Seattle Jazz Scene

from Jim Wilke:

A few things to share with you about upcoming shows on KPLU…..

This weekend is the 25th anniversary of Jazz After Hours which began the first weekend of November, 1984 on what was then American Public Radio. At that time it was a live uplink from KUOW and continued from their studios on campus and later University Way until it moved to my Hatchcover studio in 2001. Over 80 stations and several state networks, mostly East Coast and Central, currently carry the show. Many of the original stations (including KPLU) are still with us today. I’m personally grateful for their support as well as the support of Public Radio International and the jazz community world-wide.

To mark the occasion, this Friday night’s show will be mostly jazz hits from the 80s and 90s, Saturday night will bring it more up to date but will also include some more “oldies”. Here are some of the artists who were making new records when the show started: Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Chet Baker, Miles Davis, J.J.Johnson, Joe Henderson, Ray Brown, Jimmy Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan! CDs were just beginning to appear and I had one or two per hour – the rest were LPs.

Locally, I’m dedicating this Sunday’s Jazz Northwest to the memory of Joe Wheeler who died Monday at the age of 77, only ten days after being diagnosed with cancer. For those who didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Joe, he was the founder and first executive director of Centrum which oversaw the evolution of Fort Worden from a WW I era military base to a world class hands-on arts facility most of us know best as home of Jazz Port Townsend. Not exactly “spears into plowshares”, but close! Would that more energy was put into making art instead of war – Joe certainly was an outstanding example in that respect! He was a great human being I’m proud to have called a friend.

I’m recording five Earshot festival concerts in five locations for broadcast on Jazz NW. The Jazz Legends Tribute to Hadley Caliman aired last Sunday and is now available as a podcast. I’ve also recorded the Jim Knapp Orchestra at Cornish and Jay Thomas’ East-West (Japan/ USA) Double Trio at Tula’s and Greg Williamson’s A-Y-P large ensemble last night at the TD. That was a fun program! Still to record is the SRJO Ray Charles/ Quincy Jones show in Kirkland on Sunday. Photos are online at www.eyeshotjazz.com

from The Seattle Times:

Ray Charles and Quincy Jones were teenagers when they met in a Seattle nightclub, one of dozens clustered around Jackson Street in the 1940s. They were both aspiring jazz musicians, Charles a pianist, Jones a trumpeter.

They were among many now- familiar names who got their start in Seattle: Buddy Catlett, Ernestine Anderson, Gerald Wiggins, Floyd Standifer. Jones and Charles eventually achieved the most fame, moving beyond their original genre, becoming stars of pop and R&B.

The pair collaborated on the seminal 1961 album “Genius + Soul = Jazz,” which featured Charles on the Hammond B3 organ, with members of the Count Basie band, performing big-band arrangements by Jones. The scores that came out of that collaboration will be performed by Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra in two shows this weekend as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival, which ends Sunday.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

from Eyeshot Jazz

Greg Williamson’s 16-piece group re-imagined the music of the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific (A-Y-P) Exhibition – Seattle’s first World’s Fair.

In an wonderful and fanciful presentation with photos projected behind them, the ensemble presented pieces performed at and written especially for the exhibition (re-interpreted for a modern jazz orchestra), complete with period instruments and costumes and large-screen projections of photographs from the exhibition. Directed by Greg Williamson, the ensemble featured terrific ensembles and solos from the Pony Boy All-Star Big Band. The performance consisted of works by such 1909 hitmakers as John Philip Sousa, Rossini, D.N. Innes, and E.E. Bagley, in addition to original pieces and morphings of works by more recent composers such as Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones.

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Triple Door: John Abercrombie Quartet
Tula’s Jazz Club: Kris Davis’s Stone Trio
Cornish College: Trio 3

and the rest …

BAKE’S PLACE: Greta Matassa’s Johnny Mercer Celebration

BOXLEY’S: Jay Roberts Trio

CYPRESS LOUNGE: Gail Pettis Trio

LOMBARDI’S: Chris Clark/Bob Hammer Trio

LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Trish Hatley Trio

LOCAL COLOR: Jacqueline Davis & Black Lab Trio

SERAFINA: Kelly Ash Trio

GRAZIE: Andre Thomas and Quiet Fire

Make a reservation this weekend for dinner and show and we will waive the cover charge. Like all of you, we have felt an impact from the current economic hardships that the nation has been facing. We’ve noticed a drop in attendance to the shows; times are indeed tough for everyone-musicians, music fans and business owners a like. However, these challenges only strengthen our resolve and sharpen our focus. We are committed to keeping the music going at Bake’s Place.

Friday, November 6
Greta Matassa-A Johnny Mercer Celebration

Saturday, November 7, 2009
Stephanie Porter Quartet

http://www.bakesplace.org
Reservations: 425-391-3335

Sunday, November 8
Evan Flory-Barnes: Acknowledgment of a Celebration
A Meet the Composer Commissioning Music/USA commission
World Premiere
Town Hall, 8, $18-24 BUY ONLINE

The Seattle bassist and composer presents his large-ensemble fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and classical music, complete with modern dancers and freestyle break dancers. Flory-Barnes is excited to premiere the large chamber work, a snapshot of the abundance of inspiration that can thread artistic mediums together, right here in Seattle. The premiere of Acknowledgement of a Celebration features 35 musicians and ten dancers set to Flory-Barnes’s new compositions.

Flory-Barnes credits his University of Washington instructor Barry Lieberman and contemporary double bass player Francois Rabbath for his own technical bass skills and expressive and inspired playing.

Flory-Barnes performs with an inclusive passion and expressive intensity, as though he were completely immersed in music. He regularly brings his trio, The Teaching, to the Lucid jazz club in the University District for an open community jam and hang. The Teaching appeared in the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

Continue reading at the Earshot Jazz Festival website.

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL
City Hall: Jay Thomas East/West Double Trio (noon – free)
Cornish (Poncho): Jay Thomas East/West Double Trio (8:00pm)
Tula’s Jazz Club: Kris Davis’s Stone Trio

and the rest …

LOMBARDI’S: Chris Clark/Bob Hammer Trio

BOXLEY’S: Leah Stillwell & D. Clendenin

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson & Tad Britton

NEW ORLEANS: Ray Skelbred/Bob Jackson Quintet

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Christopher Blacker and Katy Webber
9pm – Andrew Oliver and Kane Mathis

from Eyeshot Jazz:

Jovino Santos Neto at Tula’s performing in the Earshot Jazz Festival lineup on Monday night with his quintet. Lots of fun watching him play with Harvey Wainapel on saxophone and Chuck Deardorff on bass.

from Eyeshot Jazz:

Earshot Jazz Festival continued with the Jay Thomas Double Trio consisting of Atsushi Ikeda (alto sax), Yasuhiro Kohama (tenor sax), Daisuke Kurata (drums), Jay Thomas (trumpet), John Hansen (piano), and Phil Sparks (bass). playing at Tula’s Sunday night.

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Nordstrom Recital Hall: Wayne Horvitz: These Hills of Glory
Wayne Horvitz’s new chamber-music work, These Hills of Glory, performed by soloist Carla Kihlstedt (violin) and the Odeonquartet, a world-renowned chamber group featuring Seattle Symphony musicians. Also featured are pianist Cristina Valdes, flutist Paul Taub, and Seattle Symphony clarinetist, Laura DeLuca. Presented by Seattle Symphony.
Triple Door: Greg Williamson’s A-Y-P Large Ensemble (7:00pm)
Triple Door: Claudia Acuna Quintet (9:30pm)
Tula’s Jazz Club: Joe Doria, Eric Barber, & Byron Vannoy

and the rest …

NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Tori Sparks with Alicia Dara and Josh Dean
9pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Dina Blade, with Nelda Swiggett (piano), Dan O’Brien (bass) and Ed Littlefield (drums)

BOXLEY’S: Pony Stablemates & Guests

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Triple Door: Don Byron
Tula’s Jazz Club: Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto w/ Harvey Wainapel

and the rest …

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

MIX: Don Mock

from The Pennisula Daily News:

PORT TOWNSEND — The founding Centrum executive director, Joseph F. Wheeler, died today at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle from complications relating to recently diagnosed cancer.

Dr. Wheeler, who was 77, was surrounded by family members when he died, according to the nonprofit foundation that runs music and arts programs at Fort Worden State Park for more than 25,000 participants each year.

Dr. Wheeler was a Wenatchee native who went on to play clarinet in swing bands in the Seattle area as he studied music at then-Washington State College. He taught in Tacoma schools and later developed cultural programs there after receiving a doctorate in music education.

In 1972, he was hired as a consultant to research a proposal to create an arts center at the decommissioned Army base Fort Worden, which had become a Washington state park. As a result of this role, he became the founder and first executive director of Centrum, the multidisciplinary nonprofit arts organization based at Fort Worden. He served as Centrum executive director for 23 years as it developed programs for writers, jazz musicians, fiddlers and other artists.

In addition to his work as the founder of Centrum, Wheeler held offices in many organizations, including serving as a commissioner for Jefferson General Hospital (now Jefferson Healthcare), including board chair.

The Joseph F. Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden — where the largest of Centrum events are staged — was named in his honor by the Washington State Parks Commission.

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Chapel Performance Space: KaufmanN/Gratkowski/DeJoode
Triple Door: Cyro Baptista Banquet of the Spirits
Tula’s Jazz Club: Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto w/ Harvey Wainapel

and the rest …

SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Jim Knapp Orchestra; Cornish Jazz Night

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

RICKY’S: Karin Kajita Jazz Quintet

Email from Wayne Horvitz about this performance this Wednesday, November 4:

Dear Seattle Friends,

If you come to one concert of mine this year, or even the next, or the one after that, please come on Wednesday November 4th to the Nordstrom Recital Hall for a very special performance of my chamber music.

(1) The center piece of the evening will be my piece for string quartet plus improvising soloist entitled These Hills of Glory. The quartet will be performed by the fantastic odeonquartet featuring members of the Seattle Symphony. The featured soloist will be the fabulous Carla Kihlstedt on violin; Carla is an incredible violinist by any standards and is all the more unique for her personal voice as an improviser. Carla often performs with Tin Hat, Fred Frith, John Zorn, and her own bands including Two Foot Yard and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, among others. If you’ve never heard Carla play, you shouldn’t miss this chance.

(2) As exciting for me is the premier of my newest work – For Piano Alone, In Four Parts. The piece will be performed by pianist Cristina Valdes. Writing for and working with Cristina on this piece has been the highlight of my musical year.

(3) Also to be premiered in this concert and performed by odeonquartet will be Robin Holcomb’s beautiful Carry Over for string quartet.

(4) Last but certainly not least, a number of my other chamber works will be performed by the above mentioned musicians, as well as two members of The Seattle Chamber Players – Laurie DeLuca on clarinet and Paul Taub on flute.

Presented by the Seattle Symphony in collaboration with Earshot Jazz this concert represents an opportunity to show presenters and community alike that there exists both strong interest and support for music that falls outside of the defined boundaries of either “jazz” or “classical” music.

If you have a student ID, there are student rush tickets. If you are under 18, there are Teen Tix also available that are quite inexpensive. For more information, please see the links below. Hope to see you there!

from Dawn Clement:
I hope you can come out and enjoy this concert tomorrow. I am personally very excited to perform some classical music (which I rarely do) with Flutist Samantha Bosch. Featuring four pianists and four composers, this promises to be a very interesting show!

Seattle Pianist Collective presents:
“DAY OF THE DEAD”
featuring music by Eastern European Composers

Where: The Seattle Asian Art Museum
When: November 1st, 2pm (don’t forget about Daylight Savings Time)

Jazz will take over Ballard Avenue again on Friday, November 20, with 18 groups in 12 venues. A single ticket will grant access into all venues.

Tickets for the Ballard Jazz Walk are $25 but if you buy your ticket before Monday they are only $17. Also available is a group of 5 tickets for $70 (a 44% discount).

Artists scheduled to appear this fall include: Pete Christlieb, Hadley Caliman, John McLean, Greta Matassa, Andrew Oliver’s Kora Band, Don Mock and Jay Roberts, Gail Pettis, Randy Halberstadt, Brent Jensen, Bill Anschell, Joe Doria’s McTuff Trio and more!

Tickets can be bought online at http://ballardjazzfestival.com.

Those who attended the after-party on Wednesday were told that Hadley Caliman wouldn’t be able to make the party because he was taken to the hospital after his concert.

Just wanted to post an announcement that everything is okay. (we had had a couple of inquiries)

While on tour Hadley had slipped and fell, injuring his back. He had been taking ibuprofen for the pain to make it through the tour. By the time they reached Seattle the ibuprofen was irritating his ulcer so he was in quite a bit of pain. After the show Wednesday he went to the hospital and the doctors found that he had a broken rib from the fall.

Hadley is on the mend and will be back on the scene soon.

Be sure an listen to a recording of Wednesday’s concert on Jazz Northwest this Sunday.
https://seattlejazzscene.com/?p=2446

from Eyeshot Jazz:

Tom Varner conducts his tentet through some of his compositions and seem to be transported to a far away place. His music is so sublime.

Hadley Caliman and Curtis Fuller in the Jazz Legends Earshot Festival concert at SAM.
Photo by Daniel Sheehan – more of his Earshot Jazz photos at eyeshotjazz.com

The Jazz Legends celebrate Hadley Caliman in an Earshot Jazz Festival concert on this week’s Jazz Northwest. Joining the tenor sax great are trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Larry Vuckovich, bassist Jeff Chambers, and drummer Eddie Marshall in this concert which concluded their tour last Wednesday in Seattle. Highlights from the concert will air this Sunday afternoon at 1 PM PST on Jazz Northwest from 88-5, KPLU and kplu.org.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced exclusively for KPLU. The program is also streamed on kplu.org and is available as a podcast after the air date.

from Eyeshot Jazz:

Andy Clausen and Sjenka, who impressed an audience at Earshot’s Second Century series with fully evolved ambient improvisations opened with a splash for TOM VARNER TENTET.

They were very well received by the crowd at the Chapel Performance Space. The Roosevelt High stand-out plays trombone in the school’s acclaimed jazz band. His big-band composition “Fly” was honored with the 2009 Gerald Wilson Award for Jazz Composition from the Monterey Jazz Festival. Sjenka is Clausen’s ambient electronic trio, which synthesizes diverse musical styles into dynamic layered soundscapes filled with striking juxtapositions.