THE BEST JAZZ STATION I'VE EVER HEARD
And it's streaming over the Internet, for free!

Over the last few years, I've become a big fan of internet radio. There's not much in the way of popular music radio on the 'net, which I believe has something to do with exorbitant licensing fees, but that's okay with me given the swill the recording industry has been ramming down our throats for the last decade or so, coupled with the over-saturation of the oldies and classic rock tunes I used to not be able to get enough of. What you will find, however, is the typical obscure stuff at college stations, blues and jazz, classical, news and opinion, and buttloads of public radio, which is fabulous for me because that's where I'm at right now. You may have noticed the internet radio links section I've placed over in the left-hand column for your perusal; check them out when you get the chance--there's nothing like an endless stream of cool jazz when you're laboring over a meaningless spreadsheet at your work station; it makes the drudgery less tedious.

Anyway, I wanted to promote a station I've found in the San Francisco Bay area, San Mateo Community College's KCSM. I've been listening to it, almost exclusively, all summer long. Their format is mainstream jazz, meaning stuff in the small combo tradition of the 50s and 60s, but they do have some time slots dedicated to the blues and other jazz styles.

From their site:

KCSM Jazz 91 also broadcasts 24 hours a day and has a growing audience that currently numbers more than 200,000. According to Arbitron, the station is among the top 35 "most listened to" non-commercial stations in the United States. An affiliate of Public Radio International and National Public Radio, KCSM is the only station in the Bay Area with a 24-hour jazz format. Hosts of the various programs KCSM produces include veteran jazz musicians, educators, seasoned jazz broadcasters and often a combination of the three.

As a big jazz fan myself, it's pretty clear that these people have great love and respect for this uniquely American art form. If you like jazz at all, I strongly urge you to give them a listen. Like the title to this post says, it's the best jazz station I've ever heard. You can listen to it here.


My favorite tenor sax player, Dexter Gordon

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