The Ragged Edge

The Ragged Edge The original radio program exclusively devoted to the most adventurous currents in jazz and creative improvised music. Host: Steve Hahn. Established 1983.

Broadcast live Tues. 8-10 pm, PST, KBZR-FM 89.9, kbzr.org

03/02/2026

Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell is one of the great unsung heroes of free jazz. Playing professionally since the age of 16, he came up in the late swing era, graduated seamlessly to be-bop, and from 1959 held down the drum chair in the city's first freely improvising ensemble, the Joe Daley Trio. He never stopped playing free for small audiences even while making his living backing up every touring singer who passed through Chicago. It wasn't until he put together his NRG Ensemble in the '80s, staffed by the best young players in town that he gained a wider reputation. And his string of ECM recordings near the end of his life made him a European sensation. Tune in this Tuesday, March 3rd at 8 pm Pacific to "The Ragged Edge" as we attempt to answer the question: was Hal Russell the white Muhal Richard Abrams? listen at kbzr.org

01/25/2026

Along with label founder Manfred Eicher, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek was key in establishing ECM's spacious Nordic aesthetic in the 1970's. However, his origins were solidly in the more adventurous currents of jazz, apprenticing with George Russell's European groups, and anchoring Keith Jarrett's European Quartet. Join "The Ragged Edge" this Tuesday, January 27th at 8 pm Pacific for a look at the early career of the man who is often credited with establishing jazz's "European Sound" on KBZR.org.

01/12/2026

You haven't missed the Lester Bowie feature yet. Due to a power outage last week "The Ragged Edge" was postponed. Tune in this Tuesday, January 13th at 8 pm Pacific for your return engagement on KBZR.org.

01/06/2026

Trumpeter Lester Bowie was among the first of the St. Louis jazz experimentalists to move north to Chicago where he immediately connected with the AACM community and shortly after co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. His personal work included duets, a funky organ quintet, a stint with Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti, and his own prolific and long-running brass octet, Brass Fantasy. No modern trumpeter incorporated more of the history of his instrument than Bowie, with a vocabulary of growls, smears, whinnys and half-valve effects regularly on display. Join "The Ragged Edge" this Tuesday, January 6th at 8 pm Pacific for a look at his all too-brief career on KBZR.org.

12/29/2025

Perhaps the most singular figure in jazz history, Herman "Sonny" Blount - better remembered as Sun Ra - had a thorough grounding in the swing and bop traditions of his day, but went on to create a body of music that made him a legend even among those knowing nothing of jazz. From his first recordings as a leader he was constantly expanding the frontiers of composition and ensemble performance with a band that, over 40 years, included hundreds of the most important players in jazz. Join me this Tuesday, December 30th at 8 pm Pacific on "The Ragged Edge" for a look at the earliest years of his Arkestra. On KBZR.org.

12/20/2025

Pianist Andrew Hill is widely regarded as one of the most adventurous composers in jazz. He was always a transitional figure bridging hard bop and free jazz, but his associations with creative improvisors, including one of Eric Dolphy's last recordings, put him in the category of pianists advancing jazz in new directions. He's always been somewhat under the radar, but no serious critic can afford to ignore him. Join me this Tuesday, December 23rd, at 8 pm Pacific for a look at his long, productive career on "The Ragged Edge," on KBZR.org

12/14/2025

It's the other McIntyre this week, tenor saxophonist Maurice, who emerged from the Chicago-based AACM collective as a founding member and early participant in bands led by Muhal Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell. He went on to front his own bands through the '60s and '70s, though mostly keeping to his Chicago roots as a continuing mentor to young players. Join me this Tuesday, December 16th at 8 pm Pacific as we examine Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre's performing career on "The Ragged Edge" on KBZR.org.

12/05/2025

Few people anticipated that Bill Evans' original tasteful drummer would become an innovator in unconventional, free tempo, even anarchic percussion, but Paul Motian became just that sort of a musician. There must have been an appetite for his innovations because he appeared on hundreds of recordings across his long career. Join me this Tuesday, Dec. 9th at 8 pm Pacific on "The Ragged Edge" as we chronicle his many contributions as a performer and composer on KBZR.org.

12/01/2025

Tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman came out of the same Fort Worth high school music program that nurtured Ornette Coleman, Prince Lawsha and Charles Moffett, but a devotion to his educational credentials had him arriving late to a fully professional performing career. Two extensive stints with Ornette's second significant band, and a quartet led by Keith Jarrett in the late '60s-'70s raised his mainstream profile, but the cynics among us detected his greatest popular attention coinciding with the elevation of his Harvard-educated son Joshua as one of the prematurely lauded "young lions" in the late '80s. Join me this Tues, Dec. 2nd at 8 pm Pacific for "The Ragged Edge," where we review Redman's own significant career on KBZR.org.

11/23/2025

The second phase of Sonny Simmons' career, though far less familiar to most aficionados, is equally remarkable for its quality and quantity of recordings. His home ground as a performer became largely centered in Europe both as a leader/guest with Norwegian trios and in his partnership with multi-reedist Michael Marcus with the co-op quartet Cosmosamatics across multiple tours and 9 released recordings. Join me for late-career Sonny Simmons on "The Ragged Edge" this Tuesday, Nov. 25th at 8 pm Pacific on KBZR.org.

11/17/2025

Trombonist Grachan Moncur III shot to attention in 1963 as a member of Jackie McLean's new quintet and as it's principal composer! His own two subsequent dates as a leader for Blue Note used many of the same cast, including Tony Williams and Bobby Hutcherson, and his following two dates with McLean gave him a total of 6, a number that was never to be surpassed after that remarkable two-year run. Moncur continued to be an important member of both Archie Shepp's mid-'60s bands and the Beaver Harris 360 Degree Experience. However his own opportunities as a leader remained only very sporadic as he turned more to education. Join me this Tues, Nov. 18th at 8 pm Pacific for a thorough look at Moncur's career on "The Ragged Edge" on KBZR.org

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