June Jazz will take a physical hiatus this season but not an audible one; the longtime Tuesday-night tradition at Amarillo College will dip into its archives and continue with “best of” performances delivered in virtual fashion.

This will be the 25th season for the popular concert series, but instead of gathering in large numbers on the Washington Street Campus, fans can tune in from wherever they are on AC’s 100,000-watt radio station, FM90.

The one-hour broadcasts, from 7-8 p.m. each Tuesday night in June, can be found at 89.9MHz on the dial or streamed online by logging on to kacvfm.org.

Listeners will be treated to dulcet archived performances from the AC Jazz Band, Austin Brazille, Patrick Swindell & Esquire Jazz, Polk Street Jazz and others.

“I’m so pleased that we can continue the tradition and bring the community great jazz music and keep them safe at the same time.” said Dr. Jim Laughlin, professor of music and originator of June Jazz.

“Through student work in helping set up audio and recording equipment in past years, we have these archives available for all to enjoy.”

The very first version of June Jazz, Laughlin recollects, amounted to no more than his idea one spring evening in 1995 to roll a practice piano outdoors to entertain about a dozen students and friends.

The free outdoor concerts immediately blossomed to become a June tradition and were staged for many years in the amphitheater, known as the Pit, just south of the Concert Hall Theater. Once crowds soared past about 350 or so, June Jazz was relocated to the porch at the Experimental Theatre so larger audiences could fan out in the spaciousness afforded by the pedestrian mall.

The College hopes June Jazz can resume its live-performance format in 2021.

-Amarillo College