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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779 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: Gao Hong w/pipa, Credit: Photo Provided by World Music Professionals
Gao Hong came from China to America in 1994. Already established as a world-class player of the Chinese pipa, she has gotten interested in the west...

  • Added: Nov 23, 2015
  • Length: 06:40
Caption: Charmin Michele and Sam Militich, Credit: JuliAnne Jonker (Charmin) and John Connelly (Sam)
Sam Miltich, Grand Rapids guitar icon is coming to South Saint Paul the Saturday right after Thanksgiving. And he’ll be fronting a 5- piece band th...

  • Added: Nov 20, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Curtis and Loretta , Credit: Jennifer Bong
They sing many types of traditional songs, they play many instruments, they write songs and their repertoire is a mile wide. But to folksinging due...

  • Added: Nov 11, 2015
  • Length: 08:25
Caption: Curtis and Loretta, Credit: Jennifer Bong
It’s the most inspirational CD to come along in a long time. Curtis and Loretta talked to many Minnesotans and created songs out of their accounts ...

  • Added: Nov 11, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: KBEM logo, Credit: Tim Nyberg (Octane Creative)
Zeitgeist is a New Music group in Minneapolis-Saint Paul that does it all: In performing New Music, it stands at the intersection of the audience, ...

  • Added: Nov 06, 2015
  • Length: 10:33
Caption: PRX default Piece image
The New music community draws adventurous particpants from many music styles. Over the course of three November days, the Zeitgeist Music Cabaret p...

  • Added: Nov 05, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Maryam Ysafzadeh at home, Credit: Phil Nusbaum
The World Jazz Trio combines interests in varied musical forms, with a goal of synthesizing multiple styles into something new. The members of the ...

  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 07:47
Caption: Maryam Yusafzadeh at home, Credit: Phil Nusbaum
Maryam Yusafzadeh has been involved in many adventurous musical project over the years, and she’s at it again with a new Jazz group that combines m...

  • Added: Oct 31, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Scott Davies, Credit: Dan Corrigan
Scott Mateo Davies is a career ethnic musician, with great interests in certain styles of the Spanish world. Recently he told Phil Nusbaum abiut se...

  • Added: Oct 22, 2015
  • Length: 05:08
Caption: Scott Davies, Credit: Dan Corrigan
The Tango. It’s old, but contemporary, too. It’s exotic, but really it’s a social dance form. And it’s for experts and beginners. And Mateo’s Rogue...

  • Added: Oct 22, 2015
  • Length: 05:05