Abe Beeson
New Cool & Jazz HostAbe grew up in Western Washington, a third generation Seattle/Tacoma kid. It was as a student at Pacific Lutheran University that Abe landed his first job at KNKX, 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 started hosting Evening Jazz in 1998.
At the end of 2015, just as the campaign to save 88.5 began, Abe debuted his modern jazz show The New Cool. Saturday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m., you can hear 21st-century jazz inspired and informed by the sounds of today: hip-hop, & funk, Electronic music and punk rock — the future of jazz has arrived.
His most memorable KNKX radio moments include introducing Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, and other greats; attending jazz festivals in Spain and Argentina with groups of KNKX jazz fans; and locking himself out of the station on a particularly cold winter night.
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Get ready for a fresh collection of songs from guitarist Ari Joshua, pianist Francesco Crosara and trumpeter Riley Mulherkar.
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Lakecia Benjamin brought her saxophone and her quartet to Studio X to celebrate her new album Phoenix.
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A pianist and trumpeter in the Edmonds Woodway High School jazz band, Forrest Aubrey is the next School of Jazz guest DJ
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Bill Anschell returns to electronics on his new release, Improbable Solutions.
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Harmonica master and band leader Lee Oskar brought his band to the KNKX studios to perform for our listeners.
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A new reggae album from Super Nice Guys honors their mentor Clinton Fearon with edges of jazz.
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Seattle soul singer Grace Love brought her soul band to the KNKX Studio X for an exclusive performance for our listeners.
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Pianist Ahmad Jamal, who’s use of space and subtle rhythms redefined jazz, passed away in 2023 at age 92. He helped make “Poinciana” a jazz standard and was a big influence on Miles Davis.
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Thanks for listening to and supporting the KNKX modern jazz show The New Cool for seven great years!
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Galen Clark of Portland's Trio Subtonic plus Andy Coe and D'Vonne Lewis of McTuff equals Patterns Fly on a brief Northwest tour.