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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783 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

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Larry Long of Minneapolis has travelled the world singing about hard working people. Larry also creates performances of the American Roots Revue, w...

  • Added: Jan 04, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Aja Parham, Credit: Rebecca McDonald
Aja Parham is a Minnesota singer, who at a young age has done many things. She’s sung classical music, pop styles, jazz and more. Her broad interes...

Bought by WTIP


  • Added: Jan 03, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Aja Parham, Credit: Rebecca McDonald
Minneapolis singer Aja Parham has done a lot for her young age. She’s sung classical music, pop styles, and jazz. You can listen to Aja and her gr...

  • Added: Jan 03, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Sarah Morris, Credit: Corina Bernstein
Kinda country, kinda jazzy, and certainly Americana. Sarah Morris and the Sometimes Guys. Regardless of which genre label you give it, the sound is...

  • Added: Dec 29, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Sarah Morris, Credit: Corina Bernstein
Kinda country, kinda jazzy, and certainly Americana. Sarah Morris and the Sometimes Guys. Regardless of which genre label you give it, the sound is...

  • Added: Dec 29, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Rose Lewis, Credit: Rose Lewis
Rose Lewis was a member first of an award winning Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music. She went on to perform with major artists such as Bo...

  • Added: Dec 27, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Rose Lewis, Credit: Rose Lewis
Rose Lewis was a member first of an award winning Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music. She went on to perform with major artists such as Bo...

  • Added: Dec 27, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Tony Rook Band, Credit: Dan Iverson
The Tony Rook Band is a bluegrass group whose players represent broad experiences playing the style. You might know that in bluegrass, it is comple...

  • Added: Dec 21, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Tony Rook Band, Credit: Dan Iverson
The Tony Rook Band is a bluegrass group with players of broad experiences in the music. You can catch the Mankato-based group at the Aster Café in...

  • Added: Dec 21, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Rio Nido, Credit: David Sherman
The vocal jazz group Rio Nido started exciting audiences in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in 1972.The group sang classic jazz and vocalese, but af...

Bought by KQAL


  • Added: Dec 21, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
  • Purchases: 1