Seattle Jazz Scene

Ben Thomas Tango Quartet

Thu Oct 9, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 108 S. Main St.

If you missed Ben Thomas‘ tango gig at the Royal Room in September, here’s your chance to get even! Thomas performs the music from his new release on Origin Records, The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle. In this ensemble, Thomas eschews the vibration in favor of bandoneon and percussion to perform tango music with a jazz influenced element of improvisation in the mix. Pianist Gabe Hall Rodrigues is a fine jazz pianist with a special immersion in South American sounds. Clarinetist Eric Likkel is a major soloist in this configuration, and bassist Steve Schermer the absolute bottom line in what amounts to a chamber-like gathering without a traditional kit drummer. Thomas is one of the finest musicians you’ll see in Seattle, or anywhere for that matter. He plays with intelligence, humor, and a good-natured major dose of plain old virtuosity. This one will be fun! https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Thomas Marriott Quartet

Sat Oct 11, 8:30 PM / Black and Tan Hall (Earshot Jazz Festival)

Trumpeter Thomas Marriott hits the south end at Black and Tan Hill with a special edition of his standard quartet. Marriott’s music is modern jazz that speaks to his time in and around east coast scenes in New York and Philadelphia.

Speaking of Philadelphia, young Philly drummer Maria Maramou will join two of the trumpeter’s regular Seattle quartet members in pianist Tim Kennedy and bassist Trevor Ford. With his 2025 release, Screen Time, he is now the author of fourteen albums as a leader or co-leader. The performance will feature a number of Marriott originals, as well as inventive interpretations of jazz standards. Adding to the intrigue is welcoming Black and Tan Hall to the fold as a festival stage. 

Aside from his stellar musicianship, Marriott is the founder and driving force behind the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, the city’s vital jazz non-profit. His jazz legacy in Seattle is all about community, but when push comes to shove, his identity is secure as one of America’s finest trumpet players. https://www.earshot.org/event/thomas-marriott-quartet-3/

Elnah Jordan

Sat Oct 11, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 108 S. Main St

Elnah Jordan is a blues singer, first and foremost. It speaks to whatever she chooses to do on a given night. Whatever she decides to perform in the jazz lexicon, you can depend on it being soulful with a healthy helping of that foundational element in Black American music- the blues. Discovered as a street singer in San Francisco by the legendary Jon Hendricks, Jordan knows how to entertain an audience as well. Count on an evening of positivity delivered with love – after all, the blues are sad, whereas blues music is a healing form, and one from a place of joy. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Christian McBride & Brad Meldau

Sun Oct 12, 8PM / Town Hall-Great Hall (Earshot Jazz Festival)

Truly two of the most important figures in jazz, Christian McBride and Brad Meldau are generational talents, brought together here as a duet. This show should be conversational in nature, with both musicians master improvisers with gigantic vocabularies from which to draw. McBride is the very epitomy of sophistication and swing on the double bass. Meldau is a grand story teller, using a variety of musical elements to define his piano style. Every note of this performance will be firmly in the moment, never to be repeated, making attendance one of the necessities, and one of the true highlights of the year in Seattle. https://www.earshot.org/event/christian-mcbride-brad-mehldau/

Monday Night Jazz Jam at Seattle Jazz Fellowship

Monday Nights at 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

The all-ages Monday night jam has become quite a thing, with an attentive, trending young listening audience standing side by side with a long roll call of musicians. Now in the new basement club occupied by the non-profit, the vibe is intimate as the evening begins with a short, half hour max set by the Thomas Marriott Quartet. There is a sign up list that enables settings that make musical sense, allowing the session to move along at a good pace, promoting the mentorship cycle. Most importantly, it’s just plain fun, and the hang is one of the weekly highlights on the scene. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Free Fall / Marc Seales Tuesdays at Seattle Jazz Fellowship

Tuesdays at 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

As part of the Seattle Jazz Fellowship’s expansion to six nights of programming per week, Tuesdays take on a special designation. Iconic Seattle jazz pianist Marc Seales and the explorative quartet Free Fall will alternate Tuesdays residency style, to create a weekly highlight on the Seattle jazz schedule.

One of the stated objectives of the Fellowship is that people gather at the basement club simply to experience jazz, not necessarily a particular artist. The Seales slot of this weekly tilt will feature a rotating cast of top shelf Seattle musicians. The Free Fall end of it will feature the piano-less quartet of trumpeter Thomas Marriott, saxophonist Mo Green, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. A quartet with a collective improvisational spirit, Free Fall is the epitomy of experiencing jazz in the moment, with each performance approached from a slightly different perspective.

Tuesday nights are now an opportunity to see some of the city’s historic and present day best, in a room that sets the vibe right for such occassions. With the Owl ‘n Thistle jam around the corner following, Tuesday nights become the best night for jazz on a weekly basis in Seattle. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Tuesday Night Jam at the Owl

Tuesdays at 9:30 PM / Owl ‘n Thistle

The Tuesday night jam at the Owl is a Seattle tradition dating back to 1997, and a band known as Bebop and Destruction. It’s interesting, and often zany history includes wild antics, colorful characters and many a drop in from national touring musicians including Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, Emmett Cohen and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Pianist Eric Verlinde guided the jam into more tranquil waters over his eighteen years directing the session, a tenure that recently ended. Pianist Matt Williams has now taken the reins, injecting a new found enthusiasm and freeing up Verlinde to come and hang and play! The 9:30 start enables musicians with gigs that evening to show up and play after the opening set that lasts forty five minutes or so.

The session is very important within the musical and social fabric of the Seattle jazz scene. The very interesting and often humorous history of the session is well documented in an article I wrote for All About Jazz a few years back. Link provided below.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/tuesday-night-jams-at-the-owl-a-25-year-legacy-in-seattle

Ray Vega

Wed Oct 15, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship

The great Latin and jazz trumpeter Ray Vega will be in town for Thomas Marriott’s trumpet summit performance at Town Hall the following Friday evening. Rhythm section is TBA, for this performance which is the first of four great nights of jazz trumpet in Seattle. Vega is a veteran of bands led by Latin jazz greats  Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Mongo Santamaria, Mario Bauza, Luis “Perico” Ortiz, Hector LaVoe, Johnny Pacheco, Larry Harlow, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez and Louie Ramirez to name a few. He is one of the great people in the music as well. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Miki Yamanaka Trio / George Colligan with Zyanna

Wed Oct 15, 7 PM / Baba Yaga

This performance is part of the 2025 Earshot Jazz Festival. Seattle jazz fans are well acquainted with George Colligan. The Portland resident has been teaching at Portland St. since 2011. He has performed mostly in trio as a leader in the area, while he maintains his alliance as pianist with the likes of Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Ravi Coltrane, Cassandra Wilson, Eddie Henderson and a host of others. Here he is paired with the trio of on-the-rise Japanese born, New York based pianist, Miki Yamanaka.

Colligan is simply one of the finest jazz musicians of his generation. While he is a widely acclaimed pianist, he is also a fine drummer and trumpeter. He will be joined by Zyanna Melada, a new generation funk, jazz and soul vocalist, bassist Robert Rodriguez and drummer Micah Hummel, three highly regarded players on the Portland scene. Yamanaka, who is known to Seattle fans from the quintet of Seattle’s Roxy Coss, will be joined by bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Jimmy Macbride. https://www.earshot.org/event/miki-yamanaka-trio-george-colligan-with-zyanna/

Ingrid Jensen

Thu Oct 16, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship

It will be great to see the trumpeter Ingrid Jensen as part of Thomas Marriott’s Earshot Jazz Fellowship residency at Town Hall the evening after this hit at SJF. On an international scale, it has been wonderful to see her perform with the all-female supergroup Artemis at festivals and clubs around the world. But to see the Nanaimo, BC native play in the intimate confines of SJF’s basement club in Pioneer Square is a rare bird. Band TBA.

Jensen has been a prominent force in the jazz world for a quarter century now, and is an important mentor to the new wave of musicians contributing to the rising female excellence in jazz. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Thomas Marriott, Ingrid Jensen, Sean Jones & Ray Vega: Trumpet Summit

Fri Oct 18, 7:30 PM / Town Hall- Great Hall (Earshot Jazz Festival)

Trumpet summit indeed. Four of the finest trumpeters on this here ball spinning through space gather on one stage to celebrate the music’s most difficult and most expressive instrument. The concert is part of Thomas Marriott‘s festival residency. In many ways it is reflective of the Seattle trumpeter’s dedication to community and family. The great Latin jazz trumpeter Ray Vega has been a close family friend since he arrived in Seattle as part of Tito Puente’s band. Ingrid Jensen is not only a great player, but a great mentor and inspiration to two generations of strong, female artists in jazz. She stars in the all-female supergroup Artemis presently, part of her career path that has shined brightly as a leader and sideperson. Jensen is familiar with the coastal lifestyle along Salish Sea as a Nanaimo, BC native. Sean Jones is a favorite to many prominent trumpet players, high praise that is well deserved. His elegance can turn from pure ferocity to poetic grace in an instant. As far as Marriott is concerned, if you are unfamiliar with his trademark sound, you have been staying home way too often. He is very similar to his three mates here in a very important way- he is identifiable both by the cunning melodicism of his appoach, and the very sound that travels from his horn. To have these four voices on one stage, whether individually or in chorus, will clearly delineate these special traits that the foursome employ.

Then there’s the rhythm section. Bassist Trevor Ford and drummer Jon Wikan occupy the ground floor of this stunning ensemble, while multi-Grammy nominated artist Orrin Evans occupies the piano chair. Again, Evans’ appearance speaks to the qualities of community, friendship and family that Marriott chooses to value. It will make for a great evening of music. https://www.earshot.org/event/ingrid-jensen-sean-jones-ray-vega-thomas-marriott-trumpet-summit/

Sean Jones Quartet

Sat Oct 18, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St,

In town to perform as part of Thomas Marriott’s Trumpet Summit, the great trumpeter Sean Jones stops into SJF’s basement digs in Pioneer Square. Jones has released eight albums as a leader on the Mack Avenue label and has appeared with Billy Childs, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and many others both on record and on the bandstand. Jones will lead a stellar rhythm section with Orrin Evans on piano. Drummer Jon Wikan and bassist Trevor Ford. Evans and Jones are two of the very best on the planet- early arrival a necessity. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/

Kelsey Mines Sextet

Wed Oct 22, 8 PM / Chapel Performance Space (Earshot Jazz Festival)

Bassist composer Kelsey Mines leads a stellar sextet, in support of her new album release on Origin Records, Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious. Mines will be joined by flutist Elsa Nilsson, trombonist Conner Eisenmenger, guitarist Rafael Chamone, pianist John Hansen and drummer Chris Icasiano.

The music taps into Brazilian sounds and post-bop jazz, utilizing a unique front line of flute, trombone and voice. Mines has played a full spectrum of jazz music over the past few years, and has done a wonderful job putting her experiences into compositions that feature strong melodies and open spaces for interpretation. She is re-locating to NYC at the end of the year, so catch her while you can! https://www.earshot.org/event/kelsey-mines-sextet/

Eric Verlinde Quartet

featuring Thomas Marriott, Chris Symer & Brad Boal

Fri Oct 24, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Pianist Eric Verlinde has earned a reputation as a fine player, but frankly, I think he is highly underrated. He is known for his versatility, moving from hard bop, to latin to the blues with ease. But Verlinde can flat out swing, not only as a dynamic soloist, but as part of the rhythm section. His harmonic invention while comping is all too rare. As a young player, he was part of Hadley Caliman’s band, an education in itself. He has carried that legacy forward as one of the city’s finest musicians.

Verlinde will perform original material from his recordings as a leader, along with a few standard gems. Surrounded by the likes of trumpeter Thomas Marriott and backliners in bassist Chris Symer and drummer Brad Boal, he is not only embracing virtuosity, but familiarity as well. One not to miss. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/

Tim Kennedy Trio

Sat Oct 25, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Pianist Tim Kennedy has been a shape-shifting, multi-genre force on the Seattle music scene for quite some time now. Yet to the core, he is a jazz pianist, and one of the finest to grace the Seattle jazz scene over the past decade plus. In the jazz piano trio format, we get to see the full spectrum of his formidable technique, musical imagination and group mind approach with long-time mates in drummer Brad Gibson and bassist Trevor Ford. To have the oppoetunity to see him perform in an intimate setting with a listening audience will be a true pleasure. As a bandleader, he always chooses a great set list to match the occassion. A perfect match for those who gravitate towards Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Bud Powell and all of the legends of jazz piano. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Kris Davis Trio

featuring Robert Hurst and Johnathan Blake

Mon Oct 27, 7:30 PM / Town Hall Forum (Earshot Jazz Festival)

Pianist Kris Davis is touring with this phenomenal trio, featuring bassist Robert Hearst and drummer Johnathan Blake. Touring in support of their superb album, Run the Gauntlet, the trio has been creating a sound that puts them at the center of the specialized world of the jazz piano trio. Davis seems to be at her best when placed in the highly visible and vulnerable position as the center of this three sided vehicle, supported in full by the always musical Hurst and the flexible articulation of Blake’s original approach behind the kit. It is a sum of equal parts, with great dynamic energy and open-ended compositions that enable the variable impressions of the conversation. This should be one of the top end evenings of this year’s Earshot offerings. https://www.earshot.org/event/kris-davis-trio/

David Marriott, Jr.

Fri Oct 31, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

David Marriott, Jr. has been one of the finest musicians in Seattle for more than two decades now, as well as a first rate composer and arranger. Opportunities to see him perform have been few and far between however, making this Halloween hit at SJF stand out. Band TBD- thus far pianist Eric Verlinde and drummer Brad Gibson are in the fold. There seems to be a bit of a trombone trend in Seattle right now, good to see DM back in the mix. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Human Spirit

featuring Thomas Marriott, Matt Jorgensen & Mark Taylor

Fri Nov 7, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

The “band” Human Spirit is a collective of three musicians and whoever they choose to accompany them. Trumpeter Thomas Marriott, saxophonist Mark Taylor and drummer Matt Jorgensen have much in common, both in terms of moving the music forward and in their personal histories. All three left for New York in the latter part of the twentieth century and returned to pursue music and life in Seattle. A close musical partnership ensued upon their collective return to the PNW, resulting in many live performances, and recordings on the Seattle based Origin Records label. In many ways, they defined the sound of jazz in Seattle over the span of a decade, appearing in a variety of configurations on the main jazz stages of the city.

In this iteration of the band, they are joined by pianist Tim Kennedy and bassist Trevor Ford, both members of Marriott’s current Seattle quartet. The evening will give us the opportunity to hear original compositions and brilliant playing from this formidable quintet. If you were around in the 2010s you are familiar with the impact the combination of these three musicians have had on the Seattle sound in jazz. Things can only get better from here. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events