Seattle Jazz Scene

Seattle jazz composer and saxophonist Steve Griggs won a Longfellow Chorus Award of Distinction in the 2010 Longfellow Chorus International Composers Competition. The award winning composition set the poem “Moonlight” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for solo tenor voice and piano. Charles Kaufmann, Director of the Longfellow Chorus states, “Moonlight is a highly original Longfellow setting that matches our wish to present differing styles of composition. The choice of text and combination with this particular style of textural setting are unique.” The piece may be performed at the Longfellow Birthday Concert, February 27 and 28, in Portland, Maine.

Steve Griggs composed seven new works for his Bumbershoot 2009 performance, was featured as a soloist on the 2009 Bungie/Microsoft video game Halo 3: ODST, set poems of Seattle sculptor James Washington for gospel soloist, and is arranging the works of Heitor Villa-Lobos for jazz chamber ensemble.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

TRIPLE DOOR: Bellevue College Big Band

MIX: Don Mock

SEAMONSTER LOUNGE: McTuff Trio

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Chris Johansen Quartet, with Chris Johansen (tenor sax), John Hansen (piano), Chuck Kistler (bass) and Phil Parisot (drums)

JAZZ ALLEY: Pearl Django w/ Larry Coryell

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Vocal Jam w/Greta Matassa

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

Anything else? Drop us a line and let us know!

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
3pm – Reggie Goings/Hadley Caliman Quartet
8pm – Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Bozzio, Holdsworth, Levin, Mastelotto
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Tor Dietrichson and Mambo Cadillac

BOXLEY’S: Tracy Knoop Quartet
101 W North Bend Way, North Bend

JAZZ ALLEY: Curtis Delgado

SERAFINA:
11am –Alex Guilbert
6pm – Ann Reynolds / Tobi Stone

CONCERT: Andy Clausen Sextet, Zubin Hensler Group
Seattle Drum School LAB, 12510 15th Ave NE, 7pm

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bill Anschell Trio

JAZZ ALLEY: Curtis Salgado

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Hard Coretet
TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE:  Bozzio, Holdsworth, Levin, Mastelotto

BOXLEY’S: Karen Shivers Quartet

BAKE’S PLACE: Bake & Friends w/Craig Baker, Trish Hatley, Larry Holloway

LOMBARDI’S: Jay Thomas

GRAZIE: Andre Thomas

SERAFINA: Sue Nixon and Friends

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Treseler/O’Donnell, with Steve Treseler (tenor sax), Brendan O’Donnell (guitar) and Chris Icasiano (drums)
9pm – The Shoemaker Brothers, with Samuel Shoemaker (violin/vocals), Nathanael Shoemaker (cello/vocals), Daniel Shoemaker (viola/vocals) and Gabriel Shoemaker (violin/vocals)

from KBCS’ RadioActivity newsletter:

Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Strings: Renegades, Delmark
Vijay Iyer: Historicity, Act Music + Vision
Charles Tolliver Big Band: Emperor March-Live at the Blue Note, Halfnote
Victor Noriega: Fenceless, Pony Boy
Matt Wilson: That’s Gonna Leave a Mark, Palmetto
Joe Lovano: Folk Art, Blue Note
Thomas Marriott: Flexicon, Origin
Dr. Lonnie Smith: Rise Up, Palmetto
Branford Marsalis: Metamorphosen, Marsalis Music
Scott La Faro: Pieces of Jade, Resonance

from KBCS’ RadioActivity newsletter:

Robert Glasper: Double Booked, Blue Note
Issa Bagayogo: Mali Koura, Six Degrees
Rudresh Mananthappa: Kinsmen, PI Recordings
Rokia Traore: Tchemanche, Nonesuch
Thomas Marriott: Flexicon, Origin
Gretchen Parlatto: In a Dream, Oblique Sound
John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble: Eternal Interlude, Sunnyside
Anouar Brahem: The Astounding Eyes of Rita, ECM
Tinariwen: Imidiwan, World Village
Allen Toussaint: The Bright Mississippi, Nonesuch

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Stephanie Porter

SERAFINA: Fred Hoadley Trio

BOXLEY’S: Karen Shivers & Greg Williamson Quartet

BAKE’S PLACE: Little Bill & Blue Notes

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Fm Duo

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson & Tad Britton

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Le Trio with Michael Owcharuk (piano/accordion), Nate Omdal (bass) and Mike Dodge (clarinet/tenor sax)
9pm-2010 – Leif Totusek and Mohammed Shaibu

SORRENTO HOTEL: Overton Berry

HIGH DIVE: Skerik, Andy Coe, Joe Doria, D’vonne Lewis

LUCID JAZZ LOUNGE: The Teaching

A number of Northwest jazz releases made it into All About Jazz columnist Dan McClenaghan’s Top Ten of 2009.

Jessica Williams, “Art of the Piano”
Origin Records
Always a fine pianist, Jessica Williams has driven deeper into her artistry since she started her own record label. This live set features Jessica Williams at the peak of her solo piano powers.

Todd Bishop’s Pop Art 4, “69 Annee Erotique”
Origin Records
A meticulously-crafted jazz/pop mix nod to the music of the late French musical Renaissance man, Serge Gainsbourg.

Bridge Quartet, Night
Origin Records
A top notch quartet, sax and piano/bass/drums, sounding devil-may-care relaxed, giving some familiar tunes a wild ride.

See the complete list at All About Jazz.com

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bruce Staelens Quintet

NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox

BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Mike Gullo and Daniel Berryman with Scotty Bemis (piano), Will Gerhardt (piano), Colleen Gilligan (bass) and Brian Greggs (drums)
9pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Leah Stillwell, with Darin Clendenin (piano), Larry Halloway (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)

NECTAR: Garaj Mahal & Andrew Oliver Kora Band
412 N 36th St, 8:00pm

BOXLEY’S: John Hansen Trio

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Sandy Carbary & Bill Chism

SERAFINA: Kelly Ash Trio

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

Thank you to everyone who has read and keeps reading Seattle Jazz Scene every day. We are quickly approaching our 1500th post!

Keep sending in your Seattle jazz scene news stories. Tell your friends. Support your neighborhood jazz joint.

Happy New Year,
Seattle Jazz Scene

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Katrina Kope/ Jose Gonzalez

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Peter Kenagy Quintet with Peter Kenagy (trumpet), Chris Johansen (tenor sax), Carmen Staaf (piano), Kendall Eddy (bass) and Matt Jorgensen (drums)
9pm – The Zubin Hensler Group, with Zubin Hensler (trumpet), Zach Para (drums), Devin Lowe (bass), Marcus Hoy (spoken word) and Gus Carnes (piano)

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

TOST: Jon Sheckler Group; Kelly Ash And The Funk Band

MIX: Don Mock

Lawrence M. Halpern, Ph.D, 78, died peacefully in his home December 21st.

Born in New York on July 3, 1931, Larry lived a large life and touched the lives of many. After graduating from Bronx High School of Science, Larry joined the Navy Corps. Later Larry attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was an Emeritus Associate Professor at the University Of Washington School Of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology from 1965 to 2005. A pioneer in the world of pain management, Larry was a published, international lecturer and founding member of Hospice of Seattle. He also served on the board of many organizations.

Larry was a patron of the arts, a board member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, and supported many individual musicians. He loved sailing and traveling with his wife Gail; was an avid photographer; a food lover who loved to cook, and a ham radio enthusiast. In short, Larry was a true renaissance man. He was a talented saxophone and flute player whose deep passion for music permeated all aspects of his life, leading him at 55 to attend Cornish College of the Arts, studying Jazz Performance. He attended the Centrum Jazz Workshop for many years, and became a member of the Seattle Flute Society, the NW School of Music Flute Choir, and Jim Knapp’s Big Band.

Larry is survived by his wife Gail Arshon Halpern, his children Gordon Raphael, Lisa Halpern and her husband Jose J. Gonzales, Cherron Halpern, and his niece Anne Rosenbaum. Services have been set for 11:00a.m. on Wednesday, December 23rd at the Herzl Memorial Park, 16501 Dayton Avenue, Seattle, WA 98133. Remembrances may be sent to Hospice of Seattle or Swedish Hospice.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Carmen Staaf Trio

TRIPLE DOOR: Squirrel Nut Zippers

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

POGGIE TAVERN: Falingo Machaz w/ Marc Smason & Pavel Shepp

RICKY’S IN SHORELINE: Richard Cole Group
632 NW Richmond Beach Rd Shoreline,WA

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
3pm – Fairly Honest Jazz Band
8pm – Katy Bourne Quartet

TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
Sunday Night Salsa – Salsaribe

BOXLEY’S: Danny Kolke Trio
101 W North Bend Way, North Bend

JAZZ ALLEY: David Benoit

from The Seattle Times:

In 1965, the Pulitzer Prize’s three-member music jury voted unanimously to award Duke Ellington a special citation for his prodigious contributions to American music, an award unceremoniously rejected by the Pulitzer’s 14-member advisory board.

The 66-year-old Ellington handled the snub and resulting controversy with customary aplomb. “Fate is being kind to me,” the Maestro said. “Fate doesn’t want me to be famous too young.”

In truth, Ellington had his eye on loftier concerns. On Sept. 16 of that year, the Duke Ellington Orchestra premiered “A Concert of Sacred Music” at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, the first of three Sacred Music programs that he considered his most important work.

These days there’s little argument about Ellington’s status as a singularly creative force in 20th-century music, but compared to his beloved standards and ambitious longer suites with Billy Strayhorn, his Sacred Music is rarely performed.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

TOWN HALL: Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music w/ SRJO

TRIPLE DOOR: Here & Now Quintet

BOXLEY’S: Carolyn Graye Quartet

LOMBARDI’S: Leah Stillwell Trio

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Trish Hatley Trio

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:Ray Ohls Trio with Louis Ledbetter and Tim Malland

SERAFINA: Alex Guilbert Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Jon Sheckler Group, featuring Chad McCullough, with Jon Sheckler (drums), Erika Price (piano), Dean Schmidt (bass) and Chad McCullough (trumpet)
9pm – Kristin Chambers Quintet, with Jamie Dieveney (piano), Lauren Hendrix (bass), Glen Allen (guitar) and Brad Gibson (drums)
11pm – Jim Knodle and the Distract Band