On-Air Host Spotlight:
Chuck Parrish
Celebrating 30 years on KRTU!
KRTU host Chuck Parrish is a native Texan, supporter of the station, and a former executive general counsel for an energy company. Chuck spends his retirement nurturing his love for art, books, history, hiking and, of course, music. His retirement project is section hiking the Appalachian trail. He has walked from Springer Mountain, Georgia to the New River in Virginia. That is 660 miles to date and 1,530 miles to go!
In the Spring of 1977, Chuck took an Appreciation of Jazz course at the University of Virginia. His professor, George Stark, was a professional jazz musician from Philadelphia. He introduced Chuck to some of the greats: Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and even, Sun Ra. Professor Stark gave Chuck the passion to be a lifelong learner and listener of jazz. As Chuck reflects on this course he remembers, “the course changed [his] life for the better and encouraged [him] to play close attention to jazz and music... Parts of [his] brain that had previously been dormant became active.”
In 1989, Chuck moved to San Antonio and began listening to KRTU. He has been a host on KRTU since May of 1990. He started his journey with KRTU by hosting Jazz for the Third-Ear. Then he hosted Jazz Lab, and now he co-hosts Riffs with Dr. Bradley Kayser. Bradley and Chuck are two of KRTU’s longest running hosts. These “jazz freaks” each bring in music they have been listening to that week. Then, together, they create a musical flow for the show with the other’s previously unknown jazz selections. Chuck is currently listening to Henry Threadgill, Andrew Cyrille, Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Bill Frisell, Charles Lloyd, Gerald Clayton, Myra Melford, Tomeka Reid, Mary Halvorson, and Tyshawn Sorey, to name a few. In addition to co-hosting Riffs, Chuck and Bradley have produced live jazz concerts since 2002. Chuck’s goal, both then and now, is to create connections within the jazz tradition of Avant-garde music from the earliest jazz masters to today’s artists. Chuck uses his show to share his love of jazz music with the KRTU community and do, today, what Professor Stark did for him back in 1977 – create passion through learning and listening.
“Jazz is a democratic Art form with deep Black roots open to anyone who chooses to Listen with Big Ears.” - Chuck Parrish
Tune in to Riffs with Bradley and Chuck on Tuesday nights from 8-9pm to “Listen with Big Ears.”
"He’s constantly searching for innovations and musical surprises in jazz and improvised music from all eras to share with our listeners. Jazz radio stations can only be successful with enthusiastic, passionate, learned, and supportive hosts like Chuck Parrish" - Kory Cook, Music Director, KRTU
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