Back in 1999, and out of nowhere, the KNKX (then ‘KPLU’) music department received a CD called "About Time" by a mandolin player named Don Stiernberg. Frankly, it didn’t look all that promising but, of course, we gave it a listen. To our collective surprise, it was delightful and we began playing it on the air, much to the delight of our listeners. That was the first (and almost the last) time we heard from the guy. Fast forward 16 or 17 years and, lo and behold, we find out that Don Stiernberg

Singer Duffy Bishop has been active (often overactive!) for years on the Northwest blues and R&B scene. Several years ago, she expanded her audience when she began doing cabaret shows at venues including Seattle’s Tiatro Zinzani. In this studio session, Duffy and her ace band play three smokin’ tunes. She also talks to KPLU (KNKX?) All Blues host, John Kessler, about her cabaret work. https://youtu.be/zufg3XkqEfQ

Janis Siegel, Alan Paul and Cheryl Bentyne have been plenty busy working on their own solo projects, as well as working with countless bands around the world. But the passing of their collaborator (and the group's founder) Tim Hauser in October of 2014 had many of their fans thinking the Manhattan Transfer may have rolled into the station for the last time. Happily, there's no stopping the world's premier vocal group. They've permanently added Trist Curless, longtime member of the vocal group "m

Blending classic swing tunes from jazz, country and early rock 'n' roll; bassist and singer Birch Pereira & The Gin Joints have found their own kind of cool. Live in our studios, the band performed four tunes from their varied songbook, including the music of Hoagy Carmichael, Fats Waller, Elvis Presley and Hank Williams. A man of many talents, Birch has also found success around the Northwest in his modern soul/funk "livetronica" band Theoretics, but he says that group has little to no

Oregon jazz singer, Halie Loren, is one of our favorite guests—and one of our most frequent. Recently, on her way to the Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. jazz festival, she and her husband, guitarist Daniel Gallo, stopped in. It was Halie’s third live Studio Session and perhaps her best so far; due in large part to the intimacy of the performance. It was just Haile and her husband, putting their heads together to play some songs they love.