The KNKX fall pledge drive begins this Monday and ends Friday, meaning The New Cool will be uninterrupted this season. We'll celebrate by offering copies of the latest Barrett Martin Group album to listeners who chip in to support KNKX's modern jazz show before the drive begins.
I'm glad to have our full shows for you, but there is a downside to missing extended fundraising breaks. Pledge drive time gives all of us at the station the opportunity to commemorate our passion for our programming. It's also a time for you to salute and directly support the radio shows that sincerely make your days better.
It is my honor to present a weekly overview of what I consider to be the best music being made in the world today. The musicians you hear on The New Cool include some of the most talented and forward-thinking musical artists finding inspiration across the entire spectrum of music history.
Stars of today and tomorrow that you hear on The New Cool include Kamasi Washington, The Bad Plus, Robert Glasper, The Greyboy Allstars, Charlie Ballantine and Snarky Puppy. England's incredibly rich young jazz community ranges from GoGo Penguin and The New Mastersounds to Nubya Garcia, Ezra Collective, Blue Lab Beats and sax phenom Shabaka Hutchings' various bands.
The Pacific Northwest has developed into a hotbed for various modern jazz perspectives. Portland's Trio Subtonic grooves alongside Seattle's mighty McTuff and Tacoma's Velocity. Polyrhythmics cross beats with High Pulp, The New Triumph and Freudian Slurp. Abbey Blackwell's thoughtful trio RAE mingles with Hunter Gather and Tyrant Lizard. Smacktalk rubs elbows with D'Vonne Lewis Limited Edition and the Dylan Hayes Electric Band.
Fostering the Puget Sound scene over the years have been the towering modern maestros Wayne Horvitz, Skerik, and now-returned-to-New York Bill Frisell. There are countless more names I'm not mentioning, and I hope they will give me a hard time about it in person very soon. My point is, it's a great time to be a fan of modern jazz around here — regardless of our current club-less existence.
Musicians are still making new records (Nubya Garcia, Takuya Kuroda, Greyboy Allstars, etc) and The New Cool keeps bringing them to you. The pledge drive does not begin officially until Monday, but (naturally) you can support the station right now.
We are also happy to offer the gift of modern jazz when you make your donation during The New Cool. Everyone who becomes a $10-a-month sustaining member of KNKX will receive a copy of the latest album from the Barrett Martin Group, Scattered Diamonds.
The drummer's ninth album with this band is a collection of collaborations with Martin's musician friends around the world — Iraq, Senegal, India, Ghana — and right here in the Seattle area. Martin says the album, "encapsulates all of these special guests and their immense talents, organized into one concise album. Each of these songs is a diamond in their unique example of how music can be expressed globally."
Scattered Diamonds includes New Cool favorites like "Battleship Swing" with vibraphonist Ben Thomas, "Sands of Venus" with keyboard guest Wayne Horvitz, and "Play the 4th Prime" featuring saxophonist Hans Teuber, which you'll hear on the show Saturday.
KNKX and The New Cool provide a critical connection between the world's best musicians and music fans hungry for something special. It's my honor to nurture this interconnection. Please contribute what you can to help, and remember: KNKX is powered by our listeners, and we truly appreciate your powerful love of radio. Thank you!
The New Cool airs Saturdays from 3 to 5 p.m., hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle.
