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Since 2005, KNKX's School of Jazz has provided mentorship, learning and performance opportunities to Western Washington middle school, high school and college jazz students. A cornerstone of the station's signature community outreach program, it has directly impacted thousands of jazz students, band directors and professional musicians. School of Jazz is sponsored by BECU.

Seattle Academy's Teen Combo Shines With Steve Treseler

Tito Rios Viche in the KNKX studios.
Parker Miles Blohm
/
KNKX
Tito Rios Viche in the KNKX studios.

A confident septet of teenagers from the jazz band at the Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences took over the KNKX studios with their mentor, Steve Treseler featured on sax.

Treseler has a new tribute to trumpeter Kenny Wheeler ready for release in the New Year, but he had to keep his wits about him with this group.

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A talented pair of saxophones are featured up front, Alli Wickland on tenor and our School of Jazz guest DJ from last Winter, P.J. Colino on alto. Former drummer Zach Cohen showed off impressive skills on vibraphone, and Axel Hejlsberg's electric ukulele added a fresh sound to the ensemble.

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Senior Nick Heymann kept it all together behind the drum kit, with the youngest members of the band shining on piano (Clayton Wiley) and upright bass (Tito Rios Viche).

They reminded us of the powerful communication required of jazz musicians, trading solos and joined in unison through the lovely Sam Rivers tune "Beatrice", Freddie Hubbard's flowing soft groover "Little Sunflower", and a swingin' Shorty Rogers number called "Shortstop".

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Steve Treseler's solos promise an exciting year to come, with his promised new album. Students like these kids from the Seattle Academy are lucky to have him lending his talents to jazz education in the Northwest.

Often overshadowed by their school's popular vocal group, the kids from the Seattle Academy's jazz all-stars proved that there's equally exciting music being made by the instrumentalists there.

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.