Pianist Charlie Peacock visits Seattle

May 11, 2008 / / No Comments

Grammy Award-winning record producer and artist Charlie Peacock will perform in Seattle on May 17th to benefit the Artist Life Guild. Appearing with Peacock is 19 year-old mandolin virtuoso Eva Scow. Seattle uber- drummer Matt Jorgensen will also be featured.

Peacock will perform music from his two jazz albums as well as vocal songs selected from his significant pop and singer-songwriter catalog. Peacock’s newest jazz album ARC OF THE CIRCLE, a collaboration with Flecktone’s saxophonist Jeff Coffin, is charting at #3 on the CMJ Jazz chart.

May 17th at 8:00PM, doors at 7:30
All Ages Show — Tickets $12
Fremont Abbey Arts Center
4272 Fremont Ave. North
Seattle, WA 98103

allaboutjazz.com/charliepeacock
fremontabbey.org

Saturday Jazz

May 9, 2008 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jovino Santos Neto
CD RELEASE: “Alma do Nordeste” (Soul of the Northeast)

JAZZ ALLEY: The Rippingtons

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Das Vibenbass

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Manghis Khan, with Yaw Amponsah (West African Ashanti drums and djembe), Tony Grasso (trumpet), Viren Kamdar (cajon, congas) and Marc Miller (bass) – African and Carribean percussion, Trumpet and Bass
9pm – Tom Boros – singer/songwriter
11pm – Decateur Buff – Indie/folk/rock originals with John Wies (guitar), Gary Seigel (bass) and Mike Young (drums)

BAKE’S PLACE: Nancy Kelly

HENDRIX LOUNGE: Chris Fagan Group

SERAFINA: Jazzukha

GRAZIE: Andre Thomas Quiet Fire

EL DIABLO COFFEE: Rik Wright Trio
1811 Queen Anne Ave N, 8pm

Review: Jeremy Jones at The Triple Door

May 9, 2008 / / No Comments

by Jason Parker

JEREMY JONES XTET
THE TRIPLE DOOR
MAY 1, 2008

It was an evening of passion, energy and beautiful music last night at The Triple Door in Seattle. More than 200 music lovers gathered to celebrate the release of Awakening to Life, the new CD by The Jeremy Jones Xtet on Broken Time Records. J&J Music, Broken Time and Jeremy have been planning this show for months now, and when the night finally arrived everyone was ready to celebrate and lay down the positive vibes.

The night began with an opening set by another group with a forthcoming CD on Broken Time, The Josh Rawlings Trio. (In the interest of full discloser, it should be noted that Josh Rawlings is one of the “J’s” in J&J Music.) Josh on piano, bassist Nate Omdal and drummer D’Vonne Lewis played masterfully on four of Josh’s original compositions, including the Abdullah Ibrahim-inspired title track “Climbing Stairs.” The song’s performance included rainforest sounds courtesy of Josh and the audience. The chemistry between Rawlings and longtime bassist Nate Omdal was clear throughout the night, as the two young masters weaved their lines in and around each other in creative and exciting ways, all the while never stepping on each others’ toes. D’vonne Lewis (subbing for regular drummer Adam Kessler) brought the house down with his powerful solos and superb comping, all-the-while pushing and propelling the trio to thrilling heights. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the CD from start to finish and I know you’re going to dig the record and Josh’s compositions. Stay tuned for news of the release date.

After a short break came the Jeremy Jones Xtet, starting with Jeremy alone on stage, laying down the beat to his composition “Flowin’.” Jeremy was joined one at a time by his killin’ band: Phil Sparks on bass, John Hansen on piano, Steve Treseler on tenor and Thomas Marriott on trumpet and flugelhorn. By the time the whole band was finally assembled and blowing, the energy flowin’ from the stage was palpable, and while the horns were out front and each member of the band was playing at an extremely high level, it was clear that this band belonged to the drummer.

Jeremy led the group through eight of his original tunes from the new CD with smiles, swing and some well placed bombs, switching all the while from sticks to brushes to mallets to bells and back again. He played every part of his kit; rims, heads, cymbals and stands. He marked the sections of his tunes with press-rolls, tom hits and stop-time. As the night wore on, Jeremy’s shining spirit emanated from the stage, filling the room with joy and washing over everyone in attendance with a contagious warmth. Read More

Friday Jazz

May 9, 2008 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Tim Armacost / Chris Fagan Quintet

JAZZ ALLEY: The Rippingtons

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
5:30pm: Tor Dietrichson/Leif Totusek Happy Hour Duo
9:00pm: Tor Dietrichson Blues Machine

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Kathleen Donnelly (vocals) with Darin Clendenin (piano), Jon Hamar (bass) and Steve Korn (drums) Note: reserved seating is full for this show.
9pm – Andrew McKnight and Sean Kelly – Acoustic/folk/indie from Virginia-based environmental engineer-turned-songwriter

SERAFINA: The Djangomatics

HIROSHI’S: Jazz and Sushi

This Weekend at Bake’s Place

May 9, 2008 / / No Comments

Bake’s Place Visiting Songbird Series continues this weekend with vocalist Nancy Kelly.

FRI-SAT, MAY 8-9
BAKE’S PLACE
4135 Providence Point Dr. SE
Issaquah, WA 98029
phone: 425-391-3335
http://bakesplace.org

Nancy Kelly’s refined vocal style is a study in phrasing, style and the ability to swing. Kelly’s powerful singing has captured many awards and the ears of many jazz fans around the globe. Kelly’s refined stage presence, style, and the ability to quickly capture the emotions of her audience isn’t the only thing that places Nancy in a league of her own–the lady was “Born to Swing”, and she means business Starting at age four in her hometown of Rochester, New York, Nancy studied piano, clarinet, drama and dance with private instructors, and voice at the Eastman School of Music.

Nancy’s live performances are legendary. During her thirty-plus year career she has honed her trademark swing/bop take no prisoners style in front of audiences across the U.S. and abroad–from Singapore to Switzerland, France, Turkey to her 3 tours of Japan.

Nancy appears regularly in New York City including performances at The Blue Note, Birdland and The Rainbow Room and Dizzy’s Jazz club, Lincoln Center. She works frequently in Los Angeles and Miami, as well as countless jazz clubs, festivals, and symphony orchestra engagements across the country.

Thursday Jazz

May 8, 2008 / / No Comments

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: Kendra Shank Quartet
Seattle Art Museum Downtown
1300 First Avenue, Seattle
Free with museum admission.
Click here to read our preview of this show.

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Patty Padden and Chang-ka-dank, with Dan O’Brien (bass) and Eric Verlinde (piano)
9pm – Eleanor Fye, solo piano/vocalist

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Trombonasaurus Wrecks

NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

JAZZ ALLEY: The Rippingtons

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton

Wednesday Jazz

May 7, 2008 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: Rachael Price

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Rochelle House Quartet

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: MARCO BENEVENTO, MATT CHAMBERLAIN, REED MATHIS: “Invisible Baby” CD Release Show w/opener SKERIK

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Tarik Abouzied Quartet

NEW ORLEANS: The Legend Band w/ Clarence Acox

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
6pm – MJ Bishop, “Folk-a-Licious Music ala k.d. lang” – MJ Bishop performs her folk/country/Americana music in an acoustic set with Paula Walters (bass), Bob Knetzger (dobro, pedal steel, banjo), Paul Elliot (fiddle) and Nancy K. Dillon (vocals)
8pm – Vocal jazz jam session with Carrie Wicks and the Dan Sales Trio

BELLEVUE DOWNTOWN SERIES: Ben Thomas
KeyCenter, 601 108th Ave NE, Bellevue, 5:00pm, Free

Rochelle House at Tula’s Wednesday Night

May 6, 2008 / / No Comments

Vocalist Rochelle House will be performing Wednesday night at Tula’s Jazz Club with an all-star band featuring Dawn Clement on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB
2214 2nd Ave
Seattle,WA
8:00pm
http://tulas.com

Reservations: 206-443-4221

Tuesday Jazz

May 6, 2008 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: Rachael Price

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Student Drum Night, Ed Hartman’s Drum Exchange (6:30pm)

OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam Session

DEXTER & HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

Tonight: Dawn Clement CD Release Party

May 5, 2008 / / No Comments

Pianist Dawn Clement will celebrate the release of her new CD, Break, tonight at Tula’s Jazz Club.

MONDAY, MAY 5 – TULA’S JAZZ CLUB
2214 2nd Ave, Seattle
8:30pm, $10

Dawn Clement – piano
Dean Johnson – bass
Matt Jorgensen – drums

Seattle-based pianist Dawn Clement’s highly regarded musicianship is in fine form on her second recording as a leader. Combining with the New York rhythm section of drummer Matt Wilson and bassist Dean Johnson, the trio explores personal interpretations of time-tested standards such as “All of Me,” and “Sweet and Lovely,” originals by Clement, and nods to her musical mentors with trombonist Julian Priester’s “First Nature,” and Denny Goodhew’s “Distant Oasis.” Wilson and Johnson add their highly unique voices to a session of adventurousness, swing and spontaneity.

Click here to read more about Dawn’s new CD on Origin Records.

Monday Jazz

May 5, 2008 / / No Comments

The sun is out … enjoy the day and then go hear some live music tonight!

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Dawn Clement CD Release Party (8:00pm)

SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Jim Knapp Orchestra
12510 15th Ave NE, Seattle, 8:00pm

THE NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet

GALLERY 1412: Greg Campbell, Christian Asplund, Jesse Canterbury

This Thursday: Kendra Shank at SAM

May 5, 2008 / / No Comments

Earshot Jazz presents former Seattle, now New York resident, Kendra Shank and her New York Quartet at the Seattle Art Museum on Thursday, May 8th at 5:30pm.

Seattle Art Museum Downtown
1300 First Avenue, Seattle
Free with museum admission.
http://earshot.org/Events/Art_of_Jazz.html

The following is a review from a recent performance at Flushing Town Hall.

REVIEW: KENDRA SHANK AT FLUSHING TOWN HALL
Queens, New York, April 4, 2008

By Andrew Freund

Welcome to Flushing Town Hall, a surprising two-story Victorian structure dating to the mid-19th Century, well before a few separate regions coalesced into one mammoth New York City. We are in famously heterogeneous, residential northern Queens, and the institution is an anomaly in a neighborhood typified by sometimes perplexingly foreign businesses and store signs in various Asian scripts. An open-minded, savvy administration turned the hall into a notable arts center fifteen years ago, drawing significant stars and companies from the worlds of classical, jazz, and international music to an old-fashioned chamber setting far from Manhattan, along the way creating its very own devoted audience.

Tonight, the first floor L-shaped performance space (this place was originally designed for politics, not music) finds Kendra Shank and her musical companions of just under a decade — pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson and traps and hand drummer Tony Moreno – in its fulcrum, warmly essaying the knowing, love-saturated vibe of Cole Porter’s All of You. Those of us in a different kind of know are immediately reminded of Kendra’s many musical virtues, her lovely natural instrument (if she were a wine, she would be a merlot), her gracious sense of proportion (no rough edges here), her combination of innate musicality and lightly expressed wisdom. In a word, Kendra is an adult.

Kendra’s latest CD, A Spirit Free, is an homage to the compositions of her friend and mentor, the resplendent vocalist Abbey Lincoln, and tonight’s next song is Abbey’s most performed work, the philosophical Throw it Away (self-help really, redeemed by unforgettable lyrics and music). Kendra has recorded this modern standard on her last two recordings, in very different versions, and here is another variation — again opening with Kendra’s Incantation in the imaginary, African-sounding language she has been developing in recent years, before featuring Tony Moreno playing his drum kit with his hands. The Town Hall audience does not seem to be a jazz crowd (more a membership grouping, maybe), and I suspect most have never heard the song. Yet I am also certain that given Kendra’s nonpareil communicative ability, they have caught every nuance of Lincoln’s boldly idiosyncratic exhortation. Read More

Sunday Jazz

May 4, 2008 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: Les McCann Swiss Movement Revisited with Javon Jackson

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Victor Wooten
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Mango Son (Sunday Night Salsa)

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
Reggie Goings / Hadley Caliman Quintet (3-7)
Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra (8pm)

TUTTA BELLA COLUMBIA CITY: Swing Musette Society
TUTTA BELLA WALLINGFORD: Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio

SERAFINA:
Jazz Brunch with the Conlin Roser Duo (11am – 1:30pm)
Jerry Frank (6:30pm to 9pm)

LA SPIGA: Julie Cascioppo

Saturday Jazz

May 3, 2008 / / No Comments

Lots of stuff happening tonight …

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bill Anschell / Jeff Johnson Quartet

JAZZ ALLEY: Les McCann Swiss Movement Revisited with Javon Jackson

ST. CLOUDS: Jose Gonzales Trio
1131 34th Ave in Madrona, 9-11:30pm

HENDRIX LOUNGE: John Bishop Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Sunship, experimental nu-jazz with Brian Heaney (guitar), Michael Monhart (saxophone), David Revelli (drums), Andrew Luthringer (bass) and Stuart Dempster (trombone)
9pm – Ann Reynolds, “Ann-ita’s Latin-leaning jazz”, with Ann Reynolds (piano), Daniel Barry (trumpet), Dan O’Brien (bass), and Scott Ketron (drums)

BAKE’S PLACE: Pearl Django

GALLERY 1412: Sean R. Ongley and Friends

TUTTA BELLA: Djangomatics

SERAFINA: Leo Raymundo Quartet with Sue Nixon

GRAZIE: Greta Matassa

JAZZ VOX: Roz Corral
http://jazzvox.com

Review: Lee Konitz at The Ballard Jazz Festival

May 2, 2008 / / No Comments

Review by Bill Barton; Photos by Jim Levitt

Saturday, April 26 – The Ballard Jazz Festival
Nordic Heritage Museum

Lee Konitz with The Hal Galper Trio:
Lee Konitz – alto saxophone, Hal Galper – piano, Jeff Johnson – bass, John Bishop – drums

Lee Konitz certainly needs no introduction to jazz fans. He’s been a major player for 60 years. That’s quite a remarkable achievement when you consider how many greats have come and gone in that span of time. He first attracted attention for his solos with Claude Thornhill’s orchestra in 1947 and only two years later took part in the recordings generally credited as the first “free” improvisations in jazz, captured for posterity with his mentor Lennie Tristano. He also took part in the sessions that produced the epochal Miles Davis Birth of the Cool. It would take a Britannica-sized book to list all of his credits since then. He’s been primarily a leader of his own groups for well over 50 years now. He looks great and sounds great at an age when most Americans have long since retired. The old cliché that music keeps you young applies here.

His liquid, pellucid tone on alto remains a thing of wonder. In the stereotype- crazy lexicon of jazz journalism he has long been considered part of the “cool school.” There may be a grain of truth in that pigeonhole, but many listeners seem to have missed the intense emotion with which he plays. It may be a cool burn – sometimes – but it’s a burn nonetheless. Konitz has made a career out of courting risks. The man never plays it safe. And as jazz critic Larry Kart put it: “The ethereal lyricism of Konitz’s earliest recorded work, related though it was to Lester Young, was an essentially private affair that existed outside the mainstream of jazz history.” His playing can also be – presumably purposefully – anti-lyrical; it’s as if he is stretching the limits of just how much he can fragment a melodic line before it loses its focus.

It’s a given in all definitions of jazz that improvisation is one of the music’s most essential ingredients. The paradox comes up and slaps us across the face when listening to many players – particularly in this age when neo-classicism has taken most of the seats at the front of the bus – that what passes for improvisation is often replication of something previously improvised or skilled interpolations from a grab-bag of licks and patterns. Konitz is one of the rare musicians who always seem to be standing up in the rollercoaster car at the top of the most precipitous and winding ramp. He’s not wearing a seatbelt that’s for sure. Pianist Galper stated – and I’m paraphrasing here – that in the nine months he toured with Konitz as a duo, playing six nights a week, the alto saxophonist never repeated himself or fell back on pet licks. Read More

Review: Sam Yahel Trio at Ballard Jazz Festival

May 2, 2008 / / No Comments

Review by Bill Barton; Photos by Jim Levitt

Ballard Jazz Festival 2008, Saturday, April 26, 2008
Nordic Heritage Museum

Sam Yahel Trio:
Sam Yahel – Hammond A100 organ
Mark Taylor – alto saxophone
Matt Jorgensen – drums

Sam Yahel has received a lot of attention in the jazz world recently, including an impressive four year series of wins in the Down Beat Critics Poll as Talent Deserving Wider Recognition. Truth and Beauty – his most recent CD on Origin featuring Joshua Redman and Brian Blade – has received significant international jazz radio airplay and was voted one of the 2007 Top Ten by The New York Times.

After hearing him in concert it’s easy to understand why he’s making waves. The Hammond organ is customarily associated with a funky, blues-based, down home kind of groove jazz, as personified by the likes of Jimmy Smith, Brother Jack McDuff, Richard “Groove” Holmes, et al. Yahel can groove with the best of them, but his approach is decidedly multi-faceted, and he could be considered as part of the continuation of a line of organ innovators like Big John Patton, Larry Young and Alice Coltrane than he is an inheritor of the Smith legacy.

His personal sound on the instrument was evident from the very beginning of this set. The trio began with an African-ized arrangement of the Beatles’ classic “Norwegian Wood,” a song title certainly apropos to the concert’s location in the Nordic Heritage Museum. Yahel’s registrations on the intro evoked aural images of kalimbas and balaphones. There was plenty of dynamic range in this performance and Mark Taylor‘s alto solo was delightful.

Alec Wilder’s “Moon and Sand” was done as a bossa nova, beginning with organ and drums before Taylor joined in. A favorite of Marian McPartland’s, this lovely Wilder melody has been infrequently interpreted by other jazz players (Kenny Burrell and Gil Evans are among the few who have championed it.) It’s a beautiful song, and the trio did it justice in a version that dropped the dynamics down toward the end and reverted to its ballad origins. There was a canny and oblique quote from “Mona Lisa” slipped unobtrusively into the organ solo just before the group changed the mood. Read More

Friday Jazz

May 1, 2008 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Randy Halberstadt Quintet with Mark Taylor & Thomas Marriott

JAZZ ALLEY: Les McCann Swiss Movement Revisited with Javon Jackson

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: James Baumgart Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – ThorNton Creek – Twisted two step – eclectic roots music for people with ears
9pm – Pascale Goodrich-Black, heading home from her West Coast tour, with guitarists Devon O’Donnell and Marc Floyd, and Cheryl Fischer (mandolin/guitar/backing vox)

GRAZIE: Greg Schroeder Quartet

JAZZ VOX: Roz Corral

CROSSROADS BELLEVUE: Ben Thomas Trio

SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Frantic Menagerie Orchestra
From Earshot Jazz: Sam Gray, a senior at Garfield High School and member of the Garfield Jazz Ensemble is winning notices for his compositions and arrangements, and he will showcase his skills with the Frantic Menagerie Orchestra. Gray has long been a student of Wayne Horvitz, who speaks highly of his ward’s arranging chops: “He’s on fire,” says the bandleader, composer, keyboardist, and producer. (Two cuts on Horvitz’s album from last year, Mr. Man In The Moon, feature Gray’s horn arrangements and performance.) Gray has been composing since the age of 14, and his music was first performed last year by the Clarence Acox-led Garfield High School jazz band, which has performed Gray’s work a number of times, since. In this L.A.B. date, the Frantic Menagerie Orchestra, which includes some of the most accomplished high-school jazzers from around the city, highlight the eclectic nature of Gray’s work. Their set ranges includes, for example, Gray’s take on a They Might Be Giants number to original songs that Gray describes as “frenetic and claustrophobic.” At the L.A.B. (in the back of the Seattle Drum School), 12510 15th Ave NE, Seattle; admission $5.

SERAFINA: Kelly Ash

Roz Corral at Jazz Vox Series

May 1, 2008 / / No Comments

The JazzVox Series continues with another weekend of shows.

May 2, 2008 – Camano Island @ Spirit Ridge Inn
May 3, 2008 – Federal Way

The Always Swingin’ Roz Corral
w/ Bill Anschell (May 2) and Randy Halberstadt (May 3)

For more information, call 206-963-2430 or visit http://jazzvox.com/

Combining a natural feel for jazz with an evocative interpretation of a lyric, Roz Corral offers a fresh approach to a song. Corral is an excellent story teller and her debut CD Telling Tales aptly describes the essence of her singing style. As the great jazz vocalist Mark Murphy puts it: “…Roz always goes to the heart of a song.” In his liner notes, Chicago broadcaster/writer Neil Tesser has this to say: “She finds the heart of a song’s message, as contained in the lyrics, then she finds the best way to convey that message musically.”