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

Picking up his first saxophone in 5th grade, Stuart MacDonald made the most of the Seattle school system's jazz educators. Today, working on his Masters in jazz studies at the University of Washington, his education continues even as he teaches younger players a thing or two on the bandstand. Plenty of work as a sideman has honed MacDonald's playing to a fine point, his ability to play in reggae and funk settings don't seem to distract from his own musical point of view. He's a creative player

Violin player, composer and bandleader Ranger Sciacca is a massive fan of gypsy jazz guitar legend Django Reinhardt, and his partner, violinist Stephane Grappelli. That said, Ranger's band isn't like most groups who play in this swinging style. The swing is still the motor that makes this band move, but the Re-Arrangers are breaking some of the unspoken rules of gypsy jazz bands. There's no lead guitar, that role is filled by the acoustic and electric mandolin of Dave Stewart. Such bands don't

Sharing a guitarist and a studio session performance, Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints split time with the duo Sundae + Mr. Goessl in the KNKX studios, both excited to share new music from upcoming albums. Jason Goessl plays guitar in both bands, and it felt like hanging out in the living room with your most musically talented friends. The new Gin Joints album is called Western Soul and transports the listener back in time to when jazz, country music and even early rock n roll were powered by

Pearl Django once again graced our studio for a lively performance that included founding member Guitarist Neil Andersson, now living and working as a painter in California. The group was preparing for a stint at Jazz Alley and gave our studio audience a short preview. They kicked things off with a lively rendition of “With Friends Like These” written by Tim Lerch and inspired by the song “Just Friends.” It is the title track to the group’s current release, which also features Andersson. The