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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800 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: Daithi Sproule
Irish music is great, seemingly everywhere, including Our Town. This Friday through Sunday, the Center for irish Music presents Minnesota irish Fai...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: May 27, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Minneapolis South High School sings Jazz classics for an hour.

  • Added: May 26, 2015
  • Length: 58:31
Caption: Brian Miller and Randy Gosa, Credit: Darin Black
In the old days of the northern Minnesota and Wisconsin lumber camps, many of the shanty boys had emigrated from Ireland. Of course, they brought t...

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  • Added: May 22, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pop Wagner, Credit: Dale Hanson
Pop Wagner has been part of the folk scene in Minneapolis since he arrived in town over 40 years ago. And his shows are still fresh and varied, lik...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: May 15, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Yonci Jameson sits down and hosts a special DJ set.

  • Added: May 14, 2015
  • Length: 57:29
Caption: Students playing
Join Yonci Jameson as Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Jazz Combos 1 and 2 perform live from Studio 1 at KBEM.

  • Added: May 14, 2015
  • Length: 57:48
Caption: JaAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske, Credit: Laurenb Photography
JoAnn Funk and Jeff Brueske. Jazz for voice, piano and bass. They’ve been holding forth Friday and Saturday nights at the St Paul hotel lobby for 7...

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  • Added: May 09, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Ancia Saxophone Quartet, Credit: Daniel Soderstrom
The Ancia Saxophone Quartet specializes in contemporary American Saxophone quartet music. It’s a field that bridges formal music and jazz. The ense...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: May 03, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Reynaldo Moreno CD cover, Credit: ason Wozny
Reynaldo Moreno. He’s a young local guy to whom the Motown sound speaks. And so, he recreates some of the great Motown songs of a generation ago, a...

  • Added: Apr 23, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Jon Wood Plays DJ at KBEM-FM, Credit: Philip Nusbaum
Jon Wood stumbled into recording his first 2 CDs, both available at his CD release party on April 25 at the Black Dog Café in St Paul. He happened ...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Apr 08, 2015
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1