Abe Beeson

The bill is set at Seattle's Nectar Lounge Thursday, Jan. 30. The South Sound sequel follows Jan. 31 at Rhythm & Rye in Olympia. A two-fisted organ trio battle pitting our hometown heroes McTuff facing off in musical combat with Portland's Trio Subtonic. The New Cool has the tale of the tape and we'll give away tickets during the radio show Saturday afternoon.

Pianist Julia Kadel is outgrowing one of the great cities of Europe. The young jazz star from Berlin is the first German artist to record for the legendary Blue Note Records since pianist Jutta Hipp in 1956. Her classical music roots mixed with daring improvisation are making her a budding international star.

Women musicians in jazz have, since the early days of the form, been mostly singers. Karrin Allyson, one of the finest singers in jazz, has gathered an all-female all-star ensemble for her new album. Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women's Suffrage is also marked by some very modern music.

This Saturday afternoon on The New Cool, you'll hear a few of the show's favorite albums of 2019. Snarky Puppy, Julian Lage, Theo Croker, Jeff Coffin's Dream Shanti all released terrific modern jazz this year. We'll also celebrate excellent new albums from Tacoma's Velocity and Seattle's Barrett Martin Group.

The modern confluence of reggae, hip-hop, electronic and Afro-beat music seeps to the surface of jazz in the talented young English quintet Ezra Collective. The band plays Barboza in Seattle on Friday, Dec. 13, touring the U.S. to celebrate their new full-length debut album, You Can't Steal My Joy.

In another example of a group that doesn't quite satisfy strict definitions of jazz, the Australian band Hiatus Koiyote is making their own kind of music. Their blend of modern soul, electronica, popfunk and — yes — modern jazz is a big influence on how this music evolves in the new century.

Their styles vary depending on musical setting, they don't collaborate often, but there's no doubt that Joshua Redman and James Carter are two of the most intriguing and progressive saxophone players of the 21st Century. Happily, both musicians will be performing in Seattle next week.

Inspired by modern jazz creations of musicians raised on rock, hip hop, electronica and musical styles around the world, The New Cool celebrates three years on 88.5 KNKX this Saturday afternoon. We're packing this weekend's show full of stars and some brand new sounds for you to thank you for your support.

Earshot's 2019 Jazz Festival wraps up with a double bang Wednesday, Nov. 6. Chick Corea will be performing the Gershwin classic "Rhapsody in Blue" with the Seattle Syphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall. For New Cool fans, the action is across the street with drummer Scott Amendola matching wits and grooves with keyboard whiz Wil Blades as Amendola Vs Blades at The Triple Door.

My friend Ruby Brown is watching over The New Cool this Saturday afternoon, but I wanted to chime in with a quick alert on some spooky and groovy live music to enjoy this Halloween season.

With Earshot's festival shows and much more, I've been delighted to see so many friendly faces at jazz concerts recently. The audience's job is so important. Thanks for coming out!

It's been a busy time in a lot of jazz clubs for yours truly, and I'm off next week for a much needed vacation. I'll bring you a fantastic New Cool show Saturday afternoon before I get out of town, and encourage you to catch some cool shows I won't be around to see next week.

When drummer Max Holmberg told me he wanted to collaborate on a live jazz series in Bellevue, I asked him where he wanted to make this happen. He said "Resonance at SOMA Towers (which is my favorite acoustic room in the Northwest)." Next Thursday night, Oct. 17, we debut the KNKX New Cool series there with young Seattle stars Dylan Hayes and Xavier Lecouturier's DX-Tet.

The Earshot Jazz Festival has kindly offered three pair of tickets to see Kneebody with openers Trio Subtonic at Nectar Lounge in Fremont October 9. Enter to win on the New Cool fan page now!

The Earshot Jazz Festival returns to venues all over Seattle (*and beyond) from Oct. 4 through Nov. 6, and this week The New Cool highlights a few of the top modern jazz concerts on this year's impressive schedule.

The New Cool is fired up to present Tacoma's modern jazz leaders Velocity at the Spanish Ballroom at the Elks Lodge in Tacoma Monday night, Sept. 30. It's a celebration of their new album, Magnetar, and also celebrates an exciting cultural movement around the band's home base of Tacoma.

Still in his mid-30s, Theo Croker has become a jazz trumpet star. His new album, Star People Nation, puts his horn solidly in the spotlight, that instrument acting as an extension of the artist himself. The result is a confident, modern trumpet record that builds on tradition while sounding fully of the 21st century.