By KNKX Public Radio
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The podcast currently has 246 episodes available.
In an energetic KNKX Studio Session, 10-piece band Khu.éex' filled the space with their unique blend of jazz, funk, rock, and spoken word in Indigenous languages Tlingit and Haida.
Currently led by bassist Preston Singletary, powerhouse band Khu.éex' formed a decade ago after Singletary met keyboardist Bernie Worrell, a former member of George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic who passed away in 2016. Their collaboration lives on through an ever-evolving group of musicians highlighting the perspectives and struggles of Native American communities through music.
After a quick moment of gratitude shared by Gene Tagaban, the band opened with their first song, "Angry Bear." It began with a low, dreamlike poem from Sondra Segundo, spoken in her native Haida language, followed up by foot-stomping rock-fusion grooves reminiscent of Carlos Santana. The song follows a raven spreading love “for the people.”
They followed up with a warm yet melancholy song "Shapeshifter." Segundo revealed that she wrote this song for her 23-year-old son, who had been struggling with mental health. Tagaban’s haunting lyrics of the shape-shifter give a glimpse of the inner turmoil that is part of such a struggle. Segundo’s empowering lyrics of “you are here for a reason” serve as a powerful reminder of our purpose.
Khu.éex' rounded out their set with "Prophetess / Woman Warrior Song" a perfect example of how they amplify their messages through music. "Prophetess" focuses on the women of the endangered communities that Segundo represents. "Woman Warrior Song," written by Lil’Wat Nation member Faye Nelson, highlights the strength of women through nurturing and building community.
Singletary called Khu.éex' the “largest unknown band in the Pacific Northwest.” He said he looks forward to playing more for communities in the region.
The band is staying busy, with recent performances at Seattle Peoples Indigenous Day and Earshot Jazz Festival. They are also developing a documentary about the band, called The Magic of Noise.
Get to know Khu.éex', their spirit and message in this KNKX Studio Session.
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Trumpeter Keyon Harrold was in town performing at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley Oct. 8th-9th. The St. Louis native brought his swagger to the KNKX studios for this session, performing tunes from his 3rd album as a solo artist, Foreverland.
Coming into the spotlight for his work as the trumpet voice of Miles Davis in the Grammy-winning film, Miles Ahead, Harrold’s career spans back to the early 2000s. He has performed as a sideman for Common, Robert Glasper and a variety of artists who’ve shaped his current sound.
Foreverland is a sonic experience effortlessly weaving through multiple genres and presents interesting themes of love, longing, and “finding your peace of mind.”
The journey to peace began with Harrold opening with the first track of the album, “Find Your Peace.” A statement or mantra more than a song title, with repeated instructions to find your peace, Harrold provided an immediate boost for the live audience.
We made a stop at “Foreverland,” featuring vocalist Malaya, a burgeoning star in the making, and powerhouse drummer Brian Richberg, who turned heads with his drumming. Through “Foreverland,” Harrold creates an equal-parts utopia, boundless from any labels.
The final song, “Don't Lie,” was written after a rough breakup and featured dueling vocals from Harrold and Malaya. In it, Harrold subtly reveals the highs and lows of a relationship and his experience dealing with them. The true beauty of the performance was the spontaneity of Harrold and Malaya, who took turns pleading to the audience to “not lie.”
Like a true basketball point guard, Harrold recognized the hot hand as Malaya completely took the song over, weaving in vocal references to Anita Baker and Slum Village.
Check out this studio session from Keyon Harrold.
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Alto saxophone great Vincent Herring brought a soulful feeling and a new all-star band to Dimitrou’s Jazz Alley, visiting the KNKX studios for an exclusive performance while they were in Seattle.
The inspiration for his new Something Else! band came from Herring attending Motown revues as a kid.
“The Temptations, Diana Ross… it was so fun to go to that concert because you knew all these songs,” he told KNKX.
Herring took that idea and ran with it. Something Else! puts a soul jazz twist on some of the most popular songs in jazz.
“As an audience participant,” Herring said, “I would like to go to that concert!”
The band he’s put together really is something else: James Carter (tenor and soprano sax), Freddie Hendrix (trumpet and flugelhorn), Paul Bollenback (guitar), Dave Kikoski (piano), Essiet Okon Essiet (bass) and Jerome Gillespie (drums) had the KNKX studio audience cheering wildly.
As a kid in the 1960s, Herring said he listened to whatever the pop music of the day was, until playing a new instrument drew him in a new direction.
"Once I started playing saxophone, I wanted to hear more saxophone, and then I started getting into jazz,” he said.
His new group merges those jazz skills with the music of his youth.
The group’s debut album, Soul Jazz, was recorded live in New York City and includes soul jazz favorites like “The Chicken” by James Brown band member Pee Wee Ellis and “Filthy McNasty” by Horace Silver. The group’s talent and personality really shine with their uniquely funky versions of jazz standards.
In the KNKX studios, Something Else! performed three songs they plan to record for their next album: Cedar Walton’s “I’m Not So Sure,” Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight,” and John Coltrane’s “Naima.”
There were fiery solos in each, but it was the backbeat provided by Essiet and Gillespie that gave the songs a soulful, celebratory feeling. As Herring said after the session, these aren’t just great songs, they are a whole lot of fun to play.
We think they’re also a lot of fun to listen to. Please enjoy this exclusive performance from Something Else!
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No stranger to the Pacific Northwest, José James returned to the Emerald City to perform for two nights at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. Along the way, this jazz singer for the hip-hop generation stopped by the KNKX Seattle studios for a smooth, soulful performance of tunes from his newest album 1978.
The album’s crisp production harks back to classic names like Quincy Jones and Leon Ware and is matched by socially conscious lyrics that resemble Marvin Gaye and Prince. Named after James’ birth year, 1978 consists of two themes: party and social activism. James seamlessly balanced the contrasting energies of disco party-themed and politically charged tunes in this KNKX Studio Session featuring a trio of some of today's top musicians in jazz and hip-hop.
James opened with “Let's Get It,” the lead track off 1978. It's a sensual groove from James that's served best on quiet storm radio stations. Much like the title, James’ eagerness to "get it" with his lover is evident through his yearning lyrics.
On “Black Orpheus (Don’t Look Back),” James called this “where Marvin Gaye meets Greek mythology.” After the performance, James emphasized the importance of moving forward as an individual, pointing to the story of Orpheus, and his only job, which was "to not look back."
These two songs served as checkpoints in 1978. From romance to activism, James finished off the three-song set with a powerful tribute to George Floyd called "38th & Chicago."
An album that took five years to complete, James’ 1978 is a mixture of what he experienced throughout the last five years, including the social unrest that took place in his birthplace of Minneapolis, Minnesota, his diverse and socially active upbringing, culminating in what he calls his own autobiography.
Check out José James’ latest studio session.
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BrandonLee Cierley made his debut eight years ago in the KNKX studios for a School of Jazz studio session as a college student. Now a driving force in Portland, Oregon’s music community, Cierley returned to the studios with a new band and the same passion for jazz.
The saxophonist from Tacoma relocated south during the Covid pandemic at the urging of his South Sound friend, Machado Mijiga. A multi-instrumentalist, Mijiga had made the move south himself, and has become Cierley’s musical “right-hand man.”
Cierley’s quartet included Puget Sound area musicians Anand Landon on guitar and Moe Weissner playing bass. The whole band did great work interpreting the saxophonist’s original songs.
Two brand new compositions and a song from Cierley’s recent album Camaraderie share Cierley’s sonic style — smooth-toned, soulful melodies with a hint of hip-hop swagger.
Cierley is planning a video-game themed EP with Mijiga soon and also broke more news to our studio session audience. He’s working on an album of dedications. “I haven’t told anybody this – you’re getting the first scoop!”
One of those dedications, “Naia’s Lullaby,” was written for a friend's new baby. Introducing it got him choked up, catching the bandleader and our audience by surprise. “I’ll just play it for you,” Cierley said quietly as he began the beautiful ballad.
Since our first introduction to “college kid” BrandonLee Cierley, he’s grown into a great person and a wonderful musician, and he’s becoming the jazz ambassador of I-5.
“Me and Machado are trying to bridge this gap,” he explained. “Seattle, Tacoma and Oregon – we’re so close! Why not… make a community out of it. We’re all just trying to make music and get it together.”
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When asked if they’d looked to great albums of the past to inspire their vocals-piano duets tour, Kurt Elling and Joey Calderazzo answered quickly and definitively: “No.”
This KNKX Studio Session was a meeting of two great improvising minds. Their music is the result of pure collaboration, bringing more than 60 years of combined jazz experience together with no expectations.
The Chicago-native Elling has been at the top of the jazz vocal world from his earliest records, a modern musician with a mastery of standards and daring vocalese.
A New Yorker, Calderazzo is best known for playing with saxophone icons Michael Brecker and Branford Marsalis. His several albums as a band leader have made him one of the most respected pianists in jazz, though not as well-known as Elling.
The connection between the two marks a bright moment in both of their impressive careers. These talented improvisors pushed and challenged each other through three great jazz standards in their performance at KNKX's Seattle studios.
Starting with “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” Elling and Calderazzo kept the melody close while finding numerous opportunities to embellish and rearrange the Nat Cole classic.
Billy Strayhorn’s beautiful ballad “Day Dream” received a similar treatment. Elling joked the 1939 composition was a “more modern” song, but the hip factor hit a crescendo with their set closer.
Calderazzo and Elling played Thelonious Monk’s bebop favorite “Straight, No Chaser” with dramatic flair, leaving out or moving notes of the familiar but angular melody nearly into abstraction.
It was a thrilling sight for the audience as Elling leaned over the piano mere inches from Calderazzo’s smiling face. The pair shared their joyful, intimate performance with a grateful audience in the KNKX studios. Now it’s your turn.
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While in Seattle for shows at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, legendary trombonist Fred Wesley brought his New JB's band to the KNKX studios for an exciting studio session that showed Wesley is more than just a James Brown sideman.
Wesley spoke with Grooveyard host Stephanie Anne Johnson about his incredible history playing with Brown and his sideman, saxophonist Maceo Parker. He also talked about his time with the Count Basie Orchestra and the diversity of music he plays with his new band.
Introducing themselves as the "New JBs, phase four," Wesley's band launched into the JB's 70s classic "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" with trumpeter Gary Winters and saxophonist Brandon Wright sharing the front line.
Guitarist Reggie Ward locked in with rhythm section mates Coleman Woodson III on keys, Dwayne Dolphin at the bass and Bruce Cox drumming to set up the funky backdrop for the busy horn players. The band was celebrating their latest album, From the Blues and Back.
Describing his love of the blues, Wesley added his own vocals to the R&B classic "Trick Bag," with call-and-response from Woodson. They wrapped up with "For the Elders," a song Wesley dedicated to the great jazz musicians who cleared the path for the musicians who followed.
Wesley noted that the Jazz Crusaders are one of his favorite groups and an inspiration for his current ensemble. The Crusaders' classic trombone-saxophone combination was a clever connecting point for the pulsing, dynamic post-bop groove of this final song.
In his 81st year, Fred Wesley said he may have lost a step or two, but his band brings the rich legacy of his career through funk, blues and jazz to a new audience. Enjoy this exclusive performance and the charming personality and music of Fred Wesley and the New JBs.
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The ever-modest but equally dedicated saxophonist Kareem Kandi brought together an incredible group of musicians, including renowned artists, drummer Ali Jackson, George Colligan on piano and Greg Feingold on bass.
The exclusive session culminated the quartets' weeks-long tour of the Pacific Northwest. Jackson, who once lived in Washington, returns for a few weeks each year to play and teach.
During the interview, Kandi, Jackson, and Colligan shared their views on the music and the preeminent importance of community while creating and learning.
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Kareem Kandi - saxophone
Ali Jackson - drums
George Colligan - piano
Greg Feingold - bass
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1. Shufflonzo (Jackson)
2. For Kenny (Jackson)
3. 2K Blues (Jackson)
Bill Anschell is one of the Northwest’s most beloved jazz pianists, though his new album Improbable Solutions was created with computer technology. The two sides of his music converged in the KNKX studios with Anschell’s acoustic piano leading a quartet though his new compositions.
His love of progressive rock and emerging electronic music as a college student eventually led Anschell to pursue the jazz idiom, but he never gave up on the digital world. The extra time allowed by pandemic closures gave him a path to complete his years-long creative dream.
“Finally! This was all headed toward combining electronics with acoustic instruments and real people,” Anschell told KNKX.
After releasing the album, Anschell had to work out what songs he could play live. Of the nine songs on Improbable Solutions, he performs five of them.
“A couple of the tunes really are more like progressive rock," Anschell explained. "We’re not really the band for that.”
The band in the KNKX studios included drummer Brad Boal and two musicians who appear on the new record: bassist Chris Symer and guitarist Brian Monroney.
“It’s been interesting to try to replicate those (electronic sounds)," Anschell said. "We’re really lucky to have Brian… he kind of replaces my synthesizers by being the ‘textures guy.’”
This quartet was up to the challenge. “Ambulator” begins the session with acoustic piano and electric guitar pushing and pulling through catchy melody and harmony lines, while Symer and Boal provide the important rhythmic support.
The live version of “Gentle Persuasion,” often played on KNKX, glided along at a calm tempo before a dramatic piano solo launched Monroney into his own feature with smartly chosen guitar effects.
Anschell’s quartet completed their set with a song from his 2006 album More to the Ear than Meets the Eye, the complex and funky “Faster Than the Speed of Mildew,” with driving contributions from all four musicians.
Dig into the world of Bill Anschell and his music, ably performed by his great quartet in the KNKX studios. Lighter on the synthetic sounds than his new album, this performance was still forward thinking and thoroughly modern.
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The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra kicks off their 30th season this August with a KNKX Studio Session and two nights at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley.
Over the course of 30 years as the Northwest's premiere large ensemble jazz band, the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra has helped keep the big band music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and more alive and vital.
They've also created a strong collection of original music, some of which they shared in a quintet setting at the KNKX studios. Leading the group was SRJO's artistic director, co-founder and saxophonist Michael Brockman.
Brockman talked about the band's origins playing the Sacred Music of Duke Ellington in 1989. The band saw a demand for performing great big band music live in concert and the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, which Brockman co-founded with now-retired drummer Clarence Acox, was born.
This special performance at KNKX also included SRJO favorites Dan Marcus on trombone, Randy Halberstadt at the piano, Phil Sparks on bass and D'Vonne Lewis drumming, whose composition "Hope" was the beautiful waltz in the middle of this exclusive session.
Brockman's soprano sax was featured on his tune "Malcolmesque," a spirited and complex piece cleverly arranged and performed by the quintet. The song's inspiration came from Brockman and Marcus playing in the orchestra for a recent Malcolm X opera.
Brockman told the KNKX studio audience, "you just heard the world premiere of that piece, just completed about three days ago!"
They closed with "Acox Ramble," their recently written tribute to SRJO's co-founder. Although rarely played in a quintet setting, the driving hardbop melody — reminiscent of Clarence Acox-led bands in Seattle's vibrant jazz scene of the 1980s and 1990s — sounded just right with heir apparent Lewis' note-perfect drum solo and undeniable groove.
Noting the experience of Lewis and bassist Sparks, Brockman explained that "it's hard to find room for a younger player to come in." However, the addition of musicians like Sidney Hauser, Alex Dugdale and Kate Olson show that the SRJO is a group with a past worth celebrating, and with an exciting future ahead.
The 2024-2025 season will see the 17-piece band perform a Ray Charles tribute, Ellington's "Far East Suite" featuring vocalist Jacqueline Tabor, and conclude with two June concerts featuring special guest saxophonist Branford Marsalis. "He's my hero," Brockman enthused.
SRJO's outreach in their Jazz Scholars program and Jazz4Kids concerts further demonstrate a community of musicians dedicated to keeping the tradition alive while passing it on to the next generation. Play on!
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Editor's note: Abe Beeson is a member of SRJO's board of directors.
The podcast currently has 246 episodes available.
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