Monday Night Jam (all ages)

Mondays at 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

The Monday jam in Pioneer Square is open and all ages with a sign up sheet. The curation and presentation is done extremely well. It is also an opportunity to hang as a community, have a drink with friends and support the music. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Underground Sounds with Thomas Marriott, Rick Mandyck, Jeff Johnson & John Bishop

Tuesdays 8 PM / Underbelly- Resumes on Jan 7, 21

Underbelly, the quaint cellar bar on First Avenue in Pioneer Square sits directly across the street from what was the New Orleans club, a former hub of local Seattle jazz. That vibe lives on every other Tuesday night in the former burlesque venue, with four of the city’s top jazz musicians colliding in an explosive chordless quartet that at times has been known as Free Fall. This is an opportunity to witness great jazz in an informal environment with no cover. 

Trumpeter Thomas Marriott leads this band of long time mates with a strong intuitive connection. The author of fourteen albums as a leader and a recent inductee into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame is joined by the incomparable duo of bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. Saxophonist Rick Mandyck has switched to alto, but bears the sound and approach of some of the great tenor players in jazz. The band plays originals from Marriott, Mandyck and Johnson, along with a few standards. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Tuesday Night Jam at the Owl ‘n Thistle

Tuesday Nights at 9:45 PM / Owl ‘n Thistle

The Tuesday night jam at the Owl has been a Seattle tradition since 1997, when nubop legends Bebop and Destruction started the late night session at this Pioneer Square Irish pub. Hosted by noted Seattle pianist Eric Verlinde, the house band plays a short set prior to opening up the session. With the Monday night jam at Seattle Jazz Fellowship being an all ages affair that begins at 7:30, the Owl jam accomodates musicians attending after gigs. For many years, it has been a social staple in the Seattle jazz community, an opportunity to reunite with friends both musically and socially. It has been a vital part of the mentorship cycle in Seattle for more than a generation, and now boasts a decent upright piano. It’s just plain fun for the audience, and no bar in town serves Guiness like The Owl.

Photo Credit: Lisa Hagen Glynn

Double Bill: Dylan Hayes Trio / Heather Ward

Thu Jan 16, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Pianist/keyboardist/composer/arranger Dylan Hayes has placed a deep footprint into Seattle jazz culture at a young age, first by taking the reins of the Jim Knapp legacy, and then within the confines of the collective ensemble, Meridian Odyssey. The Origin Records recording artist has also featured an electric band, a Hammond B-3 organ group, all aside from his base skill set as a jazz pianist. That base is exactly what this set is all about, with Hayes gathering in trio mode with bassist Trevor Ford and drummer Sutton Marley. Ford has well established himself around the city, settling in with bands led by Thomas Marriott and Marina Albero as well as his own trio. Marley’s arrival in Seattle from San Francisco was largely interrupted by the pandemic, and seems to be in full swing now. This is a great opportunity to witness Hayes’ artistry as a pianist and composer in the most intimate of jazz settings. 

Vocalist Heather Ward will perform the first set, making her SJF debut. She will perform music from her 2024 release, Honeysweet, and debut music from a forthcoming release. Ward will be joined by Seattle stalwart, Randy Halberstadt on piano–a grand start for any jazz vocalist. Bassist Moe Weisner and drummer Luca Cartner round out the rhythm section, with saxophonist Adam Chmaj added as a second melodic voice–also a wise choice in creating a melodic partner to add color and nuance for the audience. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Wayne Horvitz- Trio Sprout

Fri Jan 17. 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Trio Sprout is a reimagining of the classic piano trio of piano, violin and cello. The trio is guided by the principals of the jazz piano trio, with the emphasis falling on improvisation or spontaneous composition. 

Pianist Wayne Horvitz makes his second appearance at SJF, in collective spirit with violinist Alex Guy and cellist Maria Scherer Wilson. The trio will perform new arrangements of music written by Horvitz and Guy, with new compositions written by Horvitz specifically for this trio and its personnel. “Depending on the place and context, Ms. Guy may sing and electronics might enter the mix,” says Horvitz. “Time will tell.” Considering the broad view of music contained within this trio, one may never know what is around the corner. No matter what genre one chooses to suppose, the ultimate principal of playing in the moment spontaneously flows seamlessly with what the audience has come to expect at 109 S. Main. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Randy Halberstadt Trio

Sat Jan 18, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

This must be piano trio month at 109 S. Main–and that’s a good thing. There is no better format to experience the music down to its core, with limitless possibilities in the wait. Veteran pianist Randy Halberstadt has been hugely influential as a jazz performer and educator around Seattle for decades. His private instruction has impacted a long list of jazz pianists to emerge from the area, his compositional and performative chops aside. His career as a performer and recording artist has upheld a standard of excellence and elegance, whether playing his own tunes, artful interpretations of standards or improvised takes on the legacy of Chopin. 
In this trio, Halberstadt joins long-time mates in bassist Chris Symer and drummer Adam Kessler. The music will be straight ahead, modern jazz in a conversation mode.https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Painting the Town Red: The Music of Billie Holiday

A Community Celebration for Martin Luther King Day

Mon Jan 20, 7:30 PM / The Royal Room

The South Hudson Music Project presents this Billie Holiday tribute in celebration of MLK day. Who better to interpret the singer’s complicated and transcendent legacy, than vocalist and multi-Grammy nominee, Johnaye Kendrick. The music will honor Holiday’s celebrated life as a jazz and civil rights icon. Kendrick will front a band featuring pianist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Geoff Harper, drummer D’Vonne Lewis, trumpeter Ray Larsen, trombonist Beserat Tafesse and multi-reedist Hans Teuber. 

Be sure to follow this link to purchase tickets, but as well, make a dinner reservation at The Royal Room if you want a reserved seat. https://theroyalroomseattle.com/event/south-hudson-music-project-presents-painting-the-town-red-a-mlk-day-tribute-to-the-music-of-billie-holiday-2/

Highway 99 All-Stars

Tue & Wed Jan 21-22, 7:30 PM / Jazz Alley

The demolition of the Highway 99 viaduct returned waterfront access to city residents and tourists alike, but it also elevated rents along the doomed roadway to the extent that long-time residents like the venerable Highway 99 Blues Club were forced to shutter. The Seattle blues scene losing the club was akin to the jazz scene losing Tula’s and The New Orleans over the past decade. It scattered the scene both northward and southward, making this gathering not only a celebration, but a gathering of the tribes of sorts.

Blues harmonica ace Bob Corritore, bassist/vocalist Lisa Mann, guitarists Ben Rice and Robin Moxey, and keyboardist Jeff Conlin form this year’s version of the all-stars. Drummer Steve Sarkowsky is the founder of the Highway 99 Blues Club, as well as the all-star band that soon came to be after the opening in 2004. https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=7628

Photo Credit: Jim Levitt

Free Fall: Jeff Johnson, Rick Mandyck, John Bishop & Thomas Marriott

Wed Jan 22, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Free Fall is a chordless quartet whose history dates back decades, when saxophonist Rick Mandyck, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop first collided musically at the Old Towne in Ballard. Since then, trumpeter Thomas Marriott has joined the ranks and created a quartet free of chordal constraints, free to move directionally at will. 

With bassist Johnson as the fulcrum, and drummer Bishop as the orchestral underlying presence, Mandyck and Marriott are set loose to create melodically in the moment. All the while, both Johnson and Bishop emerge as soloists frequently as well. As the band’s moniker contends, the quartet is ultimately about freedom, with four of the city’s finest musicians front and center. This may be the best jazz group operating in the city currently- no lie. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Nelda Swiggett’s Megabopolis

Thu Jan 23, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Pianist/composer/arranger Nelda Swigett leads a sextet with perhaps the best band name this side of “Bebop and Destruction”–Megabopolis. The band plays Swiggett’s very visual compositions as well as her skillful arrangements of jazz standards. As a pianist, she swings in a very easy way whether playing up tempo or caressing a ballad in beatific harmonic terms. She has a way of comping sparingly, then bringing the fire while soloing. 

With Megabopolis, Swiggett has the tools to arrange and compose at will, with specific players in mind. The band is full of familiar faces for Seattle jazz fans, starting with Swiggett’s rhythm section mates in bassist Michael Glynn and drummer Max Wood. The front line features trombonist Cliff Swiggett, tenor saxophonist Travis Ranney and trumpeter Michael Van Bebber. The band has spent many sets together over a number of years, a bit of a rarity these days.https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Machado Mijiga Trio with special guest Lucas Winter

Fri Jan 24, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Colorful drummer / composer Machado Mijiga returns to 109 S. Main with his Portland based trio featuring bassist Andrew Jones and drummer Paul Moyer. The trio will perform Mijiga originals, pieces that center on interpretation and a conversational bent between three musicians that have logged a considerable amount of time together on stage. The performance continues the solid vibe between the jazz communities of Seattle and Portland united in PNW pride.

Seattle born and raised guitarist Lucas Winter joins the trio for the second set, adding a multi-faceted voice to the collective. Winter has not been seen a lot on city stages recently, making his appearance a hopeful sight. There’s a lot to dig into with these four new generation players, adding their voices to the deep jazz history of Seattle’s Pioneer Square. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Elnah Jordan with Josh Rawlings

Fri Jan 24, 7 PM / Egan’s Ballard Jam House

Vocalist Elnah Jordan is steeped in the blues, and all about soul. She is an engaging personality as well, which should play well in this intimate space in Ballard. Accompanied by pianist Josh Rawlings, this gig has a living room vibe to it. Jordan has a way of letting us know that HAVING the blues is very different from playing or SINGING the blues. Her performances are always a celebration of the roots of jazz, channeled into modern times. I recommend the cornbread delight on the menu. Cornbread and ice cream, who could have imagined? https://www.ballardjamhouse.com/schedule.html

Roman Goron Trio with special guest Jay Thomas

Sat Jan 25, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Young pianist Roman Goron is on the crest of the new wave of Gen Z jazz musicians to enter the Seattle jazz scene. A largely self-taught player, Goron’s artistry truly exceeds his tender years. He has a pure sense of melody in his playing, and his contributions harmonically when comping are sensitive and supportive, again, well beyond his age. His trio includes bassist Trevor Ford and drummer Max Holmberg, constituting the same unit that played under Ford’s name this past year at SJF. The inherent rhythmic makeup of the trio should be swingin.’

Seattle and international jazz legend Jay Thomas will guest, a wonderful and interesting cross- generational tie. Thomas, a rare bird in being equally virtuosic on reeds and trumpet, just turned seventy five and is hitting on all cylinders. He is a trumpet legend, of course, but his sound on tenor encapsulates that tradition like nobody else in town. This collision of talent highlights the utter lack of age discrimination in jazz, the antithesis of any kind of generation gap. The language spoken is all that matters. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Tim Armacost Quintet- matinee performance

Sun Jan 26, 2 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St

Saxophonist Tim Armacost arrives in town from New York and hits SJF with a Sunday matinee perfornance. Armacost may have the most impressive resume for a jazz musician you may know nothing about. His journey has taken him to three continents from his native Los Angeles, to its end point in New York City. The Grammy winning musician has produced seventeen albums as a leader and appears on sixty more as a sideman. His deep tenor sound has been heard around the world, but has as well forged him a place on the Gotham scene as a noted improviser. He has worked professionally with the likes of Al Foster, Jimmy Cobb, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Reggie Workman and Billy Hart among others. His music leans towards the avant-garde, with a firm foundation in straight ahead modern jazz.

For this performance, he leans into his connections with Seattle, leading a quintet that features long-time collaborator, saxophonist Chris Fagan. The rhythm section is a swingin’ lot, perhaps the best indicator of what a listener can expect on this gig. First call bassist Michael Glynn, stalward pianist John Hansen and veteran drummer Greg Williamson answer the call for this one, which creates an interesting balance of musical interest in the band. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/event

Frank Vignola and Pasquale Grasso

Tue Jan 28 & Wed Jan 29, 7:30 PM / Jazz Alley

Two great jazz guitarists joined together for their first tour, this pairing should produce a head-spinning performance between two virtuosos. Frank Vignola has produced more than thirty albums as a leader, through a variety of musical landscapes. He can sound like Django on some projects, while braving a more Metheny-esque sound and approach on others. Pasquale Grasso has been compared more to pianists than guitarists seemingly, with a chordal harmonic genius akin to the great Bud Powell. Sounds crazy? In a way, it is, as two of the finest guitarists in modern jazz collide into presenting an open-ended journey into the jazz guitar legacy.

The thirty year old, Italian born Grasso has been highly visible on the festival circuit as of late, helping to revive interest in jazz guitar, by approaching it from every angle. While his jazz playing is rooted in the Black American music tradition, he is also adept with European classical technique, adding that voice to his approach. Vignola is pure fire at times, exhibiting stunning speed and articulation to his chordal genius. https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=7613

Francesco Crosara Quartet

Thu Jan 30, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Italian-born pianist / composer Francesco Crosara is all Seattle these days, performing on the heels of his latest album, Circular Motion, on the highly regarded Seattle-based Origin Records label. He hits the stage at 109 S. Main with a Seattle quartet that features drummer Mark Ivester, bassist Clipper Anderson and tenor saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev.

Crosera brings four decades of composing to the table, in this case focusing on the new album as well as his 2000 release, Colors with the late, great Von Freeman. The pianist plays with a delicate and deft touch, reminiscent in many ways of Bill Evans. In Anderson and Nilolaev, he has surrounded himself with notable soloists that provide a variety of colors to decorate his ornate originals. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Sidney Hauser Quintet

Fri Jan 31, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

Saxophonist Sidney Hauser is an artist of multiple dimensions, known for her design and visual art as much as her role as a rising star alto saxophonist on the Seattle scene. She became a historic footnote in the history of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra as the first full time female member. It is on that stage where Hauser has truly acquired visibility into her skills as an alto saxophonist, in the process receiving the opportunity to perform with major out of town guests. Her time spent with SRJO veterans has provided her mentorship as well, while she explored balance in her artistic world.

Hauser makes her debut as a leader at SJF with a quintet that includes SRJO bandmate Milo Petersen on guitar. Eclectic electric bass master Farko Dosumov, trumpeter Ray Larsen, and drummer Adam Kessler round out the band. Hauser will be performing original tunes, as well as interpretations of standards both classic and obscure. The altoist has a classic alto sound, and a penchant for melodic interpretation. She has not played a lot of jazz gigs outside of SRJO in recent times, so this is a good opportunity to see her perform with a notable group of Seattle musicians in a room dedicated to jazz, with an audience looking for the same. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

Greta Matassa Quintet

Sat Feb 1, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 109 S. Main St.

One of Seattle’s most treasured performers, and the most acclaimed jazz singer from Seattle this side of Ernestine Anderson, Greta Matassa hits Pioneer Square with her long-tenured band. Matassa continues to dig into new material, much of it challenging instrumental material re-interpreted vocally with her marvelous instrument as the music’s voice. Her original tunes and imaginative takes on jazz standards decorate her sets as well, all delivered with precision and grace. 

Bassist Clipper Anderson, drummer Mark Ivester and saxophonist Alexy Nikolaev are long-time associates of Matassa, while pianist David Joyner is a more recent arrival. As a bandleader, Matassa lets this fine band stretch out, occasionally accepting requests along the way. For her part, the execution, range and rhythmic sensibility is impeccable, as it has been for a number of decades now. Matassa is a natural, self taught vocalist who has put in the hard work to be a master of her craft. That hands on grit has been passed on to a legion of enthusiastic singers who have benefited from her mentorship. In short, the woman is a legend, and a must see live jazz performer in Seattle. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

There was a time, when Pioneer Square was the center of the Seattle jazz scene, with three jazz clubs beckoning music fans with local and touring talent. Parnell’s (now Davidson Gallery), The Pioneer Banque (now Magic Mouse Toys) and the New Orleans Creole Restaurant (Now Darn the Weather) are gone, but the Fellowship’s now year old jazz room on Main St. is dedicated to live jazz four nights a week near Occidental. Pioneer Square in the 1990’s featured a slew of clubs up and down First Avenue where partrons for the price of one cover, could hit ten clubs and see ten bands in a single evening. For this one Tuesday night in February, thirteen sites will deliver thirteen bands to jazz fans free of charge, reviving the spirit of Seattle’s original community.

Recent data shows that nationwide, socialization is at an all time low, while isolated activities are at an all time high. The pandemic, inflation and the polarization of our times are all contributing factors. The price of going out and experiencing live music can be an expensive endeavor nowadays. Between the Fellowship’s membership driven model and this special night of free jazz music, the non-profit puts its best foot forward in lowering those barriers of access to the music. It puts the ideals of community and the fellowship it creates front and center.

The end of the evening’s activities takes place at the traditional Tuesday night jam session at the Owl ‘n Thistle, for what could be an epic episode of this community uniting jam that began in 1998. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events