KNKX Studio Sessions

This KNKX Studio Session with saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin featured her quartet in a live performance that includes songs from her most recent album, Phoenix.

Benjamin had an incredibly prolific 2023: she was named Artist in Residence at the Monterey Jazz Festival, was featured on the March cover of Downbeat Magazine, and was nominated for three Grammys for Best Instrumental Composition, Best Jazz Performance, and Best Instrumental Album.

While performing at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in January, Benjamin gave a stellar performance that took the audience on a journey spanning anguish, self-discovery and resolution. In fact, Phoenix was inspired by a near-death car crash in 2021 that left Benjamin with a broken jaw, three broken ribs and a new perspective on life.

The experience, she said, left her with a profound sense of gratitude for her life. She told studio session host Freddy Fuego: "We all have our own things that we're battling. The important thing is to be resilient and to really fight for the life that you want." 

As we could see and hear, she's come back stronger than ever.

After her Seattle stop, Benjamin continued her West Coast tour. In March, she will perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. before heading off to Europe to perform for two months. KNKX is already eagerly anticipating her return to the Pacific Northwest. Until then, enjoy this incredible performance from our Studio X.

Musicians:

• Lakecia Benjamin - alto saxophone
• Zaccai Curtis - piano
• Elias Bailey - bass
• E.J. Strickland - drums

Songs:

1. Trane
2. Amerikkan Skin
3. New Mornings

Born in Denmark, Lee Oskar is a world-renowned harmonica virtuoso, composer, visual artist and manufacturer of Lee Oskar Harmonicas, widely considered the world’s gold standard.

Oskar is a founding member of the pioneering funk/jazz group WAR, with the hits “Low Rider,” The Cisco Kid,” “The World is a Ghetto,” and many others. He’s released 11 albums as a solo artist and the latest, She Said Mahalo, came out in September of 2023.

He also makes his home in the Pacific Northwest, which is one reason we could host some of the finest players in the region at KNKX's Studio X. Oskar played selections from his latest album, She Said Mahao, as well as from his album Never Forget, dedicated to remembering the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Musicians:

• Lee Oskar - harmonica, vocals
• Darian Asplund - saxophone
• Alex Mortland - guitar
• Mack Grout - keyboards, piano
• Dean Schmidt - bass
• Andrew Cloutier - drums
• Denali Williams - percussion

Songs:

1. Funky Rhetoric
2. Lee's Blues
3. She Said Mahalo
4. Low Rider
5. Far Away Dreams

Grace Love brought her soulful Memphis roots to our KNKX studios. Dripping with passion and vulnerability, she performed songs from her newest EP, Work In Protest.

Now based in Port Townsend, Wash., Love keeps busy as a mother, while cultivating community and finishing up graduate school. On top of it all, she continues to create new music. Love took time out of her schedule and caught the earliest ferry down to Seattle for her very first KNKX studio session.

After performing with the Seattle Symphony, Quincy Jones, and The True Loves, she is no stranger to different ensembles. Love's newest band of Pacific Northwest musicians truly captures the raw, garage-band-like sound of Work In Protest. Featuring a quintet of instrumentalists and three vocalists, it was a full house. After a brief soundcheck, Love and the band were ready to perform for an eager audience.

The first song, “In Waiting,” is a soulful plea to a lover, waiting in hopes that they’ll return. The wonderful vocal trio of Eileen Neff, Holly Riccardi and Kathryn Farrell shined on this tune.

From the soft plea to the hard rock, the Betty Davis-esque “Broke” describes a person who’s done with, and “c’aint afford,” love.

Taking us on a rollercoaster of emotions, Love finished off the three-song set with a familiar tune: Steve Miller’s “The Joker” as seen through the lens of her personal love and style. The crowd swayed back and forth to the downtempo groove. Bandmates Park Evans took a masterful guitar solo, Nate Omdal followed on his bass and even drummer Adrian Van Batenburg got in the mix.

Enjoy this KNKX studio session from Grace Love & The Grace Love Band.

Musicians:

• Grace Love - lead vocals
• Eileen Neff - vocals
• Holly Riccardi - vocals
• Kathryn Farrell - vocals
• Jason Parker - trumpet
• Brian Bermudez - saxophone
• Park Evans - guitar
• Nate Omdal - bass
• Adrian Van Batenburg - drums

Songs:

1. In Waiting
2. Broke
3. The Joker (Steve Miller)

As much as I’ve enjoyed the recorded output of New Orleans pianist, guitarist, singer/songwriter, Jon Cleary, this studio session marked the first time I’ve ever heard him and his band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, ‘live.’ It was an absolute, monster delight.

The band consists of Cleary on piano, guitar and lead vocals, Cornell Williams on bass and vocals, A.J. Hall on drums and vocals, and percussionist Pedro Segundo. They rocked the house with New Orleans funk and blues.

Over the years, Cleary has become central to the blues and funk music scene in New Orleans—an outcome that probably felt unlikely to him when he arrived in New Orleans from Kent, England when he was in his late teens. When he got there, he was a guitarist and only intended to stay in New Orleans for a few weeks. Well, he’s still there, decades later, and is now one of that city’s preeminent pianists and songwriters.

In our interview, Cleary talked about his first night in New Orleans and how the music venue he visited that night, The Maple Leaf Bar, would become his home, his hang, his employer and his music school.

While painting the place, he absorbed the music of the immensely talented, immensely crazy pianist, James Booker. Booker’s influence, as well as that of Professor Longhair and other NOLA musicians set Cleary on the path he follows to this day.

The first song of their set is "So Damn Good." “I feel so damn good, I’ll be glad when I got the blues,” Cleary sings. It nicely sets the stage for what to expect from this band. It’s a funky, upbeat, cheerful invitation to party - to dance and sing along. The next song, "Frenchman Street Blues," is straight-ahead slow blues.

Frenchman Street is one of the most musical streets in New Orleans, leading out of the French Quarter to the Gentilly neighborhood. If you watched the HBO series Treme, you probably heard this song and saw Cleary and the band perform. "Got To More Careful" drags us a little deeper into the funk with its slanky rhythm and tempo. Greezy!

The final song was a bit like getting a bonus track. We were talking about a guitar riff that Cleary got from one of his British uncles and all of a sudden, he and the band unleashed the song Cleary had made from it, "Boneyard."

“Before I make it to the boneyard," Cleary sings, "I’m gonna have some fun.” A perfect end to an uplifting studio session from Jon Cleary ant the Absolute Monster Gentlemen.

Cleary’s new album, released earlier in 2023 is called So Swell. It certainly is.

Musicians:

• Jon Cleary - piano, guitar, vocals
• Cornell Williams - bass, vocals
• A.J. Hall - drums, vocals
• Pedro Segundo - percussion

Songs:

1. I Feel So Damn Good (Happy When I Get the Blues)
2. Frenchman Street Blues
3. Got To Be More Careful
4. Boneyard

The quintet Butcher Brown makes music blending jazz, hip-hop, soul, disco, rock and more - a genre of their own with a dedicated and growing fan base. Performing in the KNKX Studio X, the band showed a rare acoustic side that was still quintessentially Butcher Brown.

Formed in 2009, Marcus "Tennishu" Tenney is the face of Butcher Brown as lead vocalist, saxophonist and trumpet player. During their visit, he and his bandmates discussed their varied musical upbringing and explained that the group's sound is both a direct result of each musician's current influences, and their influence on each other.

Butcher Brown's latest album Solar Music welcomes guests like rapper Pink Siifu, singer Vanisha Gould, guitarist Charlie Hunter and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. However, the album's diversity of styles is more a result of the band's diverse inspirations than the special appearances.

Drummer Corey Fonville mentioned that the band recently discussed how each performance on their tour would require adjustments. As an example, he said bassist Andrew Randazzo and keyboard player DJ Harrison rarely use the acoustic instruments played in this exclusive studio session.

Of course, after the band's careful deliberations, the performance was a unique version of their trademark modern music. Old fans and new will surely enjoy this special KNKX presentation of Butcher Brown.

Musicians:

• Marcus "Tennishu" Tenney - trumpet/saxophone/lead vocals
• DJ Harrison - keyboards/backing vocals
• Morgan Burrs - guitar/backing vocals
• Andrew Randazzo - bass/backing vocals
• Corey Fonville - drums

Songs:

1. Around for Awhile
2. I Can Say to You
3. Happy Hourrr
4. DYKWYD

Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt had just celebrated his 47th birthday and was in a great mood when KNKX recorded an exclusive session with his quintet at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. His band of young, talented musicians played beautifully and point to Pelt's commitment to supporting the next generation of jazz.

Pelt was celebrating his recent albums, Soundtrack and The Art of Intimacy, Vol 2: His Muse, but began his session with a song he wrote a couple decades ago called "Aesop's Fables."

Vibraphonist Jalen Baker, guitarist Alex Wintz and the young rhythm section of Leighton McKinley-Harrell and Jared Spears brought their ample skills and passion to Pelt's music. All of them found equal time in support and improvising around the dynamic, modern jazz.

In an interview, Pelt talked about his early career working in big bands and the need to connect with musicians. He also spoke about his series of books, Griot: Examining the Lives of Jazz's Great Storytellers. He said his inspiration came from a similar series of stories collected by drummer Art Taylor but featuring Pelt's own musical contemporaries.

Pelt has stories of his own to share, but on the Jazz Alley stage he was most comfortable sharing stories with his music. The band played a pair of Pelt's recent compositions, the ballad "For Whom I Love So Much" and the dynamic "Be the Light."

Pelt will return to Seattle in December to play Jazz Alley with the Heavy Hitters, an all-star ensemble including longtime friends Vincent Herring and Eric Alexander on saxophones. KNKX is thrilled, however, to present Pelt's own band in this exclusive studio session.

Musicians:

• Jeremy Pelt - trumpet
• Jalen Baker - vibraphone
• Alex Wintz - guitar
• Leighton McKinley-Harrell - bass
• Jared Spears - drums

Songs:

1. Aesop's Fables
2. For Whom I Love So Much
3. Be the Light

Hit-maker singer-songwriter Curtis Stigers, known for the chart-topping song “I Wonder Why,” arrived at KNKX’s Seattle studios for a dynamic studio session on a sunny fall day.

The outgoing and effusive entertainer visited with a small audience before enthralling the group with a sweet and sentimental session that veered more singer-songwriter than his previous jazz-centric fare. It's a move Stigers is making in a calculated manner as he works to grow his U.S. audience by touring old-school style: with his band in a van.

After beginning with the dark and rootsy Bob Dylan tune “Things Have Changed,” he thrilled the KNKX Studio X audience with his jazz vocals and sax playing on the Harry “Sweets” Edison song “Centerpiece.” He made sure to give props to lyricist Jon Hendricks.

What stood out from his previous sessions at KNKX was his guitar playing. Stigers' strumming was on full display with “Then I Had this Dream,” an original tune co-written with Carole King, that held a rich and bluesy quality. The song appears on the 1999 release Brighter Days, which wasn’t a commercial success but spotlighted his writing and playing passions.

Later that night at Seattle’s Triple Door, Stigers split his combo playing and his solo work down the middle. The performance exemplified Stigers' winning trifecta of singing chops, storytelling prowess and guitar swagger.

Enjoy this exclusive Studio X performance and connect to three previous Curtis Stigers sessions in the KNKX archive.

Musicians:

• Curtis Stigers - vocals, guitar, saxophone
• Randy Ingram - piano
• Cliff Schmitt - bass

Songs:

1. Things Have Changed (Bob Dylan)
2. Then I Had This Dream (Curtis Stigers/Carole King)
3. Centerpiece (Harry Edison/Jon Hendricks)

In his return to Seattle, the extraordinary bassist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Richard Bona dropped by KNKX’s Studio X for a live session and interview with Justus Sanchez, host of KNKX Evening Jazz.

Bona hadn't been to Seattle since 2016, and he and his Asante Trio kicked off their tour through the United States and Europe with a pair of concerts at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley.

For decades, Bona has brought his melodic mix of jazz, African sounds and pure musicianship to audiences around the world.

With at least 20 solo albums and features galore, the Cameroon-born maestro often sings in Duala, an Indigenous language of Cameroon. “If I don’t sing this language, who’s gonna sing the language?” Bona said.

Although he considers himself a worldwide citizen, Bona moved to Miami from New York during the pandemic and took a break from touring. “I may as well die in a beautiful place,” he joked. That’s where he met pianist Jesus Pupo and drummer Harvel Nakundi who round out the trio.

Listen to the Asante Trio play a pair of Bona's original compositions and an encore performance of Rema's "Calm Down" that the Studio X audience cheerfully demanded before these wonderful musicians left for their soundcheck at Jazz Alley. Thanks to our good friends at the club if the trio was running a couple minutes late, we know you'll find it was well worth it.

Musicians:

• Richard Bona - bass, vocals
• Jesus Pupo - piano
• Harvel Nakundi - drums

Songs:

1. Muntula Moto (Bona)
2. Bilongo (Bona)
3. Calm Down (Rema)

The vocal quartet säje – Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick and Erin Bentlage – spent an afternoon in the KNKX studios to record an exclusive session as they kicked off their first tour during Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival.

Several special guests color the group’s self-titled debut album, including singers Michael Mayo and Jacob Collier as well as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. This special Studio X performance, though, found the four voices sparsely supported by guitarist Cole Schuster and bassist Michael Glynn.

Complex arrangements bring the säje singers together while focusing on the strengths of each musician. This modern vocal combo is a radical modernization of the great vocal groups like Lambert, Hendricks and Ross and the Manhattan Transfer.

Performing “Desert Song” for a KNKX studio audience, the first song they wrote together and their first Grammy nomination, säje showed off their unique vocal blend and their collaborative compositional skill.

The vocalists followed with a noteworthy cover of “Storm Comin’” by The Wailin’ Jennys that carried tons of blues roots soul. It’s an example of the wide range of styles these singers have loved throughout their lives and the skill they use to make the song their own.

As seriously as the singers take this project, they shared a laugh talking about how singing has been a part of their everyday lives. Bentlage noted that her nickname growing up was “chatterbox,” not because she talked a lot but because “there was always vocal creation going on!”

So have fun listening to this special performance from säje. It will only take one listen to marvel at their talent, but it's talent we expect you'll enjoy hearing again and again.

Musicians:

• Sara Gazarek - vocals
• Amanda Taylor - vocals
• Johnaye Kendrick - vocals
• Erin Bentlage - vocals
• Cole Schuster - guitar
• Michael Glynn - bass

Songs:

1. Desert Song (säje)
2. Storm Comin' (Wailin' Jennys)
   

Singer and songwriter Maria Schafer uses inspiration from an early career full of jazz standards to write new songs that sound like lost classics. Schafer showed off three compelling original tunes in advance of her upcoming 2024 album that suggest a musician with a bright future.

The swinging "No Better Time" displayed the tender power of Schafer's vocals on a catchy melody you'll swear you heard Betty Carter sing. The singer's long-time musical collaborator, guitarist Shane Savala provided ample support and a tasty solo a la Herb Ellis.

The band behind Schafer also included bassist David Raynoso and drummer Karo Galadjian, both solid team players who laid out a firm foundation.

Schafer coaxed a bolero rhythm from her trio on the charming "A Chance to Make You Mine," and took a rich vocalese solo followed by a wonderful moment in the spotlight for Raynoso's bass.

Introducing "Got There Too Early" with the song's train station origin story, Schafer finds a pop angle to this upbeat bossa nova that hints at vintage Burt Bacharach.

Speaking with studio session host Abe Beeson, Schafer talked about her late arrival to singing standards and touring the world with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

The new octet album Live at Norris Pavilion includes these songs arranged by Brad Black, but Schafer points to a new album due in 2024 as her current focus. "I've always loved the guitar," Schafer explained, "and I love to work on cultivating each individual player's strengths and learning new things together. It's easier to maintain that in a small group."

Enjoy these wonderful performances from Maria Schafer and her trio at KNKX, a performance we're sure to look back on as a breakout moment in a long career.

Musicians:

• Maria Schafer - vocals
• Shane Savala - guitar
• David Raynoso - bass
• Karo Galadjian - drums

Songs:

1. No Better Time
2. A Chance to Make You Mine
3. Got There Too Early