Jazz Break at Noon - October 2024

September 30 - October 4

A Celebration of Latin Jazz
This week on the Jazz Break at Noon, we delve into the rich history of Afro-Latin Jazz, exploring its diverse styles and regional variations, and celebrating the legendary artists who have shaped its legacy, past and present. Join us as we embark on a vibrant journey through the captivating world of Afro-Latin rhythms, the Cubop sound, Brazilian jazz, and more.

October 7- 11

Membership Drive edition - Listener requests and the power of community radio
This week, the Jazz Break at Noon is celebrating YOU, our listeners and supporters. It's our Fall Membership Drive, and we're shining a spotlight on the power of community support. Tune in all week long for special programming, listener requests, and heartfelt testimonials from fellow jazz enthusiasts, members, and students about why KRTU matters to them. Your generosity keeps the music playing, the stories flowing, and the jazz community thriving.

Oct. 14-18

Contemporary Jazz Styles of 2024: New Sounds, New Directions, New Jazz
Join us this week on the Jazz Break at Noon for a vibrant exploration of Contemporary Jazz. We'll explore the latest sounds, the lasting impressions, and the innovations shaping jazz in 2024, spotlighting new releases. We'll hear selections from Bria Skonberg, Miki Yamanaka, Sarah Hanahan, Emmet Cohen, Tom Harrell, Walter Smith III, Matt Booth, Alvin Queen and many more as we examine the latest recordings on the jazz scene today. Our series includes insights from industry professionals on the current state and future of this ever-evolving art form. The Jazz Break at Noon: Contemporary Jazz Styles of 2024 – New Sounds, New Directions, New Jazz.

Oct. 21-25

Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters - 50 Years of Thrust!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Herbie Hancock’s electrifying jazz-funk masterpiece, Thrust. Recorded for the Columbia record label in August 1974 and released September 6, the album marked a new direction in jazz-funk, deviating heavily from the traditional soul-jazz grooves of the 1960s. Thrust demonstrated that progressive jazz could fully embrace popular forms and styles, creating complex arrangements while retaining the grittiness of dominant urban styles like funk. The landmark recording catapulted Herbie and his new ensemble The Headhunters, to new heights, landing them on the Billboard R&B charts with their unique brand of sophisticated space-funk. This week, we'll traverse Herbie's electronic evolution, from his 1969 Warner Bros. recordings with his Mwandishi Ensemble to the final Headhunters album for Columbia in 1974. This formative and experimental period solidified Hancock as one of the great innovators of electronic synths and jazz-funk. Join us for this week's Jazz Break at Noon as we celebrate 50 years of Thrust!

Oct. 28- Nov. 1

1959 - A Return to the Golden Year of Jazz 
This week on The Jazz Break at Noon, we're time-traveling back to 1959 – a truly golden year for modern jazz. As the 1950s drew to a close and a new decade dawned, something magical happened. For many jazz artists, 1959 was a culmination of ideas, a creative spark that ignited new styles and sounds. Cool and modal jazz flourished, time signatures were reimagined, and uniquely complex compositions freely emerged. It was an especially productive year for Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Charles Mingus, who each released landmark recordings now considered timeless classics. This week, we'll explore these iconic albums, alongside a diverse setlist of other gems from this remarkable year in jazz history. It's a jukebox edition of The Jazz Break at Noon, as we revisit the golden year of jazz: 1959!