KNKX Studio Sessions

Enjoying a year that has brought his band a lot of positive attention, saxophonist Frank Vitolo brought his Bad News Botanists to our studios for a fun session of original funky jazz. It was a preview of their performance on The New Cool stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival, and more proof that this band is making its mark. Powered by a solid grooving rhythm section of drummer Heather Thomas and bassist Marina Christopher, who just won the Golden Ear award for Emerging Artist of the Year.

Like a painter that uses the entire range of his color palette, vocalist Jose James has spent the last ten years working in a wide variety of musical arenas - jazz, soul, R&B, hip hop, pop, electronica, and experimental music. His albums have ranged from a brilliant tribute to Billie Holiday, all the way to a very personal and modern work called "Love In A Time Of Madness." One music critic has noted that his albums are like "a box of chocolates." One thing though, whatever Jose James does,

He's not just a terrific player and songwriter, cellist Jacob Szekely is blazing a path for future jazz cellists to follow. With his trio live in our studios, it's clear that his instrument is ready for the jazz spotlight. Szekely told us that the traditional way of learning cello makes it nearly impossible to translate those skills to improvisation, so he retrained himself to play in a new way. He's also co-founded the String Project of Los Angeles to give other cellists a fresh direction in

Before his performance in our studios, pianist Danny Green told me he hadn't played many solo shows. In fact, his new album One Day It Will adds a string quartet to his long-running trio. After three dazzling songs, however, it was clear Green has plenty to say on his own. With Justin Grinell on bass and Julien Cantelm drumming, Danny Green's previous trio album Altered Narratives featured a string quartet on a handful of songs. Green enjoyed that process so much he decided to write a full album

This truck-driving, harmonica-blowing Bluesman won multiple awards in his hometown Minneapolis for his ace songwriting, singing and playing. Then about 10 years ago, Joe Cook moved his family to Seattle and had to start his musical career over again. He started going to some of the many local Blues jam sessions, where he met and teamed up with some of this area’s hottest Blues players. Joe’s massive harmonica “chops” and intensity remind me of Little Walter, Kim Wilson and Sugar Blue. A gravelly

On his path to musical self-discovery, pianist Spike Wilner set out to make himself a part of his New York City community. He'd buy old pianos and give them to bars for free, in exchange for a regular night for Spike to play there. We were happy to provide a freshly tuned piano to Spike when he brought his New York friends with him for a spirited Studio Session. About a decade ago, Wilner took over operations of the Greenwich Village jazz club Small's. He's made it a home for what he calls "New

Pianist and songwriter Marcia Ball brought her signature swampy, bluesy, boogie-woogie roadhouse sound to our studio to celebrate the impending release of her latest album Shine Bright , which comes out April 20. Marcia’s won ten Blues Music Awards, ten Living Blues Awards, and had five Grammy Award nominations. She has been inducted into both the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. The Texas State legislature named her the official 2018 Texas State Musician.

We've grown accustomed to his face, sax player Steve Treseler had performed in the KNKX studios as a sideman and as a mentor to School of Jazz combos, and his own dynamic "In Motion" quartet was a highly anticipated session for us all. Treseler talked about his early mentors, including sax great Jerry Bergonzi, who taught his young student to love practicing as a way to celebrate a love for your instrument and the intimate act of playing what you feel. The "In Motion" quartet explored Treseler's

Just a couple years after bringing guitarist Cole Schuster and bassist Greg Feingold from the Berklee College of Music to Seattle, drummer Max Holmberg and the 200 Trio have certainly endeared themselves to their new hometown. The threesome are playing all over Seattle, including the Triple Door's Musicquarium Lounge, exclusive "Hidden Jazz Club" shows through Air B&B, and at Egan's Ballard Jam House, where Jim Wilke recorded their new second album, Trinity . Following on a debut of

Out studio audience had an acapella treat with Redhot & Blue, a 12-piece vocal ensemble from Yale University. The group kicked off the session with a swinging rendition of “Zoot Suit Riot” featuring bass singer Denis Tse. The touring group was founded in 1977 and named after the Cole Porter musical and as homage to Porter himself who graduated Yale in 1911. Alto Dani Schulman also doubles as tour manager and described how the group formed and how it’s influences include pop and rock but