favorites include his 1961 release Dreamstreet, Gemini (1972), and Magician (1974).

Of particular interest is the recently released album, Ready Take One (2016), which features a variety of previously unreleased Garner recordings from 1967, 1969, and 1971.

Our upcoming birthday broadcast (a full 24 hours of Garner’s piano) will certainly feature these classics, and many, many, Photo by Erkki Pälli. more.

Garner’s renown has often been attributed to his unique ability to capture a sense of happiness and joy in his music. Garner described in 1952, to TIME Magazine, that “I just play what I feel. Suddenly I hit a groove that moves me, and then I take off. I don't worry about how it'll come out."

Perhaps, it is not joy or happiness in paritucular that Garner captures in his playing, but a naturalness. There is not a performance of his that does not feel completely genuine.

OnAir · June 2023

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MEET A MEMBER

An Interview With Josh Kapilian

by August Phillips

good timing or bad timing, depending on who you ask.

Illustration by Ale Díaz-Pizarro.

W

hat positions at WKCR have you held over the years?

I was the WKCR Librarian and Sports head and, as of four days ago [May 17th], I am now a WKCR alum!

When did you join WKCR, and why?

I started working at KCR my freshman year.

Growing up in Long Island, my dad listened to WKCR a good bit in the car. So when I saw the table for the station during the club fair, I was like, “Oh, this seems like a fun thing to join.” I really enjoy listening to jazz music, so that was my first in, and I was interested in programming shows and I just kind of ran with it from there.

So you joined your very first semester here, and was that Fall 2019?

Yeah, I finished interning right at the end of freshman fall and I did my first show over winter break that year. And yeah, Fall 2019. So

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How was your experience at WKCR during the pandemic? And what was it like seeing the progress of the station as people started coming back to campus?

It was definitely really isolating during the year and a half when we were just putting together shows on GarageBand at home and then emailing them over. But it was definitely rewarding, getting to come back after almost two years, getting to do in-person shows again, and getting to see WKCR really flourish in a way that I didn't get to see pre-COVID. Because even then the community wasn't the same as it is now. When we came back, in what was my junior year, there were maybe six or eight people left that were licensed and knew how to use the equipment, so we were really building up from close to nothing. The folks on E-board that year did a really great job of getting people interested in WKCR again and building community in a way that really never existed during my freshman year.

Is there anything else that stuck out to you about the way WKCR changed in your time here, especially in the past year?

I think the big thing is, WKCR feels now like a place to socialize in a way that it never did, at least during my time there pre-COVID. I think to some extent it's also a function of the ways I'm involved with WKCR changing. Jazz shows just by their nature are more of a solo activity than doing Sports shows, organizing library cleanups, those are just inherently more communal. But I think also the culture of

the station has changed for the better as well.

You have folks just hanging around the station because it's a place to be now. When you go in there to do just a music show by yourself, odds are you're not the only person there.

You mentioned jazz shows. Is that mostly what you program, and have the shows that you program changed over time? Or have you mostly been doing the same shows?

Yeah, mostly I've done jazz. I've done a handful of classical shows, but the vast majority have been jazz. I started off on Daybreak Express and I had a regular Out to Lunch junior year.

Since then it's just been assorted shows, picking up birthday broadcasts and so on. This past year has definitely been a shift into more of the sports stuff, so doing some directing in the studio and doing some live calling on air as well. But still sprinkling in a little bit of jazz to keep that part of my brain active.

Do you have any jazz recommendations or anything you've been listening to recently that you'd like to shout out?

Yeah, actually, two nights ago I saw Cecile McLorin Salvant at Jazz at Lincoln Center. And she did this kind of song cycle called “Mélusine” that mixes together some centuries-old songs with some originals of her own. And it was just really fascinating, really great to see live.

Going forward, is there any aspect of WKCR that you would like to see continue to grow?

Just from a personal note, getting to see Sports kind of grow from zero again over the past year has been really great. But I know the ceiling is ridiculously high and there's more room to grow. So I'm excited to see what you guys do with it over the next couple of years.

You recently graduated—congratulations!

What did you study at Columbia, and how would you say WKCR has impacted your overall experience here?

I studied computer science and music. To some extent, WKCR kind of functioned as an intersection of those. Obviously, music as a

radio station, but also the technical aspect of learning how to do a lot of audio engineering. I think it scratched a very particular itch for me, and I think that’s because there are so many aspects to KCR: you have the music shows, you have live music, you've got more journalistic things with NARTS and the Sports department.

It really just found a way to continue to be engaging to me, in so many different ways, all in the same place. That's really what stuck out to me and what kept me involved so long.

What are your plans for after college and how do you think your time with WKCR will continue to impact your life beyond it?

I'll be heading out West to Seattle to do software work with AWS. I can definitely see myself getting involved with something radio or radioadjacent while I'm out there. I'm still kind of looking at what kinds of things are out there.

And definitely in the back of my mind, the journalism aspect of things has definitely stuck with me and is potentially something I'd want to pursue at some point.

Finally, what is your favorite WKCR memory or moment from the past several years?

My favorite WKCR memory is an utterly ludicrous one. It was the week after they announced that classes would be on Zoom, but before they'd kicked us off campus, so I was still doing shows at KCR. The programmer after me couldn’t make it to the station but sent in a recorded show. And because we didn’t have the remote computer, I had to stay there physically sitting in the room while I had a Zoom class. I had to take the audio cable and stretch it about as taut as it would go to the other computer while this remote show was running. So I have this ridiculous picture in the studio with a stretched-taut audio cord and my professor lecturing in the background. I think at the time it was just the novelty of it all, recorded shows and Zoom, but now, three years later, it’s kind of a reminder of how far things have come, obviously for the better. It’s not necessarily the best KCR memory I have, but it’s definitely one that’s made an impression on me.

OnAir · June 2023

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5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDN

Jazz ‘til Dawn (cont’d)

Daybreak

Field Trip

8:00 am 9:00 am

Amazing Grace

Monday Morningside

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

PopTalk Caribe Latino Urbano Latinx

News + Arts P Honky Tonkin’

Nueva C

Tuesday’s Just as Bad

Som do

Night Train

Transfigu

Coordinated Universal Time

3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz Alte

Phil Lives

10 OnAir · June 2023

Transfigured Night

NESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Transfigured Night (cont’d)

k Express

Sounds of Asia

5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am 8:00 am 9:00 am

Birdflight 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

ured Night

Hobo’s Lullaby

Middle Eastern Influences

Sonidos Colombianos

The Mambo Machine

Transfigured Night

8:00 pm

10:00 pm

Saturday Night at the Opera 11:00 pm 12:00 am

Notes From Underground Alternates every week.

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 Alternates every week.

1:00 am 2:00 am 3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz ‘til Dawn

OnAir · June 2023 11

Special Broadcasts BIRTHDAY BROADCASTS Erroll Garner

Thursday, June 15th, all day

This may be WKCR’s first ever listenervoted birthday broadcast. During our fundraising drive this past April, listeners were asked to pledge donations for one of the following three jazz pianists: Erroll Garner, Chick Corea, and Sonny Clarke —Erroll won with a total of 2,110 votes (one dollar per vote). We could not be more excited to announce our very first birthday broadcast memorializing the life and music of this incredible jazz pianist and composer, who is famous for his now standard tune “Misty”, which even inspired the 1971 film “Play Misty for Me” starring Clint Eastwood and Jessica Walter.

Reggie Workman

Monday, June 26th, all day

A monumental bassist who has played with the likes of John Coltrane and Art Blakey , Reggie Workman will be honoured for 24 hours on WKCR’s airwaves. We are so excited to honor the life of a musician who is still making history and actively playing today, something which WKCR does not do often.

If anyone should have this celebration, there is no doubt it should be Workman, who revolutionized jazz music and bass performance throughout his life. Currently a professor at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and a member of Trio 3 with Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille, he is instrumental in teaching the next generation of jazz musicians.

SUNDAY PROFILES Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM

Luis Alberto Spinetta June 4th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM

Host: David Contreras-Araya

Juan Luis Guerra

June 11th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: David Gonzalez

Labeled: Riverside Records June 18th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM

Host: Steve Mandel and J Cohn

Carmen McRae

June 25th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Sid Gribetz

LIVE CONSTRUCTIONS Sundays 10-11pm

Dolly Spartans June 25th, 10-11pm Hosts: TBD

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE OPERA Saturdays 9:00 PM-12:30 AM

Lulu (Berg)

June 3rd, 9:00pm-12:30am Host: Sam Seliger

Die Bürgschaft (Weill) June 10th, 9:00pm-12:30am Host: Sam Seliger

Lakmé (Delibes)

June 17th, 9:00pm-12:30am Host: Ale Diaz-Pizarro

La Traviata (Verdi)

June 24th, 9:00pm-12:30am Host: Ale Diaz-Pizarro

12 OnAir · June 2023

Show Listings

JAZZ

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.

Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am Out to Lunch, weekdays 3-6pm Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm These three programs comprise the core of our jazz offerings. Programming consists of everything from New Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am.

Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, mod- One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows al, free, and avant-garde. In short, you’ll encounter the entire range of recorded jazz on these programs. Hosts operas to be played in their entirety, with room for rotate from day-to-day, offering an exciting variety of ap- commentary, descriptions, and some history. proaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles NEW MUSIC

Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm Birdflight, Tues.-Fri. 8:20-9:30am Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years. categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases.

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.

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 Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am This overnight show features archival broadcasts of long- and local artists. form programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.

CLASSICAL

Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.

Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm An entirely open-ended classical show to start your AMERICAN weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves!

Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm One of WKCR’s longest-running American music The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the and baroque music, all from before 1800 (plus or minus genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party 50 years). every Tuesday night.

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.

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

OnAir · June 2023 13

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 post-war 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.

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.

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 LATIN experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.

Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am Caribe Latino is a music program that features Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s. center stage throughout the program.

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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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 Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field in New York City. The program presently plays a wide recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old and you may catch field recordings that were recorded into an exciting, danceable mix. fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am documented in New York City by WKCR itself.

A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hipRaag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural hop and dance music. heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program.

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.

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!

PopTalk*, Mon. 9-10pm PopTalk examines current developments in pop music and the latest top-flight releases.

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.

Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia SUNDAY PROFILES explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands.

Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm* With the return of the five-hour profiles slot, Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm programmers will showcase longform One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, profiles as they have done for decades. While the Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different Reggae and Jamaican dance music. programming departments.

* indicates show was created after January 2022

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Mitch Goldman, host of Deep Focus: Live by Bob Marley.

“My sister brought Bob Marley’s album “Live” home from college and would play it in the house. His music was never played on any of the radio stations I knew but when I heard these songs I loved them. So when he played Madison Square Garden the next June, I got tickets right up front; they were $10.00 each (for my Jazz heads: the opening act was Stanley Clarke who played 'Lopsy Lu' and 'School Days'). I had been to many big rock concerts before but nothing had prepared me for this: the message, the Rasta iconography, the fellowship between artist and audience, the feeling of transcendence… I never knew music could do THAT. I had never been in the presence of a charismatic being such as this, nothing even close. By the time he closed the show with the songs “War” and “Exodus,” I understood that there were questions that were going to have to be answered, even if I didn’t yet know what they were (by the way, for anyone who is curious, the album Babylon By Bus was recorded the same week as this show). I love a lot of reggae music but I am not saying that this is when I understood it as a genre. I am saying that this is when I peeped what Bob Marley was all about."

beats and the eventual entrance of a the deep and melodic bass line. This is the first time I recognized house music for what it was, in contradistinction to other forms of electronic music."

Melisa Nehrozoglu, Classical Head: "Northern Sky" by Nick Drake.

"I had never been quite into acoustic guitar or more 'stripped down' music, so I often disregarded

AROUND TH

What mome song, live pe etc.) made type of mu first t

Thomas Preston, programmer: "Want You In My Soul (Original Mix)" by Lovebirds.

"My introduction to house music proper. The year is 2012. I had been getting into electronic music for a while (I had even bought a Faithless album aged 12), however it was on the bus trip back from a university sports fixture aged 20, I was sat at the back of the bus with the team captain Tom Ridings and he was showing me his DJ program on his laptop. He handed me an earphone and said 'listen to this' and I was mesmerized from start to finish.

I loved the sequential adding of elements every 16

16 OnAir · June 2023

folk. I would gravitate more towards outwardly bass-driven, electronic, and louder tracks from my favorite artists. During a snowy March, I once was staying the night at a friend’s and crashing in her bedroom. Before we went to sleep, she asks her Alexa to 'set an alarm for 9:45AM to Nick Drake.'

Six hours later, I’m awoken by the first verse of Northern Sky and feeling immense comfort as the natural light travels through all the windows.

Though Drake isn’t the most textbook example for

traditional folk, as he genre-bended, it was that morning that I realized the healing properties of this music. The artist’s honesty oozes out and encourages vulnerability. I felt at peace with my surroundings and love for the friends I was with.

'Northern Sky' has been my alarm sound ever since!

HE STATION

Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Jazz Head: Mother Earth's Plantasia

can 'speak' for a song as much as lyrics can."

David Gonzalez, programmer: "Children's Story" by Slick Rick & "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" by A Tribe Called Quest.

"For helping me understand hip hop. The way that both songs use vivid details to tell their stories while keeping slang and mannerisms that make you feel included in them is fantastic. Slick Rick makes you feel like he’s telling you this story and gets you to visualize the entire thing while giving you a message. Tribe Called Quest takes it a step further and makes you feel like you’re a part of the crew with the little jokes and references tossed in—and the beats behind them are phenomenal!"

ent (album, erformance, you “get” a usic for the time?

by Mort Garson & Selected Ambient Works Volume II by Aphex Twin.

“These were the first electronic/ambient albums I ever properly listened to! Considering that I mostly listened to music featuring conventional/ traditional Western instruments and vocals prior to hearing these albums, they both really showed me how textured and rich electronic music can be-that tools like synthesizers and drum machines, and that qualities such as atmosphere or texture,

Georgia Dillane, Publicity Director: listening to Jaimie Branch.

"My freshman and sophomore year roommate loves Jaimie Branch: she would talk to me about seeing her live when she was growing up, and how she would listen to her a lot. I had only briefly listened when I was first introduced, but it didn't sink into my skin the first couple of times. It was only after Jaimie passed last August that I really sat down and listened to her work and it was beautiful! and chaotic! and emotional! and I remember feeling a sense of regret for not having listened to her sooner— though it probably came right when it needed it. It was after this that I really starting exploring more of the new jazz/international anthem scene and reeeeeally appreciated the breadth and diversity of jazz music."

Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Station Manager: "When I Stop Dreaming" by the Louvin Brothers.

“Thanks to many a Honky Tonkin’ I sat in on and to the brilliant podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones, I’d been steadily getting into country music. One night, I was doing the dishes and listening to the

OnAir · June 2023 17

episode on the Louvin Brothers when the host, Tyler Mahan Coe, began talking about blood harmony— the kind of sound that can only be accomplished by family members singing together. He then played the part of 'When I Stop Dreaming' that transitions from the first verse into the chorus. No big deal— except he then pointed out that it wasn’t that Charlie had joined Ira in on the higher harmony, but rather that Charlie had seamlessly taken up the melody while Ira had climbed up from the melody to the harmony. It was indistinguishable, and electrifying—I immediately replayed the song and just stood at the sink in awe. Every time I listen to it, I always brace myself for the switch and it never fails to get me. My ear for country music has only opened further since.

"Right Off" by Miles Davis.

"I was filling in the first few minutes of an Out to Lunch for a programmer who was running late, so I just threw on the first CD I found at hand. It just so happened to be A Tribute to Jack Johnson.

Ten minutes in, it clicked: I think I actually said out loud, 'Oh—so that’s what it’s all about.' I immediately asked a couple of my KCR jazz-heads to compile a list for me of their favorite jazz fusion albums and sessions, and I’m working my way through them now."

Rachel Smith, programmer: "Con te partirò"

by Andrea Bocelli.

"When I was little up my mom would play Andrea Bocelli around the house all the time. 'Con te partirò' was the first piece of music that really moved me, before I even understood the words."

Ted Schmiedeler, Student Life Director: 1000 gecs by 100 gecs.

"I thought hyperpop was some niche inside joke among everyone who listened to it and nobody actually, unironically liked it until I gave this album a full listen. I became entranced by the time I got to the track 'hand crushed by a mallet' and hyperpop has become one of my favorite genres ever since, especially recently."

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Olivia Mitchell, former Business Manager: On Fire by Galaxie 500.

“First indie album I really got into. I was like 16 when I randomly started listening to 'Blue Thunder' and it started my musical journey up until today.

I wasn’t really what I say was a conscious being until then, and my music taste wasn’t really much defined. I was like an NPC until I was 16. Just no personality. This woke me up."

Sam Seliger, Librarian & Archivist: Free for All

by Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers.

“It was the first time that I could hear the distinct bebop and blues components of the hard bop language."

Maria Shaughnessy, Program Director: "Tik Tok" by Kesha.

“I remember hearing this song on CD in the car with my cousin who was a few years older than me.

Up until that point I had heard about this elusive 'pop' genre but never knew what it was... I felt so late to the game. Then 'Tik Tok' came on in the car and my mind was blown: 'This is what my parents never let me listen to.' I felt so rebellious and cool listening to that album over and over and I dressed up as Kesha to do did lip sync performances of her music in front of my family (quite often...). I will mention I was like 9 years old.”

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. For example, Buzz, the hamster that runs the wheel that powers the station, is getting a little worn-out and arthritic. We need a new hamster. Sorry, Buzz, but it’s gotta be done!

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).

HOW TO DONATE TO WKCR IN 4 STEPS

BY MAIL Step 1: Locate your nearest checkbook

ONLINE Step 1: head to www.wkcr.org

Step 2: Indicate “WKCR” as payee and fill out as usual

Step 2: Click the yellow “DONATE TO WKCR” banner at the top of the page

Step 3: Mail check to CU Gift Systems, 622 West 113th Street, MC 4524, New York, NY 10025

Step 3: Fill out the form in the giving portal and enter your information...

Step 4: ...and VOILÀ! Just like that, you have become a WKCR supporter!

WKCR also accepts checks to our direct address. Just Follow the same steps listed above but mail the check to: 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027

Step 4: ...and VOILÀ! Just like that, you have become a WKCR supporter!

Did you know you can make recurring donations to WKCR when you donate online?

Just indicate your frequency preferences on the giving portal when prompted!

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20 OnAir · June 2023

WKCR 89.9 FM

2920 Broadway New York, NY 10027

Sp e c i a l t ha n ks to Ale Díaz-Pizarro, August Phillips, David Gonzalez, Georgia Dillane, Josh Kapilian, Maria Shaughnessy, Melisa Nehrozoglu, Mitch Goldman, Olivia Mitchell, Rachel Smith, Sam Seliger, Tanvi Krishnamur thy, Ted Schmiedeler, Thomas Preston, & Zachar y Vanderslice.