Jimmie Vaughan
September 2nd, 2011
Last month Jimmie Vaughan played a lengthy raucous set at The Triple Door. I aad never seen him play and was blown away by his playing. He was commanding and soulful and I love his hair. Older brother to Stevie Ray Vaughan and first guitar teacher is still teaching people how to play the electric guitar with attitude.
Wayne Horvitz Band featuring Skerik, Joe Doria & D’Vonne Lewis
August 12th, 2011
Wayne Horvitz Band featuring Skerik, Joe Doria & D’Vonne Lewis performed on a beautiful August afternoon in the Bill and Melinda Gates amphitheater at the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park. Earshot Jazz, which put on the concert as part of its concert series “Art of Jazz“, describes the sound of the group as “ New York Attitude from Seattle Jazz-Funk Masters”.
I thought it was great hearing Joe on the Hammond B-3 with Wayne on keyboards. Skerik blew real hard and D’Vonne kept a steady and cool beat going. What a beautiful evening performance with fantastic art all around the park. I especially love Richard Serra’s sculpture “Wave” in the background. The next concert in the Art of Jazz series will be on September 8th with “The Teaching” at the Seattle Art Museum, downtown, 5:30 pm.
As you can see there was a great turnout. I like shooting in this space. I can get pictures unlike any other venue.
Wellstone Conspiracy at Tula’s
August 1st, 2011
July 2 the Wellstone Conspiracy played works from their wonderful new album “Motives” and I really enjoyed being there to hear and photograph them. Wellstone Conspiracy features Bill Anschell on piano, Jeff Johnson on bass, and John Bishop on drums, and saxophonist Brent Jensen. “Four of the Northwest’s finest jazz artists reunite on “Motives” for a wide-ranging, adventurous recording of orignal works, including a free-wheeling tribute to drummer Ed Blackwell, and melodic pieces flavored by the modern harmonies of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The disc closes with an impressionistic cover of Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” The four musicians continue to refine the collective artistry displayed on their 2006 debut CD, “One More Mile” (under Brent Jensen’s name), a cohesive group sound that All About Jazz reviewer John Barron described as: “…lively, inventive and beckons for repeated listening.” Here are some pictures from the evening performance.
Operation ID | Jazz Photography
July 29th, 2011
Last night Operation ID closed out Jazz: The Second Century, the July Series of concerts put on Earshot Jazz by at the Chapel Performance Space on Thursday nights. It ended with a buzz haircut of Ivan Arteaga as he continued to perform. See bottom pictures.
Operation ID consists of Jared Borkowski on guitar, David Balatero on bass, Rob Hanlon on keyboards, Ivan Arteaga on reeds, and Evan Woodle on drums.
Operation ID : Originally interested in the spontaneity of free-jazz, Operation ID’s open mindedness has guided them to embrace a position of willingness when experimenting with new sounds and musical approaches. They have grown from being exclusively instrumental to frequently incorporating group vocals. Some well-known influences include Steve Reich, Talk Talk, Hella, Prince, XTC, Richie Hawtin, and Deerhoof.
Got to photograph and listen to jazz vibraphonist, Susan Pascal Quartet last Friday night at Tula’s. Susan’s Quartet has Dave Peterson on guitar, Chuck Deardorf on bass, and MArk Ivester on drums. They strike a dynamic balance between spontaneity and imaginative arrangements and it was beautiful first set of jazz classics I go to hear.put on. Here are a couple of pictures from the evening.
Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock Trio
July 8th, 2011
Saturday Night, Earshot Jazz presented Kris Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock Trio at the Chapel Performance Space. Their creative collaboration in the unique venue was an wonderful event to witness.
“The trio is a truly collective effort. How and where it came about is a perfect reflection of the real world of working jazz musicians.
About two and a half years ago, shortly after Laubrock moved to New York, all three musicians got together for a session. Davis and Sorey had met earlier, playing together in another group. They were exploring a different context of collaboration, and Davis invited Laubrock to join them.
“It was an informal session,” Davis says in recent interview, “the kind of thing musicians do in New York possibly a couple of times a week as a way to meet people, have new music read, etc.” After improvising for almost two hours, it was clear the trio was something special and the music had to be explored further. Kris says there was “that instant connection and understanding, and we were excited to see where it could go.”
The trio met a few more times and began working with new music, each musician bringing original compositions. The music was written earlier for different groups, but the trio found new ways to make it their own. They soon began regular performances, interpreting the written material afresh each time.
In Davis’s words: “The way we play together … it feels like you can do no wrong – whether you are improvising or playing written music – it is wonderful.”
Continue reading story by Greg Pincuson on Earshot Jazz‘s website
From Norway – In the Country
July 2nd, 2011
Here are some more pictures from last Saturday’s Earshot Jazz Concert at Tula’s, In the Country. The trio featured pianist Morten Qvenild (formerly of Jaga Jazzist), bass player Roger Arntzen, and drummer Pål Hausken.
In the Country
June 25th, 2011
Tonight at Tula’s Restaurant and Jazz Club, Earshot Jazz presented a concert by the exceptional jazz artists from Norway, In the Country. The trio featured pianist Morten Qvenild (formerly of Jaga Jazzist), bass player Roger Arntzen, and drummer Pål Hausken. The group’s third album, Whiteout, released in 2009, is a soaring, progressive work, reminiscent of The Bad Plus. They put on a 2 great sets and I will post more pictures soon.
Tierney Sutton Band
June 14th, 2011
The last amazing set I photographed at the 2011 Bellevue Jazz Festival was by three-time GRAMMY® nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Tierney Sutton and the Tierney Sutton Band at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Cente Friday, June 3rd. Tierney Sutton Band has collaborated for a span of 17 years. They have also been awarded the JazzWeek Award for Vocalist Of The Year, earned consecutive nominations for Jazz Journalist Association awards, recorded several number one albums, and garnered critical praise throughout the world. Tierney Sutton, Vocals, Christian Jacob, Piano, Kevin Axt, Bass
Ray Brinker, Drums. What a great sound this group has and Tierney’s vocls are so sweet and expressive.
Comprised of acclaimed vocalist Tierney Sutton and instrumental virtuosos Christian Jacob, Trey Henry, Kevin Axt and Ray Brinker, the band is an incorporated partnership and a model of both musical and business unity. Members of The Tierney Sutton Band have played and recorded with a diverse array of music legends including Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Placido Domingo, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and countless others, yet the Tierney Sutton Band has demanded and received their commitment for almost two decades.
The Band’s Album On The Other Side has been called by BusinessWeek “A Masterpiece…eloquent, honest and magnificently sung and played.” The band’s most recent GRAMMY® nominated album, Desire, has been described by The Chicago Sun Times as “a conceptual masterpiece.”
Luis Perdomo Trio
June 13th, 2011
Saxophonist Luis Perdomo with his Luis Perdomo Trio at the 2011 Bellevue Jazz Festival at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Cente Friday June 3rd.
Talk about an amazing set. these guys were cooking up a storm. This was one on my favorite performances on the Festival. Here are some more photos of the group.
Playing with Luis were Hans Glawischnigspan, Bass, Rodney Green, drums.
As a longstanding member of groups led by Miguel Zenón and Ravi Coltrane, Luis has made his mark as a performer, a composer and arranger. He can be heard most recently on both GRAMMY® nominated Ravi Coltrane’s Blending Times and Miguel Zenón’s Esta Plena.
Luis has also released three highly acclaimed recordings as a leader. His fourth record, Universal Mind, was recorded for RKM Music and released in February of this year. This album features Perdomo’s bandmate in Ravi Coltrane’s band, bassist Drew Gress and master drummer extraordinaire Jack Dejohnette.