Seattle Jazz Scene

The 2nd Annual Seattle Occultural Music Festival is a three-weekend celebration of new & experimental music in the Pacific Northwest of psychic, ecological or otherwise deeply resonant importance. This diverse program incorporates performers & composers spanning the regions genres & generations, mixing established artists, new talent, and important work & influence not from the immediate Seattle area.

For more information, visit www.somf.info

Friday, May 1 @ 8pm – All ages
The Art Church
2051 NW 61st St @ 22nd
Soriah [Portland]
Stuart Dempster
Vox Vespertinus
Seattle Harmonic Voices
Hanna Benn

Saturday, May 2 @ 8pm – All ages
Gallery 1412
1412 18th Ave
Robin Holcomb
Amy Denio
Sokai Stilhed
Christopher Greenchild

Thursday, May 7 @ 8pm – All ages
Good Shepherd Center Chapel Performance Space
4649 Sunnyside N
Seattle Phonographer’s Union
Jason Kopec
Graham Banfield

Friday, May 8 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre
2322 2nd Ave
Voodoo Israel [San Francisco]
Joy Von Spain
Matt Shoemaker
Midday Veil

Saturday, May 9 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre
2322 2nd Ave
Barn Owl [San Francisco]
Bill Horist
Dr. Jones
Riding the Slow Wave of Death

Thursday, May 14 @ 8pm – All ages
Gallery 1412
1412 18th Ave
Wayne Horvitz
Gust Burns & Tyler Wilcox
Michal Szostalo

Friday, May 15 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theartre
2322 2nd Ave
Holy Experiment [New York]
At the Head of the Woods [Portland]
(a) Story of Rats
Paintings for Animals

Advance tickets (at discount prices) are still available for all events at The Ballard Jazz Festival which starts next Wednesday, April 22. For more information, visit http://ballardjazzfestival.com

Wednesday, April 22 – Brotherhood of the Drum
performances by groups led by Matt Jorgensen, Alan Jones, Tarik Abouzied and Mark Ivester.

Thursday, April 23 – Guitar Summit
performances by Corey Christiansen, John Stowell, Dave Peterson, Don Mock and Jay Roberts

Friday, April 24 – Ballard Jazz Walk
19 groups in 12 venues for a single ticket … the best deal in jazz!

Saturday, April 25 – Nordic Heritage Museum Concert
Concert with the Joe Locke Group (featuring Darrell Grant and Thomas Marriott) and the Corey Christiansen Quartet

Sunday, April 26 – Swedish Pancake Jazz Brunch
Finish off the jazz festival with swedish pancakes and the Brent Jensen Quartet

Earshot Jazz will be having a Board Meeting and Open Community Forum tonight at Tula’s Jazz Club from 5:00 – 7:00pm

If you have something to say, or are just interested in an update from Earshot Jazz, come down to the meeting tonight.

5-7pm
Tula’s Jazz Club
2214 2nd Ave

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Tad Britton, Jeff Johnson

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Beth Winter Showcase

NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Susan Robinson (vocals), with Darin Clendenin (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums)
9pm – Daniel Adams and Dan Kamas

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Squirrel Nut Zippers

LO-FI: The Teaching

The Mark Taylor Quartet at Seattle Art Museum – Gary Fukushima, Jeff Johnson, Mark Taylor and Byron Vannoy. ( photo by Robert Wade )

On the next Jazz Northwest from 88-5 KPLU, saxophonist and composer Mark Taylor leads his quartet in an Art of Jazz concert and CD release party at the Seattle Art Museum. Mark Taylor was recently named Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year at the annual Earshot Awards, and he’s been featured in numerous Seattle groups including the Jim Knapp Orchestra and the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Thomas Marriott and Matt Jorgensen + 451.

The new CD “Spectre” (Origin Records) was officially released on April 21 and contains most of the selections in this concert. The SAM concert airs on Jazz Northwest this Sunday April 19 at 1 PM PDT on 88-5 KPLU and kplu.org . It will also be available as a podcast the following day.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for KPLU.

Audio promo below.

Has everyone filed their extensions?

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Blue Street Voices

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band w/Clarence Acox

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Third Hemisphere, Cynthia Mullis (saxophones), Eric Verlinde (piano), Dean Schmidt (bass), and Steve Korn (drums) – Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and North American jazz in a unique exploration of music from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
9pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Katie King, with the Dan Sales Trio

WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce

JAZZ ALLEY: Oregon

Photos by Jim Levitt

Read More

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Emerald City Jazz Orchestra

TRIPLE DOOR: BCC Vocal Jazz Ensemble

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Tone Bent, with Bill Horvitz and Robin Eschner (both on guitars and vocals) – CD Release show
9pm – Datura Quintet, with Scott Macpherson (saxophones/effects), Brennan Carter (trumpet/effects), Elliot Gray (piano/keyboard/effects), Leah Pogwizd (bass) and Aaron Voros (drums/percussion)

SHERMAN CLAY PIANOS BELLEVUE: MOJO Big Band featuring Steve Reinke

LUCID: Todo Es

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

JAZZ ALLEY: Oregon

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

THE TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Mark Taylor CD Release Party

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jason Parker Quartet

NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet

LUCID: Adam Hunter

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

Note: Mark Taylor is performing tonight at the Triple Door

From The Seattle Times:

By taking his time and letting his music develop at its own pace, Mark Taylor has become one of the essential players on the Seattle jazz scene.

While steadily pursuing his own musical vision, the alto saxophonist has toiled fruitfully as a sideman, contributing to more than half a dozen excellent ensembles. From long-running institutions like the Jim Knapp Orchestra (which plays the first Monday of every month at the Seattle Drum School) to short-lived projects such as the Wayne Horvitz quartet (that just finished a two-month run at Café Paloma) Taylor provides a jolt of passionate lyricism to every situation in which he’s involved.

Six years after the release of his impressive debut CD “After Hours” (Origin), Taylor once again steps into the foreground with a consistently compelling quartet session: “Spectre,” which alternates between spontaneously generated quicksilver improvisations and sinuous compositions.

“I’m not a very prolific writer, but I spend a ton of time on the tunes,” says Taylor, 36, who celebrates the release of “Spectre” on Thursday as part of Earshot’s Art of Jazz Series at the Seattle Art Museum and then April 13 at the Triple Door. Both gigs feature the same cast as the CD, with the dynamic young drummer Byron Vannoy, veteran bassist Jeff Johnson and Los Angeles-based Gary Fukushima on piano and Fender Rhodes.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bruce Staelens Quintet featuring Richard Cole

BAKE’S PLACE: Jackie Ryan

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Tom Boros
9pm – Red Dress
11pm – Peter Schmeeckle Quintet, with Neil Welch (tenor sax), R. Scott Morning (trumpet), Josh Hou (piano), Andy Short (bass) and Peter Schmeeckle (drums)

SERAFINA: The Djangomatics

LUCID: Tim Kennedy: Ahmad Jamal Tribute

HIROSHI’S JAZZ AND SUSHI: Thomas Marriott & Alexey Nikolaev w/ Monsktone Theocracy

JAZZ ALLEY: Joshua Redman Trio

LOCAL COLOR: Katy Bourne w/ Chris Spencer & Doug Miller

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Arturo Rodriguez & Friends

PAMPAS ROOM: Brian Nova Quartet

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Trish Hatley Trio

LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks and Hadley Caliman

Pianist Dawn Clement will perform tonight with some special guests from New York.

Dawn Clement – Piano
Dean Johnson – Bass
Tony Moreno – Drums

with “droogs of eidetia” opening

Thursday, April 9th 7:30pm
Seattle Drum School “LAB”
12510 15th Ave. NE, Seattle
Cost: $10

Lots of good music tonight!

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: Mark Taylor Quartet

SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Dawn Clement Trio featuring Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Jessica Williams

JAZZ ALLEY: Joshua Redman Trio

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Sonando

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Ethan Thomas Quartet, with Ethan Thomas (saxophone), Michael Owcharuk (piano), Mike Catts (bass) and Lynn Roberson (drums)

NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton

CAFE PALOMA: Wayne Horvitz Quartet
93 Yesler Way, 7:30pm

BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio
1510 11th Ave, 9:00pm

LUCID: The Druids

SEAMONSTER: Hardcoretet

LO-FI: The Teaching

SORRENTO HOTEL: Katy Bourne & Randy Halberstadt

JAZZ ALLEY: Kendra Shank Quartet featuring Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

TULA’S: Al Keith Quintet

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band with Clarence Acox

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Gary Fukushima (piano), with Eric Eagle (drums), Geoff Harper (bass) and special guests.
9pm – Vocal Showcase hosted by Marti MacEwan, featuring Penelope Donado, Cara Francis and Susan Robinson. Accompanied by Darin Clendenin (piano), Joe Casalini (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)

LUCID: Chemical Clock

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band

JAZZ ALLEY: Kendra Shank Quartet featuring Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – David Guilbault, Kate Graves and Sean Bendickson
9pm – Jovino Santos Neto Trio, with Jovino Santos Neto (keys) Tim Carey (bass) and Jeff Busch (drums)

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

MIX: Don Mock

LUCID: Reagan Kee & Friends

Note: Kendra Shank performs at Jazz Alley Tues-Wed, April 7-8, in support of her new CD, Mosaic. Click here to view the Jazz Alley website.

from The Seattle Times:

Of the many accomplished singers to come out of Seattle lately and long ago, few have taken as circuitous a path as Kendra Shank, the former folk singer and French chanteuse who will headline Jazz Alley this week.

What started as a second career as a jazz singer has reached maturity in time for Shank’s 50th birthday. She will perform with her quartet of 10 years at Jazz Alley in a homecoming of sorts.

“In terms of my musical development, Seattle is where I grew up,” said Shank, who was raised in San Diego and worked here from 1979 to 1997.

She was a folk singer in college — Shank attended both Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and the University of Washington. In her early 20s, she accompanied herself on guitar, a regular on the open-mic circuit, in the style of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, shifting into country and bluegrass now and then, occasionally playing with a banjo player.

Having earned a degree in art and French, she shifted styles further, performing old, French popular songs at various French restaurants in Seattle (including La Rive Gauche, the restaurant that would become Tula’s). Those gigs were hugely popular and financially rewarding, but more importantly, served as her transition into jazz.

In 1989, then in her 30s, Shank also began to study at Cornish College of the Arts with jazz vocalist Jay Clayton. When La Rive Gauche became Tula’s jazz club, Shank was the first singer scheduled to perform.

She played regularly with some of the best musicians in Seattle, including John Hansen, Randy Halberstadt, Hans Teuber, Jeff Johnson and Bill Anschell. She also found a receptive audience in Paris.

from JazzTimes.com

Bud Shank, an alto saxophonist and flutist whose career spanned more than a half century, died April 2 at his home in Tucson, Ariz. The cause pulmonary failure. A day earlier Shank had been in San Diego recording a new album. Shank was 82.

Born May 27, 1926 in Dayton, Ohio, Clifford Everett “Bud” Shank tried his hand at a variety of woodwinds before settling on the saxophone. He attended college in North Carolina and worked with saxophonist Charlie Barnet before moving to California in the late 1940s, where he played with trumpeter Shorty Rogers and then pianist Stan Kenton. Working with guitarist Laurindo Almeida, Shank was also one of the first jazz musicians to explore Brazilian music. Shank cut a number of albums for the world music label World Pacific from the ’50s to the ’70s.

Shank first recorded as a leader in the mid-’50s, for the Pacific Jazz label. He is considered part of the emerging West Coast cool school, but he continued to develop beyond that sound as the years went on. In those early years, he also played with Maynard Ferguson, Bob Brookmeyer, Bob Cooper and, in 1962, with Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar on the latter’s Improvisations album. In the ’60s, Shank also aligned with artists as diverse as Sergio Mendes, the Mamas and the Papas—that’s his flute on the classic hit “California Dreamin’”—and Chet Baker, who appeared on Shank’s 1966 album Michelle, a collection of covers of then-contemporary pop hits. The latter became Shank’s only album to reach the Billboard charts.

Shank continued to evolve during the ’70s and ’80s, eventually giving up the flute to concentrate on his alto work. He put together a band called the L.A. Four with Almeida, bassist Ray Brown and a revolving cast of drummers, and recorded a number of albums for such labels as Concord, Contemporary and Candid. In 2004 Mosaic released Mosaic Select 10, a three-disc collection of Shank’s Pacific Jazz collaborations with Cooper. In 2005 Shank formed the Bud Shank Big Band and in 2007 he released Beyond the Red Door, with pianist Bill Mays.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Vocal Jam hosted by Greta Matassa

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

LUCID: Datura

from The Seattle Times:

In his classic 1973 book “The Anxiety of Influence,” the prodigious literary critic Harold Bloom argues that great poets define themselves through an Oedipal struggle in which they misread the work of their predecessors to find their own distinctive voice.

Maybe the collaborative nature of jazz serves as an antidote to anxiety, because the most creative improvisers embrace and build on their influences rather than symbolically killing them. And no jazz artist better embodies the way a powerful musical personality can nourish widely divergent approaches than alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, who performs with his band Five Elements on Sunday at the Triple Door.

Few of the players inspired by Coleman sound anything like him, but his conceptual rigor connects with Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto, pianist Vijay Iyer and altoist Miguel Zenon (who recently became the youngest jazz musician ever awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship).

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

Word has started coming in that alto saxophonist and jazz legend Bud Shank passed away at his home in Arizona on Thursday, April 2.

The saxophonist had strong ties to the Northwest as a resident of Port Townsend and founder of the Bud Shank Jazz Workshop which was held at Centrum every summer.

We will post more details as they come in.