LAUREN GILGER: Well, it’s sad, but it’s true. Blaise Lantana, who has been KJZZ’s music director these past 32 years, is leaving the airwaves.
She’s been a nightly fixture here since 1994, playing jazz into the wee hours, music by Miles Davis and Keiko Matsui and Sarah Vaughan. She’s kept us company and introduced us to her colleagues and friends, local musicians like Dennis Rowland and Stan Sorenson and Bill Moio. She’s turned us on to Shirley Scott and Sonny Clark and Rob Wasserman.
Most of you know that Blaise is herself an accomplished musician. She’s not leaving local stages. But you won’t find her here on KJZZ after July 2.
KJZZ contributor Robrt Pela sat down with Blaise to talk about her time here at the station.
ROBRT PELA: So, I — I’ve been a contributor at KJZZ — we can’t call it K-JAZZ anymore, remember?
BLAISE LANTANA: Well, I can.
ROBRT PELA: I’ve been here for more than 30 years. And when I mention this to people, they don’t say, “Oh, really? What’s that like?” or “What do you do?” or “Oh, how nice for you.”
The first thing that everybody has said to me for more than 30 years is, “Do you know Blaise Lantana?”
BLAISE LANTANA: Oh, really?
ROBRT PELA: It’s true. It’s a true story.
BLAISE LANTANA: Oh, it’s nice to be semi-famous.
ROBRT PELA: How, tell me about, how did you end up here?
BLAISE LANTANA: I applied for the job. I was working in public radio in Corpus Christi, Texas. And then I applied here because I knew, I had heard of and about Scott Williams, actually, who is an amazing radio programmer and he was our program director here. And I wanted to work with him and learn more about programming music and how to make radio. And he’s so good at that and he was a great teacher and told me, “You know, Blaise, not all good jazz is good radio.”
That’s what he taught me. And he said, “You know, people just don’t, may not, they may not want to hear a drum solo when they’re driving down the street. It’s not the same as when you’re in the room and you can see the guy and it’s happening, you know?”
So, think I was at KBACH about a year, and Bill Shedd came in and said, “How would you like to work for me? You’ll be doing jazz, this is the time slot, you can program all the music,” and putting me on at 7 in the evening.
So, jazz was on from 7 in the evening to 3 in the morning. And then 7 in the evening till 1 in the morning. And then 8 in the evening till — so it’s been kind of getting crunched over the years until they finally moved it off the FM and onto what we call HD, which some people know about, but most people don’t.
ROBRT PELA: How much of that had to do with your decision to retire from the radio?
BLAISE LANTANA: All stations now are on HD.
ROBRT PELA: Yeah.
BLAISE LANTANA: And yet, nobody talks about it. Nobody says, “What is that?” or “Where is that?” And I meet people, you know, and they’re so kind. Oh my goodness, they are so kind. They are so nice to me. And I go, I have, half the time go out to their car and show them where to find HD in their car.
ROBRT PELA: Oh, because nobody knows how to get it, what it is.
BLAISE LANTANA: And it’s on … most almost every car from 2017 on.
ROBRT PELA: Yeah.
BLAISE LANTANA: And people don’t even know how to find it.
ROBRT PELA: It’s a strange transitional time. So, you’re a musician. How natural a fit was this for you to tell us about music and musicians that you love?
BLAISE LANTANA: It was very natural because that’s pretty much all I talk about, annoyingly so, and so I would do that on the air.
ROBRT PELA: Speaking of musicians that we’ve heard of, you’re not leaving local stages. You’re leaving the radio. I want to reiterate that.
BLAISE LANTANA: Right.
ROBRT PELA: You will continue to perform for us and sing for us.
BLAISE LANTANA: Yes, I’ve been trying to get back out and and do more of that. I’ve been trying to go to some jam sessions and sit in and I’ll probably try and put together some kind of band. But I am looking forward to leaving town for a little while in the summertime, because why not?
ROBRT PELA: So, tell me about the impact that you’ve had on us as listeners for three decades.
BLAISE LANTANA: I really, you know what’s funny is, I’m kind of shocked when people tell me that, I mean, because just like I’m talking to you, that’s how I talk on the air. Like I’m talking to my friends. “Hey, have you heard this guy? Hey, have you ever gone out and and listened to jazz live? There’s something really exciting about that. Don’t miss out on that. Here’s some places you could go. I got a new saxophone player. I think you’ll like him even better than John Coltrane,” or ... y
You know, so I’m just talking about stuff that I love. And so last night, I was at a concert and a very nice woman came up and said, “Blaise, you’re the reason that I’m here. Because I’ve been listening to you when my daughter was at soccer practice, and I was sitting there in the car listening to your show and listening to the jazz, and I learned about all these people. And now I get to come and see them at the MIM, at the Nash.” And she said, “If it wasn’t for you, I never would have heard of them, and you talk about them like you know them, and you tell me things about them.”
ROBRT PELA: You mentioned the way that you talk on the radio. And I've wanted to ask you this for more than 30 years. And I don't know why I haven't — it's not like we haven't been hanging out for three decades. I could have asked you this. But I'm asking you now.
You’ve always, on air have a smile in your voice. How do you do that? Is that just how you feel and how you talk, and that’s what we’re hearing?
BLAISE LANTANA: I think so. I, again, talking about jazz, I’m talking about things that are so exciting, so exciting, this music is, these musicians are so amazing, they are so brilliant.
ROBRT PELA: What are we going to do without you?
BLAISE LANTANA: You’re going to listen to somebody new who’s, who’s good, I hope. I hope they choose somebody local who lives here. That’s, my idea is please get somebody local who’s going to go out and be a part of the jazz community.
And hopefully somebody who can has the energy and drive. You know, I’m a little bit tired. It’s been a long time. A little bit tired. Somebody who has that enthusiasm that I have had for this and that, you know, they can bring that to the station and bring new things. Yeah.
ROBRT PELA: Thank you, Blaise, for 30-plus years of educating us and keeping us company.
BLAISE LANTANA: Thank you. Thank you.
LAUREN GILGER: That was KJZZ contributor Robrt Pela reminiscing with Blaise Lantana, who retires next month from her role as the station's music director.
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