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The Baylor Project shares their love of jazz and gospel at KNKX

A woman wearing headphones sings into a mic and a man wearing a hat plays drums in the background.
Parker Miles Blohm
/
KNKX
Jazz singer Jean Baylor and her husband, drummer Marcus Baylor in the KNKX Seattle Studios.

Singer Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor found each other through jazz, but their backgrounds as preachers' kids brought them closer still. It's also made a huge impact on the music they make.

These married co-leaders brought their Baylor Project to the KNKX studios and filled our hearts with love and swing through an epic hour-long studio session. Saxophonist Keith Loftis, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, pianist Terry Brewer and bassist Richie Goods shared the Baylor Project's celebration of the universal aspect of the human condition through the lens of the Black experience.

Hosting in our studios for the first time, KNKX Evening Jazz host Steve Edwards made The Baylors and their band feel like family. Their conversation touched on music, the church, and the crazy ups and downs of a married couple leading a Grammy-nominated jazz band through a pandemic.

The group performed at Dimitriou's Jazz Alley on June 28-29 in support of their second album, "Generations." Marcus Baylor also teased about a new recording from the group he says is coming in the summer. Until then, KNKX is overjoyed to share this bounty of songs about family, faith, and a deep love of culture and community.

Musicians: Jean Baylor, vocals Marcus Baylor, drums Keith Loftis, tenor/soprano saxophone Richie Goods bass Terry Brewer, piano Freddie Hendrix, trumpet/flugelhorn

Songs Performed:

  1. We Swing (The Cypher)
  2. Great Is Thy Faithfullness
  3. Tell Me a Story
  4. Tenderly
  5. 2020
  6. Believe
Abe grew up in Western Washington, a 3rd 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.
Originally from England, Steve has deep roots in jazz and soul and started on-air hosting at BBC (Radio1) JazzFM in London before moving to the US. His work on-air as a host and producer at KOAS and public radio jazz station KUNV earned him induction into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
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