New shows beginning Nov. 5
Snap Judgment: Story telling with a beat!
Sunday from 7 – 8pm
Host and executive producer, Glynn Washington: Winner of the public radio talent quest
Before creating the Snap Judgment radio show, Glynn worked as an educator, diplomat, community activist, actor, political strategist, fist-shaker, mountain-hollerer, and foot stomper. Glynn composed music for the Kunst Stoff dance performances in San Francisco, rocked live spoken word poetry in Detroit, joined a band in Indonesia, wrote several screenplays, painted a daring series of self portraits, released a blues album, and thinks his stories are best served with cocktails.
Meet the Snap team: www.snapjudgment.org/about-us
Only a Game: hosted by Bill Littlefield
Saturday at 12 – 1pm
An award-winning weekly sports magazine hosted by veteran NPR commentator Bill Littlefield, Only A Game is radio for the serious sports fan and the steadfast sports avoider. Produced by WBUR in Boston, Only A Game puts sports in perspective with intelligent analysis, insightful interviews and a keen sense of humor.
The hour-long program is characterized by Littlefield’s exceptional writing and affable personality. Only A Game tells the stories behind the box scores, including the explosion of interest in women’s sports, competitive opportunities for the disabled and the business of sports — as well as who wins and who loses.
Guests on Only A Game have included writers John Updike, Robert Pinsky and Roger Angell; commentators Bud Collins and Tim Kurkjian; current and former athletes Muhammad Ali, Kristine Lilly, former Sen. Bill Bradley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; and coaches Pat Summit and Geno Auriemma.
From Little League to the Big Leagues, from the Super Bowl to Soccer Moms, Only A Game is sports — NPR style.
The New Jazz Archive
Wednesday from 8 – 9pm
Hosted by Jeff Haas, from Interlochen radio
Curious about jazz but don’t know much about it? If so, this show is for you.
We understand that jazz often needs a proper introduction and Jeff seeks to open people’s ears to the music not just by spinning discs, but by showing how jazz connects to the things that already matter to us: from movies, television and pop culture, to important social issues, to the economy and technology, to other forms of music. In other words, we don’t just assume jazz is important—we show you why through compelling interviews with some of the music’s big thinkers, vibrant storytelling, and music that represents the full gamut of jazz’s rich history. And because we use storytelling as our approach to the music, if you’re a person who likes a good story, you’ll probably like this show.
European Jazz Stage
Tuesday from 8 – 9pm
From the great stages of Europe, Radio Netherlands Worldwide brings you this year’s European Jazz Stage with host Benjamin Herman.
13 hours of 2012 performances beckon from venues across the continent including the acclaimed North Sea Jazz Festival. WNCU will also broadcast previous performances from 2011 and 2010.
And we’ll bring jazz names you may not have heard: Han Bennink, Fay Claassen, Till Brönner and more. Don’t let the consonants and accents faze you — these musicians swing.
A Radio Netherlands Worldwide production in association with Murray Street.
www.radionetherlands.nl/music/ejs2009/
Le Show with Harry Shearer
Sunday from 6 – 7pm
A weekly, hour-long romp through the worlds of media, politics, sports and show business, leavened with an eclectic mix of mysterious music, hosted by Harry Shearer.
Smiley West Show
Sundays from 8 – 9pm
Prepare to be enthralled. Each week, the incomparable Tavis Smiley and Cornell West welcome a variety of guests to be part of a high-energy exchange of views, information, and insight.
The Smiley/West Show offers a unique blend of news and newsmakers in expanded conversations on topics ranging from presidential power to reparations for slavery, from campaign finance reform to miscegenation in music videos — all with a special focus on black America.
Blues Unlimited
Sunday from 10pm – 12am
Hosted by “Sleepy Boy” Hawkins
Blues Unlimited has already been called the best radio show of its kind, and has established a loyal, worldwide audience.
Blues Unlimited is a two-hour weekly radio show devoted to the wonderful world of the blues, and its history, heritage, and rich cultural traditions. Each installment of Blues Unlimited is typically designed to be a self-contained episode, and explores some topic or aspect of the blues universe – piano players from New Orleans, harp blowers from Chicago and Los Angeles, the blues revival of the ’60s, or the origins of famous blues songs – while other shows focus on regional styles: Detroit, Memphis, the Mississippi Hill Country, Shreveport, Texas, and the East Coast. Profiles of classic record labels like Imperial, Sun, Chess/Checker, Arhoolie, etc., are also included
Important historical milestones are often recognized – such as a two part-series on the American Folk Blues Festival Tours and an unprecedented four-part series on the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. Sometimes, a series of albums are featured – such as Harry Smith’s “Anthology of American Folk Music,” or “Chicago/The Blues/Today!” – produced by Sam Charters for Vanguard in the mid 60s.
Steve Franz (who is known on the airwaves as Sleepy Boy Hawkins) has been a blues fanatic, researcher, historian, radio programmer, and scholar for 30 years. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, “The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James,” having earned his Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Memphis.
