A legacy in 4/4 time
By KATHERINE MITCHELL
ALBANY — Jazz lovers will celebrate WCDB 90.9 FM’s beloved radio host Bill McCann’s 40th anniversary at the University at Albany on Saturday, April 5, with nine hours of live music — and you’re invited.
“It’s going to be epic,” McCann said.
The UAlbany Jazz Appreciation Month Festival will highlight 16 bands and more than 80 musicians from across the region. Performances will be held on two stages in the Campus Center from noon to 9 p.m.
The free festival was organized by McCann and sponsored by UAlbany organizations, Capital Region jazz nonprofits and local musicians’ unions.
WCDB has been on the air for nearly five decades, and McCann has been part of its story for nearly all of it. As a freshman at UAlbany in 1982, he often visited the station to hang out and listen to other jazz DJs. In March 1985, he officially joined WCDB and was given an on-air slot — at 2 a.m.
One month later, he was offered the 8 a.m. to noon Saturday slot, where his show has continued for 40 years. The Saturday Morning Edition of Jazz has become a staple for his loyal, jazz-loving audience.
“I’ve got my kids, and I’ve got WCDB. That’s my life. I love WCDB,” McCann said.
An attorney by weekday and a radio host by weekend, McCann’s journey with jazz began long before his time on the air. Growing up in Rockland County, he often accompanied his father, who guest-hosted a jazz radio show in their
hometown. It was there that he first absorbed the music that would shape his passion for broadcasting.
“It’s my weekly four-hour therapy session,” McCann said, describing his sets as “spontaneously curated.”
He has fans who go way back.
“Though Bill started out as a college-age DJ just like everyone else, his deep foundations and appreciation of jazz came from family upbringing,” said his friend Joseph Schepis, a WCDB alumni DJ. “That depth of knowledge, along with the way he advocated for all jazz-related things in the Albany area, made his show a must-listen for just about anyone who cared about jazz at all.”
As president of A Place for Jazz and a member of both the Swing Time Jazz Society and the Jazz Journalists Association, McCann’s mission as a broadcaster is to educate the Capital Region about the genre and create a calm space where local musicians can be heard. His efforts were honored in 2012 when he received the Jazz Heroes Award from the Jazz Journalists Association.
McCann is also filling in for Tim Coakley as host of The Jazz Show on WAMC, bringing his WCDB audience over to the local station from 11 p.m. to midnight on Saturday nights.
Reflecting on his time at WCDB and his role in the Albany jazz community, McCann humbly acknowledged his impact.
“The pay is that you know that you’re impacting people’s lives in a positive way,” he said. “I try to give back as much as possible.”
Festivities on Saturday, April 5, will kick off at 11:30 a.m. with a ceremony honoring McCann, and music will begin at noon on the Orb Stage in the Campus Center. Each performance will be 50 minutes long.
For more information and a list of sponsors, visit wcdb.org/jazz.
