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As one of the greatest crooners and stylists of the Great American Songbook, Tony Bennett has been influenced by and taken vocal impressions from many singular, legendary jazz performers. Bennett’s well-known emotional and physical reaction to hearing the birth of Bebop through Charlie Parker’s rapid-fire saxophone soloing at Birdland one night in the 1950s would […]

A sweeping messenger of the widest of musical genre explorations (classical, traditional jazz, post-bop, jazz-rock fusion, funk, electronica, hip-hop, pop, and ambient); jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer Herbie Hancock is true to his own label as “cultural ambassador.” Early in his musical career, Hancock followed a seemingly unbroken trajectory through some of the most […]

August 27th, 2021 @ 6:30 PMDowntown Worcester, Behind The Hanover Theatre for Performing Arts. The Hanover Theatre, Worcester Downtown Business District, and WICN 90.5 FM are pleased to announce a safe and socially distanced return of Jazz at Sunset this summer in the lot behind The Hanover Theatre. Jazz at Sunset will be rockin’ this […]

When the Afro-Cuban jazz sound traveled to the U.S. in the 1940s, with roots rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music and a percussion that, in fact, incorporated the earliest sounds of a syncopated beat from ancient Africa, it became a performance vehicle for many Cuban musicians. The initial prominent modern musical force in this […]

What brought you to hosting a show on WICN? Why do you love being on the air? In 2004, I was doing a WICN Brown Bag Lunch concert at Mechanics Hall with my band, Evil Gal. GM Brian Barlow and I were standing onstage talking about the late Mai Cramer (beloved blues show host on […]

What brought you to hosting a show on WICN? Why do you love being on the air? Having moved to the Worcester area in the mid-70s from the jazz-rich Patterson, NJ area, WICN answered my question, “Where’s the jazz?” After some 20 years, I had the opportunity to volunteer and subbed frequently. That led to […]

What brought you to hosting a show on WICN? Why do you love being on the air?  After a 40+ year career in commercial broadcasting, I decided I’d like to do a radio show or podcast that featured music by artists from, or who have been influenced by New Orleans, its music and culture. I […]

In the 1950s, with the advent of “cool jazz” and Miles Davis leading the way with a modal change with Birth of the Cool (1957) Milestones (1958), and later the seminal, legendary recording of Kind of Blue (1959) with its stellar cast of musicians, there were suddenly jazz recordings that became million-sellers. Along with Kind […]

What brought you to hosting a show on WICN? Why do you love being on the air?  I have loved listening to the radio ever since The Beatles made their first appearance on the Ed  Sullivan Show in 1964, one month before my 10th birthday. After seeing them on television, I  would walk around with […]

From full-band recordings to live performances and special events, WICN’s beautiful Studio 50 space is available on an hourly basis. Contact us for details.