Community Calendar

KNKX has long championed Northwest artists and supported local music venues—strengthening our vibrant regional music ecosystem. Now, in response to the recent rescission of essential federal funding, the Northwest music community is stepping up in solidarity. We hope you’ll join us for a remarkable evening with Northwest talent who are rallying behind KNKX, curated by South Hudson Music Project and The Royal Room in Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood. Headlining is vocalist and KNKX Grooveyard host Stephanie Anne Johnson performing the music of Billie Holiday, plus artists featured in The Royal Room’s Piano Starts Here and Womxn & The Blues series (both sponsored by KNKX). It's an unforgettable celebration of music, unity, and the power of public media. All proceeds benefit KNKX.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Stephanie Anne Johnson’s voice is like a prayer. It’s the kind of sound that makes you feel renewed, refreshed, and in love with the higher spirits of the planet. It’s a sound you can bask in, that can wash over you and regenerate the best of you all at once. Their latest live album 'Live at Jazz Alley' was released in January, 2025. A new studio album is on the way in the Fall 2025.

Piano Starts Here highlights the work of some of the most prolific and talented composers and pianists to have ever tackled the instrument. Each of the performances brings together Seattle’s finest pianists to perform the works of the artist selected for that evening on the Royal Room’s Steinway B grand piano. Curator/host, Alex Guilbert, and series artist, Nelda Swiggett, will delight us with selections from their repertoire. This series is sponsored by KNKX and the South Hudson Music Project.

Womxn & Blues honors the roots of American music and amplifies the stories, songs and voices of womxn and non-binary artists through blues and blues-influenced songtelling. Series regular, Amber Flame, and house band leader, Tess Forte, bring a bit of blues legacy and future to the night. This series is sponsored by KNKX and the Royal Room.

Sponsored by KNKX. Volunteer Park Trust is thrilled to announce the return of our Summer Series—featuring none other than two-time Grammy Award winner Sara Gazarek! Back by popular demand, Sara and her band will once again grace the stage at our spectacular series of performances in the beautifully renovated Volunteer Park Amphitheater.

Her appearances over the past two years have been a standout highlight of the season, captivating audiences of all ages and helping to shape this celebration into a beloved summer tradition.

This year’s lineup continues the momentum with a stellar roster of the Pacific Northwest’s finest musicians and songwriters. Each evening promises unforgettable performances in Capitol Hill’s new cultural hub—Volunteer Park.

Our free concerts will be held every Thursday from July 10 to August 14, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Our series kickoff on July 10, known as Picnic in the Park, will include kids’ activities and free ice cream. Food trucks will be available at every concert. Gather your friends and family, and join us in celebrating music, community, and summer in Seattle!

The lineup:

July 10
The Paperboys
Stacy Jones Band

July 17 - presented by KNKX
Sara Gazarek
Jovino Santos Neto

July 24
Nite Wave
The ABBAgraphs

July 31
LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends
Dance Church

August 7
Quincy Jones Tribute with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - presented by KNKX

August 14
Kalimba
Day Soul Exquisite

Sponsored by KNKX. Seattle’s South Jackson Street will soon overflow with the music of 20 bands on nine community stages as the 12th Annual Jackson Street Jazz Walk kicks off its yearly celebration of the Central District’s African American music legacy on Saturday, September 6th, 4:30-11:00 PM. Jackson Street restaurants, businesses, and panoramic apartment building rooftops will transform into nine community pop-up stages, hosting a diverse and inclusive array of emerging to internationally ranked jazz, blues, Latin, and soul musical artists, including:

Michael Powers | Eugenie Jones | Clava Ginga | The Ari Joshua Ensemble | The Red Rose Gurls
Jorge Garcia & Nota Azul | The Comfort Food Band | Jory Tidal Left Coast | Peter Adams Organ Trio These Certain Birds | The Nicole Yvette Band | Butch Harrison’s Good Company | Kader Sunny Blues Band | Joe Brazil Legacy Band | The New Triumph | Organic SoundZ | The Rafael Tranquilino Blues Trio | Manazma Sheen, and the Jean Chaumont Quartet | The Jennifer Mellish Band
STAR Lah Song & Friends

The Jackson St Jazz Walk is held on the same day, and in the same S. Jackson area as the Annual Pratt Fine Arts Open House (https://pratt.org/). Collectively they will offer community members a variety of entertainment, artistic, and educational options. Blocks of live music, displays featuring Central District’s historic black musicians, live art demonstrations, food trucks, a beer garden, Ethiopian cuisine restaurants, gourmet pizza, and more make this a day of community-centered and cultural experiences for Seattle residents!

While historically, African American music artists performed in the Central District because they were not allowed to perform in mainstream, white-owned clubs, today’s jazz walk is committed to building new legacies through a presentation of a diverse and inclusive array of today’s top musical artists.

Supported by KNKX. In honor of his brother Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and Charged Particles recorded a live CD of Michael's music which was included on “Best Of” lists in JazzTimes magazine, Jazzwise magazine, All About Jazz, The Mercury News, Glide Magazine, the Jazz Journalists Association Poll, and the Jazz Critics Poll.

Jazz trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker has helped shape the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists from James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen and Parliament/Funkadelic to Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa.

Born in 1945 in Philadelphia to a musical family, Randy’s musical talent was nurtured from an early age. He attended Indiana University from 1963-66 studying with Bill Adam, David Baker and Jerry Coker and later moved to New York where he landed gigs with such prominent bands as Clark Terry’s Big Bad Band, the Duke Pearson Big Band and the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

In 1967, Randy ventured into jazz-rock with the band Blood, Sweat and Tears, but left to join the Horace Silver Quintet. He recorded his first solo album, Score, in 1968, featuring a young, then unknown 19 year-old tenor saxophonist named Michael Brecker. After Horace Silver, Randy joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers before teaming up with brother Michael, Barry Rogers, Billy Cobham, and John Abercrombie to form the seminal fusion group ‘Dreams’.

In the early 1970s, Randy performed live with many prominent artists including Larry Coryell’s Eleventh House, Stevie Wonder and Billy Cobham. He also recorded several classic albums with his brother under the leadership of the great pianist/composer Hal Galper.

By 1975, Randy and Michael were ready to front their own group, the Brecker Brothers Band. A band of immeasurable impact and influence, they released six albums on Arista and garnered seven Grammy nominations between 1975 and 1981. Their eponymous first record, which Randy wrote, arranged and produced, featured his now classic composition “Some Skunk Funk.”

Supported by KNKX. Son of the legendary American salsa and Latin jazz musician Tito Puente, Tito Puente, Jr. has big shoes to fill. And boy does he!

Always honoring his father’s legacy, Tito Puente, Jr. has also made a name for himself as one of the most exciting Latin musicians touring today. Tito Puente Jr. carries his father with him – imprinted on his physical being and locked in his soul. It’s in his looks, his joy, and his music. Tito Jr. is on a passionate mission, determined to nurture the musical legacy left by his father.

He has found captive audiences who echo his passion. Crowds lured to a venue by the father are returning to see the son — and to once again participate in the high voltage celebration that takes place on stage.

Tito Jr. reveres the magnificent, lasting impact his father had on our musical lives. “People who don’t know anything about Latin music know my father and people always, always smile when they say my father’s name,” he confides. “That is a very special gift I have been given.”

Tito Puente, Jr. and his Ensemble brings exhilarating Latin rhythms that will get your feet moving.

Sponsored by KNKX. Métier Brewing Company and NW Folklife have partnered to host a monthly concert series, allowing NW Folklife to showcase our network of artists in a local business that celebrates the age-old craft of beermaking. MBC is all about strengthening community and creating a welcoming gathering space for families, friends, and those who appreciate exceptional beer. Located in the Central District, Seattle's Historic Black neighborhood, Métier is one of the few Black-owned breweries in the country. As part of last year's Cultural Focus, Metamorphosis, this partnership helps reclaim the dynamism of Folk as a way of life for people of all backgrounds, heritages, and traditions, not merely a stigmatized musical genre.

The series is every first Thursday.

August 7, September 4, October 2: Jai Kobi Kaleo'okalani is a Seattle-based guitarist, composer, producer, and poet. Graduating in 2025 with a BM in Jazz and Improvised Music from the University of Washington, they studied with Steve Rodby, Cuong Vu, Ted Poor, and Kassa Overall. Often performing under the moniker BLUEs.Weave, her genre-defying work seamlessly blends the sonic worlds and approaches of improvised Black American music traditions and experimental sound design, delivering innovative, immersive sets featuring resonator and electric guitars, drum machines, samplers, and electronics. Her work as a soloist began with a DXARTS commission to compose and perform the beat-suite “Let Loose Thy Soul: Black Alchemy and the Upper Arcana” for the 2024 SPAM New Media Festival at the Georgetown Steam Plant; since then, Jai has presented original music and multimedia performances at the Frye Art Museum, the Jacob Lawrence Art Gallery, and ARTS at King Street Station Gallery. Throughout her studies and independent career, she has had the privilege to perform with internationally renowned and incredible local artists alike, including Bill Frisell, Steph Richards, Ted Poor, Luke Bergman, Jahnvi Madan, and Kyra “Wolf” Wolfenbarger.

Stay tuned for more info about future concerts.

Northwest Folklife is truly excited to partner with Métier Brewing Company to share in our ethos that folk and craft is a product of and for Our Beloved Community.

Supported by KNKX. With a performance history spanning over three decades and over 120 shows at Jazz Alley, Pearl Django endures as one of the most highly regarded Hot Club style groups working today. Although the band’s roots are firmly in the music made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli, its extensive repertoire includes traditional jazz classics and original compositions. Pearl Django has performed at festivals, dances and nightspots throughout the U.S. and abroad. They have played at the prestigious Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois sur Seine and have been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” The band’s signature style is marked by pristine and dexterous string work, colors of Bal Musette, the steady pulse of rhythm guitar and an unmistakable swing that delights audiences of all musical sensibilities. Throughout the years, Pearl Django has cultivated a devoted and enthusiastic following and they continue to play to packed houses wherever they perform.

The group’s inception was as a trio in Tacoma, Washington in 1994. The focus of Pearl Django was, and is, to incorporate the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with American swing music. They quickly expanded to a quintet, adding a violinist and a third guitarist. An interview on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2001 brought the group to national attention. In June 2002, Pearl Django performed at the prestigious Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois sur Seine, just outside of Paris, France. As of 2007 Pearl Django is working as both a quartet and a quintet (with accordionist, David Lange) All of the members are contributing original compositions to the band’s expansive repertoire. They have released 12 CDs to date.

Along the West coast, Pearl Django has performed from Los Angeles to Fairbanks. Festival performances include: Festival Django Reinhardt, Samois sur Seine, France; les Rendez-Vous de l’Erdre, Nantes, France; Sacramento Jazz Jubilee; Django Festival Iceland; Juneau Folk Festival, Juneau, Alaska; Capital City Jazz Festival, Madison, Wisconsin; Sweet and Hot Festival, Los Angeles, California; Great Connecticut Jazz Festival, Guilford, Connecticut; Mission Folk Festival, Mission B.C.; Bumbershoot & Folklife Festival, Seattle, Washington; Wintergrass (a bluegrass festival) Washington, Jazz Alley, Seattle, Washington; Sun Valley Jazz Jubilee, Sun Valley, Idaho.

Minnesota born-and-raised, Connie Evingson has a catalog of acclaimed albums that run a wide spectrum of genres. From jazz to Broadway standards, to covering Peggy Lee or The Beatles, the Twin Cities-based singer has an adventurous spirit that, like her music, knows no boundaries. Her ten albums released through Minnehaha Music have all charted in the Top 50 in the United States and Canada, and can be heard on radio stations around the globe.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The band has released five studio and three live albums.

Whiskey Myers is an American rock and roll band from Palestine, Texas composed of Cody Cannon (lead vocals and acoustic guitar), John Jeffers (lead guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals), Cody Tate (lead and rhythm guitar, vocals), Jeff Hogg (drums), Tony Kent (percussion/drums), and Jamey Gleaves (bass). They have released six albums, the latest being Tornillo released in July 2022.

Brew Five Three: The 253’s Beer & Music Festival returns to its roots in downtown Tacoma for its 12th annual celebration of craft beer, live music, and community. The party takes place on Saturday, August 9, from 1:00–7:00 p.m. at the historic Tacoma Armory and on Yakima Avenue, which will be closed between 11th and Nollmeyer for this event.

Craft beer lovers and music fans can enjoy tastings from Northwest breweries and cideries, a dynamic lineup of live local bands, mouth-watering food trucks, games, and a raffle, all in a festive, block party-style setting that brings the indoors and outdoors together.

Dogs are welcome—leash up your pup and bring them along for an afternoon of tail-wagging good times.

Getting there is easy. The Tacoma Armory is centrally located and offers ample free street parking. The event is also bike and transit-friendly.

In addition to showcasing the best of the region’s brewing and music scenes, Brew Five Three directly supports Tacoma Arts Live’s nonprofit mission to energize the community through live performance and expand access to youth arts education and community programs.

Jazz & Oysters is held at the Port of Peninsula where freshly harvested oysters and other shellfish are brought in daily. Come celebrate, listen to our line-up of amazing performers, dance, enjoy delicious food, drinks and the spectacular view of the bay and Willapa Hills!
Great food available for purchase.
Kid-friendly! Bring chairs or a blanket and enjoy.

The New Mastersounds have been delighting audiences with their infectious brand of funky soul-jazz since they formed in Leeds, England in 1999. For the first five years of the band’s career they were regulars at the Jazz Café in London, before they began to turn heads on the funk scene in the US, where guitarist/producer/bandleader Eddie Roberts now lives. For over a decade they have been a staple act of the late-night scene during New Orleans’ annual Jazz Fest. Always happy to hit the studio between tours, this veteran band now boasts a rich recorded catalogue that includes fifteen original studio albums, four live albums, several compilations, and a remix album.

Though they have collaborated over the years with such musical luminaries as Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Corinne Bailey Rae, Art Neville, Bernard Purdie and Lou Donaldson, they are at their best on stage as a tightly-packed quartet – bass, drums, guitar and keyboards - firing off scorching grooves and feeding on the energy of the dancers in the front row.