Abe Beeson

Seattle native and New York-based drummer, producer and spoken word artist Kassa Overall stayed hard at work on his music through the quarantine. But now comes the fun part: returning to live performances. Saturday night, Overall also returns home to headline Seattle's Neptune Theatre. 

Rhythm is the core of the retro-modern soul jazz outfit The True Loves. Their new album, Sunday Afternoon, however, gets its heart from the horns. New Cool host Abe Beeson talked with two members of the True Loves' all-star horn section and got an inside look at the band's latest album.

Saturday is Juneteenth, the recently proclaimed state holiday honoring the abolition of slavery in the United States. KNKX is proud to bring listeners the jazz and blues music born of the African American experience that's an essential part of our nation's cultural heritage. Black musicians continue to be at the forefront of American popular music and to expand of the language of modern jazz and blues.

Expect quarantine limitations to continue for the Record Store Day celebrations at your local store Saturday. Jazz and blues fans will once again find several new jazz and blues releases to encourage your support of independent record stores. Jazz host Abe Beeson has a look at some of the highlights.

Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings returns with a fantastic new album with his band Sons of Kemet and continues to live up to the building hype around this young English modern jazz star. Their just-released fourth album, in the wake of the death of George Floyd and ensuing protests, furthers the band's mission of harnessing anger, acknowledging sorrow, expressing joy and committing to a future better than the past.

It was in the neighborhood - an ensemble of top young jazz and funk players were gathering for a virtual concert from the Highland Park Improvement Center. New Cool host and HPIC neighbor Abe Beeson got an invitation to attend and shares his photos of a joyously funky jazz reunion.

The new trio W.R.D. is keyboardist Robert Walter, guitarist Eddie Roberts and drummer Adam Deitch. Their debut album, The Hit, on Roberts' Color Red Records was released last week, and you'll hear their gritty, greasy, pulpy grooves this Friday night on the KNKX modern jazz show The New Cool.

Guitarist Ari Joshua has been busy, and now the guitarist has begun releasing recordings he's been working on for years. In varied styles and collaborations, Joshua is making his mark as a modern player to watch. New Cool host Abe Beeson spoke to the Seattle-based musician about his vault of new material.

Northwest jazz fans are likely familar with Galen Clark. The leader and keys player with Trio Subtonic is a key member of the Portland modern jazz community, and his latest project, Outer Orbit, has a soulful new single out this week, featuring an extra special guest.

Skerik, Charlie Hunter and Stanton Moore present Calm Down Cologne this week, their sixth album as Garage A Trois. It's the first G.A.T. trio album since its 1998 debut, Mysteryfunk, and New Cool host Abe Beeson got some inside information from the Seattle sax icon. The album release livestream concert is Friday night at 6.

The New Cool turns our attention to modern jazz-funk from Italy this week, as Les Jeux Sont Funk unveils its new digital single, "Spike Lee," from Color Red Music. Like the famous director-actor-screenwriter, it's soulful and cinematic, and also a new direction for the band.

The KNKX Spring Fund Drive begins Thursday and ends Wednesday, March 31. For fans of our modern jazz show, The New Cool, this spring marks the early weeks of our new time slot. When you listen to the show Friday night from 9 to 11, please contribute what you can to support the show!

The waning months of the pandemic are still keeping stages empty of live jazz, but a terrific string of new releases have certainly helped fans stay sane. A streaming edition of the Grammy Awards Sunday night will celebrate new music, and The New Cool highlights a few modern jazz favorites Friday night on KNKX.

Keyboardist, songwriter, bandleader and producer Robert Glasper formed R+R=Now to answer Nina Simone's message that an artist's duty is "to reflect the times." Glasper adds, "When you reflect what's going on in your time and respond to that, you can't not be relevant. So 'R' plus 'R' equals 'Now.' "

Pronounced like beige, the vocal quartet säje is anything but bland. Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick and Erin Bentlage formed the group in 2019 and are forging a new path and taking the vocal jazz ensemble into the 21st century. KNKX jazz host Abe Beeson spoke with the talented women about their unique style and the excitement of being nominated for a Grammy Award.

Awards season is here, and Earshot Jazz's Golden Ear Awards return - virtually, of course - with a look back at bright moments from a difficult year in the Northwest jazz scene. The New Cool will feature a few on this week's show, as voting concludes Monday, March 1.

The busy bees of Seattle-area jazz keep producing honey-sweet new music in difficult pandemic times. The members of 45th St Brass band are the latest, with a pair of tasty tunes out now showing off their unique modern take on the brass band tradition. They'll celebrate the single with a live-streamed release show Thursday night.

When my favorite musicians talk like fans, I listen. So I perked up when "saxophonics" icon Skerik wrote to me, "Nels (Cline) is such a force and he wrote some amazing music for this record, it's really special and I want everyone to hear it and support him. Thank you."

He's right, and you'll hear Nels Cline with Skerik on Friday's New Cool.

If you've been following the Seattle jazz scene, no doubt you know a few of the musicians calling themselves Meridian Odyssey. They've played as sidemen with many of the city's top players and spent hours working together in each others' bands. Despite and because of the pandemic, the quintet of friends found room to collaborate in socially distanced Alaska, resulting in a great new album.

Friday brings new albums from two ends of the modern jazz spectrum. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio's groovy sophomore album, I Told You So, is packed with red-hot soul jazz, while the brass quartet The Westerlies joins forces with singer Theo Bleckmann on This Land, a collection of political songs inspired by modern times. Catch a song from both on The New Cool Friday night.

The harp is a rare instrument in jazz, so everything the talented harpist Brandee Younger plays feels brand new. During the pandemic lockdown, Younger and talented bassist Dezron Douglas turned their New York City apartment into a space for healing and creating jazz both timeless and cutting edge.

Seattle's premier soul jazz ensemble has released a new single, "Sunday Afternoon," moving its world-class horns to the front of the band's powerful rhythm section engine. Tune in for Friday night's New Cool to hear The True Loves' hip soundscape for relaxing and recharging for a new week, or a new year.

The new year has finally arrived, and everyone's is looking forward to gradually moving past the pandemic and returning to some version of normal. The New Cool is beginning a new normal Friday night. After four years, we're taking our modern jazz show from Saturday afternoons to Friday nights at 9 on KNKX. It's part of a brand new expanded jazz lineup that's sure to get your weekend started right.

It's nearly over, the shut-down-pandemic slog of 2020. The vaccine "light" at the end of the tunnel is still some ways away, and it will take a lot of work to return to some sort of normal next year. Thankfully, I believe jazz musicians are more than ready to do their part. Portland's Trio Subtonic offers the final word on the year past, and suggests better days ahead with their new single, "Coda."

I've always been a fan of jazz puns — from album titles (Lee Morgan's "Lee-Way") to song titles (Dizzy Gillespie's "Dizzy Atmosphere"). They might be a little corny but I just love them. So, when an email from a new Seattle quartet calling themselves Al Hemiola arrived, I was more than a little interested.