Mark Ruffin's Jazz Worldwide

05/26/2026

Today we celebrate the centennial birthday of Miles Davis. A singular figure in music and culture. Here’s to the next 100 years of Cool 🎺

05/03/2026

I’m proud to present Jazz Worldwide 🎺🌍🎶 launched during in Chicago.

More than a production and media company, Jazz Worldwide is a boundary-breaking community designed to unite musicians, journalists, and enthusiasts of all generations.

My team is focused on accelerating the momentum of the “My Jazz Life” newsletter by hosting experiential “Our Jazz Life” events and launching other original productions (More to come soon!).

Subscribe for the My Jazz Life newsletter and visit jazzworldwide.com for more information through the links in my profile bio.

Musings of a jazz j***y:
“Jazz is a living organism. It absorbs the people and the time it is in. The people absorb it, then throw it back out as art. As the times change, so do the people, and so does the music. From the Southside of Chicago to South Africa and beyond, jazz is reflecting the space it occupies. My mission with Jazz Worldwide is to explore those differences and grow this organism alongside a new, global audience.” 🎺🌍🎶

04/23/2026

Everything you need to know about our historic celebration of broadcasters this Sunday for International Jazz Day!

📆 Sunday, April 26, 2026
⏰ 1:00pm
📍 Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center

🆓 Free and open to the public with RSVP (link below)
Many thanks to my co-host John Hill and the legendary Burt Burdeen, former program director of WSDM (the first all-female jazz station in Chicago).

🎟️ RSVP for free: https://markruffin.com/ourjazzlife
Sign up for my newsletter while you're there too!
https://myjazzlife.substack.com/p/chicago-highlights-broadcasters-during?r=6ujsdn

Special thanks to our wonderful partners, producers, and affiliates.

A Celebration of the History of Jazz Radio in Chicago

04/15/2026

Tomorrow, on the next "News From the Service Entrance!" Radio Show:

International Jazz Day is April 30th, in advance of the day, on April 26th at 1:00 pm Chicago Cultural Center will present ‘Our Jazz Life: A Celebration of the History of Jazz Radio in Chicago’. Joining us to talk about that will be Burt Burdeen, Neil Tesser , Lofton Emenari, Richard Steele, and Mark Ruffin. Yeah, buddy!

News From the Service Entrance with Mario Smith
THURSDAYS from 2 PM CENTRAL on WLPN-LP 105.5 FM in Chicago and streaming LIVE at lumpenradio.com and lumpen.tv

Lumpen Radio is a project of Public Media Institute a registered 501 (c) non-profit organization. We are committed to the spread of knowledge and positive vibrations on the public airwaves. None of this is possible without support from people like you.

04/12/2026

In this edition of My Jazz Life, I wanted to shoutout my friend Herbie Hancock on his birthday - for all he’s done for the arts, for myself, for my city, and for the world!
So press play on my playlist here, kick back, and enjoy! Now, I can’t vouch for the placement/order that you guys chose, but as far as the selections - Spot on. Great work, Jazz Lifers!
If you have further opinions or recommendations, please swing away down there in the comments. Tell me what you think about Herbie’s legendary discography.
www.myjazzlife.substack.com
Herbie, if you end up seeing this:
We love you, we are inspired by you, and we appreciate all our contributions to our jazz life.
-Speaking of Our Jazz Life, don’t forget to register for featured event during the International Jazz Day celebrations.
www.markruffin.com/ourjazzlife

Lighting up the Chicago Skyline with Jazz this April

04/05/2026

I’m proud to return home this month to host “OUR JAZZ LIFE: A Celebration of the History of Jazz Radio in Chicago” 📻
The event, in association with , will feature a lively and historic panel discussion exploring the profound legacy of jazz broadcasting in the Windy City. I’ll be moderating a conversation with a distinguished lineup of Chicago jazz radio luminaries, including Richard Steele, Barry Winograd Neil Tesser, Bob Foskett, Lofton Emenari, Dan Bindert and the legendary Burt Burdeen, program director of the all women jazz station,
Here are the program details:

📆 Sunday, April 26, 2026
⏰ 1:00pm
📍 Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center
🆓 Free and open to the public with RSVP (link below)

Many thanks to my co-host John Hill

🎟️ RSVP for free: https://markruffin.com/ourjazzlife

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz UNESCO Chicago Cultural Center Chicago Jazz Alliance Kurt Elling Herbie Hancock Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Jazz Institute of Chicago

I’m proud to return home this month to host “OUR JAZZ LIFE: A Celebration of the History of Jazz Radio in Chicago” 📻

The event, in association with , will feature a lively and historic panel discussion exploring the profound legacy of jazz broadcasting in the Windy City. I’ll be moderating a conversation with a distinguished lineup of Chicago jazz radio luminaries, including Richard Steele, Barry Winograd, Burt Burdeen and Neil Tesser (), alongside other legendary voices who helped shape the local and national jazz landscape.

Here are the program details:
📆 Sunday, April 26, 2026
⏰ 1:00pm
📍 Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center
🆓 Free and open to the public with RSVP (link below)

Many thanks to my co-host John Hill () and the legendary Burt Burdeen, former program director of WSDM (the first all-female jazz station in Chicago).

🎟️ RSVP for free: https://markruffin.com/ourjazzlife