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
Caption: PRX default Series image
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: Brass Lassie, Credit: Gary Rue
Brass Lassie adds horn arrangements to the traditional mix of fiddles, flutes and concertinas. The group keeps on evolving, added repertoire learne...

  • Added: Apr 20, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Patrick Adkins by Andrea Carter, Credit: Andrea Canter
Pianist Patrick Adkins’ Quartet takes inspiration from Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. That includes covers as well or original music that Patric...

  • Added: Apr 15, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Patrick Adkins by Andrea Carter, Credit: Andrea Carter
Pianist Patrick Adkins’ Quartet takes inspiration from Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. That includes covers as well or original music that Patric...

  • Added: Apr 15, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Amanda Walbridge, Credit: Alan Towne
Local songwriter Amanda Walbridge has released a bluegrass CD called “Sunshine in the Valley. All of the songs on Sunshine in the Valley are Amanda...

  • Added: Apr 11, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Bobb Fantauzzo, Credit: Andrea Canter
Jazzen highlights the Native American flute as played by Bobb Fantauzzo with cellist Aaron Kerr and percussionist Derrin Pinto. In much of it’s rec...

  • Added: Apr 08, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Bobb Fantauzzo by Andrea Canter, Credit: Andrea Canter
Jazzen highlights the Native American flute as played by Bobb Fantauzzo with cellist Aaron Kerr and percussionist Derrin Pinto. In much of it’s rec...

  • Added: Apr 08, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Collin Roycroft by Andrea Canter, Credit: Andrea Canter
The Collin Roycroft Quartet gives unique spins to great Jazz created over recent decades. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Collin addressed th...

  • Added: Apr 05, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Collin Roycroft by Andrea Canter, Credit: Andrea Canter
The Collin Roycroft Quartet plays the Emerging Talent series at jazz Central Studios in Minneapolis next Thursday at 8PM. At the show, Collin and t...

  • Added: Apr 05, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: jazz88 logo 2022, Credit: Tim Nyberg (Octane Creative)
Dakota Dave hull is known for his finger-style guitar playing. But on his new CD, Better Late Than Never, Dave explores the guitar – banjo, an inst...

  • Added: Apr 04, 2023
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Barbaro , Credit: Wolfskull Creative
Barbaro plays the bluegrass instruments, but group members have backgrounds in other areas. The result is a constantly evolving mix of musical elem...

  • Added: Apr 01, 2023
  • Length: 08:00