Last Day of the Earshot Jazz Festival

November 4, 2007 / / No Comments

Moore Theater, 8pm
John Zorn’s Moonchild w/ Trevor Dunn, Joey Baron
& Mike Patton
Zorn, the one-off, mammoth talent, demonstrates his legendary production skills in this project. He conducts and mixes the sounds of Moonchild, a trio of bassist Dunn, the torrential Baron (drums), and vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle…) who taps the zeitgeist of rock exploration and decibel-heavy release.

Kirkland Performance Center, 3pm
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra:
Great american songbook iv
UW sax professor Michael Brockman and ace drummer/educator Clarence Acox direct this local big band of all-star instrumentalists for “Great American Songbook IV,” featuring vocalists Greta Matassa, Bernie Jacobs, James Caddell, and others.

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Jason Moran: Bandwagon
The pianist, now a Blue Note staple, innovates with startling pre-recorded elements and finds an ideal vehicle in Bandwagon, with drummer Nasheet Waits and bassist Taurus Mateen.

Saturday Night at Earshot

November 3, 2007 / / No Comments

The Earshot Jazz Festival goes out with a bang this weekend. Here is tonight’s sampling:

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Aaron Goldberg Trio
The Brooklyn-based pianist, a Thelonious Monk Competition winner who toured with Joshua Redman and Wynton Marsalis, leads a sophisticated trio that boasts a stellar, rhythm section: bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland.
$18 general / $16 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

Triple Door, 7:30pm
Elspeth Savani and Orchestra Zarabanda
Orchestra Zarabanda, a 12-piece Seattle-based dance band whose irresistible repertoire is inspired by the great Cuban orquestas and son groups of the last century, classic New York salsa/charanga and Cuban folkloric music.
$15 general

Chapel Performance Space, 8pm
October Trio w/ Brad Turner
Evan Arntzen (sax), Josh Cole (bass), and Dan Gaucher (drums) took the CBC’s Galaxie Rising Stars Award at Vancouver International Jazz Fest 2006. With standout trumpeter Brad Turner, they occupy the cutting edge of our neighbor to the north.
$15 general / $13 discount

Nordstrom Recital Hall, 7:30pm
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra:
Great american songbook iv
UW sax professor Michael Brockman and ace drummer/educator Clarence Acox direct this local big band of all-star instrumentalists for “Great American Songbook IV,” featuring vocalists Greta Matassa, Bernie Jacobs, James Caddell, and others.

Friday Night Jazz

November 2, 2007 / / No Comments

The Earshot Festival is wrapping up this weekend with some great show and tons of more stuff happening in Seattle.

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Billy Childs Sextet
Two-time Grammy-winning pianist Billy Childs is a West Coast musical treasure, a “sleeper” whose six-piece jazz chamber group best demonstrates his vast talents as a composer.

Chapel Performance Space, 7:30pm
Ita Bittova
The versatile vocalist/violinist’s “personal folk music” blooms in a fertile delta of Eastern European, classical, and rock traditions.
$15 general / $13 discount

Kirkland Performance Center, 8:00pm ** SJS Recommended
Gene Bertoncini
Gene Bertoncini is one of the most eloquent and versatile masters of the unaccompanied acoustic jazz guitar. His command of the instrument is intimate and powerful. He weaves soft, seductive jazz arrangements that cherish the melodies and harmonies of great songs.
$29 adult, $15 youth BUY ONLINE AT KPCENTER.ORG

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Aaron Goldberg Trio **SJS Recommended
The Brooklyn-based pianist, a Thelonious Monk Competition winner who toured with Joshua Redman and Wynton Marsalis, leads a sophisticated trio that boasts a stellar, rhythm section: bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland.
$18 general / $16 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

Other Friday Night Events:

Bake’s Place: Katy Bourne Trio
Egan’s Ballard Jam House: Jason Parker Quartet (7:00pm)
Serafina: Javier Anderson (bossa nova guitar)
Triple Door Musicquarium: James Baumgart Trio (free)
Jazz Alley: The David Grisman Quintet

And make your calendars for Saturday Night at Bake’s Place: Gary Hobbs Trio

Review: Dafnis Prieto at The Triple Door

November 2, 2007 / / No Comments

By Cynthia Mullis

Whew! What a month! My head is spinning with jazz, concerts and thoughts about jazz concerts. Not to mention that I think I hurt something during my recent infatuation with playing tunes in concert E major…on the alto sax. My head is throbbing and I’ll be happy when the Aerosmith and Emmy Lou Harris tunes come up on my iPod during my walk later on today! As I start to catch up, I’ll send in a few more reviews of concerts that I’ve attended recently.


On October 22nd I heard drummer Dafnis Prieto and his group Absolute Quintet at the Triple Door. I loved the group from the first note and was thoroughly absorbed in the music, despite being very tired and hungry when I arrived for the second set. I’ll leave the deeper analysis of that concert to the true Afro-Cuban aficionados in the audience (I personally saw Fred Hoadly, Chris Stover, Ann Reynolds, Lillian Woo, Susan Pascal, Carolyn Caster, Ron Barrow, Cindy Hughen…that was just the second set). The New York Times has been raving about this guy for awhile but I’d never had a chance to hear him—check out his website at dafnisprieto.com for more information. My impression of the drummer was that he was a hurricane of poly-rhythms, intricate rhythmic melodies, freakish eight-limbed independence and true-blooded Cuban musical tradition. I enjoyed that the ensemble had a different instrumentation than usual, with the cello player straddling the line between acting as a bass player and being another melodic voice (in addition to doubling on trombone). To my ears, the violinist (whose name I didn’t catch) and the cellist gave the group a bit of a folk oriented sound while remaining completely modern. Yosvany Terry was on alto sax, soprano and shekere and was much more thoughtful and musical that when I heard him a few years ago: great alto sound, great technique and not overpowering of the ensemble. Jason Linder rounded out the group on keyboards. The music was metrically complex—I didn’t bother to attempt figuring out the time signatures—but I really appreciated was how deeply rooted in the Afro-Cuban tradition the music was without being overwhelmed by the clavé, montunos, and other aspects of this style of music. It was an exciting and fresh evening of music—I’m glad I took the opportunity to check it out and I’ll be curious to see what other people’s reaction was to this concert.

Now a little rant: as much as I love going to shows at the Triple Door, I was bummed that they raised the prices on their food and that it wasn’t as good as it has been on previous visits. Plus I know the wait staff is just doing their job, but it seemed like every time I closed my eyes to lose myself in the music, someone was tapping me on the shoulder to see if I needed anything else. Also, I’ve been a little bummed about how lately the sound at the TD tends to be boomy and washed out. I would like to hear more definition in the instruments without having to concentrate so hard. Maybe the sound issues are necessary to drown out the racket of ceaseless conversation that seems to be the norm at concerts these days, along with the commotion that comes with the enterprise of selling food and drinks. I luv ya, Triple Door, but for the number of concerts I’ve seen there recently, I’m entitled to vent a little.

Thursday Night Jazz

November 1, 2007 / / No Comments

Tonight is the last night of the Seattle Jazz Showcase … it has been a wonderful three week run so make sure and join us tonight as we end with two terrific groups.

8:00pm – Victor Noriega Quintet
9:30pm – Vern Sielert Dektet

Admission: $10

The LAB at Seattle Drum School
12510 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125 {map it}
Tel: (206)364-8815


EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Eric Person & Meta-Four
The acclaimed New York saxophonist, at the helm of the ambitious quartet Meta-Four, shows why he has been called on by trumpeter Dave Douglas, World Saxophone Quartet, and rockers Vernon Reid and Ben Harper.
$15 general / $13 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS
MORE INFO…

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
John Abercrombie Quartet
In a rare appearance behind his new ECM release, the guitarist appears with his acclaimed, all-star “Third Quartet” — drummer Joey Baron (Masada), bassist Marc Johnson (Bill Evans), and violinist Mark Feldman.

Seattle City Hall, noon-1pm
Michael Brockman Trio
The co-leader of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, on alto sax, leads his sparkling trio.

OTHER EVENTS TONIGHT:

Asteroid Cafe: Jam Session with Tim Kennedy
Jazz Alley: Tony DeSare
Ballard Jam House: Gayle Cloud 7pm; Passarim 9pm
Lo-Fi: The Hang with Evan Flory-Barnes
May: Hans Teuber
Thaiku: Tad Britton Trio

Halloween at Earshot

October 31, 2007 / / No Comments

Town Hall, 8pm
Festival in the Desert:
Tinariwen / Vieux Farka Toure
Seattle’s African show of the year. The Tuareg rebel band, Tinariwen, lately a huge hit in Europe (and Rolling Stones opener), rides in with riffing, electrified Saharan fervor that resounds with the roots of American blues. Also unearthing blues roots with his high-powered band is Malian singer/guitarist Vieux Farka Touré, son of guitar legend Ali.
$28 general / $26 discount

Tractor Tavern, 8pm
McTuff
Halloween in the embrace of 60s soul jazz: Seattle-based tear-it-ups Skerik (saxes), Joe Doria (Hammond organ), Andy Coe (guitar), and D’Vonne Lewis (drums).
$12 general / $10 discount

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Eric Person & Meta-Four
The acclaimed New York saxophonist, at the helm of the ambitious quartet Meta-Four, shows why he has been called on by trumpeter Dave Douglas, World Saxophone Quartet, and rockers Vernon Reid and Ben Harper.
$15 general / $13 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

Visit the Earshot Festival Website

Saturday at The Earshot Jazz Festival

October 27, 2007 / / No Comments

For a complete schedule of events, click here.

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Jean-Michel Pilc Trio featuring Ari Hoenig
Pilc, a former French rocket scientist, constructs dazzling piano work of dense harmonics, speed-of-sound technical facility, and otherworldly propulsion. On afterburners: bassist Thomas Bramerie and stunning drummer Ari Hoenig.

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Garfield High School Jazz Band w/ Houston Person
The Garfield band, local-favorite past Essentially Ellington winner, renews its summer Centrum-workshop collaboration with revered tenor saxophonist Houston Person, once an Etta Jones mainstay and long treasured in his own right.

Town Hall, 8pm
Musafir
Musafir (Hindi and Urdu for “traveler”) plays the music of the Rajasthan desert of North India, the “gypsy homeland” of the Roma. They create a transcendent blend of music, dance, and performance art.
Advance $22 ($19 discount), door $25 ($22 discount).
Discount available for Earshot and Town Hall Members, Seniors and Students

Saturday, October 27 Harvest Moon Jazz Cruise aboard the Steamship Virginia V, 4 -7pm
Sunday, October 28 Ballard Elks, 12:30pm
Sunday, October 28 Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Butch Thompson Trio
Jazz-historian pianist Thompson has enjoyed four decades of renown in a panoply of settings, including as a regular on A Prairie Home Companion. He joins the Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society and Seattle trad specialists Holo Trad Jazz in varied combos at Ballard Elks, and brings his trio to Tula’s.
>> Note correction to brochure: Ballard Elks show is on Sunday Oct 28.
BALLARD ELKS: TICKETS AVAILABLE AT DOOR MORNING OF EVENT $13 general / $11 discount
TULA’S: CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS & $15 general / $13 discount
S.S. VIRGINIA V: CALL 206-624-9119 FOR RESERVATIONS, $50 per person / $90 per couple

Friday Night Jazz Lineup

October 26, 2007 / / No Comments

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Jacky Terrasson, solo
Sachal Vasandani
French pianist Jacky Terrasson has charmed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. His new album, a musical self-portrait called Mirror, furthers the growing legend. Appearing with his group, Chicago native Vasandani is an emerging jazz vocalist whose remarkable presence and extreme elasticity of phrasing hold great promise.
$22 general / $20 discount

PONCHO Concert Hall, 8pm
John Hollenbeck’s Refuge
Solo or in large-ensemble soundscapes, Hollenbeck wields percussion like a shrewd lyrical poet. Ace organist Gary Versace and vocalist Theo Bleckman join the can’t-miss, boundary-bashing Guggenheim Fellow.
$18 general / $16 discount

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Jean-Michel Pilc Trio featuring Ari Hoenig
Pilc, a former French rocket scientist, constructs dazzling piano work of dense harmonics, speed-of-sound technical facility, and otherworldly propulsion. On afterburners: bassist Thomas Bramerie and stunning drummer Ari Hoenig.
$18 general / $16 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

OTHER HAPPENINGS:

Bake’s Place: Belinda Underwood and Benny Green
Ballard Jam House: Kiera Clarke and the New Blue Quartet; Free World Jazz
Serafina: Fred Hoadley Latin Jazz
Jazz Alley: Arturo Sandoval Quintet

Thursday Jazz

October 24, 2007 / / No Comments


SEATTLE JAZZ SHOWCASE

8:00pm: Richard Cole Group
9:00pm: Greg Sinibaldi’s “Goat”

Music begins at 8:00pm
Admission: $10

The LAB at Seattle Drum School
12510 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125 {map it}
Tel: (206)364-8815

EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
David Sanchez Quartet
With palpable charisma, Sánchez’s huge tenor-sax tone flares with the musical passion of his native Puerto Rico, often in jazz interpretations of mountainous works by Latin American composers. $24 general / $22 discount

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Roberta Piket/Billy Mintz Trio
Hailed as a revelation at last year’s festival, pianist Piket and drummer Mintz return with acclaimed bassist Ratzo Harris.
$15 general / $13 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

PONCHO Concert Hall, 8pm
Anat Cohen Quartet
Dawn Clement Trio
With two discs this year, this New York-based Israeli saxophonist/clarinetist is winning high praise for explorations of South American, Afro-Cuban, classical, and jazz music. Opening, Cornish-based pianist Dawn Clement packs huge imaginative punch with her trio.
$18 general / $16 discount

OTHER EVENTS:

Jazz Alley: Arturo Sandoval Quintet
Egan’s Ballard Jam House: Reptet (7pm); Tobi Stone Quartet (9pm)
Asteroid Cafe: Jam Session (9:30pm)
Thaiku: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton
Lo-Fi: “The Hang” with Evan Flory-Barnes

Wednesday Jazz

October 24, 2007 / / No Comments

Lots of things happening today … go out and hear live music!

SEATTLE JAZZ SHOWCASE

The Seattle Jazz Showcase continues tonight with performances by vibraphonist Susan Pascal and her quartet and vocalist Greta Matassa with her longtime bandmates.

Music begins at 8:00pm
Admission: $10

The LAB at Seattle Drum School
12510 15th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125 {map it}
Tel: (206)364-8815

THE EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL

Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Marc Cary Trio
This energizing pianist’s star is hotly on the rise. He leads a snarky trio through a flurry of elastic jazz by way of a studied love of hip-hop and deep digressions into adventurous territory. $15 general / $13 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Scott Amendola Band
Nels Cline Singers
Fresh from the Bonnaroo Festival, drummer Amendola and scorching Wilco guitarist Cline deliver a double hit. The singerless Nels Cline Singers is a critically acclaimed rock/jazz must-hear. Amendola’s band, as on his recent, electro-acoustic Believe, includes Cline, guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise), and violinist Jenny Scheinman (Bill Frisell’s groups).
$22 general / $20 discount

EVERYTHING ELSE:
(use the links to the right under “Seattle Jazz Clubs” for more info)

The New Orleans: The Legacy Band w/ Clarence Acox
Jazz Alley: Taylor Eigsti Quartet (with Phil Sparks on bass)
Hendrix Lounge: Ben Thomas Trio (w/ Brian Kent & Jeff Norwood)
Tutta Bella (Columbia City): Gail Pettis and Darin Clendenin
Egan’s Ballard Jam House: Rochelle House (10:00pm); Country Joe McDonald, performing his tribute to Woody Guthrie (7:00pm)

Sun, Oct 21: Earshot Jazz Festival

October 21, 2007 / / No Comments

Normally you would think Sunday would be a slower day for music … not so with this year’s Earshot Jazz Festival.

Here is what is on tap for today:

Sunday, October 21 Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Red Earth
The Grammy and Tony Award winning jazz vocalist brings ten of Mali’s most exciting musicians to Seattle to present the music of her stunning album, Red Earth, A Malian Journey.
$35 general / $33 discount

Sunday, October 21 Seattle Art Museum, 8pm
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Codebook
On his own albums and those of pianist Vijay Iyer, this alto saxophonist forges his own voice from Ornette’s ambiguity and Bird’s exuberance. Codebook, its pieces informed by cryptography and number theory, includes Iyer, bassist François Moutin, and drum titan Damion Reid.
$20 general / $18 discount

Sunday, October 21 Tractor Tavern, 8pm
The Tiptons
Now Seattle and New York-based, the all-female sax quartet (Jessica Lurie, Amy Denio, Tina Richerson, Sue Orfield, plus drummer Faith Stankevich) employs searing, on-stage chemistry to create an international stew of Eastern European melody and American experimentation. $15 general / $13 discount

The T.S. Monk Sextet performs a fundraiser for the
Central Area Senior Center on Sunday October 21,
4pm–6pm, open to the public: call 206-726-4926.

Sunday, October 21 & Monday, October 22 Tula’s Restaurant, 8:30pm
Luis Perdomo Trio
Upon moving to New York, the Venezuelan pianist quickly earned a chair in Ravi Coltrane’s quartet, and has impressed mightily with his “exploratory urgency” and “energetically limber” playing (NYT). $15 general / $13 discount CALL 206-443-4221 FOR RESERVATIONS

Sat, Oct 20: Earshot Jazz Festival

October 20, 2007 / / No Comments

Saturday, October 20 Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
This crowd-pleasing National Medal of Arts-winner, a New Orleans treasure, has archived the city’s musical history for over a quarter century.
$40 advance; $45 day of show

Saturday, October 20 Edmonds Center for the Arts, 7:30pm
Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner
Thielemans brings peerless range to his signature sound on the harmonica. His seasoned collaborator on piano is the stunningly gifted Kenny Werner. Photo by Jos Knaepen
$28-38 general

Saturday, October 20 Chapel Performance Space, 8pm
Gino Robair: I, Norton — An opera in real-time
“At the request of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton declare myself Emperor.” So began the proclamation by which Joshua Norton, on September 17, 1859, became Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. Dramatically, the work takes place as the Emperor lay dying on a rain-soaked street. At that precise moment, time is suspended and his life’s events pass before his eyes. The result is an opera that is rich in symbolism and metaphor, carrying a political subtext that resonates with current geo-political situations. Presented by Earshot Jazz and Nonsequitur
$15 general; $13 discount

Details at the Earshot Festival Website