(Westside News – June 2023) Jazz90.1 in Greece has been bringing local jazz to the Rochester area for 50 years.
In the early 70s the Greece Central School District decided to establish an FM radio station with the purpose of providing services to the community. On November 1, 1973, 90.1 WGMC was on the air for the first time. Since inception, Jazz90.1 FM has been providing jazz, blues, big band music, community events, concerts and public service programming to Rochester.
Rob Linton, Station Manager at Jazz90.1, said the station has embodied their mission to “Take Jazz Further.” “We concentrate on keeping the music alive and the conversation going. It is very difficult to sustain a full time, community jazz radio station. We are one of the last left in the United States. Over the years we have tweaked our format to appeal to all jazz fans. Tuning in you may hear anything from Ella Fitzgerald to The Bad Plus,” Linton said.
On any given day, listeners from 15 different countries around the world are tuning in to the station.
According to their website, “At Jazz90.1, we believe that jazz is a living music. That’s why half our broadcast hours are focused on current artists who are committed to moving the music forward. Jazz90.1 plays more new music than any radio station in the U.S. On the flip side, we also play a heaping portion of the classics, names like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, and many more. When you listen to Jazz90.1, you get the best new jazz, and the best jazz of all time.”
Volunteers are the fuel that keeps Jazz90.1 going. There are only three paid employees, the rest are volunteers from across the Rochester area, DJs, office, promotional and marketing staff, with 25 on-air volunteers. “All of our DJs choose the music that they play. They have a library of over 15,000 CDs to choose from, that keeps the music fresh and creates a wide variety of offerings,” Linton said. Station funding relies on donations from the community and businesses.
Jazz90.1 is located at Greece Olympia High School. They work closely with students in the media classes as part of their commitment to the community. Students participating in the program get first hand experience working in all aspects of operation of a radio station, everything from on air work, to marketing and promotions, fundraising and the day to day of what goes into selection of the music that is played.
Jazz90.1 provides a wide variety of Live Events, with many free concerts including Jazz at the Beach, Live Music at Greece Baptist Church and Jazz cruises aboard the Colonial Belle in Fairport. “Rochester is a huge Jazz town. There has always been famous jazz clubs here. We also have a world renown music school here in Rochester. The best thing that the community can do to support jazz in Rochester is to attend our free concerts. There is music there that hits all that jazz has to offer,” Linton said.
Jazz90.1 is planning special events for the Fall to celebrate their 50th Anniversary including a Gala, additional free concerts, and an Open House.
For more information on Jazz90.1, including complete free concert listings, live streams, and programming information visit www.jazz901.org.
