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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780 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: Jazz 88 logo, Credit: Tim Nyberg (Octane Creative)
What does a jazz orchestra want to do? It wants to play for dancers, that’s what. We go on location to one of the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra’s monthl...

  • Added: Jun 01, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Jazz 88 logo, Credit: Tim Nyberg (Octane Creative)
What does a jazz orchestra want to do? It wants to play for dancers, that’s what. We go on location next to one of the Minnesota Jazz Orchestra’s m...

  • Added: Jun 01, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Sawtooth Bros, Credit: Scott Ward
The Sawtooth Bros band members are in their young 20s, and have been playing together half their lives. The group started out playing traditional b...

  • Added: May 31, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Sawtooth Bros, Credit: Scot Ward
The Sawtooth Bros band members are in their young 20s, and have been playing together half their lives. They play in the Hilde Performance Center i...

  • Added: May 31, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Rhonda Laurie, Credit: Daniel J Moore
Minneapolis Jazz singer Rhonda Laurie is all about emotion. And she’s singing at Vieux Carre in Saint Paul on Wednesday Aug 30 from 8 till 11. In a...

  • Added: May 30, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Loring Park Music Festival Logo, Credit: Chris Thompson
This coming Saturday marks the return of the Loring Park Music Festival, staged by the Citizens for a Loring Park Community. The Festival runs from...

  • Added: May 30, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: City Counselor, Credit: Aaron Rice
You expect pop songs to relate to romance. But not so with City Counselor. Nicky talked to Phil Nusbaum about the inspiration for City Counselor ...

  • Added: May 27, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: City Counselor, Credit: Aaron Rice
You expect pop songs to relate to romance. But not so with City Counselor. The group plays at the Walker Arts center in Minneapolis during the eve...

  • Added: May 27, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Jelloslave, Credit: Cameron Wittig
Minneapolis Cellists Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney had heard of each other for years. When they finally met, they discovered musical similar...

  • Added: May 25, 2018
  • Length: 08:00
Caption: Jelloslave, Credit: Cameron Wittig
After Minneapolis cellists Jacqueline Ultey and Michelle Kinney met after having heard of each other for years, they discovered musical similaritie...

  • Added: May 25, 2018
  • Length: 08:00