Seattle Jazz Scene

Bria Skonberg plays trumpet and sings as she leads an all-star sextet in concert at Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend on Jazz Northwest on 88.5 KPLU on Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 2 PM PDT.  Born in Chilliwack, BC, she studied at Capilano University in North Vancouver BC before moving to New York.  She has been endorsed by veteran musicians and is active on the New York scene as well as an international touring star while still in her 20s.

She returned to the Pacific Northwest last summer to teach at the Jazz Workshop and perform on the mainstage at McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden.  Joining Bria Skonberg in this concert are Wycliffe Gordon, trombone, Dan Balmer, guitar, Randy Halberstadt, piano, Rodney Whittaker, bass and Matt Wilson, drums.

Bria Skonberg is playing at the Vancouver Dixiefest this weekend, with additional performances in Vancouver and Victoria next week as well as a Happy Hour performance at the Royal Room in Seattle (5 PM Oct .4) and Eastside Stomp in Kirkland (9 PM Oct.4) before continuing her West Coast tour.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for 88.5 KPLU.  The program airs at 2 PM Sundays and is also streamed live to the internet and available as a podcast after the broadcast at kplu.org.

More info:
briaskonberg.com
centrum.org/jazz
jazznw.org

Jazz Northwest this week will feature several new CDs by Northwest jazz artists, including former Seattle flutist and pianist Anne Drummond who has an active career in New York.   Several artists appearing at this Sunday’s Pony Boy Jazz Picnic have new or recent CDs on this show including The Greg Williamson Quartet, and Jay Thomas’ neo Boogaloo band, the Cantaloupes.   Also included is a new CD with the Miles Black Trio and guest saxophonist Grant Stewart recorded at The Cellar Jazz Club in Vancouver, BC, plus news about some of the best bets for live jazz in the Seattle region next week.

Jazz Northwest airs Sundays at 2 PM Pacific and is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for 88.5, KPLU. The program is also available as a streaming podcast at kplu.org following the broadcast.

Thomas Marriott solos with Centrum All Star Big Band directed by Clarence Acox (photo by Jim Levitt)

The Centrum All-Star Big Band directed by Clarence Acox played a Salute to Quincy Jones at Jazz Port Townsend last July, and Jazz Northwest was there to record the concert. The full-length concert broadcast will air on Sunday, September 1 at 2 pm (PDT) as part of a series of live concert recordings from this year’s festival.

Quincy Jones grew up in Seattle and attended Garfield High School. He got his first big band experience in Seattle, and it’s fitting that this Salute to Quincy Jones is directed by Clarence Acox, who has directed the multi-awarding winning jazz band program at Garfield High School for 35 years. He is also a professional drummer and co-director of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with Michael Brockman. Many musicians in this concert have played in both bands.

Selections by Quincy Jones include the Theme from Golden Boy, Stockholm Sweetnin’, The Midnight Sun Will Never Set, Quintessence and others.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke, exclusively for 88.5 KPLU. The program is also available as a podcast at kplu.org following the broadcast. Next concert in the series will feature René Marie and Sachal Vasandani on September 15.

Every Sunday afternoon at 2 we check out the local jazz scene with the latest CDs by resident musicians and on alternate weeks, location recordings that are available nowhere else! This week, there’s music from CDs by Jay Thomas, Chris Amemiya, Jovino Santos Neto, Larry Barilleau, Clipper Anderson and others. We’ll also remember Floyd Standifer and Don Lanphere.

Next week, we’ll begin a series of shows recorded on the mainstage of Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend 2013. Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke for 88.5 KPLU. It airs at 2 PM Pacific and is available as a podcast at kplu.org following the broadcast.

The longest-running Jazz Festival in the Pacific Northwest is Jazz Port Townsend on the last weekend of July each year.  On Sunday, July 21 at 2 PM (PDT) on Jazz Northwest we’ll sample some of the world-class artists who’ll be at Jazz Port Townsend this year to teach workshops during the week and perform in concerts and intimate clubs on the weekend. Included in this preview are The Clayton Brothers, Steffon Harris (pictured), Anat Cohen, René Marie, Cyrille Aimée & Diego Figueiredo, and Anthony Wilson – Sunday at 2 on Jazz Northwest from 88.5, KPLU.

Jazz Northwest will be on hand again to record festival concerts for later broadcast.  Next week (7/21) on the program, highlights from an evening with the Joe Locke/Thomas Marriott Quartet at Tula’s will be featured.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org.  The program is also available as a podcast at kplu.org following each broadcast.

For more info:
centrum.org/jazz
jazznw.org

Jim Wilke shares some of his favorite CDs for the holidays by Northwest jazz musicians who’ve appeared often on the program … Don Lanphere, The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Ernestine Anderson, Dave Peck, Greta Matassa, Barney McClure and others.

Listen to this December celebration featuring some our favorite musicians playing holiday music and support Jazz Northwest, Sunday afternoons at 2 Pacific Time on 88.5, KPLU and kplu.org.

Andy Clausen’s (Re)Birth of the Cool nonet at The Chapel   (photo by Daniel Sheehan)

Concert recreation of classic Miles Davis “Birth of the Cool” album on Jazz Northwest on KPLU 88.5

High on any list of all-time classic jazz albums is the 1949-50 Miles Davis album “Birth of The Cool” which grew out of an informal composers/ arrangers workshop with Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan and John Lewis among others.  That album continues to be influential among jazz musicians today, one of them being trombonist Andy Clausen who has studied these recordings and arrangements extensively.  Last summer, he organized a concert of this music which was presented by Earshot Jazz at The Chapel performance space in Seattle.  The concert was recorded and will be broadcast Sunday, October 7 at 1 PM PDT on “Jazz Northwest” on 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org .

In the critical role of trumpeter Miles Davis is Andy Clausen’s fellow Juilliard student, Riley Mulherkar.  The two were cross-town rivals in high school when they played in jazz bands at their respective high schools, Andy at Roosevelt and Riley at Garfield.   The other musicians include some of the area’s most prominent jazz artists, Tom Varner, French horn, Mark Taylor, alto sax, James DeJoie, baritone sax, John Hill, tuba, Marc Seales, piano, Phil Sparks, bass and Matt Jorgensen, drums.

The selections are presented in the same order in which they appeared on the original album, and the concert was recorded with minimal micing to preserve the spirit of the original performance and the rich acoustics of The Chapel.  Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for 88.5 KPLU, airing on Sundays at 1 PM PDT.  The program is also available as a podcast at kplu.org after the broadcast.

Andy Clausen’s Wishbone ensemble will appear in concert with the Danilo Perez Trio at The Earshot Festival on October 13 at Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.

photo by Jim Levitt

Sunday, September 2nd on Jazz Northwest from 88.5 KPLU, the Benny Green Trio with special guest Gary Smulyan on baritone saxophone is heard in concert at Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend. The concert was recorded in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden on July 28, and consists of original music by Benny Green.

Benny Green has been a favorite at Jazz Port Townsend for years. He has been an active professional pianist since the 80s when he began his career with Betty Carter, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and Freddie Hubbard. He has since made 15 albums as a leader himself. He previews some new music in this concert including several pieces titled with the names of Bop masters Jackie McLean, Harold Land and Sonny Clark, reflecting his interest and study of the originators of this music. Joining him in this trio are Ben Wolfe on bass and Rodney Green on drums.

Also joining the Benny Green Trio on three selections is the multi-award winning baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, a leader in his own right and a first call baritone saxophonist on the New York scene. Gary Smulyan has played with Woody Herman, the Mel Lewis Orchestra under Bob Brookmeyer, The Mingus Epitaph band, and Smithsonian Masterworks Orchestra among others. Both Benny Green and Gary Smulyan were on the faculty of the week-long jazz workshop that precedes the Jazz Port Townsend Festival each year.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke, exclusively for 88.5 KPLU. The program airs Sundays at 1 PM PDT. It also streams simultaneously to the internet and is also available as a podcast at kplu.org following the airdate.