EyeShotJazz | Jazz Photography

Cyro Baptista’s Banquet of the Spirits Friday, November 7, Triple Door

Baptista’s mastery of the percussion of his native Brazil has propelled him to international renown. He has been a US resident for almost 30 years, but seems to spend much of his time drumming his way around the world with a host of leaders and outfits – from Yo-Yo Ma’s Brazil Project, to Trey Anastasio’s Band, to John Zorn’s Electric Masada, to Herbie Hancock’s Grammy award winning Gershwin’s World, to Sting, to Paul Simon’s Rhythm of the Saints.
But that’s just a taste of the career of this surpassing percussionist. He has been much praised and often honored with critics and readers awards in many varieties of music. In his own projects, including the percussion and dance ensemble, Beat the Donkey, Baptista exalts in percussion styles and instruments from around the world in performances that are thrilling, surprising, and dazzling.
That will be the case, here, too, as he presents his new quartet, featuring keyboardist Brian Marsella, bassist and oud player Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, and drummer Tim Keiper.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photographs by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in portrait photography, jazz photography, and photojournalism for publications and corporations and a Seattle wedding photographer with an unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning Seattle wedding photography.

Doug Wieselman playing with Robin Holcomb: Larks, They Crazy Sunday, November 2, Seattle Art Museum

Robin Holcomb shared the bill with Horvitz/Miles/Previte Trio Sunday night. Her playing and singing were a special treat. I was lulled and then moved in some of the more stirring pieces. The pianist/composer/singer performed a reprise of her 1989 landmark Sound Aspects release, Larks, They Crazy. The album featured many of the top-working musicians in New York, including Horvitz, Previte, Marty Ehrlich, Doug Wieselman, and David Hofstra. Like Todos Santos, the album gathered much attention upon its release. Featuring some truly ambitious music, the drama of her compositions well deserves revisiting. Mark Dery of The New York Times wrote: “Ms. Holcomb has done something remarkable here: she has created a new American regionalism, spun from many threads – country rock, minimalism, Civil War songs, Baptist hymns, Appalachian folk tunes, even the polytonal music of Charles Ives. The music that results is as elegantly simple as a Shaker quilt, and no less beautiful.”
Holcomb was joined on stage here by the expansive, irrepressible Skerik on tenor saxophone, old New York friend Doug Wieselman on alto, D’Vonne Lewis on drums, and Geoff Harper on bass.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations and also a Seattle wedding photographer with an unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning Seattle wedding photography and wedding photojournalism among Seattle wedding photographers.

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Wayne Horvitz plays with Pigpen & Zony Mash w/ Horns Saturday, November 1 Tractor Tavern

Kicking off the 20-year retrospective of Seattle resident and master composer/
keyboardist Wayne Horvitz is the recreation of two of his most exciting ensembles – Pigpen and Zony Mash with Horns.
Pigpen marked the beginning of a long-term music partnership between Horvitz and alto saxophonist Briggan Krauss. The band also featured bassist Fred Chalenor and drummer Mike Stone, and between 1992 and 1996, Pigpen released four full lengths and one live album as it toured rock clubs across the Pacific Northwest, though it also visited Canada, the east coast, and Europe. As Jeff Daniel described in Pandemonium, “If I had to guess what this was, without looking at the press kit, I would probably say something like, four guys locked into a studio with all this gear, lots of food, LSD, some pot, and a madman with something new to prove. This one’s a keeper!”
Performing “modern electric jazz-funk at its finest” (Jazz Times), Zony Mash made its debut in 1995 as the unofficial house band at the OK Hotel in Seattle. Guided by Horvitz’s unique compositional and harmonic sensibilities, Zony Mash explored psychedelic rock, the blues, and outer space as it released several albums to great critical acclaim. While the initial line-up featured Wayne Horvitz on Hammond B-3 and keyboards, Timothy Young on guitar, Fred Chalenor on bass (later replaced by Keith Lowe), and Andy Roth on drums, Zony Mash will here be augmented by a superb horn section, adding more depth and excitement to an already thrilling ensemble: Ron Miles, cornet; Briggan Krauss, Doug Wieselman, Skerik, saxophones; and Steve Moore, trombone.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core Saturday, November 1, Seattle Art Museum

ROVA’s Larry Ochs leads an all-star ensemble consisting of percussionists Scott Amendola and Don Robinson
and special guests from Tokyo, pianist Satoko Fujii and her trumpeter husband, Natsuki Tamura. Together they perform what they describe as “a meditation on and a 21st-century distillation
of the songs of American and eastern-European blues-shouters, and of traditional chant-singers from Asia and Africa.”
This is music loaded with playful musical dialogue and melodic, polyrhythmic
exchanges. At once thunderous
and subtle, sweet and dramatic, Larry Ochs Drum Core offers, as one critic wrote, “everything great music should offer: true emotions, adventure, variation, interplay, tension, surprise, and entertainment.” Augmented here by the wildly-creative Fujii, one of the most original voices on her instrument, and the equally-compelling Tamura, this special performance will feature both familiar and unfamiliar musical dialects presented in a concert like none other.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Marcin Wasilewski Saturday, November 1, Triple Door

One of the most refreshing ensembles in contemporary jazz, the piano trio of Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and Michal Miskiewicz have come a long way since its formation in Poland fifteen years ago. Having developed at the young age of sixteen what would be a long-standing relationship with compatriot and acclaimed-trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, Wasilewski, and his trio, has exhibited incredible growth that has been tangible nearly every step of the way. Contributing greatly to several of Stańko’s most sublime records, and now seeking success as an autonomous unit, the Wasilewski Trio is a force on the international jazz scene, and it is certain to bring something remarkable to Seattle.
As Wasilewski reported to All About Jazz, “The music is always evolving; I don’t know when it will stop, but I hope never.” Similarly, Stańko testified that “in the entire history of Polish jazz we’ve never had a band like this one. They just keep getting better and better.” Indeed, with invigorating energy, demonstrated sensitivity and communicativeness, and a great love for adventure, the Wasilewski Trio comes to Seattle at the peak of its power – thus far.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with James Moody

Saturday, November 1, Nordstrom Recital Hall/Benaroya Hall
Sunday, November 2, Kirkland Performance Center

Saxophonist, flautist, NEA Jazz Master,
and American institution James Moody teams up with the star-studded
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, co-led by Clarence Acox and Michael Brockman, to explore the rich history of Moody’s work.
Born in Savannah, Georgia and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Moody took up the alto saxophone as teenager. In 1946, he joined the seminal Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, during which time he developed his improvisational skills and composed an impressive repertoire of work. He also appeared regularly with and wrote music for Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, and Oscar Peterson, among many other jazz luminaries.
Consistently ranked as one of the leading jazz artists of our time, Moody’s compositions reflect a resonance and wit that honor his bebop roots while blazing new musical paths. Today he is considered one of the most expressive and enduring figures in modern jazz.
The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra is the Northwest’s premier big band jazz ensemble. Founded in 1995, the 17-piece band is made up of the region’s leading jazz instrumentalists, both young and old. Committed to presenting the great works of jazz, the SRJO’s repertoire is drawn from the past 100 years of jazz history, including works by Fletcher Henderson, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones, and of course, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. With this concert they continue this tradition by performing the compositions of James Moody.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Lance Buller with the Floyd Standifer Tribute: Legacy Band
Wednesday, October 29, New Orleans Creole Restaurant
Lance Buller playing Weds night with the tribute band to Floyd Standifer with a photo of Floyd on the wall behinf him looking down on the band.
To celebrate the legacy of the late Floyd Standifer, who for several decades was one of the region’s most influential, talented, and admired jazzmen, the new lineup of the band he headed for many years at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant salutes him. Joining drummer Clarence Acox and his quartet are alumni from Floyd’s time with the band, including guitarist Robin Kuntz.
Clarence Acox is an ambassador of the Seattle jazz scene with impeccable credentials.
His experience includes a 37-year tenure as the director of the award-winning Garfield High School jazz program. He also leads the Seattle University jazz ensemble and co-founded the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.
A native of New Orleans, Acox came to Seattle in 1971 straight out of Southern University after Garfield High School had recruited him to revive its moribund music program. Since then, Garfield’s jazz ensemble has twice taken first place at the Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition in New York.
For many years, Acox was the rock-solid drummer of the Floyd Standifer Quartet as it held down a weekly slot at the New Orleans; earlier this year, Acox stepped up to lead a new incarnation of the band, now known as the Legacy Band. With regulars Bill Anschell on piano, Phils Sparks on bass, and Acox on drums, this Wednesday night tradition is in its 22nd year, making it the longest running continuous gig in Seattle.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Richard Bona Quartet

Wednesday, October 29, Triple Door

Bassist and vocalist Richard Bona has dazzled audiences around the world with his engaging personal style, which merges jazz, pop, afro-beat, bossa nova, and funk. Considered one of the best bassists of his generation, Bona is known as a masterful musician and compelling storyteller.
Born in Minta in eastern Cameroon, Bona was drawn to music as a child and often experimented with his own self-made instruments, including a twelve-string guitar constructed of wood and bicycle brake cables. In 1980, at the age of thirteen, he discovered jazz. Inspired by Weather Report’s Jaco Pastorius, Bona decided to reinvent himself as a bass player. In pursuit of a professional jazz career, he moved to Düsseldorf, then Paris, and finally New York, where he now lives.
Much in demand as a collaborator, Bona has worked with musicians as diverse as Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin, Paul Simon,
Chaka Khan, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Chucho Valdes, Joni Mitchell,
Harry Connick Jr., and Queen Latifah.
He has recorded six albums as a leader, including Tiki (2005), which received a 2007 Grammy nomination in the contemporary world music category. In March he released Bona Makes You Sweat, which was recorded live in Hungary.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him among the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Floyd Standifer Tribute: Legacy Band
Wednesday, October 29, New Orleans Creole Restaurant

To celebrate the legacy of the late Floyd Standifer, who for several decades was one of the region’s most influential, talented, and admired jazzmen, the new lineup of the band he headed for many years at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant salutes him. Joining drummer Clarence Acox and his quartet are alumni from Floyd’s time with the band, including guitarist Robin Kuntz.
Clarence Acox is an ambassador of the Seattle jazz scene with impeccable credentials.
His experience includes a 37-year tenure as the director of the award-winning Garfield High School jazz program. He also leads the Seattle University jazz ensemble and co-founded the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.
A native of New Orleans, Acox came to Seattle in 1971 straight out of Southern University after Garfield High School had recruited him to revive its moribund music program. Since then, Garfield’s jazz ensemble has twice taken first place at the Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition in New York.
For many years, Acox was the rock-solid drummer of the Floyd Standifer Quartet as it held down a weekly slot at the New Orleans; earlier this year, Acox stepped up to lead a new incarnation of the band, now known as the Legacy Band. With regulars Bill Anschell on piano, Phils Sparks on bass, and Acox on drums, this Wednesday night tradition is in its 22nd year, making it the longest running continuous gig in Seattle.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, a photojournalist specializing in jazz photography, photojournalism and portrait photography for publications and corporations. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer with a subtle, unobtrusive, story-telling approach creating award winning wedding photojournalism ranking him as one of the best Seattle wedding photographers.

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Peter Apfelbaum & New York Hieroglyphics featuring Abdoulaye Diabate Tuesday, October 28, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

Apfelbaum’s reformulated Hieroglyphics Ensemble, a tentet now based in New York, performs the original piece Aural Histories, composed with a Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation grant. In each of the piece’s sections, a band member improvises over a composed background while Malian griot Abdoulaye Diabate sings a narrative of that particular musician’s life.
A leading figure in the world-jazz movement, Peter Apfelbaum has always gravitated to transporting melodies and timbres and to a group dynamic that emphasizes extended improvisation over jazz-infused West African and Afro-Caribbean styles. The Guardian called the results, in Aural Histories, “positively fire-spitting.”
With Peter Apfelbaum (tenor sax, piano, percussion) and vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate, who hails from a long family tradition of griots and has also performed in the West with the likes of jazzmen Don Byron and guitarist-folklorist Banning Eyre, are: Peck Allmond (trumpet, reeds), Josh Roseman (trombome), Jessica Jones (tenor sax, flute), Tony Jones (tenor sax), Charles Burnham (violin), David Phelps (guitar), Patrice Blanchard (bass), and – a show unto himself – Dafnis Prieto on drums.

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2008 Earshot Jazz Festival

Photograph by Paul Joseph Brown a photojournalist for the Seattle Post Intelligencer. He is also a Seattle wedding photographer photographing weddings with A Beautiful Day Photography group of  Seattle wedding photographers.

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