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Album Reviews
Below, you'll find a compilation of all album reviews done by local KIOS jazz and blues staff.

Last Call Review: John Yao's Triceratops/Off-Kilter/See Tao Recordings

KIOS | By Chris Cooke
Published September 12, 2022 at 11:35 AM CDT

Form New York, trombonist John Yao leads a tight quintet of top jazz players in this exciting, unpredictable release, Off Kilter.
Off Kilter is the second for Yao's three horn quintet, named after one of the most well known dinosaurs that lived 68 million years ago. The band is led by the trombonist with saxophonists Billy Drewes and Jon Irabagon, plus drummer Mark Ferber and bassist Robert Sabin.
Yao and his associates present bold, assertive performances throughout the recording, especially on the explosive "Labybrinth", the mesmerizing "The Morphing Line" and especially the freewheeling title track.
John Yao's impeccable talent as a trombonist, composer, and arranger has made him a first call artist for today's top bands and jazz artists. such the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Paquito R'Rivera, Chris Potter and Kurt Elling, among many others. Additionally, he serves as Assistant Professor of Trombone at Berklee College of Music and as Adjunct Professor of Music at Molloy College.
John Yao's Triceratops have released one of the finest recordings of 2022, highly recommended for your listening pleasure.
For more information, you may visit www.johnyao.com
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Chris Cooke
Chris Cooke has been a voice on radio in Omaha since 1988. While at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, he studied radio broadcasting, history and religion. Working at KVNO-FM, Cooke hosted a weekend adventuresome jazz show on the station in addition to duties as an on-air announcer on overnights, weekends and holidays. He also worked at KBLZ (the then student-run radio station) as well as KYNE-TV, and The Gateway as a reporter.
In November 1992, Cooke signed on at KIOS-FM and has been there ever since. He has hosted the Tuesday and Thursday editions of Jazz in the Afternoon since 1996 and has also hosted Last Call since that year. A long time fan of jazz music, Cooke enjoys talking with the musicians who make jazz music. He has interviewed Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, David Liebman, Airto Moreira, Jessica Williams and Karrin Allyson, to name a few. While not at the station Cooke maintains a web design consultancy business that has served a number of non-profit and music clients for over 20 years.
See stories by Chris Cooke