Blog
WICN’s 6th Annual Newport Jazz Festival Bus Trip is happening on Saturday, August 1! Don’t miss your chance to join us once again for a smooth, comfortable round-trip ride and an unforgettable day of world-class jazz at Newport! Travel in comfort aboard the WICN Public Radio Jazz Bus and skip the hassle of driving and parking. 🕘 […]
The acoustic jazz trio The Bad Plus, the WICN Artist of the Month for June 2026, burst on the music scene at the beginning of the new millennium, releasing their first album in the year 2001 and creating a bit of a stir because, well, they did things a little bit differently. They began as […]
It was the late 1970s, and jazz icon Miles Davis had been invited to attend a musical event at the Carter White House. The trumpeter found himself seated next to the First Lady at a dinner immediately following the concert. And what had he done to merit such an invitation, the First Lady inquired, apparently […]
This National Jazz Month, we also celebrate a very special birthday, that of the Queen of Jazz. Ella Jane Fitzgerald, also known as the First Lady of Song, was born in Newport News, Virginia, on April 25, 1917. Known for her pure tone, wide vocal range, perfect timing and improvisational scat singing, Ella performed all […]
Known for her captivating stage presence and blues-infused jazz style, Cranston, R.I. native Shawnn Monteiro has been enchanting audiences for decades. Her warm, expressive phrasing and bursts of scat are reminiscent of two of her greatest influences, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan, yet her voice is unmistakably her own. Music runs in her blood; her […]
The Brown Bag Concerts are produced by 90.5 WICN & Mechanics Hall. Brown Bag Spring 2026 Concert Series Wednesdays at Noon, March 11th, 18th & 25th Free Admission Mechanics Hall 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01608; 508-752-5608 Broadcast live on WICN 90.5 FM and streaming at wicn.org The Brown Bag Concert Series, presented by Mechanics […]
Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter and vocalist, and one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz. His remarkable career spanned five decades and crossed multiple genres, producing hit songs that remain staples in films, television, and radio to this day. Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901 and grew up […]
On Monday, January 19, 2026, we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday honoring his role in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in law and society. In his opening address at the 1964 Berlin Jazz festival, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke: It is no wonder that so much of […]
Bobby McFerrin is an acclaimed composer, arranger, bandleader, conductor, singer, and songwriter whose unique vocalizing runs the gamut from simple melodic lines to scat singing, to percussive sounds to multiphonics that can mimic several vocalists singing at the same time. Born Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. on March 11, 1950, in New York City, Bobby grew […]
Brown Bag Fall 2025 Concert Series Wednesdays at Noon, November 12th, 19th, December 3rd & 10th Free Admission Mechanics Hall 321 Main Street, Worcester, MA, 01608; 508-752-5608 Broadcast live on WICN 90.5 FM and streaming at wicn.org The Brown Bag Concert Series, presented by Mechanics Hall and 90.5 FM WICN, has been a beloved tradition […]