Abe Beeson
New Cool & Jazz HostAbe grew up in Western Washington, a third generation Seattle/Tacoma kid. It was as a student at Pacific Lutheran University that Abe landed his first job at KNKX, editing and producing audio for news stories. It was a Christmas Day shift no one else wanted that gave Abe his first on-air experience which led to overnights, then Saturday afternoons, and started hosting Evening Jazz in 1998.
At the end of 2015, just as the campaign to save 88.5 began, Abe debuted his modern jazz show The New Cool. Saturday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m., you can hear 21st-century jazz inspired and informed by the sounds of today: hip-hop, & funk, Electronic music and punk rock — the future of jazz has arrived.
His most memorable KNKX radio moments include introducing Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, and other greats; attending jazz festivals in Spain and Argentina with groups of KNKX jazz fans; and locking himself out of the station on a particularly cold winter night.
-
Jazz clarinetist Anat Cohen highlights her passion for choro, an emotive musical form that combines the musical traditions of indigenous Africans and Western Europeans living in Brazil. -
Aaron McCracken, a guitarist in Ballard High School's jazz band, shares an hour of his favorite jazz with KNKX listeners. -
Despite a comical mishap surrounding the Japanese release of his debut record, Larry Fuller has had a noteworthy jazz career as a sideman and trio leader. -
Multi-talented saxophonist Kate Olson celebrates her first album as a leader in a KNKX studio session performance. -
In her mid 20s, saxophonist Grace Kelly landed the opportunity of a lifetime: To play in the live studio band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. -
Delvon Lamarr, leader of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, started out as the drummer for Seattle organist Joe Doria. One night, he decided to try Doria's organ. It opened up a whole new world. -
Senegalese bassist and singer Alune Wade celebrates his album "New African Orleans" with his septet in an exclusive KNKX studio session. -
Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro strummed his way to international fame when a 2006 viral video catapulted him into the spotlight. -
November's KNKX School of Jazz guest DJs are Luca Morales and Emmet Bell, recent Everett High School graduates. -
By passionately studying and preserving the legacy of jazz masters, pianist Emmet Cohen has honed his reverent, yet distinctive, musical voice.
