In 2010, the AAPRC Network was delighted to offer
"NewUrbanJazz", hosted by Baldwin to public radio stations
nationwide. After initially focusing exclusively on News/Talk shows,
"NewUrbanJazz" became the very first music program distributed by the
AAPRC. Prior to that however, he launched the program on WVSU, WJAB, WFSK, WVAS
and WNAA on October 1, 2008, and with that, this will mark his 10th year on the
air.
On January 8, 1988, he released his first disc, "I've
Got a Long Way To Go" on the now defunct Malaco Jazz label, and 22
additional cd's later, he still goes on strong.
The native New Yorker made clear his enthusiasm about
joining a network providing African-American content to public media. The
success of his show opened the door for the many music shows we now distribute.
"NewUrbanJazz" is a fusion of Contemporary Jazz
mixed with Brazilian and Urban flavors. Baldwin uses his knowledge of music and
his experience as a touring jazz artist to share his back-office personal
anecdotes about his fellow musicians in the U.S. and abroad, his celebration of
jazz trailblazers, and his excitement about the new music being produced today.
As a radio host, Bob Baldwin is quite a unique blend of
someone who has worked in both the music business and the media for
decades. He learned about jazz music
when in kindergarten from his father, Robert Baldwin, so it's been in his blood
since his childhood. "Learning
about legends like Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock at age 5 almost blew my
"kiddie" mind, but I think it actually strengthened my mathematical
development." But he was bitten by the radio bug as a young adult, and
it's been an important part of his life ever since.
After cutting his radio teeth at his college radio station,
Bob became an intern at Inner City Broadcasting (New York City) in 1981, where
he was mentored by the legendary Frankie Crocker (WBLS) in music program
hosting, and Pat Prescott (WLIB) in producing the news. Following that, he
worked for three years at New York's news station, WINS.
But music was calling him, and he set out to launch his
recording career in earnest. His first
CD, "I've Got a Long Way to Go" was recorded in 1988, and released on
Malaco Records in 1989. The CD won first
place in the Sony Innovators Award competition that year, handpicked by Roberta
Flack. His music career was off and
running. But radio was not done with
him.
Between 1999 and 2007 Bob worked at AAPRC member station
WCLK-FM in Atlanta, and commercial
stations WJSJ in Jacksonville, FL, and Radio One's WJZZ, also in
Atlanta. During this period he witnessed
first hand the demise of smooth jazz stations in commercial radio, not only as
a broadcaster but as one of the many jazz artists impacted. Like many aficionados of the genre, Bob cites
the "dummying down" of smooth jazz playlists by broadcasting
conglomerates for its commercial demise.
Hence in 2008, Bob took constructive action; He created his
own Contemporary Jazz music show, "NewUrbanJazz", described by
Baldwin as "... our own diverse
brand of jazz, as diverse as the crowds we play for all over the world."
He continues, "While super-radio conglomerates are falling by the
wayside... the universe is looking for something substantial from creative
people, something we are all capable of delivering, that is, if we just push
the envelope just a little harder, deeper and further into other media arenas,
in some of which we are clearly overlooked."
Prior to joining the AAPRC Network, "NewUrbanJazz"
originally launched on five public radio stations: WJAB (Huntsville, AL), WFSK
(Nashville, TN), WNAA (Greensboro, NC), WVAS (Montgomery, AL) and WVSU
(Birmingham, AL). Since becoming a show
in the AAPRC line-up in 2010, carriage has increased to over 30 stations
nationwide.
This week, Bob celebrated 30 years as a recording artist
(January 8th). He'll continue
celebrating
thislandmark throughout his 2018 touring season. He also plans to release
several re-mixed/re-mastered recordings, starting with
"Never Can Say Goodbye", A Tribute to Michael Jackson, which debuted
in Billboard's top-20 jazz releases in 2017.
Still, he finds time to listen to new music, and produce new show
episodes week after week.
Through his partnership with the AAPRC, Baldwin hopes to
continue to share with audiences,"... the multi-faceted sides of jazz that
so many commercial stations have either neglected or failed to
acknowledge". For listeners, that means a sophisticated palette of
contemporary music that reflects the diverse culture we live in today.
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