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.
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Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto remembers his 1995 Seattle concert with a session in the KNKX Seattle studios. -
From backup band to critically acclaimed quartet, Yellowjackets have been a vibrant force in contemporary jazz since the late '70s. -
With a voice reminiscent of Billie Holiday and a string of successful albums, Madeleine Peyroux is an international sensation—who got her start on the streets of Paris. -
Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart explore the organ, guitar, drums lineup in an exclusive session performance at Jazz Alley. -
The duo chatted about their friendship, close musical collaboration, and first meeting at a party at Sergio Mendez's house during a 2015 KNKX studios appearance. -
Montreal-born singer-songwriter Dominique Fils-Aimé makes her Seattle debut in the KNKX studios. -
If it weren't for a chance concert invitation in the early '90s, in-demand jazz pianist Helen Sung wouldn't be where she is today. -
Billy Cobham stumbled onto fame after releasing his debut in 1973. In 2022, the drummer explored the watershed moment and his illustrious career in the KNKX studios. -
Bassist and Jazz Night in America host Christian McBride shared the origins, and collaborative creative process, behind his celebrated trio during a 2015 visit to KNKX. -
Bassist and Jazz Night in America host Christian McBride shared the origins, and collaborative creative process, behind his celebrated trio during a 2015 visit to KNKX.
