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!

Musicians:

• Michael Brockman - saxophones
• Dan Marcus - trombone
• Randy Halberstadt - piano
• Phil Sparks - bass
• D'Vonne Lewis - drums

Songs:

1. Malcolmesque (M.Brockman)
2. Hope (D.Lewis)
3. Acox Ramble (M.Brockman)

Editor's note: Abe Beeson is a member of SRJO's board of directors.

Pianist and composer Francesco Crosara led a quartet of top-tier Northwest musicians in the KNKX studios, celebrating a new album with the Italian native’s new Northwest friends.

Crosara was raised in Rome, Italy, by a mother whose broadcasting connections and love of jazz brought legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Duke Ellington and more who inspired the budding musician.

“I had the pleasure to basically see and interact with these giants at the kitchen table,” Crosara said.

His musical talent was further developed at USC in Los Angeles, and he later moved on to the Midwest and Hawaii before landing in Poulsbo, Washington, in 2017.

Crosara joined the Music Discovery Center, a non-profit in Bremerton focused on music education and support in the Western Puget Sound. He was excited to help underserved music lovers of the Kitsap Peninsula and to have opportunities to play with young music students, saying, “I’m not hoity-toity.”

The new album Circular Motion collects 40 years of Crosara’s compositions, from new songs like the jazz fusion of “One Day Honey, One Day Onions” to songs that he’s updated.

“I certainly was not happy with the way that 21-year-old Francesco wrote a samba. It was a little immature,” he said.

Over his life as a composer, Crosara has written music influenced by his many travels. Circular Motion visits Argentina with “Julia’s Tango” and Japan with “Kurama,” as well as the Middle Eastern sound of “Maktoub” and a Spanish tinge of “Preludio Flamenco.”

Circular Motion also circles through three different sets of the Puget Sound area’s best bass players and drummers.

The elder statesmen Clipper Anderson and Mark Ivester form what Crosara said is his “acoustic group,” while the popular Farko Dosumov and D’Vonne Lewis make up his “fusion trio.”

Finally, Crosara’s “world trio” features Osama Afifi and Xavier LeCouturier, the youngest of the groups.

In this exclusive performance in the KNKX studios, Crosara was joined by Dosumov, Lewis, and saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev. Crosara even lamented, half-joking, “Had I met him (before he recorded Circular Motion), I would have said, let’s do a quartet!”

Extended versions of three great tunes from Crosara’s new album show that his music is constantly changing, always connected to the moment he shares with his fellow musicians and audience.

Look for Crosara’s terrific trio album and the talented pianist in a variety of musical settings around Western Washington – including the hungry jazz fans away from the city lights.

Musicians:

• Francesco Crosara - piano, keyboards
• Alexey Nikolaev - saxophones
• Farko Dosumov - bass
• D'Vonne Lewis - drums

Songs:

1. Preludio Flamenco
2. Julia's Tango
3. One Day Honey, One Day Onions

New York-based, British Columbia-born, trumpeter and singer Bria Skonberg celebrates her new album What It Means in a KNKX studio session. She was in town for shows at Dimitrou's Jazz Alley.

In the years since Skonberg’s aptly titled 2020 album Nothing Never Happens, she has weathered the tumultuous pandemic times and, like many of us, witnessed a social justice movement, emerging political divisions and new global conflicts. She described these years as “disorienting,” and in the realm of her music, she was “trying to find a way forward and a way back at the same time.”

The search for a way forward led her back to New Orleans, a city full of sounds that was central to developing her passion for music when she was younger. Skonberg grew up in Chilliwack, BC, where her parents set her up to explore the wide world of music at a young age.

“I'm a product of really great parents who encouraged both me and my siblings to play instruments...” said Skonberg.

In seventh grade, she started playing trumpet. Skonberg said her dad played the instrument back in high school, so they already owned one.

Skonberg said her passion for jazz grew thanks, in part, to a long-running festival in her hometown dedicated to the early stylings of jazz, including the music of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Sydney Bechet.

Now Skonberg is returning to those roots and the sounds of New Orleans on her recently released album What It Means. She recorded in the Crescent City and connected with a living jazz legend, drummer Herlin Riley.

“He's a wonderful, absolutely magical human being. And when you listen to it, as I do, I go, ‘how is he playing all those things at the same time?’" Skonberg said.

Since her last record, Skonberg has also become a mother. She described motherhood as a lot of fun and full of learning: “It's a lot. It's more than you could ever experience. And just like the amount of growth, the learning curve is obviously incredibly steep.”

With motherhood, she took a step back from playing the trumpet. Skonberg said she took almost three months off and credits revered trumpeter John Faddis with helping her regain her chops.

“We often are told that we cannot take more than two days off the horn or we'll never play again..." She said, “I think I play smarter, stronger than I have before.”

Musicians:

• Bria Skonberg - trumpet, vocals
• Steve Treseler - saxophone
• Chris Pattishall - piano
• Grayson Brockamp - bass
• Darrian Douglass - drums

Songs:

1. Comes Loves (L. Brown, S. Stept, C. Tobias)
2. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? (E. DeLange, L. Alter)
3. The Beat Goes On/Sidewinder (S. Bono, L. Morgan)

Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano stopped by the KNKX Studios last week to give us a preview of their new album Vacilón Santiaguero.

Originally from Santiago, Cuba, Valera primarily plays locally here in Seattle. He’s been a bandleader for as long as he can remember, starting by taking over his family’s band when he was a teenager.

During this studio session, Valera told the audience how he found his way to Seattle and explained why this style of music is still significant today.

"It's a matter of tradition," Valera said, "always trying to preserve the roots, the essence. I decided to give it more freshness, a more modern touch."

Vacilón Santiaguero is not only a celebration of the music from his hometown, but Valera also puts his own stamp on the tradition of “Son” to make it his own and keep the music alive.

Musicians:

• Kiki Valera - Cuban cuatro, coros
• Javier Maru - guitar, vocals
• Julian Weisman - bass
• Steve Smith - bongos
• Joe de Jesus - congas, vocals
• Carlos Cascante - lead vocals, percussion
• Victor Castillo - lead vocals, percussion

Songs:

1. Este Vacilón (Félix Valera Miranda)
2. El Ají de Cocina (Félix Valera Miranda)
3. Sobre Una Tumba Una Rumba (Ignacio Pineiro)
   

The band Ghost Note was formed almost by accident. Snarky Puppy drummer Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth attracted attention with their live solos. They both half-jokingly promised fans that they were recording as a side project.

Regarding the pair’s first recordings as Ghost Note, “Nate kind of manifested it,” Searight said in an interview following the band’s recent KNKX studio session.

Achieving success early, the pandemic slowed Ghost Note’s efforts until the release of their new fourth album Mustard N’ Onions.

Ghost Note’s funk was extra tight in the KNKX studios as the band – featuring the saxophones of Jelani Brooks and Jonathan Mones, guitarist Peter Knudsen, keyboardist Dominique Xavier Taplin, bassist J-Mack and full-throated vocalist Mackenzie – bounced through three songs from the new album.

The signature sound of Ghost Note comes from the propulsive beats of the Searight-Werth rhythm section. “We’re a group of guys,” said Searight, “who love funk, love Prince and James Brown, and we’re all frustrated jazz musicians as well.”

James Brown is name-checked in Ghost Note’s new song “JB’s Out!” and group vocals brought extra energy to “Slim Goodie.” Dialing in the complex melody of “Bad Knees” by the album’s bassist, MonoNeon, Searight sang the hook before counting off a third crowd-moving blast of fun.

You’re sure to be smiling along listening to this joyful, funky session performance from Ghost Note. They're no joke!

Musicians:

• Robert "Sput" Searight - drums
• Nate Werth - percussion
• Jelani Brooks - saxophone
• Jonathan Mones - saxophone
• Peter Knudsen - guitar
• Dominique Xavier Taplin - keyboards
• J-Mack - bass
• Mackenzi - vocals

Songs:

1. JB’s Out! (Do It Babay)
2. Slim Goodie
3. Bad Knees

Guitar virtuoso Eric Gales was at KNKX for a very special solo session. He is considered one of the best, if not the best guitarist on the planet. The praise has come from all over the music world, from people like Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King and Carlos Santana, who is his godfather.

If you listen to KNKX's radio show All Blues, you’ll hear him just about every night. He is arguably one of the most important and expressive guitarists of our time, in any genre. Starting at age 15, he’s made 19 studio albums and his most recent album, Crown, was nominated for a Grammy award in 2022.

Gales first held a guitar in his hands at the age of 4 and devoted himself entirely to learning his way around the instrument, guided by his older brother Eugene Gales. Eugene, who is 17 years older, introduced young Eric to a wide range of music that included blues, but also jazz, country, soul, rock and even classical music.

Through his mother, Eric also became familiar with gospel music and his father even jammed with Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Eric described his obsessive fascination with the guitar, often staying in his room for days without eating, so that he could learn how to play what was in his head.

Though he’s considered a “blues” player, his interests range far and wide to include guitarists like Eric Johnson, Robin Trower, Wes Montgomery, Chet Atkins, and of course Jimi Hendrix, to whom he’s often been compared.

He was signed to a major label record deal at 15, but kept that fact from his classmates, because he didn’t want to be treated as a rock star. But when he appeared as a child prodigy guitarist on the Arsenio Hall Show, his secret was out, and his professional career began. 

Eric was a gracious and giving guest, baring himself and the deep emotions he conjures with his guitar. We talked about the origins of blues that came from the African American experience of slavery, and that blues music evolved as a way to find joy in a world of suffering. As a Black man in America, Eric told us that as much as 90% of his music comes from his internal pain. 

He became emotional talking about the deep hurt that he feels inside, but that he is able to channel and transform that pain into joyful expression. He sees his talent as a gift and his role to evoke deep emotion with his music. 

Eric stopped by KNKX while in the Northwest for a show July 8 at Marymoor Park, and also made an appearance at the Winthrop R&B Festival Saturday July 20.

Songs:
1) The Storm
2) My Own Best Friend
3) Little Wing

Grammy-nominated singer Karrin Allyson joined us in the KNKX studios for her 10th session when she visited Seattle for her concerts at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley.

Allyson wears many musical hats including singer, songwriter, composer and pianist. Her latest project spotlights Brazilian music – specifically singer-songwriter Rosa Passos who joins Allyson on a couple tunes on the new release A Kiss for Brazil.

Allyson said she was drawn to samba in her early years singing jazz. It was on a visit to Brazil over a decade ago where she met Rafael Barata who joins her in this session on drums. Both spoke of their love of bossa nova and specifically the feel and nature of Brazilian music.

She opened up about how music can be an escape from life’s challenges, her Grammy nominations, and how she enjoys collaborating with talented musical contemporaries. Allyson also detailed her musical and songwriting processes.

Enjoy the behind-the-scenes stories and three great songs from her most recent album in Karrin Allyson's latest KNKX studio session. We know it won't be her last.

Musicians:

• Karrin Allyson - vocals, piano
• Vitor Gonsalves - piano, accordion
• Jeff Johnson - bass
• Rafael Barata - drums

Songs:

1. Manha de Carnaval (Luiz Bonfa)
2. Dunas (Fernando de Oliveira)
3. So Many Stars (Sérgio Mendes, Alan and Marilyn Bergman)

For more than 20 years, singer and songwriter Spencer Day has graced stages worldwide with his honey-golden voice. For the first time in more than five years, he was in Seattle for shows at Dimitrou’s Jazz Alley.

Day had created original songs with a keen pen that unfolds life’s complexities in novel ways and is an adaptive interpreter of many styles ranging from Broadway songs, the great American songbook, modern pop and Mexican folk.

Since his major label debut, Vagabond in 2009, Day has continued on his journey with music. It has taken him from his hometown in rural Utah to Southern California, New York, London, San Francisco and Mexico.

Day began finding his gift for music in his late teens. He said it was a “divine intervention” of sorts when he got a Casio keyboard from a friend and began playing and writing songs. “It gave me a place to take all of these heavy feelings I was having,” he said during our session.

Day cites Chet Baker and Julie London as two of the first singers he heard who helped develop his style. He cites Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington as some of his early jazz favorites.

He played two originals at KNKX’s Seattle studio, “Till You Come to Me” and “Movie of Your Life,” and, for the first time in public, the Mexican song “Sabor A Mi.” Day and guitarist Brian Monroney discussed the song and decided to play a rendition after sharing a love for one of Mexico’s quintessential folk songs.

Mexican music is not completely foreign to Spencer. During the pandemic, he spent time in Mexico City and Guadalajara. He was semi-stranded there during the early days of the pandemic.

He told the audience during his studio session about being “a gringo in the right place at the right time” and found himself recording pandemic-related public service announcements in Guadalajara.

But playing music during his time there greatly impacted his upcoming project La Frontera which features musicians from the Mexican band Mariachi Vargas.

Musicians:

• Spencer Day - vocals, piano
• Brian Monroney - guitar

Songs:

1. Till You Come To Me (Spencer Day)
2. Sabor a Mí (Álvaro Carrillo)
3. Movie of Your Life (Spencer Day)

The nostalgia was thick in the air at Seattle’s Jazz Alley as pianist Monty Alexander celebrated his 80th birthday on a stage he’s played hundreds of times. Alexander spent part of the visit reconnecting with an old friend, John Dimitriou, the owner of Jazz Alley since its opening in 1980.

Alexander's birthday, June 6, also marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when allied forces landed in northern France in 1944 and changed the direction of World War II. It's impossible to forget when you're born on such a famous date.

“You’re reminded your whole life," Alexander said. "And when your parents name you after the British General (Field Marshal "Monty" Bernard Law Montgomery) you’re aware of it.”

His new album D-Day includes a couple songs from the era and several original songs by the prolific pianist. It also arrives with moving message, no matter the decade.

"It’s about saying, ‘War is not the answer’ and we need to fight for peace. As musicians, that’s what we do. We want to see people come together,” Alexander explained.

Alexander and Dimitriou first came together in the 1970s when the latter left his hometown of Seattle and was running Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. It's now the longest running supper club in the nation.

“He had the desire to be a drummer,” Alexander recalled.

“I was a bad drummer – it was the best thing that happened to me!” Dimitrou exclaimed.

Alexander pointed out the lasting impact of Dimitriou’s time in the other Washington.

“I was there when John came and spruced up the place, that was the beginning of Blues Alley stepping up," he said. "And he met his wife to be!”

Dimitriou's now been married to his sweetheart Carla for 49 years. He called Alexander a real jazz musician because “he makes people feel good about his playing and that’s extraordinary, and there are few people who do that.”

In the end, the point for Alexander and Dimitriou is to bring people together. The pianist directed the club owner to a portrait of Louis Armstrong that hangs on the wall at Jazz Alley as a poignant example of what they’re both trying to do.

“Maybe John doesn’t realize how important it is,” Alexander said. “To see Louis Armstrong over there looking at you… that was my hero. I saw him in Kingston, Jamaica in 1956. It was like a church meeting! There’s something about music. I don’t just hear it, I feel it. I smell it. It’s the joy of life. It’s fun!”

You’re sure to hear and feel (and maybe smell?) the fun Monty Alexander shared with bassist Luke Sellick, drummer Jason Brown and John Dimitriou on stage at Jazz Alley.

Musicians:

• Monty Alexander - piano
• Luke Sellick - bass
• Jason Brown - drums

Songs:

1. Think Twice
2. Look Up
3. River of Peace

Takuya Kuroda is a humble artist. When told the interview would be with just him, Kuroda expressed a little embarrassment, saying he didn't want his bandmates to feel subordinate. Making his Seattle debut as a bandleader at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Kuroda was a confident leader in a KNKX studio session performance of his original music.

To be sure, everyone in Kuroda's band is worthy of his praise. Craig Hill made a strong impression on saxophone, bringing a strong new element to a band that has matched trumpet with Corey King's trombone for more than a decade.

It was his big brother's trombone and love for big bands that first inspired Kuroda, but when he first arrived on the New York scene, his mind was blown.

"It was Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold and all those 'monsters' from this generation. And then I had to come here to see and learn what was going on," Kuroda said.

Since his 2014 break-out- album Rising Son, produced by vocalist Jose James, Takuya Kuroda has moved further into the world of producing and adding programmed elements to his music.

He said thinking about production has changed the way he writes music, but he still uses a clever composing trick.

"I started trying to not write down the melody that I came up with and go to sleep. Next day, if you still remember the melody, then give it a go."

Kuroda has already gone into the studio. His next album is nearly finished, and Kuroda credited his drummer, David Frazier, for helping get the right drum sound. "When it comes to production," Kuroda explained, "the sound of drums is the most important when you're producing music like this."

Along with Frazier and Hill, bassist Kyle Miles kept the band snugly inside the pocket. Takahiro Izumikawa did double duty, ripping through dramatic solos on piano and adding sonic textures on synthesizer.

Takuya Kuroda and his band had a great time in the KNKX studios, and his bandmates weren't at all upset to give this incredibly talented trumpeter the spotlight.

Musicians:

• Takuya Kuroda - trumpet, flugelhorn
• Craig Hill - saxophone
• Takahiro Izumikawa - keyboards
• Kyle Miles - bass
• David Frazier - drums

Songs:

1. Midnight Crisp
2. Mala
3. It's OK