by Chris Stilwell
The Great Northwest is noted for it's spectacular mountains and rivers,
a land of plaid-shirted outdoorsy types who look more suited line
dancing at the local C&W bar than being jazz fans. But, as we know,
looks can be deceiving. A few months ago we asked AAJ readers to tell us
about their favorite stations. Somewhat surprisingly, we got more response
from the Seattle area than any other. As a NW dweller, I've known about
the jazz side of God's country for a long time, but it was still a surprise
to see the number of avid jazz listeners from this corner of the woods.
But it's not surprising that this region could foster this kind of
enthusiasm. Both Seattle & Portland have had relatively small, but very
active & vibrant jazz scenes for decades. Much of this was centered around
the railroad, dock & shipyard workers that made both cities centers of
transportation & commerce. During WWII there were thousands of ship
builders imported from around the country to build the Liberty & Victory
ships. These people helped swell the numbers of people who frequented the
jazz clubs of the NW, and a lasting interest was established.
Today, Seattle-area jazz fans have a variety of stations to listen to,
with the first choice being KPLU-FM. Based at Pacific Lutheran University,
KPLU broadcasts 24 hours a day on 88.5 FM. It features perhaps the top
Jazz DJ in the NW, Jim Wilke, doing both Jim Wilke's Jazz Northwest on
Sunday afternoons, and "Jazz After Hours" Friday & Saturday nights. During
the week there is Jazz Overnite with Bob Parlocha, one of the legendary
crew at the late, great KJAZ-Alameda. Nick Morrison, Dick Stein, Phil
Harper, Ken Wiley, Abe Beeson, Kat, & Pat Henry are also regulars at KPLU,
providing a formidable line-up of top jazz programmers. Other shows
include "Blues" with Juliette Zentelis, and there are also NPR national shows
such as Nancy Wilson's "Jazz Profiles", and Marion McPartland's "Piano Jazz".
The NPR connection is important, since almost all jazz radio in America
today is on NPR. KPLU is also noted as a top supporter of local school jazz
bands, including the award-winning Roosevelt High School Jazz Band.
Other Seattle-area stations include KBCS-FM 91.3, based at Bellevue
Community College; KCMU-FM 90.3, University of Washington Progressive
Radio, and KUOW-FM 94.9, NPR at the U. of W., which has a good swing show
on Saturday nights; KSER is a low-power station located in Everett, which
only covers the North Sound area. In another column we'll explore
Vancouver, B.C. stations, which can be heard in the Puget Sound area as
well.
Special thanks to our readers for their input, and to Jim Wilke for
his most valuable insights. We look forward to your comments, and more
information on jazz radio stations in your area. Happy listening...
