Jim Wilke is a radio host and producer in Seattle, Washington. In 1988 he began hosting ''Jazz Northwest'' from the public radio station KNKX in Seattle. From 1984 to 2014, he hosted the syndicated radio program ''Jazz After Hours''.

Career

Wilke grew up in

New London, Iowa New London is a city in Henry County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census. History New London was originally called Dover, after its founder Abraham C. Dover, who came to the area from Illinois in 1833. ...

and graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1959. At school he played saxophone in a jazz band. He moved to Seattle and started at

KING-FM KING-FM (98.1 MHz; "Classical King FM") is a non-commercial classical music radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is owned by Classic Radio, a nonprofit organization. The studios and offices are on Mercer St in Seattle. KING-FM holds period ...

in 1961. He produced ''Showcase of the Lively Arts'' with Don Shannon. In 1962

The Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

jazz club opened with a phone line from the club to KING-FM. Wilke set up a mixing board near the piano and four microphones on stage.

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

was the first singer to be broadcast. Wilke taught jazz history at

Cornish College of the Arts Cornish College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art college in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1914. History Cornish College of the Arts was founded in 1914 as the Cornish School of Music, by Nellie Cornish (1876–1956), a teacher of pi ...

from 1975–2002. He taught radio broadcasting at

Bellevue Community College Bellevue College (BC) is a public college in Bellevue, Washington, United States. It is the largest of the 34 institutions that make up the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system and the third-largest institution of higher educatio ...

on their station KBCS-FM from 1977–1983. From 1978–1993, he worked for the Bellevue Parks and Community Service, coordinating music festivals and outdoor concerts. During 1981–2001 he worked at

KUOW-FM KUOW-FM (94.9 MHz) is a National Public Radio member station in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest of the three full-fledged NPR member stations in the Seattle and Tacoma media market, with two Tacoma-based stations, KNKX and KVTI being the ...

. In 1985 he started the recording studio Hatchcover, the production company responsible for ''Jazz Northwest''. He records at the

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park on Cap ...

for the

Earshot Jazz Earshot Jazz is a regional jazz non-profit organization in Seattle, Washington. It brings jazz musicians and enthusiasts from the greater Seattle area and around the Pacific Northwest to create an energetic and lively jazz community that wants to k ...

Art of Jazz program. Note that this program was ended approx. late 2019. Wilke has announced his retirement from the broadcasting industry as of 24-Aug-2023. Wilke has worked with jazz record labels to release recordings he made in the early 1960s. These include music by

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", whi ...

Awards and honors

* Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilke, Jim Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American radio producers