Trumpeter Theo Croker set himself a high bar with his Grammy-nominated 2019 album Star People Nation. He's cleared that bar and set a new standard of modern trumpet jazz with BLK2LIFE: A Future Past, released last month. New Cool host Abe Beeson spoke to Croker recently about the new album, working with six guest vocalists and his musical philosophy. Parts of the interview and songs from BLK2LIFE will be featured on the KNKX Studio Session Spotlight Friday night at 8, followed by highlights from a Kassa Overall session in 2018 that featured Croker on trumpet. Croker's band opens this year's Earshot Jazz Festival at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center Wednesday, Oct. 13.
The New Cool airs Fridays at 9 p.m., hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle, Wash.
