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.

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The ZIGGURAT QUARTET Performed at the Seattle Art Museum on last night as the Earshot Jazz Series ” Art of Jazz” continues. A good turnout heard the band’s expression of “rhythmic experimentation which drives the ensemble’s complex original compositions. Many of the pieces were deeply influenced by the rhythms of East Indian music, as well as jazz and contemporary chamber music.” Here are some photographs from the performance.

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Bill Anschellon piano.

Bassist Chris Symer and Eric Barber on saxophone .

Drummer  Byron Vannoy and Eric Barber.

Here are some notes from Earshot Jazz on the Quartet’s appearance last fall “The Ziggurat Quartet’s recent Origin CD Calculated Gestureshas received widespread critical acclaim and significant airplay on jazz radio. According to the group’s myspace.com page: “A passion for rhythmic experimentation drives the ensemble’s complex original compositions; many of the pieces are deeply influenced by the rhythms of East Indian music, as well as jazz and contemporary chamber music.”

Despite working in the “standard” jazz quartet format of horn, piano, bass and drums, the ensemble comes up with a vital and visceral approach that sounds sui generis. The repertoire is entirely original compositions by Bill Anschell, Eric Barber and Doug Miller. Pianist Anschell’s knowledge of Carnatic music strongly influences the complex rhythms and patterns in his compositions. Saxophonist Barber also has a deep interest in the music of India, plus that of the Balkans and Hungary; the asymmetrical meters and surging cross-rhythms that result swing in a decidedly unconventional but still infectious manner.  Although still dealing with odd meters, Miller’s tunes have a bit more of a traditional focus in terms of singable melodies.

Anschell is well-known as a humorist and writer in addition to his impeccable credentials as a musician.  His long tenure with vocalist Nnenna Freelon as musical director, arranger, composer and pianist included a Grammy nomination for her 1996 Shaking Free.  Anschell’s recordings under his own name have been warmly received.

Barber has collaborated with a long list of adventurous musicians, including Nels Cline, Mark Dresser, Vinny Golia, Wayne Horvitz, Wadada Leo Smith, Tom Varner, Nate Wooley, and Glen Velez.

A rising force on the Emerald City jazz scene, bassist Chris Symer is quickly becoming one of the most in-demand bassists in Seattle.

Add the colorful and resourceful drumming of Byron Vannoy to the mix and you have a quartet that plays ensemble music in the true sense of the word.”

-Bill Barton

Steve Lehman in concert with his Octet at the Seattle Art Museum on October 29th presented by the Earshot Jazz Festival 2010.

In the year since Steve Lehman made his first Earshot Festival appearance, in a riveting solo performance for sax and electronics, he has confirmed his standing as one of the most exciting and innovative jazz performers, anywhere.

His 2009 octet album Travail, Transformation & Flow has continued to draw rave reviews: four-and-one-half stars from DownBeat; top-10 listing from more than 30 publications around the country; and a New York Times rating as the pop or jazz CD of the year. The Jazz Journalists Association in April recognized Lehman in three categories: composer, alto saxophonist, and recording of the year.

Win acclaim like that, and suddenly the seemingly impossible can happen: a musician can get to go on tour with his octet, generally a prohibitively expensive undertaking. That is what Lehman has been doing. His eight-piece has appeared around the U.S. and Europe. It is scheduled to continue touring well into 2011.
Also since his last Earshot appearance, another of Lehman’s bands, Dual Identity, released its debut, self-titled disc. The band includes other leaders of the New York progressive-jazz scene including Rudresh Mahanthappa.

The same month, the Jack Quartet presented the world premiere of Lehman’s “Nos Revi Nella” for string quartet.

That suggests the Brooklyn-reared saxophonist’s musical range. So do his recordings with his quintet, and with the group Fieldwork (Lehman, pianist Vijay Iyer, and monster drummer Tyshawn Sorey). With Mahanthappa, those players comprise a new breed of charging instrumentalist-composers.

Continue reading at: EarshotJazz Festival

Click here for the complete schedule for the rest of the upcoming shows at the 2010 Earshot Jazz Festival

The Dawn Clement Trio: Dawn Clement, Geoff Harper on bass and Jazz Sawyer on drums at the Seattle Art Museum.

The Art of Jazz Series put on by Earshot Jazz in collaboration with the Seattle Art Museum continues every 2nd Thursday of every month with free admission. Dawn and her trio were in good form and did a couple of set that sounded great in the great hall of the Lobby of the museum
Jim Wilke was there too recording the music for his radio broadcast on Jazz Northwest program, Sunday afternoons, from 1 to 2pm on 88.5, KPLU.