TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Smith/Staelens Big Band
JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell
NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox
THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: New West Guitar Ensemble
LUCID: Ryan Shea Smith
DULCES LATIN BISTRO: Eric Verlinde
from Donn Bennett:
Drummers! For the second year in a row, we are very excited to be hosting a Dream Cymbal Tasting here at Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue.
For a full week, from Wednesday July 7th to Wednesday July 14th, we’ll have over 100 cymbals and gongs on display and available for purchase.
Dream cymbals are the lowest-priced, handmade professional cymbals on the market, and this week, you can take an additional 20% OFF our already-discounted price!
For instance, a 20″ Bliss Ride would normally sell for $131.95 – get it this week for $102!! That’s a brand-new ride, with a two-year warranty!
Come check out already-classic Dream models like Contact and Bliss as well as newer offerings, like pang cymbals, and the Dark Matter series. This is a fantastic opportunity to play and select your “Dream Set Up” from a massive display of handmade cymbals!
Donn Bennett Drum Studio
13212 NE 16th St. #7
Bellevue, WA 98005
phone: (425) 747-6145
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band
JAZZ ALLEY: Steve Tyrell
NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: New West Guitar Ensemble
MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita
MIX: Don Mock
OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam w/ Eric Verlinde & Jose Martinez
Situated between the glittering high rises of the downtown core and the busy waters of Lake Union, the South Lake Union neighborhood is Seattle’s new mecca for contemporary urban living. With all the hustle and bustle there, it is the perfect location for a spanking new live music venue; welcome the Bad Monkey Bistro
Last Friday, my teenage son Emmett and I dropped by to check things out. We had just come from the last day performances of the University of Washington jazz workshop and were looking to grab a bite to eat. The room was popping with activity and felt immediately inviting. We landed during happy hour; the bar was full of cheerful, chatting patrons, and a pianist was playing away in the dining room, where we were seated.
The layout of the space allows it to successfully accommodate both sports fans and music lovers; this is certainly not easy to do, and many establishments fail at this particular kind of multi-tasking. As you walk in, there is a sports bar with high tables and stools to the immediate right. Straight on is the dining room with traditional tables and chairs and also the piano. Adjacent to the bar is an enclosed room-the “Socialing Lounge”- with leather chairs and a fireplace. On the other side of the bar is an area with a pool table. Both the bar and the Socialing Lounge have large, flat screen TV’s, which were turned on but with the sound muted. I appreciated the respect shown to Martin Ross, who happened to be the pianist working that set. Although the bar was very busy, it in no way detracted from the music. I felt like the balance was well executed. Hats off to Bad Monkey for that.
The musical setting at the Bad Monkey is a combination of piano bar and jazz joint. The glass top on the table with surrounding stools certainly indicates the former. Martin Ross played a variety of music from “Popsicle Toes” to Tom Wait’s boozy anthem “My Piano Has Been Drinking.” While we were having dinner, a trio of giggling women came in and sat around the piano. Ross engaged them accordingly, mixing song with playful banter. Bad Monkey has live music a few nights a week. They have two sets; a 4-7pm set for happy hour and an 8-11pm set for the dinner service. In addition to solo piano, they present jazz combos from a variety of genres, with or without vocalists, depending on the particular group.
The owners of the Bad Monkey Bistro are Daniel Poe Gale and Christopher Williams. Even though he was clearly busy taking care of customers, Daniel kindly took a few minutes to chat it up with us. He told us a little bit about the history of the building, which used to be an office for a paper manufacturing company. When they were remodeling the space, they used much of the original wood, especially in the bar area. We talked a little bit about the music; Daniel is clearly a piano aficionado and is very enthusiastic about the potential of the room and about musical things to come. (Sidebar: It came up in the conversation that Emmett plays guitar and performs with his own jazz group. Daniel offered him a gig on the spot. I found his openness surprising yet refreshing.) There is no question that he is committed to creating a welcoming scene for live jazz at the Bad Monkey. You gotta love that.
Our dinner was yummy. I had the smoked salmon pasta, which was creamy and smooth and full of lightly cooked, fresh vegetables. Emmett had the calamari stuffed with artichoke, garlic and crab, which he gobbled up in mere minutes. Our waitress was sweet and laid back. The Bad Monkey experience is probably best done when you’re in the mood to kick back, relax and hang awhile. The vibe seems to lend itself to that, and that’s just fine.
The Bad Monkey Bistro is located at 400 Boren Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98109, on the corner of Boren and Harrison. Please note that it can be slightly tricky to find because there are actually two Boren Avenues that run parallel to each other. Construction in the area can add to the confusion. However, don’t let this dissuade for one minute. There are directions on the website (http://www.badmonkeybistro.com/), and once you arrive, there is plenty of available street parking. The Bad Money Bistro is open daily from 10am to 2am, serving lunch, dinner and late night bites. There is a happy hour menu as well. Phone is 206-467-1111.
By Katy Bourne
from BBC Music:
This is a marathon album, despite running for only 45 minutes; a dense, fast meteorite on an edgy sky, brief enough to be indulged in all its frowning intensity. Throughout, Speak build huge constructs of volumes and dynamics. The music never sits still; it’s a snake that twists and turns in the juxtaposition of noise and quietness, light and darkness. Yet the band is tremendously cohesive, shifting as one from heavy improvisational territories down to eloquent writing with a message of unresolved tension. There isn’t a recognisable soloist; the structure is always at the core, with each musician skilfully contributing to the edifice. Indefatigable, Luke Bergman on bass and Chris Icasiano on drums are as much centre stage as Vu’s reverb-laden trumpet or Andrew Swanson’s muscular saxophone.
Continue reading at BBC Music:
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Richard Cole Quartet
NEW ORLEANS: Thomas Marriott’s Flexicon
JAZZ ALLEY: Keiko Matsui
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM:
5:30pm: Monarch Duo
9:00pm: Waterbabies
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Dan O’Brien Trio, with Kim Rushing (vocals) – featuring Dan O’Brien (bass), Steve Rice (piano) and Robert Rushing (drums)
9pm – Dina Blade CD Release! with Hans Brehmer (piano) and Larry Halloway (bass).
BAKE’S PLACE: Greta Matassa with wpecial guest Susan Pascal
BOXLEY’S: Clark Gibson Trio
LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio
LAKESIDE BISTRO: Sandra Locklear
CYPRUS LOUNGE: Geoffrey Castle
THE CHAPEL: Seattle Composers’ Salon
HIROSHI’S: Jazz & Sushi
SERAFINA: Kelly Ash Trio
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Cornish Jazz Faculty & Alumni
JAZZ ALLEY: Keiko Matsui
NEW ORLEANS: Ray Skelbred/Bob Jackson Quintet
THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson and Tad Britton
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Tenderoney with Alisha Roney (vocals), Brendan O’Donnell (guitar), Mark Sampson (keys) and Zach Para (drums)
BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio
LUCID: The Hang w/ The Teaching
CHAPEL: Robert Rich
from Earshot Jazz: Ambient music pioneer Robert Rich is touring North America in support of his new album Ylang. Drawing from decades of recorded work, Rich blends composition and improvisation in a fluid continuum, creating a hypnotic atmosphere. Rich has helped define the genres of ambient music, dark-ambient, tribal, and trance, yet his music continues to defy categorization. Rich uses homemade acoustic and electronic instruments, microtonal harmonies, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems, and feedback networks to create his signature sound. Rich released his first album Sunyata in 1982 and followed with a string of critically acclaimed European releases for Fathom/ Hearts of Space. Rich’s all-night Sleep Concerts made him a legend across the Bay Area, and he continued the practice in 1996, culminating in the 7 hour DVD Somnium. Wonderfully suited for the Chapel Performance Space, this is a highly anticipated performance by a living legend.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa Jazz Workshop
JAZZ ALLEY: Keiko Matsui
NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Penelope Donado, with Ed Weber (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)
9pm – ABC Trio, with Ben Hamaji (piano), Colleen Gilligan (bass) and Alex Evenon (drums)
DULCES LATIN BISTRO: Eric Verlinde
LUCID: Vocalize It w/ Tai Shan
THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
from the New York Times:
Fred Anderson, a tenor saxophonist who tied the bebop innovations of Charlie Parker to the explorations of later avant-garde musicians and who owned the Velvet Lounge, a South Side Chicago club known for fostering the careers of emerging players, died on Thursday. He was 81.
…
In 1982 Mr. Anderson, who was earning a living with odd jobs, including bartending, took over a workingman’s bar at 2128 1/2 South Indiana in Chicago and slowly began to transform it. At first he opened it on alternating Sunday nights for jam sessions for local musicians; eventually he turned it into a full-time music room where he led his own bands and booked others, especially experimental players who attracted the most serious of serious jazz aficionados.
He named it the Velvet Lounge after an audience member complimented him, possibly inaccurately, on his smooth and velvet sound. Particularly since the early 1990s, when he began charging a cover, many prominent musicians — including the flutist Nicole Mitchell and the saxophonist Ken Vandermark — have had their careers nurtured there.
“People don’t come to the Velvet to hang out,” Mr. Anderson said in an interview with NPR in 2005. “They come to listen to music. It’s a happy place to play.”
Review by Libby Graham
I went to Bake’s Place in Issaquah on Friday, June 11, and had the great pleasure of seeing vocalist and trumpeter extraordinaire Jake Bergevin. He is one of the nicest people you’ll meet and has a mega talent to match with his effortless crooning vocalese, inventive original compositions, and sensitive re-imaginings of works by such artists as Kurt Elling and Leonard Bernstein. His rendition of the classic standard “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face” and a fresh arrangement of Sting’s “The Girl with No Regrets” were shining examples of his varied, eclectic repertoire. Joining Jake that evening was an exceptional rhythm section comprised of Dan Kramlich on piano, Brad Boal playing drums, RJ Whitlow on bass, and local favorite Susan Pascal playing vibes.
Jake’s second set was themed around songs of New York and the debut of brand new material for him. Especially wonderful were his takes on “New York, New York”, “Let Me off Uptown” and a couple of songs dedicated to two famous NY bridges, “Chelsea Bridge” and “Brooklyn Bridge”.
Jake is the gifted jazz band director at Edmonds-Woodway High School and in May gained national recognition for his band’s participation in the famed Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center in New York City. He also fronts his popular big band, “Javatown Swing Orchestra” and will be performing with them for the 13th year in a row at Ellensburg’s Jazz in the Valley on Saturday, July 31st. Other up-coming performances include Pacific Lutheran University’s Jazz under the Stars on Thursday, July 15, The Bloedel Reserve Concert Series (Bainbridge Island) on Saturday, July 17 and The Mill Creek Community Summer Concert Series on Thursday, August 5.
Reptet performing at the Seattle Drum School Georgetown last Saturday.
Photos by Jim Levitt
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Critical Mass Big Band
TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Meshell Ndegeocello
NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
MIX: Don Mock
THE CHAPEL: Oana Rusu Tomai
DULCES LATIN BISTRO: Eric Verlinde
OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam w/ Eric Verlinde & Jose Martinez
from Daniel Sheehan at eyeshotjazz.com
Thomas Marriott celebrated the release of his new CD, “East-West Trumpet Summit“, which is currently #1 on the JazzWeek National Airplay Chart and was recently featured on NPR’s Morning Edition. The “East” portion of the Trumpet Summit is usually Ray Vega, but because of family commitments Vega wasn’t able to make this performance. In his absence, Vern Sielert (still “East” of Seattle as Sielert is now teaching in Idaho), joined the band which also featured Bill Anschell on piano, Phil Sparks on bass and Matt Jorgensen on drums. A great sound on a summer evening.
Note: Benny Powell’s last studio recording as a leader was for Origin Records. Click here to view/listen to that recording.
The Count Basie Orchestra is announcing that trombonist Benny Powell has died at age 80. Powell is best known for his role in the Basie band of the 1950s and early ’60s — he took a brief solo on the hit recording of “April In Paris” — but he also held spots in the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and many, many other top ensembles. He was busy as a recording studio, Broadway and television musician, and also worked with high modernist jazzmen like pianist Randy Weston and clarinetist John Carter.
A week before his death was announced, Powell performed pleasingly with David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Band as part of the CareFusion Jazz Festival New York. I spoke with him briefly afterwards, and he said that while he did not play early jazz frequently, he had grown up in New Orleans and was comfortable in the idiom. Apropos of this, his words were recently quoted in the HBO series Treme, according to co-creator Eric Overmeyer in a comment left on this blog:
I asked [Powell] once what he said … to his students, and he replied, “Straight ahead and strive for tone.” Which seems to me like pretty sound advice for all kinds of strivers.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Doomsday Device
TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Meshell Ndegeocello
NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet
TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder
AMORE: Ronnie Pierce Jazz Ensemble
EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Primo Kim
POGGIE TAVERN: Better World w/ Marc Smason & Joanne Klein
from Jim Wilke:
Recent CDs by some great resident talent is featured this Sunday (6/27) on Jazz Northwest. Included will be new CDs by Dave Peck, The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Dina Blade and The Ziggurat Quartet among others. Jazz Northwest airs every Sunday afternoon at 1pm PDT on 88-5, KPLU and kplu.org.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: NYC Vocalist Linda Ciofalo with the Kelley Johnson Quartet
JAZZ ALLEY: Bobby Caldwell and The Pony Boy Orchestra
TRIPLE DOOR MUSICQUARIUM: Gravity
BAKE’S PLACE: Trish, Hans & Phil
BOXLEY’S: Carolyn Graye
SERAFINA: Fred Hoadley Trio
NORTH CITY BISTRO: Scott Lindenmuth Trio
LUCID: Alicia Roney Quartet
LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio
THE CHAPEL: Gust Burns & Tyler Wilcox
HIROSHI’S: Jazz and Sushi
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Thomas Marriott CD RELEASE: “East-West Trumpet Summit”
JAZZ ALLEY: Bobby Caldwell and The Pony Boy Orchestra
THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson and Tad Britton
NEW ORLEANS: Ham Carson Quintet
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – “Swing Into Summer” featuring Chip Parker, with Darin Clendenin (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass) and Mark Ivestor (drums)
9pm – Nathan Eklund Group, with Nathan Eklund (trumpet/flugel), Mark Taylor (saxophones), Dawn Clement (piano), Chris Symer (bass) and Byron Vannoy (drums) – CD Release!
BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio
LUCID: The Hang w/ The Teaching
HI-FIDELITY LOUNGE: Ray Ohls Trio
2711 6th St, Bremerton, 8:30pm
Ok … this has nothing to do with Seattle jazz but we were watching the World Cup this morning and this was an amazing last-minute win for the US.
TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jon Wikan / Torben Waldorff / John Ellis CD RELEASE: “American Rock Beauty”
NEW ORLEANS: Legacy Quartet w/Clarence Acox
EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Vocal Jam – hosted by Marti MacEwan – backed by Steve Rice (piano), Kevin McCarthy (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)
9pm – Vocal Showcase, featuring Meg Roberts, Kim Davis and Andy Shaw
LUCID: Katrina Kope & Company
JAZZ ALLEY: Frank Vignola Trio
THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio