Seattle Jazz Scene

From The Seattle Times:

The Ballard Jazz Festival is in full swing, unleashing its full lineup of music tonight during the festival’s marquee event, the Ballard Jazz Walk.

One $25 ticket buys entrance to 12 different venues on or near Ballard Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. Virtually all the musicians associated with the festival will be playing tonight in small-group settings, including guitarist Corey Christiansen, who co-headlines Saturday’s mainstage concert at the Nordic Heritage Museum with the Joe Locke Quintet.

Tonight, guitarist Christiansen will perform with saxophonist Hadley Caliman’s group at Conor Byrne Pub. Most of the festival musicians have recorded albums with Origin Records, whose founders John Bishop and Matt Jorgensen organized the Ballard Jazz Festival. Bishop and Jorgensen are also among the performers tonight.

Familiar local musicians such as Thomas Marriott, Mark Taylor, Bill Anschell, Kelly Johnson, Hans Teuber, and Bill Ramsay will lead or join groups on the Jazz Walk. One of the more unique groups performing tonight is Tumbao, a six-piece Latin ensemble with a late set at the Lock & Keel Tavern.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

from The Seattle Times:

In hindsight, Mark Turner agrees that power saws and horn players should probably avoid close proximity.

He came by this insight the hard way. when a home-maintenance project suddenly turned into a potentially career-ending accident. One of jazz’s most eloquent and widely admired tenor and soprano saxophonists, Turner severed the tendons in his left-hand middle and index fingers last November.

“It’s never going to be the same,” says Turner, 42, who opens a two-day run on Tuesday with the collective trio Fly at Jazz Alley. “There are some issues with the left hand that I have to work around. There’s lack of sensation in the second digit. I’m getting used to it slowly.”

While he’s still working to recover some finger flexibility after surgery to reconnect nerves, arteries and tendons, Turner returned to the bandstand at the end of February, resuming a brilliant career marked by a series of near-telepathic collaborations.

From The Seattle Times:

Changes were coming to Ballard, Bishop and Jorgensen among them. Condominiums, gourmet dog biscuits, indoor-plant boutiques, panko breadcrumbs and all the trappings of yuppie-hood were making their way to old Ballard, the changes literally visible from Bishop’s and Jorgensen’s apartment windows.

The density of bars and restaurants, the foot traffic and the changing demographics of their neighborhood made it easy to decide to start the Ballard Jazz Festival in 2003.

Now in its sixth season, the five-day festival has grown, but not to enormous size. It starts Wednesday at the Sunset Tavern with the first of two themed nights of music, the Brotherhood of the Drum, at least three sets and three different groups led by drummers. The Guitar Summit commences at the Sunset on Thursday night, with three groups led by guitarists.

The festival’s Friday-night jazz walk — next Friday — features 19 groups performing in 12 venues on or around Ballard Avenue; guitarist Corey Christiansen’s trio and New York vibraphonist Joe Locke and his quintet play the big-stage concert April 25 at the Nordic Heritage Museum; the festival ends April 26 with a Swedish-pancake jazz brunch, also at the museum.

What sets the festival apart from others in the area is its organic, homegrown quality. Most of the musicians scheduled to perform (Hadley Caliman, Thomas Marriott, Bill Anschell, Kelley Johnson, Bill Ramsay, Jay Thomas, Hans Teuber, Mark Taylor, Jeff Johnson, among many others) are top-shelf, local musicians. The Ballard festival does not receive funding from arts organizations or corporate sponsors, like the festivals in Bellevue or Port Townsend, or the Earshot festival.

As such, the budget is in the modest range of $35,000. The money comes mostly from local businesses — meaning Ballard, not Seattle. Some of the budget is made in barter, bottles of wine or printing services.

“It’s 100 percent artist- produced and community-funded,” Jorgensen said. “And the money goes back into the neighborhood and to local musicians.

“[Sponsor] Ann Babb sold me my first house,” he continued. “At first we just went to people we knew and asked if they could contribute.”

The festival is a distillation of the jazz scene in Seattle, without the leverage of corporate dollars or national brand names and their built-in audiences — a tightly knit, relatively small circle of talented musicians who are neighbors, friends and, sometimes, even housemates.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa Quartet w/ Alexey Nikolaev

LATONA PUB: Victor Noriega Trio (5-7pm)

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Eric Miller Trio, with Eric Miller (guitar/vocals), Sabu (bass) and Mrs. Miller (vocals). Special guests include Mike & Anna Lisa Notter
9pm – Tim Lerch and John Stowell
11pm – Sam Friend with Cinnamon On It

HIROSHI’S JAZZ AND SUSHI: Karen Shivers

LOCAL COLOR: Shelly Rudolph

SERAFINA: Kiko de Freitas

LUCID: Evan Flory-Barnes: Mingus Tribute

JAZZ VOX CONCERT: John Proulx w/ Thomas Marriott & Chuck Kistler

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Trish Hatley Trio

MONA’S: Michael Stegner, Byron Vannoy and Thione Diop

THE DISTRICT LOUNGE: Ron Weinstein Trio

GRAZIE: Michael Powers Group

The 2nd Annual Seattle Occultural Music Festival is a three-weekend celebration of new & experimental music in the Pacific Northwest of psychic, ecological or otherwise deeply resonant importance. This diverse program incorporates performers & composers spanning the regions genres & generations, mixing established artists, new talent, and important work & influence not from the immediate Seattle area.

For more information, visit www.somf.info

Friday, May 1 @ 8pm – All ages
The Art Church
2051 NW 61st St @ 22nd
Soriah [Portland]
Stuart Dempster
Vox Vespertinus
Seattle Harmonic Voices
Hanna Benn

Saturday, May 2 @ 8pm – All ages
Gallery 1412
1412 18th Ave
Robin Holcomb
Amy Denio
Sokai Stilhed
Christopher Greenchild

Thursday, May 7 @ 8pm – All ages
Good Shepherd Center Chapel Performance Space
4649 Sunnyside N
Seattle Phonographer’s Union
Jason Kopec
Graham Banfield

Friday, May 8 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre
2322 2nd Ave
Voodoo Israel [San Francisco]
Joy Von Spain
Matt Shoemaker
Midday Veil

Saturday, May 9 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre
2322 2nd Ave
Barn Owl [San Francisco]
Bill Horist
Dr. Jones
Riding the Slow Wave of Death

Thursday, May 14 @ 8pm – All ages
Gallery 1412
1412 18th Ave
Wayne Horvitz
Gust Burns & Tyler Wilcox
Michal Szostalo

Friday, May 15 @ 10pm – 21+ w/ID
Rendezvous Jewelbox Theartre
2322 2nd Ave
Holy Experiment [New York]
At the Head of the Woods [Portland]
(a) Story of Rats
Paintings for Animals

Advance tickets (at discount prices) are still available for all events at The Ballard Jazz Festival which starts next Wednesday, April 22. For more information, visit http://ballardjazzfestival.com

Wednesday, April 22 – Brotherhood of the Drum
performances by groups led by Matt Jorgensen, Alan Jones, Tarik Abouzied and Mark Ivester.

Thursday, April 23 – Guitar Summit
performances by Corey Christiansen, John Stowell, Dave Peterson, Don Mock and Jay Roberts

Friday, April 24 – Ballard Jazz Walk
19 groups in 12 venues for a single ticket … the best deal in jazz!

Saturday, April 25 – Nordic Heritage Museum Concert
Concert with the Joe Locke Group (featuring Darrell Grant and Thomas Marriott) and the Corey Christiansen Quartet

Sunday, April 26 – Swedish Pancake Jazz Brunch
Finish off the jazz festival with swedish pancakes and the Brent Jensen Quartet

Earshot Jazz will be having a Board Meeting and Open Community Forum tonight at Tula’s Jazz Club from 5:00 – 7:00pm

If you have something to say, or are just interested in an update from Earshot Jazz, come down to the meeting tonight.

5-7pm
Tula’s Jazz Club
2214 2nd Ave

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Tad Britton, Jeff Johnson

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Beth Winter Showcase

NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Susan Robinson (vocals), with Darin Clendenin (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums)
9pm – Daniel Adams and Dan Kamas

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Squirrel Nut Zippers

LO-FI: The Teaching

The Mark Taylor Quartet at Seattle Art Museum – Gary Fukushima, Jeff Johnson, Mark Taylor and Byron Vannoy. ( photo by Robert Wade )

On the next Jazz Northwest from 88-5 KPLU, saxophonist and composer Mark Taylor leads his quartet in an Art of Jazz concert and CD release party at the Seattle Art Museum. Mark Taylor was recently named Northwest Instrumentalist of the Year at the annual Earshot Awards, and he’s been featured in numerous Seattle groups including the Jim Knapp Orchestra and the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Thomas Marriott and Matt Jorgensen + 451.

The new CD “Spectre” (Origin Records) was officially released on April 21 and contains most of the selections in this concert. The SAM concert airs on Jazz Northwest this Sunday April 19 at 1 PM PDT on 88-5 KPLU and kplu.org . It will also be available as a podcast the following day.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by Jim Wilke exclusively for KPLU.

Audio promo below.

Has everyone filed their extensions?

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Blue Street Voices

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band w/Clarence Acox

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Third Hemisphere, Cynthia Mullis (saxophones), Eric Verlinde (piano), Dean Schmidt (bass), and Steve Korn (drums) – Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and North American jazz in a unique exploration of music from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
9pm – Vocal Jam hosted by Katie King, with the Dan Sales Trio

WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce

JAZZ ALLEY: Oregon

Photos by Jim Levitt

Read More

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Emerald City Jazz Orchestra

TRIPLE DOOR: BCC Vocal Jazz Ensemble

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Tone Bent, with Bill Horvitz and Robin Eschner (both on guitars and vocals) – CD Release show
9pm – Datura Quintet, with Scott Macpherson (saxophones/effects), Brennan Carter (trumpet/effects), Elliot Gray (piano/keyboard/effects), Leah Pogwizd (bass) and Aaron Voros (drums/percussion)

SHERMAN CLAY PIANOS BELLEVUE: MOJO Big Band featuring Steve Reinke

LUCID: Todo Es

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

JAZZ ALLEY: Oregon

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

THE TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Mark Taylor CD Release Party

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jason Parker Quartet

NEW ORLEANS: The New Orleans Quintet

LUCID: Adam Hunter

TOST: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder

Note: Mark Taylor is performing tonight at the Triple Door

From The Seattle Times:

By taking his time and letting his music develop at its own pace, Mark Taylor has become one of the essential players on the Seattle jazz scene.

While steadily pursuing his own musical vision, the alto saxophonist has toiled fruitfully as a sideman, contributing to more than half a dozen excellent ensembles. From long-running institutions like the Jim Knapp Orchestra (which plays the first Monday of every month at the Seattle Drum School) to short-lived projects such as the Wayne Horvitz quartet (that just finished a two-month run at Café Paloma) Taylor provides a jolt of passionate lyricism to every situation in which he’s involved.

Six years after the release of his impressive debut CD “After Hours” (Origin), Taylor once again steps into the foreground with a consistently compelling quartet session: “Spectre,” which alternates between spontaneously generated quicksilver improvisations and sinuous compositions.

“I’m not a very prolific writer, but I spend a ton of time on the tunes,” says Taylor, 36, who celebrates the release of “Spectre” on Thursday as part of Earshot’s Art of Jazz Series at the Seattle Art Museum and then April 13 at the Triple Door. Both gigs feature the same cast as the CD, with the dynamic young drummer Byron Vannoy, veteran bassist Jeff Johnson and Los Angeles-based Gary Fukushima on piano and Fender Rhodes.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Bruce Staelens Quintet featuring Richard Cole

BAKE’S PLACE: Jackie Ryan

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Tom Boros
9pm – Red Dress
11pm – Peter Schmeeckle Quintet, with Neil Welch (tenor sax), R. Scott Morning (trumpet), Josh Hou (piano), Andy Short (bass) and Peter Schmeeckle (drums)

SERAFINA: The Djangomatics

LUCID: Tim Kennedy: Ahmad Jamal Tribute

HIROSHI’S JAZZ AND SUSHI: Thomas Marriott & Alexey Nikolaev w/ Monsktone Theocracy

JAZZ ALLEY: Joshua Redman Trio

LOCAL COLOR: Katy Bourne w/ Chris Spencer & Doug Miller

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Arturo Rodriguez & Friends

PAMPAS ROOM: Brian Nova Quartet

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Trish Hatley Trio

LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks and Hadley Caliman

Pianist Dawn Clement will perform tonight with some special guests from New York.

Dawn Clement – Piano
Dean Johnson – Bass
Tony Moreno – Drums

with “droogs of eidetia” opening

Thursday, April 9th 7:30pm
Seattle Drum School “LAB”
12510 15th Ave. NE, Seattle
Cost: $10

Lots of good music tonight!

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM: Mark Taylor Quartet

SEATTLE DRUM SCHOOL: Dawn Clement Trio featuring Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

TRIPLE DOOR MAINSTAGE: Jessica Williams

JAZZ ALLEY: Joshua Redman Trio

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Sonando

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Ethan Thomas Quartet, with Ethan Thomas (saxophone), Michael Owcharuk (piano), Mike Catts (bass) and Lynn Roberson (drums)

NEW ORLEANS: The Ham Carson Quintet

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton

CAFE PALOMA: Wayne Horvitz Quartet
93 Yesler Way, 7:30pm

BARCA: Clark Gibson Trio
1510 11th Ave, 9:00pm

LUCID: The Druids

SEAMONSTER: Hardcoretet

LO-FI: The Teaching

SORRENTO HOTEL: Katy Bourne & Randy Halberstadt

JAZZ ALLEY: Kendra Shank Quartet featuring Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

TULA’S: Al Keith Quintet

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band with Clarence Acox

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – Gary Fukushima (piano), with Eric Eagle (drums), Geoff Harper (bass) and special guests.
9pm – Vocal Showcase hosted by Marti MacEwan, featuring Penelope Donado, Cara Francis and Susan Robinson. Accompanied by Darin Clendenin (piano), Joe Casalini (bass) and Robert Rushing (drums)

LUCID: Chemical Clock

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio

WHISKEY BAR: Ronnie Pierce

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Jay Thomas Big Band

JAZZ ALLEY: Kendra Shank Quartet featuring Frank Kimbrough, Dean Johnson and Tony Moreno

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE:
7pm – David Guilbault, Kate Graves and Sean Bendickson
9pm – Jovino Santos Neto Trio, with Jovino Santos Neto (keys) Tim Carey (bass) and Jeff Busch (drums)

DEXTER AND HAYES: Tim Kennedy Trio

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita

MIX: Don Mock

LUCID: Reagan Kee & Friends