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: JC Sanford, Credit: Andrea Canter
Trombonist JC Sanford is a prolific composer of jazz, and spends a lot of time making sure the pieces reflect different styles and inspirations. An...

  • Added: Sep 20, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: JC Sanford, Credit: Andrea Canter
Trombonist JC Sanford leads his quartet into the Black Dog in Saint Paul this Saturday night September 30 at 8:30. JC is a prolific composer of jaz...

  • Added: Sep 20, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Patty Peterson, Credit: Jennifer Bong
The Jazz Women All-Stars are back in a big show coming soon. Phil Nusbaum tells us about it.

  • Added: Sep 19, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Southside Aces, Credit: Jonathan Hankin
The period after World War I in the USA is known as the Jazz Age. It was a time when Americans were trying out new things, new kinds of fun, and ja...

  • Added: Sep 12, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Southside Aces, Credit: Jonathan Hankin
F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the leading sons of Saint Paul. He wrote about what has come to be known as the jazz age, the period after World War ...

  • Added: Sep 12, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: The Overtones, Credit: Chimgee Haltarhuu
Background music is the specialty of the Overtones and the group does it well. Interviewer Phil Nusbaum talked to Dave Hofgren of the Overtones, wh...

  • Added: Sep 11, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: The Overtones, Credit: Chimgee Haltarhuu
Background music is the specialty of the Overtones and they do it well. Catch the Overtones act at the Riverview Wine Bar, every Wed from 7:30 to 9...

  • Added: Sep 11, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Debbie Duncan, Credit: Nathan Yungerberg
When you go to a Debbie Duncan show you enjoy a great vocal jazz stylist. But Debbie says that it is all in service of the lyrics to the songs, and...

  • Added: Sep 08, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Debbie Duncan, Credit: Nathan Yungerberg
When you go to a Debbie Duncan show [like this Friday night at 9 at Vieux Carre in Saint Paul at 9PM], you enjoy a great vocal jazz stylist. But De...

  • Added: Sep 08, 2017
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Jugsluggers, Credit: Lisa Friedlander
Tom Cornish, Russ Rayfield and Mark Briere. They are known as the Jug Sluggers, a group of acoustic musicians that has been singing and playing for...

  • Added: Sep 07, 2017
  • Length: 08:00