Diane Schuur and Janis Mann, two former Seattle singers will come home for gigs in Seattle this week and their most recent CDs are featured on this week’s Jazz Northwest, Sunday September 7 at 2 PM Pacific on 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org. Both launched successful recording and touring careers from Seattle and their most recent CDs are featured on this program. Janis Mann will sing in the Art of Jazz series at Seattle Art Museum on Thursday September 11, and Diane Schuur will be at Jazz Alley September 11-14. Don’t be surprised if you see either of them at the other’s gig, they’re longtime friends as well.
Also on this week’s Jazz Northwest is another former Seattle singer with a new CD, Dee Daniels, plus Collier & Dean, Ann Reynolds, Greg Williamson, and new music from Portland and Vancouver BC.
Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke for KPLU and is heard Sunday afternoons at 2 on 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org . A podcast of the program is also available following the broadcast.
JAZZ ALLEY: Western Arts Alliance Showcase
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30pm
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Smith / Staelens Big Band
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm
VITOS: Jerry Zimmerman
927 9th Ave, Seattle, 9:00pm
NORTH CITY BISTRO: Jazz Jam w/ Darin Clendenin Trio
1520 NE 177th St, Shoreline. 206-365-4447, 7:30pm
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Jerome Watson with Reuel Lubag (piano), Ronnie Bishop (drums), Dan O’Brien (bass), Jake Olson (guitar) and special guest vocalist Sam King Rawllie Means
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, (206) 789-1621
BLACK ZIA CANTINA: Ryan Burns
15212 6th Ave SW, Burien, 8:30pm
BOXLEY’S: 5:00pm: Future Jazz Heads; 7:00pm: Jazz Heads
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307
THE PINK DOOR: Casey MacGill Trio
1919 Post Alley, Seattle, 8:00pm
The Ship Canal Grill was packed last night as Jay Thomas’ Wednesday Night Jam Session came to an end. The session had been popular with many local musicians as well as many of the high school students in the area.
Thomas made an announcement at the end of the night that he is looking for a new location for the jazz session.
BLUE MOON: Blue Moon session w/ Dave Abramson
712 NE 45th St, 206-675-9116, 4:30pm
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Jazz Meat – CD Release! With Greg Federighi (bass), John Savage (bari sax), Stuart Laughlin (drums) and Chad Walker (guitar)
9pm – Rick Mandyck Quartet featuring Thomas Marriott – with Rick Mandyck (piano) and Paul Gabrielson (bass)
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, (206) 789-1621
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Vocal Showcase featuring Laura Rosok, Lizzie Clauss and Dorothy Rodes
9pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Dan Czaran. With Chris Morton (piano), Ian Sheridan (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, (206) 789-1621
SHIP CANAL: Jay Thomas Jam Session
3218 Eastlake Avenue East, Seattle, 206-588-8885, 7:30pm
BLACK ZIA CANTINA: Ryan Burns
15212 6th Ave SW, Burien, 8:30pm
BOXLEY’S: 5:00pm: Future Jazz Heads; 7:00pm: Jazz Heads
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307
THE PINK DOOR: Casey MacGill Trio
1919 Post Alley, Seattle, 8:00pm
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Dave Peck Trio
2214 Second Avenue, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm
JAZZ ALLEY: Jane Monheit
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30 & 10:00pm
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
9pm – FADE Quartet with Max Holmberg, Alex Dugdale, Keegan Harshman and Grant Neubauer
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, (206) 789-1621
ROYAL ROOM: Correo Aereo Trio with Amy Denio & Evan Flory Barnes/ The Teaching
5000 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, (206) 906-9920, 8:00pm
LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio
6423 Latona Avenue NE, 5:00 – 7:00pm, No Cover, 21+
BOXLEY’S: Chris McCarthy w/ M.A.R.C. Quartet
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm
SERAFINA: John Sanders & Sue Nixon
2043 Eastlake Ave E, 206-323-0807, 9:00pm
NORTH CITY BISTRO: IvyLane
1520 NE 177th St, Shoreline, 206-365-4447, 7:00pm
DUOS LOUNGE: Jeff Ferguson’s Triangular Jazztet
2940 SW Avalon Way, 206-452-2452, 7:30pm
TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. The Westerlies is a quartet of young New York brass players, who know each other from school days in Seattle. Their debut album is a set of pieces by Seattle-based composer and improviser Wayne Horvitz. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says Horvitz and The Westerlies are a perfect fit.
KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Since Wayne Horvitz left New York for Seattle in 1989, he’s burrowed deep into the city’s musical life. He composes for the theater, for classical ensembles and his own improvising bands, and he runs his own club. He’s taught and mentored and hired lots of younger musicians, including the future members of the two trumpet, two trombone quartet The Westerlies. During that band’s second year together, Horvitz asked if they might be interested in recording some of his music, though none of it was written for brass. They were interested.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES SONG, “HOME”)
WHITEHEAD: Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar on “Home” from The Westerlies’ album “Wish The Children Would Come On Home: The Music Of Wayne Horvitz.” His pieces may carry a strong whiff of folksy Americana, sometimes in a subdued minor key. Some short tunes are built on just a shapely phrase or two. Horvitz calls them miniatures with places for improvisations.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES)
WHITEHEAD: The Westerlies play this music clean as a whistle, with attention to detail born of long rehearsals. And they infuse the lyrical passages with deep feeling. Wayne Horvitz’s “The Band With Muddy” was written for strings and woodwinds. But it has more punch transferred to brass.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES SONG, “BAND OF MUDDY)
WHITEHEAD: Back in the 1980s, Wayne Horvitz had a rare knack for making digital synthesizer sound warm and human. The Westerlies had the good sense to have him sit in on one of those miniatures “I Wish The Children Would Come On Home.” Horvitz’s synthesizer wails like a spaghetti Western harmonica on an older version.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES SONG, “I WISH THE CHILDREN WOULD COME ON HOME”)
WHITEHEAD: Wayne Horvitz also plays synthesizer on three brief interludes. You might almost wish the composer had joined in more often, but The Westerlies can sound like they’re using electronics even though they don’t.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES)
WHITEHEAD: There are a few such echoes here of riffing minimalism, another music built on the cumulative power of simple riffs. It’s part of the mix alongside jazz, chamber music, small-town brass bands and garage rock. The Westerlies represent a breed of musicians rare when Wayne Horvitz was coming up, skilled interpreters who are also adept improvisers. With such versatile and well-equipped performers around, composers can expand their reach and they may all wind up in places they might not have found on their own.
(SOUNDBITE OF THE WESTERLIES)
GROSS: Kevin Whitehead writes for Point of Departure and Wondering Sound and is the author of “Why Jazz?” He reviewed The Westerlies’ “Wish The children Would Come On Home: The Music Of Wayne Horvitz,” on the Songlines label.
Sisters Ingrid and Christine Jensen were reunited in concert at Centrum’s Jazz port Townsend in July. Their concert at McCurdy Pavilion was recorded for Jazz Northwest and will be broadcast on Sunday, August 17 at 2 PM Pacific on 88.5, KPLU. The sisters grew up in Nanaimo, BC and have gone on to successful musical careers. Christine Jensen now lives in Montreal where she composes for and leads her own jazz orchestra. Ingrid is based in New York and leads her own groups and plays with the Maria Schneider Orchestra and other ensembles. Both have recorded numerous CDs and tour internationally.
Backing The Jensens in this concert are three stars in their own right… Pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Martin Wind and drummer Jon Wikan. The concert features mostly original compositions by Ingrid and Christine Jensen.
Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke, exclusively for 88.5 KPLU and airs Sundays at 2 PM Pacific and streams at kplu.org. The program is also available as a streaming podcast after the broadcast.
Anton Schwartz Loft Concert: Julian Priester via Earshot Jazz: Tenor saxophonist Anton Schwartz performs with Julian Priester in Schwartz’s popular loft concert series, August 16, 8pm. Reservations are required. To reserve seats, by requested donation, visit loftconcert.com. Requested donation is $25-$40. With Priester and Schwartz: Dawn Clement (piano), Geoff Harper (bass), Byron Vannoy (drums). Priester has been a part of countless history-making bands over the past 60 years, performing and recording extensively with the likes of Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Lionel Hampton, Sun Ra, Dinah Washington, John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Abbey Lincoln, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, Blue Mitchell and Woody Shaw. This concert features the members of Priester’s quartet Priester’s Cue, expanded to form a quintet with Schwartz on tenor sax. They will perform a program of compositions by Priester and arrangements of jazz standards. More at http://loftconcert.com/2014/julian-priester.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Susan Pascal Quartet
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm
JAZZ ALLEY: Marcia Ball with Special Guest Cindy Cashdollar
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30 & 10:00pm
SERAFINA: Sue Nixon Jazz Quartet
2043 Eastlake Ave E, 206-323-0807, 9:00pm
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Legendary singer/songwriter Steve Noonan
9pm – The Arun Luthra Quartet with Arun Luthra (saxophone/konnakol), Matt Jorgensen (drums), John Hansen (piano) and Jon Hamar (bass)
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, (206) 789-1621
New York saxophonist Arun Luthra is in town this week and will be performing Thursday night at Egan’s Ballard Jam House (9:00pm).
The band includes John Hansen (piano), Jon Hamar (bass) and Matt Jorgensen (drums).
Arun Luthra has been one of the premiere saxophonists and composers on New York’s jazz scene for well over a decade. He is one of the small group of American jazz musicians of Indian heritage who have continued to explore to possibilities of fusing the modern post-bop sound with elements of Indian classical music, as well drawing from a wide variety of modern & classic musical influences to create a vibrant new sound & style.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 – 9:00pm
ARUN LUTHRA QUARTET
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE
1707 NW Market Street
Seattle
(206) 789-1621
Diane Schuur and Janis Mann, two former Seattle singers will come home for gigs in Seattle this week and their most recent CDs are featured on this week’s Jazz Northwest, Sunday September 7 at 2 PM Pacific on 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org. Both launched successful recording and touring careers from Seattle and their most recent CDs are featured on this program. Janis Mann will sing in the Art of Jazz series at Seattle Art Museum on Thursday September 11, and Diane Schuur will be at Jazz Alley September 11-14. Don’t be surprised if you see either of them at the other’s gig, they’re longtime friends as well.
New York saxophonist Arun Luthra is in town this week and will be performing Thursday night at Egan’s Ballard Jam House (9:00pm).