Seattle Times: Oregon adapts, thrives and finally returns to Seattle

From The Seattle Times:

Of the many legendary jazz-fusion supergroups spawned by the ’60s rock explosion — Weather Report, Return to Forever, Headhunters — only one comes to mind that has continuously survived.

That is the quartet Oregon, which has recorded 25 albums and played all over the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York to Sri Lanka, Berlin and Bangladesh.

Absent from the Seattle stage for a decade, Oregon makes a rare and welcome appearance to celebrate last year’s Grammy-nominated album “1000 Kilometers” at Jazz Alley on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Read more from The Seattle Times.

Reserve tickets at Jazz Alley.com

Sunday Jazz

JAZZ ALLEY: John Densmore’s Tribal Jazz

TRIPLE DOOR:
MAINSTAGE: 9th Annual Washington Blues Society Awards
MUSICQUARIUM: Sunday Night Salsa: Tor Dietrichson & Mambo Cadillac

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
4:00pm: Jay Thomas Big Band
8:00pm: Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra

TUTTA BELLA WALLINGFORD: Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio

GALLERY 1412: Monica Mata Gilliam and Chris Stover

BRIX WINE CAFE: Katy Bourne & Randy Halberstadt
9749 NE 119th Way, 7:00pm

BALLARD ELKS: Pearl Django
6411 Seaview Ave, 12:30pm

Tom Varner Tentet Concert on KPLU

Excerpts from the world premiere of “Heaven and Hell” for tentet composed by Tom Varner will air on Jazz Northwest Sunday April 20 at 1 pm PDT on 88.5, KPLU and www.kplu.org. Recorded at this month’s Art of Jazz Concert at the Seattle Art Museum, the 13-part work was conducted by Mr.Varner who also played French Horn.

According to the composer, the “heaven” is being in the moment with his family here in Seattle, the “hell” is our planet’s last 6 1/2 years, and the piece is a reflection on that juxtaposition. He says it’s also a look back at the “extreme emotional state juxtaposition” of being New Yorkers on 9/11/01 while preparing to go to Hanoi in nine days to adopt their son Jack. He concludes, “In the end, it all worked out … we adopted our daughter Hope in ’04, moved to Seattle in ’05, and here we are, a Seattle family now.”

Musically, “Heaven and Hell” reflects his “love of Messiaen, Stravinsky, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus. It evolved into a wind octet plus bass and drums – a chamber group that can breathe together, improvise and play jazz and new music.”

The Art of Jazz Concerts are presented by Earshot Jazz, The Seattle Art Museum and KPLU on the second Thursday of each month. Next month’s concert on May 8 will continue the Seattle/New York connection and feature former Seattle singer Kendra Shank’s New York Quartet featuring pianist Frank Kimbrough. The broadcasts are recorded and produced by Jim Wilke for KPLU. The program is also streamed to the internet and available as a podcast after the airdate from kplu.org .

Listen to the audio preview below …

Saturday Jazz

QUEEN ANNE SILVER PLATTERS: Matt Jorgensen +451 (2:00pm)
701 5th Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109

CROSSROADS BELLEVUE SILVER PLATTERS (music will be on the Crossroads Stage)
1:00pm: Interlake High School Jazz Band
2:30pm: Tribaljazz
5:00pm: Hadley Caliman

Crossroads Shopping Center (next to QFC)
15600 NE 8th St
Bellevue, WA 98008

JAZZ ALLEY: John Densmore’s Tribal Jazz

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Pocket Change

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa Quartet

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Steve Alboucq Quartet, with Steve Alboucq (trumpet) Chris Morton (piano), Matt Page (drums) and Nate Parker (bass)
9pm – Zazou – Swing Jazz, Musette and Chanson Francaise sextet!
11pm – Jack Gold-Molina Group, with Chris Pugh (guitar), Michael Monhart (saxophones), Paul Kemmish (bass) and Jack Gold-Molina (drums)

BAKE’S PLACE: Jackie Ryan Quartet

HENDRIX LOUNGE: Chris Fagen Group

TUTTA BELLA: Greg Ruby

BERKSHIRE GRILL: Super Blue

GALLERY 1412: Richard Johnson; Unused Lexical Variable

GRAZIE: Blues Union

Saturday is Independent Record Store Day

On Saturday, April 19, thousands of independent record stores across the country have teamed up to celebrate Record Store Day … put down your iPod, log off of Amazon.com and head out to a real-life record store and browse through CDs, vinyl, posters and magazines and check out some music.

Silver Platters will be featuring live music in both their Queen Anne and Bellevue stores and included in the mix is some jazz.

QUEEN ANNE SILVER PLATTERS
2:00pm: Matt Jorgensen +451

701 5th Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109

CROSSROADS BELLEVUE SILVER PLATTERS (music will be on the Crossroads Stage)
1:00pm: Interlake High School Jazz Band
2:30pm: Tribaljazz
5:00pm: Hadley Caliman

Crossroads Shopping Center (next to QFC)
15600 NE 8th St
Bellevue, WA 98008

Friday Jazz

Counter the rain today by going out and hearing some great music!

JAZZ ALLEY: John Densmore’s Tribal Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Susan Pascal Quartet

HIROSHI’S JAZZ AND SUSHI: Symer Hamar Double Double Bass String

BAKE’S PLACE: Linda Ciofalo Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Far Corner, with Fraser Havens (flute), Pete Sanders (bass), Brad Papineau (drums) and Dick Valentine (saxophones)
9pm – Welch/Stickney Ensemble, with Neil Welch (sax), Jacob Stickney (sax), Brendan O’Donnell (guitar), Mack Grout (piano), Luke Bergman (bass) and Zack Dunham (drums)
11pm – Tom Baker Quartet, with Tom Baker (guitar), Greg Campbell (drums/vibes/French horn), Jesse Canterbury (clarinet) and Brian Cobb (bass)

LATONA PUB: Stuart McDonald, Phil Sparks, Matt Jorgensen (4:30 – 6:30pm)

BERKSHIRE GRILL: Brad Buck

GALLERY 1412: The Jim Knodle Trio

Ballard Jazz Festival in the press

The Ballard Jazz Festival begins next Wednesday and runs through Sunday. Discounts on tickets are available through the festival website.

Previews of the festival have started appearing the local papers.

THE SEATTLE PI: SCAT AROUND IN BALLARD AND SOAK IN JAZZ
Friday’s Jazz Walk is the festival highlight and its biggest draw. “With 16 bands in 13 venues, it is a sure thing,” Jorgensen promises. “If you can’t find something you like in all that, you need to look for a different genre of music.”

THE STRANGER: BALLARD JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW
Not all festivals improve with age, but the Ballard Jazz Festival is an exception. After starting small and growing slowly, the Ballard Jazz Festival has become a distinct and essential event.

THE SEATTLE TIMES
Now in its fifth year, the Ballard Jazz Fest has become one of the most popular and lively jazz events of the year. It gets started next week with the Brotherhood of the Drum on Wednesday and Thursday.

IAJE Coming To Seattle!

Oops. Well it was fun while it lasted.

From The Seattle Times:

The most important American jazz gathering of the year, scheduled to take place in Seattle in January, has been canceled because its presenter is declaring bankruptcy.

In what is being described as a “perfect storm” of bad luck, unchecked growth, fundraising and management failures, the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) — an important link to Seattle’s successful school jazz-band scene — has collapsed.

According to IAJE’s legal counsel, Alan Bergman, it will go into Chapter 7 bankruptcy and be turned over to a trustee, its assets parceled out to creditors.

A letter from the group’s president, Chuck Owen, is scheduled to go out to members as early as today, announcing the bankruptcy — and essentially the dissolution — of the 40-year-old organization.

Click here to read the entire article.

Thursday Jazz

JAZZ ALLEY: John Densmore’s Tribal Jazz
Legendary Drummer of THE DOORS plays his Tribal Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Sonando

THE NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Garfield High’s Bulldog Brass Band, with Carl Majeau (clarinet/tenor sax), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Willem deKoch (trombone), Jonas Meyers (piano), Colleen Gilligan (bass) and James Squires (drums)
9pm – Mack Grout Band, with Tony Falteisek on Drums

HIGH DIVE: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey
513 N 36th, Seattle, 9pm

VERTIGO LOUNGE: Katy Bourne w/ Bill Anschell & Doug Miller

MONA’S: Jason Parker & Ty Bailie
6421 Latona Ave NE, 526-1188

ASTEROID CAFE: Tim Kennedy Jam Session

Obituary | Norm Bobrow, Seattle jazz champion

From The Seattle Times:

Norm Bobrow, a well-known Seattle impresario and champion of Seattle jazz, died Sunday.

A disc jockey, Seattle Times columnist and singer/bandleader who presented Fats Waller, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Parker, among others, Mr. Bobrow had a career in popular music and jazz that spanned seven decades.

Mr. Bobrow, 90, died of cancer, according to his brother, Mort.

Always a champion of local talent, Mr. Bobrow actively promoted the career of then-17-year-old Seattle singer Ernestine Anderson as “the new Ella [Fitzgerald],” presenting her in 1946 at the Metropolitan Theatre. Other artists promoted by Bobrow included Paul Neves, Freddie Greenwell, Gerald Wiggins and Floyd Standifer.

In 1950, Mr. Bobrow started promoting bebop pianist Cecil Young, often at the 908 Club, on 12th Avenue. The quartet later went on to national tours and a popular recording. In 1952, Mr. Bobrow presented a historic concert at the Metropolitan Theatre that featured Parker, Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker.

Mr. Bobrow loved to tell the story about how Parker first had to be dragged from the bar at the Grosvenor Hotel to the show, and then wound up spending the night in Bobrow’s apartment, leaving a “goodbye” scrawled in lipstick the next morning, before Bobrow got up.

Mr. Bobrow also presented legendary saxophonist Stan Getz, after which Getz, in an infamous incident, was arrested for robbing a drugstore.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times website.

Tonight at The Sunset

Just found out about this … everyone should check it out:

Robin Holcomb & Wayne Horvitz
(with special guest Tony Scherr)

followed by
Tony Scherr
(with Rob Jost & Anton Fier)

Wednesday April 16th @ 9pm
The Sunset Tavern

5433 Ballard Avenue
(206) 784-4880

Latin America: Encounter & Magic!

Viva La Musica Club presents
“Latin America: Encounter & Magic!”

Jovino Santos Neto – piano/flute
Alfredo Muro – guitar

FRIDAY, APRIL 18 at 7:30pm

Benaroya Hall
200 University St.
Seattle, WA 98101

Info Line: 425-562-0853

Join us in the encounter of two musicians from two different countries in South America, Brazil and Peru. With their music they will take us to the magical world of the Latin American cultures. Guitarist Alfredo Muro and pianist/flautist Jovino Santos Neto will be the featured performers.

JOVINO SANTOS NETO
Brazilian-born Jovino Santos Neto worked as a pianist, flutist and producer with the legendary Hermeto Pascoal from 1977 to 1992. He is a Professor of Music at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts. He has released several recordings as the leader of his own ensemble and also in collaboration with other musicians. He has received several jazz and chamber music commissions.

His 2 most recent CDs, “Canto do Rio” (2004) and “Roda Carioca” (2006) were both nominated for a Latin Grammy. His latest release is “Alma do Nordeste”, inspired by the music of Northeastern Brazil.


ALFREDO MURO

Born in Lima-Peru, Alfredo is a virtuoso guitarist, arranger and composer.
His style proved there are no frontiers between classical and popular music, gliding in a very elegant way. He had the honor to represent his native country of Peru in several International Guitar Festivals, and also performed in Special Audience at The Vatican for Pope John Paul II.

Recently, he was featured at The Kennedy Center in DC.

Wednesday Jazz

JAZZ ALLEY: Deep Blue Organ Trio feat. Bobby Broom

TRIPLE DOOR: Leon Redbone

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Hal Sherman & the BCC Jazz Orchestra

NEW ORLEANS: The Legend Band w/ Clarence Acox

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
6pm – Penelope Donado and Kay Bailey, with Victor Noriega (piano) and Chris Symer (bass)
8pm – Vocal Jam with guest host Billy Brandt, Bruce Barnard (guitar), Joe Casalini (bass) and Bob Merrihew (drums)

TUTTA BELLA: Scott Lindenmuth

BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM: Gail Pettis
510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA, 5:00pm

VERTIGO LOUNGE: Greta Matassa

NIJO SUSHI: Buckshot Jazz
83 Spring St, 6:30pm, 206-340-8880

Tuesday Jazz

JAZZ ALLEY: Deep Blue Organ Trio

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
5:00pm: Earshot Jazz Community Forum
8:00pm: Roadside Attraction Big Band

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Kenny Mandell student groups Jazz Against the Machine and New Trixx (7pm)

OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam Session

Two must-attend events tonight

Tonight there are two events in Belltown that we highly recommend members of the Seattle jazz community attend.

Beginning at 5:00pm at Tula’s Jazz Club, the Earshot Jazz Board of Directors is holding a public forum. Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring their questions, ideas, and suggestions for the organization. There will be a sign-up sheet for public comment.

Tula’s Nightclub and Restaurant, 2214 2nd Avenue (Belltown)

At 7:30pm, Origin Records and Jazz Alley welcome Chicago’s Deep Blue Organ Trio to Seattle for their performance at Jazz Alley. Featuring Bobby Broom (guitar), Chris Foreman (organ) and Greg Rockingham (drums) , their latest CD held the #2 position on the Jazz Week chart for four straight weeks and remained in the top five for two months.

Jazz Alley, 2033 6th Avenue, Seattle, phone 206.441.9729

Norm Bobrow

I’m very sorry to pass on the news from Paul West that Norm Bobrow passed last night. Paul said he owed whatever success he had in the music business to Norm, who first started promoting jazz concerts when he was a student at The UW in the late 30s. He was also a conga player, a fellow broadcaster, and a sweet man who had many friends and dearly loved jazz and everyone associated with it.

When I introduced him at his induction into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 1996, I told him “When I grow up, Norm, I want to be just like you!” He got a big kick out of that and recalled it again when I saw him at The New Orleans just a couple of months ago when we were both there listening to Jay Thomas’ Big Band.

I’m sure there will be many remembrances of Norm Bobrow in the next few days and information about a memorial. He was a major contributor to the Seattle Jazz Scene. There are numerous references to him in Paul DeBarros’ “Jackson Street After Hours”.

– Jim Wilke

Monday Jazz

Well … the first signs of Spring came and went. Here is a list of what’s happening tonight …

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: JAZZ JAM with the Darin Clendenin Trio

THE NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet

WASABI BISTRO: Brazilian Jazz

LA SPIGA: Ray Baldwin

Deep Blue Organ Trio at Jazz Alley starting Tuesday

DEEP BLUE ORGAN TRIO AT JAZZ ALLEY
April 15-16, 2008

KBCS 91.3 FM and the Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley present the classic B-3 Deep Blue Organ Trio with Bobby Broom (guitar), Chris Foreman (organ) and Greg Rockingham (drums) for two nights only! Set times Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:30pm, doors open Tuesday at 6:00pm & Wednesday at 5:30pm.

Folk Music, the latest CD by The Deep Blue Organ Trio on Origin Records, won the award for “Best Jazz CD” at the 2008 Chicago Music Awards presentation last month. The CD held its #2 position on the Jazz Week chart for four straight weeks and remained in the top five for two months. Jazz fans across the nation are listening as the group continues to find ways to connect the continuum of the black music experience, blending jazz with soul, R&B, blues, gospel, and more. Celebrating the classic jazz combo configuration of the Hammond B3 organ, guitar and drums, as well as the Black-American experience through music, Chris Foreman, Greg Rockingham and Bobby Broom bring a modern edge to a musical timepiece.

Call 206-441-9729 for reservations
http://jazzalley.com