WBGO Blog

  • Berklee, NPR Music, and WBGO to broadcast and webcast second season worldwide

    October 10, 2012. Posted by Brandy Wood.

    Add new comment | Filed under: Berklee, chihiro yamanaka, dayna stephens, jaleel shaw, Jazz Education, JazzSet, josh jackson, npr, walter smith III, wbgo

    WBGO, NPR Music, and Berklee College of Music are teaming up to present a second year of The Checkout – Live at Berklee. The series brings critically acclaimed, New York-based Berklee alumni back to their alma mater for concerts in the Red Room @ Cafe 939. The shows will be webcast live worldwide in high definition over NPRmusic.org and in New York over WBGO-FM as a special edition of The Checkout, the acclaimed multimedia show featuring what’s new on New York’s jazz scene. They will also be archived, and available for on-demand listening, at NPRmusic.org, and WBGO.

    Chihiro Yamanaka
    Chihiro Yamanaka

    Year two of The Checkout – Live at Berklee will debut with pianist and composer Chihiro Yamanaka’98 on October 18. The series continues with saxophonist and composer Dayna Stephens’01 on November 15, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw’00 on February 7, 2013, and tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III ’02 on March 7, 2013. Concerts and broadcasts will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tickets to the live performances at the Red Room @ Cafe 939 are $10 for the general public and $5 with a Berklee ID. Tickets are available at cafe939.com.

    “Boston is a major incubator for jazz, and this series aims to underline that fact,” said Josh Jackson, host and producer of The Checkout. “WBGO and The Checkout are delighted to return to Berklee. We look forward to showcasing these young talents as they pursue their artistry and inspire future generations.”

    Chihiro Yamanaka is one of the most exciting jazz pianists and composers of her generation, and is the leader of the Chihiro Yamanaka Trio. 2012 has been a milestone year: she performed in the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, in a concert featured on JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, at the Iridium Jazz Club and Dizzy's at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, at the Regattabar in Boston, and in a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. Yamanaka’s new CD, Reminiscence is her second U.S. release. Reminiscence reached the #1 spot on the Japanese jazz charts and won the Nissan Presents Jazz Japan Award for Album of the Year.

    © 2012 WBGO

  • Dr. Billy Taylor remembered on WBGO

    January 7, 2011. Posted by Brandy Wood.

    Add new comment | Filed under: billy taylor, Dr Billy Taylor, Jazz Alive, JazzSet, Marian McPartland, wbgo

    Starting Sunday, WBGO will have one week of specials celebrating the life and music of Dr. Billy Taylor.  With eight special broadcasts over seven days, there are many opportunities to tune in or log on to hear the late, great Billy Taylor.

    Billy Taylor by Dalibor Plavsic
    Billy Taylor by Dalibor Plavsic

    Schedule follows:

    Sunday – Jan 9 - JazzSet features Billy Taylor - 6:00pm

    Monday – Jan 10 – Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz featuring Billy Taylor– 8:00pm

    Tuesday – Jan 11- Jazz Profiles spotlights Billy Taylor – noon - Wednesday –

    Wednesday - Jan 12 – Billy Taylor Jazz at the Kennedy Center – Joe Lovano – 9:00am

    Wednesday – Jan 12 - JazzSet features Billy Taylor - 6:30pm

    Thursday – Jan 13 – Billy Taylor Jazz at the Kennedy Center – Nancy Wilson– 2:00pm

    Friday – Jan 14 - Gary Walker with Billy Taylor at the piano – 9:00am

    Saturday – Jan 15 – JazzSet - Billy Taylor 80th Birthday Tribute Concert – 3:00pm

    © 2011 WBGO