Woke up to find the owner could no longer afford the subsidy . This was part of my Sunday morning ritual , listening to old favorites & then an hour or two with Sinatra's music. I felt something died today , I'm sooo sad read more

They don't play enough blues. Just a few hours on the weekends everything else basically 100 songs on rerun. The station has gotten quite boring over the years. All the hosts are fairly old and aren't really playing any modern jazz. And Never any blues read more

KJAZZ (KKJZ): It's 88.1 FM on the Long Beach dial, but also accessible anywhere in the Milky Way at http://www.jazzandblues.org .... ..... .... ... The old-school Jupiterians tune in and jazz out after a long day of microwaving the rarinans off of all the fpellededers. The new-schoolers tune in too, but they have laser pointers that do the same thing with less mess. And on Saturn, they're shooting the buzz to the Caffeinists in their booths tapping away to wrap up the month-end upper-management vision vis-a-vis an excel jack ass pie graph. KJAZZ is playing this whole time. The jokees start yakking it up, trying to make the gal whatevs laugh. And the Neptunians look forward to the weekends just as we do - Every Saturday and Sunday morning starts off with Chuck Cecil's Swingin' Years (which began its broadcast in the mid 50s.) I wish I was in my bedroom right now, jazzandblues.org playing, the phones turned off, blinds slanting upward lazily to catch the last of the twilight dusk, my mind shutting down and drifting along. And the next morning, I'm brewing up the stimulus package, opening up the bay windows, and letting in the tweets and chirps of the birds and the groaning of garbage trucks marching down each street to pick up all the waste we accumulate year after year. They crunch it down and build another suburban development on top. Okay, go back to the birds chirping, singing Good Morning. On KJAZZ, tomorrow's contemporary artists are today's future classic artists with a heavy nod to yesterday's great artists. Tune it in sharply. read more

KJAZZ 88.1 FM - Sam Rivers - Radio Stations Near Me - Long Beach, California

See all

The destruction of a once-proud jazz radio station continues. Due to their current obsession with jazz vocals, the station has devolved from a straight-ahead jazz station to a smooth jazz/easy listening format. The only thing worth listening to now is Gary Wagner's "Nothin' But The Blues" on the weekends. Oh, and don't bother complaining to management. Phone calls and emails will never be answered. They just don't care about their listeners. read more

Sadly, this station is NOT what it once was. It has brought in the kind of music that it has not previously had. Every time we turn the radio on, we have to turn it off expecting to hear the sound of the greats in classical American sounds of Music and Voices of those that created our Jazz. Instead, we hear much of what is not American but of another culture that has been brought into what was the traditions of the past. At first, it occupied the weekends, making listening to this station almost obsolete. Now this includes Wednesdays and other days that make listening to this station and hoping to hear the music that is loved, not possible. How can you support a station that does not realize that it is falling apart. read more

*** many say that breakfast is perhaps the most important meal ... *** so why not have "Breakfast with Bubba" during your a.m. commute? i've gotta trek down to OC to my office sometimes ... so when i do, i always try to take the time to fill-up on a well-balanced meal of jazz classics. it puts me in the right mood to approach the day. this morning it was the 6am program of DJ Bubba Jackson. in sales, attitude is most important. Bubba's gotta great one. he sold me long ago. he makes my 1-hour commute a breeze. today the first piece i heard was dominated by a xylophone. that's vintage. it was followed by a trombone piece ... then female vocalist Tierney Sutton sang "Fever", oh yeah, now i'm ready for my 9am presentation. i'm in a mellow state. and on the weekends, KKJZ rocks with the blues all day. i gotta get my blues fix too, so i happily donate $ to KKJZ. (KKJZ is a member supported radio station under CSU.) *** "Breakfast with Bubba" ... the most important meal of the day. *** read more

Unfortunately, too much talk and not enough music. The Sinatra guy, the blues guy, and the big band guy all think they're hosting a talk show. And Johnny Magnus is far too repetitive on his Saturday and Sunday mornign show. Also, the music tends to lean to "smooth jazz" or "jazz hits". For more traditional jazz, try KCSM from the Bay Area live-stream, or Jazz 88.3 San Diego - minimal talk and lots of straight-ahead jazz. The internet is a great way to find exactly what you're looking for. read more

KJAZ is jazz and blues, 88.1 FM on the dial. the music is melodic, mellow, a real stress reliever when i get tired of all news, news analysis, etc. read more

KJAZZ formerly KLON, is a great station. Great blues music block on the weekends. 10 hours of blues 2-7pm every Sat and Sun. It takes me back to the days of my dad and I working on someone's house with BB King, Bobby Blue Bland and Robert Cray blaring in the background. The Blues festival at Long Beach State hosted by the station is also the largest west of the Mississippi, There have been great artists who've performed here- Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Koko Taylor and Albert King. Always a great way to spend Labor Day weekend. I remembered as a youngster, I hated this music that dad would play every weekend. Dammmn how many times do I have to hear "my woman left me...my woman cheated on me.. I lost my job...my house burned down.. etc " But now as an adult, this music speaks to me. Thanks again Dad. Just another example of how eventually our parents know more than us. Thank you Dad for introducing me to the blues. And thank you for introducing me to this station. Just one more reason that I'll always love you. Thanks Dad. read more

Don't get me wrong, I love 88.1 KJZZ! Heck, I'm even a member. I don't even mind the annoying phoneathons. That's where I became a member, after all! :-) I have one small pet peeve, however. The station bills itself as a Jazz AND Blues, hence the website jazzandblues.org. So why is it that I have to wait until Saturday and Sunday to hear the Blues? Even then, I have to wait until the afternoon, from 2 pm to 7 pm to be exact. Maybe the station should change to "Jazz and, you know, some Blues with a little bit of big band / swing and Latin Jazz thrown in for good measure? (Latin Jazz played Sat & Sunday from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM and Swing from 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Sat / Sun). Despite my one little annoyance, the station is truly five star quality. Since I'm the only one giving less than four stars, I think they are safe! :-) Keep up the good work KJZZ! read more

I began listening to this station in 2008, and was initially quite pleased with the format, the hosts, and the music selections. I particularly liked Chuck Cecil's Swinging Years show on weekends. Now, the station has replaced Chuck Cecil with Johnny Magnus, and his Swingtime show. This show stinks. Magnus wears false teeth that audibly click, and few of his selections are from the swing era. Gordon Goodwin is a relatively new host, and he belongs on top forty AM radio! His Schtick and poor humor and unnecessary chatter are hard to take. Luckily Jose Rizo and Bubba Jackson are still around. I listen less often than previously due to the frequent repetition of songs, over and over. Boring. read more

This is my GO TO radio station. I am not a heavy jazz fan - but no matter when I turn it on, it is always 100% free of advertising. Most of the time I get t listen to music that doesn't offend, and tends to brighten up my day. Just the Blues and old Jazz/Popular music is restricted to the weekends. I quit smoking in 1989 - and to this day I miss it. However this station is the best placebo available for me. Who knows I might become a jazz fan. The Wag man always has something soothing in his play list. read more

I love KJAZZ. Sadly, they broadcast out of Long Beach and their signal doesn't carry everywhere in the San Fernando Valley, so I can't always pick up their soothing notes on my car audio. Come on, KJAZZ... I'm stuck in the Valley... That's punishment enough. Can you at least give me penance by boosting your signal a teeny little bit to make my commute more bearable? read more

KKJZ 88.1 is the only fm station that plays true jazz/blues. I grew up listening to KKGO with Chuck Niles in the late 60's and 70's. As a teen I listened to Eddie Harris "Cold Duck Time", Herbie Mann "Memphis Underground". The Jazz Crusaders Lighthouse 68 and Wes Montgomery played a great version of "Eleanor Rigby". Also, Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 "Mas que Nada". Back to KKJZ, I really appreciate the personalites knowledge and history of the artist they play. Helen Borgers amazes me with the information she shares, You can tell she really loves doing what she does, and she does it well. I always look forward to the weekends for "Nothin' but the Blues". Jazz on the latin side with Jose Rizo is a pleasure to listen to. Especially, Poncho Sanchez ! Thank You KKJZ, the only radio station I will listen to. Cannot forget Gary "the Wagman" Wagner, and all the DJ's. Thank You all ! read more

I was reading about it so I decided to see what this 88.1 sounded like. To me, it came off as very snobby. Nose up in the air talking down at people who they seem to consider lesser than them. I just couldn't get past that. The music isn't a big part of my rating although it came off as kind of classical old man jazz, I wouldn't bother returning. read more

The only station that calms me down every time. I'm not saying that I'm generally very panicky, it's just that this stellar jazz station makes me calmer than my usual calmness. read more

Great station with a great mix of jazz (and blues on the weekends). DJs tell great anecdotes about songs & musicians. I'm not sure why there is a Kenny G photo here since I've never heard him being played on KJAZZ. As to Michael O's review, all I can say is you're one ignorant, negative person. Your statement: "Blues = the black version of country music! AKA garbage!" is one of the dumbest statements ever made. Without blues there would have been no Rock & Roll. Why don't you ask The Stones, Clapton, Hendrix (RIP), Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Santana etc. what they think of the blues. read more

I'm no jazz expert BUT, I definitely started listening and KJAZZ (88.1 fm) located at Cal State Long Beach. After a long and stressful day at work this station is easy listening as I drive along PCH. Highly recommended for a relaxing ride in the car or a hip feel while cooking in the kitchen. Actually, whenever, wherever! read more

Skip 94.7 The WAVE and listen to this during my morning traffic jams.

By far the best radio station I've heard in forever. At first I thought It's even better than when the father of great modern jazz DJs, Bubba Jackson, was on KADX in Denver in the 1970's. Then I realized Bubba Jackson is on this station but I didn't know it and hadn't heard him until I saw the web site!! http://www.jazzandblues.org Check it out. read more

Another reason to love Long Beach.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2017 I posted 3 reviews about Kjazz in 2015. Here is what changed since then: Back then I said: A) What bothers me is the DJ's there are robots who MUST say "K-Jazz 88.1" each time they start talking (coming back on the air after playing a few songs) or at the end of their comments before playing the music.  Well they don't do that anymore, which means I was right. B) I complained about Bob Parlocha, I found out ..eh..1 week after my post..eh.. that he ..eh ...died but K-Jazz continued to play his recorded programs for another 6 months so people didn't know he died. Kind of creepy. Good news, Bad news and more bad news 1) Good news: I complained about Helen Borgers being annoying. Well she doesn't work there anymore. (I am aware that I had nothing to do about that. I believe she worked there 30 years and decided it's enough). I'm just guessing. 2) Bad news: Brad Williams, the best DJ is also gone from KJAZZ. I don't know the details: is he dead? Did he quit? Was he fired? I tried to Google his name but nothing came out of that. He was the best. 3) More bad news: Since Brad Williams left, the annoying David Benoit is now on the air 2 more hours. Before he left at 10 am now he leaves at 12pm. Which means 12 more "Good morning. This is David Benoit". Every day. 4) They didn't replace Bob Parlocha. Now they just play music at night without any talk. It is the same music you heard in the morning or afternoon. You will hear the same artists. 5) The annoying Steve Tyrell (a redneck with a rough voice singing Standard music) is still there. (K-Jazz has many musicians as DJ: Him, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis). The others annoying DJ are still there to: Johnny Magnus, Jerry Sharell, Paul Williams who likes to accentuate the last word: "We will hear more of that on ...MONDAY but for now let's play more ...MUSIC. This is a recording from ...LAST YEAR with Mark Smith playing the ...CLARINET." Gee! Where do they find these idiots? Hey Paul, I hope you get run over ...BY A BUS! And now about what's going on today. Since a few months they play the same artists. Cannonball Adderley, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery. And the same tunes (Cannonball Adderley's "Work song" recorded live in Tokyo, Take Five by Brubeck etc). K-Jazz is not a radio station but a Jukebox with 200 songs which they play over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over andover and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. The music you hear on Monday is what you will hear on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and next week and the week after that. It will last a few months, then they will push another five artists everyday for months. There are 50.000, 80.000 or 100.000 songs out there, perhaps more than that since recording started in the 1930's. 500.000? One million? And yet they play the same 200 songs. And they have the nerve to ask for money. Why would I pay money to hear the same songs over and over? Don't support them! read more

Long Beach Blues Festival Review (posted here because KJAZZ is one of the organizers) I'm a big blues fan, but yesterday was a first. I finally made it to the Long Beach Blues Festival. I've been hearing about this for probably 15 years. Living in San Pedro makes it a hop, skip and a jump to Long Beach. I'm not big on all day out door events, so I had put it off for a long time. But a good friend suggested that we go on Sunday. She really wanted to hear Taj Mahal, so off we went. The venue has moved this year from the campus of Cal State Long Beach to Rainbow Lagoon Park, maybe 10 miles as the crow flies, but a world of difference in climate. Rainbow Lagoon Park is practically on the ocean and it was so much cooler there. While the festival started at 2:00, we didn't get there until about 5:00. Parking was great, and it was a pleasant walk from the car to the park as we could hear the music from the stage all the way to the parking lot. It was lawn seating, so getting there that late meant our seating choices were somewhat restricted, but we found a decent spot and settled in. We could carry food in, but no beverages. We also took sand chairs in. The rules said that lawn chairs were not allowed, but someone obviously forgot to tell the staff. Oh well. There was lots to eat and drink inside. We brought cheese, crackers, grapes and salads. We ate everything but the salads. We purchased beer, sausage sandwiches, and garlic fries. Now on to the music. We heard Eddie Floyd, Charlie Musselwhite, Booker T Jones and, of course, Taj Mahal. They were all great. Most of these artists I had never hear live. Eddie Floyd played a number of his hits from Stax records. Charlie Musselwhite had one of the tightest bands there, his music really spoke to me. Booker T was most excellent. Yes, he is of the Booker T and MG's fame. Last, but not least, Taj Mahal was in fine form. His trio plays a variety of instruemtnal and non-instrumental selections. As I'm writing this, I checking out their discography to add to my collection. I wish I had taken some notes so that I tell you exactly the songs that I heard, but I didn't. I just sat there and enjoyed the music in the moment. KJAZZ (88.1FM) is the organizer of the festival. They play jazz and blues and are a local music icon here.This was the 29th year of this festival and I have no doubt that I could have met people who have gone all 29 years. Now that I've gone, I'll go back again. It was that good. read more

You can count on KJAZZ to play quality stuff everytime you tune in. I could listen to their big band / swing blocks for days. I also really dig their latin jazz sections too. And the fact that I never hear commercials when I tune is a huge plus. But when it starts getting a little too experimental, a little too Sun-Ra for me, I gotta change the station. Just not my cup of tea. I take KJAZZ for granted. It's never the first station I tune into, but when I do, I get hooked in. read more

This has been a treasure of Long Beach as long as I can remember. In a radio dial that's filled with Top 40 regurgitation, annoying DJs, and wall-to-wall ads, K-Jazz (formerly KLON) serves up a steady rotation of jazz and blues along with NPR news updates. It's a hybrid of a college station and a public radio station, which is usually a good thing, and only occasionally makes things complicated. It was a great day in SoCal when they upgraded their transmitter a few years ago, allowing people to get reception much farther than previously - all over SoCal instead of within about 10 miles of LB. Now of course you can also listen online, which is great too. The only downside to K-Jazz is, of course, the quarterly beg-a-thons which make the listening experience nearly intolerable for the whole duration. So pony up that membership money if you listen - the quicker they get their needs met, the quicker they can get back to playing commercial-free jazz, blues, and world music. read more

"Nothing but the Blues" Saturday & Sunday 2-7 pm!!!!! Probably better when it was KLON but still good. Not enough hard-core jazz and too much Latin Jazz, but still a great station. read more

+1 Jazz on the Latin Side in the evenings to accompany my drive home from work +3 Calming music to listen to while I go about my day -1 Never been crazy about Straight-Ahead jazz or jazz with vibraphones read more

There was one other reviewer who talked about the quality of the station since the passing of Bob Parlocha, and I have to agree with him. This station used to be a much, much, much bolder one then it is now. And I admit that if I just now started listening I would be blown away by it to. But I've been listening since the Chuck Niles days. He played EVERYTHING! even if he didn't like it. But the thing is that he kept it fresh. I'm afraid that's not happening these days at old 88.1. Just bebop, swing, old standards performed by no-name artists. It is not the same at all. read more

If jazz to you is hearing a middling vocalist on a champagne brunch harbor cruise you'll love kkjz.

I used to enjoy listening to K-jazz but lately I just switch back and forth because the programming really sucks these days especially late at night when they play of all things, rap music on a jazz station. I previously thought I might become a subscriber one day but seriously, I would much rather subscribe to Siriusxm radio than this in the toilet jazz station. Now the only thing I enjoy is nothin but the blues, other than that it sucks as far as I'm concerned. Then there's Frank Sinatra, no jazz station plays more of him than this one and that's another thing I don't like because when you favor a certain musician, others you may like you will never hear. read more

I listen to jazz all day and night with 88.1 I enjoy they have news I don't have a computer dont have a television don't care about the bull shit that is going on so klaxon a good place to relax read more

I love this station!!! But I cannot always get it in my car. The quality of the audio stream at: http://www.jazzandblues.org/programming/listen/stream/ is way better than most. read more

5 stars because whenever I use the women's bathroom in the LA2 area, I can hear the relaxing sounds of jazz covering up the usual bathroom noises. read more

The station obviously wants to kill the Sat & Sun morning swing format, and has now reduced it from 4 to 3 hours, forsaking swing evergreens and playing mostly crud that does not swing! read more

We listen to each other a lot. Your Friday and Saturday night sessions blow my mind. You are independent just like me. I get it. Thanks.

I haven't been able find a jazz station. Truth be told, I didn't really try. But, I came across this station a couple weeks ago and I have to say I really enjoy it. Every now and then the jazz is a little too experimental or abstract for my taste but I'm glad I found it. Also, KJAZZ never seems to be on a commercial when I flip to it. So strange but very cool!! read more

I recently set my alarm so that I wake up to this station every morning at 7am; makes getting up to face reality soooo much easier. I love you kjazz xoxo read more

i'm super picky when it comes to radio. i'm honestly super disapointed with the choice here in los angeles. maybe i haven't given the dial enough spins out here, but the public radio range is fairly sparse out here, and i obviously won't venture outside of the public station range. i'm mostly listening to the countless wfmu podcasts via ipod, but when i do brave the los angeles airwaves, kjazz is a nice alternative. i especially like the sunday blues day. read more

Whenever and wherever I'm driving , I listen to KJAZZ about 99% of the time, So at the last fund drive, KJAZZ was offering two "free tickets to the Wynston Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln center concert that occurred last night at the Valley performing arts center in Northridge. I went to will call not knowing what seats that had been reserved for me I was thinking maybe the cheaper "nosebleed" seats in the back was a distinct possibility and that was OK. When I got the seats they turned out to be "orchestra center section , in front of the sound board, what a score ! The folks around me had spent $65 for a seat and I scored 2 tickets for my single contribution of $88 and helped keep the station to boot ! Of course the concert was beyond any of my wildest imagination and the acoustics at the center were impeccable. Duke Ellington, Count Basie were performed flawlessly. and Wynston Marsalis is a wonder maestro and renowned musicologist. There were people around me who decided to contribute more to kJazz upon hearing my story and that's all good too ! Thanks Kjazz , may you "live long and prosper" ! read more

88.1 is my go-to radio station for Jazz music. I was recently a listener of 94.7 The Wave until they changed from their Smooth Jazz format to all R&B. That's right, no more Jazz on 94.7 The Wave. Their new programmer changed the format to strictly R&B to try to compete with another local Los Angeles radio station. read more