Apr 17 Friday
With special guest Jack Schneider. Hailed as “one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world” by NPR’s World Cafe, Tommy Emmanuel got his start at the age of six, when he first began touring his native Australia with his family’s band. As a teenager, he earned a reputation as a highly sought after sideman and session player, and by his early twenties, Emmanuel was playing on chart-topping hits and performing with acts like Air Supply and Men at Work. Inspired in part by his hero, Chet Atkins (who would later become a friend, mentor, and collaborator), Emmanuel stepped out on his own as a solo artist in 1979, releasing the first in a string of acclaimed instrumental albums that would make him an unlikely celebrity in his home country and beyond. In the decades that followed, he would go on to headline everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall; tour with luminaries like Eric Clapton and John Denver; win a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement; perform for a televised audience of more than two billion at the Sydney Olympics; and collaborate with a who’s who of fellow guitar greats, including Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Joe Walsh, Richard Thompson, Jason Isbell, and Billy Strings.
Recorded in just four days, Emmanuel’s latest album, Living In The Light, stands as the most daring—and most rewarding—collection in the globetrotting fingerpicker’s remarkable catalog, fusing his pop, jazz, classical, and roots influences into a virtuosic masterwork as exhilarating as it is intimate.
Rick Estrin was born in San Francisco, California in 1949, and grew up fiercely independent. As a 10-year-old boy, he made his way to the tough Market Street area and befriended many of the neighborhood characters. When he was 12, his older sister gave him a copy of Ray Charles’ The Genius Sings The Blues, and he became infatuated with the music. Albums from Jimmy Reed, Champion Jack Dupree, Mose Allison, Nina Simone and others soon followed. By the time he was a teenager, Estrin had immersed himself in the urban, African-American culture surrounding him. He got his first harmonica at age 15, and by age 18 was proficient enough to begin sitting in at black clubs around the city. He first jammed with blues master Lowell Fulson and immediately was hired to open five shows for R&B giant Z.Z. Hill. He worked five nights a week for almost a year with guitar legend Travis Phillips in a band fronted by famed pimp/bluesman Fillmore Slim (who was the centerpiece of the acclaimed Hughes Brothers documentary American Pimp). Slim introduced Estrin to singer Rodger Collins, the man who would become Rick’s first real musical mentor. Collins schooled Rick on the finer points of songwriting and show business. At 19, Estrin relocated to Chicago and worked with some of the city’s best bluesmen. He met and jammed with the legendary Muddy Waters, who told Rick, “You outta sight, boy! You got that sound! You play like a man!” Muddy wanted Estrin to go on the road with him, but Estrin missed Muddy’s phone call and it never happened. Estrin eventually moved back to the Bay Area, met guitarist Charlie Baty and formed Little Charlie & The Nightcats. With Charlie’s retirement from touring in 2008, Rick brought in guitar virtuoso Kid Andersen and formed Rick Estrin & The Nightcats.
Estrin cites Sonny Boy Williamson II, Percy Mayfield and Detroit bluesman Baby Boy Warren as his major songwriting influences. His work on the reeds is deep in the tradition of harmonica masters Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs, while at the same time pushing that tradition forward with his innovative songs. And his sly and soulful vocals are the perfect vehicle for driving those songs home.
Welcomed by KNKX. Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, John Lewis, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Hampton, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List:” for the Wall Street Journal.
His dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 21 countries on three continents – and still growing – performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, New York’s Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, and the world’s oldest indoor concert hall, Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy.
Pasquale Grasso - It was the kind of endorsement most rising guitarists can only dream of, and then some. In his interview for Vintage Guitar magazine’s February 2016 cover story, Pat Metheny was asked to name some younger musicians who’d impressed him. “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life is floating around now, Pasquale Grasso,” said the jazz-guitar icon and NEA Jazz Master. “This guy is doing something so amazingly musical and so difficult. “Mostly what I hear now are guitar players who sound a little bit like me mixed with a little bit of [John Scofield] and a little bit of [Bill Frisell],” he continued. “What’s interesting about Pasquale is that he doesn’t sound anything like that at all. In a way, it is a little bit of a throwback, because his model—which is an incredible model to have—is Bud Powell. He has somehow captured the essence of that language from piano onto guitar in a way that almost nobody has ever addressed. He’s the most significant new guy I’ve heard in many, many years.”
Sister Kate Dance Company presents...
SHE’S GOT RHYTHMA Dreamy Jazzland Revue-------------------------------Every dancer dreams of the perfect routine — but can Dottie discover hers?Exhausted after a long day of dance practice, she dozes off at midnight... and wakes up in Jazzland: a surreal world pulsing with rhythm and soul. Guided by whimsical melodies, mesmerizing choreographies, and the heartbeat of blues and jazz, Dottie embarks on her journey. Will she find the dance she’s been chasing all along?
Step through the looking glass and lose yourself in a jazz-fueled dream where rhythm leads the way.-------------------------------A cabaret delight for the eyes and ears; featuring an 11-piece live jazz ensemble directed by bandleader, Christian Pincock, and accompanied by the award-winning Seattle Chanteuse, Jacqueline Tabor.
SHOW TIMESDoors | 6:30pmHouse | 7pmShow | 7:30pm
Runtime: Around 1 hour 30 minutes (with intermission) for concert & cabaret show
VENUE | Broadway Performance Hall - Seattle, WAPARKING | The Harvard Garage is located directly behind the theater at 1609 Harvard Ave.
Come enjoy an intimate evening of world class jazz in Tacoma's own exclusive downtown Speakeasy.
Guests are invited to bring their own food and drinks to the performance.
Snacks, beverages, beer, and wine will also be available for purchase.
8pm to 9:15pm
** Seating begins at 7:30pm **
All ages welcome
Greta Matassa - vocals
Brian Monroney - guitar
Clipper Anderson - bass
Mark Ivester - drums
Alexey Nikolaev - saxophone
About Greta Matassa:
In the Pacific Northwest, where she built her career, Greta Matassa wins wide acclaim; 8 times, the readers of Earshot, the Seattle jazz magazine, have voted her the best jazz vocalist in the Northwest, including 2021!
She was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014. Jim Wilke, the Seattle jazz maven and host of the syndicated “Jazz After Hours” radio program, praises her versatility. “She has a fearlessness in approaching material,” Wilke says, “that makes her like an instrumentalist in a jam session.”
Bassist and producer John Clayton says “One of the best jazz singers we have to boast about these days.”
Her 40 year career has been a whirlwind of exciting opportunities and experiences. Over the last 20 years she has become established as one of the greatest jazz singers of her time. Working with top jazz musicians in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. In 2016 She was featured with bassist John Clayton’s group in a centennial tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.
More information about the Greta can be found at:
www.gretamatassa.com
For more information, please visit:
www.kkworldorchestra.org
Apr 18 Saturday
Supported by KNKX. Multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer, Emmet Cohen is one of his generation's pivotal figures in music and the related arts.
Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, Cohen is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
Cohen headlines regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard, and Birdland, and has appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and North Sea Jazz Festival among other renowned festivals.
His artistry has taken him to venues and festivals in over 30 countries. Cohen's entrepreneurial energies led to his developing "Live From Emmet's Place," a live-streamed "Harlem rent party" that unites a worldwide audience via tens of millions of internet views.
Besides leading the "Emmet Cohen Trio," Cohen has appeared regularly with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Kurt Elling, Billy Hart, and Brian Lynch, among others.
The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra will be presenting its 2026 Music Festival this year from April 5 to May 8. There will be many great artists performing throughout Tacoma and Puyallup and most of the performances and workshops will be free to attend. See the complete lineup here.
KNKX hosts two performances on Friday, April 24 in our Tacoma studios on Broadway:
4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. - The Kareem Kandi World Orchestra with visiting French Artists6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. - Brazilian jazz with pianist Cassio Vianna
Olympic BirdFest takes place each April, timed perfectly to capture the overlap of wintering birds and spring migration. Species such as Harlequin and Long-tailed Ducks, seabirds, and winter songbirds are still present, while spring arrivals like Rufous Hummingbirds return from Mexico alongside the blooming red-flowering currants.
Expert-led field trips explore some of the region’s most iconic birding locations, including Sequim Bay, Port Angeles Harbor, Dungeness Bay, Ediz Hook, Dungeness Spit, and the Elwha River. Additional outings venture through forests, fields, and prairies to seek out a variety of songbirds. Beyond the field trips, BirdFest offers engaging presentations, workshops, and a Saturday night banquet featuring a special guest speaker and raffle.
Registration is open! For more information and to secure your spot for events, please visit olympicbirdfest.org. For questions and registration assistance, please call the Dungeness River Nature Center at 360-681-4076.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the Washington State Historical Society invites you to explore the history of building the State History Museum. 30 Years and Counting: The Making of the Washington State History Museum is a special exhibition that uncovers the vision, effort, and community spirit that brought this iconic Tacoma landmark to life.
Discover the bold ideas and architectural ingenuity that shaped the museum’s distinctive look. From early sketches to final blueprints, see how the building’s design reflects both innovation and reverence for Washington’s past. Go behind the scenes of the museum’s construction. Through photographs and artifacts from the building process, witness how a dream took shape—brick by brick, beam by beam.
Staff Picks: 30 Objects for 30 Years
In a special feature area, museum staff share their favorite objects from the collection—each one a personal reflection on the power of history to inspire, surprise, and connect us.
Spread your wings and go wild this Spring Break at the Hands On Children’s Museum! Enjoy feathered fun with live animals, bird and bug science, and hands-on flying crafts.
Live Animal Guests & Special Experiences:
• Meet live raptors with The Falconer and visit friendly chickens from Animal Encounters Petting Zoo.• Get up close with insects from Pest Stop and learn which bugs are helpful (and even edible!).• Discover how birds evolved from dinosaurs with experts from the Burke Museum.• Learn backyard birding tips with the South Sound Bird Alliance and build a feeder in our MakeSpace.• Enjoy high-energy science demos with Dr. Science and music and stories at Rock N’ Read with Liza.
Presented by: Watson’s Greenhouse
The Falconer Sponsored by: Wild Birds Unlimited
Creepy Crawlies & Crickets Sponsored by: Pest Stop
