JAZZFEST DETROIT with JOHN PENNEY Saturdays 7 - 9 pm

John Penney was born and raised in Ithaca, New York, and began hosting and programming weekly jazz and folk music programs on student owned commercial radio station WVBR-FM at the age of 15.

In 1967 WVBR became one of the first FM radio stations in the country to program “progressive rock.”  John was instrumental in the creation of the format and became one of WVBR’s most popular on-air personalities, frequently featuring live studio performances on his show. He served as Music Director beginning in 1970, and continued to program jazz, folk, and rock programs through 1971. 
 
In 1978, at the age of 25, John became the National Promotion Director of Amherst Records in Buffalo, New York, where he was instrumental in establishing the career of the platinum selling band Spyro Gyra. He also became the most popular jazz host on public radio WBFO, as measured by Arbitron and listener donations.

In 1984 John moved to Detroit as the Michigan Regional Representative for Action, and in 1989 was hired by Warner Elektra Atlantic as a sales rep. During his 15 year career with WEA John gained a national reputation as a creative and innovative marketer, among other things designing and executing the company’s first regional catalog promotion with Wal-Mart, which was used to leverage the first national event.

John joined the air staff of public radio WDET-FM in Detroit in 1986 as host of a music variety program. John pioneered the concept of presenting “all the varieties of music” in such a way as to demonstrate the continuity between diverse musical forms by making the connection between current and historic recordings. His program became one of the most popular on the air.

John is a popular and sought after MC for live events, and for years was a fixture on stage at the Detroit Jazz Festival in Hart Plaza. He helped to create an innovative format for radio broadcasts of the festival, and served as national co-anchor for five years.  John began his association with the AMRF in 2004 when Ron Harwood asked him to MC the 6th Annual Motor City Boogie Woogie and Blues Festival. He became consultant/Director in September of 2005. John is also collaborating with Ron on a book about the life and times of classic blues singer Sippie Wallace and her siblings.

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FOR BOB STUDEBAKER & BOB PARLOCHA PLAYLISTS CLICK HERE.

JAZZWORKS Nightly 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

JazzWorks, featuring Bob Studebaker, airs daily from 7 to 11 p.m Monday through Sunday. Enjoy a great mix of cool jazz from Ella, Duke and other legends to new, rising jazz artists.

JAZZ Overnight 11:00 pm - 5:00 am

Bob Parlocha 11p.m. - 5a.m. Everyday http://www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com/ Bob serves as Program Director and Music Host for Jazz Satellite Network. WFMT's Jazz Satellite Network (JSN) is the leader in syndicated mainstream jazz programming. JSN Host Bob Parlocha entertains listeners with a creative, engaging musical mix of jazz classics with a local sound and appeal. A nationally known jazz expert and former program director/host of KJAZ of San Francisco, Bob Parlocha's rich, elegant voice is familiar to jazz audiences around the country. He is a sensitive programmer, articulate spokesman for jazz and astute analyst of the music scene, Bob's master of ceremonies at many jazz concerts and fund-raisers. His credits include the Gil Evans Orchestra's concert at the Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival, the UC Berkeley Jazz Festival, Oakland Arts Explosion, and Jazz at the Palace, Bay Area Jazz Awards, the San Francisco International KJAZ Festival, and KJAZ host on the SS Norway Jazz Cruises. A highly creative producer, he has developed many interesting specialty shows. His catalog includes the "Black Masters" series, "Latin Jazz," "On The Scene," spotlighting Bay Area musicians in live performance, and "What's New," reviewing album releases with a Bay Area panel of experts. Parlocha has also produced a number of albums for artists. His first was for singer Laurie Antonioli's "Soul Eyes" on Catero Records. He engineered the late Martha Young's "Live at Bajone's" album on the Carnelian label and an album for pianist Steve Cohn. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it