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The New Cool: Live Jazz Is The Coolest; Win Tickets Here!

J. Scott Shrader
Empty stage at Nectar: for a good time, just add humans!

The New Cool knows that the essence of jazz is in its immediacy, as it's happening. Records can document amazing moments in time, but this music was meant to be ever changing. And so the most rewarding moments in jazz are most often when you experience the music in person.

This week's program brings another chance for you to catch the coolest modern jazz for free, as we give away tickets to catch the bicoastal modern jazz group Kneebody at Nectar in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood on February 19.

Kneebody has been called a "resolutely unpin-downable band" by the New York Times, due to their eclectic blend of electro-pop, punk rock and hip-hop influences, or as you might call it, "big city music".

They've won fans from trumpeter Dave Douglas, who released their debut on his Greenleaf Music label, and sax star Joshua Redman, who professed a love of the band from their early days as well.

They've collaborated on music with singer/composer Theo Bleckmann ("Twelve Songs by Charles Ives") and recently with LA producer/DJ Daedelus on the album "Kneedelus," from which, an icy slow groove called "Loops" will be featured on our School of Jazz guest DJ show at 8 p.m. Thursday, February 2.

Opening for Kneebody will be a Seattle supergroup that held down a weekly residency at Nectar Lounge in December, drummer Tarik Abouzied's Happy Orchestra. Word just came in that their outstanding debut album is complete and coming soon, and on this week's episode of The New Cool, you'll hear a preview of their song "Reganing".

The band features Skerik and Thomas Marriott on sax and trumpet, Joe Doria and Tim Kennedy on keys, Andy Coe and Damian Erskine play guitar and bass. This is a new album to get excited about - and you'll hear it only on The New Cool.

KNKX teams with Nectar Lounge to present several upcoming New Cool-style shows: February 4 with Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and February 28 with the Polyrhythmics will both feature DJ Abe Beeson from The New Cool spinning funky grooves before the show.

Make plans to get out to see these fantastic groups live, and enter to win tickets to see Kneebody and the Happy Orchestra at Nectar on February 19 right here.

The Seattle area is lucky to have several venues that celebrate modern jazz like these bands, so check the calendars at the Royal Room, Seamonster Lounge and Nectar Lounge and keep your eyes and ears open for cool jazz at Tula's, Jazz Alley, Egan's Ballard Jam House and any bar, coffee shop, bistro or community center that hosts music. When you support clubs, you support musicians, and in the end, we're all the better for it!

The New Cool airs Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. The program is hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle, Wash.