Radio Interviews in March

Singer and bandleader Jacqui Sutton, DJ, historian and visual artist Tierney Malone, and writer and composer Chris Becker

I grew up with radio. (Well, radio, and then MTV.) While my first exposure to jazz was through my father's record collection, and records I subsequently bought to share with him (Miles Davis' The Man with the Horn and Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays' As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls were the first two jazz albums I bought), pre-MTV FM radio turned me on to a lot of musical artists and styles I still listen to today. As a got older, I recognized the value of listener-sponsored community radio stations, and eventually went on to be interviewed about my work as a musician and writer on great stations across the U.S. Most recently, I've been a guest on Tierney Malone's show "Houston Jazz Spotlight" to talk about my book Freedom of Expression: Interviews With Women in Jazz. This month, I am looking forward to two opportunities to talk about the book on two more great listener-supported radio shows.

The first will be with Nou Dadoun on his show "A-Trane" which airs out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Fridays, 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. (PST) on CFRO 100.5 FM and online at Co-Op Radio. I'll be on Nou's show March 4.

I've been a fan of Joyce Jones' show "Suga' In My Bowl" for awhile, so it's particularly exciting for me to have the opportunity to speak with her about the book. "Suga' in My Bowl" airs in New York City on Sundays at 11:00 p.m. (ET) on WBAI 99.5 FM and online at wbai.org. My conversation with Joyce will air March 20.

These days, FM radio is typically very bland, with little or no information from DJs as to what you're listening to. It seems listener-supported radio is what's left, and wherever you live, it deserves your support. Podcasts are cool, but there's no substitute for experience of discovery and education that live radio offers.

What's your favorite station? Let me know in the comments below.