Ken Nordine, the Word Jazz Man

Ken Nordine was a huge influence on me from the first time I heard his “Word Jazz“ album when I was 16 years old. I loved his profound yet kindly voice, and his offbeat stories combined with cool jazz. I even got to interview him once in 1992 on KSRO AM, along with mega harmonica player Howard Levy.

Ken was a voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of Word Jazz albums and Word Jazz NPR radio shows. He had a deep, resonant and kindly voice. Ken has also done thousands of commercial advertisements and movie trailers.

This is an interview with Ken Nordine done by Blair Hardman at KSRO AM, Santa Rosa CA, in 1992.

Ken Nordine died on February 16, 2019.