On Air March 2025

ON AIR

WKCR 89.9 FM

March 2025 Vol. xxiv, No. 3

On Air · March 2025

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WKCR 89.9 FM

Station Manager Casey Lamb stationmanager@wkcr.org Program Director Rachel Smith programming@wkcr.org Director of Operations Teddy Wyche operations@wkcr.org Student Life Director Sara Carson studentlife@wkcr.org Publicity Director Ella Presiado publicity@wkcr.org Business Manager Solène Millsap business@wkcr.org Jazz Directors

Emma Lacy & Hadassah Weinmartin

jazz@wkcr.org

New Music Director Vivien Sweet newmusic@wkcr.org Classical Director Melisa Nehrozoglu classical@wkcr.org American Director Stephen Dames american@wkcr.org In All Languages Director Jayin Sihm ial@wkcr.org Latin Director Natalie Najar latin@wkcr.org News & Arts Director Macy Hanzlik-Barend news@wkcr.org Sports Director Mason Lau sports@wkcr.org

2 On Air · March 2025

Dear Listeners, The month of March is upon us! Another wonderful year of March programming means our annual Ornette Coleman-Bix Beiderbecke back-to-back Birthday Broadcasts are here once again on March 9th and 10th.

As you’ll read about in former Station Manager Ted Schmiedeler’s Bix Beiderbecke feature this month, all of us at the station have grown to love the music of Bix Beiderbecke more than one can imagine especially after last year’s tremendous outpouring of support for the broadcast. I can assure all of you that the Beiderbecke broadcast this year will be particularly well staffed by students and alumni alike (even if it means staying during spring break!).

Observant readers may have noticed in the last paragraph that I referred to Ted as former Station Manager. After an extremely successful term, the last executive board has now been replaced by the new one!

Every February WKCR elects a new Executive Board, and it is my pleasure to be writing to you now as WKCR’s newest Station Manager. Thank you to our last Executive Board for all their wonderful work, and congratulations and good luck to our new Board.

We have a wonderful month of programming up ahead, not just Coleman-Beiderbecke but also another year of our wonderful Sarah Vaughan Birthday Broadcast (and her 101st birthday!). On deck we also have some great Sunday Profiles, interviews, and much more!

In this month’s On Air guide, read about our outgoing Classical and Latin Department Directors Melisa and Natalie in their exit interview, a great article from our Celtic Show programmer John Howley about Irish music, an article on Klezmer by Maya Resnick, and an album review from Early Music host Charlie King on the new Edinburgh Rollick Album.

Radio on, Casey Lamb Station Manager Cover art of Bix Beiderbecke by McCartney Garb.

Mailing Address

CONTACT US

2920 Broadway General Inquiries: board@wkcr.org New York, NY 10027 Listener Line: 212-854-9920 USA ©Copyright 2025 WKCR FM NYC

This Month On Air The Final Resting Place of Bix Beiderbecke . . . page 4

Meet a Member: Melisa & Natalie . . . page 7

Start with a Song . . . page 11

Weekly Schedule . . . page 14

Special Broadcasts & Themed Shows . . . page 16

Show Listings for WKCR Listeners . . . page 17

The People's Lullaby . . . page 20

Klezmer: From the Shtetl to the Subway . . . page 22

The Edinburgh Rollick: Album Review . . . page 24

Around the Station . . . page 26

WKCRossword: "BiXword" . . . page 28 On Air · March 2025

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FEATURE PIECE

The Final Resting Place Bix Beiderbecke

T

by Ted Schmiedeler

he brisk Midwest air fills my lungs as I step schedule right before I got the new job, outside the Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh with a which­—” single rose in my hand. It’s Thanksgiving, “Who cares?” but we’re not going to Grandma’s just yet. I get “Based on the emails I was getting, a lot of back into the minivan with my mom at my people.” heels; the rest of the family is waiting. My sister “Interesting.” cracks a smile and locks eyes with me as if to “So pretty much immediately after I got emphasize my the job we were ridiculousness. in crisis mode My brother trying to save this continues to broadcast. I didn’t lightly protest even know who what he sees Bix Beiderbecke as foolishness, was beforehand. exclaiming, “He Then he became has never met the most him!” to the important thing entire car while in my life for my other sister a week. Now, slumps back, I have a deep, admitting defeat. almost spiritual, This detour connection to is happening him.” whether they like “With a cornet it or not. Earbuds "Offerings" left by Ted Schmiedeler at the gravesite of Bix Beiderbecke in player around in Davenport, Iowa. Photo courtesy of Ted Schmiedeler. the 20s?” back in. “Ostrich Walk” slides “...Yes.” through the queue and into my ears, and I let it Finally, explanations no more! Left we turn, wash over me. and left again. I roll down the window and am Since March I have been explaining myself greeted with the only two words in the world I to the uninitiated: want to read: “Bix’s Gravesite.” Two hours from “So, there's this cornet player that was born Chicago, Illinois and three hours from Waverly, in 1903.”

Iowa sits the Oakdale Memorial Gardens “Uh-huh.”

Cemetery in Davenport, Iowa—my destination “And WKCR does a birthday broadcast for for the next 15 minutes. him every year.”

Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke was born “Okay…” on March 10, 1903, in Davenport, and picked “And last year it was removed from the up music at a young age. He started as a pianist

4 On Air · March 2025

but later found love for the cornet, teaching himself by listening to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band records he found on his brother’s Victrola phonograph. During his teenage years, he was sent to Lake Forest Academy, about 30 miles north of Chicago, where he was exposed to the Chicago jazz scene. In 1923, after getting kicked out of school, he joined the Wolverines, a Chicago-based hot jazz septet, and launched his performing career. Throughout his life, Bix played with other stand-out musicians, including the Jean Goldkette’s Victor Recording Orchestra, Paul Whiteman’s Marker at Oakdale Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Ted Orchestra, and legendary performers Schmiedeler. like Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.

Today, Bix is known as one of the most important programs, and their annual weekend-long jazz cornet players in jazz history and an influential festival, transferring the music and spirit of Bix to future generations. When asked about innovator in the genre’s early record.

I could not have told you any of this before what Bix means to Davenport, Hal Smith of the March of last year. I joined WKCR as a New Bix Beiderbecke Society wrote in a comment Music programmer and, upon being licensed, to WKCR: “Bix’s musical accomplishments gradually began building my jazz repertoire. cemented Davenport’s ties to the world of jazz.

Over the past three years, I have learned a Even while he was alive, Bix was considered lot about the station, radio, music, and jazz. to be both a ‘favorite son’ and a ‘distinguished However, though my love for WKCR is as resident’ of his hometown.” Smith also stressed endless as the surface area of a fractal and could the importance of bringing Bix to life through be numbered only by counting points of color performance: “When an audience—especially on a Seurat painting, I never pushed myself young listeners—hears Bix’s music played live, to learn about Bix. Ellington’s swing grabbed in an authentic style, the performances are me. Holiday’s voice soothed me. Mingus's bass always enthusiastically received. Hopefully, reverberated in my soul. Charlie Parker seeped the live music will encourage the listeners to into my brain through Schaapian osmosis. seek out Bix’s original recordings for further Heck, the Sun Ra Arkestra is still performing enjoyment.” Jim Petersen, also on the Board (under the leadership of the great Marshall of the Bix Beiderbecke Society, stressed the Allen)! Remnants of these greats surround us. importance of the museum itself, writing “The The Ellington stands tall right next to Smoke ‘physical space’ of the Bix museum is important Jazz Club. Billie Holiday records can be found in to the Bix story. People who haven't been fans just about every used record store in America. of Bix are impressed with the fact that only Bix, Louis Armstrong, and Glenn Miller have their But Bix, O my Bix, where are you?

One answer is Davenport, Iowa. A stone’s own museums. Bix's life story is told through throw from the Mississippi River sits the Bix a timeline and with artifacts of his and his Beiderbecke Museum and Archive, run by The contemporaries.” As a caring steward of Bix’s Bix Beiderbecke Society. The Society takes memory, the Bix Beiderbecke Society displays great care of Bix’s historical legacy through the the profound importance of maintaining Bix's preservation of his museum, jazz education legacy in an intentional, active way. In Chicago,

On Air · March 2025

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nobody I spoke with had ever heard of Bix. Even every coming generation. About the importance after my emphatic rant, nobody really seemed of keeping Bix alive, Hal Smith writes: “Older to care. But in Davenport, for the dedicated, Bix musicians have much to share with younger is their lifeblood. generations: stories of interactions with jazz However, Davenport is not the only place pioneers, historical research, and instrumental keeping Bix’s legacy alive. Bix Beiderbecke is techniques from an earlier time.” We lose those exactly the type of musician you should expect to valuable stories in a world devoid of human hear on WKCR: obscure and overlooked despite curation. In our digital world, Bix needs WKCR, being massively influential. WKCR has honored Bix needs the Bix Beiderbecke Society, and Bix for over 50 years with an annual birthday Bix needs you, dear listener. Human curation broadcast and his music can be frequently keeps the musicians we love from getting lost heard on our regular jazz shows. WKCR stands in a saturated world. We, as a disparate musicas a bastion against the grain of a shifting loving community, have a responsibility to keep music industry. The Internet and streaming innovative and historic art—and by extension, services have led to a flood of new music being Bix—from disintegrating due to the passage of created and published; content is outpacing time and, increasingly, due to the machinations consumption at a rate never seen before. How of the algorithm. can you even find music these days?

And so here I am. My heart races as I direct When there is too much content, curation my dad to drive the minivan into an empty becomes important, but streaming services are poor curators when left to their own devices. Generated playlists and algorithmically based recommendations provide a technical solution to a human problem, through which innovation and historical greats can get left behind. After all, why would an app disrupt your comfortable listening with something potentially offputting? If you're a happy consumer, what’s the incentive to push your boundaries?

There are none. This is precisely why human curation is so vital. Bix pushed my boundaries. Actually, WKCR pushed my boundaries—through Bix. The algorithm does not care about Bix. The algorithm does not care that he learned to play the piano at age three, or that he performs a great extended improvisational solo on “Singin’ the Blues.” The algorithm only cares that he is part of “early jazz,” so they can slot him onto generated “early jazz” playlists to keep users consuming. WKCR does care about Bix. We care that he played some great sessions with Frankie Trumbauer, and that his cornet style influenced generations to come. The Bix Beiderbecke Society cares about Bix. They make sure his legacy and Ted Schmiedeler at the gravesite of Bix Beiderbecke in Davenport, the joy of his music can reach the ears of Iowa. Photo courtesy of Ted Schmiedeler.

6 On Air · March 2025

The note left at Bix's grave. Photo courtesy of Ted Schmiedeler.

cemetery in Iowa. Earbuds out. Door open.

Searching… searching… searching… there!

Bix! His final resting place lies right before my very eyes. Over the previous eight months, for me, Bix grew from an unknown figure into a cherished musician, and eventually became a manifestation of the values I hold dear. When I hear his music, I no longer just hear a full orchestra led by a radiant cornet. I am reminded of the importance of human curation, the value of playing music pushed aside in today’s landscape, the importance of history, and the passionate listeners who stand against the grain of algorithmically-driven music.

I drop to my knees and brush away the cluttered leaves that have accumulated next to the headstone. Coins left by fellow travelers are piled high atop his engraved name. Clearly, I am not the first to make this pilgrimage. With care, I place my offerings at this altar of early jazz: a single rose, two WKCR buttons, and a handwritten note. They’re humble offerings, to

be certain, but selected with deep love. My dad snaps my photo. My siblings’ laughter tumbles out from the rolled-down windows of the car as they take a photo of me getting my photo taken.

This is meaningless to them. Bix is nobody. Ted is a bit crazy. If we have to sit through this, we might as well get a kick out of it.

To be fair, I do recognize the absurdity of the situation: a 21-year-old college junior sidetracking his family’s Thanksgiving plans to visit the grave of a long-dead cornet player. But Bix has become more to me—a metonymy for human curation and my outlook on life. I feel united in something greater, something shared by friends back in New York and strangers here in Davenport. The smile that that connection puts on my face is enough for me to ignore my siblings. I take a long look at the headstone. A tear nearly rolls down from my eye. My heart races. I want to shout! I am here! Bix is here!

For a moment, the whole world is left behind.

All my problems wash off my back. Then my mom calls me back to the car and I’m snapped from my trance. There we were, Bix and Ted in Davenport, Iowa, if just for a moment, one sweet moment, and that is enough for me.

T

he following note was left by the author at Bix’s grave:

“Dear Bix, Sending love from WCKR-FM in New York City.

We are eternally grateful for the beauty of your cornet, the radiance of your smile, and the grace of your music. May ‘The Jewel of Davenport’ sparkle for the whole world to see for centuries to come!

Love, Ted Schmiedeler”

WKCR will celebrate Bix Beiderbecke with our annual 24 hour birthday broadcast on March 10th, 2025. Tune in!

On Air · March 2025

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MEET A MEMBER

Melisa and Natalie Forever: An Interview

M

by Ella Presiado

elisa Nehrozoglu and Natalie Najar are two pillars of the WKCR community. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down (on the floor of Natalie’s dorm room) and talk about their time at WKCR and their friendship. Their love and care for each other as well as for WKCR was made clear in every answer they gave.

H

ello!

M: Thank you for having us!

Can you guys introduce yourselves and describe your involvement in WKCR? M: I am currently the Classical [Department] head at WKCR. I previously held the position as a sophomore in 2023, but then I went abroad and Anika held the position. But now I’m back before I graduate!

N: I’m the Latin [Department] head. I was also a part of protest coverage as a photojournalist last spring, and I do occasional concert reviews on the On Air guide.

I’m interviewing you guys together—you are kind of a known pair at WKCR. How has being a part of WKCR together impacted your friendship?

M: I feel like it has brought our circles closer together and made hanging out easier. Before Natalie joined WKCR, when they were abroad, it felt like I had made these new friends that I wanted to introduce to Natalie. Natalie joining made sense; we could do the same things together. It brought us closer.

Do you have a favorite memory of you two

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together at WKCR? M: I have a lot. What comes to mind is kicking off the hip hop festival in 2023. That was so much fun! We were happy, the music was great, everyone was cracking jokes. It was perfect being there together and having fun. And the Mariachis!

N: For me it was that first time Melisa took me to the station. I was like, “My friend knows about this cool place, I have friends on the inside!” I remember feeling so cool, and our walk back home was so fun. I had basically shadowed her and really enjoyed my time at the station.

I would also say having Mariachi Leones de Columbia [on Live Constructions], having my friends there to support me, and wearing the traditional Mexican garb together.

Can you share a bit about the Mariachi event?

It was one of your bigger projects as Latin Head.

N: Yes, I met the Mariachi band [Mariachi Leones] the previous semester. I had been wanting to have them on Live Constructions—I was asking again and again, and finally the scheduling worked out. It was the biggest band we had ever had: there were thirteen band members, a full house. It was the first time we had ever had something like that.

For you, Natalie, a big reason you joined was because Melisa had become quite involved at the station. Melisa, what motivated you to become a part of WKCR? M: I had known about WKCR when I applied to Barnard. The last half of high school I had really wanted to work in media, but I also knew I wanted to go to a liberal arts college.

Melisa Nehrozoglu and Natalie Najar. Portrait by McCartney Garb.

On Air · March 2025

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So I was excited that Columbia had the option to explore this through WCKR. I had wanted to join for a while, but I was really nervous. I guess I wanted to explore broadcasting, and in high school I had been increasing my “music literacy.” I thought WKCR would be a place to explore that. It just looked cool! I feel like that’s what we always say. It honestly shocked me that it took the recent protest coverage to make WKCR more known [around campus]. It almost felt lame to bring it up before.

Do you remember the first show you ever programmed?

N: Mine was Nueva Canción. I played Victor Jara.

M: Oh, my turn! Mine was the Loretta Lynn Memorial Broadcast in October 2022. I was supposed to do a classical show right after I got licensed, but I was afraid to come across as chicken if I didn’t step up. Special broadcasts are sometimes the best shows to start off with because all of the records are taken out of the library. It was good, but I was so nervous. I think back to my first show and wonder how I even did it!

N: You were brave! I had Melisa come and help me for my first show!

M: No, I thought you were brave!

Do you guys have a favorite show?

N: Yes! Afternoon New Music, even though it’s not my department. It pushes me to go into the library and find crazy-looking covers.

Sometimes it’ll just be noise. But, it’s Afternoon New Music, so listeners expect that.

M: I honestly relate to that. My instinct is not to say a classical show, although I’ve had some beautiful moments playing symphonies on air and thinking, “Wow, this is so beautiful!” I’ve had the most fun doing special broadcasts.

That’s not a recurring show, though. In terms of regular shows, I would say Middle Eastern Influences. I always play some guitar-driven Anatolian rock. It’s late at night, you’re hearing the guitar and some beautiful singing, the people for Offbeat come after you. It’s a nice setting and a fun type of exploration. The best

10 On Air · March 2025

shows to do are ones where you can program something you are really interested in and explore it further.

What changes have you noticed about WKCR during your time here?

M: Girl Power!

N: Yes! There are so many more Barnard people here now, it’s such a delight!

M: It’s become more established. People are bouncing around new ideas for the station’s future while also keeping the traditions that we value. It’s nice to see ideas that reflect the new people who are there and in charge. Our personalities come through in what we do. It’s becoming more colorful!

What will you miss most about WKCR? N: The community! The station has become my third space. Having that, I love it. If I don’t want to be at school, work, or my room I can go to MOO and one of my friends will likely be there.

M: I know! Every time I have a good time at WKCR now, it reminds me of how this specific life I’m living now is temporary. I’m living in the present, but I think, “I love this moment so much, but I’ll never get it again.” I won’t be able to have the experience of living and breathing it. The alum experience will be good, but there will be a slight distance. I will miss the ability to really care about it in this way and indulge in curiosity in this way Any closing thoughts?

N: Radio forever! Melisa and Natalie forever!

Melisa is the Classical Department Director and regular host of Cereal Music, 9:30 am12 pm. Natalie is the Latin Department Director and regular host of Urbano Latinx, Tuesdays 12-1 am. Be sure to tune in!

IN ALL LANGUAGES

Start With A Song: The First Step to Learning Irish

by John R. Howley

I

rish is a hard language for an English speaker steady baritone, we sang in Irish of the Mad to learn. The grammar has a preposition- Puck Goat, a fisherman courting his wife, based syntax different from Germanic persistent matchmakers, and Irish seaweed. languages. Daily speech is idiomatic and We recited the lavish food at Dónal and Mórag’s relies on phrases foreign to American English. wedding and lamented about the difficult life Pronunciation varies greatly depending on the of a married fisherman. Though we could not region. Though many eager Irish Americans try speak Irish fluently, we could sing it. to learn the language, This musical the feat is sometimes relationship with too daunting. As Irish is shared by an American Irish many Americans. speaker myself — I once met a one who spends New Yorker at a considerable time Brooklyn seisúin ceol using the language (traditional music — I am still daunted. session) who sang a I often misuse beautiful “Ar Éirinn prepositions, ní Neosfainn Cé misquote seanfhocail Hí” but didn’t speak (Irish sayings), and a word of Irish. misunderstand my During a Pop-Up fellow Gaeilgeoirí Gaeltacht (gathering (Irish speakers).

Logo for Pop-Up Gaeltacht. Image via Wikimedia Commons. of Irish speakers) in However, I never the Bronx, an older fumble Irish in song. gentleman spoke little but perfectly delivered For the first months of my learning Irish, the verses of his mother’s favorite lullaby. At the only words I could string together were my own family Thanksgiving, where I sang “Mo verses. My musical fluency is thanks to Pádraig Ghile Mear” accompanied by my father on a tin Ó Cearúill, a Gweedore native and New York whistle, my Bostonian family harmonized with University’s long-time Irish teacher. In 2023, I me during the 18th-century chorus. From my enrolled in his elementary course through NYU Boston clan to NYU’s Irish language beginners, and Columbia’s language exchange program. music offers a vessel for the Irish language to For the first half of his class, my peers and I exist among non-speakers. Pádraig understood offered greetings and polite inquiries in Irish: this and gave his students the opportunity to we spoke of each other’s days, the weather, wield the language before they could speak our homes. Sometimes Pádraig even taught us fluently, allowing his mentees to feel less grammar. During the second portion of class, intimidated by the difficult prospect of Irish equipped with lyric translations and Pádraig’s mastery.

On Air · March 2025 11

A group of Gaeilgeoirí meeting up as part of GAELTACHT NYC, a community that gathers to speak Irish together in the city, founded by John R. Howley. John is on the far left in the white cable-knit sweater.

Photo via johnrhowley.com/gaeltacht-nyc.

With Níl Na La, my Irish radio show at WKCR, I take a page from Pádraig’s book.

If you tune in during the very first hour of every new week, you know that I only speak and play music in Irish. I typically cue slower traditional tunes, catered to those drifting off to their midnight sleep. To date, and despite my on-air pleas, no Gaeilgeoir has ever called in to identify themselves. It is unlikely that anyone understands what I’m playing or what I’m saying. And yet, like Pádraig, I try to offer a space for the non-speaker to musically welcome Irish into their lives, even if they don’t have any experience with the language.

Some listeners in the radio abyss are receptive. I once had a caller request “Óró Mo Bháidín.” He could only ask for the song by

12 On Air · March 2025

humming it, and he had no clue what it meant, but he said that it always lulled him to sleep.

I now play the song often. In an instance of extreme coincidence, I mentioned my radio show to an actress with whom I was acting in a play. Her face lifted into a smile, and she informed me that an EMT friend of hers listened to a radio show in Irish every Monday morning while on duty. As if there were any question, she later confirmed that he tuned in to my show on WKCR. According to the EMT, he listened from his ambulance because it soothed him during shifts. Even those who cannot sing in Irish can enjoy it through song.

For an endangered language like Irish, music is a powerful weapon against obscurement, a form of communication that transcends

grammatical comprehension and expands the language’s impact. Níl Na La is not just an hour of trad tunes, it is also a modest attempt at diasporic Irish revival. The show seeks to incorporate Irish into the lives of those who would otherwise not listen, to engage the Irish diaspora—and those beyond it—with the beauty of a tongue once prominent in New York City.

As with any linguistic revival, exposure is not enough—people must actually learn the language. Luckily, as Pádraig taught me and my peers at NYU, Irish music is a wonderful educator. In Pádraig’s class, the music we sang informed our habitual use of the language. For instance, in my first months studying Irish, I was confused about how to say “I love you.” It was one of the first phrases that I wanted to employ with my family but, in Irish, there was no direct translation that followed my English grammatical understanding. While learning “Casadh an tSúgain,” with Pádraig, I stumbled across a lyric that captured the feeling of love: “má bhíonn tú liom,‘s gur liom gach órlach de do chroí,” which translates to “if you’re with me, every inch of your heart is with me.” I adapted and modified the phrase for everyday life, and now employ “tá gach orlach de mo chroí agat” (“every inch of my heart is at you”) at the end of conversations with my loved ones. To this day, it’s the only phrase I use.

My classmates all share similar experiences, often relying on flowery song lyrics in lieu of everyday translations. Irish music can help make a beginner into a speaker.

So if you, like me and many eager Irish Americans, find yourself compelled to learn or just enjoy the Irish language, take Pádraig’s advice: start with music. Begin with a guitar instead of a grammar book, a pub’s trad session instead of a classroom, a song instead of a lesson. Pick your favorite tune and learn to sing it to a loved one or hum it on your way to work. Find a few phrases in the song and weave them into your everyday life. Before you know it, you’ll be taking place in a modern Irish revival. Eventually, if you want to speak in conversation, you’ll need to memorize the irregular verbs, internalize that a name is at

you but a feeling is on you, and toil over noun genders. However, I can assure you, it is much easier learning to speak a language that you already sing.

12:00 A.M. Monday mornings on WKCR is a good place to start.

John R. Howley is the Bunaitheoir & Uachtarán [Founder & President] of GAELTACHT NYC, a community bringing Irish speakers in New York City together.

He hosts Níl Na La (The Celtic Show) on WKCR every Monday 12-1am (Sunday nights). Previously, he was one of the co-hosts of WKCR's radio drama show SoundStage. Tune in to say hello—or, better yet, "Dia duit!"

Solution to WKCRossword from the February 2025 issue: "Odd Couples" by Ale Díaz-Pizarro

On Air · March 2025 13

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

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNE

Jazz ‘til Dawn (cont’d)

Daybreak

Field Trip

8:00 am 9:00 am

Amazing Grace

Monday Morningside

Bird F

10:00 am 11:00 am

Cereal Music

The Moonshine Show

12:00 pm 1:00 pm The Tennessee Border Show

Out to Lunch

2:00 pm

Sin Fro

3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm

Sunday Profiles

Afternoon New Music

6:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm

Jazz Alte

Raag Aur Taal

9:00 pm 10:00 pm 11:00 pm 12:00 am 1:00 am 2:00 am

News + Arts Programming Live Constructions Back in the USSR The Celtic Show

Urbano Latinx

Honky Tonkin’

Nueva C

Tuesday’s Just as Bad

Som do

Night Train

Transfigur

Coordinated Universal Time

3:00 am 4:00 am

Caribe Latino

Phil Lives

14 On Air · March 2025

Transfigured Night

ESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Transfigured Night (cont’d)

k Express

Sounds of Asia

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

Flight

9:00 am

Now's The Time Eastern Standard Time Early Music

10:00 am 11:00 am 12:00 pm

Across 110th Street

Out to Lunch

onteras

2:00 pm

Something Inside of Me

Bach Hour

Canción

o Brasil

red Night

Hobo’s Lullaby

Middle Eastern Influences

Sonidos Colombianos

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

The Mambo Machine

Transfigured Night

8:00 pm

10:00 pm

Notes From Underground Offbeat

7:00 pm

9:00 pm

Workaround The African Show

5:00 pm 6:00 pm

Traditions in Swing

ernatives

3:00 pm 4:00 pm

Afternoon Classical

Extended Technique

1:00 pm

El Sonido de la Calle

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

Jazz ‘til Dawn

On Air · March 2025 15

Special Broadcasts SPECIAL BROADCASTS

Ornette Coleman

Sunday, March 9th, all day

Immediately following the Bix Beiderbecke Birthday Broadcast is a celebration of Ornette Coleman, one of jazz’s great innovators and a pioneer of “free jazz.” His early albums mark a turning point in the history and sound of jazz, but he did not stop there. It is our distinct pleasure to celebrate his contributions to music and to improvisation here on WKCR. On no other radio station would you hear Bix Beiderbecke and Ornette Coleman back-toback.

Bix Beiderbecke

Monday, March 10th, all day

Join us for one of WKCR’s most beloved birthday broadcasts: 24 hours of the Jewel of Davenport, Bix Beiderbecke. One of the most influential soloists of the 1920s, Bix embodied the spirit of the Jazz Age with his pure style, gift for improvisation, and inventive compositions.

This special broadcast is one of our oldest traditions: at the suggestion of the late Phil Schaap, WKCR has been celebrating Bix’s birthday for over 50 years.

Sarah Vaughan

Thursday, March 27th, all day

Legendary jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan was born 101 years ago. Along with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, Vaughan brought the art of jazz singing into the forefront. She was proud of the two monikers bestowed upon her—“Sassy” and “The Divine One"—that spoke to her distinct style, impressive range, and vocal flexibility. From “Whatever Lola Wants” to “Misty,” listeners will be captivated by the charm of sassy Sarah Vaughan.

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THEMED SHOWS

SUNDAY PROFILES Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM

Thomas Bangalter

March 2nd, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Charlie Kusiel King

Thomas Bangalter is a pioneer of dance music across genres, from classic house hits to ballet. Emerging in the French Touch movement of the late 1990s, he performed as a member of Daft Punk, Together, and Stardust, founded the electronic music label Roulé, and today continues to compose both for film and the stage. Join host Charlie Kusiel King as we explore some of Bangalter’s most exciting work, including Trax on da Rocks, Discovery, Irréversible, Alive 2007, Mythologies and Chiroptera.

TBD

March 16th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Sid Gribetz

Miriam Makeba

March 23rd, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: TBD

This broadcast will honor Zenzile Miriam Makeba, also known as “Mama Africa.” Makeba performed all over the world, playing everything from mbube to African jazz to Afropop and singing in several languages including English and Xhosa. She had a distinct, dynamic voice, an influential style, and an unwavering devotion to justice, equity, and the end of apartheid.

She was a symbol of and a voice for resistance against oppression. We will dive into Makeba’s varied discography, which consists of over fifty releases.

Hazel Scott

March 30th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Helena Theis

This Sunday Profile celebrates the legacy of pianist and civil rights activist Hazel Scott. Interviews with Prof. Cornel West will contextualize Hazel Scott in the years of the Harlem Renaissance. We will listen to the sounds of Café Society, the first integrated nightclub in New York City where Hazel Scott became popular.

Adam Clayton Powell III, son of Hazel Scott, and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. will join us to discuss Scott’s legacy and impact. Pianist Michelle Cann will demonstrate and explain the specifics and technical difficulties of Scott’s arrangements. From her piano performances to her stand against racial injustice, Scott broke barriers in music, film, and television—we will listen and discover how.

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

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LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS Night Train, Wed. 1-5am All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts.

Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.

Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s.

Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles.

Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day.

From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby.

Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration.

Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition.

The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through * indicates show was created after January 2022

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the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today.

The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.

LATIN Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program.

Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more.

Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition.

Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods.

Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil.

Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.

LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix.

El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.

IN ALL LANGUAGES The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms.

Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America.

Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves.

The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa.

Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia.

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

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!

SUNDAY PROFILES 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.

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.

* indicates show was created after January 2022

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AMERICAN

The People’s Lullaby

by Joan Park

E

very Saturday from 4 to 6 pm, listeners can tune into WKCR’s Hobo’s Lullaby, a show centering on the folk revival of the 60s and 70s alongside its contemporary counterparts.

Though I had been a habitual listener of the show since my first year at the station, I had never had the opportunity to program it myself. So, when I heard of a lastminute opening on February 1st, 2025, I seized the chance and got to curating my playlist.

After the titular “Hobo’s Lullaby,” as performed by Pete Seeger, I dove into the misty “Chimacum Rain”

by Linda Perhacs and the intimate and complex writings of Buck Meek. I was around five songs deep into Nick Drake’s catalog when the phone lit up. I always found it a little nerve-racking to converse with listeners—maybe I was taking too many liberties with my program, or had hit the wrong button and everyone was listening to dead air.

Nevertheless, I answered the call and was pleasantly greeted by Don,1 a longtime listener of the station and the show.

My conversation with Burt was filled to the brim with humanity as we began reflecting on the revolutionary roles taken up by folk artists and the staying power of protest music. He had originally called to put in a request for “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los 1. Name changed to preserve anonymity.

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Portrait of Joan Baez by McCartney Garb.

Gatos),” written by Woody Guthrie in 1948.

Guthrie wrote “Deportee” as a poem, following the 1948 crash at Los Gatos, CA of a DC-3 plane carrying 32 passengers, none of whom survived.

Most of these passengers were Mexican farm laborers who were being flown to a deportation

center in El Centro, CA. In the aftermath of the tragedy, the victims were largely unnamed, referred to only as “deportees” in headlines, until their names were finally honored at their place of rest in 2013, more than 60 years after the tragedy.2 This poem was then put to music and melody by Martin Hoffman and popularized by an array of artists, including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and Pete Seeger.

I was struck by how utterly tangible the song felt almost ninety years after its composition, especially in the following weeks after I played it on the show. On February 18th, 2025, the official White House Instagram account posted a video with the caption “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.”3 This 30-second video was a montage of the sights and sounds that people would be subjected to while being forcibly taken from their homes. Apparently, the clinking of metal chains and handcuffs warranted a disturbing audiovisual attempt at turning deportation into a tasteless marketing scheme. Seeing that video took me back to my earnest conversation with Don, and to reflecting on the necessity of protest music like “Deportee.”

Folk music, and specifically protest music, is rooted in the people and the sounds of unrest. Today, it may reverberate through our new phones and streaming platforms, but its place in history persists among the Civil Rights Movement, Anti-War protests, and the pursuit of liberation. We continue to engage with these songs and, at times, they seem to take the words right out of our mouths.

While it boasts iterations unique to various cultures, such as the nueva canción movement in 70s Latin America, protest music is a genre that poses a united front on a global scale.

Under the military dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines, songs on the 2. Chris Mahin, “Jan. 28, 1948: Plane Wreck at Los Gatos,”

Zinn Education Project, January 28, 2023, https://www. zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/plane-wreck-at-los-gatos/.

3. “The White House on Instagram: ‘#ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight,’” Instagram, accessed February 18, 2025, https://www.instagram.com/ re el / D G O cl Sl xO ev/ ? u t m _s ou rc e = i g _web_c opy_ link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

revolutionary album Bangon! (Arise!): Songs of the Philippine National Democratic Struggle were cautiously circulated in the decade following the declaration of martial law in 1972.4 The apartheid struggle in South Africa reintroduced traditional hymns such as “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” (“God Bless Africa”), a song written in Xhosa by Enoch Sontonga in 1897 that acted as one of the musical pillars of the movement, becoming the country’s national anthem in 1997.5 In 2019, citizens of Hong Kong congregated in Science Park to collectively sing the now-banned “Glory to Hong Kong” during anti-extradition protests.6 And just last year on the lawns behind the WKCR station, students protested Columbia University’s complacency in the genocide of Palestinians as they sang the words, “Where you go I will go, my friend/ Where you go I will go.”7 Guthrie wrote his poem in ‘48, and the words ring just as clearly now as they did then. I feel a sense of gratitude for the fact that songs like “Deportee” have been preserved, but also a deep disappointment in the cyclicality of these struggles. But that is exactly why we need these sonic archives from various social movements, in the hopes that having them in our reach will bolster the voices both in our immediate communities and halfway around the world.

The origins of folk and protest music do not exist in a vacuum or within a certain time frame—they have an inextricable tie to people, their beliefs, and a sense of humanity that stretches beyond the self.

4. Folkways, “Catalog,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, accessed February 25, 2025, https:// folkways.si.edu/philippines-bangon-arise/historicalsong-struggle-protest-world/music/album/smithsonian.

5. Ibid.

6. Robyn Dixon and Marcus Yam, “‘Glory to Hong Kong’: A New Protest Anthem Moves Singers to Tears,” Los Angeles Times, September 13, 2019, https://www.latimes. com/world-nation/story/2019-09-13/glory-to-hong-konga-new-protest-anthem-moves-singers-to-tears.

7. WKCR-FM. "West Lawn Encampment Protest Concert" SoundCloud audio, April 28, 2024. https:// soundcloud.com/wkcr/west-lawn-encampment-protest-concert?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing.

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IN ALL LANGUAGES

Klezmer: From the Shtetl to the Subway

H

by Maya Resnick

alf a millennium ago, folk, dance, and soul music were coalesced by Eastern European Jews. Dramatic, sweet, and narrative, this Frankenstein genre came to be known as Klezmer music. Since then, Yiddish artists have bumped out centuries of hits in various forms: theater, swing, folk, and the wordless melodies of Hasidic nigunim. Klezmer is unmistakably soulful and exuberant, both reminiscent of jazz and of Middle Eastern melodies. The clarinet characteristically leads the melody in a wailing glissando, sliding throatily between notes.

Being a deeply instrumental genre, Klezmer usually incorporates a more delicate voice from the violin, or a lively accordion timbre.

Notably, the genre inspires interaction from non-performers, both in the act of singing along as well as dancing to the frenzied tempo.

Klezmer’s role transcends sonic satisfaction: at its core generally lies a political, religious, or confessional statement. Songs cover celebratory topics, such as the quest to find one's beloved or the indivisible brotherhood of socialism. This instrument-heavy genre has taken inspiration from its geographical neighbors—Ottoman music and Slavic folk dances—well into its Americanization in the early 20th century. In the wake of the Holocaust, Ashkenazi Jews struggled to keep their culture alive, but the music persisted. Because Klezmer music was so integral in Jewish events, such as weddings and holiday celebrations, it was an inseparable aspect of European Jewish life, one that naturally transferred over as these communities immigrated to the United States.

Second-generation American artists were masters of Klezmer, such as Max Epstein, Sid

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Beckerman, and Ray Musiker, predecessors to the likes of Dave Tarras and Naftule Brandwein.

Klezmer found its way not only into JewishAmerican homes, but also into theaters, dance halls, and radio broadcasts.

Though some may consider Yiddish a dying language, the art of Klezmer is thriving in its heartland, New York City. One organization has held itself responsible for passing the torch since 1909—“since before,” according to one of its organizers, “the New York subway system was running.” The Workers Circle (formerly the Workmen’s Circle) is a non-profit centered around Klezmer music, Yiddish language learning, and social justice activism, whose mission has been a lifeboat for Ashkenazi heritage. Much of the New York Klezmer scene is deeply politically progressive, and the Workers Circle reflects these values to a tee. What is it about a clarinet, a violin, and an accordion accompanying the deep bellowing voice of a bearded man that is particularly oriented toward social justice?

On February 6th, 2025, the Circle held a Yiddish singalong for Columbia students, during which a few dozen (mostly non-Yiddishspeaking) students sang along to transliterated lyrics about a man asking riddles to find a wise woman for his wife, a couple named Abraham and Rivky who couldn’t resist each other’s lips, and workers’ shared devotion to the working class ideal. We opened with the famous song “Tum Balalaika,” which, like many other Yiddish tunes, is a fast-paced waltz that inspires its listeners to (at the very least) tap their feet to the swift triple. Those leading the circle read the lyrics, and we replied in song from our foldable chairs and mismatched couches.

During that hour, we ascended into a no man’s Metropolitan Klezmer in the Leonard Nimoy land somewhere between Morningside Heights Thalia Theater at Symphony Space. Klezmer and the shtetls in the Pale of Settlement. made Jewish culture accessible, fun, and After the singalong, I spoke to Francesca socially productive for Seders Hoffman, as Rubinson, the Senior Social Justice Organizer well as for many of its loving listeners. As she at the Worker’s Circle, who “grew up singing reminded me, venerated Jewish folk singer and in Hebrew and English, but never in Yiddish.” actor Theodore Bikel once said: “I sing Jewish Singing in Yiddish offers neutrality from the songs not because they’re better than the exilic implications songs of my neighbor. of singing Jewish I sing them because tunes in English, as they’re mine. And well as space from unless I sing them, the political and that part of the culture religious significance will vanish and that of singing in Hebrew. wonderful meadow of Most importantly, proliferating flowers, it allows Ashkenazi with a profusion of Jews to feel pride in flowers, will have a collective identity the Jewish flower that transcends the missing.” shared trauma of the Nothing inherent Holocaust. Bringing in Klezmer music is back Klezmer music unique. If anything, as a linchpin of it’s uniquely a medley Ashkenazi society of Eastern European offers Jews a chance folk, Ottoman dance to be united not in music, and Balkan prayer or politics clarinet styling, for or even grief, but in instance.

However, the memory of song. it tells a story of And for those who resilience, endurance, were participating and inheritance. without Ashkenazi or “These songs are Dylan Seders Hoffman. Image via dylanseders.com.

Jewish backgrounds, it mine, they’re yours, offered a window into the past and a reason to they are our yerushe, our inheritance,” said dance.

Seders Hoffman. “As a Jewish artist, I believe I Yiddish singer Dylan Seders Hoffman is have a particular responsibility to use my art to proud of how accessible Klezmer has become help continue to breathe new life into this rich to all those interested in hearing the soulful, part of our culture and pass it down to the next lively, often comical tunes. “There are regular generation.”

Klezmer concerts held all over the city, many at Barbès in Brooklyn and at the Hudson Yards Synagogue through the New York Klezmer Maya Resnick is an editor for On Air Series. There’s also an annual festival every Guide studying Middle Eastern Studies December called Yiddish New York,” she and Psychology. She is in the process of explained. Notably, this month there is both becoming licensed to program, so keep your a “Yiddish Tangos and Klezmer Mambos” ears peeled for her shows! event at Carnegie Hall and a performance by

On Air · March 2025 23

CLASSICAL

T

Album Review: The Edinburgh Rollick

by Charlie Kusiel King

he forthcoming sophomore album of the New York City-based early music ensemble Ruckus, is a collaboration with solo violinist Keir GoGwilt that brings a fresh and exciting look to the roots of Scottish dance music. The Edinburgh Rollick celebrates the work of Niel Gow (17271807), the legendary Perthshire fiddler, presented now in new arrangements by the musicians.

Recorded in 2024 alongside premiere performances of these arrangements in Massachusetts and New York, Ruckus and GoGwilt form a virtuosic ensemble that perfectly captures dance’s infectious spirit.

Across the eleven tracks on The Edinburgh Rollick, the group presents a variety of sets and pieces from Gow’s collections, published in 1784 and 1788. When listened to in full, it recreates for the listener a thrilling evening in the dance hall. In “The Jenny Sutton Set,” the album begins with a melodic line played by GoGwilt over the drone of bass by Douglas Balliett, who forms much of the musical bedrock through the record. This ascends into an upbeat tune and continues by seamlessly moving between rhythmic motifs of varying tempos, for the

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first time exemplifying a skillful, precise sequence of tension and release that pervades the entire album. Second is “The Forrest Set,” which begins in a more bittersweet tone led

by GoGwilt, at once presenting the impressive range of the ensemble. Elliot Figg, playing the harpsichord, leads the group again into a confident and fastpaced dance, which then concludes the introductory tracks of the album.

The two slower pieces which follow offer the listener a chance to catch their breath after the excitement.

“Lord Gregory” sees the first of two appearances by vocalist Fiona Gillespie, a specialist in Celtic music and a standout performer of The Edinburgh Rollick. Perfectly complimenting GoGwilt’s delicate playing, the two pass a poignant melody between each other over a sturdy foundation in the low register by Ruckus. Next is “Mr. Morthand’s Favorite,” another piece that features a lilt in the violin alongside careful support from the ensemble, in particular the steady theorbo playing of Paul Holmes Morton, also the guitarist of the group.

A countermelody is performed by baroque bassoonist Clay Zeller-Townson, whose sound

has an arresting—though subtle—vocal quality.

“The Lord Macdonald Set” launches the album back into another irresistible, highintensity dance, once again exemplifying GoGwilt’s absolute command of the violin as he leads Ruckus between complex, mindbogglingly tight rhythmic changes. Ruckus themselves are not to be understated, either, as they provide the necessary groundwork of a band totally in sync with one another. Just as impressive is Ruckus’s ability to adapt to and exceed the demands of a new genre, off the tails of their exceptional 2019 debut album Fly the Coop: Bach Sonatas and Preludes with Emi Ferguson. GoGwilt touches upon this stylistic intersection in his essay "The Gow Collections with Ruckus," writing: Given that Ruckus is a baroque continuo band, some of the 18th-century Italianate influences visible in Gow’s collections are baked into our sound: gut strings, short bows, and instruments like the harpsichord, baroque bassoon, and viola da gamba. Rather than accepting the notated versions in Gow’s collection as authoritative texts, we play these melodies with an ear to their cumulative historical and contemporary soundings.1

“The Lord Macdonald Set” is a testament to the incredible precision of Ruckus: percussionist Rami El-Aasser is solid and unflinching, as are string players Balliett and Holmes Morton, while Zeller-Townson and Figg at times play in perfect unison with GoGwilt’s lightning-fast gigue.

Though their accuracy is never sacrificed, the nature of The Edinburgh Rollick appears almost improvisatory, as if each member cannot help but join in the fun as the sets ebb and flow. This spirit is exuded onto the listener: the end of each piece is both a moment of disappointment at its conclusion and anticipation for the introduction of the next. The rest of The Edinburgh Rollick follows this pattern between measured, melodic

pieces and sets of quick and buoyant dance tunes. Notable moments include a beautiful feature of Ruckus’s strings in the opening of “The Gigg Set,” a return of vocalist Gillespie in “The Broome of Coudenknowes,” a driving percussion solo by El-Aasser in “Colonel Robertson’s/Charannald’s,” and the careful exchange of melody between Zeller-Townson, Balliett (now playing viola da gamba) and GoGwilt in “Robie Dona Gorach.” The album ends with Gogwilt again at the helm in the celebratory "Jenny Nettles Set." Listening to Ruckus and GoGwilt play to the fullest, I am reminded of my experiences of folk dancing, which took place coincidentally just towns away from Putney, Vermont, where these recordings were produced last year. The Edinburgh Rollick releases on March 11, 2025, and will undoubtedly appeal to a wide audience—not only lovers of dance and chamber music. but also those with no prior experience with the genres.

Charlie Kusiel King is the regular host of The Early Music Show.

To hear more from members of Ruckus and Keir GoGwilt, tune in on March 7th during The Early Music Show, which airs on Friday mornings from 9:30-12pm.

1. GoGwilt, Keir. kgogwilt.com/The-Gow-Collectionswith-Ruckus.

On Air · March 2025 25

Emma Lacy, Jazz Department Director: Looney Tunes (Allston, MA).

Wonderful selection of jazz records, the owner is a great guy and very knowledgeable about the music, and there's a cat that roams around the store!

David Gonzalez ('24), former programmer: Casa Amadeo (South Bronx, NYC).

This one is actually super cool from a historical perspectiv—it’s the oldest continually occupied Latin music store in NYC! It used to be the second Casa Hernández record store, originally opened in 1941 by Victoria and Rafael Hernández, two major players in the Nuyorican music scene.

They are credited with opening possibly the first Puerto Rican music store in all of NYC when they got here in 1927—the first Casa Hernández location in East Harlem. Music stores were suuuuuper important to the development of styles like mambo from the 20s through the 60s, because they were places you could find conjuntos [bands] to play with before Latin labels took off. The store was then bought in 1969 by Alegre records artist Mike Amadeo, who still owns it to this day! He serves as a community historian (the street is named after him because of it!) along with selling the records, and still has a music shop for guitars and tambores [drums] in the back. It’s a super cool place, and Mike is a super cool person to chat with.

Muna Ali, programmer: Rough Trade (London, UK).

Casey Lamb, Station Manager: Academy Records (East Village, NYC).

Reasonably priced, unlike many other record stores in Manhattan that’ll go unnamed. A decent selection of jazz, classical, and alternative rock.

Seconded by Melisa Nehrozoglu.

Melisa Nehrozoglu, Classical Department Director: Planet Wax (New Cross, London, UK).

Super cool electronic music record store that’s also a bar and venue. There was always some DJ set happening at night—a highlight was Tim Reaper’s.

AROUND TH

What is you record

El Barrio Music Center (East Harlem, NYC).

Crazy selection of Salsa, mambo, and other Nuyorican styles (as well as a music store and lessons in the back). They also play salsa out loud all summer, which really adds life to the neighborhood.

Casa Latina (East Harlem, NYC).

This was also a crazy historic place, but I have learned that they closed the store in 2023 because the owners (Vicente Barreiro and Cristina Barreiro) passed away. They were lovely, lovely people.

Caroline Anna Nieto, programmer: Princeton Record Exchange (Princeton, NJ).

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Thomas Preston, programmer: Second Hand Records (Brooklyn, NYC).

The owner (Fatik) has “featured” records in all of the sections and I always find something nice. Also a hyper-knowledgeable DJ who throws a great party.

Boom Service (Williamsburg, NYC).

Small store front (attached to a Discogs behemoth) with an amazing stock. One of the owners (Tom) did a PhD in Art History at Columbia and both he and Dan (the other owner) are very down to chat—a really valuable and not-so-common quality of record store people.

Georgia Dillane, former Program Director: The Record Shop (Red Hook, NYC).

Big jaimie branch love and my friend who works there let me eat tacos on the shop floor when it was really cold outside.

Tunes (Hoboken, NJ).

Honorable mention. The best and only record shop in the whole square mile city.

Anika Strite, former Classical Department Director: In Your Ear Records (formerly Boston, MA; now Warren, RI).

Such an awesome digging spot that was magical to me at 16.

Mr. Cheapo (Mineola, NY).

Has a special place in my heart, not because it’s the best spot ever (it’s quite pricey, I think) but because I would go after youth orchestra rehearsal in high school, and also with my best friend.

HE STATION

something. I try to pop by every time I’m in the area. The guy who owns it is really incredible and has such a love for music and life. Plus he gave me a free sticker one time!

Ella Presiado, Publicity Director: Creme Tangerine (Costa Mesa, CA).

The whole store is inside an airstream trailer which is really fun. The guy who owns it is super awesome and he always has cassettes with current music which are hard to come by in record stores!

He also has some pretty rare records which are always cool to explore. Many memories, near and dear to my heart.

McCartney Garb, programmer: Record City (Las Vegas, NV).

There used to be three locations across town, but I think only the one near the Strat is still open. When one of the other locations was closing, I went in and picked out a bunch of records from the two-dollar pile and the owner let me walk away with this entire stack of around twenty records for free. The remaining location is super tiny, stuffed with a million albums and 45s to sort through in cramped aisles. And the prices are fair, I feel like I always find something (only once did I spend more than eighty dollars, but I got a free t-shirt, so it was like I spent nothing, basically).

ur favorite d store?

High Fidelity (Amityville, NY).

In my opinion, the best record store on Long Island.

Charlie Kusiel King, programmer: Record Revolution (Cleveland Heights, OH).

My favorite record store, though it closed in 2022. I have lots of great memories of digging through LPs by artists I had never heard of—and maybe will never hear of again—in their basement when I was in high school. Led Zeppelin and Lou Reed had signed the walls. This shop was from another era, which seems to be disappearing more all the time.

I’m sad that Record Rev isn’t around anymore, but The Exchange just up the block still keeps the record spirit alive on Coventry.

Ted Schmiedeler, Station Manager: Love Not Money (Chinatown, NYC).

It’s so small but I always walk away with

Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Librarian: Repo Records (Philadelphia, PA).

Just a few paces away from Jim's on South St.— cheesesteaks and records make a phenomenal Sunday morning combination. Great vibes and a great selection, with reasonable prices. The folks there were so nice and let me store my suitcase behind the desk so I could browse on my way to the Greyhound station. And Repo blew it out of the park on my two arbitrary criteria to judge a record store's quality: their selection of patches (I nabbed a rare Zeppelin one for my denim jacket) and the intrigue spelled by their music choices (at that store I discovered Paul McCartney's "Temporary Secretary"—need I say more?).

On Air · March 2025 27

WKCRossword: "BiXword"

by Ale Díaz-Pizarro

Answers to the February 2025 WKCRossword ("Odd Couples") are on p. 13.___

28 On Air · March 2025

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?

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!

On Air · March 2025 29

T h e e d i to r i a l tea m fo r t h i s i s sue wa s Charlie Kusiel King, Ella Werstler, Jem Hanan, Joan Park, Maya Resnick, McCar tney Garb, & Olivia Callanan.

Sp e c i a l t ha n ks to Anika Strite, The Bix Beiderbecke Society, Caroline Anna Nieto, Casey Lamb, David Gonzalez, Dylan Seders Hoffman, Ella Presiado, Emma Lacy, Francesca Rubinson, GAELTACHT NYC, Georgia Dillane, Hal Smith, Jim Petersen, John R. Howley, Melisa Nehrozoglu, Muna Ali, Thomas Preston, & Ted Schmiedeler (along with the Schmiedeler Family).

30 On Air · March 2025

WKCR 89.9 FM

2920 Broadway New York, NY 10027

O n Ai r 's e d i to r i a l b oa rd i s Ale Díaz-Pizarro.