Tag Archives: jazz
First Sunday: Feb 1st — A Celebration of Music on our 5th Anniversary
February 1st, 2026 is not only a First Sunday, when Virtual Community Radio traditionally presents themed programming — this year it also marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of Virtual Community Radio.
To celebrate, we’re delighted to bring you a special live broadcast: two hours of back-to-back music, streaming live from The Glen at our sponsor Seanchai Library in Second Life — first with Elrik Merlin, followed by Caledonia Skytower.
Elrik kicks off proceedings at 2:00 PM SLT/Pacific with a programme of approximately one hour of country music — a genre we almost never play on Virtual Community Radio. Living in the Nashville area during the 1990s, Elrik discovered a wealth of exceptionally talented and highly professional musicians and songwriters previously unknown to him. This set draws largely from that period, when country music often carried a particularly strong rock influence. This programme is now available on Mixcloud.
At around 3:00 PM SLT/Pacific, Elrik hands over to Caledonia Skytower for the second hour. In the 1940’s, jazz luminaries such as Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie developed a revolutionary style of jazz that moved beyond structured swing to fast tempos, complex melodies, and highly improvisational artistry. They called it Bebop, or just “Bop.” Today Caledonia will feature Bop in the second hour of VCRadio’s Celebration of Music, as its energy sweeps us forward to a new season of VCRadio programming. This programme is now available on Mixcloud.
Don’t miss this special anniversary broadcast, presented live from The Glen at Seanchai Library. You’re warmly invited to join us to listen, dance, or simply be present — either in-world or on the air at main.vcradio.org — as we celebrate five years of Virtual Community Radio.
First Sunday January 2026 — Piano Jazz Classics
This programme is now available on Mixcloud
After the hustle and stress of the December holidays, it was time to take a deep, cleansing breath and relax. Virtual Community Radio travelled to The Dickens Project Skating Pond for January 2026’s First Sunday, as Caledonia Skytower offered tunes for the soul — Classics of Piano Jazz.
At Virtual Community Radio, we believe Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to treat yourself to something special. That’s why we invite you to join us at 2pm SLT on the First Sunday (usually) afternoon of each month as we present a different musical treat: one hour of music on a theme. It could be anything from new age music, orchestral classics, soundtracks, or music celebrating a particular culture.
Armstrong Park
Wednesday, March 29th, and today our Featured Music is Vocal Magic — pieces from several genres exploring the musical capabilities of the human voice.
Then we have for you the latest episode of our original series, “Where Have You Been?”, where we suggest things to do and places to visit around the Second Life Grid. This time, we visit Armstrong Park, a Second Life depiction of the park in New Orleans that celebrates jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Tune in at 12 noon or 4pm Pacific/SLT. Plus “Engines of Our Ingenuity” from the University of Houston every four hours from 4am Pacific. We used to play the same episode of “Engines” throughout the day, but now, if you’re lucky, you can catch as many as three.
Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters And Their Songs
Today we are featuring music from the “Great American Songbook” — with music by writers including Gershwin, Arlen, Berlin, Kern, Carmichael, Porter and many more, in a programme inspired by William Zinsser’s book on the music of the mid-20th Century, Easy To Remember.
Jazz On The Keys, feat. Warren Bernhardt
Today, Saturday August 27nd, we’re presenting a programme of keyboards-based Jazz. While many of the pieces we’re playing today feature or include the piano, there are also some recordings featuring other keyboard instruments, including some inspiring pieces on synthesiser.
Today we are celebrating the life and music of jazz pianist Warren Bernhardt, who passed away earlier in the week. We’ll be playing tracks from two of his albums on DMP Records, one of the first digital labels, throughout the day: Warren Bernhardt Trio ’83 (1983) and Hands On (1987). You can read about him here. A multi-talented keyboard player across many genres, he will be sadly missed.
In addition, keep an ear out for Alan Haven’s Image, a late-night Radio Caroline closing tune back in the day; Cambridge-based David Rees-Williams and his trio’s interpretations of classical works; two albums by Billy Barber, one (Shades of Grey) on piano and the other (Lighthouse) on electronic instruments; and some marvellous performances by Ian Lynn including his classic album Forgotten Summer.
Today is the last airing of the current edition of “Where Have You Been?”, where this time, we visit The Nature Collective. Full details here.
And don’t miss “Engines of Our Ingenuity” every four hours from 4am Pacific.
“Shai Maestro” by Nathan Bullivant is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Jazz On The Keys
Today, Saturday April 23rd, we’re presenting a programme of keyboards-based Jazz. While many of the pieces we’re playing today feature or include the piano, there are also some recordings featuring other keyboard instruments, including some inspiring pieces on synthesiser. Keep an ear out for Alan Haven’s Image, a late-night Radio Caroline closing tune back in the day; Cambridge-based David Rees-Williams and his trio’s interpretations of classical works; two albums by Billy Barber, one (Shades of Grey) on piano and the other (Lighthouse) on electronic instruments; and some marvellous performances by Ian Lynn including his classic album Forgotten Summer.
Don’t miss “Engines of Our Ingenuity” every four hours from 4am Pacific.
And check out our visit to the amazing Serenity Valley in the latest episode of “Where Have You Been?”.
“Shai Maestro” by Nathan Bullivant is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Where Have You Been? Mardi Gras Special
We’re running a special edition of our original series, “Where Have You Been?” (where we detail things to do and places to see around the Second Life Grid) that will be broadcast on two days only — Wednesday 23rd and Saturday 26th of February, 12 noon and 4pm Pacific/SLT; 8pm and midnight UK time. It’s a special about Mardi Gras — “Fat Tuesday”, which falls this year on March 1st. In the episode we provide plenty of background to the Mardi Gras and Carnival celebrations, focusing on New Orleans in particular, plus we make a suggestion of a place you might want to visit to enjoy your own Mardi Gras celebration.
Jazz On The Keys
Today, Wednesday January 5th, we’re presenting a programme of Piano Jazz. Well, primarily. While many of the pieces we’re playing today feature or include the piano, there are also some recordings featuring other keyboard instruments, including some inspiring pieces on synthesiser — hence the broad title “Jazz On The Keys”. Keep an ear out for Alan Haven’s Image, a late-night Radio Caroline closing tune back in the day; Cambridge-based David Rees-Williams and his trio’s interpretations of classical works; two albums by Billy Barber, one (Shades of Grey) on piano and the other (Lighthouse) on electronic instruments; and some marvellous performances by Ian Lynn including his classic album Forgotten Summer.
Don’t miss “Engines of Our Ingenuity” every four hours from 4am Pacific.
“Where Have You Been?” is currently on hiatus: Season 2 will begin shortly.
“Shai Maestro” by Nathan Bullivant is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The MOST Ep02 Now On Mixcloud
If you missed Episode 02, you can now access it on MixCloud!
Planning a heist? How about a murder? Attending a love-in? Or is your biker gang planning an outing? Have we got the show for you!
Dedicated to crime, spy, suspense, exploitation, and psychedelic movie and television soundtracks from the 50s, the 60s and beyond, The MOST — Music from the Original Sound Track — is the best accompaniment for all your police-blotter high-jinks. Susannah, your host, spins hard-to-find and vinyl sounds by some of the best composers in the crime-jazz business. Music so good – it’s criminal!
Episode 2 includes movies and TV series like Ironside, Suspiria, and Bell Book and Candle, and features composers including Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and George Duning.
Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters And Their Songs
Today we are featuring music from the “Great American Songbook” — with music by writers including Gershwin, Arlen, Berlin, Kern, Carmichael, Porter and many more, in a programme inspired by William Zinsser’s book on the music of the mid-20th Century, Easy To Remember.
