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Helen Sung: Classical Piano's Loss Is Jazz Piano's Gain

Justin Steyer
/
KNKX
Helen Sung poses for a photo with host, Abe Beeson, and a lucky audience of KNKX Leadership members

For many years, pianist Helen Sung devoted herself fully to classical piano studies.  So much so, in fact, that when a friend invited her out to hear Harry Connick, Jr., Helen had no idea who he was.

When she heard Harry do a series of solo piano jazz pieces she says she nearly jumped out of her skin. She’d never heard piano played like that.

From that point on, Helen focused her considerable talents on jazz. Today, Helen Sung is one of the most inventive and respected jazz pianists of her generation.

Song List:

  1. Armando's Rhumba
  2. Hope Springs Eternally
  3. Carolina Shout 

Tags
Jazz PianoPiano JazzJazz and BluesLive Studio Sessions
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.