A week ago Thursday, something happened on 89.3 The Current that, for me, hasn’t happened in ages. I found myself pleasantly surprised.
DJ Mac Wilson wrapped up his afternoon shift by playing “Spanish Key,” a 17-plus minute track from Miles Davis’ landmark 1970 album “Bitches Brew.” Seventeen minutes of experimental jazz during drive time!
When the Minnesota Public Radio music station debuted some 18 years ago — Tuesday was the exact birthday date — such a move wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow. DJs largely ruled the early days, a freewheeling time when listeners heard a wildly eclectic, wide-ranging selection of genres. The sheer unpredictability of it all — at a time before streaming services and smartphones had become ubiquitous — was exhilarating.
Things began to change with the January 2009 arrival of program director Jim McGuinn, who…
