Who We Are
Welcome to Jazz24 from Seattle & Tacoma, Washington. We feature the greatest jazz artists of all time, like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Dave Brubeck; as well as today’s top talents, like Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall and Pat Metheny. We also like to throw in some surprises from time to time, seasoning our jazz gumbo with blues, funk and Latin jazz. Thanks for listening!
Jazz24 is produced by Pacific Public Media, who also operates KPLU-FM. Pacific Public Media is owned and operated by Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
Joey Cohn
Assistant General Manager / Director of Content
In 1987 Joey Cohn joined the KPLU/Jazz24 team as the Morning Jazz Host and Music Director. Over the years, he has grown KPLU/Jazz24′s programming and audience to award winning heights. Under Joey’s leadership, KPLU/Jazz24 has won numerous national awards including the Edward R. Murrow, for news, and the Marconi, for Jazz Station of the Year. Joey’s passion for radio often reveals itself in his secondary position as the station ham. We think he’s funny… most of the time.
jcohn@kplu.org
Nick Francis
Music Director
A native of Los Angeles and graduate of UCLA, Francis began his radio career in 1983 at KLSK-FM, an eclectic-based jazz station in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since then, he has programmed jazz radio at stations all around the country, including KKSF/San Francisco and WJZZ/Atlanta. During his seven years as Program Director at KYOT/Phoenix, he helped it become the first jazz station in America to achieve number-one status in the ratings. He joined the KPLU/Jazz24 team in November 2005.
His most memorable KPLU/Jazz24 radio moment was meeting and interviewing Mose Allison. He lives in North Tacoma, and is married to photographer Sharon Styer.
Dick Stein
Jazz Host
Dick Stein has been with KPLU/Jazz24 since January, 1992. His duties include hosting the morning jazz show and co-hosting and producing the Food for Thought feature with the Seattle Times’ Nancy Leson. He was writer and director of the three Jimmy Jazzoid live radio musical comedies and 100 episodes of Jazz Kitchen. Previous occupations include the USAF, radio call-in show host, country, classical and top-40 DJ, chimney sweep, window washer and advertising copywriter.
His most memorable KPLU/Jazz24 moment: Peeling Alien life form from Erin Hennessey’s face after it leapt at her from the biohazard refrigerator he picked up cheap for the station at an FDA garage sale. Dick is married to nationally noted metalsmith, jewelry designer and cowgirl “Calamity” Cheryl DeGroot.
Abe Beeson
Jazz Host
Abe grew up in Western Washington, a 3rd generation Seattle/Tacoma kid. It was as a student at Pacific Lutheran University that Abe landed his first job at KPLU/Jazz24, editing and producing audio for news stories. It was a Christmas Day shift no one else wanted that gave Abe his first on-air experience which led to overnights, then Saturday afternoons, and he’s been hosting Evening Jazz since 1998.
His most memorable KPLU/Jazz24 radio moments include introducing Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson and other greats; attending the San Sebastian Jazz Festival in Spain with a group of KPLU/Jazz24 jazz fans; and locking himself out of the station on a particularly cold winter night.
abeeson@kplu.org
Mary McCann
Jazz Host
Mary McCann is a poet and performer and madly in love with music. She’s written three one woman shows and had her poetry published by Arizona State University. Broadcast radio was her life from age 17 on. In 1999 she had a pioneering role in Internet radio during the dot com boom in Silicon Valley. Mary is currently the World Music Director at AOL Internet radio and one of the narrators for BirdNote. She started at KPLU/Jazz24 in June of 2008 as the host of the Saturday Jazz Matinee.
Her most memorable KPLU/Jazz24 moment was my first fund drive. She says, “It was a thrill to talk to people about shared values through music. It still is, every time I take the mic.”
Nick Morrison
Jazz Host
Nick began working at KPLU/Jazz24 as a program host in the late 1980’s and, with the exception of a relatively brief hiatus, has been with the station ever since. Along with his work as a Midday Jazz host, Nick worked for several years as KPLU/Jazz24’s Music Director. He is now the station’s Production Manager and also serves as a fill-in host on KPLU/Jazz24’s jazz and blues programs.
Among his many memorable KPLU/Jazz24 moments, Nick vividly recalls his pleasure and amazement when jazz guitarist, Larry Coryell, visited the studios during his program and performed a solo, acoustic guitar version of George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody In Blue.’ It still stands as one of the most wonderful live music performances he’s ever seen.
Ruby Brown
Jazz Host
It’s never too late to dream, or to follow that dream… Philadelphia native Ruby Brown was in health care in her mid-thirties; but it wasn’t her heart’s work. So – back to school. At Evergreen State College Ruby pursued her dream – radio. Ruby helped Olympia’s KAOS for 5 years as on-air host and staff. After graduation she went to a major Seattle station for another 5 years. Commercials never warmed Ruby’s heart, so she returned to public radio with KPLU/Jazz24. Currently Ruby hosts Jazz Sunday Side Up (11am-2pm Sundays) and occasionally fills in on other jazz shows at KPLU/Jazz24.
Her most memorable KPLU/Jazz24 moment – hearing from a listener overseas and realizing she was bringing her work worldwide.