Quarantine Comes Alive — a streaming, online music festival — will benefit more than 60 musical combos and several philanthropic groups in an all-day event Saturday, May 30. The New Cool will highlight several modern jazz acts featured in the festival on KNKX that afternoon.The organization Live for Live Music is teaming up with PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund and nugs.tv to present this worldwide streaming festival. Besides compensating the performing musicians, donations collected will benefit nonprofits such as the Grammy organization MusiCares, Sweet Relief, World Central Kitchen, local homeless support groups, and other organizations working to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
You must donate at least $1 to get access to the streaming content on various platforms. The music marathon will include predominantly new "live" performances created during the lockdown, with other special content sprinkled throughout the day.
Each group will tackle the technical obstacles created by social distancing in their own way. Some groups in studios together, others collaborating virtually, but the goal is the same: to create new, special musical art for fans everywhere to enjoy together while staying apart.
Sirius XM host Ari Fink will serve as emcee, with between-set interviews with artists across the diverse lineup.
Singer-songwriters, bluegrass and Americana groups, electronic music and jam bands, soul and funk groups will all be featured in the Quarantine Comes Alive festival. This week on The New Cool, you'll hear the best of the modern jazz acts on the bill.
Tune in to KNKX from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday to hear Boston funk band Lettuce, the Garage A Trois trio of Skerik, Charlie Hunter and Stanton Moore, that band's fourth member Mike Dillon (leading his own band for the festival), avant pop-jazz pianist and singer Marco Benevento, England's funky New Mastersounds, and bands featuring keyboard masters John Medeski and Robert Walter.
Stay connected to The New Cool fan page for more information on this festival and more streaming content coming to a computer screen near you.
The New Cool airs Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m., hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle.