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: Emerson Hunton at the drums, Credit: Andrea Canter
Twin Cities Weekend is a five minute feature that keeps listeners up to date on what's happening the following weekend. Artist interviews and music...

  • Added: Nov 20, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Earl Jarosh, Credit: Jeremie
Twin Cities Weekend is a five minute feature that keeps listeners up to date on what's happening the following weekend. Artist interviews and music...

  • Added: Nov 13, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
Caption: Michael Hauser at home, Credit: Phil Nusbaum
Twin Cities Weekend is a five minute feature that keeps listeners up to date on what's happening the following weekend. Artist interviews and music...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Nov 06, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
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Rita Mustaphi has lead Kathak Dance Theater for decades. Maryam Yusafzadeh has led the Persian-based musical group, Robayat for a similar duration,...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 29, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Leigh Kamman, Credit: Andrea Canter
Birdland booked many great big bands, where they made their mark. Leigh Kamman called Stan Kenton at Birdland for an interview.

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 22, 2014
  • Length: 04:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Leigh Kamman, Credit: Andrea Canter
At the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dizzy Gillespie and Leigh discuss a series of photographs from Dizzy's life.

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 22, 2014
  • Length: 05:03
  • Purchases: 1
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In the fall of 1965, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Leigh Kamman moderated a meeting of two great jazz pianists.

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 22, 2014
  • Length: 05:19
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Steve Kenny, Credit: Phil Nusbaum
What Would Monk Do? It’s a playful name for a serious band that explores the music of Thelonious Monk, as well as the implications of the work of M...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 22, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Pat O'Keefe with bass clarinet, Credit: Scott Miller
Pat O’Keefe plays an instrument that is not well known to the general public, the bass clarinet. But Pat shows us that the instrument expresses a v...

Bought by KSRQ


  • Added: Oct 17, 2014
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Dean Magraw, Credit: Manfred Pollert
After years of playing together, Dean Magraw and Eric Kamau Gravatt have finally recorded a CD. It contains mature, avant garde work for guitar and...

  • Added: Oct 09, 2014
  • Length: 05:00