Community Calendar

KNKX's 10th Anniversary event celebration culminates on Saturday, December 12 when we present a lively evening of words and music in the Great Hall at Town Hall Seattle. We'll kick things off with our special guest, award-winning journalist and a host of NPR All Things Considered, Ailsa Chang in conversation with KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick. You'll hear about Ailsa's trajectory from litigator at a San Francisco law firm, to an internship in her 30's at member station KQED, to her full-fledged journalism career. Ailsa will also peel back the curtain on a day in the life of All Things Considered, including how the show is structured, maintaining authenticity and what it means to find your voice on the air, some of Ailsa's favorite interviews, and the role KNKX plays in bringing nuanced coverage to the Pacific Northwest. There will also be a short audience Q&A.

Next - our good friend, Northwest music luminary, jazz trumpeter, composer, and producer Thomas Marriott will bring his Special Quintet to the stage, featuring pianist and new Artistic Director for Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Orrin Evans. The group also includes bassist Trevor Ford, tenor saxophonist Troy Roberts, and drummer George Fludas. Thomas is a force for jazz on the West coast with 15 albums that have reached number one on the jazz radio airplay charts. He's won multiple awards, including being named a "Jazz Hero" by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2024, and one of Seattle's "Most Influential People" by Seattle Magazine in 2026.

VIP tickets ($100) include a catered pre-event reception, a meet and greet with Ailsa Chang, Thomas Marriott, Orrin Evans, and Kirsten Kendrick, and preferred seating for the main event. GA tickets are $39 and youth (18 and younger) are $15.

Proceeds benefit KNKX.

Lori Matsukawa is known to most households in the greater Northwest as a longtime journalist and anchor of Seattle’s NBC affiliate, KING 5. She also has a new book "Being There: A Memoir of an Asian American Journalist", and she’ll talk about those experiences, moderated by KNKX/NPR’s Lisa Brooks. Presened by ASUPS Student Programs/Lectures. More information here.

Sponsored by KNKX. Now in its 38th year, the Earshot Jazz Festival returns in October with performances, premieres, and workshops at more than a dozen venues across the city, showcasing esteemed Pacific Northwest resident artists alongside internationally renowned masters in a celebration of Seattle’s vibrant jazz scene.

In honor of the centennial of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, this year’s festival reflects on their enduring legacies while spotlighting the artists shaping jazz today and into the future.

This year’s lineup includes Dianne Reeves and Branford Marsalis, Gary Bartz and NTU Troop, Jun Ida, Jessica Lurie, Zaccai Curtis, Julian Lage, Kiefer, Christian Sands, Warren Wolf, Sasha Berliner, Fonville x Fribush and much more!

Sponsored by KNKX. October is Tacoma Arts Month, featuring a wide variety of arts and culture events, programs, and exhibits for all ages all around Tacoma, some of which are free. There is something for everyone to enjoy: music, dance, and theater performances; hands-on experiences; cultural events; visual art exhibits; literary readings; workshops; and film screenings.

All you have to do is choose what you want to enjoy. Take this opportunity to experience something new as we celebrate Tacoma’s cultural community!

Sponsored by KNKX. This festival is more than just a concert series. It is a dynamic, living conversation where sound, story, and visual art intersect. During the Festival, BIMA's Frank Buxton Auditorium transforms into a creative studio, a place where jazz musicians, storytellers, and visual artists come together to explore and celebrate the many facets of jazz. At every show, each artist brings their own unique voice, honoring jazz’s deep roots and its ever-evolving future.

Whether you attend a single event or immerse yourself in the full month-long experience, you’ll discover a vibrant tapestry of music, culture, and storytelling that showcases jazz’s timeless appeal and its power to inspire across generations and communities.

The 2026 line up:
🎶Camila Ferrari| Oct 2
🎶METTA Quintet | Oct 8
🎶Afrocop| Oct 9
🎶Jun Iida | Oct 16
🎶Greta Matassa Group | Oct 17
🎶Jazz with Jim: Great Musicians We All Need to Know | Oct 22
🎶Pearl Django | Oct 24
Family Day: Jazz Edition | Oct 25

Learn more: https://www.biartmuseum.org/events/within-earshot-jazz-festival/

About Earshot Jazz
Earshot Jazz dedicates itself year-round to cultivating a vibrant, diverse jazz community—championing artistic innovation, honoring the rich history and integrity of the genre, and fostering meaningful connections between musicians and audiences through the annual Earshot Jazz Festival.

Presented by KNKX. A pioneering force in contemporary jazz. With influential albums like Sonic Creed (named Jazz Album of the Year by WBGO – the world's #1 jazz station) and Urbanus (GRAMMY-nominated), Stefon Harris & Blackout showcase a dynamic interplay of intricate arrangements and soulful improvisation, solidifying their status as trailblazers in the modern jazz landscape. Their performances promise an electrifying fusion of tradition and innovation, leaving an indelible mark on audiences and further shaping the evolving narrative of jazz expression. They recently released Sonic Creed II: Life Signs (Motema Music), which is the highly anticipated sequel to their critically acclaimed album, Sonic Creed.

Stefon Harris is also an educator, app developer, and thought leader. He has taught at universities throughout the world, led curriculum development at the Brubeck Institute, served as a part of the jazz faculty at New York University, and formerly served as the Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts at Manhattan School of Music. He is currently Artistic Advisor of Jazz Education at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the Director of the Harmony Lab at Express Newark, and a tenured Associate Professor of Music at Rutgers University, Newark.

Harris has been heralded as "one of the most important artists in jazz" (Los Angeles Times) and is a recipient of the prestigious Doris Duke Artist Award and the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center. He has been named Best Mallet Player eight times by the Jazz Journalist Association and Best Vibes Player in DownBeat Magazine's Critics Poll. Harris currently tours with his Grammy-nominated band, Blackout, and has released eleven albums as a leader. He has also recorded and performed with The Classical Jazz Quartet, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, the SFJAZZ Collective, Joe Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall, Max Roach, Chaka Khan, Kurt Elling, Buster Williams, Dianne Reeves, Common, and Pablo Zeigler.

Supported by KNKX. The combination of the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (DLO3) and powerhouse saxophonist Karl Denson (leader of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) is a dream pairing of pure, unadulterated soul-jazz, funk, and vintage groove.

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, or as it is sometimes referred to, DLO3. Specialize in the lost art of "feel good music." The ingredients of this intoxicating cocktail include a big helping of the 1960s organ jazz stylings of Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette; a pinch of the snappy soul strut of Booker T. & The M.G.'s and The Meters; and sprinkles Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. It's a soul-jazz concoction that goes straight to your heart and head makes your body break out in a sweat. Live, the band's fiery and intuitive chemistry is unstoppable, brimming with improvisation, instant composition, imaginative takes on classic tunes, and a booty-shaking back catalog of soulful gems.

Joining Delvon Lamarr as a special guest is Karl Denson (leader of Karl Denson's Tiny Universe). Who just celebrated their 25th anniversary as a band.

KDTU has electrified audiences around the world from the fields of Naeba in Japan at the infamous Fuji Rock Festival to the hallowed stage of Madison Square Garden where they previously joined the Dave Matthews Band and The Godfather of Soul, James Brown. From performing as Sexual Chocolate (Karl was in the original band in the movie Coming To America and its sequel) at the Outside Lands Music festival in San Francisco, to being the first late night act at the inaugural Bonnaroo festival, KDTU have been a dominating force in music for the past 25 years.

Sponsored by KNKX. From the author of Demon Copperhead and The Poisonwood Bible comes a new novel about the choices that shape a life—and the ones we spend a lifetime trying to outrun. Join Barbara Kingsolver for an evening about love, art, the long reach of the past, and Partita—her new novel.

In Partita, Livia Cable has made her peace with her marriage and modest livelihood in the farm country where she grew up, until a shocking phone call from an old lover shakes her to the core. Decades earlier, this man knew her as Livia Bohusz, a music conservatory student estranged from her home and family, uncertain of anything except her passion for music and promise as an extraordinary pianist. His request, now, to see her again stirs up ghosts she’s kept at bay for a lifetime.

Shifting between past and present, Livia’s decision to meet or reject the reunion means confronting step by step, in memories framed as musical dances, the experiences of childhood loss, abandonment, self-immolating passion, and perilous attachment to a man who broke her belief in love and ruptured the course of her life.

With razor-sharp acuity and deep affection, Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Kingsolver’s unforgettable new novel reflects on class barriers, the risks of ambition, and the timeless power of art and how it can transform a life.

Sponsored by KNKX. The Tacoma Film Festival celebrates the boldness, perseverance, and grit of independent cinema. We present the best in contemporary independent filmmaking from the Pacific Northwest and around the world, connecting filmmakers and audiences around screenings and events in the Gritty City.

Now entering its 20th year, the Tacoma Film Festival has grown from a small regional festival into a welcoming haven for regional and international filmmakers, industry professionals, students, fans, critics, and creative entrepreneurs.

Join us to celebrate the creativity of our community and embrace the changing of seasons with light, art, and music! This event closes our 50th Anniversary art installations - Injury & Repair. Artists will be onsite with art-making activities and park history learning opportunities.
+Free Food & Drinks

+Live Music
+Crafts
+Games
+Photo Booth

Seattle Coffee Festival returns for its second year October 24–25 at Magnuson Park Hangar 30. Meet specialty roasters and coffee shops, taste coffees included with admission, and enjoy live entertainment. Food is available to purchase separately.

Sessions on both days: general admission 10am–1pm or 1:30–4:30pm; morning early admission begins at 9am. Tickets are sold by session, with a service break between sessions. Check the event website for current ticket options and availability.

Supported by KNKX. After thirty-five years of being at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary decided to bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally. He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen (his acclaimed all-star big band) in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his most beloved songs– and some new favorites– and rolled tape.

The result is The Bywater Sessions, a musical tour-de-force that showcases the grit, funk and joy that’s packed concert halls from New Orleans to Tokyo and beyond. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal), it’s a stunning collection of performances that affirms Cleary’s place in the New Orleans musical vanguard.

As for the musicians, it’s the best of the best. Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).

Presented by NWAA, KNKX and The Stranger. Critics often compare David Sedaris with Mark Twain because he’s the only living writer who captures the profane ridiculousness of modern life with the same stunning wit and surprising sentences that Twain pioneered. But if you only know Sedaris from his books, you’re missing out on the liveliest literary roadshow of our time.

On Sunday, November 15, Sedaris returns to his favorite American venue, Benaroya Hall’s Taper Auditorium, to celebrate his latest book of essays The Land and Its People. At his readings, Sedaris is a hilarious, freewheeling master of ceremonies. He shares new work, offers spirited book recommendations, autographs and personalizes every book in the building, and conducts a rambunctious live Q&A session with the audience. Don’t miss your chance to meet the world’s funniest, most entertaining writer at the height of his powers.

Sponsored by KNKX. EXPERIENCE the LOVE of Listening. When a song sounds so good, you can't help but tap your toes and mouth the words, yeah that's what we're about.

The event brings together leading audio brands, groundbreaking technology, and music lovers to the Pacific Northwest for an immersive celebration of high-fidelity sound. Discover how you can enter the world of hi-fi, experience reference-level systems, meet industry pioneers and engage other audio aficionados. Pacific Audio Fest delivers!

Pacific Audio Fest is more than an audio show. It's a celebration of music and the people who love it. Set in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, the event brings together music lovers, artists, creators, and industry professional for a weekend built around a shared passion for listening.

Music has the power to move us, inspire us, bring back memories, and connect us with one another. Through immersive listening experiences, live performances, engaging conversations, and opportunities to discover new music, Pacific Audio Fest celebrates the connection between artists, records, and the people who enjoy them.

Whether you're revisiting a favorite album, discovering a new artist, meeting the people behind the music and equipment, or simply enjoying a weekend surrounded by others who share your passion, Pacific Audio Fest offers an experience unlike any other. It's a place where music comes first, new friendships are made, and great memories are created.