Community Calendar

Sponsored by KNKX. Volunteer Park Trust is thrilled to announce the return of our Summer Series at our spectacular series of performances in the beautifully renovated Volunteer Park Amphitheater.

This year’s lineup continues the momentum with a stellar roster of the Pacific Northwest’s finest musicians and songwriters. Each evening promises unforgettable performances in Capitol Hill’s new cultural hub—Volunteer Park.

Our free concerts will be held every Thursday from July 10 to August 14, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Our series kickoff on July 10, known as Picnic in the Park, will include kids’ activities and free ice cream. Food trucks will be available at every concert. Gather your friends and family, and join us in celebrating music, community, and summer in Seattle!

The lineup:

July 10
The Paperboys
Stacy Jones Band

July 17 - presented by KNKX
Sara Gazarek
Jovino Santos Neto

July 24
Nite Wave
The ABBAgraphs

July 31
LeRoy Bell and His Only Friends
Dance Church

August 7
Quincy Jones Tribute with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra - presented by KNKX

August 14
Kalimba
Day Soul Exquisite

Supported by KNKX. John Pizzarelli’s newest show with his new trio focuses on music from the Broadway stage and the Silver Screen. The evening will feature fresh versions of great standards such as “Where or When”,” Just in Time” and “As Time Goes By”, paired with some newer Broadway songs that include “I Love Betsy” from Honeymoon in Vegas by Jason Robert Brown, “Coffee in a Cardboard Cup” by Kander and Ebb. Additionally, the event will feature a selection of more recent movie songs like “With a Wink and a Smile” from Sleepless in Seattle, “When Somebody Loved Me“ from Toy Story 2, and a rousing suite of songs from Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma. This program fully encompasses almost every decade from the 20’s to today, providing a musical discovery for audience members at every concert, all performed by an impeccable trio that has thrilled the world over with their singular brand of swinging jazz!

LittleBigFest is a nonprofit organization—is dedicated to supporting regional musicians and artists, and creating scholarship opportunities for local students, by producing annual festivals and events, which feature local, national and international musicians and artists.

This year's lineup includes the Andy Coe Band, Lee Oskar & Friends, Sway Wild, Global Heat, McTuff V3, Joslyn & The Sweet Compression, Nick Maroon Trio, John Kessler, and much more.

Sponsored by KNKX. Get ready to spice up your taste buds and experience the soul of Louisiana in the Pacific Northwest. Dance, dine, and have a ragin’ Cajun good time where Southern culture and hospitality turn historic downtown Kent into our own “Little Louisiana”!

Live music and dancing will keep festival-goers entertained throughout the day, with performances by Cajun and Zydeco bands. It’s a perfect opportunity for locals and visitors to experience the vibrant and lively culture of Louisiana, Cajun- and Creole-themed food trucks, beer/wine garden, vendors/artists, and activities for the kids. We promise a feast for the senses!

This FREE family event will be held in downtown Kent Burlington Green Park.

Sponsored by KNKX. There will be more than 125 beverage choices in all, not to mention delicious food, fun games, and captivating entertainment. The Tumwater Artesian Brewfest provides a unique outdoor venue (in the shadow of the former Olympia Brewery) for you to SIP craft beers from 50+ NW breweries along with cider and spirits; SAVOR food from local vendors and restaurants; ENJOY live music, and PLAY super-sized beer pong, cornhole, enter stein holding competitions, and more! 21 and over event.

Join us for a fun day in the 'Islands' at our 9th Annual Reefnet Festival, held Saturday, August 16th, on Legoe Bay, Lummi Island. Take a boat trip out to see the reefnet gear in operation. This ancient, Coast Salish Peoples' practice--the most sustainable salmon fishing method there is. A great story as seen in the recent PBS series, The Last Reefnetter. Enjoy great local food, beer, wine and live music, along with educational and arts& crafts booths. We will have seaweed foot baths available from our own sugar kelp farm--Lummi Island SeaGreens. And for the more adventuresome, seaweed baths on the beach (bring your swimsuit.) Offsite parking is available on the island or walk on the ferry for a short ride and our convenient shuttle will pick you up. It will be a fun day we hope you can join us!

Supported by KNKX. The Highway 99 All Stars came into existence with the opening in Seattle of the award-winning Highway 99 Blues Club in 2004. Since then the All-Stars have played numerous shows in and around Seattle at its namesake club, fairs, festivals and special events. The line-up for their shows features players from Seattle and the greater Northwest. While some of the players have done multiple shows over the years, the line-up is a roving cast of "all-stars" bringing solid rhythm and blues and deeply rooted blues music to the stage. For the upcoming Jazz Alley shows, the band will feature six musicians from Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. With three different singers; harmonica, guitars, bass, keys and drums, the show will feature solo spots, duo turns and the full band.

Supported by KNKX. One of jazz's marquis performers, Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed Grammy nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. In the course of a thirty plus year career, Mr. Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others and founded a prominent independent record label, RKM.

Born in Long Island, the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, Ravi was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. He was raised in Los Angeles where his family moved after his father’s death in 1967. His mother, Alice Coltrane, was a significant influence on Ravi and it was he who encouraged Alice to return to performance and the recording studio after a long absence. Subsequently, Ravi produced and played on Alice Coltrane’s powerful, Translinear Light, which was released in 2004.

Ravi has released six albums as a leader. His latest, Spirit Fiction, was released in June of 2012 for the Blue Note label. Additional credits include performances as well as recordings with Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Geri Allen, Joanne Brackeem, The Blue Note 7, among others. He is a co-leader of the Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman.

Sponsored by KNKX. For the past 15 summers, the Rotary Club of Des Moines and Normandy Park has kept the beer cold and brought epic blues performances to the stage during the annual Poverty Bay Blues & Brews Fest.

This summer is no different! Tickets are on sale now for the Poverty Bay Blues & Fest happening Saturday, August 23rd on the Sweeping shores of Poverty Bay in Des Moines Washington. 100% of the net proceeds raised go to the causes powered by Rotary of Des Moines/Normandy Park, such as Music4Life providing instruments for local children.

Featuring four stellar Northwest Blues bands:

11:30 -1:00 Hank Shreve Band

1:30-3:00 Allison Joy Williams

3:30-5:00 Joel Astley

5:30 – 7 Hillstomp

Learn more about the causes, and the blues line up and snag your tickets now for Blues and brews at DrinkToMusic.org

JAZZ & BLUES MUSIC: The 2025 Festival features nationally acclaimed jazz, blues, gospel, and GRAMMY winning bands, 70 Northwest wines, fine art, food, and MORE. Bands include: trumpeter and 10-time GRAMMY-winner Arturo Sandoval, vocal jazz and gospel icons Take 6, blues harmonica virtuoso Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Chicago blues singer Shemekia Copeland, GRAMMY-nominated jazz pianist David Benoit, jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan, The Rumba Kings, Seattle jazz singer Greta Matassa, jazz singer Halie Loren, Christopher Brown Quartet, Strange Pilgrims, Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle, Taylor Newville & The Riders, the Bridgetown Sextet, pianist Jasnam Daya Singh, and Oregon Hall of Fame blues guitarist Norman Sylvester Band. 18 concerts are scheduled for the 3-day festival.

Sponsored by KNKX. LTD Presents with the generous sponsorship of MJR Development, J Squared Investments and Kat McNeill & Lance Bowman, proudly bring to Broadway, the Downtown Tacoma Blues & Jazz Festival.

Beginning Saturday evening, August 23rd and all-day Sunday, August 24th between 11th and 13th streets in downtown Tacoma, this free to the public event features regional, national and international blues and jazz artists from around the country for two exciting days of musical performances that are not to be missed!

Saturday night’s pre-funk party will be held inside at The Tacoma Centre at 1145 Broadway with the support of Ebony & Ivory Coffee. The event starts at 5:00PM with rousing performances by regional and national bands spanning the genres of blues, funk, and soul jazz, culminating with a special performance by Rick Estrin & The Nightcats’ own Derrick D’MAR Martin and ending with an all-pro jam.

Sunday’s festivities begin outdoors on Broadway at 12:00PM with two alternating stages, a beer garden hosted by the South Sound Blues Association, and various vendor stalls and food trucks. The lineup this year includes a regional jazz favorite, Elnah Jordan, and national stars Marcel Smith featuring D’MAR and Chris O’Leary Band out of upstate New York. International Blues legend, John Primer and The Real Deal Blues Band, will take the 13th Street Stage and up and coming multiple award-winning Blues star, D.K. Harrell, brings his brand of classic and contemporary blues. To top off the day we are thrilled to bring to back the PNW, the sultry and driving Danielle Nicole Band.

Sponsored by KNKX. Bremerton’s Admiral Theatre Foundation and Kitsap Fair and Stampede Association proudly present the 2nd annual Kitsap Blues Music Festival on Labor Day Weekend - Friday, August 29 - Sunday, August 31, 2025 at the Kitsap Fairgrounds in Bremerton, Washington. Enjoy a variety of incredible rhythm and blues artists over three days. BBQ, Concessions & More. Beer & Wine Gardens. Only 21+ admitted.

The lineup includes Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Eric Gales, Shemekia Copeland, Duffy Bishop, and so much more!

DISCOUNT CODE JUST FOR KNKX AND ALL BLUES LISTENERS: Between now and the festival (Aug 29-31), KNKX listeners can add promo code KNKX at checkout to get 25% off general admission single day and weekend passes.

Tickets: kitsapblues.com / 360-373-6743
Code: KNKX = 25% off
Direct Link with embedded discount code: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36645/production/1226135?promo=KNKX

Sponsored by KNKX. Seattle’s South Jackson Street will soon overflow with the music of 20 bands on nine community stages as the 12th Annual Jackson Street Jazz Walk kicks off its yearly celebration of the Central District’s African American music legacy on Saturday, September 6th, 4:30-11:00 PM. Jackson Street restaurants, businesses, and panoramic apartment building rooftops will transform into nine community pop-up stages, hosting a diverse and inclusive array of emerging to internationally ranked jazz, blues, Latin, and soul musical artists, including:

Michael Powers | Eugenie Jones | Clava Ginga | The Ari Joshua Ensemble | The Red Rose Gurls
Jorge Garcia & Nota Azul | The Comfort Food Band | Jory Tidal Left Coast | Peter Adams Organ Trio These Certain Birds | The Nicole Yvette Band | Butch Harrison’s Good Company | Kader Sunny Blues Band | Joe Brazil Legacy Band | The New Triumph | Organic SoundZ | The Rafael Tranquilino Blues Trio | Manazma Sheen, and the Jean Chaumont Quartet | The Jennifer Mellish Band
STAR Lah Song & Friends

Check out this promotional video.

The Jackson St Jazz Walk is held on the same day, and in the same S. Jackson area as the Annual Pratt Fine Arts Open House (https://pratt.org/). Collectively they will offer community members a variety of entertainment, artistic, and educational options. Blocks of live music, displays featuring Central District’s historic black musicians, live art demonstrations, food trucks, a beer garden, Ethiopian cuisine restaurants, gourmet pizza, and more make this a day of community-centered and cultural experiences for Seattle residents!

As a Music for a Cause event, the JSJW also serves by contributing a give-back donation to a Central District nonprofit. This year, the recipient will be Byrd Barr Place.

While historically, African American music artists performed in the Central District because they were not allowed to perform in mainstream, white-owned clubs, today’s jazz walk is committed to building new legacies through a presentation of a diverse and inclusive array of today’s top musical artists.

The festival honors the artistic edge and the rich history of the art form, celebrates Seattle’s jazz scene with performances, premieres, and special projects by esteemed resident artists alongside international masters.

This year’s lineup includes Christian McBride and Brad Mehldau, Brandee Younger, Arooj Aftab, Makaya McCraven,
Ghost-Note, and many more.