from The Seattle Times:

Cultural ownership of jazz has lately moved far beyond the borders of its birthplace, evidenced by the preponderance of non-American musicians performing the last full week of the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival.

The lineup includes Gambian kora player Foday Musa Suso, Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista, Brazilian pianist Jovino SantosNeto, the Kaufmann/Gratkowski/DeJoode trio from Germany, Chilean singer Claudia Acuña and the Jay Thomas East/West Double Trio featuring jazz musicians from Japan.

“Jazz is so enriched by tremendous talent coming into it … from outside the U.S.” said festival director John Gilbreath. “There is obvious knowledge and love of the jazz canon. I think sometimes it is played back for us with more enthusiasm and heartfelt joy than we see in America. That’s a great reflection how wonderful this music really is.”

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

Category:
Seattle Jazz