Zia "The Cat" Tammami records his jazz radio show in the KLSU Studios on Sun., Jan. 22, 2012. Tammami's show is coming up on its 35th year and is the longest running jazz radio show in North America. (Photo by Erin Parker / 225)
Zia “The Cat” Tammami is a local legend here in Baton Rouge, having been on air at KLSU since 1977 with his Spontaneous Combustion jazz show.
I visited Zia in the studio one Sunday morning, and together, we chatted, listened to jazz and took some portraits for the current issue of 225. I got to see Zia’s process in the studio, including writing down every song played in his show in a notepad and changing CDs between songs. It was fascinating to see how his legendary jazz show comes together every Sunday morning, and I enjoyed my morning with Zia.
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To learn the story behind Zia’s nickname, check out Jeff Roedel’s story What’s in a Name: Zia “The Cat.”
To listen to Zia’s iconic jazz show, Spontaneous Combustion, visit the KLSU website and listen online from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday.
