The feeling was comfortable and casual when Nicole Henry came to the KNKX studios for her session performance with Seattle's Brian Monroney and Tim Kennedy at the guitar and piano.

This intimate KNKX session started off with a congenial discussion of song arrangements between the three, and when they began playing for our studio audience they sounded like lifelong collaborators.

Based in Miami, Henry was in town for her debut at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, performing two shows May 14 and 15.

Henry came late to jazz, singing with dance bands before an attentive bass player saw her potential and suggested she learn a few standards. That was just the beginning, as Henry found her individual style singing unique versions of soul and pop songs, as well as the occasional jazz standard.

With Monroney and Kennedy, Henry worked out a set of music by Bill Withers, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Maria Muldaur. Each melody caressed by Hunter's silky-smooth voice becomes a new song all her own.

Henry was raised in the Philadelphia area, but she split for college in Florida, which she now calls home, and where she nurtures her community.

"Any change we make in the world is going to happen on a local level," Henry said. "I try to do whatever I can to give back to the community."

Along with a Northwest-based quartet backing her shows at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley, Henry welcomed guest solos from Tacoma saxophonist Cliff Colon and Seattle trumpeter Thomas Marriott.

The connections Henry made on this trip to Seattle, with musicians and fans, came into sharp focus in the KNKX studios. Enjoy this wonderful, collegial performance and be a part of that connection yourself.

Presented in partnership with Dimitriou's Jazz Alley.

Musicians:

• Nicole Henry - vocals
• Brian Monroney - guitar
• Tim Kennedy - piano

Songs:

1. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh (Bill Withers)
2. Until It's Time for You to Go (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
3. Midnight at the Oasis (Maria Muldaur)