Thomas Marriott photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn
KNKX Leadership Update
After a 46-year career in media, KNKX and Jazz24 President & General Manager, Joey Cohn, announced his retirement. An exact retirement date is still to be determined, but is slated by the end of 2024. In a statement, Cohn noted his most cherished career highlights including the campaign to save KPLU. “It was a life-changing event for me and showed what can be done when people are passionate about something they deeply care about.” Now with studios in both Tacoma’s Theater District on Broadway, and in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, it’s clear how much the station has thrived under Cohn’s leadership. The KNKX Board is leading the national search for a new president & general manager and Cohn intends to serve the station until a new leader is identified and hired.
Seattle JazzED Leadership Update
After 15 years of visionary leadership, the Seattle JazzED Board of Directors recently announced that Executive Director and Co-founder Laurie de Koch is stepping down from her role, and Deputy Director, Nicole Harvey, will serve as the interim executive director. In Laurie’s words: “I have truly loved every stage of JazzED’s growth, and I know that it’s now time, both in my personal life and in the life of the organization, to hand over the reins to fresh leadership.” Under de Koch’s leadership, JazzED broke new ground in launching the country’s first all-girls high school jazz ensemble and implemented a successful pay-what-you-can model to ensure access for all families. Across the years and even through a global pandemic, Laurie and her team delivered award-winning music education to young musicians—all while building community, prioritizing fair wages for teaching artists, and promoting equity at every turn. In what may have been Laurie’s most visionary contribution, she envisioned and launched a capital campaign for Jazz House, a permanent home for JazzED with classrooms and a youth arts performance space. A small search committee composed of board members and staff will work alongside an executive search firm to identify JazzED’s next leader.
Kerry Hall for Sale
Cornish College of the Arts has listed the historic Kerry Hall building for sale. The three-story studio, located at 710 E Roy St, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, was built in 1921 and was the home of Nellie Cornish, the college’s founder. It was the original building where the college was formed more than 100 years ago and has been continually occupied by the college since then. “This is an exciting moment for Cornish College of the Arts,” said Emily Parkhurst, chairman of the Board of Trustees, in a statement. “The decision to sell Kerry Hall completes the Board’s plan to unify the campus in South Lake Union, first outlined in 2007.” This news comes, however, as a great loss to the arts community and will mark the end of a 110-year-old relationship between Cornish and the neighborhood.
2024 Jazz Hero Thomas Marriott
The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) announced its slate of 2024 Jazz Heroes, advocates who have had significant impact in their local communities. Thomas Marriott is Seattle’s Jazz Hero for 2024, in recognition of his founding and implementation of the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the local jazz community. The Jazz Hero awards, made annually on the basis of nominations from community members, are presented by their local fans and friends in conjunction with the JJA’s annual Jazz Awards honoring significant achievements in jazz music and journalism.
