Jeff was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1961. His family moved to Colorado Springs when he was two months old, so he is as close to a native as he could get. He went through school in District 11, graduating from Palmer High School in 1979.
Jeff has been fortunate enough to receive the Rotary Diamond Award, and the Colorado Springs Chorale Society Peak Educator of the Year award. His award-winning choirs have performed in Elitch's, California (Disneyland), New Orleans, and at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He sings and plays keyboard, guitar and bass. Jeff is also a published composer/arranger. He is currently chair of the Colorado High School All-State Jazz Choirs, and has worked with members of The Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, True North, Kate Reid, and other nationally and internationally known vocal jazz singers/educators/clinicians.
Jeff is also on the board of the Colorado High School All-State Choirs, and the Colorado Music Educator’s Association.
Jeff is married to Kristi, and has two amazing children - Ethan and Mackenzie.
Listen for Jeff...
Weekdays from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Special Program Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. - Jump & Jive Mondays from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sundays at 7:00 p.m.: Voices of Jazz
Daily Segment: Moments in Jazz History
Tune in daily to enjoy captivating stories, anecdotes,
and legacies, with a fresh "Moment in Jazz History"
featured each week.
Tony Exum Jr hails from Colorado Springs but was raised in Germany, Biloxi, Mississippi, New Orleans and Phoenix due to his military upbringing. Tony is a national recording artist in contemporary jazz, R&B & funk saxophone. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 11 and now has traveled all over the country playing with names such as Gerald Albright and Marcus Anderson.
He has several singles including his 2016 single Dance Close which is #36 on the listener chart and his collaboration with David P Stevens was #1 on the most added song of the week on Oct 3rd.
Radio began for Tony with occasional co-hosting on Denver’s KDKOradio.com, and KUHS radio jazz shows now a beloved Jazz 93.5 host every day of the week for the past 3 years!
Listen for Tony on Jazz 93.5...
Every weekday from 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sundays from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.: New Generation of Smooth Jazz
A star struck teenager wanted to be Eric Clapton and subsequently developed a fascination with the blues. One day while watching a TV special on the blues, he saw a brief segment with guitarist Kenny Burrell playing a very soulful but different interpretation of the blues.
BJ Estares, Singer /Song Writer, is a blues guitarist residing in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Born in San Diego, California on February 1st, 1954, BJ grew up influenced by his father’s love of big band jazz and his mother’s love for country music.
BJ met Kimberly Grant in his junior year of high school and they married in June of 1972.
They celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2022.
After a tour in the US Army, two years of college, raising two sons and a 28-year career in the construction trades (from a total of 37 years), Beej finally sold a song to friend and mentor, “Big Jim Adam”. "No Man At All" was first recorded by Jim on "Live at Jimbo's” in 2005. Later, in that same year, Beej formed his band, “BJ Estares and Route 61”. Since then, they have experienced steady growth in popularity in the Pikes Peak Region’s burgeoning music scene.
In 2015 BJ Estares and Route 61 earned honors for “Best Self-Produced CD” and “Best Blues Band” from the Pikes Peak Blues Community. They have performed openers for The Ronnie Baker Brooks Band, American Blues Music Award winner Tommy Castro and The Pain Killers, two-time IBC winner Lionel Young Band and award-winning Texas blues man, Mike Zito.
BJ and Route 61 performed original tunes from their first CD release “Full Time Student of the Blues” at the Pikes Peak Center’s Studio B Showcase in 2012 and were invited back in 2013 to perform the all-original award-winning release, “Easy Street”. BJ and Route 61 also performed regularly as a house band at Bronco Billy’s in Cripple Creek from 2015 to 2018.
Simon Jacobs was born in Cornwall, UK, and has lived and worked in the United States for over fifteen years. He holds master’s degrees in music and choral conducting from Cambridge University, UK and Yale University. Simon is a professional organist, collaborative pianist, and conductor, with a busy freelance career. He performs in a variety of musical genres, such as classical, jazz and musical theater. Simon has been steeped in music since childhood, being born into a musical family.
In addition to his work at the station, he is a Mentor at the Colorado Springs Conservatory, Director of Music at Manitou Community Church, and plays keys for an up and coming funk band. Simon lives in beautiful Manitou Springs with his wife Mira, three cats, a sweet dog, and a cranky green-cheeked parakeet. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, good food, history, and composing.
Special Programs:
Saturdays at 4pm: Latin Jazz Express
Saturdays at 6pm: Organic Vibes
Saturdays at 7pm: Analog Jams
Michael Skattebo is a native to Colorado Springs where music has always been at the center of his life. He grew up in a highly musical family and some his earliest memories are of sitting at the electric keyboard, completely transfixed by pre-loaded demos of Chopin, Schubert, and Mozart—fascinated by the different moods a single piece of music could evoke. Those moments sparked a love of sound and emotion that has shaped his musical wandering ever since.
Originally hailing from Texas, Reyna has called Colorado home for almost 10 years. She graduated in 2016 with a degree in photography and mass communication. Her introduction to public radio came during college, and she been passionate about it ever since.
Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, crafting, traveling, and going to live shows. I’m excited to be part of Jazz 93.5 with a team that’s keeping the love of independent radio alive.
Keith Simon, a native of Southeast Texas, moved to Colorado Springs with his wife, Melissa, in 1997. A graduate of Lamar University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, Keith landed his first radio job in 1984 and has been hooked on broadcasting ever since.
Keith Simon, KCME & Jazz 93.5 Operations Manager, joined the station in 2007. Here are his thoughts on working in public radio...
Radio has been in my blood almost since day one. As a seven-year-old monitoring the AM band for reports tracking the progress of Santa Claus, I stepped back and began to monitor the actual process of broadcasting instead of merely being a passive listener. That was 1972.
My first love was a “clear-channel” (back when that meant something different than today’s media mega-corporation) AM news station out of Houston, Texas. Although the actual transmitter and studios were probably a little over an hour’s drive from my hometown and my clock radio, it was totally another universe. I was hooked. In 1984, I walked into a tiny AM station in Beaumont, Texas with the line, “I’ve never worked in radio, but…”
It was then that I discovered how completely different it was to be on the other side of the microphone. Still, the love affair continued.
In the ensuing years, commercial broadcasting has become much more homogenized, losing much of the unique, local flavor it had in those days. More times than not, an announcer or host is not a local resident, not a member of the community, not a friend or neighbor, and not someone you would see at your grocery store. There are certainly exceptions, and we’re fortunate to have some very fine local outlets in this city, but there are not as many as you’d think.
That’s why I’ve been a fan and supporter of local public radio stations since my college days, when I first set foot inside the university radio station as a teenage mass communication major. I liken it to buying local produce over something frozen or canned from the supermarket. You can taste the difference. In public radio, Classical KCME and Jazz 93.5, you can hear the difference.
That’s why I do what I do, and I hope to meet you soon on the airwaves.
Stephanie Horton started as Development and Marketing Director at Jazz 93.5 in 2020 and stepped in as General Manager in 2022. She started out in public media over a decade ago working for RSUPublic TV as Membership and Program Manager. In 2011, Stephanie joined the Houston Public Media team as the Assistant Director of Individual Giving managing the member services team, and after a few short years transitioned to On Air Fundraising Manager for HoustonPBS, News 88.7 and Classical 91.7 Radio.
Questions or concerns? Contact Stephanie at gm@kcme.org