KBEM

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Recognized as the Twin Cities’ public radio voice for jazz and education, KBEM is a program of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Approximately 150 students annually participate in KBEM’s hands-on educational program, which focuses on all aspects of broadcasting and production. Students who develop their skills and select broadcasting experience can gain significant on-air time. The station is on-air 24/7 with 35 hours of student programming each week, with live professional announcers and pre-recorded, syndicated programming filling out the rest of the schedule. KBEM is the only station in the Twin Cities market which offers a jazz format and officially provides MN-DOT traffic reports.

KBEM was initially established at Minneapolis Vocational High School in the 1960s. The station was moved to North High School in 1983 as a part of the District’s desegregation initiative and it continues to reside there today. The vast majority of KBEM students attend North High School.

Series

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20 Pieces

Joan Griffith, Twin Cities musician and educator, has conversations with prominent Minnesota jazz musicians.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: May 25, 2016
Caption: Joan Griffith, Credit: Ann Marsen
20 Pieces

Joan Griffith, Twin Cities guitar player and educator, interviews Minnesota jazz artists.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: May 27, 2016
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13 Pieces

Minneapolis Public School teachers talk with Kevin O'Connor about their accomplishments.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: Jul 14, 2011
Caption: Leigh Kamman, Credit: Andrea Canter
57 Pieces

During his 60-plus years in jazz broadcasting, Leigh Kamman conducted hundreds of interviews with jazz artists, including many from the Minnesota scene. These are being preserved and edited by the Leigh Kamman Legacy Project and presented as The Jazz Image: Minnesota Edition, a continuation of the The Jazz Image: Special Edition series. These projects are part of the process of preserving and sharing the massive archive of historical recordings he left when he passed away in October 2014.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: Jun 29, 2020
Caption: Leigh Kamman, Credit: Andrea Canter
14 Pieces

Minnesota jazz broadcasting legend Leigh Kamman conducted hundreds of interviews with jazz artists, including some of jazz's illustrious figures. Now, these treasures have been lovingly preserved and edited into a new series of broadcasts, The Jazz Image: Special Edition. These recordings preserve priceless conversation Leigh Kamman had with such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan and Stan Kenton. In his ninth decade, Kamman adds fresh commentary to round out these 5 minute broadcasts, 13 in all in this series.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: Jan 14, 2014
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785 Pieces

5 to 8-minute, highly produced heads-ups highlighting great musical activities in the Twin Cities broadly conceived. The pieces feature the musicians, their music, club owners, fans, in short all of those responsible for creating musical experiences.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: Dec 10, 2019
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0 Pieces

Viva City, Festival of the Arts, was initiated thirteen years ago as a way to showcase arts education in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). In this pod cast, we feature the musical portion of Viva City from the Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University of Minneapolis.

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: May 29, 2011
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31 Pieces

Minneapolis High School Students comment on Minnesota Arts, Culture and History

  • From: KBEM
  • Updated: Aug 24, 2011

Latest Pieces

Caption: Elgin Foster, Credit: Benny Moreno
Modern guitarists are difficult to categorize. They seem to take a part of the world’s music or a type of mood, and constantly develop from that ba...

  • Added: May 18, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Mother Banjo, Credit: Anna Kostochko
Mother Banjo—Ellen Stanley-- is well known to acoustic music audiences in Minnesota and beyond. Mother banjo seems like an old idea, but it is all ...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: May 17, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Mother Banjo, Credit: Anna Kostochko
Mother Banjo—Ellen Stanley-- is well known to acoustic music audiences in Minnesota and beyond. You can catch the act Thurs May 24, 7pm, at the Hoo...

  • Added: May 17, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Mike Salovich, Credit: Benny Moreno
Mike Salovich, guitarist. And his field on the guitar is the world. His most recent recorded project features tabla player Marcus Wise, and the two...

  • Added: May 17, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Ben Abrahamson, Credit: Corinna Bernstein
Ben Abrahamson is a Twin Cities guitarist who specializes in Flamenco. But to Ben, it’s not only the great historic flamenco, but combining the idi...

  • Added: May 16, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Elgin Foster, Credit: Benny Moreno
When it comes to modern finger-style guitar, every player seems to have a special stylistic niche. This Saturday, the Icehouse presents three of th...

  • Added: May 15, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Erica West Band, Credit: Jessica Hegland
Erica West is a Minneapolis singer who comes from a musical family. Her mother is a singer, too. Erica combines jazz, r and b and pop in front of a...

  • Added: May 13, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Erica West Band, Credit: Jessica Hegland
Erica West is a local singer who comes from a musical family. Her mother is a singer, too. Erica combines jazz, r and b and pop in front of a band ...

  • Added: May 13, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Brian Miller and Randy Gosa, Credit: Natalie Champa-Jennings
In the old days of lumbering, much of the work was done by immigrants who brought old country music with Brian Miller of the group talked with Phil...

  • Added: May 10, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Brian Miller and Randy Gosa, Credit: Natalie Champa-Jennings
In the old days of lumbering, much of the work was done by immigrants who brought old country music with them to the lumber camps. A duet known as ...

  • Added: May 10, 2018
  • Length: 08:00