By Abe Beeson and Justin OK, maybe “anarchist” is too harsh a word to apply to singer/songwriter/pianist/ukulele player, Nellie McKay, but as you will hear in this interview, Nellie is a woman of strong beliefs, which she presents pleasantly, politely and often with great wit.  But in her conversation and in her songs, her opinions […]

By Abe Beeson and Justin Steyer Forty years ago, a band called Eleventh House helped set the standard for what would become known as Jazz-Rock Fusion.  The band consisted of Larry Coryell (guitar), Alphonse Mouzon (drums), Mike Mandel (keyboards), Danny Trifan (bass) and Randy Brecker (trumpet).   On this leg of the Eleventh House Reunion […]

Pianist/singer Marcia Ball is one of the best-known  players of Louisiana blues, swamp blues and boogie-woogie. While in town for a show at Jazz Alley, we were lucky enough to have Marcia stop by for a solo performance and interview hosted by All Blues’ John Kessler.    You can also find our Studio Sessions available […]

  “’Nuff said,” is right.  When jazz fans hear the names Monty Alexander, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton in conjunction, they know they’ll be treated great music, played with inspiration, joy and absolutely amazing technical chops.   Monty (piano), John (bass) and Jeff (drums) have performed together off and on for almost 40 years.   […]

During the 1960s there was a golden age of soul music in America. Some of the greatest songs from that era came from the Stax Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. A short list of artists who recorded there could include Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas, Sam & Dave and the instrumental band led by Hammond organist, […]

On his first trip to Seattle, Grammy-nominated vocalist Gregory Porter stopped by the KPLU Seattle studios for a live studio session that you do not want to miss.  This also happened to be the day that Blue Note Records announced the release of Porter’s new album, Liquid Spirit.  You will hear from the man himself in this interview, […]

Frank Vignola is well-known as one of the most amazing guitarists on today’s jazz scene. Five years ago he hooked up with a young, extremely accomplished guitarist named VinnyRaniolo. Since then they’ve worked together in a number of different group configurations but they’re at their best when it’s just the two of them, each armed […]

By Robin Lloyd and Justin Steyer Every Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. on our sister station, KPLU KPLU, Robin Lloyd presents a feature called Jazz Caleinte—a set of three Latin jazz songs that are embellished by Robin’s comments and insights into all forms of Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz. Recently Robin hosted her first live Jazz Caliente […]

By Abe Beeson and Justin Steyer During this performance interview with The Greyboy Allstars, Jazz24/KPLU jazz host, Abe Beeson, called their latest CD (Inland Emperor) ‘the party album of 2013.’ The Greyboy Allstars’ reputation as a party/dance band is well-earned.   They’ve been playing terrific jazz/funk all over the world for almost 20 years, staying […]

Vocalist, pianist and composer, Ann Hampton Callaway has had success in the worlds of jazz, Broadway and cabaret. She’s also one of our favorite KPLU Studio Session guests. We invite her to perform every time she passes through Seattle because, from one visit to the next, we never know what kind of surprises she’ll treat […]

Want a good recipe for soul music? Here’s what you do: Start with vocalist, Joan Osborne, who has had pop music hits, performed on The Grand Old Oprey, toured with members of The Grateful Dead and yet never strayed from her roots in rhythm ‘n blues music.   Now add a good, solid dose of […]

In 2010, actress/singer, Molly Ringwald wrote her first book, Getting The Pretty Back. The “pretty” in the title is a reference to what is perhaps Molly’s most famous movie, “Pretty In Pink” (1986), directed by John Hughes. She also worked with Hughes in “Sixteen Candles” and “The Breakfast Club.” But before Molly Ringwald became one […]

Canadian vocalist, Holly Cole, is one of greatest song interpreters alive.  She can take a song you think you know and bring something out of it that you’ve never heard before. For example, her latest CD, Night, contains Holly’s inventive re-imagining of a James Bond theme (You Only Live Twice), as well as songs by […]

In this studio session singer, Jackie Ryan, gives us three of her favorites:  a gospel-tinged version of Accentuate The Positive, a beautiful reading of I Loves You, Porgy and the Spanish-language song, La Puerta, dedicated to her mother. As you’ll hear Jackie  say in this interview, she grew up singing.  After years as a touring R&B singer, Jackie discovered jazz […]

On a recent visit to Seattle, Juan de Marcos and The Afro-Cuban All Stars stopped by for a three-song studio session with Jazz24 and KPLU in the KCTS 9 studios. How good was it? Well, as host, Abe Beeson says, “If this music doesn’t move you, you’ve got no place to go.” Watch the full […]

  Grammy award-winning jazz vocalist, Dee Dee Bridgewater almost always performs with a band accompanying her, while pianist Benny Green is generally heard in a trio configuration and seldom works with vocalists (with the notable exception of being Betty Carter’s pianist when he was in his 20’s).  So this session was a double treat:  hearing […]

Graham Dechter is a 26-year-old jazz guitarist who is, indeed, currently living his dream. Graham was invited to join the world-famous Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra at age 19. Now, 7 years later, he is leading his own group and just released his second CD, “Takin’ It There.” Here is a video of the quartet performing the […]

It’s no wonder that pianist, Bill Charlap, loves the music that has come to be called The Great American Songbook—the songs of great Tin Pan Alley composers such as Jerome Kern, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. He grew up with it. Born and raised in New York, Bill’s father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer and his mother, Sandy […]

  Vocalist, Catherine Russell was raised in a musical family. Her father, Luis, was Louis Armstrong’s band-leader and her mother, Carline Ray, was a member of the International Sweethearts Of Rhythm.

Curtis Stigers is a singer, songwriter, saxophonist who loves the great Tin Pan Alley songs of George Gershwin and Cole Porter, but finds a greater creative challenge in doing jazz versions of songs by more contemporary songwriters. In this studio session with jazz host, Abe Beeson, Curtis puts a jazz twist to songs by David Poe and Richard […]

In this studio session, hosted by Kevin Kniestedt, we’re pleased to introduce you to a woman who we believe is one of the finest up-and-coming international jazz talents to come along in years, Halie Loren. Eugene, Oregon, has always had a rich and progressive music scene.  Still, when one thinks of notable “jazz cities,” Eugene […]

On a tour to promote their first collaboration, Crossing The Imaginary Divide, Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio stopped by the KPLU Seattle studios for a live performance and interview, hosted by Mary McCann.  If you’re looking for music that will lift your heart, this is the session for you! Bela Fleck is a genre-defying banjo […]

Pianist Cyrus Chestnut came onto the jazz scene slowly. From the mid-1980’s to mid-1990’s, he apprenticed as pianist for Jon Hendricks, Better Carter, Donald Harrison and Wynton Marsalis. Since then he has toured the world numerous times and recorded 15 albums as a leader. In this performance/interview Cyrus talks about his gospel roots, his discovery […]

  Bellingham jazz singer, Cheryl Jewell, was raised in Oak Harbor, Washington.  When she went to college in Bellingham, she fell in love with that city.  She left only to pursue her singing career in Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles. After working for several years as a rock and country singer, Cheryl decided to move […]

Over the past 20 years, vocalist, Karrin Allyson, has recorded 13 albums that cover a vast musical territory. She’s explored The Great American Songbook, the musical styles of Brazil and France, the blues and the work of more contemporary songwriters. She’s recorded a tribute to John Coltrane, a CD of late-night ballads and earned 4 […]

Just in case you haven’t noticed, pianist Ramsey Lewis is having a great career. He’s won Grammy awards, hosted successful television and radio jazz programs and even had cross-over hit records on the pop music charts (quite by accident, he assures us).  He’s been playing professionally since about 1950 and has released more than 80 […]

If we were to make a list of all the recording and composing credits of the members of The Cookers, it would go on for many pages. This is an amazing collection of jazz musicians—Billy Hart (drums), Cecil McBee (bass), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), David Weiss (trumpet), Billy Harper (sax) and George Cables (piano). Individually, they’ve […]

Drummer Jack DeJohnette was 23 years old when he made his first recording with The Charles Lloyd Quartet in 1966.  Since that time he’s been a driving (and we do mean ‘driving’) force in the world of jazz.  This year he’ll be celebrating his birthday (August 9th) all year long with a number of special […]

Blues singer Janiva Magness just released a new CD, Stronger For It, and was recently in town performing at Jazz Alley. She and her 4-piece band visited KPLU’s Seattle Studio and performed 4 songs from the new CD. It’s her 9th release, but the first to feature songs written by her. Along the way, we […]

Singer Tierney Sutton’s band were in deep discussion five minutes before their live in-studio performance on KPLU last Wednesday, trying to decide which three songs to play for our audience. It was just one example of how interconnected each member of this quartet really is. We learned more about each band member’s extra-musical skills were […]

In the first generation of be-bop musicians, Ray Brown was King of the Jazz Bass.  Today, the ‘go-to’ jazz bassist is Christian McBride, so we felt quite lucky when he said he had the time to stop into to KPLU studios for a performance with pianist, Peter Martin. Christian talked about his formative years, the […]

When pianist Lynne Arriale released her first CD in 1994, KPLU began playing music from it right away. It was clear to us that Lynne had that “something extra” that separates good musicians from great musicians. Over the course of her career she’s continued to build on that quality, so we were especially pleased to […]

By Justin Steyer & Abe Beeson Tenor saxophonist/composer, Benny Golson is now in his second half-century as a touring and recording jazz artist.  He began performing almost 60 years ago and recorded his first LP as a bandleader 55 years ago … and if his stop by the Jazz24 studios last week with pianist, Sharp […]

    Blues singer and harmonica player, Kim Wilson, thinks it’s very healthy for people to drop their emotional guard every now and then and let themselves get smacked around by a great blues performance. And he should know.  He’s been doing a fair amount of the smacking for almost 40 years with his bands, […]

“If you’ve got music in your heart, you’re gonna be a happy person, no matter what.” That’s what trumpeter Arturo Sandoval told KPLU’s Jazz on the Grooveyard host Kevin Kniestedt, as he recalls growing up in rural Cuba and having a trumpet teacher tell him (at age 10) that he had no talent and should […]

  In November, Chick Corea celebrated his 70th birthday with four weeks of concerts at The Blue Note in New York. However, when he walked into the KPLU studios in early December it was impossible to see him as a 70-year-old man. He looks 20 years younger, acts 40 years younger and plays piano with […]

It would seem that jazz vocalist, Sophie Milman is in motion constantly.  She was born in Russia, raised in Israel and moved to Canada when she was in her late teens.  Now, at age 27, she’s just released her 6th CD and seems to be perpetually on tour. With someone moving as fast as Sophie, […]

19-year-old saxophonist/singer, Grace Kelly is immensely gifted.  She’s also a lot of fun to hang around with.  Right before this studio session, interviewer Kevin Kniestedt asked her if she had already chosen the songs she would be performing that day. She said she might not know what songs she’d be doing until she did them, […]

John Scofield is one of the most innovative and genre-bending guitarists in jazz.  Over the years, his great talent and eclectic tastes have garnered him a huge international following; a following which includes a lot of people who didn’t know they liked jazz until they heard Scofield. On a recent swing through Seattle, Scofield, along […]

When Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (saxophone), and Wayne Henderson (trombone) moved from Houston to LA to being their collective recording career, they called their band The Jazz Crusaders.  Their focus was acoustic be-bop tinged with R&B and soul music.  In 1971, they dropped the word ‘Jazz’ from their name, began delving into jazz-funk and […]

Brazilian-born, New York-based pianist/vocalist, Eliane Elias, has covered a lot of musical territory in her recording career.  Some of her CD’s have been straight-ahead be-bop. Others have focused on Brazilian music. She has also very successfully transformed familiar pop tunes into fresh-sounding jazz. In this interview, KPLU’s Nick Francis asks Eliane how she balances all […]

In this studio session, we welcomed Donald Harrison (alto saxophone, congas) and Glen David Andrews (trombone), both of whom were born in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, cut their musical teeth on the music of Treme, and can be seen in the HBO television series, Treme. Currently they’re also part of an ever-changing line-up of New […]

Relive last week’s studio session with vocalist/pianist, Karrin Allyson, who was joined by guitarist Rod Fleeman. Karrin has just released a CD called Round Midnight, which explores heartbreak. The first song she performed in this studio session was Paul Simon’s April Come She Will, from the new CD. “Choosing the material [for the CD] was […]

When Julian Lage was 8 years old, his skill as a guitarist was the subject of a documentary film, Jules at Eight. Before he entered his teens, he had already performed with Carlos Santana and jazz vibraphonist, Gary Burton. He made his first jazz recording with Burton at age 15, and at age 22 he […]

We were pleased to welcome jazz violin virtuoso, Regina Carter to the KPLU studios on June 1 for a unique performance and interview with Evening Jazz host, Abe Beeson. Accompanying Carter were Will Holshouser on accordion, and Yacouba Sissoko on the kora, a beautiful and unique African harp. The trio performed two selections from Carter’s […]

Pianist, vocalist, producer and songwriting legend (and Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame inductee), Allen Toussaint stopped by the Jazz24 studios on June 1 and took us on a sweet and uplifting trip to New Orleans with his music. Mr. Toussaint has crossed many paths in his illustrious career in music. He has produced, written […]

Pianist, Taylor Eigsti and vocalist/guitarist, Becca Stevens, stopped by the KPLU Seattle studios on May 16th to brighten an otherwise rainy Monday afternoon in the Pacific Northwest with an performance and interview, hosted by Evening Jazz host Abe Beeson. Both artists are in the process of building strong solo careers for themselves.  However, their paths […]

Live sessions in the KPLU Performance Studio are always fun.  However, when saxophonist, Joe Lovano, stopped by with his group, Us Five, it was more than fun.  It was also an honor. New York Times jazz critic, Ben Ratliff, put it very succinctly: “It’s fair to say that (Lovano’s) one of the greatest musicians in […]

Some jazz singers excel at singing standards. Others excel at scat-singing or vocalese (writing lyrics for instrumental improvisations and singing them). However, Grammy award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling can do it all. He easily proved it in front of a small studio audience of Leadership Circle members on April 15th with along with two long-time musical […]

KPLU was pleased to welcome ukulele virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro, into our studios on March 29, 2011. Jake played before not only a record number of KPLU Leadership Circle members, but four young ukulele players from Foster High School we recently featured in an installment of Artscape, which explored the rising popularity of the ukulele in […]

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Having guitarist/vocalist/storyteller, John Pizzarelli, as a guest in the KPLU studios is always great fun. He loves making music, he loves telling stories and he loves entertaining his fans. When he visited us recently for this performance/interview with Abe Beeson, several members of the KPLU Leadership […]

When pianist Benny Green agreed to come to KPLU’s Seattle studios for a solo piano performance he was on tour with his band doing a tribute to the music of Thelonious Monk so it seemed logical to have his studio session consist of Monk compositions. That was the plan, anyway … However, just before the […]

Esperanza Spalding walked into the KPLU Seattle studios like some teenaged gunslinger. However, she’d been working full time in music for most of her 25 years, and her chosen weapon was a double-bass that reached just above her impressive afro. Now a Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist (take that, Justin Bieber!), I’ve recently […]

  The Vijay Iyer Trio’s latest release, Historicity, won a number of “Album Of The Year” awards in 2010 and has been nominated for a 2011 Grammy as “Best Jazz Instrumental Album.” Pianist, Vijay Iyer, seems pleased by this recognition but not really fazed by it. In fact, during his trio’s visit to the KPLU […]

This studio session marks the first visit from pianist, Jacky Terrasson, to the KPLU/Jazz24 studios.  We hope it’s the first of many. In a stunning three-song set, Jacky left no doubt that his group is one of the most exciting piano trios in jazz today. With bassist Ben Williams (winner of the annual Thelonious Monk […]

  Martin Taylor is widely considered to be one of today’s finest solo jazz guitarists. While still in his early 20’s, he was introduced to the world’s jazz audience as the guitarist with Stephane Grappelli, a gypsy-jazz violinist and co-founder (along with Django Reinhardt) of the Quintette du Hot Club de France.  But Martin’s familiarity with […]

Vocalist, Bethany Yarrow, and cellist, Rufus Cappadocia gave an incredible performance in the Jazz24/KPLU studios on November 9, 2010. Vocalist, Bethany Yarrow, and cellist, Rufus Cappadocia make an incredible amount of music for just two people. Bethany, daughter of Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary), first met Rufus at The Knitting Factory in Manhattan. They’re […]

Grammy Award-winning “Soul Queen of New Orleans,” Irma Thomas brought her rythym section to the performance studio on October 29, 2010 to perform live on Jazz24/KPLU’s Blue Plate Special hosted by Nick Morrison.

When The Manhattan Transfer (Tim Hauser, Cheryl Bentyne, Alan Paul, Janis Siegal) came into the Jazz24/KPLU performance studio, they had literally just gotten off an airplane. A little jet-lagged but ready to sing, they kicked of the session with their version of Moten Swing. When the song was over, interviewer Abe Beeson asked, “Is it […]

Jazz and pop singer, Nikki Yanofsky, is a very cheerful 16 year-old. And why not? As you will hear in this interview with KPLU/Jazz 24 host, Kevin Kniestedt, she says that as soon as she learned to talk, she began to say she wanted to be a singer. It was something she began to pursue […]

  As the son of actor/director/jazz fan, Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood grew up listening to jazz. In this performance-interview hosted by Abe Beeson, Kyle talks about a childhood trip to The Monterey Jazz Festival and how hearing the Count Basie Big Band that day inspired him to become a bass player. For the past few […]

Mac ‘Dr. John’ Rebennack has been at the heart of New Orleans funk and R&B since the 1950’s so when he paid a visit to the Jazz24/KPLU studio for a solo piano/vocal performance, we were sure we’d get a good dose of The Crescent City. We certainly did. He began by treating us to two […]

When Lee came into the Jazz24/KPLU studios on an unseasonably cool August afternoon, he arrived with a rhythm section hot enough to raise Seattle’s temperature a few degrees: drummer, Will Kennedy and bassist, Melvin Davis. Together, they laid down three delightful tracks; Water’s Edge, L.P.—For Les Paul, and Freddie Hubbard’s composition, Povo (watch the video […]

When blues singer, Shemekia Copeland performs live, it’s almost guaranteed to be an electrifying experience. In this session, recorded in KPLU’s Seattle studios, we get a rare opportunity to hear Shemekia’s voice in an intimate performance context. Instead of bringing her whole band, Shemekia arrived with just her guitar player, Arthur Neilson.

Here’s a rare treat; a solo performance from 6-time Grammy Award-winning vibraphonist, Gary Burton. In his 50-year (and counting) recording career, Burton has recorded with many different group configurations and has done a number of duo recordings with artists including bassist, Steve Swallow, guitarist, Ralph Towner and most famously, pianist, Chick Corea, but we rarely […]

Jazz guitarist, Martin Taylor, is one of our favorite guests in the KPLU/Jazz24 studios. Not only is he widely acclaimed as perhaps the finest solo, acoustic jazz guitarist alive, he’s always great company. Whenever his touring schedule brings him to Seattle, we make sure he pays us a visit. In this lively conversation with jazz […]

  Grammy-winning Trumpeter Roy Hargrove performed live at KPLU’s Seattle studios on December 2, hosted by Abe Beeson. Hargrove was accompanied in the studio by pianist Jonathan Batiste, bassist Ameen Saleem, saxophonist Justin Robinson, and drummer Montez Coleman as they performed three songs: Low Life, For Tamisha, and Soulful.

Speaking with Jazz24/KPLU jazz host, Kevin Kniestedt, Eldar talked about his family’s move from Kyrgyzstan to Kansas City as a child, and how much he learned from that city’s veteran jazz musicians. Eldar also showcased his improvisational and compositional skills with three solo piano pieces, I Should Care, Insensitive and his own Vanilla Sky/Exposition.

In 1965, Chicago jazz pianist, Ramsey Lewis had a hit record—‘The In Crowd’ (by The Ramsey Lewis Trio, featuring drummer Redd Holt and bassist, Eldee Young). Since that time, Lewis has recorded over 80 albums. He has also hosted the popular Legends Of Jazz radio and television series’. Now, at age 74, Ramsey Lewis is […]