from The Seattle Times:
Most major American jazz presenters outside New York City fill their festivals with out-of-town talent, leaving local players to grumble over crumbs. By contrast, the Earshot Jazz Festival’s animating principle can be summed up as: Think global and book local.
Running Oct. 12-Nov. 4, Earshot’s 24th edition features 52 concerts at more than a dozen Seattle area venues. More often than not, boldface jazz names and international talent share a double bill with progressive Seattle artists.
This strategy results in fascinating juxtapositions, such as the long-running trio of Panamanian-born pianist Danilo Perez paired with the intricate chamber jazz of rising trombonist/composer Andy Clausen’s Wishbone, an accordion-driven quintet featuring the same cast as his recent Table & Chairs album “Wishbone Suite.”
The luminous Los Angeles-based Brazilian jazz vocalist Luciana Souza’s trio finds a lyrical match in pianist Dave Peck’s trio and pianist Vijay Iyer’s rhythmically turbocharged New York trio shares the stage with Seattle trumpeter Cuong Vu’s spacious band Triggerfish.
Fittingly, the festival opens with Garfield High School’s tribute to beloved educator and drummer Clarence Acox, celebrating his 35-year tenure as director of the school’s acclaimed jazz program.
As Earshot’s featured artist, bassist Evan Flory-Barnes plays in a series of disparate settings, starting with intimate duo encounters with bassist Jeff Johnson and pianist Dawn Clement at the Chapel Performance Space.
Revisiting one of last year’s signature performances, the all-star quintet Human Spirit reunites trumpeter Thomas Marriott, alto saxophonist Mark Taylor and drummer Matt Jorgensen, all busy bandleaders responsible for essential Seattle ensembles, with the East Coast rhythm section of pianist Orrin Evans and bassist Essiet Essiet. The concert celebrates the release of the eponymous Origin Records CD documenting 2011’s searing Earshot show.
Continue reading at The Seattle Times.