Jazz88's Manny Hill chats with Minneapolis Public Schools Interim Suptindendent Rochelle Cox about the increased graduation rates around MPS, Teacher Appreciation Week, and how the district plans to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Superintendent Cox also highlights the MPS Shines winners for the month of April.

Bobby Lyle is back in town for a Friday show at Crooners and he was nice enough to stop by the Afternoon Cruise. He talked about growing up in Minneapolis and hearing about young musicians in North Minneapolis who were working out of a garage. Those musicians turned out to be Prince and Morris Day! That's the tip of the iceberg with the stories Bobby Lyle can tell about his four plus decades in the music world.

Pianist Billy Childs connected with Sean McPherson via ZOOM to discuss his new album, his collaborators and his upcoming show at the Dakota in Minneapolis. - This podcast was produced and edited by Autumn Haeg.

Some say Willie West’s greatest musical triumph was in the 1970s when he was the lead singer for the iconic pop group, the Meters. But Willie has never stopped singing, as his new CD The Soul Sessions attests. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Willie told about how the songs on the CD are special to him, such as Talk to Me, composed by Little Willie John.

Karrin Allyson swung through the Afternoon Cruise to talk about her upcoming show at the Dakota on Tuesday, May 16. She's preparing for a new album centered on the music of Brazil and she's bringing some collaborators, including Rossa Passos to get in on the action.

In advance of a release show at the Cedar Cultural Center, deVon Russell Gray, Nathan Hanson and Davu Seru visited Jazz88 to discuss their new album, We Sick.

The State of Minnesota has become just the 4th state to pass legislation for a free school meal program. Starting next school year (2023-24), students at Minneapolis Public Schools will be able to eat meals for free during their days at school. Jazz88's Manny Hill talks with MPS Director of Culinary and Wellness Bertrand Weber on what it all means for the district, and where families can find more information.

The jet-setting Twin Cities based saxophonist Lucia Sarmiento swung by the Afternoon Cruise to chat with Sean McPherson in anticipation of her first headlining concert ever, taking place at Crooners on Thursday, April 27.

Pianist Patrick Adkins’ Quartet takes inspiration from Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet. That includes covers as well or original music that Patrick writes. The group performs at an 8PM show at KJ’s Hideaway in St Paul, Saturday April 29. In a conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Patrick talked about the qualities of the American quartet that guide his group’s playing.

Local songwriter Amanda Walbridge has released a bluegrass CD called “Sunshine in the Valley. All of the songs on Sunshine in the Valley are Amanda Walbridge originals. The songs on “Sunshine in the Valley” tell stories. But also, the individual songs are linked to tell a bigger story. In a recent conversation with Phil Nusbaum, Amanda talked about her process for sequencing the songs on Sunshine in the Valley.