Seattle Jazz Fellowship | Seattle Jazz Scene

Seattle Jazz Scene: Live Jazz Previews for Seattle

March 19, 2024 / Paul Rauch / No Comments

Ralph Moore Quartet

with Peter Washington, David Kikoski & Lewis Nash

Thu-Sat Feb 12, 13, 14, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

English born, New York based saxophonist Ralph Moore leads an all-star quartet featuring pianist David Kikoski, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. Moore has a recording history of seven albums as a leader that date from 1985-2019, all the while performing in the bands of Horace Silver, Roy Haynes, Freddie Hubbard and Gene Harris among others. Pianist Kikoski is the “pianist’s pianist,” noted for his twenty albums as a leader and extensive recording and touring history with numerous jazz legends. Drummer Nash has appeared on more than 400 albums. The Nash, a jazz club and community outreach non-profit bears his name. Bassist Washington has an astonishing discography and touring history, being one of the most sought after jazz bassists of the past forty years.

What we’re talking about here is a three night gathering of true jazz professionals of the highest order, performing in a very intimate atmosphere. While the Fellowship is largely a venue for local stars, the occasion to bring in internationally acclaimed artists to kick start our scene is important. Show up early. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Cecile McLorin Salvant

Thu Feb 12- Sun Feb 15, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship

Cécile McLorin Salvant, a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award winner, is one of the most prominent and culturally influential singers in modern jazz history. Her ability to express the essence of the music both with her magnificent instrument and her colorful insight into melodic expression. Teamed with pianist Sullivan Fortner, she has graced the JA stage on several occasions, this time adding bassist Yasuchi Nakamura and drummer Kyle Poole to the mix. The Tokyo born Nakamura has deep ties in Seattle as a resident here. If you have not seen her live, you owe yourself the pleasure. Salvant is one of the few jazz vocalists in the music today that can stand beside the great jazz vocalists of all time. https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=8744

Monday Night Jam at Seattle Jazz Fellowship

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

The Monday night jam in Pioneer Square has been quite the thing since the third Monday in January 2025. The session has been a gathering spot for some of the best musicians in town, from seasoned professionals to ascending high school and college players. It has also become a focal point for gen z to gather socially outside of the shadow of technology and screen life. Each week the club is full, and a line ascends up the stairs, around the corner and down First Avenue. These young people arrived via a Tic Tok video with the idea of an all ages, cover free experience with new music performed honestly, in the moment. They became a jazz audience with much more reverence for the music than most sessions. They listen, applaud solos, cheer on their favorites and deeply enjoy the idea of musicians creating on the spot jam style. We long-time patrons of the art are right there alongside them and it is a true joy. The musicians, both in house band led by Thomas Marriott, and the jammers feel the vibe as well. The early start and end allows for those who have school and work the next day. If you are looking for a ray of hope in our city, this may be your gig. Show up by 7 PM and you should have a seat. Musicians enter at will as long as they sign up to play. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/

Tuesday Night Jam at the Owl

Tuesdays at 9:30 PM / Owl & 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

Jacqueline Tabor

Thu Feb 19, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Jacqueline Tabor has evolved into a live performance force in Seattle, appearing with her own band and with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. She has a deep connection with the blues, in a genuine sense. Over the past ten years, a lot of hard work has manifested itself into pure and honest artistry. How she carries a lyric and makes it powerful, is a special quality. Band TBA http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Tim Carey Quartet

Fri Feb 20, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Electric bassist Tim Carey has always had a unique approach to his instrument, and a versatile one at that. He has been seen in a multiplicity of musical circumstances on stages around town, most notably in recent times as the bassist of the Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto, and Kate Olson’s quartet. On this evening, Carey takes the helm behind his 6-string electric, teaming up with pianist / keyboardist Jake Sele, drummer Kyle Doran and double bassist Chris Symer. The two bass coniguration is unusual, but not unprescedented in jazz. Coltrane employed a two bass approach, though utilizing two acoustic instruments. With Carey’s six string electric approach at times approximating that of a guitarist, Symer’s presence frees him up to play beyond the expected responsibilities of the bass per se. The band will perform Carey originals, as well arrangements of some favorite standards. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Dr. Julian Priester Quintet

Sat Feb 21, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Iconic trombonist Julian Priester has been a major force in jazz music since he joined Sun Ra’s band in the late 1950s. His playing style is a departure from the JJ Johnson school of playing, an innovative approach that has been applied to his own historic recordings and those of the likes of Muddy Waters, Dinah Washington, Max Roach, Booker Little, Abbey Lincoln, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and a host of others. In 1973, the Chicago born Priester left New York City for San Francisco to join Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi Band. He began recording his own music for the ECM label and eventually settled into a second stint with Sun Ra’s Arkestra. Seattle was fortunate to receive him as a resident when he came here to teach at Cornish College of the Arts in 1979. Seattle students benefited from his tutelage until his retirement in 2011. Now at ninety years of age, Priester is experiencing a bit of a revival, having just performed in NYC with George Coleman, Reggie Workman, Billy Hart and others.

Priester will be joined by fellow trombonist Steve Moore, and an ace rhythm section featuring pianist John Hansen, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer Evan Woodle. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a true jazz legend! seattlejazzfellowship.org

Jazz Night In Pioneer Square

Tue Feb 24, 5:30 PM / Pioneer Square venues

Seattle Jazz Felllowship and the Alliance for Pioneer Square once again put on this free event that fills Seattle’s original neighborhood with 2000 plus jazz enthusiasts in fifteen venues. The bill includes a wide variety of jazz styles in music venues, galleries, museums and the Seattle Jazz Fellowship itself. Several of the venues are all ages, with the event culminating in the traditional weekly jam session at the Owl ‘n Thistle. This event is one of the great social outings of the season as well, with a great cross-generational hang that is second to none. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Jonti Siman Trio with special guest Ben Thomas

Thu Feb 26, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Bassist Jonti Siman hits SJF with his regular trio, adding the exceptional Dr. Ben Thomas on vibraphone for good measure! Guitarist Owen Thayer and drummer William Sage have been gigging with Siman as a trio, performing originals and eclectic interpretations of American roots and popular music. Siman’s roots are diverse on both double and electric bass. Thomas’ energetic brilliance is often witnessed as a major cog in the Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto and other groups in the city, with roots in Brazilian and Argentine forms. He is also a master of the bandoneon. You have to love the possibilities here and the openness it suggests. Siman and Thayer’s original tunes add to the intrigue of interpretation. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Elnah Jordan

Fri Feb 27, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Soulful vocalist Elnah Jordan was literally discovered on the street busking by the legendary jazz singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks in San Francisco. Every one of her performances are like a new chapter in an unlikely tale, with Jordan leading the way with a unique sense of connectivity with her audience. Bassist Jonti Siman, guitarist Owen Thayer, drummer Adam Kessler and veteran pianist Paul Richardson are on the gig with Elnah, an crew with a wealth of experience. They better have their roots deeply entrenched in the blues, because that’s where Jordan will be all night! This will be a fun one. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Beserat Tafesse Quartet

Sat Feb 28, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Trombonist Beserat Tafesse returns to the Fellowship with a top flight quartet, featuring pianist Matt Williams, drummer Chris Icasiano and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes. Tafesse has been performing quite a bit on bass trumpet to go along with his work on trombone. Williams is currently heading up the weekly session at the Owl ‘n Thistle. He has led his own trio at the Fellowship, and is one of the finest players in town. Icasiano is a versatile, sensitive player who has been a part of Tafesse’s working quartet over the past year. His approach to kit playing is highly original. EFB is a dynamic, experienced player who has played with a number of siginificant artists, including Chico Freeman. His work with the late, great fusion band, Industrial Revelation is stuff of Seattle legend. seattlejazzfellowship.org

RL Heyer Trio with Special Guests

Fri Mar 6, 7:30 PM / Seattle Jazz Fellowship- 103 S. Main St.

Guitarist RL Heyer has always lived on the edge of differing styles that merge into a single voice that expresses clearly what guitar music has meant to now generations of music lovers. He can bask in the refinement of jazz guitar and in a flash be shredding hard rock riffs more reminiscent of Jeff Beck than a straight up jazz player. His playing bears the liberation of rock, the chops of jazz fusion and the cerebral aspects of post-bop jazz. Here, he hits The Seattle Jazz Fellowship with his trio featuring bassist David Dawda and drummer Brad Boal, themselves titans of instrumental versatility. For this gig, they add keyboardist / percussionist Bob Rees to the mix, with the possibility of more special guests hanging in the night air in Pioneer Square.

Heyer states that this band was formed with Khruangbin in mind, giving us another idea of what is to take place. Heyer is a musician that needs to be heard more on the jazz scene, making this booking a welcome change to what we might have seen in the dinner club reality of the past on the Seattle jazz scene. Many Seattle jazz fans may remember him from Tarik Abouzied’s Happy Orchestra pre-pandemic. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Ian Hughes Quartet

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

Completing an all-guitar weekend at SJF, guitarist Ian Hughes makes his sophomore visit to the non-profit’s stage, leading a quartet featuring bassist Marina Christopher, saxophonist Michael Jedynak. and drummer Chris Patin. For this performance, they are joined by pianist Joey Walbaum. The evening will be an album release celebration of Hughes’ latest release, Dreamscapes, a work featuring his originals and skillful arrangements. http://seattlejazzfellowship.org

Opinion/Editorial: The Time to Act is Now to Support Local Seattle Jazz

November 24, 2023 / Paul Rauch / No Comments

“Our mission is to build community, provide access to the mentorship cycle, incentivize excellence and to lower the barriers to access jazz for both performers and listeners.”

This quote from the original mission statement of the Seattle Jazz Fellowship states in no uncertain terms, the focus of the Seattle 401(c) 3 non-profit that has guided its journey from its point of inception in October 2021. This was when the fellowship initiated its “Fellowship Wednesdays” weekly affair at Vermillion Art Bar on Capitol Hill. While the non-profit has engaged in a variety of special events, the Wednesday series has presented live jazz featuring Seattle resident musicians with occasional out of town guests now for more than two years. It has provided a stage for Seattle jazz musicians to perform original music for an appreciative listening audience and be paid respectfully. While only one night a week, it has been a beacon of hope for the Seattle jazz scene that has lost its collective mainstages largely due to gentrification. The business model that guided jazz dinner clubs like the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square and the iconic Tula’s Jazz Club in Belltown became obsolete. The price tag for the consumer became sky high, while the numbers needed to manage a successful business became impossible. An alternative was needed if the resident jazz scene in Seattle was to survive.

On Tuesday November 21, SJF founder Thomas Marriott announced that the December 6 edition of Fellowship Wednesdays would be the last staged at Vermillion, as the fellowship would be moving into its own space in Pioneer Square beginning in late January of 2024. The venue will be a pop-up affair in the historic Globe building near the intersection of First Avenue and Main St., smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood that not long ago was the heartbeat of Seattle nightlife. Programming will increase to “several” nights a week according to Marriott, increasing employment opportunities for musicians, and live jazz access for listeners. The non-profit’s logical next step is a large one, and will require a significant increase in support from the Seattle music community at large. Most importantly, it will require an “all in” support network from Seattle jazz musicians themselves. In an interview I conducted with Marriott that culminated in an All About Jazz article in February 2022, he stated, “It takes everybody showing up. It takes people getting off the bench and off the sidelines and saying,’I’m going to show up to this person’s gig because it’s good for all of us.’”

In essence, this is a calling to step up to the plate and hit it out of the park. The time is NOW. What is required is not a burden, but an act of love and respect for jazz music in Seattle, and the artists that provide the sounds. It is a call to the jazz audience to not only support the music with your dollars, but to show up and join in the fellowship and broad sense of community this music provides.

You can purchase a membership using the link below. If your personal income allows you to make a donation beyond standard membership, now is the time to do so. If your working life puts you in contact with personal and/or corporate entities that are possibly willing to support this venture, now is the time to begin that conversation. We can create something beautiful and long-lasting if we so wish–it’s up to us as a community. Do we want local, fair paying gigs in an inclusive environment that welcomes the public without typical financial barriers to access? The answer is definitely yes. It is now officially in our hands.

Buy a membership, volunteer your time, make a donation, show up–this is what is required of you. The exploding moment we have all been waiting for is here. Nobody is going to show up and be the savior of the local Seattle jazz scene–we are collectively just that. Marriott has set the foundation. It’s “go time” to take it from there and build our community. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/membership

Seattle Jazz Fellowship Presents: Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band

June 30, 2022 / Paul Rauch / No Comments

“While the nonprofit has been acknowledged for providing a place for the resident Seattle jazz to thrive, it is equally important to note the Fellowship’s work in caring for the music itself.”

The Seattle Jazz Fellowship, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by trumpeter Thomas Marriott, was created in response to the loss of viable jazz stages showcasing the vibrant resident jazz scene in Seattle. While local jazz musicians and fans alike mourned the downfall of longtime resident haunts such as the New Orleans club and Tula’s Jazz Club, Marriott and a supportive group of like-minded community members sought an alternative to the traditional jazz supper club personified by the aforementioned institutions. Gentrification of the downtown core of the city had driven rents to such a level that sustaining a club that could also serve as a community hub had become difficult at best. Food and liquor sales became the life blood of these attempts, driving up the price of access to jazz fans, while wages for musicians hung at early 1980’s levels. Worse yet, musicians had to rely on the door or ticket receipts to be paid at all. Like many jazz scenes around the country not based in New York City, the best musicians had to leave town to have any hope of earning a living as a professional jazz musician. The story of the Seattle Jazz Fellowship (SJF) and its guiding principles first appeared in All About Jazz in February, 2022, in the article Seattle Jazz Fellowship: A New Beginning For Live Resident Jazz . To continue reading, click here https://www.allaboutjazz.com/seattle-jazz-fellowship-presents-orrin-evans-and-the-captain-black-big-band-captain-black-big-band

Seattle Jazz Fellowship Photo Gallery: Alex Claffy Quintet and The Fellowship ‘Ceptet at the Royal Room

February 9, 2022 / Paul Rauch / No Comments

The Seattle Jazz Fellowship, the city’s 501 (c) (3) jazz non-profit, has taken a hiatus from their weekly dates at Vermillion until April 20, when the Wednesday night program will re-ignite for another six week run. In the meantime, the organization founded by Thomas Marriott has turned its focus to presenting performances featuring the Fellowship ‘Ceptet, a rotating gathering of the best of the Seattle jazz scene. The seven piece ensemble opened for New York based bassist Alex Claffy and his quintet on Tuesday, February 8 at the Royal Room in Columbia City.

The ‘Ceptet performed compositions by trumpeter Marriott, along with a Thelonious Monk classic. Marriott was joined by a front line of altoist Alex Dugdale, tenorist Jackson Cotugno and trombonist David Marriott, Jr.. Pianist Marina Albero, bassist Trevor Ford and drummer D’Vonne Lewis held down the rhythm section.

Claffy’s quintet featured Portland born and raised tenorist Nicole Glover, and trumpeter Benny Benack III. The New York based band was all in on the hang in Seattle as well, attending both the Monday night jam at the Royal Room, and the Tuesday night jam at the Owl ‘n Thistle.

Photographers Jim Levitt and Lisa Hagen Glynn were there to document the event with their stellar photographic skill sets. Enjoy the results! To further explore the goings on with the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, visit their website at https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/