In celebration of Black History Month, KSDS Jazz 88.3 FM proudly announces Freedom Now! Jazz and Civil Rights, a limited-run, on-air series exploring the deep connections between jazz and the fight for civil rights in America. Airing every weekday throughout February, each hour-long episode will reexamine the landmark events of the Civil Rights Movement through the lens of the music that fortified and galvanized the nation’s signature campaigns for equality and dignity.

Curated by some of the foremost jazz historians of our time, including Will Friedwald, Kenny Washington, Neil Tesser, Loren Schoenberg, Chuck Granata, and Ricky Riccardi, the series will feature rare recordings and insightful analysis. Each episode will highlight a seminal artist, composition, or historic moment where jazz and activism intersected, illustrating how the two became inextricably bound.

“Jazz artists have been at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement in our country from the beginning, and this project is about honoring the musicians and artists who used their music to confront injustice and inspire change,” said KSDS General Manager Ken Poston. “We hope to educate, inspire, and celebrate the incredible cultural impact of jazz during one of the most pivotal movements in history.”

KSDS invites listeners in San Diego and worldwide to tune in at Noon PST each weekday throughout February at 88.3 FM or via live stream at jazz88.org and the KSDS mobile app. Additional multimedia content and commentary will be available on the website throughout the month.

Program Schedule:

Week 1

• February 3 – Black and Blue: Louis Armstrong and Civil Rights (Will Friedwald & Ricky Riccardi)

• February 4 – Breaking Barriers: Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, and Lionel Hampton (Loren Schoenberg)

• February 5 – Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday – Protest in Song (Will Friedwald)

• February 6 & 7 – Jump for Joy: Duke Ellington’s 1941 Musical Review (Ken Poston)

Week 2

• February 10 – Black, Brown, and Beige: Duke Ellington’s Musical History of the African American Experience (Loren Schoenberg)

• February 11 – Norman Granz: Jazz for Justice (Ken Poston)

• February 12 – Miles Davis’ Lincoln’s Day Concert: The 1964 CORE Benefit at Carnegie Hall (Claudia Russell)

• February 13 – The House I Live In: Frank Sinatra and the Fight for Racial Equality (Chuck Granata)

• February 14 – Jazz Ambassadors: Jazz and Cultural Diplomacy (Ken Poston)

Week 3

• February 17 – The Real Ambassadors: Dave and Iola Brubeck’s Civil Rights Era Musical (Will Friedwald & Ricky Riccardi)

• February 18 – Nat King Cole: We Are Americans, Too (Will Friedwald)

• February 19 – Moanin’: The Jazz Cry for Freedom (1955-1963) (Ron Dhanifu & Matt Silver)

• February 20 – We Insist: Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite (Kenny Washington)

• February 21 – I Have a Dream: The Jazz Cry for Freedom (1964-1968) (Larry Murry & Matt Silver)

Week 4

• February 24 – Ella Fitzgerald’s Race Problem (Will Friedwald)

• February 25 – Jazz Exiles: The American Jazz Expatriates (Loren Schoenberg)

• February 26 – Fire Music: Archie Shepp’s Quest to Liberate America Aesthetically and Socially from its Inhumanity (Chad Fox)

• February 27 – Message to Our Folks: The Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (Neil Tesser)

• February 28 – Let Freedom Ring

About KSDS Jazz 88.3 FM KSDS is a full-time jazz radio station, licensed to the San Diego Community College District and broadcasting 24 hours a day from the San Diego City College campus. Founded in 1951, KSDS has been dedicated to jazz programming since 1973 and became San Diego’s only full-time jazz station in 1985. The station has received numerous accolades, including the National Association of Broadcasters' prestigious Marconi Award for Jazz Station of the Year.

For more information, visit jazz88.org.