earshot jazz · earshot jazz january 2017 vol. 33, no. 1 seattle, washington a mirror and focus for...

EARSHOT JAZZJanuary 2017 Vol. 33, No. 1

Seattle, WashingtonA Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community

Black & Tan Hall’s Ben Hunter & Tarik Abdullah

Photo by Daniel Sheehan

2 • Earshot Jazz • January 2017

Happy New Year

LeTTer from THe DirecTor

Some New Year’s holidays pass by as just kind of a ho-hum reason to have a(nother) holi-day party. Most of them wind up feeling more like the mere turning of the page, rath-er than the begin-ning of a whole new chapter. But this year’s marker seems a bit more portentous. This one is clearly a new year.

Luckily, jazz thrives on new be-ginnings and fluid reactions to the changes popping around us. Jazz is the perfect “the sound of surprise” to lead our charge into this New Year, with firm resolutions for posi-tivity, growth, inclusion, respect, and unity.

Our main resolutions for 2017 are to double down on our commit-ments to presenting the spectrum of jazz to the Seattle community and to uplifting the entirety of this jazz community as one of the best in the world.

We start out 2017 with a remark-able concert series, Sound in Motion, which brings a roster of touring art-ists to Earshot stages with heavy-weight stature sufficient to balance out the fantastic jazz festival we’re already building for the fall. Check this issue for details on upcoming concert presentations.

We will also double down this year on providing more performance op-

portunities for Seattle artists of all ages. Recog-nizing that this city is already well known for its incredible jazz education pro-grams, it should clearly follow that those well-educated indi-viduals then have a chance to build more skills in front of real au-

diences. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. We will add new opportunities to the existing scene, recognizing that increased perfor-mances are needed for the diversity of our artists, from the newly minted to our established professionals and seasoned masters, most of whom are educators themselves.

This year, you’ll see us beginning the new Seattle Jazz Project cam-paign to raise general public aware-ness of the richness of all of the Se-attle jazz scene, past, present, and future; from education programs, to all of the venues presenting jazz, to the record labels and publishing, to our amazing individual artists.

You’ve read my open invitations for your ideas and participation, but this year you’ll probably hear from us directly. We want your vision and expertise in building the health of Seattle jazz for years to come.

We want everyone to know that Se-attle is a jazz city like no other! Join us!

–John Gilbreath, Executive Director

m i S S i o n S T A T e m e n TTo ensure the legacy and progression of the art form, Earshot Jazz cultivates a vibrant jazz community by engaging audiences, celebrating artists, and supporting arts education.

eArSHoT JAzzA Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community

Executive Director John Gilbreath

Managing Director Karen Caropepe

Program Manager Caitlin Peterkin

Earshot Jazz Editor Caitlin Peterkin

Contributing Writers Halynn Blanchard, Marianne Gonterman, Libby Graham, Andrew Luthringer, Mayumi Tsutakawa

Calendar Editors Derek Decker, Caitlin

Peterkin

Photography Daniel Sheehan

Layout Caitlin Peterkin

Distribution Karen Caropepe & Earshot Jazz

volunteers

send Calendar Information to:3429 Fremont Place N, #309

Seattle, WA 98103

email / [email protected]

Board of Directors Sue Coliton (president),

Danielle Leigh (vice president), Sally

Nichols (secretary), Viren Kamdar

(treasurer), Ruby Smith Love, John W.

Comerford, Chris Icasiano, Diane Wah

Emeritus Board Members Clarence Acox,

Hideo Makihara, Kenneth W. Masters, Lola

Pedrini, Paul Toliver, Cuong Vu

Founded in 1984 by Paul de Barros,

Gary Bannister, and Allen Youngblood. Earshot Jazz is published monthly by

Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle and is

available online at www.earshot.org.

subscription (with membership): $35 3429 Fremont Place #309

Seattle, WA 98103

phone / (206) 547-6763

Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984

Printed by Pacific Publishing Company

© 2017 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle

January 2017 • Earshot Jazz • 3

Continued on PAGe 22

riP michael White: 1933-2016Michael White was a consummate

artist, an absolute individualist, and a very kind soul. While he lived here in Seattle as a faculty member at Cor-nish College, he served as an impor-tant mentor and guiding light, both as an educator and performing artist. We were fortunate to work with Mi-chael as part of the Living Spirit Band – with Hadley Caliman, Rickey Kel-ley, Phil Sparks, and Larry Jones – that served as the house band for Earshot’s weekly series at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley for six years in the 1990s.

–John Gilbreath

carmen rothwell featured in Paste magazine

Bassist Carmen Rothwell, a Univer-sity of Washington grad and Seattle

native, who recently moved to New York City, was featured in Paste Maga-zine last month as one of “10 Women Instrumentalists Who Redefine Jazz.” Joining the ranks of Lil Hardin Arm-strong, Alice Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams, and others, Rothwell was highlighted for her “compositional and improvisation work [that] pushes the envelope, especially focusing on timbral improvisation, extended tech-niques, and other unorthodox, undis-covered ways of looking at sound and the acoustic bass.”

Jazz night School moves to new facil ity

Jazz Night School is moving into a new facility in January at 5415 Rainier Avenue South, Seattle. The new space

Seattle office of Arts & culture Youth Arts Projects

Youth Arts is an annual funding pro-gram for arts education, beyond the regular school day, for Seattle middle and high school youth. Funds and technical assistance from this program help experienced teaching artists lead training programs and projects in all arts disciplines – from visual arts and theater to dance and film. Youth Arts prioritizes youth or communities with limited or no access to the arts. Fund-ing awards range up to $10,000. Learn more at www.seattle.gov/arts.

Artist Trust fellowshipsFellowships provide $7,500 to prac-

ticing professional artists of exception-al talent and ability. The Fellowship is a merit-based award. Recipients pres-

ent a Meet the Artist event to a com-munity in Washington State that has little or no access to art or the artist’s work. In addition to 14 Fellowship re-cipients, two artists will receive a one-month residency at The Millay Colony of the Arts in upstate New York and a $1,000 stipend. More at artisttrust.org. Submission deadline is January 17.

SWoJo Announces Girls Jazz Band Program

Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra pres-ents its new girls jazz band program, running January 11 through March 18. The program, aimed at Seattle girl jazz musicians ages 13-14, offers eight evening rehearsals and culminates in a final concert. SWOJO’s professional

in one eAr

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SnominATionSnominations Wanted: 2016 Golden ear Awards

The Golden Ear Awards recog-nize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the previous year in Seattle jazz. Nominations for the 2016 awards are currently be-ing accepted. Please email nomi-nations to [email protected] by January 13, 2017.

In order to preserve the integrity of the process, please, no ballot-stuffing. The official voting ballots for the 2016 awards will be printed in the February issue of this publi-cation and available at earshot.org.

Send us your suggestions for

NW Recording of the Year:

NW Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year:

Alternative Jazz Group of the Year:

NW Concert of the Year:

NW Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year:

Emerging Artist of the Year:

NW Vocalist of the Year:

Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame:


Venue ProfiLe

Black & Tan Hall: A New Tune Plays in Hillman City

By Andrew Luthringer

The impending arrival of a swanky new venue for music and food in an up-and-coming neighborhood often conjures among the area’s residents a sense of dread, and the all-too-familiar feeling of disenfranchisement driven by the specter of gentrification. But on a relatively quiet stretch of Rainier Avenue in Hillman City, there’s an entirely different scenario playing out, where a new venture called the Black and Tan Hall has been taking shape.

Driven by three visionary residents of the neighborhood – classically-trained violinist, blues, jazz, and roots maestro and educator Ben Hunter, accomplished chef and neighborhood organizer Tarik Abdullah, and activ-ist Rodney Herold – the Black and Tan Hall aspires to unify and uplift, encompassing an ethos of inclusivity across races, ages, and economic levels.

How will they do this? It’s clearly a set of large challenges, but speaking with Hunter recently, it becomes ap-parent that the Black and Tan team is up to the task. The first step was creat-ing a structure that was supportive and reflective of the Hillman City neigh-borhood’s history and residents.

“We wanted to make this a commu-nity-owned business,” says Hunter, “so that people who live here are able to buy into something, and have a say, as to who, what, when, and where, and to put the people who have that his-tory in charge of their own destiny, in terms of what happens in this neigh-borhood.”

Though it may sound utopian, the plan is solidly grounded in financial

realities. Hunter explains: “We spent a really long time working out the legali-ties of it, and the structure of it, and how we wanted people to participate – how we wanted people to invest, and how we wanted people to own the business.…I think we’ve created some-thing really cool, that I hope serves as a precedent for other models in the fu-ture.”

Hunter describes it as a “socialist-capitalist” model, run as a for-profit, worker-owned cooperative. The result is a core group of owner/investors (cur-rently about 35 individuals) who offer up not only money, but at least 52 hours a year of unpaid labor, commit-

ted in spirit and body as well as with their wallets.

Another key part of what the Black and Tan Hall will represent is an aware-ness of its place on the continuum of musical and cultural history in Seattle at large. The name Black and Tan itself is steeped in history. As writer Paul de Barros (with whom Hunter consulted in the early stages of the project) notes in his essential history of Seattle jazz Jackson Street After Hours, a “black and tan” was the generic name for an integrated nightclub where blacks and whites could mingle and perform to-gether. It was also a legendary Seattle locale (originally at the intersection of

ben hunter & tArik AbdullAh Photo by dAniel sheehAn


12th Ave South and Jackson Street), where jazz legends performed begin-ning in the 1920s. The Black and Tan remained for years a central part of Se-attle music history, and not only in the jazz realm.

“Every kid who grew up in Seattle in the fifties and sixties knew the Black and Tan as the hub of Seattle soul mu-sic,” writes de Barros.

Hunter is keenly aware of how the new Black and Tan project is informed by the cultural innovators of the past, and he takes this responsibility seri-ously. It goes beyond the realm of mere entertainment, and becomes a life mis-sion of sorts. “We’re trying to establish [Hillman City] as an arts and culture district for Seattle,” he says.

Hunter’s life as a performing musi-cian is also reflected in his conception of how to book and run a venue. His take is a refreshing alternative to the way most music clubs are run.

Hunter feels that there aren’t enough venues that are destinations in and of themselves. Hearkening back to the Harlem Renaissance, he uses the Cot-ton Club as an example: “People went there because they knew they were going to have fun. They knew they were going to get good food, good entertainment, it was the place people wanted to be. Nowadays, the venues

rely completely on the musicians to do all the work.” The band is expected to draw the crowd, but the venue takes the lion’s share of the money brought in. Hunter dismisses this model com-pletely.

“That’s something we’re trying chal-lenge ourselves to do, to make sure that our programming does, is to cre-ate an opportunity and an ambience that doesn’t rely solely on the musi-cians to do all the work.”

The flipside of this equation is that the expectations for performers will be high: “The venue should be able to stand up on its own two feet. But what we’re trying to do with the music is to expect musicians and performers to be on top of their game,” says Hunter. “The goal is to book music that is not fluff. There’s a lot of fluff, and I have no problem saying that to whoever is reading this article.” [Laughs]. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s put into some sort of algorithm for success.…It’s got to be something that’s a lot more soulful than that, it’s got to be something that reaches a lot deeper than that.”

He has no doubt that Seattle tal-ent can deliver: “There’s a bounty of capable, incredible talent in this city. We need to support that by creating a space that people go to because they know they’re going to get quality mu-

sic, and not because this one person is a headliner. …Let’s step up the game!”

Local icon Wayne Horvitz, who also wears two hats as both a revered musi-cian and co-owner of The Royal Room in Columbia City, is excited about how the Black and Tan will affect the local ecosystem.

“Ben is someone who’s really impor-tant in the community in the South End for all sorts of things he’s done,” says Horvitz. “I think they bring something to the neighborhood that isn’t just about upscaling, but is really involved with keeping the community intact, and contributing to it in a really positive way.”

The Black and Tan Hall may well rep-resent a new paradigm for cultural and urban development, but it also means great food and a good time. They hope to be open by mid-January for break-fast and brunch, and by March with music seven nights a week.

“We built this out to be a classy joint,” says Hunter. “It’s elegant. It looks like it could be a place for the economic elite, but it’s not about that. It’s about raising everybody up, and encourag-ing everybody to step up their game, and be proud of who they are.”

Visit blackandtanhall.com or their Facebook page “Black & Tan Hall” for more information and to stay up-to-date.


wAyne horvitz Photo by tom ChArGin

Wayne Horvitz, In Three PartscATcHinG uP WiTH

Earlier this year, Seattle’s prolific pianist/composer Wayne Horvitz was named a Doris Duke Perform-ing Artist, alongside the likes of Dave Douglas, Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, and others. The award, which grants artists $275,000 each, signifies a deeper investment in the potential of dedicated artists, empow-ering them through the freedom of unrestricted support while celebrating past achievement. Horvitz’s principal goals with this award included the completion of his projects 21 Pianos and Those Who Remain, Part II, as well

as taking time to consider new projects for the coming decade. One of these projects includes curating and pre-senting a festival at The Royal Room highlighting great works of seminal avant-garde and experimental artists of the mid-20th century. Titled Ancient to Future, the festival features nearly 30 local improvisers in three nights of music paying tribute to artists includ-ing Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Billy Band, and more.

Earshot Jazz recently caught up with Wayne Horvitz to discuss each of these projects.

PArT i: THe TrouBADour

21 PianosHorvitz spent much of the fall trav-

eling throughout Minnesota for his interactive, site-specific 21 Pianos project. Bringing his extremely out of tune, small, 67-key “ship’s” piano into 21 towns, he invited people to play at locations including community cen-ters, local radio stations, and cafés, and recorded their pieces.

Conceptually, Horvitz wrote in his original project proposal, the work is about “entropy, how things fall apart,


and how people think about it….The idea is to let the discourse evolve out of this relatively simple interaction with a very odd piano.”

The results were splendid and varied, ranging from classics “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Ain’t She Sweet” to a fifth grader’s spiritual rendition of “Kumbaya,” while others were impro-vised or originals.

The next step in this project is to make an electronic music piece out of all the audio files – a process, Horvitz says, he has “been exploring for over a decade, in which I essentially re-mix my own notated compositions, or re-cordings I have made….[a concept that extends to] what are essentially ‘field recordings’ of a wide variety of people playing this piano in various settings.”

The end result will be a two-CD re-lease, packaged along with 30-40 pag-es of pictures and Horvitz’s writings about the experiences, something that could be “a small coffee table book,” he says.

Until then, fans can read about his travels and see photos at the project blog, 21pianos.com.

Learn more about 21 Pianos and more of Horvitz’s projects at 21pianos.com and waynehorvitz.com.

PArT ii: THe concerTiST

Those Who Remain, Pt. II: Concerto for Installation & Improviser

Wayne Horvitz’s multidisciplinary installation Those Who Remain, Part II, premieres at the Seattle Asian Art Museum from Thursday, January 26, through Sunday, February 5.

The installation is an electronic re-cording and video that run during regular museum hours; additionally, there will be four nights of dance and

solo improvised music that will be per-formed with the installation.

Those Who Remain, Part I, premiered in Seattle at the 2015 Earshot Jazz Festival as part of Seattle Symphony’s Sonic Evolution series. Inspired by two poems by the iconic Northwest poet Richard Hugo, Part I, “Con-certo for Orchestra and Improviser,” was a two-movement composition for orchestra (Seattle Symphony) and improvising soloist (guitarist Bill Frisell).

The second module of Those Who Re-main is a multidisciplinary collabora-tion between Horvitz, Tokyo-based video artist/VJ Yohei Saito, and cho-reographer Yukio Suzuki.

As with 21 Pianos, Horvitz will fur-ther explore his concept of electronic manipulation to compose a new score from the recordings of the Seattle Sym-phony performance. From there, he and Saito will collaborate on a sound and video installation that builds on Richard Hugo’s vision of small town life, the fate of industrialization, and the West.

Suzuki will choreograph a series of dance solos that interact with the in-stallation, which he will perform dur-ing Those Who Remain: After Hours, four nights of the installation featur-ing eight solo performances by Seattle improvisers alongside the dancer.

“Essentially, it’s a duet with the in-stallation,” explains Horvitz.

On Friday, January 27, Horvitz is joined by saxophonist Skerik and clari-netist Beth Fleenor; Tuesday, January 31, trombonist Stuart Dempster and percussionist Greg Campbell perform; Friday, February 3, finds violinist Alex Guy and trumpeter Raymond Larsen; and finally saxophonist Ivan Arteaga and cellist Peggy Lee close the series on Saturday, February 4.

After its Seattle premiere, the instal-lation will move to various cities in Washington, Montana, and British Columbia.

Those Who Remain, Part II is sup-ported by MAP Fund and the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program. Tickets and more in-formation at seattleartmuseum.org.

PArT iii: THe imProViSer

Ancient to Future: A festival in celebration of the great revolution of jazz

The first weekend in January, The Royal Room presents a three-night festival of music, honoring the iconic artists of 1960s-70s experimental and avant-garde jazz. Wayne Horvitz, along with saxophonist Ivan Arteaga, have curated a lineup of nearly 30 of Seattle’s top experimental improvisers to celebrate greats including Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Cecil

Those Who remain: After Hours

Seattle Asian Art Museum,

Fuller Garden Court, 7:30pm

Friday, January 27

Wayne Horvitz (keyboards),

Skerik (saxophone), Beth Fleenor

(clarinet), Yukio Suzuki (dance)

Tuesday, January 31

Stuart Dempster (trombone),

Greg Campbell (percussion),

Yukio Suzuki (dance)

Friday, February 3

Alex Guy (violin), Raymond

Larsen (trumpet), Yukio Suzuki

(dance)

Saturday, February 4

Ivan Arteaga (saxophone), Peggy

Lee (cello), Yukio Suzuki (dance)


Taylor, ICP Orchestra, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, from whose 1987 seminal album the festival takes its name.

“This is some of my favorite music,” says Horvitz, “but more importantly, it’s some of the music that influenced me the most at a critical point in my life.” Listening to the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, and Sun Ra from age 17 to 24, he says, helped determined who he was musically.

“I think of the 60s and 70s being the apex of experimental jazz,” he adds. “I’ve always wanted to honor that mu-sic.”

And so, in early September, Horvitz sent Arteaga an email: “I am thinking of trying to do this festival the first weekend in January. ‘Iconic albums of mid 20th century jazz and improvised music.’ Want to help me?”

Arteaga, who was leaving for his honeymoon in three days, immedi-ately agreed.

“I was really excited because I had not actually heard most of the albums he put on the list, despite my heavy involvement in the experimental jazz community in Seattle,” he says. “I put the records on my playlist for vacation and went off on my honeymoon.”

The two wound up selecting albums Eric Dolphy’s Iron Man, Cecil Taylor’s Unit Structures, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s Fanfare for the Warriors, plus several others, to highlight among the nine sets of music over three nights.

“There’s community here [in Seattle] that engages in work that is intricately connected to this history whether the sounds are similar or not,” says Artea-ga. “On top of these works just being completely stellar and worth digging into as a listener or interpreter, they also serve as an important backdrop for artists doing work that is informed by formative steps taken in these al-bums.”

Though this series is important to Seattle’s community of musicians who

regularly perform experimental and avant-garde music, Horvitz thinks it’s equally important for audiences to en-gage with these works.

“For people who know this music, I hope they’ll have a chance to see new artists recreate this music live,” he says, “and for people who don’t know this music, it’s a chance to find out about some of the most important music in the real historic period of avant-garde experimentation and jazz.”

Tickets for Ancient to Future are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and are available at StrangerTickets.com.

presents Jazz Unlimited

STEPHANIE PORTER BAND Stephanie Porter/vocals Darin Clendenin/piano

Steve Yusen/drums Michael Barnett/bass

Saturday, Jan 28, 2017 7:30p/$10 cash cover

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405N, exit 20A, left on 124th Ave NE Across from Ford of Kirkland > look for THE ALLEY sign <

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in conjunction with Waving Tree Winery purchase wine by glass/bottle

Ancient to FutureA festival in celebration of the great revolution of jazz

Friday, January 6, 7:30pmLA and St. Louis

Julius hemphill: Music for saxesDirected by Greg Sinibaldi

“this Is our Music” – the Music of ornette ColemanDirected by Seth Alexander

Eric Dolphy’s “Iron Man”Directed by Ivan Arteaga

saturday, January 7, 7:30pmChicago and NY

the Music of anthony BraxtonDirected by Ivan Arteaga

Cecil taylor’s “Unit structures”Directed by Robin Holcomb

the art Ensemble of Chicago - “Fanfare for the Warriors”Directed by Wayne Horvitz

sunday, January 8, 7pmThe Planet and the Galaxy

alex Guy plays the music of Billy Bang: Vietnam reflections

ICP (Instant Composer Pool) tribute Bandfeaturing members of the Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble

the Musical Universe of sun ra


Saturday, January 21, 8pm Chapel Performance Space 4649 Sunnyside Ave N $5-15 donation at the door

Composer and performer Sumiko Sato captures the heritage sounds and cultural practices of her native area in the far northern prefecture of Iwate on the island of Honshu, Japan.

Her new compositions focusing on the Sakaya Uta (sake makers’ songs) and the ShiShi Odori (deer-hunting dance) will be presented at 8pm, Sat-urday, January 21, at the Chapel Per-formance Space in Wallingford.

The concert, part of Nonsequitur’s Wayward Music Series, includes Sato on piano and Seattle musicians Paul Kikuchi on percussion, Kevin Krentz on cello, Tari Nelson-Zagar on violin, Dennis Staskowski on contrabass, and Paul Taub on flute.

Sato, who now lives in Iwate Prefec-ture, spent nine years in Seattle pursu-ing her music education and complet-

ed her Doctorate in Composition at the University of Washington in 1996, citing her mentors as Ken Benshoof and Stuart Dempster. She received a residency award in 2015 from Jack Straw Productions to complete and re-cord this work.

“My work on this started from the last words of my grandmother who loved the work songs and feared their extinction,” explains Sato. “She passed away in 2013 at the age of 102.”

She includes eight sake workers’ songs in her piece, and will also pres-ent videos of both the sake brewers and the ShiShi Odori to accompany the performance.

Iwate Prefecture is a mecca for fine sake, Sato asserts. The Sakaya Uta, sake brewers’ traditional songs, are well known in Japan and have been performed and recorded in, and out-side, Japan. They stem from the cen-turies-old practice of farmers leaving home to work in the sake breweries for

several months during the winter. The regular beat and songs sung in unison aided in the consistency of line move-ments in the work brigade.

“The original music is an oral tradi-tion and includes microtones and ir-regular rhythms,” she says, “which I have found challenging to work with in my composition.”

The name ShiShi Odori literally translates as Lion Dance, but in the an-cient shamanistic practices of North-ern Japan, it referred to Deer Hunting Dance. According to musician Paul Kikuchi, who visited Iwate Prefecture, also his family’s native area, hundreds of local residents perform in the an-nual Deer Dance Festival in authen-tic costumes with tall antlers, dancing and drumming in the streets.

Sato composed the ShiShi Odori this past autumn in tribute to the re-nowned Iwate Prefecture poet and

Sumiko Sato: Sakaya Uta Sato’s compostions evoke rural Japan’s traditions


PreVieW >>


Friday, January 27, 8pm Chapel Performance Space 4649 Sunnyside Ave N

An unusual and powerful tenor saxophone quartet profoundly stunned Seattle during the Earshot Jazz Festival of 2014. The complex foursome of Battle Trance reappears in the Pacific Northwest after two years of touring and a sophomore album release, kicking off Earshot Jazz’s winter series, Sound In Motion: Bright Moments for Dark Nights. Performing their unique meld of avant-jazz, classical, and even met-al-infused soundscapes, the quartet will play on January 27 at Chapel Performance Space at 8pm.

The origin story for Battle Trance is one of obeying an insistent incli-nation. In 2012, Vermont/Brooklyn hornsmith Travis Laplante followed a mysterious feeling to get in touch with three wildly talented near-strangers – Patrick Breiner, Matt bAttle trAnCe (PAtriCk breiner, jeremy viner, mAtt nelson, trAvis lAPlAnte)

ChAPel PerformAnCe sPACe, eArshot jAzz festivAl, 2014. Photo by dAniel sheehAn.

Earshot Jazz Presents: Battle Trance The saxophone quartet kicks off Earshot Jazz’s Sound In Motion winter series

PreVieW >>


Nelson, and Jeremy Viner – to piece together an experimental saxophone band. The project launched with an exploration of circular breathing and a sonic connection surrounding the four players. Since, it has been the platform for two records and highly anticipated international concerts.

In response to their widely acclaimed 2014 debut Palace of Wind, Battle Trance released the boundary-stretch-ing, genre-bending Blade of Love late August. Their new music stands to celebrate and explore the physical and spiritual intersection of the saxophone and the human body and its breath. As visceral and demanding as it is inven-tive, Laplante has described his writ-ing for Blade of Love as “the most tor-turous and demanding compositional experience of my life.”

Like its predecessor, Blade of Love is a three-movement extended com-position, and begins immediately capturing a few of the idiosyncratic techniques for which Battle Trance is recognized. Between sound walls of sustained blasts and cooed chants imitative of Gregorian polyphony, the quartet employs aggressively fast runs and unorthodox articulation to create hypnotic waves with a forceful emo-tional clarity.

Following in the footsteps of ground-breaking idiosyncratic saxophon-ists Evan Parker, Albert Ayler, Peter Brötzmann, Roscoe Mitchell, and John Butcher, Laplante and the band explore multiphonics and singing into their instruments while exhaling to re-sult in shifted vocal timbres. Laplante explains that by integrating non-tra-ditional methods, his instrument is allowed to act as a resonant chamber to imitate sounds, such as arrows fly-ing through the air, singing in church, running water, and the sound of rage, that he had envisioned for Blade of Love.

Saxophonist/educator Neil Welch is a major voice of the Seattle jazz and ex-

perimental music fields, and one-half of experimental drum/saxophone/elec-tronics duo Bad Luck. Commenting on Battle Trance’s influence, he tells Earshot Jazz:

“There is a growing interest for many saxophonists to further explore sonic areas beyond the restrictions of me-tered feels/grooves and strictly defined harmonies….In the last decade these performance aesthetics have been combined with indie rock, trance, metal, long-form symphonic develop-ment…as our generation has come into artistic maturity. Battle Trance embodies so much of this ‘dialectical’ language being explored by saxophon-ists across the country.”

Welch’s duo and the sax quartet were paired earlier this month for a notable show in New York, Battle Trance’s current base. Welch says he has been an advocate for the quartet since their formation and describes himself as a big fan.

“With all art, application is the most critical element. Battle Trance’s use of these techniques stands out to me as being an important contribution to the saxophone’s resonant possibilities,” he says. “In each performance, the ensemble itself becomes the unified instrument and the room a resonant tool.”

Welch adds he finds it important to note that Battle Trance has chosen an acoustic means of applying these tech-niques as opposed to using amplified sources. “This gives a very meaningful, humanizing element to their work and helps to pull out textures only possible in acoustic resonance,” he says.

Social consciousness and spirituality are the bedrock aesthetic values of Bat-tle Trance’s identity. These compelling guys have led a single instrument into a landmine of innovative ambition, masterful and primal and begging to be experienced.

“I continue to be inspired by Battle Trance’s connectivity with the audi-

ence in their performances,” Welch concludes. “I really believe in what they’re aspiring to achieve.”

–Halynn Blanchard

duke ellinGton

Earshot Jazz Presents

Sound in MotionBright Moments for Dark Nights

February 3The Royal Room

Kahil El’zabar Ethnic heritage Ensemble with Corey Wilkes & hamiet Bluiett


Eric Vloeimans & Will holshouser


Amina Claudine Myers

February 19Nectar Lounge

Kneebody

February 21Seattle Art Museum

ralph towner / anja Lechner & Francois Couturier

February 22PONCHO Concert Hall

aaron Parks trio

February 24PONCHO Concert Hall

Craig taborn Quartet

March 1PONCHO Concert Hall

Miguel zenon Quartet

March 8PONCHO Concert Hall

Ben allison Quartet

March 13The Royal Room

ryan Keberle Catharsis

Tickets & information available at earshot.org.


JazzVox Vocal Jazz House concert Series

JazzVox house concerts continue to charm Northwest fans. January kicks off their tenth year of this exceptional vocal jazz series with Danish song-stress extraordinaire Sinne Eeg (who just took second place in the 2016 Sar-ah Vaughan vocal competition). Eeg’s dazzling presentation will be one of over 200 JazzVox concerts in this pro-lific series, which has featured over 70 top-notch vocalists since its inception in January 2008.

Of particular note is an Australian focus of the 2017 season, which fea-tures four Australian-born vocalists: Jane Irving performs in February, Kristin Berardi in March, Michelle Nicolle in April, and Chris McNul-ty in September. Also appearing is

sensational British chanteuse Anita Wardell (who was born in London but grew up in Australia and divides her time between the two countries). She will perform with award-winning LA-based singer/composer John Proulx in October.

Series creator Nich Anderson person-ally expresses much gratitude for the fantastic opportunity to cultivate his remarkable series, and shows no sign of slowing down.

“I’m so thankful to all the artists but equally to the amazing audiences and hosts who make it all happen,” he says. “As much as it is about the jazz, our hosts always knock it out of the ball-park with their hospitality and suc-culent homemade cuisine, served lov-ingly in their beautiful homes.”

JazzVox concerts are held at various homes in Seattle, Renton, Bainbridge Island, and Camano Island. Veteran concertgoers and first-time fans alike rave about the high caliber of the na-tional and international artists gracing these intimate spaces.

Louise Uriu, a long-time jazz devo-tee, says about JazzVox, “I have always been thrilled with the opportunity to chat one-on-one with the artists. Not only do I get to gab about many mu-sical ideas but also get to know them as a person. It really makes the experi-ence so meaningful!”

Visit JazzVox.com for the complete schedule of artists and concerts – and be sure to reserve your seats early!

–Libby Graham

Art of JazzEarshot Jazz collaborates with the

Seattle Art Museum in program-ming and presenting the Art of Jazz series, now in its 22nd year. Always well-attended, the after-work concerts are free with museum admission – a great bargain given the two-for-one lineup of fine jazz and major art ex-hibits. The 2017 series kicks off on January 12 with new jazz from some of Seattle’s finest, Dawn Clement & Mark Taylor’s LineUp! On Febru-ary 9, Adam Kessler & Phil Sparks’ Barca Band celebrates the release of a new CD, benefitting Sanctuary Art Center. March 9 finds Kiki Valera delivering pure Cuban music flavoring Seattle jazz, and on April 13, Jacque-

PreVieW >>

sinne eeG Photo by stePhen freiheit

Recurring Jazz Series

From home-based performances and collaborations between city arts organizations to memorable concerts in unique settings, here are a few of the many annual jazz concert series around the Puget Sound.


line Tabor performs award-winning jazz vocals deep in the tradition. Alex Dugdale brings his FADE Quartet to the Brotman Forum on May 11, and the Samantha Boshnack Quintet on June 8 carries the series through to the summer.

Check earshot.org for more informa-tion on the Art of Jazz series through-out the year.

Seattle Jazz VespersThe Seattle Jazz Vespers series con-

tinues its 15th season in 2017. These concerts are at the Seattle First Baptist Church (1111 Harvard Ave), located in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. Inside the grand gothic structure, jazz audiences experience great local pro-gramming on first Sundays from Oc-tober to June, at 6pm.

Artists perform one set, and during an intermission, donations are taken to support the musicians. This is fol-lowed by a short non-sectarian inspi-rational message and a second set of music. Light refreshments are served in the church’s Fellowship Hall after the concert.

The first concert of 2017 falls on Jan-uary 8 [Ed. note: due to the first Sun-day in January falling on a holiday, the

January performance is the second Sun-day of the month], with the Momen-tum Quartet, a versatile jazz-focused group that well satisfies a variety of music needs: bandleader/saxophonist/flutist, Mikel Rollins; pianist Gregg Robinson; basisst Sylvia Rollins; and drummer Mark Jelsing all add up to a fun and satisfying musical experience.

For upcoming concerts and more in-formation, visit seattlefirstbaptist.org/seattle-jazz-vespers.html.

Jazz Live at marine View churchFor the past eight years, Tacoma’s

Marine View Church has been pre-senting a series of free community concerts featuring the finest jazz musi-cians in the Northwest. Every second Sunday of the month, the church hosts an established artist from the Puget Sound for its Jazz Live concert series in a casual and welcoming environment.

Under the direction of Jim Foster, a jazz fan and longtime church member, the series kicks off the year on January 8 with the Overton Berry Ensemble, featuring Bernie Jacobs Jr. On Feb-ruary 12, LA-based contemporary jazz guitarist/singer-songwriter Steve Oliver displays his Billboard Chart-topping sounds. March 12, the reign-ing Golden Ear Vocalist of the Year, Eugenie Jones, “comes out swingin’” with her smoke-and-satin sounds, ac-companied by her quartet. And on April 9, pianist, composer, educator, and Boxley’s founder Danny Kolke brings his “A” team to town, with the Boxley Allstars.

View more information and upcom-ing shows at marineviewpc.org/jazz-live.

Vashon All ied Arts Jazz SeriesFor more than 30 years, Vashon Al-

lied Arts has been presenting events, offering classes, developing a dance program, curating monthly rotating gallery shows, and much more out of overton berry Photo by dAniel sheehAn

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PDX JAZZ FESTIVAL

February 16–26, 2017 | pdxjazz.com

TICKETS ON SALE!

Get your tickets to the festival’s numerous world-class head-lining artists such as Maria Schneider Orchestra, The Heath Brothers, John Scofield, Roy Ayers, and the world pre-miere by the 2017 Portland Jazz Master Mel Brown and his Big Band featuring Jon Faddis in Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie.

Maria Schneider

Kneebody T.S. Monk

100+ Events | A Dozen Venues

its campus at the Blue Heron Art Cen-ter on the quaint and beautiful island just west of Seattle.

VAA kicks off its 2017 Jazz Series on January 21 with Greta Matassa. One of the most beloved and talented vo-calist on the Northwest music scene, Matassa’s stunning versatility, re-markable interpretive skills, unflinch-ing rhythmic sensibility, and diverse repertoire make her a consummate entertainer that can grab and hold a crowd like none other. Honored as the Golden Ear Northwest Vocalist of the Year for seven years and inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014, she is known for her perfect pitch and encyclopedic knowledge of songs. She is joined by longtime collaborators Darin Clendenin (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass), and Mark Ivester (drums).

On February 17, three-time Latin Grammy nominee, master pianist, composer, and educator Jovino Santos Neto and his Quinteto (Ben Thomas on vibraphone, Chuck Deardorf on bass, Mark Ivester on drums, and Jeff Busch on percussion) will delight the audience with their creative blend of energetic grooves, deep harmonies, and dynamic improvisation, inspired and informed by the colorful richness of Brazilian music. In 2012, Neto was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, and in 2011, 2012, and 2016, his Quinteto was selected as North-west Acoustic Group of the Year in the Golden Ear Awards.

Tickets for shows run $22 for gen-eral, $20 for seniors, and $18 for stu-dents and VAA members. Visit vasho-nalliedarts.org for tickets and more information on upcoming shows.

Whatcom Jazz music Arts center

Founded in 2014 by jazz drummer/educator Julian MacDonough, Bell-ingham’s Whatcom Jazz Music Arts Center (WJMAC) is dedicated to


thomAs mArriott Photo Courtesy of Artist

bringing great jazz to its community by presenting top local, regional, and national musicians in an all-ages set-ting. The organization also offers jazz combo classes to aspiring jazz musi-cians to further cultivate future jazz artists, jazz audiences, and jazz lovers.

Every Wednesday evening, 7pm, at the Unity Spiritual Center, WJMAC presents live jazz. The January sched-ule features: Michael Van Bebber Quartet, January 4; Thomas Marri-ott Quartet, January 11; Mike Allen Quartet, January 18; and the John Hansen Trio, January 25.

Tickets are $10 general/ $5 students/ free to WJMAC members. WJMAC performances will continue through June, go dark during July and August, and pick up again in September. Visit wjmac.org for more information and upcoming performances.

first Sundays concertsEvery year, the Bainbridge Commu-

nity Piano Association, under musi-cal director Darden Burns, presents

eight programs of jazz and classical music on Bainbridge Island. Perform-ers are some of the top professional musicians in the Pacific Northwest. Concerts take place at the Waterfront Park Community Center, an intimate venue with quality acoustics, affording concertgoers an experience of hearing, as in their motto, “Music Up Close.”

On January 8, trumpeter Thomas Marriott performs with his quartet of Marc Seales (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass), and Matt Jorgensen (drums). February 12 is Andrew Joslyn & Passenger String Quartet; March 5 will be Sound Counterpoint Quar-tet; jazz vibraphonist Tom Collier on April 2; Joshua Romatowski & Ma-yumi Tayake in flute and piano duo on May 7; Finisterra Piano Trio on September 10; jazz saxophonist Mi-chael Brockman on October 1; and jazz vocalist Kelley Johnson on No-vember 5.

Visit firstsundaysconcerts.org for more information on upcoming shows and tickets.


JAzz ArounD THe SounDJanuary 1

Calendar Key

sUnDay, JanUary 1AB The Beaver Sessions, 9pmCR Racer Sessions, 7:30pmCZ Blues Open Jam, 7pmCZ Choro Music Open Jam w/ Stuart Zobel, 2pmDT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8pmSB Jazz Brunch, 11amSB Mo Jam Jr, 4pm

MonDay, JanUary 2CC Jam Session Mondays with Entremundos,

9:30pmMT Triangle Pub Jam, 8:30pmNL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 8:30pmRR Salute Sessions, 10pmTU Chris McCarthy: JK x CM, 7:30pm

tUEsDay, JanUary 3CB West Coast Swing Social, 9pmHH Jazz at The Hat, 9pmJA Pearl Django w/ Gail Pettis, 7:30pmOW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Joe Doria Presents, 10pmTU Tim Kennedy Band, 7:30pm

WEDnEsDay, JanUary 4JA Pearl Django w/ Gail Pettis, 7:30pmMO Jeff Ferguson’s Triangular Jazztet, 7pmMQ Swing Jam: The Barrelhouse Jive Cats, 8:30pmPD Casey MacGill, 8pmPG Jazz Jam, 8:30pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Rippin Chicken, 10pmTU Jory Tindall Band, 7:30pmUC Michael Van Bebber Quartet, 7pm

thUrsDay, JanUary 5BC Adam Kessler & Phil Sparks, 9pm

BD Annie Eastwood and Friends w/ Larry Hill, Tom Brighton, & Beth Wulff, 5:30pm

BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmEU EuroJam Session, 8pmJA Peter White, 7:30pmPD Greg Ruby & Maggie Kim, 8pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Aqua Soul, 10pmTU Chris Amemiya and Jazz Coalescence, 7:30pmVE Vermillion 1st Thursdays – Pincock & Gebhart/

Valentine & Leinonen/ Alexander 5, 7:30pm

FrIDay, JanUary 6BP Mark Dufresne Band, 9pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmCM Dina Blade & Hans Brehmer, 7pmCZ Jazz First Fridays: Tonal Vision & Yogi McCaw,

7:30pmJA Peter White, 7:30pmLA Happy Hour w/ Phil Sparks, 5pmMQ Grant Schroff Trio, 9pmSA The Chicago 7, 8pmSB Funky 2 Death, 10pmTU Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto, 7:30pm

satUrDay, JanUary 7BP Doctorfunk, 9:45pmBP Doctorfunk, 7pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmCH The Sound Ensemble: Life After Y2K, 7pmCM International High School Jazz Choir, 3pmCM Last Call Jazz Ensemble, 4pmCM Market Street Dixieland Jazz Band, 7pmJA Peter White, 7:30pmSB Clarkia Cobb Band, 7:30pmSB Jazz Brunch, 12pmSB Monster Saturdays, 10pmTU Thomas Marriott Quartet, 7:30pm

sUnDay, JanUary 8AB The Beaver Sessions, 9pmCC How Short, 5:30pmCM Sunday Brunch @ Crossroads: Larry Murante,

12:30pmCR Racer Sessions, 7:30pmCZ Open Jazz Jam w/ Kenny Mandell, 2pmDT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8pmFB Seattle Jazz Vespers: Momentum Jazz Quartet,

6pmJA Peter White, 7:30pmMQ Parlour Trick Presents: Collapsible Rodeo, 7pmMV The Overton Berry Ensemble featuring Bernie

Jacobs Jr., 5pmSB Cephalopod, 9pmSB Jazz Brunch, 11amSY Victor Janusz, 10amTA Steve Griggs Ensemble presents Basquiat Bebop,

1:00 pmTB Kevin Connor and Swing 3PO, 5pmTU Jazz Police, 4pmTU Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, 7:30pmVI Bob Hammer, 6pmVI Ron Weinstein Trio, 9:30pmWP First Sundays Concert: Thomas Marriott Jazz

Quartet, 4pm


9:30pmMT Triangle Pub Jam, 8:30pmNL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 8:30pmRR Salute Sessions, 10pmTU Dave Marriott’s Triskaideka Band, 7:30pm

tUEsDay, JanUary 10CB West Coast Swing Social, 9pmHH Jazz at The Hat, 9pmJA Martin Taylor, 7:30pmOW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10pm

AB The Angry BeaverBC BarcaBD Bad Albert’s Tap & GrillBP Bake’s Place (Bellevue)BT Brass TacksCB Century BallroomCC Capitol CiderCH Chapel Performance SpaceCM Crossroads Bellevue (Bellevue)CR Cafe RacerCZ Couth Buzzard BooksDT Darrell’s TavernEB Elliott Bay Pizza (Mill Creek)EC Edmonds Center for the Arts (Edmonds)EU EuroPubFB Seattle First Baptist ChurchHH Hattie’s HatJA Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley

KH Kenyon HallLA Latona PubMO MolluskMQ Musicquarium @ Triple DoorMT Mac’s Triangle PubMV Marine View Church (Tacoma)NC North City Bistro & Wine Shop (Shoreline)NL Nectar LoungeOW Owl ’N ThistlePC Piccola Cellars (North Bend)PD Pink DoorPG ParagonPH Panama HotelPM Pampas Room, El Gaucho SeattlePO PONCHO Concert Hall, Cornish College of the ArtsRR The Royal RoomSA Salmon Bay EaglesSB Seamonster Lounge

SE Seattle Art Museum

ST Stage 7 Pianos (Kirkland)

SY Salty’s on Alki

TA Tacoma Art Museum (Tacoma)

TB Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, Wallingford

TD Triple Door

TU Tula’s Restaurant & Jazz Club

UC Unity Center (Bellingham)

VE Vermillion Art Gallery & Bar

VI Vito’s

WP Waterfront Park Community Center (Bainbridge Island)

All venues located in Seattle unless otherwise noted.Visit earshot.org/jazz-around-the-sound/ for moreevent info.


PM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Joe Doria Presents, 10pmSB Papa Josh, 8pmTU Emerald City Jazz Orchestra, 7:30pm

WEDnEsDay, JanUary 11CC Michaud Savage Trio, 8pmJA Martin Taylor, 7:30pmMO Jeff Ferguson’s Triangular Jazztet, 7pmPD Casey MacGill, 8pmPG Jazz Jam, 8:30pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB The Dip, 10pmTU Bellevue High School Jazz Band, 6:30 pmTU Jim Sisko’s Bellevue College Jazz Ensemble,

7:30pmUC Thomas Mariott Quartet, 7pm

thUrsDay, JanUary 12BC Adam Kessler & Phil Sparks, 9pmBD Annie Eastwood and Friends w/ Larry Hill, Tom

Brighton, & Cheri Adams, 5:30pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmEU EuroJam Session, 8pmJA Judy Collins w/ opener Ari Hest, 7:30pmNL Jonny Sonic / Ten Man Brass Band / The

Highsteppers, 8pmPD Greg Ruby & Maggie Kim, 8pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Aqua Soul, 10pmSE Art of Jazz: Dawn Clement & Mark Taylor’s

LineUp!, 5:30pmTU Nancy Erickson Quartet, 7:30pm

FrIDay, JanUary 13BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmJA Judy Collins w/ opener Ari Hest, 7:30pmLA Happy Hour w/ Phil Sparks, 5pmSB Funky 2 Death, 10pmTU Tom Collier Quartet, 7:30pm

satUrDay, JanUary 14BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmJA Judy Collins w/ opener Ari Hest, 7:30pmKH Different Drummer, 7:30pmPH Panama Hotel Jazz, 2pm

SB Jazz Brunch, 12pmSB Monster Saturdays, 10pmTU Greta Matassa Quartet, 7:30pm

sUnDay, JanUary 15AB The Beaver Sessions, 9pmCC Kareem Kandi, 5:30pmCR Racer Sessions, 7:30pmCZ Choro Music Open Jam w/ Stuart Zobel, 2pmCZ Music Improv Session w/ Kenny Mandell, 7pmDT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8pmJA Judy Collins w/ opener Ari Hest, 7:30pmMQ Parlour Trick Presents: Sunday Evening Whiskey

Club, 7pmSB Jazz Brunch, 11amSY Victor Janusz, 10amTB Kevin Connor and Swing 3PO, 5pmTU Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, 8pmVI Bob Hammer, 6pmVI Ron Weinstein Trio, 9:30pm


9:30pmMT Triangle Pub Jam, 8:30pmNL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 8:30pmRR Salute Sessions, 10pmTD Whitney Mongé w/ Ayron Jones, 7:30pmTU Ph Factor Big Band, 7:30pm

tUEsDay, JanUary 17CB West Coast Swing Social, 9pmHH Jazz at The Hat, 9pmJA Jamison Ross, 7:30pmOW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Hot Rod, 8pmSB Joe Doria Presents, 10pmTU Line Up! Mark Taylor & Dawn Clement, 7:30pm

WEDnEsDay, JanUary 18PM Paul Richardson, 6pmUC Mike Allen Quartet, 7pmTU Nelda Swiggett & Megabopolis, 7:30pmJA Jamison Ross, 7:30pmPD Casey MacGill, 8pm

curTAin cALL

MonDay

CC EntreMundos jam, 9:30

MT Triangle Pub jam, 8:30

NL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 9

RR Salute Sessions, 10

tUEsDay

CB West Coast Swing Social, 9

OW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10

PM Paul Richardson, 6

SB Joe Doria Presents, 10

WEDnEsDay

PD Casey MacGill, 8

PG Jazz Open Mic, 8


thUrsDay

BC Adam Kessler & Phil Sparks, 9

BD Annie Eastwood & Friends, 5:30

BT Live Jazz Trio, 6

EU EuroJam Session, 8

PD Greg Ruby & Maggie Kim, 8


SB Aqua Soul, 10

FrIDay


LA Happy hour w/ Phil Sparks, 5

SB Funky 2 Death, 9

satUrDay


SB Jazz Brunch, 12

sUnDay

AB Beaver Sessions, 9

CR Racer Sessions, 8

DT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8

MQ Parlour Trick Presents, 7

SB Jazz Brunch, 12

SY Victor Janusz, 10am

TB Kevin Connor & Swing 3PO, 5

TU Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, 7:30

VI Bob Hammer, 6pm

VI Ron Weinstein Trio, 9:30

weekly recurring performances


MO Jeff Ferguson’s Triangular Jazztet, 7pmSB Unsinkables, 10pmPG Jazz Jam, 8:30pm


Brighton, & Beth Wulff, 5:30pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmEU EuroJam Session, 8pmJA Will Downing, 7:30pmPD Greg Ruby & Maggie Kim, 8pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Aqua Soul, 10pmTU Fred Hoadley’s Sonando, 8pm

FrIDay, JanUary 20BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmJA Will Downing, 7:30pmLA Happy Hour w/ Phil Sparks, 5pmSB Funky 2 Death, 10pmTU Kareem Kandi Quartet, 7:30pm

satUrDay, JanUary 21BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmCH Wayward Music Series presents Sumiko Sato:

Sakaya Uta, 8pmCM Eugenie Jones, 7pmCR Racer Sessions Fest, 9pmCZ Lil Sara & the Night Owls, 7:30pmEB Annie Eastwood and Chris Stevens Duo, 7pmJA Will Downing, 7:30pmSB Jazz Brunch, 12pmSB Monster Saturdays, 10pmTU Doctorfunk, 7:30pmTU Doctorfunk, 9:30pm

sUnDay, JanUary 22AB The Beaver Sessions, 9pmCM Sunday Brunch @ Crossroads: Good Vibes

Quartet, 12:30pmCR Racer Sessions Fest, 9pmCR Racer Sessions, 7:30pmCZ Open Jazz Jam w/ Kenny Mandell, 2pmDT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8pmJA Will Downing, 7:30pmMQ Parlour Trick Presents: Surf Monk, 7pmSB Jazz Brunch, 11amSY Victor Janusz, 10amTB Kevin Connor and Swing 3PO, 5pmTU Easy Street Band, 4pmTU Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, 7:30pmVI Bob Hammer, 6pmVI Ron Weinstein Trio, 9:30pm


9:30pmMT Triangle Pub Jam, 8:30pmNL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 8:30pmRR Salute Sessions, 10pmTD Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, 7:30pmTU Lonnie Mardis & Seattle Central College Jazz

Orchestra, 7:30pm

tUEsDay, JanUary 24CB West Coast Swing Social, 9pmHH Jazz at The Hat, 9pmJA Henry Kapono, 7:30pmOW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10pm


PM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Joe Doria Presents, 10pmSB Michael Owcharuk, 8pmTD Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, 7:30pmTU Jay Thomas and the Cantaloupes, 7:30pm

WEDnEsDay, JanUary 25JA Jarrod Lawson, 7:30pmMO Jeff Ferguson’s Triangular Jazztet, 7pmPD Casey MacGill, 8pmPG Jazz Jam, 8:30pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Westsound DFC, 10pmTD Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, 7:30pmTU Greta Matassa Student Showcase, 7:30pmUC John Hansen Trio, 7pm


Brighton, & Kimball Conant, 5:30pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmEU EuroJam Session, 8pmJA Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout ft.

Duke Robillard, Howard Levy, Son of Dave, Corky Siegel and Jason Ricci, 7:30pm

PD Greg Ruby & Maggie Kim, 8pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Aqua Soul, 10pmTU Savani Latin Jazz Ensemble, 7:30pmVI Casey MacGill, 5:30pm

FrIDay, JanUary 27BT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmCH Battle Trance, 8pmCM Chris Stevens Band, 7pmJA Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout ft.


LA Happy Hour w/ Phil Sparks, 5pmNC Clave Gringa Quartet, 8pmPO Cornish Presents: Jim Knapp’s Scrape, 8pmSB Funky 2 Death, 10pmTU Stephanie Porter Quintet, 7:30pm

satUrDay, JanUary 28BP 313 Soul featuring Darrelle Holden, 9pmBP 313 Soul featuring Darrelle Holden, 7pmBT Live Jazz Trio, 7pmCM Dreams Come True, 7pmEC Basie Bash: New York, 1937, 7:30pmJA Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout ft.


SB Jazz Brunch, 12pmSB Monster Saturdays, 10pmST Jazz Unlimited: Stephanie Porter Band, 7:30pmTU Susan Pascal Quintet, 7:30pm

sUnDay, JanUary 29AB The Beaver Sessions, 9pmCC Forman-Finley Band, 5:30pmCM Sunday Brunch @ Crossroads with the Jazz

Misfits, 12:30pmCR Racer Sessions, 7:30pmDT Darrell’s Tavern Jazz Jam, 8pmJA Mark Hummel’s Ultimate Harmonica Blowout ft.


MQ Parlour Trick Presents: Mannequin BBQ, 7pm

SY Victor Janusz, 10amTB Kevin Connor and Swing 3PO, 5pmTU Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, 7:30pmVI Bob Hammer, 6pmVI Ron Weinstein Trio, 9:30pm


9:30pmJA Eric Johnson, 7:30pmMT Triangle Pub Jam, 8:30pmNL Mo’ Jam Mondays, 8:30pmRR Salute Sessions, 10pm

tUEsDay, JanUary 31CB West Coast Swing Social, 9pmHH Jazz at The Hat, 9pmJA Jimmy Webb, 7:30pmOW Jam w/ Eric Verlinde, 10pmPM Paul Richardson, 6pmSB Joe Doria Presents, 10pm

Get Your Gigs Listed!To submit your gig information go

to earshot.org/events/community/

add, or e-mail us at jazzcalendar@

earshot.org with details of the venue,

start-time, and date. As always,

the deadline for getting your listing

in print is the 15th of the previous

month. The online calendar is

maintained throughout the month, so

if you are playing in the Seattle metro

area, let us know!


In One Ear, from page 3

musicans and music educators will lead rehearsals and sectionals, give a master class, and perform a joint con-cert on March 18. More information and registration available at swojo.org.

Seattle-Kobe female Jazz Vocalist Auditions

The Seattle-Kobe Sister City Associa-tion sends one high school-aged and one adult female jazz vocalist from Greater Seattle to Kobe, Japan, in May 2017. Finalists are selected by mid-Feb-ruary and participate in a live audition

at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley on March 6. Two winners feature as guest vocalists at the 18th Annual Kobe Shinkaichi Jazz Vocal Queen Contest held in ear-ly May, in Seattle’s sister city, Kobe, Ja-pan. Application deadline is January 30. More at seattlekobe.org.

on the Horizon

DeMiero Jazz Fest March 2-4 Edmonds Center for the Arts

Dee Daniels, Greta Matassa, John Proulx, and more. More information at demierojazzfest.org.

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will have five rehearsal rooms, one large enough for big bands to rehearse and small ensembles to hold perfor-mances. Jazz Night School is currently conducting a capital campaign to raise $250,000 to cover building costs at the new location.

Founded in 2009, Jazz Night School is a non-profit offering jazz instruction for all ages, skill levels, and means. Learn more about Jazz Night School, sign up for classes, or make a contribu-tion, at jazznightschool.org.

Jazz radio88.5 KNKX hosts Saturday Jazz

Matinee, Jazz Sunday Side Up, Ken Wiley’s the Art of Jazz, and Jazz Northwest, in addition to its weekday NPR and late-night and prime-time jazz programs.

Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwest, Sun-days, 2pm, features the artists and events of the regional jazz scene. For JazzNW podcasts of archived pro-grams, see jazznw.org.

90.3 KEXP, late-night Sundays, features Jazz Theater with John Gil-breath, 1am, and Sonarchy, midnight, a live-performance broadcast from the Jack Straw Productions studio, pro-duced by Doug Haire. Full schedule

Notes, from page 3 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival February 23-25 University of Idaho, Moscow, ID

Esperanza Spalding, Rene Marie, Julia Keefe, Claudio Roditi. More at 208-885-5900 or uidaho.edu/jazzfest.

Write Earshot JazzThe Earshot Jazz magazine reflects

and shares the many ways that jazz intersects with lives in the Northwest. Earshot Jazz is seeking submissions from writers: Please email story pitch-es, comments, news and announce-ments to [email protected].


information is available at kexp.org and jackstraw.org.

Sonarchy’s January schedule: Janu-ary 1, The Last Dog House New Year’s Sing-a-Long, Seattle history from 1994: packed house, stiff drink, and Dik Dickerson at the organ; Janu-ary 8, Burn List, two generations of new musicmakers – Cuong Vu (trum-pet), Greg Sinibaldi (tenor sax), Aaron Otheim (keyboard), and Chris Ica-siano (drums) – bring innovation and deep listening to this project; January 15, Library Science, electro post-dub psychedelic disco slo-dance music; January 22, Mik Quantius Occasion, a brilliant hour of free improvisation, with Mik Quantius (vocals, keys), Lori Goldston (cello), Greg Campbell (percussion), Susie Kozawa (vocals, objects), Mike Gamble (guitar), and Simon Lott (percussion, electronics); January 29, The Lunar Ensemble, bebop with a contrapuntal infusion, with Jake Svendsen (piano, arrange-ments & compositions), Steve Treseler (saxes), Eric Vanderbilt-Matthews (saxes), Adrian Noteboom (tenor sax), Nate Parker (bass), and Remy Morrit (drums).

91.3 KBCS, late Sundays and prime-time Mondays, features Floatation De-vice with John Seman and Jonathan Lawson; Straight, No Chaser with David Utevsky; Giant Steps with John Pai. The Caravan with John Gilbreath is back on Mondays at 7pm. A rotation of programmers Gordon Todd, John Midgley, and Megan Sullivan host “The Sound of Modern Jazz,” Tuesday mornings at 1am. More about jazz on KBCS at kbcs.fm.

91.7 KSVR Mount Vernon, Doctor Dee hosts two nights of jazz, Fourth Corner Jazz, featuring recordings of live performance in Northwest Wash-ington, Sundays, 6-7pm, and The Doctor’s Den, Mondays, 8-10pm.

94.9 KUOW, Saturdays, 7pm, fea-tures Amanda Wilde’s the Swing Years and Beyond, popular music

from the 1920s to the 1950s. More at kuow.org/swing_years.php.

Hollow Earth Radio, hol-lowearthradio.org, Fridays at 6pm, biweekly, Black Roots Radio, hosted by Jordan Leonard, promotes jazz as a dynamic genre rooted in the Black American experience.

Hollow Earth Radio is Seattle’s free-form online radio station that supports the local music communities in the greater Pacific Northwest and tries to create an open, encouraging stage for underrepresented voices. More at face-book.com/blackrootsradiojl and hol-lowearthradio.org.

Sato, from page 9

author Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933), whose famous story illuminated the origins of the deer dance.

“Sumiko’s work is important in that she is integrating cultural pres-ervation and documentation into her compositional process,” says Kikuchi. “These Sakaya Uta singers are increas-ingly scarce in modern Japan, and the documentation of the music is of great importance to Japanese cultural heri-tage.”

–Mayumi Tsutakawa

IN THIS ISSUE...

Cover: ben hunter & tArik AbdullAh Photo by dAniel sheehAn

Letter from the Director: happy new year _______ 2

notes ____________________________________ 3

In one Ear ________________________________ 3

Venue Profile: Black & tan hall _______________ 4

Catching Up With: Wayne horvitz, In three Parts _ 6

Preview: sumiko sato: sakaya Uta ____________ 9

Preview: Earshot Jazz Presents: Battle trance __ 10

Preview: recurring Jazz series ______________ 12

Jazz Instruction ___________________________ 16

Jazz around the sound _____________________ 18

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eArSHoT JAzzM E M B E r s h I P

EARSHOT JAZZJanuary 2017 Vol. 33, No. 1

Seattle, WashingtonA Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community

Black & Tan Hall’s Ben Hunter & Tarik Abdullah

Photo by Daniel Sheehan

earshot jazz · earshot jazz january 2017 vol. 33, no. 1 seattle, washington a mirror and focus for...

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