WDCB Listener-Supported Jazz & Blues

11/10/2025

Paul Abella shares new music hitting the airwaves in this week's edition of "What's New on WDCB!"

Kenny Barron – Songbook (Artwork Records) So, here’s a curious idea…take pianist Kenny Barron’s longstanding trio with...

11/07/2025

Trombonist Tom Bartlett of the Chicago Salty Dogs joins host Barry Winograd Saturday morning (10-11am) during “When Jazz Was King” to talk about traditional jazz and the Salty Dogs upcoming performance this Sunday afternoon at FitzGerald’s. The Salty Dogs will be joined Sunday by special guest cornetist Bob Schultz for a concert presented by the Illiana Club of Traditional Jazz.

11/03/2025

Paul Abella has new music in the WDCB Music Lounge! Check out this week's "What's New on WDCB!"

Grant Stewart – Next Spring (Cellar Music) Saxophonist Grant Stewart recently released a new album on Cellar Music called Next Spring. Jo...

10/30/2025

Tonight at 10, it's Hambone's Blues Halloween Show featuring the best in spooky bluesy tunes about Ghosts, Goblins, Boogiemen and Creepsters. In the second hour, we give equal time and fight the Demonic Spirits with some Holy Spirit and play classic Gospel tunes!

10/27/2025

Chicago native, drumming legend and NEA Jazz Master Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) passed yesterday at 83.

Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his 60-year career, died Oct. 26 at a hospital in Kingston, New York. He was 83. His death was confirmed by his wife…

10/27/2025

Paul Abella is back in the WDCB Music Lounge with some new music for this week's installment of "What's New on WDCB!"

JD Allen – Love Letters (The Ballad Sessions) (Savant Records) Saxophonist JD Allen has long been known for putting out fire-breathing al...

10/20/2025

Paul Abella shares some new music hitting the airwaves in this week's "What's new on WDCB!"

Eric Alexander – Like Sugar (Cellar Music) Saxophonist Eric Alexander has been on a tear this year, appearing on a number of albums, on t...

10/19/2025

WDCB blues host and Chicago radio legend Tom Marker is announcing his retirement after more than 50 years on the air. Marker’s weekly Saturday night “Blues Time” program has been a mainstay of WDCB’s 11-hour Saturday night blues lineup for more a decade. Since joining WDCB as a blues host in 2015, Marker’s monthly “WDCB Bluesday Tuesday” live concert broadcasts from FitzGerald’s nightclub in Berwyn have also been wildly popular with local blues fans.

Marker’s retirement will cap off a legendary career in Chicago radio, which began in 1975 at WJKL “The Fox” in Elgin. Moving to Chicago’s WXRT in 1980, he gained prominence during his four decades of work as one of the station’s beloved rock hosts. But it was his weekly “Blues Breakers” program on WXRT, beginning in 1984, that truly cemented his legacy as one of Chicago’s most notable champions of the city’s working blues musicians. Marker brought his love for the blues to WDCB in January 2015, where his 2-hour “Blues Time” program has been a Saturday night audience favorite ever since.

“Years ago, I imagined myself retiring at 65,” says Marker. “But the past 11 years of my career have been a lot of fun with very little wear and tear on me. I love my job, but I just don’t want to work anymore. I’ll begin 2026 with a birthday that makes me 75 years old, so I think that’s a pretty good time to hang up the headphones.”

Marker will host his final “Blues Time” on Saturday, December 13. Catch the show from 7 to 9pm on WDCB 90.9FM, streaming on WDCB.org, or via the WDCB App (or however you normally listen).

“It almost goes without saying that Tom’s Blues Time program was a big boost to our blues lineup, but when Tom joined the WDCB team in 2015, it was truly exciting for all of us here,” says WDCB Station Manager Dan Bindert. “He’s not only a consummate professional and an excellent radio host, he’s just a great guy who brings people together. The musicians truly love him! And I’ve had so much fun getting to work with Tom on the Bluesday Tuesday live broadcasts every month.”

WDCB’s monthly Bluesday Tuesday concert series at FitzGerald’s will continue its regular monthly schedule of events in 2026, but Marker will emcee his Bluesday Tuesday finale, featuring Chicago bluesman Billy Branch (pictured below), on December 2.

FitzGerald’s owner Will Duncan says “Tom Marker taught me damn near everything I know about the Chicago Blues scene, and for that I’m eternally grateful. While he may be taking a well-deserved step back from the microphone, I know he'll remain an important leader in this close-knit Chicago blues community, which FitzGerald’s is proud to be a small part of.”

“I’m looking forward to letting someone else handle the Bluesday Tuesday planning and hosting in the future while I party with the regulars,” says Marker. “See you out there!”

This picture provided by Alan Frohlichstein.

wdcb.org/music-lounge/general/581

10/17/2025

Congratulations to our friends at HeyNonnyAH in Arlington Heights celebrating their 7th anniversary today!

10/13/2025

Paul Abella pops over to the WDCB Music Lounge with some new CDs to review in this week's "What's New on WDCB!"

Christopher McBride & The Whole Proof – The Hang, The Hustle, The Path (KYO Music) Saxophonist Christopher McBride, a Chicago native ...

10/08/2025

Congratulations to jazz pianist and composer Craig Taborn on being named a 2025 MacArthur Foundation Fellow, and on receiving a "Genius Grant". Also to Chicago photographer Tonika Lewis Johnson.

The MacArthur Foundation supports creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. In addition to selecting the MacArthur Fellows, we work to defend human rights, advance global conservation and security, make cities better places, and unders...