Publicity Director Ella Presiado publicity@wkcr.org
Business Manager Solène Millsap business@wkcr.org
Department Directors Jazz Emma Lacy & Hadassah Weinmartin jazz@wkcr.org
New Music
Phi Deng newmusic@wkcr.org
Classical Charlie Kusiel King classical@wkcr.org
American Ben Rothman american@wkcr.org
In All Languages
Jayin Sihm ial@wkcr.org
Latin Damaris Lindsay latin@wkcr.org
News & Arts
Macy Hanzlik-Barend & Ian Pumphrey news@wkcr.org
Sports Mason Lau sports@wkcr.org
Dear Listeners!
With August comes another great edition of the OnAir Guide and a great month of programming. We had a fantastic month in July with a successful Gustav Mahler Birthday Broadcast, another great year of Albert Ayler, and, as always, the first leg of our Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast.
August also brings the return of some of our favorite birthdays here on the station. Of course, on the 4th, we will be broadcasting Louis Armstrong again for his actual birthday (he thought it was July 4th, but in fact, it was August 4th). We also have the return of our Pres-Bird 3-day marathon Broadcast beginning on August 27th with 24 Hours of Lester Young (The President), then continuing with a split day between Parker and Young, and ending with 24 hours of Charlie Parker on the 29th. Read more about the broadcast in the archival On-Air Article we included this month, written by the great Phil Schaap about Lester Young.
Observant listeners will also notice that we have restarted our airing of Bird Flight! (Phil Schaap’s daily morning look into the great Charlie Parker airs from 8:20 am-9:30 am Tuesday through Thursday) Tune in as we air Bird Flight programming from the start of our recordings of the show!
Read some other great articles this month, including an article on Early Music at Columbia written by our host of Friday Morning Early Music, Charlie King. We also have much more, including an article on Artificial Intelligence, and an Around the Station about the lovely listeners who take the time to call in.
Stay cool and have a great August. I look forward to another great month of programming.
Radio On,
Casey Lamb
Station Manager
10027 USA
Lester Young Collage by Ella Werstler
How About We Don’t Cheat on Everything?
by Theodore Schmiedeler
Sometime in late April, I had the misfortune of opening up Instagram. I was sent a promotional video from the AI startup company Cluely,1 a company founded by Columbia dropouts who ditched New York for San Francisco after building a software designed to help college students cheat on technical interviews for big tech companies such as Amazon and TikTok. In the video, one of the Cluely co-founders, Roy Lee, sits across from a woman on a date. An augmented screen sits between the two, feeding Roy potential responses to the woman who is attempting to have a conversation with him. Despite a few hiccups, the date seems to go well, and the only thing preventing Roy from landing a second date is his busy schedule, as Cluely prompts him with a reminder that he has an anime convention at the time when the woman attempts to schedule a second date. As the video ended, an existential sense of dread washed over me. Is this really the world we want to create?
Cluely customers are treated to an AI copilot that watches and listens to one’s screen at all times and helps one “cheat on everything,” from a sales call to an interview to, seemingly, a date. However, by “cheating on everything,” the only thing we do as human beings is cheat ourselves of key parts of the human experience.
Let’s rewind this promotional 1 Cluely. “Cluely (Cheating Tool for Literally Everything).” YouTube, 20 Apr. 2025, www.youtube. com/watch?v=Rz3LD7u2KX8.
video. While on his date, Roy lies about his entire life to the unsuspecting woman, who, although skeptical at first, becomes more convinced of Roy’s tale the more he recites answers given to him by Cluely. The woman is instrumentalized both by Roy, who is not interested in a genuine connection, and by Cluely, as she is transformed from a person into a datapoint for the AI to train itself on. Cluely invents a persona that it predicts the woman will be attracted to, and then feeds it to Roy, who not only misleads her in a disturbing manner but also denies himself the opportunity to express his unique personality in a romantic setting. The only brief moment of humanity that slips out in the video is when Roy gets excited about his anime convention (after Cluely reminds him it is on his schedule), an action which ultimately sinks his chance at a second date. The video seems to suggest that formulaic responses, as opposed to genuine interests, will lead to success in love, one of the most profoundly human and beautiful aspects of life in this world. Furthermore, the woman’s skepticism, which ultimately saves her from getting tricked by Roy, only makes it easier for Cluely to help him deceive the next woman. Unbeknownst to her, Cluely transforms the woman’s time from leisure into
labor to improve its ability to craft a persona for Roy to use on future dates. Cluely mutates the date from one of shared humanity to one of transaction and deception.2
Now, I certainly believe that AI has a place in the modern world and, just like most technology, certain applications will surely alleviate human suffering substantially. Its use in the medical field is promising, and the ability for it to expedite certain tasks, like file organization and transcription, is commendable. There are positives here.
However, like all new technologies, using AI as a substitute for the development of important skills will stunt our ability to utilize them. While AI itself does not think and instead relies on advanced pattern recognition to predict language under the guise of thinking, it still provides humans an opportunity to turn off our brains when presented with a complex problem. This ability to replace human thinking separates AI from other technological developments. Sailboats replaced the labor of rowboats. Tractors replaced the manual labor of the scythe. Computers streamlined typing, 2 Interestingly, the video (seemingly accidentally) reveals the need for government regulation of AI. All is going well on the date until Roy, who is clearly underage, is denied alcohol service because the restaurant cannot verify the legitimacy of his ID. The woman is presented with her wine and becomes immediately skeptical of Roy’s age, which Cluely prompted him to claim was 30. The woman gets up to leave, at which point Roy makes a Cluely prompted plea for a second date. The main reason Roy gets caught in his deceptive ways and prevented from taking advantage of the woman is through this ID verification, an underhanded argument about the need for govern ment regulation to prevent bad-inten tioned individuals from abusing AI. I doubt Roy would support government regulations on his startup, so it was interesting to see this argument clearly present in the video
which was created by the typewriter, which was an upgrade of the pen and paper, which was an improvement upon parchment and quill. However, all of these technologies made changes to the physical world of humanity, not the cognitive realm. Generative AI replaces thinking, not doing. Instead of making writing an essay easier, AI presents us with an opportunity to not have to do it at all. Instead of writing lyrics to a song, AI can spit suggestion after suggestion until we find one we like. Instead of having an actual conversation on a date, in Roy’s world, we can turn off our brains and follow the prompts on our screen.
Cluely elaborates on its mission of “cheating on everything” in its manifesto.3 The document states, “If there's a faster way to win — we'll take it.” To that I would ask, is the process not absolutely essential to passions, to creation, to being human? The process can take time. The process can be a struggle. But if you do not appreciate the process, what is the point of doing something? After shooting into stardom, Sonny Rollins took three years off from performing to practice saxophone alone on the Williamsburg Bridge. He was not focused on “winning,” some undefined, constantly shifting mark of success. He was focused on his art, the process of creation, and the beauty
of translating his passion into our shared humanity, whether it meant a few weeks on the bridge or never returning to performing at all.
The Cluely manifesto states, “Why memorize facts, write code, research anything — when a model can do it in seconds?” To this I would ask, has Roy considered that some people memorize facts because they have genuine interests, passions, and loves in this world? That to some, the end goal is not the maximization of workplace efficiency for the sake of increasing shareholder value? That even when uncomfortable, tedious, troublesome, or annoying, there is an appreciation of the process as part of creating something? Memorizing facts and doing research leads to generative, original, critical thinking. Genuine curiosity does not stop at the threshold of an office. By tethering our curiosity to AI, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to explore our interests on our own terms in our own time. If you think something is worth doing, whether professional, personal, or creative, why not do it?
When an individual uses AI, they are asserting that the task at hand is not worth doing as an end in itself but is instead a means to some other end. What this applies to will shift from person to person. For example, if AI is used as a preliminary checker to identify a potential disease in a patient in a hospital, the assertion becomes that identifying the disease is not the end of treatment. This makes sense in my opinion, because the end should be improving the patient’s health, and AI is a means to achieve that end.
However, if we instrumentalize things such as interviews, research, essay writing, music composition, teaching, and even dating, we posit that those things are not worth doing for their own sake. In my view, this deprives us of our humanity, strips our creative nature, blunts our curiosity, and prevents us from forming deep connections with other human beings. Writing an essay may not be the most fun way to spend a Thursday evening, but I recognize the value in essay writing as an end, not simply a means to get a grade. Reading books or
articles is not always enjoyable, but I recognize that the practice of reading is important for me. Going on a date may be awkward, but what is the point of going if you are not present in the moment and trying to genuinely connect with another person?
In a recent interview, Roy said that the end goal of Cluely is to create a “chip inside your brain that lets you use AGI to think.”4 The world that Roy and other AI maximalists are working towards is a depersonalized place of optimal efficiency where our creative spirit is crutched on Cluely and personal interactions essentially become chatbots communicating amongst themselves using us as their medium.
This is not a world I want to live in. Even when it brings discomfort, boredom, and inefficiency, doing things for their own sake is worth it. Instead of “cheating on everything,” let’s embrace the serendipitous moments of life. Let’s allow our curiosities to guide our thinking. Let’s engage with other people in deep and meaningful ways, and let’s use our hearts and heads to unlock the secrets of the human condition…on everything.
Ted Schmiedeler is the former Station Manager and current Head Archivist of WKCR. WKCR values our listeners, our music, and our history. Listen to humandriven, non-AI radio 24/7/365 by tuning your radio dial to 89.9 FM or tuning in online at wkcr.org
4 AI Keypoint. “Roy Lee the End State of the Product Is a Chip Inside Your Brain That Lets You Use AGI to Think.” YouTube, 24 Apr. 2025, www. youtube.com/watch?v=rCvh63WNe4U.
JAZZ
From the WKCRARCHIVES
“Young Lester Young”
by Phil Schaap
Lester Young was the most important soloist in the Count Basie Orchestra and the most influential musician in Jazz in the period between Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker. He was also Billie Holiday’s favorite musician. In the study of an individual of the magnitude of a “President”, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the formative years. This is not always the case in biographies of Jazzmen, as these are largely studies of music. They frequently jump in not at the birth certificate but at the Jazz player’s second birthdate, his first recording session. In Lester Young’s case, this would mean a cursory study of his first 27 years, over 55% of his life. Young Lester Young is an attempt to salvage details about the most distant and least documented period of his life. This densely fact-packed narrative will appear in two parts in the WKCR Program Guide. In advance, I’d like to single out the research of: Douglas H. Daniels whose major finds must be published soon (anybody listening?) in a Lester Young biography, and Lewis Porter whose remarkable reference work with musical analysis “Lester Young” has been published by G.K. Hall.
LESTER WILLIS YOUNG was born in Woodville, Mississippi on Friday, August 27, 1909. No documents concerning his Mississippi origins have surfaced despite investigations by historians such as German researcher Diethelm Paulisson who visited Woodville in 1976. Robert A. Perlongo mentioned Young’s birth certificate in the May 1959 issue of Metronome, but the citation is more a figure of speech used to introduce Lester’s birthdate. At present Eric Banks, a Mississippi specialist, is
researching both branches of Lester’s family, the Youngs on the paternal side, the Johnsons on his mother’s side.
Many Jazz reference works list New Orleans as Lester’s birthplace. He did spend an important chunk of his childhood there and frequently referred to it as his hometown, so the mistake is understandable.
There has also been confusion concerning the birth year. Eddie Barefield, who was born December 12, 1909, and began his lifelong musical and personal friendship with Young in 1927, has always felt Lester was younger than he. Buddy Tate, another lifelong friend and sax section mate in the Basie band, stresses that Lester Young was a year older than listed, and that the birthday party for Lester held at Birdland on August 27, 1958 was a celebration of Young’s 50th birthday; furthurmore, Tate states that an ailing Lester Young told him that he had made fifty and that was as far as he would go: that he didn’t want to be old and feeble.
But the firmest evidence is in Lester Young’s own words. In the legendary interview with Francis Postif (February 6, 1959), Lester Young announces that he was born in Woodville, Mississippi and that the year was 1909. (Note: Lester Young died at age 49 on March 15, 1959 in NYC).
The date of Lester’s father’s birth is much vaguer. Willis Handy Young was born in Thibodaux, Louisiana probably in the early 1870s. He was called Billy, and sometimes his name crops up as William, but apparently he had a brother William (as well as another, Jacob, and two sisters, Mary and Martha). Mr. Young was a product of that brief period of Black
opportunity: Reconstruction. He majored in music at Tuskegee Institute. He could play all the instruments, achieving notable proficiency on cornet and violin. Some family and friends believe Willis Young planned to become a music teacher, perhaps running a high school music program. Lee Young, Lester’s younger brother, asserts that his father was actually a high school principal in Thibodaux, but no local records exist to back this up. In any case, Plessy vs Ferguson, the infamous 1896 “separate-but-equal” Supreme Court decision, eliminated most opportunities for a music teacher who was Black. So Billy Young spent his life as a performer. He . persevered as a teacher, however, training countless musicians and working as a choirmaster in various towns, schools, and churches.
The Young family was apparently from Louisiana. Lester’s paternal grandmother ran a general store in Natalbany, Louisiana and is remembered as being quite religious. The grandfather was a blacksmith and Billy Young may have had some training in this trade. Billy Young and his sister, Mary Young Hunter, owned land in Hammond, Louisiana less than 10 miles south of Natalbany, although the purchase(s) may not have been made until the early 1920s.
Lester’s father’s early career is particularly hard to trace. He played in the traveling circus of Heck & Beck & Wallis. Other Youngs played there with him. Eventually Billy Young organized a family band which backed minstrel shows, played carnivals and fairs, and toured the Black theatre circuit known as TOBA. Occasionally the band would pull down a residency at a hotel or ballroom. Frequently the ensemble contained a few nonfamily players to fill essential chairs. Often, especially in winter, the Billy Young family would base itself in one town and work out of there.
Dates and sequences remain unclear. Lester’s father may not have become a band leader until 1920, after years on the road and a relatively settled period living near New Orleans in Algiers, Louisiana. The family arrangements are equally hard to establish.
Apparently, Billy Young married Lizetta (maybe Lyzetta) Johnson around 1907. There’s no way to know how Lizetta and Billy came to meet and marry, though it’s tempting to speculate on a Louisiana connection.
Lizetta Johnson’s family also came from Louisiana; Lizetta’s sister and parents were born there. Mr. Johnson, Lester’s maternal grandfather, was a farmer who moved to Woodville, Mississippi (Woodville is in the southwest corner of Mississippi less than 6 miles from the Louisiana border) where he worked or owned a farm. Lizetta, according to Lester, worked as a seamstress and school teacher, though it’s hard to determine where or when.
Lester Young was their first child and Lizetta was staying with her family in Woodville at the time of Lester’s birth. That birth may have been a difficult one for Lizetta Young. This is possibly alluded to by Lester in the 2/6/59 interview with Postif. If so, then it might explain why the infant Lester Young was in Shreveport, Louisiana with his Aunt Martha (Billy Young’s sister) when the 1910 census was taken. The next child was Lester’s sister Irma, who steadfastly refuses to divulge her exact birthdate, but who states that it took place in her father’s hometown of Thibodaux. Irma Young is thought to have been born around 1912.
The next mystery is the move to Hammond, Louisiana. In 1913 it seems Lizetta Young took Lester (and presumably Irma) to this town where the Young family may already have been landowners. Whether, when. and how much Billy Young or any other family members were with Lizetta and/or the children can’t be verified. Billy Young may have spent a great deal of time on the road. Shortly after this period in Hammond, the family resettled in Algiers, Louisiana just across the Mississippi river from New Orleans in what may have been an attempt to stabilize family life. But even during this stretch it is questionable whether Lizetta, Billy, and the children were always together.
During the Algiers-New Orleans stay,
Billy Young worked in several prominent New Orleans bands. His best documented gig is in Algiers with Henry Allen’s Brass Band Henry,Sr., that is, Red’s father. Also notable was the birth of Lizetta and Billy’s third and last child, Lee Young, who was born in New Orleans, or possibly Algiers, on March 7, 1917. Despite these developments, things did not work out for Billy and Lizetta Young and they were divorced around 1919. Billy Young took the three children into his family band
after Lester’s death. At that time Lizetta Gray made some perceptive comments about her son’s shyness and how it contributed to his early death. She also spoke of a little Lester dutifully attending church but being bewildered by and even a bit frightened by organized religion. While there is no record of her death (or birth for that matter), she’s undoubtedly deceased by now. As late as the early 1970’s, Jo Jones used to speak of her in the present tense, although he always mistook her name for Mary.
which included a new musician, Billy’s second wife Sara. Billy Young maintained his musical organization until at least the early 1930s when the family finally settled down in Los Angeles. Willis Handy Young was slowed by a stroke in late September 1936 but continued to make music at his church. He died on February 6, 1943.
After their divorce not much is known of Lester’s mother, Lizetta Johnson Young. She is known to have been living in Woodville in the early 1930s. In fact Lester visited her there. At some point she remarried and became Lizetta Gray. She also moved to Los Angeles around 1944. Leonard Feather spoke to her shortly
As long as Lizetta and Willis Young’s family was still relatively intact and living in Algiers, Lester got his elementary school education in that New Orleans area. His formal schooling came to an end when his father took him and his siblings on the road circa 1919. Lester was probably in the 4th or 5th grade.
Another New Orleans area student of that time, Shelby Ballott, offers us a fascinating sketch of what a young Black child’s education was like in that time and place. Shelby Ballott was born in New Orleans on February 15, 1910. He went to school variously in New Orleans, Algiers, and near his father’s farm about 180 miles from New Orleans. He doesn’t specifically
The Billy Young Jazz Band aka New Orleans Strutters, Billy Young (ctr with derby), Lester Young (far right)
remember any child or classmate called Lester Young, but he draws a blank at any names of schoolmates. Ballott recalls that he spent time in at least 3 different schoolrooms, but can only describe one of them. His memories add important first hand information and insight on what Lester Young’s schooling was like nevertheless.
A Black person was a second class citizen in New Orleans; a Black child’s education was fifth rate, according to Shelby. The hierarchy of educational opportunity would have run like this: White private, 1st; White parochial, 2nd; White public, 3rd; Black parochial, 4th; Black public on the bottom.
Ballott describes a 3-room school house which had one room for all students in the 1st through 6th grades. 7th and 8th graders used the other two rooms. One group of 7th and 8th graders would be high school bound. The non-high school bound group would be small, he remarks, since if you weren’t going to high school, then you probably would already have dropped out before 7th grade. Good students and ambitious parents set their sights on entering one of the Catholic schools for Blacks or on hooking in to one of the White parochial schools which offered Blacks informal instruction. Shelby Ballott himself was so dissatisfied with his own public school education that he made sure to save money for his daughter’s tuition at a Catholic school.
Mr. Ballou remembers 3 teachers: one was a Cora whose last name escapes him; one was a Jenkins whose first name eludes; and one was a popular and curvaceous person known as Miss Crookshank, though that name might have been a playful description of her shapeliness, not her actual name. One thing Ballou points out favorably is that the teachers used to routinely keep in contact with pupils’ parents. He also notes that classroom disruptions were rare, that discipline was high. Of course we don’t know that Lester ever had the lovely Miss Crookshank talking to his mother, telling tales on him or praising some pedagogic progress. Yet Ballott’s strokes are broad enough to give us a good picture of
what Lester was getting – or missing – from his early schooling.
Whatever the appeals and disappointments of his regular school, the key aspect of Lester Young’s New Orleans childhood is the fortuitous placement of a musical genius in the birthplace of Jazz while that music was in its most creative period. Lester fell in love with hot music. Swinging rhythm thrilled him. The drums held a special attraction. Lester followed the New Orleans Black brass ensembles as they marched and played through the streets of the city. When a New Orleans band had a nightime gig they’d advertise it during the day: the band would play in a horse-drawn wagon going through the town while announcements concerning the evening work were passed out. Lester had the job of handing out the flyers. Lester did this for the Henry Allen Brass Band and almost certainly for quite a few others in light of the probability that his father played for more than one ensemble during the Algiers years. In this way Lester doubtless heard every significant New Orleans Jazzman including: Baby Dodds, Paul Barbarin, Freddie Keppard, King Oliver, Kid Ory, and the teenaged Louis Armstrong.
In this musical environment, Lester began to play the drums. When he left the Algiers-New Orleans area around 1920, he held the drum chair in his father’s band. In the early 1930s Lester Young spoke of ongoing New Orleans musical contacts, among them Joe Robichaux and Sidney Desdunes.
Given the difficulty of following Lester’s father’s career, no events can be fixed with certainty, but it is quite possible that the Billy Young family band was forged just around the time Lester became a musician. The Young band was aided in no small way by Willis’ second wife, Sara. Sara was from San Antonio, Texas, and she played many instruments, specializing on saxophones and the banjo. The Billy Young band and the family appear to have made Memphis their headquarter during the early 20’s. The unit consisted of: Lester Young, drums; Irma Young, sax; Sara Young, sax & banjo; cousin Isaiah “Sport” Young, sax; his
brother Austin “Boots” Young, sax, trombone and other instruments; and Billy Young, comet and violin. Everybody sang and danced as part of the show. During these years, the father continued music lessons for the children. Lester said his father taught him trumpet and violin in addition to drums, but since he concentrated on drums, for a time he got away without learning to read music.
According to Jo Jones among others, Lester Young was an exceptional drummer for all musical styles, but especially for Blues and Jazz. Even so, when he reached adolescence he soured on drums because the time it took to pack them up was interfering with his postgig socializing -- particularly with the ladies. He switched to saxophone, garnering some rudiments with significant help from his sister Irma. Soon he was featuring hot choruses as part of the Billy Young band presentation. Still, Lester couldn’t read music much. On that score his father put him out of the band until he made himself a proficient reading musician. In the interim, the hot element became even more vital to the Young family’s music. That meant that when the prodigal son did return to the fold with his lessons learned, he got to reap a bit of revenge by outdoing the rest of them in technique and swing on the Jazz-dance feature numbers.
In late 1923, a show which featured the Billy Young troupe closed in Warren, Arkansas. The family decided to winter in Warren, and put on two shows each week in the town’s auditorium. Billy Young discovered several young musicians in that town whom he coached during that season’s stay. The family band left Warren in March 1924, and four of the young Arkansas musicians soon were part of the gang. They were: a trombonist named Otto “Pete” Jones, who later married Irma; Jesse “Ham” Hamilton, who played E-flat alto horn and peck horn; and two brothers, Clarence Phillips on brass bass, and Leonard “Phil” Phillips, a cornetist whom Mr. Young switched to trumpet, and who earned the second nickname, “Deak” during this tour.
Leonard “Phil” Phillips, born in Warren
on September 4, 1907 was initially a clarinetist. Phillips gave an extensive and extraordinary interview on the topic of Lester Young ( conducted by Bryant Dupre for the Jazz Oral History Project housed at the Institute Of Jazz Studies at Rutgers; the interview took place over the span of January 26, 1983-April 8,1983). His recollections when cross-referenced always speak the truth and he is to be trusted and thanked as he is the only surviving witness to the developing genius of Lester Young.
Mr. Phillips joined the Billy Young outfit on April 15, 1924. He describes their gigging in carnivals, at fairs, and in theatres. This seems to be the kind of work the Young family had across the early ‘20s . When Phillips arrived; the Youngs were working a carnival tour. They played the Kentucky State Fair in Lexington, got as far north as Indianapolis, as far east as Roanoke and this carnival tour ended in Palatka, Florida in November 1924. A harrowing racial incident, dimly recalled by Lee Young, is more clearly remembered by Phil Phillips. The Young carnival show arrived in Harlan, Kentucky. Apparently many in Harlan were not expecting the performers to be Black, and coupled with a perennial violent racist element in Harlan, a lynch-like attack on the Young group sent them scurrying. And Lee Young claims it scarred his brother.
In Palatka, Willis Young began rehearsing the unit for a TOBA theatre tour (TOBA stood for Theatre Owners Booking Association and they were very Tough On Black Artists). In late November or December 1925, Young took his band to the legendary 81 Theatre in Atlanta, and week long engagements followed in theatres in Greenville, South Carolina; Pensacola, Florida; Columbus, Georgia; Tampa, and then Lakeland, Florida. Next Mr. Young formed a minstrel show that toured from Lakeland, Florida to Mobile, Alabama where it folded. At this time, February 1925, Mr. Phillips took a better offer with Sidney DeParis, Sr. and was replaced in the Young family orchestra by none other than Cootie Williams.
Performances by Billy Young’s ensemble were already highly charged with Jazz,
and Lester Young was already the standout practitioner. It should be noted that everyone, including Lester, remembers the elder Young as being quite with it, someone who could swing on trumpet.
During Phil Phillips’ first tour with the band in 1924 and ‘25, Lester played alto saxophone. His bandmate asserts that he could double on other reeds, but that he only did so infrequently. Phillips can hear Lester in his mind’s ear soloing on “How Come You Do Me Like You Do?”, “Margie”, “Bugle Blues”, and “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans”. On “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby”, Lester employed the then in vogue slap-tongue technique. A march tune, “Shouting Liza,” was converted by the Young group into a Jazz vehicle which was also a vehicle for the younger Young to really “get off.” Phillips recalls Lester taking a lengthy alto solo, displaying his technique on this tune. From time to time, after the band completed a performance of “Shouting Liza”, Lester’s father would comment on the showing-off by threatening to slow his son down by putting him on tenor. But the enforced switch didn’t happen.
The Young show as a whole also takes shape through Phil Phillips memories. Lester, Irma and Lee appeared in a singing and dancing trio. Lee was already playing some drums in the band although he had not yet reached the age of 8. Little by little, Lee inherited Lester’s percussion chair and ultimately had a successful career as a jazz drummer. A final point on the band of this period from Mr. Phillips: Willis Young kept his charges well supplied with good instruments, silver plated ones were used on the carnival tours and gold plated in the theatres.
During the years of 1923-26, Lester Young made sure he got to check out all sorts of bands and musicians in live performance. He caught the name bands of Paul Whiteman, Vincent Lopez, Ted Lewis, Fletcher Henderson (perhaps during the summer of 1925 when Satchmo was in the brass), and Coon-Saunders, all in person.
During 1925 or 1926, Billy Young was
able to expand his music productions. Two units now existed, one playing under Sara Young’s leadership and the other under Mr. Young’s. In the fall of ‘26, Willis Young changed his operations. He gave up the band he was leading and consolidated the two bands into one unit which worked the show booked for Sara’s band. They played from Carbondale, Illinois to El Reno, Oklahoma where the tour ended in November 1926.
Then a most important development occurred. Willis Young reforged his ensemble into an 11 piece Jazz-dance band.They rehearsed extensively while working in El Reno and, perhaps, in Texas too. Mr. Young had arranged for this new unit to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The family may have been or lived up there before (or was it Minneapolis, Kansas? or both?). A big house was rented and all band members would be living in it. This band was billed as the Billy Young Jazz Band and also as the New Orleans Strutters. It was a major breaking away from the march band repertoire and the minstrelcarnival network (not to mention the racist South).
Lester Young was to be the new band’s essential ‘hot man’, but he almost blew the gig. Then 17, he had taken up with a woman named Clara. His father was determinedly against this union and in anger slapped his son. Lester reacted by running off with Clara, but not far, as he was found to be still in El Reno. Mr. Young apologized for hitting his son, and Lester rejoined the band on its last gig in El Reno on the eve of the departure for Minneapolis. The Billy Young Jazz Band, aka New Orleans Strutters, worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota from December 1926 to January 1928. Their first gig was a dance, apparently on December 1, 1926. They worked residencies at the Radisson and St. Paul Hotels. There were many engagements at the South Side Ballroom. The personel included: Arthur Williams, Phil Phillips, tp; Otto “Pete” Jones, tb; Lester Young, alto sax, some C-melody and clarinet, occasional solos on soprano sax; Clyde Turrentine (it is most unlikely that he is related
to the famous Jazz Turrentine family), ts & ss; Ben Wilkerson, reeds; Gurvis Oliver, p; Bi11y Young, tuba; Ray Jones(?), bj; and another Ben, who might also been named Wilkerson but who definitely was not related to the reed man, was on drums. The eleventh piece might have been a second trombone.
At this juncture came the first major influences on Lester Young since drums and hot New Orleans music had first enamored him: the sound of Frank Trumbauer’s C-melody saxophone, the lines of Bix Beiderbecke’s comet improvisations, and the music of those two men in tandem, especially the creation of the Jazz ballad. All these revelations came to Lester from the ultimate Jazz teaching tool: the phonograph record. Earlier in the ‘20s, records had inspired Lester with profound indifference. There wasn’t much he found on them that impressed him in terms of Jazz. Not much Jazz was on record in the early ‘20s. Young found much more out by checking out the musicians and bands in the towns the Willis Young troupe visited. By December 1926, that record gap was closing.
Lester began his disc acquisitions after the move to Minneapolis. Once there with a firm base, there was less travelling which also meant less bands to hear. Records had to become a more important resource. Moreover, by that time, the winter of ‘26-’27, a lot more Jazz was making it onto 78 RPM discs which were newly utilizing microphones, rendering a better sound. At home in Minneapolis, the trio of Pete Jones, Phil Phillips and Lester Young would make their way to the record shop almost daily. In those days you could preview a disc in the store before purchasing. The three would buy a few records each time, so they built up quite a collection. In early 1927 that collection included many Armstrong Hot Fives (Lester learned Louis’ solos and played them on his alto), various Red Nichols issues, Ben Burnie (Lester would hear Jack Pettis solos ), and Jean Goldkette Victors. These last offered glimpses of Bix and Tram, but their names were not on the label.
Later in 1927, the Billy Young Jazz Band
moved on to North Dakota, making their headquarters in Bismarck and staying at the Spencer Hotel. The Spencer had a music policy and the house unit was a five piece group led by Clarence Johnson.
The ‘hot’ man in this band was a seventeen year old saxophonist named Eddie Barefield. Barefield, from the Des Moines, Iowa region, had turned to mail order records as early as 1923 to find out about saxophone and hot music. Eddie already knew about Bix and Tram. In his collection was a red-label Okeh 78 #40772, it featured two sides from Frank. Trumbauer’s first record date as a leader, February 4, 1927, withBix as featured soloist. The coupling was “Clarinet Marmelade’ with “Singin’ the Blues”, the first true ballad recording in Jazz by virtue of Bix and Tram’s solos.
Eddie Barefield, and presumably the trio of Phil Phillips, Pete Jones, and Lester Young, whiled away much of their time listening to Jazz records in their rooms at the Spencer Hotel. One day, Eddie was listening to “Singin’ The Blues” when a knock came at his door. Barefield opened his door and came face-toface with a fellow his own age. He introduced himself as Lester Young, son of the bandleader Billy Young and alto saxophonist in that band. Lester said that he didn’t mean to bother him but he had to know who the saxophonist was on the disc. Eddie Barefield called out Frankie Trumbauer and played the whole side for young Lester Young. The next three minutes were the most important in Lester Young’s stylistic development.
…to be continued in the WKCR February 1988 Program Guide.
This article was originally published in the November 1987 edition of the On Air Guide. The version featured here is without alteration, but does not include the continued piece which is part of the February 1988 program guide.
am
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Sin Fronteras
Jazz Alternatives
Nueva Canción
Som do
Special Broadcasts
SPECIAL BROADCASTS THEMED SHOWS
Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast
Monday, August 4, all day
Last month, we celebrated Louis Armstrong’s “traditional” birthday: the birthday that he grew up celebrating and that he included in his autobiography. This month, we celebrate what scholars believe to be his actual birthday––a date found on a baptismal certificate discovered in the 1980s. Join us for the second 24-hour installment of Satchmo’s birthday here at WKCR.
Lester Young and Charlie Parker Birthday Broadcast
Wednesday, August 27 - Friday, August 29 August 27 kicks off our annual 3-day celebration for Lester Young and Charlie Parker. We begin with a 24-hour broadcast of nonstop “Prez,” so sit back and enjoy his relaxed, free-floating style. We finish on Friday, August 29, with a 24-hour broadcast of nonstop “Bird,” including (of course) special archival programming from Phil Schaap. On Thursday, July 28, we bring you one of our most unique programs on WKCR: a celebration of “Prez” and “Bird” intertwined, so you can hear these two legends of the music back to back.
SUNDAY PROFILES
Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM
TBD
August 3rd, 2:00-7:00PM
Host: TBD
TBD
Show Listings
JAZZ
Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am
Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm
Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm
The core of our jazz offerings, these three programs span the entire range of recorded jazz: everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. Hosts rotate daily, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles.
Birdflight, Tues.-Thurs. 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.
Now's The Time*, Fri. 8:20-9:30am
The newest show from WKCR Jazz is dedicated to jazz as a living art form, providing a weekly space to listen to the young and current musicians pushing the genre forward.
Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm
Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, this awardwinning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs on 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
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
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
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!
SPECIAL BROADCASTS
Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm*
A WKCR staple, 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
CLASSICAL
AEarly Music at Columbia: Fall 2025
by Charlie Kusiel King
s August begins and we say goodbye to the oppressive midsummer heat which New York has to offer, I find myself looking ahead to some of the wonderful early and sacred music performances which will be taking place at, and nearby, Columbia University this autumn.
Celebrated in years past for their early music programming, Miller Theatre, in partnership with the Columbia University School of the Arts, presents three renaissance choirs which are not to be missed. On October 18, The Gesualdo Six perform Motets and Madrigals of Palestrina and Gesualdo. November 8 sees Stile Antico’s Golden Renaissance, featuring works by Byrd, des Prez, Huw Watkins, and others, and on December 4, The Tallis Scholars Mother and compositions Nesbett, world
premiere commissioned by Miller Theatre–Matthew Martin. All three performances will take place at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin on West 46th St. For more information, visit: millertheatre.com/events.
Located at St. Paul’s Chapel on Columbia’s campus, this fall marks the 23rdseason of the Sacred Music at Columbia concert series, presented in partnership with the Earl Hall Center for Religious Life. With a lineup of over fifteen free performances, the series, under the coordination of Julian Bennett Holmes, places an emphasis both on European early music as well as sacred music from a wide variety of locations and traditions. This season sees several collaborations with Columbia’s music department: on September 20, a performance of Mozarabic Chant, which originated in modernday Spain and Portugal over a thousand years ago, and on December 3, Christmas Music from 17th-century Germany. Other highlights include, on September 25, Sacred Vocal Music from Thomas Tallis to David Lang, performed by the New Consort, and on November 18, Schmelzer’s Sonatae unarum fidum, written in 1664. As is customary for WKCR, several performances from the Sacred Music concert series will be recorded and subsequently broadcast on The Early Music Show (to be announced). To find out more, visit millertheatre.com/events.
Located at St. Paul’s Chapel on Columbia’s campus, this fall marks the 23rd season of the Sacred Music at Columbia concert series, presented in partnership with the Earl Hall Center for Religious Life. With a lineup of over fifteen free performances, the series, under the coordination of Julian Bennett Holmes, places an emphasis both on European early music as well as sacred music from a wide variety of locations and traditions.
This season sees several collaborations with Columbia’s music department: on September 20, a performance of Mozarabic Chant, which originated in modern-day Spain and Portugal over a thousand years ago, and on December 3, Christmas Music from 17th-century Germany. Other highlights include, on September 25, Sacred Vocal Music from Thomas Tallis to David Lang, performed by the New Consort, and on November 18, Schmelzer’s Sonatae unarum fidum, written in 1664. As is customary for WKCR, several performances from the Sacred Music concert series will be recorded and subsequently broadcast on The Early Music Show (to be announced). To find out more, visit religiouslife.columbia.edu/content/events.
The autumn of 2025 also sees the beginning of a partnership between WKCR and Music Before 1800, the longest-running concert series of early music in New York City. Located just up the street from Columbia at Corpus Christi Church on W. 121st St., three concerts from their exciting season will be broadcast on The Early Music Show, including two this fall: on November 2, Cappella Pratensis performs settings of the Mass for the Dead written by Ockeghem and de la Rue (to be broadcast November 7). Then, under the direction of Shunske Sato, Juilliard415 presents Christmas in a Leipzig Coffeehouse on December 7, featuring works by Bach and other composers from the Leipzig tradition (to be broadcast December 12). More information can be found at mb1800.org/concerts.
Of course, early music at Columbia wouldn’t be the same without one of my favorite traditions at WKCR, BachFest, which makes its annual return this winter from December 2431.
Charlie Kusiel King is Classical Department Director and the regular host of The Early Music Show, which airs on Fridays from 9:30am-12:00pm. If you make it to any of the above performances, be sure to find him and say hello!
EVENT DATES
The Gesualdo Six –Motets & Madrigals
Oct 18, 7:00 PM
Stile Antico – Golden Renaissance Nov 8, 7:00 PM
The Tallis Scholars –Mother and Child
Dec 4, 7:00 PM
Mozarabic Chant Sep 20, 6:00 PM
The New Consort – Sacred Vocal Music from Tallis to Lang
Schmelzer’s Sonatae unarum fidum
Christmas Music from 17th-century Germany
Cappella Pratensis –Mass for the Dead
Juilliard415 – Christmas in a Leipzig Coffeehouse
WKCR BachFest
Sep 25, 6:00 PM
Nov 18, 6:00 PM
Dec 3, 6:00 PM
Nov 2, 4:00 PM (broadcast Nov 7)
Dec 7, 4:00 PM (broadcast Dec 12)
Dec 24–31 (all week)
Ben Erdmann, Programmer: During Afternoon New Music, I was playing some experimental goth rock from the ‘70s. A listener called in to say the music brought her back to her high school days—it was lovely to hear how much joy the music brought her!
Rachel Smith, Program Director: This question is too hard! I have had so many wonderful experiences on the phone with our listeners. I always love hearing a story about the time you went to see Rahsaan Roland Kirk or met Art Blakey. I’m also touched by the people who tell me that I have made their morning, or brought back an old memory, or put them in a good mood—that’s so much of why I love being a DJ. Hearing from the family of great musicians during birthdays and memorials is also always special.
Mari De Los Reyes, Programmer: Daybreak Express is so special to me because I know I’ve done something right when listeners say they greeted the sunrise with the radio, or that I made their day while they were still tucked in bed. Many of them have their alarms set to the station, so I’m glad to play my small part in their morning.
Noel Gomez, Programmer: During Transfigured Night on a Tuesday, David Gonzalez and I were doing a Daft Punk special feature on my EDM show, Bass9. we played through our favorite tracks on each album, discussing samples and production as well as cool fun facts and stories we knew about the projects, and literally from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., we had this one listener who called in after each of our mic breaks to add to our on-air discussion and tell us his own really cool Daft Punk factoids. So, it was like the three of us having the most EDM music nerd discussion ever— passionate as hell. Pretty awesome night.
Charlie Kusiel King, Classical Head: While programming Brahms' “Horn Trio” during the Brahms/Tchaikovsky birthday broadcast this past May, a listener called in and told me her father had been a horn player, and said how wonderful it was to hear the piece and be reminded of him. I said that my dad is a horn player, too, and we reminisced until my next mic break about being kids, and hearing our dads practice the trio.
Caroline Nieto, Programmer: A man called while I was playing Deerhoof on ANM, and he said he loved them when he went to college in the 2000s. We exchanged recommendations, and he told me to listen to Code Girl by Mary Halvorson, which I played the next time I did ANM, since it was in our library. It was a quick interaction, but it put both of us onto new music!
McKenna Roberts, Programmer: My mom works night shifts at a hospital, and when I programmed Night Train my freshman year, she would call the station sometimes to check that I was still awake during my shows.
AROUND THE
What is the best you've had with programming
Courtney Eileen Fulcher, Programmer: After a couple of months of working at a preschool in Morningside Heights, I discovered that one of my coworkers was a regular WKCR caller and we had talked during Jazz Till Dawn!
David Gonzalez ('24), former programmer: I have lots but my favorite is probably during one of my first Urbano Latine shows when I was still getting a handle on things. I was doing a show with some rock en español and I got a call from a listener who was telling me about how much his mom loved it and how he tried to listen to more of it to connect with her. He recommended some interesting blues stuff, and at the end called his mom for recommendations and I played some of their stuff on air! Very sweet interaction.
Ted Schmiedeler, Head Archivist: Last summer I was programming for 24 hours straight doing every single Sunday show and I had a caller check in with me multiple times throughout the day when he realized what I was doing. He called in the morning, again in the afternoon, once again at night, and finally at midnight. After I signed off he called to congratulate me on making it through the marathon. He told me that if I could program until midnight, he could at least stay up and get me through the end. Radio is a community! Very heartwarming.
THE STATION
best experience with a caller while live at WKCR?
Emma Lacy, Jazz Head: When I was phone banking for one of our fundraisers, a lovely woman called in to donate. She asked about my involvement with WKCR, and I told her I was a director of the jazz department. She told me about how one time in the ‘60s, she was at a jazz club on the Upper West Side (a club that doesn't exist anymore), and spotted none other than James Baldwin in the audience—my favorite author! It wasn't until then that I really understood how vital our callers are to the legacy of WKCR. The longer it lives, the farther we, the students, stray from the context in which it has existed, which goes back to the 1940s. It's the callers that fill us in on what we've missed so we can bring that history with us into the future of The Alternative. Please keep calling!
Francisco Javier Reyes, Programmer: Hosted a slot of the Ornette Coleman birthday broadcast, and I played an album featuring Denardo Coleman on drums. A few minutes into the selection of tunes, I got a call from none other than Denardo, saying that he was enjoying the show. Quite the “pinch me” moment at ’KCR.
Taylor Sierra-Ward Guidry, Programmer: For one of my Sound Stage shows, I dedicated part of it to Samuel Beckett along with Rachel Corrie and Kathy Acker because all of their birthdays happened to be close together, and I found them all individually interesting to talk about due to their cultural influence on literature and/or music. For Beckett, I played a soundtrack composed by Winifred Strauss for an adaptation of Beckett’s play ”Krapp’s Last Tape” at the Tbilisi Chamber Theater. Then, a listener called in and told me that they liked what I was playing and suggested that I check out Michael Mantler’s musical compositions that were inspired by the literature of Samuel Beckett. We talked for a little longer, and he told me that he had been listening to WKCR since the 1970s and that WKCR has been an important part of his life. A couple of weeks later for my next Sound Stage show, I played some songs from the opera The Romance of the Rose by Kate Soper. Then, the same listener that I had spoke to before called in to suggest for me to check out a jazz opera by Carla Bley called Escalator over the Hill. He talked about how The New School Studio Orchestra & Vocal Ensemble had just done a performance of Bley’s Escalator over the Hill and to check out a video of the performance on YouTube. He also said that he had most likely first heard Escalator over the Hill on WKCR in the 70s. Near the end of the phone call, he told me that I was doing a good job of continuing WKCR’s legacy and tradition of supporting alternative music genres and musicians. I was very humbled by the compliment and enjoyed the conversations that I had with him. One of the best parts of being a programmer at WKCR is the cultural exchanges that we have with our listeners, whether through talking to them on the phone and/or through the sharing of diverse music on air.
Illustration of Charlie Parker by McCartney Garb
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... can you blame him?
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HOW TO DONATE TO WKCR IN 4 STEPS
BY MAIL
Step 1: Locate your nearest checkbook
Step 2: Indicate “WKCR” as payee and fill out as usual
Step 3: Mail check to CU Gift Systems, 622 West 113th Street, MC 4524, New York, NY 10025
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
ONLINE
Step 1: head to www.wkcr.org
Step 2: Click the yellow “DONATE TO WKCR” banner at the top of the page
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Just indicate your frequency preferences on the giving portal when prompted!
On Air 's editorial board is McCartney Garb, Ella Werstler, Jem Hanan, & Olivia Callanan
The editorial team for this issue was Charlie Kusiel King, CJ Gamble, & Maya Phillips
Special thanks to Ben Erdmann, Caroline Nieto, Courtney Eileen Fulcher, Emma Lacy, Francisco Javier Reyes, Mari De Los Reyes, McKenna Roberts, Noel Gomez, Rachel Smith, Ted Schmiedeler
