Jazz Time with Steve Williams features live performances, interviews, commentary, history, a local jazz calendar of events, and of course music – curated by legendary radio host Steve Williams.
From ragtime to bop, from Havana to Paris to Salt Lake City, from Billie Holiday to Joe Lovano, Steve is your guide through the many varieties of jazz music – past and present. A 35-year veteran of public radio, Williams brings his eclectic mix of the best jazz musicians ever recorded to the local airwaves every Sunday from 6pm to 10pm on KCPW.
Click here for KCPW’s live streaming audio.
Steve Williams has a lifelong love of jazz. His father was a horn player in New York, performing with American jazz legends Charlie Parker, Gene Krupa and Joe Venuti, among others. Williams has long been a champion of the local jazz scene and a legend in his own right – having interviewed the likes of Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, and Lionel Hampton, and emceeing jazz festivals around the United States.
In the spring of 2021, Steve announced that he and his wife Vicki were relocating to Chicago, Illinois to be closer to family.
“It’s been a privilege bringing jazz music to KCPW’s listeners these past six years and I’m deeply grateful to the station for carving out a space for the show,” Williams said. “I’m especially thankful for the people who have taken the time to reach out and tell me how much they appreciate the music, that they share my love for jazz. Thank you listeners and KCPW.”
Steve’s radio career goes back more than 40 years. He first worked as a jazzman at KRCL and then spent several decades at KUER before landing at KCPW in 2015 when listeners asked, en masse, to find a place for Steve who was entering semi-retirement. We were happy to cede Sunday nights to “the mayor of jazz city,” and it’s been a lot of fun since.
