Kate Olson is one of Seattle’s favorite reed players, and a first call musician on saxophones and flutes. Olson will be releasing her first album as a leader in the new year, and recently brought her quartet to the KNKX Seattle studios to share some of her latest compositions.

The record, entitled So It Goes, is set to release on Origin Records Jan. 16. It features all original compositions by Olson. During her studio session at KNKX, she highlighted her new band and songwriting process, while also performing two fresh songs.

So It Goes features Conner Eisenmenger, who played trombone in this performance and also plays trumpet on the new album. Olson takes full advantage of his lyrical playing, as well as the prodigious talents of bassist Tim Carey and drummer Evan Woodle. Olson has been playing gigs with this lineup for more than a year.

Olson, an affiliate artist at Tacoma's University of Puget Sound, first moved to Seattle in 2010. In conversation with KNKX, she humbly suggested that she’s “not a naturally gifted musician. I had to learn everything by trial and error," Olson said.

She also acknowledged the impact of the privaten lessons she's taken with highly regarded mentors, including pianists Geri Allen and Wayne Horvitz. Horvitz makes guest appearances on piano for three songs on So It Goes, along with bassist Geoff Harper, who guests on two.

Olson's bandmates in the KNKX studios said they appreciate her pop sensibility and how she gravitates toward beautiful melodies. Emphasizing that point, Olson recalled asking Horvitz about how to connect with an audience.

“He’s like ‘well, beauty doesn’t hurt,'" she said. "So, you write a beautiful melody, and then you write something that’s fun to play over. That’s my motivation.”

Writing music has also taken Olson to inspirational settings around Puget Sound. Most of the songs on So It Goes were written on Whidbey Island and Orcas Island and about the natural world, she said.

But, Olson found different inspiration for her new tune “Car Trouble.” It's about a time she broke down at a ferry dock on her way to a composing retreat. The song's leisurely tempo evokes the long wait for a mechanic. It also features Olson on alto flute, an instrument she’s just started playing more recently.

“I got really excited about the sound of that instrument. That timbre is definitely the thing that inspires me," she said.

Another new song, “Subtleties,” and a track from the new album, “Bumbling Thumbs Blues,” have a bebop bounce that Thelonious Monk fans will find very appealing.

The session wraps with the record's strong, gospel-tinged title track, which moves at a stately pace and blends a pop aesthetic and dynamic interaction between the band members. Carey’s thoughtful solo on six-string electric bass was a highlight of this performance.

So It Goes is Olson’s long-awaited first album as a band leader. It confirms her stellar reputation as a player, composer and leader while offering up irresistibly catchy songs for her longtime fans and the new ones she’s sure to attract.

Musicians

• Kate Olson - saxophones
• Conner Eisenmenger - trombone, trumpet
• Tim Carey - bass
• Evan Woodle - drums

Songs

1. "Subtleties"
2. "Car Trouble"
3. "Bumbling Thumbs Blues"
4. "So It Goes"