Tuesday Jazz

March 1, 2011 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Gerald Clayton Trio (presented by Earshot Jazz)
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

JAZZ ALLEY: Janiva Magness
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

MIX: Don Mock & Steve Kim
6006 12th Ave South, 206-767-0280, 9:00pm

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam w/ Eric Verlinde & Jose Martinez
808 Post Ave, 206-621-7777, 10:00pm

BOXLEY’S: Future Jazz Heads
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

SEAMONSTER LOUNGE: McTuff Trio
2202 N 45th St, 206-633-1824, 10:00pm

VITO’S: Michel Havedo Quartet
927 9th Ave, Seattle, 9:00pm

BROADWAY PERFORMANCE HALL: David Paul Mesler & Friends
1625 Broadway, Seattle, 7:30pm

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Dina Blade Student Showcase
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, 206-789-1621, 7:00pm

Gerald Clayton Trio at Tula’s

February 28, 2011 / / No Comments

Tuesday, March 1, 7:30pm
Gerald Clayton Trio
Tula’s Nightclub and Restaurant
2214 Second Avenue (Belltown), Seattle

For Reservations call 206-443-4221
Cover Charge: $15 general; $13 Earshot members; $10 Students w/ ID

Partial funding for this performance is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Western Jazz Presenters Network.

At 26, pianist Gerald Clayton, the Netherlands-born son of LA bassist John Clayton, is one of the most talented of jazz up-and-comers. He is winning renown for his seamless embrace of everything from stride piano to 21st-century neo-soul.

The Down Beat 2008 Readers’ Poll named him one of the top pianists to watch. The Jazz Gallery in New York commissioned a composition from him, while the BBC Orchestra has performed another. His honors, still early in his career, include a prestigious award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, the title “Presidential Scholar in the Arts,” and second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition.

Clayton released his acclaimed debut recording as a leader, Two Shade, in 2009 on the fan-funded label, ArtistShare, with trio mates bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown.

It justified the praise that jazz critics had been according him – glowing assessments such as “Oscar-Peterson like style” and “huge, authoritative presence” (New York Times).

With praise like that, Clayton’s reputation has quickly grown as one of the most accomplished and stylish pianists in jazz’s younger ranks. His playing is solidly grounded in popular jazz styles with hints of more recent forms such as neo-soul and hip-hop, and he renders his amalgam with an embracing swing and style.

Continue reading at earshot.org

Monday Jazz

February 28, 2011 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Boyd Phelps Sax Attack
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

AMORE: Ronnie Pierce Jazz Ensemble
2301 5th Ave, 206-770-0606, 7:30pm

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Primo Kim
555 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, 425-455-2734, 6:00pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Howard Dixon
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

BOXLEY’S: Down The Road Band
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

WHITE RABBIT: Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder
513 N 36th St Suite E, Seattle, 9:30pm

Seattle area musicians honored at Hampton fest

February 27, 2011 / / No Comments

from The Seattle Times:

The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho, where jazz masters mentor and adjudicate student jazz musicians, concluded Saturday. Many Seattle-area instrumentalists were honored Saturday by invitations to the Young Artists Concert. They included the South Whidbey High School band and Combo, division A, directed by Chris Harshaman, from Langley; the Eckstein Middle School Ensemble, Middle School division, directed by Moc Escobedo; and the Garfield High School Ensemble II, division AAAA, directed by Clarence Acox. Honorable mention went to the Eckstein Middle School Combo II, Middle School division, directed by Moc Escobedo.

Musicians honored by an invitation to play in the intimate setting of “Hamp’s Club” included Mike Laven, drums, and Eric Dubbury, trumpet, Edmonds-Woodway High School, directed by Jake Bergevin; Luke Woodle, drums, Eckstein Middle School, directed by Moc Escobedo; Gus Comstock, drums, Ian Frost, soprano saxophone, Adam Stansell, saxophone, Emmitt Akeley, guitar, Ian Zapolsky, piano, Willem de Koch, trombone, Garfield High School, directed by Clarence Acox; Elliott Clement, piano, Hamilton International Middle School, directed by Dan Rowe; Xavier DelCastillo, tenor saxophone, Matt Nuntz, bass, Lucas Winter, guitar, and Adrian Noteboom, tenor saxophone, Roosevelt High School, directed by Scott Brown.

Northwest University, in Kirkland, was honored by the festival with the gift of a drum set.

Thursday Jazz

February 24, 2011 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Chip Parker, Susan Robinson, Randall O’Dowd
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

JAZZ ALLEY: Al DiMeola World Sinfonia
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30 & 10:00pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Jerry Zimmerman
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: Ham Carson Quintet
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton
5410 Ballard Ave NW, 8:30pm

LUCID: The Hang hosted by Gravity
5241 University Ave NE, 206-402-3042, 9:00pm

BOXLEY’S: Christian Fabian Trio
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

BARCA: Phil Sparks / Adam Kessler Trio
1510 11th Avenue, Seattle, (206) 325-8263, 9:00pm

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Dina Blade Student Showcase
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, 206-789-1621, 7:00pm

Essentially Ellington: Roosevelt and Mountlake Terrace in, Garfield out

February 23, 2011 / / No Comments

from The Seattle Times:

Two Seattle-area high-school jazz bands have made it to finals of the Essentially Ellington competition.

Roosevelt High School, in Seattle, and Mountlake Terrace High School will both compete against 13 other bands May 12-14 at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, which sponsors the competition. Garfield High School, which has won the national contest four times (more than any other group), did not make the finals. It is the only time other than 2001 when Garfield didn’t make the cut.

Roosevelt High School has won the competition three times and, except for 2003, has made the finals every year since the 16-year-old event began accepting contestants west of the Mississippi in 1999. Mountlake Terrace has made the finals five times and it came in third in 2005.

Seattle-area bands have dominated the competition over the years, winning first place seven times.

Wednesday Jazz

February 23, 2011 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: John Hammond and Opener: Mia Vermillion
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30pm

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Greta Matassa Jazz Workshop
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Bonnie Birch
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band with Clarence Acox
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
5410 Ballard Ave NW, 8:30pm

BOXLEY’S: Tim Kennedy
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

EGAN’S BALLARD JAM HOUSE: Vocal Showcase hosted by Kim Rushing
1707 NW Market Street, Seattle, 206-789-1621, 7:00pm

LUCID: Vocalize-It hosted by Reggie Goings
5241 University Way, Seattle, 8:30pm

SERAFINA: Kiko de Freitas
2043 Eastlake Ave E, 323-0807, 8:00pm

Ron Hudson, jazz photographer

February 22, 2011 / / No Comments

We received word that Seattle resident and internationally known jazz photographer Ron Hudson passed away this morning.

There is a memorial service being planned soon and we will post information as soon as we have it.

Please take a moment to check out the great story on Ron done by Katy Bourne which was published on AllAboutJazz.com.

Summing up the career of a man as extraordinary as jazz photographer Ron Hudson is an intimidating proposition. He has spent the past thirty-plus years photographing some of jazz’s brightest dignitaries, capturing moments and committing them to history. He’s also heard some great music along the way.
…
One of the first things that caught my eye was a wall with about a dozen photographs of some of jazz’s brightest figures: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Joe Williams, Milt Jackson and Shelly Manne to name a few. All of the images were signed, some with personal notes to Hudson and some with a simple signature, or as in the case of Miles Davis, a signature and a dotted quarter note.

Also, check out Ron Hudson’s book Right Down Front

Review: Cuong Vu 4-tet

February 22, 2011 / / No Comments

from AllAboutJazz.com

The order and presentation of music on a recording or in a recital are every bit as important in the music producer’s skill set as is choosing what music to include. Had trumpeter Cuong Vu introduced his Vu-Tet’s Leaps of Faith with the title piece, or “Child-Like (for Vina),” it would have been easy to dismiss the recording as a well-intentioned experiment, descending into noise and chaos before making its point. Instead, Vu and co-producer/bassist Luke Bergman wisely introduce the album with three tried-and-true standards: “Body and Soul”; “All The Things You Are”; and “My Funny Valentine.”

But, Vu’s view of this music is light years away from that of Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker and Chet Baker. Instead, Vu drapes these familiar melodies over an often writhing, anxious undercurrent of rhythm and dynamic created by the double electric bass pairing of Bergman and Stomu Takeishi, along with drummer Ted Poor. The stark juxtaposition of the familiar with the chaotic deepens understanding of the melody. Vu introduces what he is trying to do with the familiar before venturing into the unfamiliar, to provide a better understanding of his vision.

Vu furthers his approach with the title piece, “Leaps of Faith” whose harmonic form and overall architecture are based on John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Vu, like Charlie Parker did before him with “Embraceable You,” sets up a new melody while the band sets a dramatically different stage for the composition. In this, Vu achieves perfection in his approach.

The first three standards are studies in comparisons and contrasts. “Body and Soul” proceeds in a moody, ethereal space, one that captures the emotional landscape of the lyrics in a 2001: A Space Odyssey (MGM, 1968) sort of way. The same is true of “All The Things You Are” cast almost as a backdrop for a remake of A Clockwork Orange (Warner Brothers, 1971) only with a bright and shiny storyline. “My Funny Valentine” would sound perfectly at home in the soundtrack of Blue Velvet (Paramount, 1986), so spacious and omnipotent is the soundscape created by this odd ensemble.

Vu’s trumpet veers more to the plaintive, long-noted tone of Tomasz Stanko than the tart midrange of Miles Davis and acolytes after him. Vu is best understood in the aforementioned “Valentine,” George Harrison’s “Something” and, in a fit of genre- harvesting brilliance, Jackson Browne’s “My Opening Farewell.” This music is the collision between the secure and consonant with the disruptive and dissonant: meaning it reflects real life, where there are no white picket fences, only chain-link ones protecting paradise.

Tuesday Jazz

February 22, 2011 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: The Little Big Band
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30pm & 9:30pm

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: John Hammond and opener Mia Vermillion
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Karin Kajita
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

MIX: Don Mock & Steve Kim
6006 12th Ave South, 206-767-0280, 9:00pm

NEW ORLEANS: Holotradband
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

OWL ‘N THISTLE: Jam w/ Eric Verlinde & Jose Martinez
808 Post Ave, 206-621-7777, 10:00pm

BOXLEY’S: Future Jazz Heads
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

SEAMONSTER LOUNGE: McTuff Trio
2202 N 45th St, 206-633-1824, 10:00pm

Monday Jazz

February 21, 2011 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: Double Bill: Anat Fort Trio (with opener: Pierre Bensusan)
from Earshot Jazz: Anat Fort’s music can subtly hint at her geographical origins. Born near Tel Aviv, she studied classical piano as a child and began improvising from an early age, all the while remaining open to the many musical sounds of her environment. She brings her trio to Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley after a date on this year’s Portland Jazz Festival. In the early 1990’s, Anat came to the United States to study jazz, looking to balance a natural tendency towards freer playing with a firm grounding in the tradition. Her sojourn resulted in her self-produced debut album Peel, and commissions to write for various ensembles including chamber and chorus and orchestra. Her most recent commission was premiered at the Opera House in Tel Aviv in January 2006. Anat received two artist-in-residence grants from the Jerome Foundation as well as the Creative Connections award from Meet the Composer. A session recorded with drummer Paul Motian, bassist Ed Schuller, and clarinetist Perry Robinson was brought to the attention of the legendary producer Manfred Eicher ECM Records, and the resultant CD was released in 2007 as A Long Story. An important presence on the NYC alternative jazz scene and equally highly regarded in her homeland, Anat currently splits her time between Israel and the US and performs with bassist Gary Wang and drummer Roland Schneider in her touring band, the Anat Fort Trio.

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Vocal Jam with Darin Clendenin Trio
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans Quintet
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

AMORE: Ronnie Pierce Jazz Ensemble
2301 5th Ave, 206-770-0606, 7:30pm

EL GAUCHO BELLEVUE: Primo Kim
555 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, 425-455-2734, 6:00pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Howard Dixon
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

BOXLEY’S: Paul Green
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

Portland Jazz Festival starts today

February 18, 2011 / / No Comments

from The Seattle Times:

The Portland Jazz Festival, which kicks off Friday, often hangs its shows on a thematic frame. Past themes have been the historic legacy of Blue Note and ECM records and the explosion of new jazz from Scandinavia.

For 2011, the theme is Bridges and Boundaries: Jewish & African Americans Playing Jazz Together.

It’s a rich idea, though not particularly well fleshed out in the programming and also oddly irrelevant to Portland, which, according to the U.S. Census has one of the smallest African-American populations of any major American city and a small (less than 1 percent) Jewish population, as well.

But theme aside, artistic director Bill Royston, as always, has booked a great lineup.

Esperanza Spalding, the thrilling, Portland-raised bassist and singer who [won the Best New Artist Grammy], is the festival’s official Artistic and Community Ambassador. The Cohen siblings, from Israel — clarinetist and saxophonist Anat, trumpeter Avishai and saxophonist Yuval — are on the bill, as are clarinetist Don Byron (appropriately reprising his brilliant Mickey Katz project of daffy popular Jewish music), violinist Regina Carter, pianist Randy Weston, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman and the SF Jazz Collective.

Continue reading at The Seattle Times.

Friday Jazz

February 18, 2011 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Marc Seales Group
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

JAZZ ALLEY: Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra feat. Sheila E. & Juan Escovedo
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30 & 10:00pm

NEW ORLEANS: Thomas Marriott’s Flexicon
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 8:00pm

LATONA PUB: Phil Sparks Trio
6423 Latona Avenue NE, 5:00 – 7:00pm, No Cover, 21+

AMORE: Lonnie Williams
2301 5th Ave, (206) 770-0606

BOXLEY’S: Milo Peterson Trio
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

HIROSHI’S: Travis Ranney & Friends
2501 Eastlake Ave E, 726-4966

SERAFINA: Tim Kennedy
2043 Eastlake Ave E, 323-0807, 9pm

LAKESIDE BISTRO: Jake Svendsen Duo
11425 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle, (206) 772-6891

LUCID: Enroot
5241 University Ave NE, 206-402-3042, 9:00pm

GALLERY 1412: Ronin, Kenny Mandell, Don Berman w/ Ken Masters
1412 18th Ave, 8:00pm

NORTH CITY BISTRO: Mike Eggerling & Randy Mcmillan
1520 NE 177th, Shoreline, (206) 365-4447

Jazz Pianist George Shearing Dies

February 17, 2011 / / No Comments

from Jazz Times:

George Shearing, the British jazz pianist and composer who wrote the bebop standard “Lullaby of Birdland,” died on Monday, February 14 in New York City, where he had resided for many years. The cause of death was heart failure. He was 91.

The writer Alyn Shipton, who helped Shearing write his memoirs, said that Shearing had a remarkable memory. “He could reproduce whole records from memory, accurately catching the nuances of Fats, Tatum, Bud Powell and Erroll Garner among others,” said Shipton. “But his real talent was, firstly to conceptualize the ‘Shearing Sound’ – transferring the Glenn Miller orchestral voicings to piano, vibes and guitar, and secondly to apply an instantaneous musical wit and imagination to everything he did. One of his favorite party tricks which I saw him do many times was to play the Irish folk song ‘Kerry Dance’ and weave into it the ‘Kyrie’ from Bach’s B Minor mass. George particularly liked that because it was a verbal pun on Kyrie and Kerry and a musical pun on mixing genres. He loved puns and wordplay and his conversation was peppered with them.”

Continue reading at Jazz Times.

Thursday Jazz

February 17, 2011 / / No Comments

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Sonando
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

JAZZ ALLEY: Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra feat. Sheila E. & Juan Escovedo
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30 & 10:00pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Jerry Zimmerman
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: Ham Carson Quintet
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

THAIKU: Jon Alberts, Jeff Johnson, Tad Britton
5410 Ballard Ave NW, 8:30pm

LUCID: The Hang hosted by Evan Flory-Barnes, Josh Rawlings and Jason Holt
5241 University Ave NE, 206-402-3042, 9:00pm

BOXLEY’S: Janette West Duo
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

BARCA: Phil Sparks / Adam Kessler Trio
1510 11th Avenue, Seattle, (206) 325-8263, 9:00pm

and if you are by your computer at 6:30pm tonight, tune into the Hal Galper Trio performing at Smalls in New York. You can watch it online on the Smalls’ website.

Tonight: Doug Beavers and Thomas Marriott at Tula’s

February 16, 2011 / / No Comments

New York trombonist Doug Beavers comes to Seattle to co-lead a band with trumpeter Thomas Marriott for a special night of music. Featuring an all-star band including Marc Seales on piano, Evan Flory-Barnes on Bass and Dvonne Lewis on drums, Beavers and Marriott will be featuring compositions written especially for the occasion. Not to be missed!

Tula’s Restaurant & Nightclub
February 16
7:30p
$10
http://tulas.com/

Wednesday Jazz

February 16, 2011 / / No Comments

JAZZ ALLEY: The Benny Green Quartet with special guest Donald Harrison
2033 6th Ave, 206-441-9729, 7:30pm

TULA’S JAZZ CLUB: Doug Beavers / Thomas Marriott Special Edition
2214 2nd Ave, 206-443-4221, 7:30pm

MARTIN’S ON MADISON: Bonnie Birch
1413 14th Ave, 206-325-7000, 7:30pm

NEW ORLEANS: The Legacy Band with Clarence Acox
114 First Ave S, 206-622-2563, 7:00pm

THAIKU: Ron Weinstein Trio
5410 Ballard Ave NW, 8:30pm

BOXLEY’S: Bob Hammer
101 West North Bend Way, North Bend, WA, 425-292-9307, 7:00pm

CD Review: Brad Shepik, Across The Way

February 16, 2011 / / No Comments

from All About Jazz.com

Guitarist Brad Shepik mines a lode of styles on his compositions. Shadow and light play through his music, and he is not averse to opening the door to let a swath of sunshine in. The mood is never static, the wheel of invention is constantly churning out ideas that surprise and delight.

Shepik wrote most of Across The Way’s tunes while he was on the road, where he teamed up with vibraphonist Tom Beckham, bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Mark Guiliana to form his first quartet. The musicians respond to his every need, the empathy between them electric, as they pick up and advance ideas to illuminate the spirit of the compositions.

The music has several influences, into which Shepik breathes his own affirmations. The acoustic intro to the title track underscores his open, linear approach. His use of space is judicious, as he lets the others come in and, in doing so, allow the song to blossom. The sensibility of the composition undergoes a change as the tempo surges and the electric guitar cuts a deeper swath. Time has been probed and altered to spin an enticing web.

“German Taco” is a sunny, playful tune. Shepik grabs the concept and lets the melody billow in a run of crystalline notes. His perception is acute, and he bends emphasis almost imperceptibly. Beckham is the perfect cohort as he saturates the melody, dancing on the notes and broadening the appeal. A crisp rhythm section adds to the impact and makes this a standout.

The closing “Train Home” is largely introspective. The mellow mood and the repeated motifs create a hypnotic aura, and with the introduction of a discernible and compelling melody the seduction is complete.

Shepik has crafted a rich sonic palette of creative brilliance.