Tune in to The Jazzspel with Eric J. Sundays at 5:50am - 7am PST in San Diego, CA. www.kifm.com The ONLY gospel program on a Smooth Jazz station in the nation!

The Jazzspel Radio History

On July 10, 1994 The Jazzspel radio show was born on Smooth Jazz 98.1 KIFM, the nation’s first ever Smooth Jazz station. It was on that sunny, Sunday, San Diego morning, I went on the air for the first time with this new kind of musical worship. It is the first and only of its kind in Smooth Jazz radio history.

After serving as the station’s news director and morning drive news anchor for eleven months, the transition to Minister of the Airwaves has been wonderful! The show airs every Sunday morning beginning at 5:50am PST.

The Evolution of The Jazzspel

The Lord gave me this vision in 1991. While chilling at a backyard birthday party for my friend Suzie Holloway at her San Diego home, members from our church--St. Stephens Church of God in Christ - played standard congregational songs without vocals. I loved it!

It was then the Lord placed in my heart the idea of one day hosting a radio show specializing in that kind of music. After toying with the title for a few months, He spoke into my spirit, “Since it’s jazz and gospel—it shall be called Jazzspel.” Initially, I named the show, “The Jazzspel According To Eric J.” But by the time we hit the air, it was called, “The Jazzspel with Eric J.”

Theme Songs

I didn’t have a theme song for the first show, but Ben Tankard’s “All Keyed Up” became my first ever theme song in the show’s second week. Then, in 1999 we went to a more specialized theme song written and produced by the talented producer Derek “DOA” Allen. Finally, in 2001 I went to my current theme song, produced by the gifted Lew Laing and performed by his bride--the super talented Tiffany Laing. They also doubled their efforts with the Jazzspel TV theme song, now playing on The Word Network.