Community Calendar

KNKX is relaunching our "KNKX Connects" initiative to connect listeners to different communities around the region in 2023 and beyond. Our news and music teams will tell the stories of interesting people creating art, making music, and cooking unique food.

The first KNKX Connects series is a weeklong adventure exploring the history, art and culture of Pike Place Market. Listen to stories on-air and online June 5-9. Join us for a free civic conversation on Monday, June 5 at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum in Pike Place Market around the theme, "What makes a place iconic?" The conversation will be moderated by KNKX News Director Florangela Davila. She'll talk with former Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna, Cynthia Brothers, founder of Vanishing Seattle, and Rodney Hines, founder of Métier Brewing Company. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. KNKX will be recording and videotaping the event. Enjoy food and drink at Folio following the civic conversation. Information about accessing Folio can be found here.

GET MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTER HERE.

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum is a nonprofit library and cultural center located in the Pike Place Market at 93 Pike Street, #307. Folio offers a circulating book collection, provides workspaces for readers and writers, and presents numerous public programs, author readings, civic discussions and musical evenings.

Presented by KNKX. A leading voice of the harp, Brandee Younger recently made history at the 2022 Grammy Awards as the first Black female solo artist nominated in the Best Instrumental Composition category for her song “Beautiful Is Black.” The mesmerizing track is from her 2021 critically well-received major label debut album, Somewhere Different, that also received a 2022 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Jazz Album – Instrumental.

Over her career Ms. Younger has performed and recorded across countless genres with artists including John Legend, The Roots, Lauryn Hill, Common, Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Ron Carter, and Charlie Haden. Additionally, her original composition “Hortense” was featured in the Netflix Concert-Documentary, Beyoncé: Homecoming and in 2019 the tireless musician was selected to perform her original music as a featured performer for Quincy Jones and Steve McQueens’ “Soundtrack of America.”

Ms. Younger’s ability to seamlessly inject the harp into arrangements and venues where it has historically been overlooked is a testament to her deep love for and exemplary command of the instrument. In addition to performing, she is on the teaching artist faculty at New York University and The New School College of Performing Arts in New York City.

Presented by KNKX. Although a jazz musician at heart, Sanborn has transcended genres and musical boundaries throughout his entire career.

Dave has released 24 albums, won six Grammy Awards and has had eight gold albums and one platinum. He continues to be one of the most active musicians of his genre.

Dave’s solo release of Taking Off in 1975—still considered a classic—further solidified his career. His 1979 release of Hideaway became a popular hit and further propelled Dave’s ascent with the single, “Seduction” being featured in the movie, American Gigolo. Veteran bassist and composer Marcus Miller joined Dave on the 1981 album, Voyeur. The single, “All I Need Is You” won Dave his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance. In 1983, Dave released the hit album Backstreet that included Luther Vandross as a featured guest vocalist. Later albums have included guest artists such as Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, Charlie Hayden, Wallace Roney, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, and Eric Clapton.

Moving onto television, Dave hosted the show, Night Music from 1988 to 1990. Produced by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, the show featured films of jazz legends like Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck and Billie Holiday, as well as banter and memorable music jams by a remarkable list of musicians including Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Joe Sample, Pharoah Sanders, and many others. Additionally, Dave has regularly hosted the "After New Year's Eve" TV special on ABC. During the 1980s and 1990s, Dave hosted a syndicated radio program, The Jazz Show with David Sanborn. Dave has also recorded many shows' theme songs as well as several other songs for The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. In 2017, Dave teamed up with his nephew and brother-in-law to create a new show called "Sanborn Sessions".

Sorticulture is a three-day outdoor festival celebrating the best parts of Pacific Northwest outdoor living. Hosted in the seaside city of Everett, WA, Sorticulture is the premier festival for garden art, local plants and flowers and handmade outdoor products. Sorticulture is free to attend.

Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 24 free cultural festivals, produced in partnership with community organizations. In 2022, Festál celebrated 25 years of stories and traditions, ushering in a new era of hybrid programming. Learn more about Festál and subscribe to the newsletter for updates.

The festival honors Indigenous traditions through arts, culture, cuisine, and more. Shop from Native vendors, experience cultural performances and expressions, and dance the day away in celebration of #Pride and #NativeJoy.

Indigenous People Festival is produced in partnership with Seattle Indian Health Board (SIHB), an organization that provides health and human services to its patients, specializing in the care of Native people.

Sponsored by KNKX. Jazz in the City at the Frye Art Museum is a free, bi-monthly performance series organized in partnership with Ariel Media, celebrating the art form of jazz music and its long-standing influence and vibrancy in the city of Seattle.

The featured artist for the June concert is the Kareem Kandi World Orchestra. A native of the Pacific Northwest, saxophonist Kareem Kandi is a performer, composer, and educator in high demand for his talents both on and off the stage. Kareem is a versatile saxophonist and composer with strong roots in the traditions of Jazz, Blues, Classical, and Funk. While staying true to musical styles of the past, he also keeps an eye towards the future by composing original music. Over the years Kareem has performed, toured, and recorded with some of the finest musicians in the music industry including Pete Christlieb, Patti Labelle, Mark Elf, Ali Jackson, D’vonne Lewis, Bill Watrous, The Seattle Symphony, Mordy Ferber, Julian Priester, The Paperboys, The Northwest Repertory Singers, Thomas Marriott, The Tacoma Symphony, Alex Duncan, Frazey Ford, DJ Hapa, The Polyrhythmics, Bill Ramsay, The Staxx Brothers, Jay Thomas, The Sabella Consort, Greta Matassa, The Temptations, Hadley Caliman, The Four Tops, The Harry James Orchestra, Wayne Bergeron, and many others.

As an educator, Kareem teaches at Tacoma School of the Arts, maintains a full studio of private students, conducts weekly jazz classes at Ted Brown Music, and coaches ensembles for Seattle JazzED. Along with his teaching duties he is also the director of The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra, The Tacoma Jazz Association, and has served on the Tacoma Arts Commission.

KNKX is proud to support the wide variety of events going on at Seattle's Waterfront Park/Pier 62 this summer and fall, including:

Spotlight Series: Show Brazil! Eduardo Mendonça and Band - June 15 from 5-7 p.m. Internationally recognized and respected Show Brazil!, has delighted audiences in the United States, Brazil, and Canada for over twenty years.

See the complete events lineup here.

About Waterfront Park/Pier 62
The inaugural site of Seattle’s future Waterfront Park, Pier 62 is a revitalized historic pier offering flexible, active community space. Pier 62 marks the beginning of the Seattle waterfront’s next chapter as a place that provides profound public benefits. Pier 62 features a new floating dock, integrated lighting, and other design elements that open up this one acre site on Seattle's central waterfront as a canvas for a range of year round public uses. From music, soccer, and guided educational kayak tours to dance performances, markets, fishing, yoga classes, and more, Pier 62 hosts an array of free park programs for locals and visitors of all ages. Play games with your friends, or just relax and enjoy the view. Free games and amenities include chess, cornhole, connect four, and a soccer pitch.

Sponsored by KNKX. Seattle-bred, Brooklyn-based brass quartet The Westerlies return home to present the fifth annual Westerlies Fest, a multi-day music festival featuring Sarah Elizabeth Charles and Jarrett Cherner, Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet, and Jahnvi Madan. Westerlies Fest will include evening performances and workshops in local schools, including a residency in Highline Public Schools. The performances will take place over three evenings, each with a different guest artist and The Westerlies. Every performance will feature exclusive, one-off collaborations, showcasing the cutting edge of genre-defying contemporary music. The Westerlies created Westerlies Fest to give back to the musical ecosystem that raised them by engaging local students, highlighting local talent, and facilitating dynamic collaborations between artists from Seattle and beyond.

On June 15th, The Westerlies will be joined by vocalist Sarah Elizabeth Charles and pianist Jarrett Cherner, 8 p.m. at The Royal Room (5000 Rainier Ave S). Charles and Cherner will perform selections from their recent duo album, Tone, and premiere a number of collaborative ensemble arrangements featuring The Westerlies. The second evening, June 16th at 8 p.m., will be the official Seattle album release show for the Westerlies’ latest studio album, MOVE, featuring an opening set from local Seattle-based clarinetist and composer Jahnvi Madan, also at The Royal Room. The Westerlies will cap off the festival on June 17th, 8 p.m. at The Chapel Performance Space (4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 4th Floor) with a performance featuring the Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet. Gravitas Quartet was one of the original inspirations that sparked the formation of The Westerlies nearly 12 years ago; now the ensembles will come together for an evening celebrating the musical legacy of Gravitas Quartet’s cornetist, the late, great Ron Miles. The Westerlies’ own Riley Mulherkar will fill the trumpet chair for Gravitas Quartet, illustrating the power of an important musical lineage.

Sponsored by KNKX. Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival is the largest and longest-running blues festival in the state of Washington and is produced by the non-profit Winthrop Music Association. The festival welcomes North Mississippi Allstars, Marc Broussard, Kingfish, Ruthie Foster, and many more!
The Festival has won numerous awards for programming and presentation including the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation and most recently the Grand Summit Award from Washington Festival & Events Association.

Sponsored by KNKX. The TD Victoria International JazzFest is a ten-day music festival featuring the jazz, blues and world music of local, Canadian, and internationally acclaimed musicians. The longest running multi-day professional music festival serving audiences on Vancouver Island, TD JazzFest offers its devoted audience a wide scope of programming comparable to much larger festivals in significantly larger urban areas. Since its inception the festival has been presented and produced by the Victoria Jazz Society.

This year's lineup includes BadBadNotGood, Brandee Younger Trio, Chris Botti, Jamison Ross, LowDown Brass Band, Molly Johnson, Nik West, Snarky Puppy, Sona Jobarteh, and much, much more.

Check out the complete lineup here.

NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest is hitting the road! Join us this summer for a one-of-a-kind concert experience showcasing the incredible talent of the 2023 Contest Winner, plus some amazing Tiny Desk Contest artists from each city. The tour comes to Seattle's Nectar Lounge on Friday, June 23. Headlining the tour is the band Little Moon from Springville, Utah. Singer Emma Hardyman and her husband, Nathan Hardyman, who plays bass in the six-person band, talk about winning this year's Tiny Desk Contest here, where you can also listen to some of their music. Opening the show are Northwest bands LaFonda and LIVt.

Nearly 6,000 unsigned bands and artists entered the Tiny Desk Contest in 2023. Our judges picked one winner who will get to perform behind the Tiny Desk at NPR’s headquarters, and we discovered many great musicians along the way. Now, we’re teaming up with Member stations to take the show across the country this summer. Enjoy a performance by the winner of this year's Tiny Desk Contest plus NPR's favorites from the Pacific Northwest.

The 2023 Tiny Desk Contest is presented by Capital One and supported by Guayaki Yerba Mate.