Fairwell to the Jazz Image

This post is a bit delayed since I did a wedding last night, but right now Megan and I are listening to the last episode of the Jazz Image on the Current. It was announced in July, but I didn't find out about it until this week. Leigh Kamman of NPR's the Jazz Image is retiring after 60 years of being on the radio. I didn't always listen to his show, but I have always heard it. And every time it comes on I always say, "he has the best voice in radio." And he has always been there - to the point that I never thought he would leave. I first remember him coming on at the cabin on Saturday nights, with the always beautiful "Manoir De Mes Reves" by Gerry Mulligan as his intro song. What he managed to do with is voice and his music is take you some place if you wanted to go. Paris, 1949. New Orleans, 1972. The Dakota Jazz Club, last Sunday. His deep calm voice carried the you and the music on effortlessly in a way I have never heard before over the radio, and it will be hard to match.

There is an archive of his shows going back to July 2005, but as of now it is just a list of what played on that date. Hopefully they can change that with some streaming content later. There is a great documentary on there that you should all watch!

So thanks Leigh, for all that you have done for the landscape of the twin cities nights all these years. Good luck on your future endeavors, we will miss you!