Check out these jazz and jazz-adjacent acts at Bumbershoot

This feature is derived from KNKX's Tree of Jazz , taking you through the eras, from the roots to the new budding leaves, with a weekly deep dive into iconic artists, albums, and instruments.

Bumbershoot is this weekend with more than 60 music acts scheduled. If you're attending, it will be both a challenge and delight to maximize the number of artists you can check out. For the frequent KNKX listener hoping to catch some jazz, here's some jazz gems that you don't want to miss.

Saturday

Parisalexa: Saturday at the Fountain Stage 1:30pm

Show up early and make sure to hear homegrown singer and songwriter Parisalexa. She’s got a golden voice and has been sharpening her songwriting skills writing for some of the best in the pop, R&B and K-pop worlds. She also was a local finalist for this year's NPR Tiny Desk contest.

Kassa Overall: Saturday at the Fountain Stage at 3:35pm

Since his 2019 debut as a leader Go Get Ice Cream and Listen to Jazz , Kassa Overall has been creating some of the freshest sounds in the jazz realm. Expect a full-throttle set that blends dexterous rhythms, hip-hop grooves, and larger-than-life energy that leaves you not knowing what to expect next.

Just a look at his collaborators over the years shows his versatility and skill; jazz master Gary Bartz, pianist Geri Allen, trumpeters Roy Hargrove and Theo Croker; rap titans Danny Brown and Lil B just to name a few. He was in the KNKX studios last year around the release of his most recent album Animals .

Lee Fields: Saturday at the Fountain Stage at 4:45pm

At 74, the soulful Lee Fields has been singing and performing for more than 50 years. That’s a mighty long time! On stage, he bares his heart and belts out timeless soul ballads of love and heartache. His most recent album Forever shows that he’s still gotta a lot left to say.

Sunday

Stephanie Anne Johnson: Sunday at the Mural stage at 2:55pm

The bluesy Americana singer, songwriter Stephanie Anne Johnson has an undeniable uplifting aura in song and without saying a word. We know this because they also host KNKX's The Grooveyard on Saturday afternoons! The Tacoma native fronts The Hi Dogs, and saw success on the national television show The Voice. Recently, they've been hard at work on a blossoming solo career including last year's album Jewels .

Moor Mother: Sunday at the Mural stage at 4:35pm

The poet and vocalist Moor Mother creates sounds that she calls “liberation technology” - a prolific wordsmith that sparks vivid connections to history, life and a more free future. No matter the sonic setting, Moor Mother viscerally humanizes and unravels our complicated world. She fronts the free jazz ensemble Irreversible Entanglements and trades bars with underground hip-hop luminaries like Billy Woods, and Elucid; and she was featured with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. While she is playing a solo set on Sunday - check out her and Irreversible Entanglements below:

BADBADNOTGOOD: Sunday at the Mural stage at 8:55pm

BADBADNOTGOOD came up as the Canadian band that could create vibes like classic jazz, and soul that's sampled in hip-hop beats. The band originally formed when the members were in jazz school, and they would put together jazz covers of hip-hop songs to their professors' dismay. They did a whole album backing Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah. They recorded a cover of “Los Conquistadores Chocolates” by Johnny Hammond with the legendary MF DOOM. On their own the band has pushed into improvised soundscapes on their latest collection MID SPIRAL

Thee Sacred Souls: Sunday headlining the Fountain stage at 10pm

Thee Sacred Souls spin that timeless soul sound so well you can’t tell if their albums were made in the '70s or today. Their self-titled debut from 2022 is addictive and as easy to listen to as it is to soak up the sun in California. They are labelmates with Lee Fields on Daptone Records and it appears they have a follow-up on the way in October too.

This story comes from the August 25th, 2024 episode of the Tree of Jazz. Listen to the past two weeks of Tree of Jazz On-Demand . Hear deep dives like this each week on the Tree of Jazz, on air and online every Sunday from 3-6 p.m. PT.