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: Dave Graf (l) and Doug Haining (r), Credit: Phil Nusbaum
Merle Knudson was a saxophonist with a distinctive sound who also acted to help young jazz players get going. Phil Nusbaum talks to Doug Haining an...

  • Added: Oct 15, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Brian miller and Randy Gosa, Credit: Natalie Champa-Jennings
Brian Miller is a Northern Minnesota guy who plays Irish Music, and specializes in the songs created by Irish lumberjacks in the old north woods. T...

  • Added: Oct 11, 2015
  • Length: 08:26
Caption: Jeremy Walker, Credit: Andrea Canter Achilles
Jeremy Walker is a man of many musical perspectives. He enjoys creating jazz tunes, but then also in creating works much grander in scope than any ...

  • Added: Oct 11, 2015
  • Length: 08:33
Caption: Sarah Porwoll-Lee, Credit: Ellie Peterson
To Sarah Porwoll-Lee, it isn’t only that she plays new music on the clarinet. When she talked with Phil Nusbaum, she revealed that she gets excited...

  • Added: Oct 09, 2015
  • Length: 07:57
Caption: Todd Harper, Credit: Carl Allen
Todd Harper turned his life around when he decided to play jazz piano full time. He talked to Phil Nusbaum about his life in jazz, and about his mu...

  • Added: Oct 09, 2015
  • Length: 08:39
Caption: Jeremy Walker, Credit: Andrea Canter Achilles
Jeremy Walker has found a home at Vieux Carré in downtown Saint Paul. He plays there frequently on Friday evenings, and it’s a mix of original musi...

  • Added: Oct 09, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Brian Miller and Randy Gosa, Credit: Natalie Champa-Jennings
Lumber occupies a big part of the history of Minnesota and the entire Great lakes region. In the lumber industry a hundred and more years ago, many...

  • Added: Sep 25, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Sarah Porwoll-Lee, Credit: Ellie Peterson
Sarah Porwoll-Lee plays the clarinet. Her concert Saturday night October 3 features not only her and two bandmates, but premieres of newly commissi...

  • Added: Sep 24, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Todd Harper, Credit: Carl Allen
A few years ago, Todd Harper quit his teaching job to devote full time to the piano. He got himself a steady playing gig which attracted a followin...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Sep 18, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pat Donohue with guitar, Credit: Phil Nusbaum
Pat Donohue is back in town. The former Prairie Home Companion musician is a master of varied American roots styles, and brings his songs and tunes...

  • Added: Sep 11, 2015
  • Length: 05:00