Seattle Jazz Scene

Photos from the last Origin Wednesday at the Hendrix Lounge on December 26th, 2007. Starting the end of January, jazz will be on Saturday nights.

Cynthia Mullis, saxophone; Nate Omdal, bass; Matt Jorgensen, drums;
Photos by Carolyn Caster

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Grammy Award nominee Nancy King, Downbeat readers’ poll winner Nancy Kelly and world-renowned Rebecca Parris are among several jazz vocalists who will perform at Issaquah’s Bake’s Place as part of the club’s Visiting Songbirds series that launches in January and runs through summer.

Portland’s King will perform Jan. 19 and May 24, New York’s Kelly will perform May 9-10 and Boston-based Parris will have a return engagement Feb. 14-16.

Other singers in the series include pianist/vocalist Jennifer Scott and saxophonist Kirsten Strom (Crossing Borders) from Canada/San Francisco (Jan. 25); “Singers’ singer” Madeline Eastman (Jan. 26), Latin songbird Kat Parra (March 28), and rising star Jackie Ryan (April 11-12), all from San Francisco; versatile Linda Ciofalo from New York, (April 18-19); Karin Plato from Vancouver, Canada; (March 29, June 14), Bassist/vocalist Belinda Underwood and Master Pianist Benny Green from Portland/New York (May 3); Jeni Fleming from Montana (July 5); and Amandah Jantzen (August 23) and Denise Perrier, both from San Francisco (TBD).

“We’re thrilled to be able to bring in these wonderful singers.” says Craig Baker, who owns and operates Bake’s Place. “For some of them, it will be their first time performing in the Seattle area.”

Baker and his wife Laura recently completed extensive remodeling of the club — located near to Interstate 90 in Issaquah – by expanding the stage and increasing seating capacity to 74. New leather chairs and upgraded lighting and sound systems have transformed Bake’s into the Seattle area’s premier spot for an intimate evening of dining and some of the best jazz in the nation.

Longtime Seattle Times jazz critic Paul de Barros has called Bake’s “a sweet little Issaquah supper club” and Bake’s was included in DownBeat’s list of 100 Best Jazz Clubs.

“We wanted to live up to our listing in DownBeat,” explains Baker with a smile, “and now we can accommodate out of town artists who need this size audience to make it financially worthwhile to play here.”

Thanks to an 180-degree view of the mountains and Lake Sammamish, gourmet food and excellent wines, a living-room atmosphere and thrilling music like the Visiting Songbird series, Bake’s will soon lose its reputation as the “best kept secret” of music venues.

“I’ve performed all over the world,” says esteemed pianist Benny Green, “and Bake’s Place is by far one of my favorite places.” This sentiment is echoed by other international artists who’ve played at Bake’s, such as pianist/singer Freddy Cole and Parris, among others.

We are taking the day off at Seattle Jazz Scene … but there is plenty of news to catch up on!

Happy New Year!

Nich Anderson is opening up his condo to 30 guests each night for a house concert series that starts January 5 with a performance by MaxxJazz recording artist John Proulx.

The Northwest has a fine tradition of house concerts, from the original Bake’s Place which was located in the basement of Craig Baker’s home to the Our House series in the Woodland Park neighborhood, and the JazzVox series promises not to disappoint.

Says Nich Anderson:

January 5, 2008 – (Federal Way Location Only)
MAXJAZZ Recording Artist John Proulx
with Seattle’s own fantastic bassist Chuck Kistler
I heard John last year for the first time and was amazed by his many talents – an equally great pianist and vocalist, a wonderful scatter, and a great writer of tunes (featured on albums by Nancy Wilson and Mary Stallings). I’m thrilled that John will be the artist to kick-off the series! Check out his debut album “Moon and Sand” on his website (http://www.johnproulx.com) and visit his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/johnmproulx).

For more information and to reserve tickets, visit http://jazzvox.com.

From The Seattle Times/Washington Post:

Oscar Peterson at the piano? Oscar Peterson was the piano.

His touch could be light and feathery, as ethereal as a memory. It could operate with blinding speed, releasing liquid lines that felt like a river bursting a dam. Or it could release rumbling cascades of notes, pounding out a stratagem of confidence and assurance.

Sometimes Peterson didn’t move much, his body swaying slowly on ballads, head bowed in reverie. At other times, constant piston motion — hands working the keys, arms sweeping up and down the keyboard — gave Peterson a supple bounce, as if that bench was hot. When he got into a particularly pleasing groove, or when his sidemen spurred him on with their own invention, Peterson would smile, and get just a little more fired up.

Continue Reading at The Seattle Times.com

from AP/Seattle Times:

TORONTO — Oscar Peterson, whose early talent, speedy fingers and musical genius made him one of the world’s best known jazz pianists, has died. He was 82.

Mr. Peterson died at his home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga on Sunday, said Oliver Jones, a family friend and jazz musician. The cause of death was kidney failure, said Mississauga’s mayor, Hazel McCallion.

During an illustrious career spanning seven decades, Mr. Peterson played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie.

Continue reading …

Help be a part of the Seattle Jazz Scene! This website is looking for a few more contributors to help document the local jazz scene here in Seattle.

Do you frequent jazz venues around town? Ever thought of reviewing CDs? Are you a budding food critic?

Let’s talk! Send your info in an email to [email protected] and join the team.

Seattle Jazz Scene is putting together a guide to New Year’s Eve and would like to know where everyone is playing.

Please email your New Year’s gig details to [email protected] and we will include you in the listings.

Thanks!

Been to a show recently? Heard a great CD?

Post a comment and let us know what you think.

Composer and French horn player Tom Varner will be performing this Friday, December 21, at Jai Thai, with Phil Sparks on bass and Matt Jorgensen on drums.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
JAI THAI RESTAURANT (Capitol Hill)
235 Broadway Ave. East
7:00 – 10:00pm
No cover

featuring:
Tom Varner – french horn
Phil Sparks – bass
Matt Jorgensen – drums

The lead article in Sunday’s New York Times Arts and Entertainment section was a lengthly piece about The Seattle Symphony and the multiple dramas currently taking place.

From the New York Times:

Much of the orchestra’s success can be attributed to its conductor, Gerard Schwarz, a throwback to the era of long-ruling maestros, having held the podium for nearly a quarter-century. He has been the kind of music director often held up as the ideal, heavily involved in fund-raising for the orchestra and active in the civic affairs of Seattle.

But like many long-serving maestros Mr. Schwarz has also made enemies and generated reservoirs of ill will among the players. Now a lawsuit brought by an orchestra member, scheduled for trial next month, suggests a more complete picture of dysfunction at the Seattle Symphony. It paints a damaging portrait of Mr. Schwarz, 60, who was long prominent on the New York music scene: as trumpeter at the New York Philharmonic, founding music director of the New York Chamber Symphony and music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Click here to read the entire article.