Thursday Jazz

SAM Sculpture Park: Thomas Marriott & Tumbao
5:30pm, Free, 2901 Western Avenue

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Sonando

BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio

LUCID: The Hang w/ The Teaching

NEW ORLEANS: Ham Carson Quintet

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson & Tad Britton

Hadley Caliman at Jazz Alley this Sunday, July 18

Come support this Seattle legend at this rare Jazz Alley appearance.

Celebrating Hadley Caliman with Thomas Marriott

July 18 – Jazz Alley
2033 6th Avenue
7:30pm, $12.00

Click here to make a reservation for this show or call 206-441-9729.

The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley presents saxophonist Hadley Caliman with trumpeter Thomas Marriott. Joining them will be Bill Anschell (piano), Phil Sparks (bass) and Matt Jorgensen (drums). Show time is 7:30pm, doors will open at 6:00pm.

Tenor saxophonist Hadley Caliman is part of the living history of jazz music in America. From Dexter Gordon to Freddie Hubbard to Santana to Phoebe Snow through to his recent critically-acclaimed “Gratitude,” Hadley Caliman’s 78 years has been filled with the kind of personal achievement that all creative artists strive for. His influence on the sound of modern jazz music can be heard on many of his albums as a leader. On “Straight Ahead,” Hadley Caliman visits some of his favorite tunes including his old friend Harold Land’s “Rapture,” the Lee Morgan classic “Totem Pole,” and with his own original “Cigar Eddie,” he provides a spirited opening to another classic recording. Featuring his working Seattle band with trumpeter Thomas Marriott, pianist Eric Verlinde, Phil Sparks on bass, and Matt Jorgensen on drums, “Straight Ahead” is another clear example of a living legend in top form.

Wednesday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bellevue CC Jazz Band with Hal Sherman

NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Carol Potvin, with Ed Weber (piano), Dan O’Brien (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)
9pm – Vocal Showcase with Ed Weber (piano), Dan O’Brien (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)

BOXLEY’S: Katy Bourne

LUCID: Chris Morton

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

Leading Questions: Michael Barnett

Interview and photo by Steve Korn

When I was 14, I fell in love with the sound of the bass, specifically, Milt Hinton.

If I could do it all over again, I’d probably do most of it again, perhaps more efficiently.

Practice makes perfect, allegedly, but it never quite does which is why we keep doing it.

The bass is “a thing of beauty and a pain-in-the-ass forever.”

When I look at where I’m at right now, I know I’m still on the way to where I’m going.

My parents were talented, interested and interesting people, supportive and, in my case, very tolerant.

Fear is a poor motivator.

Motivation is whatever works for you.

As I get older, I’ve realized that advancing age is not necessarily a catastrophe, at least so far.

The thing about music is it’s the greatest blessing and thus requires nothing less than our best effort to do it right.
Read More

Monday Jazz

CAFE RACER: Frieze of Life

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Seattle Community Jazz Orchestra w/Lonnie Mardis

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet

AMORE: Ronnie Pierce Jazz Ensemble

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Primo Kim

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

BOXLEY’S: Collin Ness

POGGIE TAVERN: Better World w/ Marc Smason & Joanne Klein

Friday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Hadley Caliman Quintet w/ Thomas Marriott

NEW ORLEANS: Stuart MacDonald Quartet

JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell

BAKE’S PLACE: Greta Matassa with special guests Gary Scott & Bill Ramsay

LAKESIDE BISTRO: Deems Tsutakawa

LUCID: Lisa Markley

SERAFINA: Djangomatics

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Stephanie Porter & Friends

CHAPEL: Boris Savoldelli

BOXLEY’S: Clark Gibson Trio

HIROSHI’S: Greg Williamson Quartet

Up-coming music at Boxley’s and Hiroshi’s

BOXLEY’S
Live Music for North Bend, 7 nights a week
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA 98045
ph: (425) 292-9307
www.boxleysplace.com
no cover charge

THURSDAY STABLEMATES, JULY 8
ZACHARY KELLOGG – amazing and award winning young jazz flute talent celebrates his new CD releases, Red Velvet. Presented by Greg Metcalf, sax; with rhythm section of Hansen, Hamar & Williamson.

FRIDAYS: CLARK GIBSON TRIO, JULY 9 – plays standards and music from his new Pony Boy CD “Iapetus” – sax, bass, drums w/Symer & Kesseler.

SATURDAYS INSTRUMENTAL SPOTLIGHT, JULY 10:
GREG WILLIAMSON QUARTET
– with Alexey Nikolaev, sax; John Hansen, piano, Jon Hamar, bass – plays music from the popular “Oo Bop” and “Double Sax Quintet” and some newly quaffed arrangements.

SUNDAYS: DANNY KOLKE TRIO – North Bend’s own makes a big groovy sound with his trio of Hamar, Williamson.

BOXLEY’S is a full scale jazz club & restaurant in a beautiful setting right under the mountains in historic North Bend, Washington. Live music by Pony Boy artists featured Wednesday thru Sunday, with more local nights, education programs and fun the rest of the week. Lights, Steinway Grand Piano, stage, a great menu, good sound system with close circuit video, even a patio to watch the trains. Specials for Family Nights, Date Nights, and new appetizers. – – Special group seating available for schools and clubs of higher edification.

Pony Boy Records Presents
JAZZ and SUSHI
Friday Nights
Hiroshi’s Restaurant
2501 Eastlake Avenue East, Seattle, WA
ph: (206)726-4966
no cover
7:30 – 10:00pm
http://www.ponyboyrecords.com/files/hiroshis/jazz-sushi.html
Continuing to celebrate our fourth year of Jazz & Sushi. ???

FRIDAY, JULY 9
GREG WILLIAMSON QUARTET

Alexey Nikolaev, sax; John Hansen, piano; Jon Hamar, bass; Greg Williamson, drums

Sushi master Hiroshi and his gang prepare a full menu of Japanese cuisine that is fresh, tasty, and full of flavor – all matched with some very special sake and beverages (try the plumb wine) Favored by local Japanese and music lovers, Hiroshi’s has been featuring live jazz on Friday nights for four years – presented by the Pony Boy Records stable of artists. Come by for some fine food, and see who will be sitting in with the band. Cheers!

Thursday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: NATHAN EKLUND GROUP w/Mark Taylor, Dawn Clement, Chris Symer, Byron Vannoy
CD RELEASE FOR ‘Coin Flip’

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: Pearl Django
Entering their sixteenth year of performing Pearl Django continues to be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups. Though still strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django’s repertoire now includes many original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. Transcending simple categorization, Pearl Django packs in enthusiastic audiences at dancehalls and nightclubs, at folk music festivals and jazz festivals alike. This performance continues Earshot’s Art of Jazz series at the Seattle Art Museum Downtown. The concert is free with museum admission and the performance begins at 5:30pm.

JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson and Tad Britton

SEAMONSTER LOUNGE: Ron Weinstein, Thomas Marriott and Matt Jorgensen

NEW ORLEANS: Ham Carson Quintet

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Alika Lyman Group, with Alika Lyman (guitar), Matthew Mcclosky (piano), Jonathan Small (bass) and Maxx Arnold (drums)
9pm – Laura Rebelloso and the Chris Stover Trio, featuring Chris Stover (trombone), Ben Thomas (vibes) and Alex Chadsey (piano)

BOXLEY’S: Zachary Kellogg CD Release

BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio

LUCID: The Hang w/ The Teaching

Wednesday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Smith/Staelens Big Band

JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell

NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: New West Guitar Ensemble

LUCID: Ryan Shea Smith

DULCES LATIN BISTRO: Eric Verlinde

Dream Cymbal sale at Donn Bennett Drum Studio

from Donn Bennett:

Drummers! For the second year in a row, we are very excited to be hosting a Dream Cymbal Tasting here at Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue.

For a full week, from Wednesday July 7th to Wednesday July 14th, we’ll have over 100 cymbals and gongs on display and available for purchase.

Dream cymbals are the lowest-priced, handmade professional cymbals on the market, and this week, you can take an additional 20% OFF our already-discounted price!

For instance, a 20″ Bliss Ride would normally sell for $131.95 – get it this week for $102!! That’s a brand-new ride, with a two-year warranty!

Come check out already-classic Dream models like Contact and Bliss as well as newer offerings, like pang cymbals, and the Dark Matter series. This is a fantastic opportunity to play and select your “Dream Set Up” from a massive display of handmade cymbals!

Donn Bennett Drum Studio
13212 NE 16th St. #7
Bellevue, WA 98005
phone: (425) 747-6145

Tuesday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band

JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: New West Guitar Ensemble

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

MIX: Don Mock

OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam w/ Eric Verlinde & Jose Martinez

Bad Monkey Bistro: Live Jazz in South Lake Union


Situated between the glittering high rises of the downtown core and the busy waters of Lake Union, the South Lake Union neighborhood is Seattle’s new mecca for contemporary urban living. With all the hustle and bustle there, it is the perfect location for a spanking new live music venue; welcome the Bad Monkey Bistro

Last Friday, my teenage son Emmett and I dropped by to check things out. We had just come from the last day performances of the University of Washington jazz workshop and were looking to grab a bite to eat. The room was popping with activity and felt immediately inviting. We landed during happy hour; the bar was full of cheerful, chatting patrons, and a pianist was playing away in the dining room, where we were seated.

The layout of the space allows it to successfully accommodate both sports fans and music lovers; this is certainly not easy to do, and many establishments fail at this particular kind of multi-tasking. As you walk in, there is a sports bar with high tables and stools to the immediate right. Straight on is the dining room with traditional tables and chairs and also the piano. Adjacent to the bar is an enclosed room-the “Socialing Lounge”- with leather chairs and a fireplace. On the other side of the bar is an area with a pool table. Both the bar and the Socialing Lounge have large, flat screen TV’s, which were turned on but with the sound muted. I appreciated the respect shown to Martin Ross, who happened to be the pianist working that set. Although the bar was very busy, it in no way detracted from the music. I felt like the balance was well executed. Hats off to Bad Monkey for that.

The musical setting at the Bad Monkey is a combination of piano bar and jazz joint. The glass top on the table with surrounding stools certainly indicates the former. Martin Ross played a variety of music from “Popsicle Toes” to Tom Wait’s boozy anthem “My Piano Has Been Drinking.” While we were having dinner, a trio of giggling women came in and sat around the piano. Ross engaged them accordingly, mixing song with playful banter. Bad Monkey has live music a few nights a week. They have two sets; a 4-7pm set for happy hour and an 8-11pm set for the dinner service. In addition to solo piano, they present jazz combos from a variety of genres, with or without vocalists, depending on the particular group.

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The owners of the Bad Monkey Bistro are Daniel Poe Gale and Christopher Williams. Even though he was clearly busy taking care of customers, Daniel kindly took a few minutes to chat it up with us. He told us a little bit about the history of the building, which used to be an office for a paper manufacturing company. When they were remodeling the space, they used much of the original wood, especially in the bar area. We talked a little bit about the music; Daniel is clearly a piano aficionado and is very enthusiastic about the potential of the room and about musical things to come. (Sidebar: It came up in the conversation that Emmett plays guitar and performs with his own jazz group. Daniel offered him a gig on the spot. I found his openness surprising yet refreshing.) There is no question that he is committed to creating a welcoming scene for live jazz at the Bad Monkey. You gotta love that.

Our dinner was yummy. I had the smoked salmon pasta, which was creamy and smooth and full of lightly cooked, fresh vegetables. Emmett had the calamari stuffed with artichoke, garlic and crab, which he gobbled up in mere minutes. Our waitress was sweet and laid back. The Bad Monkey experience is probably best done when you’re in the mood to kick back, relax and hang awhile. The vibe seems to lend itself to that, and that’s just fine.

The Bad Monkey Bistro is located at 400 Boren Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109, on the corner of Boren and Harrison. Please note that it can be slightly tricky to find because there are actually two Boren Avenues that run parallel to each other. Construction in the area can add to the confusion. However, don’t let this dissuade for one minute. There are directions on the website (http://www.badmonkeybistro.com/), and once you arrive, there is plenty of available street parking. The Bad Money Bistro is open daily from 10am to 2am, serving lunch, dinner and late night bites. There is a happy hour menu as well. Phone is 206-467-1111.

By Katy Bourne

Speak gets reviewed by the BBC

from BBC Music:

This is a marathon album, despite running for only 45 minutes; a dense, fast meteorite on an edgy sky, brief enough to be indulged in all its frowning intensity. Throughout, Speak build huge constructs of volumes and dynamics. The music never sits still; it’s a snake that twists and turns in the juxtaposition of noise and quietness, light and darkness. Yet the band is tremendously cohesive, shifting as one from heavy improvisational territories down to eloquent writing with a message of unresolved tension. There isn’t a recognisable soloist; the structure is always at the core, with each musician skilfully contributing to the edifice. Indefatigable, Luke Bergman on bass and Chris Icasiano on drums are as much centre stage as Vu’s reverb-laden trumpet or Andrew Swanson’s muscular saxophone.

Continue reading at BBC Music:

Friday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Richard Cole Quartet

NEW ORLEANS: Thomas Marriott’s Flexicon

JAZZ ALLEY: Keiko Matsui

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
5:30pm: Monarch Duo
9:00pm: Waterbabies

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Dan O’Brien Trio, with Kim Rushing (vocals) – featuring Dan O’Brien (bass), Steve Rice (piano) and Robert Rushing (drums)
9pm – Dina Blade CD Release! with Hans Brehmer (piano) and Larry Halloway (bass).

BAKE’S PLACE: Greta Matassa with wpecial guest Susan Pascal

BOXLEY’S: Clark Gibson Trio

LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio

LAKESIDE BISTRO: Sandra Locklear

CYPRUS LOUNGE: Geoffrey Castle

THE CHAPEL: Seattle Composers’ Salon

HIROSHI’S: Jazz & Sushi

SERAFINA: Kelly Ash Trio

Thursday Jazz

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Cornish Jazz Faculty & Alumni

JAZZ ALLEY: Keiko Matsui

NEW ORLEANS: Ray Skelbred/Bob Jackson Quintet

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson and Tad Britton

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Tenderoney with Alisha Roney (vocals), Brendan O’Donnell (guitar), Mark Sampson (keys) and Zach Para (drums)

BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio

LUCID: The Hang w/ The Teaching

CHAPEL: Robert Rich
from Earshot Jazz: Ambient music pioneer Robert Rich is touring North America in support of his new album Ylang. Drawing from decades of recorded work, Rich blends composition and improvisation in a fluid continuum, creating a hypnotic atmosphere. Rich has helped define the genres of ambient music, dark-ambient, tribal, and trance, yet his music continues to defy categorization. Rich uses homemade acoustic and electronic instruments, microtonal harmonies, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems, and feedback networks to create his signature sound. Rich released his first album Sunyata in 1982 and followed with a string of critically acclaimed European releases for Fathom/ Hearts of Space. Rich’s all-night Sleep Concerts made him a legend across the Bay Area, and he continued the practice in 1996, culminating in the 7 hour DVD Somnium. Wonderfully suited for the Chapel Performance Space, this is a highly anticipated performance by a living legend.