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From The Seattle Times:
Jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter is 41, a husband, father of two young children, with tattoos on both arms. He resembles the actor Matthew Fox, who plays the surgeon and tortured soul Jack Shephard, from TV’s “Lost.”
A serious and earnest musician (although he would probably resist that description) Hunter, too has had near-paralyzing bouts of torment in the form of artistic angst.
“If you asked me a few years ago,” said Hunter, who performs with his trio at Jazz Alley Tuesday and Wednesday, “I would have said I couldn’t stand anything I played. I was going to stop playing. I was done with it. I felt like I couldn’t come up with any more tricks. The next stage would have been lighting myself on fire.”
Hunter, who has a distinct way with words, did not quit playing or resort to onstage flambé but rather embarked on a new direction with his music — something simple, spare and naturally suited to him, and more importantly, to his instrument, which is a rhythm instrument at heart, not a melodic one. Despite that fact, jazz guitarists are often obliged to play like horn players, at least if they want to be considered true masters.
Continue reading at The Seattle Times.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Walt Weiskopf Quartet with Steve Korn, Bill Anschell and Jeff Johnson
JAZZ ALLEY: Guitars and Saxes Christmas Featuring Richard Elliot, Paul Brown and Jessy J
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Jannie & Friends Jazz Band, featuring American and Chinese jazz standards plus originals, with Steve Tanimoto (piano), Gary Barnes (bass), Craig Critchfield (guitar), Cal Dimas (sax), Jannie Spain (vocals)
9pm – Rochelle House, with D’Vonne Lewis (drums) and Evan Flory-Barnes (bass)
BAKE’S PLACE: Denise Donatelli Quartet
SERAFINA: Pete Leinonen’s Salon du Swing
GRAZIE: Dennis Hastings Quartet
CONCERT: Jazz Nutcracker: Roosevelt Jazz Band
Roosevelt High School Performing Arts Theatre
1410 NE 66th St, 7:30pm
from Earshot Jazz: The Roosevelt Jazz Band presents its ninth annual performance of Duke Ellington’s Jazz Nutcracker. Composed towards the end of Ellington’s career, the Jazz Nutcracker is more than a jazzy arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Christmas-time classic. Instead Ellington re-imagined Tchaikovsky’s original and brought a new collection of timbres and rhythms to the table. Along the way, Ellington renamed the movements to reflect the modern and hip sensibility of his composition. The “Dance of the Reed Pipes,” became, for example, “Toot Toot Tootie Toot” and “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” became “Sugar Rum Cherry.” Performing Arts Theatre, Roosevelt High School (1410 NE 66th St). Show starts at 7:30 pm on December 5 & 6, at 2:00 pm on December 7. Tickets $20 general/$15 seniors/$10 students & youth. Visit www.rooseveltjazz.org for tickets and more information.
HIROSHI’S JAZZ AND SUSHI: Karen Shivers & Susan Pascal
PAMPAS ROOM: Brian Nova Quartet
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Brian Kirks SCCC Jazz Ensemble
NEW ORLEANS: The Bob Jackson Band
PLU: KPLU Christmas Jam w/ Sara Gazarek
Pacific Lutheran University, Mary Baker Russell Music Center, Noon
SEATTLE CITY HALL: Michael Powers Trio
600 4th Ave, Seattle, Noon
THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson & Tad Britton
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – The French Connection, with The Wonderland Trio and guests, performing French-inspired jazz (No cover – cash donations will be accepted for Food Lifeline.)
9pm – Justin Farren
JAZZ ALLEY: Guitars and Saxes Christmas featuring Richard Elliott, Paul Brown and Jesse J.
MAY: Hans Teuber Trio
SEAMONSTER: Joe Doria, Michael Shrieve, Danny Godinez
from All About Jazz.com
A sextet based out of Seattle, Washington, Reptet present a sound and message that, in its own words, aptly describes both the group’s approach and its broader mission “to compose, interpret and improvise music that inspires growth through freedom and discipline.” Working within a good-natured, party band atmosphere, the unit manages to stretch its genre’s typical trappings on Chicken or Beef?, with both a broad array of stylistic capabilities as well as an adventurous, fun-loving attitude too often lacking in this setting.
The album opens with the funky “Danger Notes.” Starting off in New Orleans party band mode, percussionist John Ewing and bassist Tim Carey guide a path that ebbs from the scorching solo of saxophonist Chris Credit to the more contemplative, textural mood over which Samantha Boshnack’s trumpet can shine.
Things get even less predictable on “Reptet Score!” With a flurry of horns and percussion, the piece uses a Latin-tinged theme, building until the whole unit yells “hey!” before slinking into a steady, understated groove that meets somewhere between the dance floor and the lounge. The piece breaks apart soon enough, with horn squalls and guffaws abounding, sounding not unlike Spike Jones and his City Slickers if they were to cover Sun Ra.
… continue reading at All About Jazz.com
JAZZ ALLEY: Robert Glasper Trio
THE TRIPLE DOOR:
MAINSTAGE: Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-A-Long
MUSICQUARIUM: BGD Trio
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Katie King Vocal Showcase
THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
NEW ORLEANS: The Legend Band w/ Clarence Acox
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Liis Todd (vocals), with Darin Clendenin (piano), Geoff Cooke (bass) and Special Guest Dan Sales (guitar)
9pm – Vocal Jam with Katy Bourne and Randy Halberstadt
MEANEY THEATER: UW Studio Jazz Ensemble & Modern Jazz Contingent
University of Washington
WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce
JAZZ ALLEY: Robert Glasper Trio
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
7:00pm: Edmonds Woodway HS Jazz
8:00pm: Jay Thomas Big Band
THE TRIPLE DOOR:
MAINSTAGE: Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-A-Long
MUSICQUARIUM: Jose Gonzales
NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Chuck Ogmund Trio
9pm – Helen Chance
DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio
MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita
MIX: Don Mock, Steve Kim & Charlie Nordstrom
The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley presents for one night SWOJO with special guest Greta Matassa. Set time on Monday is at 7:30pm with doors opening at 6pm.
Click here for tickets and more information.
Band members are Musical Director Dr. Daniel Barry, Lisa Gordanier, Stephanie Dupuis, Cynthia Mullis, Jenny Ziefel and Ann Babb (saxophones), Carolyn Caster, Mariah Ralston, Jenny Brown, Erin Easley (trombones), Dennis Haldane, Marge Rosen, Debby Meyer, Kristen Rasmussen (trumpets), Ann Reynolds (piano) Rachael Contorer (bass) and Maria Joyner (drums).
Join SWOJO and very special guest artist Greta Matassa for an evening of fine food and dynamic big band jazz. This special concert event is co-sponsored by KBCS 91.3 FM. Proceeds to support the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
JAZZ ALLEY: Seattle Womens Jazz Orchestra with Special Guest Greta Matassa
SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Jim Knapp Orchestra
12510 15th Ave, NE, 8:00pm
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Vocal Jazz Jam
NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet
MEANY STUDIO THEATER: UW Percussion Ensemble w/ Marc Seales
University of Washington, 7:30
TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
Sunday Night Salsa: Rumbeggae
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
3pm- Fairly Honest Jazz Band
8pm- Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra
SERAFINA:
11am-1:30pm Jazz Brunch: Conlin Roser / Cynthia Mullis Duo
6:30-9pm: The Piper Olson Duo
Drop us a line and let us know what else is happening tonight!
BAKE’S PLACE: Kelley Harland
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa w/ Susan Pascal
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Baby Bok Choy
w/ Chris Spencer, Bob Heinemann, Greg Rudolf
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Ksenia Popova (soprano vocalist), with Brandon Peck (piano)
9pm – Sasson, with Keith Judelman (bass), Eli Rosenblatt (guitar), Benjamin Gown (accordion), Adam Kessler (percussion)
11pm – Cosmic Soul Feast featuring jazz violinist Michael White
SERAFINA: Jose Gonzales Trio
GRAZIE: Michael Powers Group
LOCAL COLOR GALLERY: Katy Bourne Trio
7-10pm, 1606 Pike Place, Seattle, 206-728-1717
Anything else? Drop us a note and let us know!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29
KELLEY HARLAND QUARTET
Bake’s Place
4135 Providence Point Dr. SE,
Issaquah, WA 98029
reservations: 425-391-3335
With the release of her new CD “Long Ago and Far Away: Kelly Harland Sings Jerome Kern“, Origin recording artist Kelly Harland brings her sweet and sensual vocal sound to the great melodies of Kern. With stellar players Nick Moore on piano, Chuck Deardorf on bass and Mark Ivester on drums, Kelly will celebrate the music of Jerome Kern as well as other great composers of the American Songbook.
As one of the top studio and background vocalists in Seattle, Kelly made a name for herself in the Northwest singing behind such great stars as Ray Charles and Etta James. After that whirlwind of success, she embarked on a career of interpreting standards, performing with a number of jazz luminaries including Don Lanphere, James Williams and Bill Mays. Her two previous CDs, produced by her husband Chuck Deardorf, have garnered airplay and glowing reviews around the world.
For more information, visit http://kellyharland.com
This Sunday afternoon at 1:00pm on Jazz Northwest, we’ll hear a new CD by Vancouver singer Joani Taylor, The Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Greta Matassa, some songs for the season by Don Lanphere, and David Friesen and Jeannie Hoffman and more.
Next week: tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds from Vancouver and the Joe Doria organ trio from Seattle cookin’ together at the Lock and Keel during the Ballard Jazz Walk. Jazz Northwest airs every Sunday at 1:00pm from 88.5fm, KPLU and kplu.org .
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Hadley Caliman Quintet featuring Thomas Marriott
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Grupo Amoroso
9pm – Red Dress
11pm – Michael Owcharuk Trio, with Mike Owcharuk (piano), Nate Omdal (bass) and Cody Rahn (drums)
SERAFINA: Fred Hoadley Trio
LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio (5 – 7pm)
SERAFINA: Michael Powers Group
EL GAUCHOS (Bellevue): Trish Hatley Trio
110th Ave NE & NE 6th St, Bellevue, 9pm
anything else happening tonight? Post it in the comment section.
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa Jazz Workshop
NEW ORLEANS: The Legend Band w/ Clarence Acox
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Far Corner
9pm – Egan’s Vocal Jam, hosted by Dina Blade, with the Dan Sales Trio
WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce
THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Hardcoretet
DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita
MIX: Don Mock, Steve Kim & Charlie Nordstrom
NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Music Works Big Band
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Jump Ensemble
9pm – Ani J Quartet, with Ani Johnson (vocals), with Scott Lyle (piano), Nate Omdal (bass) and Adam Kessler (drums)
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: JAZZ JAM with the Darin Clendenin Trio
NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet
TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder
HOTWIFE CAFE: Marc Smason Trio
17551 15th NE, Shoreline, 7:30
from The Seattle Times:
When Taj Mahal released his first album under his own name 40 years ago, he was swimming furiously against the cultural current, refusing to relinquish the blues tradition to the rock bands riding the charts.
“It was pretty simple — the next generation of bluesmen were mostly white,” says the vocalist, guitarist and promiscuous multi-instrumentalist. “But there was still a generation of young black players with no access to the national radar screen, no visibility whatsoever. Many of the songs that I brought out would never have been part of the blues or roots canon if I hadn’t recorded them, because they missed out on the transition, on moving up to Chicago from the country.”
Four decades later, Taj Mahal can rest assured that his work has provided a creative lifeline for myriad artists, from the old-time string-band sound of the Carolina Chocolate Drops to blues troubadours like Eric Bibb and Corey Harris.
Part of his enduring influence rests on his refusal to limit himself in any way, as he demonstrates on his recent release “Maestro” (Heads Up), a gloriously eclectic album featuring guest appearances by the likes of Angelique Kidjo, Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, Los Lobos and Jack Johnson.
“What I wanted to do was make a really good dance album,” says Taj Mahal, 66, who opens his annual Thanksgiving residency at Jazz Alley today with his longtime trio featuring drummer Bill Rich and bassist Kester Smith, a tradition dating back to the mid-’90s. He plays through Nov. 30, with Monday and Thanksgiving Day off.
“It’s 40 years I’ve been doing it in my own way, following my muse, loving the music that I love,” he continues. “I’m part of all these cultures. It’s not like I go to Jamaica and steal from the Jamaicans and bring to the Americans. This is what I grew up with, jazz and gospel, reggae and bebop.”
In many ways, Taj Mahal is the closest thing we have to an American griot. His music embraces the raw energy of field hollers, the rent-party gumption of early jazz, the wit and sensuality of American songbook standards, the urbane grooves of rhythm and blues, the church-derived cadences of soul music and the rhythms of West Africa, via New Orleans and the Caribbean.
In recent years he’s often found himself sharing the bill with contemporary bands like Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, introducing the blues to a generation weaned on hip-hop and alternative rock. Part preservationist and part visionary, he uses his expressive growl of a voice to conjure an era when socializing and dancing were indistinguishable.
“What I like about a lot of the younger jam bands is that they make room for the kids to dance,” he says. “I like the feeling of not having to tell people to get up, they just find their way to the dance floor. You tell people who are coming to Jazz Alley to bring their dancing shoes.”
JAZZ ALLEY: Taj Mahal Trio
BAKE’S PLACE: Nancy Kelly and Houston Person
w/ Randy Halberstadt, Jeff Johnson, Gary Hobbs. Live Recording! For more information, visit http://bakesplace.org or call 425-391-3335.
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
Sunday Night Salsa: Tor Dietrichson and Mambo Cadillac
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB:
3pm- Easy Street
8pm- Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra
SERAFINA:
11am-1:30pm Jazz Brunch: Conlin Roser / Cynthia Mullis Duo
6:30-9pm: Jerry Frank, solo piano
LA SPIGA: Greta Matassa Trio