Meet JOSEPH HALL:
The Host of KKFI's "Jazz Workshop"
Knows -- and Loves -- Great Jazz

© 1997 Mike Metheny


If you've tuned in to KKFI on a Tuesday afternoon in recent months, you are well aware of the fact that Joseph Hall not only loves jazz, but knows a great deal about it. His is a knowledge -- combined with an unwavering passion -- that spans six decades.

"Since 1945, I have listened to, learned about, followed and enjoyed jazz," says Hall, a congenial and articulate man of 69. "Jazz is a form of communication, I feel, where the musicians are talking to each other. On my show, I want to reach the listeners in a similar way, to communicate and share my love of jazz music with them."

Joseph Hall

Hall is the quintessential fan. Not a musician himself (or a broadcaster until earlier this year), he talks of having had "the opportunity to do many things in life; to meet interesting people, and have memorable experiences." But always with a single constant: "My passion for jazz has been with me for over 50 years."

On the air, Hall's enthusiasm is contagious, albeit in a low-key, soft-spoken kind of way. As he navigates his weekly play list, he is clearly a man in his element; a jazz crusader on a mission to spread the word.

"I really do want to reach people," he says. "I have great respect and appreciation for the public and their ears."

How Joseph Hall came to secure his current slot on the jazz airwaves of Kansas City is another story, though. A story laced with serious overtones.

"I'm a prostate cancer survivor," he says. "And while going through that experience, I learned how important it is to follow your heart... to pursue those things that are really important and meaningful. I was at a point where I had a final wish in my life that had not yet been fulfilled: to share my knowledge, stories and memories of jazz with others. And to do it on a vintage jazz radio show. So, I decided to pursue that goal. And KKFI gave me the opportunity to do just that."

Joseph Hall's "Jazz Workshop" is, as he says, "a new show about old music."

"I like to play some of the old and some of the new. And to tell the stories I know about Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, and Gene Krupa. I even like to teach a little history now and then."

What is it about jazz that has kept this fire burning for so many years? Hall is eloquent in his response.

"Jazz is not just music, it's a state of mind. It's not in your feet, it's in your head.

"There is also the historical perspective to jazz music. It was white guys playing in black bands long before integration. It was black singers backed by white bands before they could even ride on the same bus! It was soul music before there was Soul Music!

"Most of all, though, it was, and will always be, America's classical music. And now I have this opportunity to tell people what I know about it... to tell it like it was."

Catch Joseph Hall's "Jazz Workshop" every Tuesday on KKFI-FM (90.1) from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

-- Mike Metheny


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