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 [...]