Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe Features Vocalist Tony Bennett from his 2008 Sony Records recording, titled “A Swingin’ Christmas.”

In this WCRI's Kids Hour, we invite you to our annual special radio play of A Christmas Carol! This play, adapted for radio from Charles Dickens' novella by Anthony E. Palermo, was first performed in 1947. We hope you enjoy it! From all of your friends at WCRI & Newport Classical!

This week's guests on The 95.9 Company Break are Mary Noons, Washington Trust President and COO, and Lauren Drury, VP and Chief Fiduciary Officer, Washington Trust Wealth Management. Age with Wisdom™ is Washington Trust’s new initiative designed to support customers as they navigate the financial transitions that come with aging. It brings together our banking, lending, and wealth management teams to offer coordinated, personalized support. We created it to meet a growing need in our communities for trusted guidance—whether it’s organizing finances, planning for care, or protecting loved ones from fraud.   It offers practical, expert-based services like helping customers create an inventory of financial accounts, adding a power of attorney as a view-only user, ensuring beneficiaries are designated to avoid probate, and exploring home equity or reverse mortgage options to support aging in place. We also work with attorneys, accountants, healthcare providers, and residential care partners to create plans.  And although it’s really about planning, we can provide guidance when unexpected situations happen -and they do. For more information on Washington Trust, visit www.washtrust.com

This week, Joe is featuring Vocalist Nancy Wilson from her 2001 Telarc Records recording titled “A Nancy Wilson Christmas.”

The LaGrua Center in Stonington, CT, is the subject of this week's program, with Dan Brandl, Executive Director. We talk about what has been happening at the Center, the upcoming Whiffenpoof Concert on December 13th, and the Music Matters series, which continues to run. For more information, you can go to www.lagruacenter.org

In this episode of This Old Tree, with Doug Still...High up in California's Sierra Nevada mountains stands the largest tree on earth by volume - the General Sherman Tree. The famous giant sequoia has captivated millions of visitors, but few know the rich tapestry of stories woven around its massive trunk. Join us as we explore the “Giant Forest” of Sequoia National Park with former park ranger and author William C. Tweed. From the indigenous Monache and Yokuts who first walked among these giants, to ambitious Euro-American explorers like John Muir, to a Black Army Captain who became the park's first actual manager, discover how "first encounters" with giant sequoias become life-altering events. What evolutionary secrets enable sequoias to grow so large? Why do frequent fires help them to survive? And what is "sequoia time?" The General Sherman tree and its mates have changed how we view the natural world and our place within it.  

This week, Jane examines how our holiday expectations may differ from reality.

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Bassist Charlie Haden from his 1991 Verve Records recording titled “Haunted Heart.”

Jenette DelMonaco, vocalist of Blues, Country, and Folk music, is our special guest. We are happy to introduce the RI singer to the WCRI audience. We'll listen to examples of her music, most of which was recorded live, and discuss her career and how she has had the opportunity to travel the world. For more information, you can go to www.LuckyBmusic.com

This week, Jane shares that pointing up may be better than pointing elsewhere.

This week, Joe is featuring Guitarist Jim Hall from his 1988 Columbia Records recording, titled “These Rooms.”

The Cornerstone Church on Cowesett Rd. in Warwick is the subject of this week's program with Jeff Pierce, Assistant Pastor of the Church, and Jocelyn Pierce, soloist. We'll talk about their church ministry and a special Holiday Concert with the Narragansett Bay Chorus being presented on Thursday, December 4th. For more information, you can go to www.cornerstonechurchri.org

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with our featured author, Wilbur Ross, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce. About the Author: Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. served as Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration following 55 years of experience in investment banking and private equity. In this capacity, he advised President Donald Trump on commercial and economic affairs and helped American entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs and economic opportunity. A native of North Bergen, New Jersey, Ross spent a significant portion of his business career at Rothschild, Inc. Ross negotiated on behalf of creditors in some of the highest-profile bankruptcy proceedings in history, including those involving Pan Am, TWA, Texaco, and Drexel Burnham Lambert. After founding his own private equity firm in 2000, Ross purchased and restored many companies to profitability, including those in the steel, coal, textile, and banking industries. Over the course of his career, Ross restructured more than $400 billion in assets, earning him a distinguished reputation on Wall Street. In 2011, Bloomberg Markets named him one of the 50 most influential people in global finance. Secretary Ross’s philanthropic work has included significant support for the Japan Society, the Brookings Institution, the Blenheim Foundation, and numerous entities devoted to the fine arts, including the Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels. He was also a member of the advisory board of the Yale University School of Management. Secretary Ross is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Hilary Geary Ross, have four children. Before being named President Trump’s Secretary of Commerce in 2017, Wilbur Ross had already earned a reputation as the “King of Bankruptcy” over his 55-year career on Wall Street. Often working on high-profile bankruptcies such as Pan Am and Texaco, Ross helped restructure more than $400 billion in assets, and was named among Bloomberg’s 50 most influential people in global finance. After coming to Washington, Ross faced equally tough challenges, yet survived in his post for all four years. About The Book: Creating Success in Business and Life explains how Ross got to the top and stayed there. Rising from humble beginnings in North Bergen, New Jersey, Ross applied simple principles with strict discipline—something readers can apply in their own quest for success. Ultimately, Ross’s strategies and dealmaking skills led to relationships with King Charles, Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn, the Rothschild family, Steve Wynn, Lakshmi Mittal, Mike Milken, and many other famous personalities. Ross also documents his experiences with President Trump in the Oval Office.  Whether you’re interested in Ross’ experiences as a neighbor of John Lennon in the legendary Dakota apartment building, celebrating with Sir Richard Branson on his private island, or his tumultuous time in Washington, you will find Risks and Returns to be a candid reflection of a life lived at the pinnacle of Wall Street, New York, and Palm Beach society, and the Trump administration. Above all, anyone driven to find career success will learn from Ross’ life the strategies and mentality to achieve it.  Please find out more about Wilbur Ross and his book at www.risksandreturns.net. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews...Jane states that we should reduce the noise and choose a different path.

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist and Composer Herbie Hancock from his 2002 Verve Records recording titled “Directions In Music.”