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Here are some more pictures from last night’s performance of the Thomas Marriott CD RELEASE: “East-West Trumpet Summit”.

Matt Jorgensen

Phil Sparks on bass

Vern Sielert

Bill Anschell

Matt Jorgensen

Thomas Marriott

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who photographs jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style.

Thomas Marriott celebrated the release of his new CD, “East-West Trumpet Summit“, which is currently #1 on the JazzWeek National Airplay Chart and was recently featured on NPR’s Morning Edition. The “East” portion of the Trumpet Summit is usually Ray Vega, but because of family commitments Vega wasn’t able to make this performance. In his absence, Vern Sielert (still “East” of Seattle as Sielert is now teaching in Idaho), joined the band which also featured Bill Anschell on piano, Phil Sparks on bass and Matt Jorgensen on drums. A great sound on a summer evening. Strange to see jazz in a club with daylight pouring in the window. More pictures to come soon.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan, who photographs jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and Seattle Wedding Photography with an artistic photojournalist style.

Tomasz Stanko performed Monday night at the Triple Door as Earshot Jazz Spring Series rolls on.
Tomasz Stanko and his quartet, featuring pianist Alexi Tuomarila,  drummer Olavi Louhivuori, Anders Christensen on bass, and Jakob Bro, on guitar, put on a cool, mesmerizing and memorable performance. Playing smouldering Slavic soul music with a grainy-toned trumpet, the tunes were from his newest album Dark Eyes including the title track, The Dark Eyes Of Martha Hirsch. It was inspired by a painting by expressionist Oskar Kokoschka, Stanko saw in a New York art gallery. Stanko and Bro start the song by playing a muted jutting harmony, building up an intense tension which Tuomarila then exploits in a softly subversive solo. Echos of Miles Davis and Chet Baker his inspirational models were evident here and in a number of the other songs they played tonight, but there was a distinct Nordic influence surrounding their style of playing as well.

More photos will be posted later this week.

Ralph Towner and Paolo Fresu put on a beautiful concert last Sunday night at the Triple Door as part of the Earshot Jazz Spring Series. I especially appreciated the sound of the classical guitar and the trumpet mingling together it was so sweet. Here are the rest of the pictures I wanted to share from the performance.

Best known as the lead composer, guitarist, and keyboardist of the classic jazz ensemble Oregon, Ralph Towner has led a storied four decade career in improvised music. Towner’s blend of jazz, folk, and contemporary classical music offered a compelling alternative to the jazz-rock that ruled much of the 1970s (interestingly enough, however, Towner was also a valuable contributorto some vintage Weather Report line- ups). Towner’s first unaccompanied twelve-string guitar recordings were received as an entirely new musical idiom, and if one artist came to represent that classic ECM sound – spacious, rural, European or classical in design – it was Towner. His working relationship with ECM producer Manfred Eicher led to numerous fruitful collaborations, including recordings with Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, Jan Garbarek, and Gary Burton. Towner is a true innovator, presenting ever fresh ideas while maintaining his rich, “pianistic” approach to guitar.

As one critic has remarked, “his ability to work simultaneous lines, sustain rich harmonics and drones and even get a percussive counterpoint out of the snap of the strings and the thud of the sound-box is what makes his solo playing so rich and multi-dimensional.” A generation removed from Towner, Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu is a premiere exponent of the new Italian jazz. Indebted to Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, and mid-50s Miles Davis, Fresu creates a gorgeous sound on both trumpet and flugelhorn. Fresu has long admired Towner’s work for solo guitar, and paired together the duo creates sparse music of great melodic subtlety. Though they first met some fifteen years ago, Fresu and Towner recently released their first album as a duo, Chiaroscuro (ECM), a masterful exploration of the colors and opportunities afforded by the unique instrumental pairing. The duo’s live performances are augmented by some tasty electronics, and taken altogether Towner and Fresu create a music quite unlike any other.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style. Visit his newest website EYESHOTPHOTOS.COM to see samples of all of his work as a Seattle Photographer.

Ralph Towner and Paolo Fresu performing at the Triple Door Sunday night as  the Earshot Jazz Spring Series continues.

The duo of Towner and Fresu put on a beautiful concert. The sound of the classical guitar and the trumpet mingling together so fluidly was especially compelling. I will post some more pictures of the performance by these two in the coming week.

Best known as the lead composer, guitarist, and keyboardist of the classic jazz ensemble Oregon, Ralph Towner has led a storied four decade career in improvised music. Towner’s blend of jazz, folk, and contemporary classical music offered a compelling alternative to the jazz-rock that ruled much of the 1970s (interestingly enough, however, Towner was also a valuable contributorto some vintage Weather Report line- ups). Towner’s first unaccompanied twelve-string guitar recordings were received as an entirely new musical idiom, and if one artist came to represent that classic ECM sound – spacious, rural, European or classical in design – it was Towner. His working relationship with ECM producer Manfred Eicher led to numerous fruitful collaborations, including recordings with Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, Jan Garbarek, and Gary Burton. Towner is a true innovator, presenting ever fresh ideas while maintaining his rich, “pianistic” approach to guitar.

As one critic has remarked, “his ability to work simultaneous lines, sustain rich harmonics and drones and even get a percussive counterpoint out of the snap of the strings and the thud of the sound-box is what makes his solo playing so rich and multi-dimensional.” A generation removed from Towner, Sardinian trumpeter Paolo Fresu is a premiere exponent of the new Italian jazz. Indebted to Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler, and mid-50s Miles Davis, Fresu creates a gorgeous sound on both trumpet and flugelhorn. Fresu has long admired Towner’s work for solo guitar, and paired together the duo creates sparse music of great melodic subtlety. Though they first met some fifteen years ago, Fresu and Towner recently released their first album as a duo, Chiaroscuro (ECM), a masterful exploration of the colors and opportunities afforded by the unique instrumental pairing. The duo’s live performances are augmented by some tasty electronics, and taken altogether Towner and Fresu create a music quite unlike any other.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style. Visit his newest website EYESHOTPHOTOS.COM to see samples of all of his work as a Seattle Photographer.

Josh Rawlings, Fender Rhodes, Evan Flory-Barnes, double bass, Ahamefule J. Oluo, trumpet, and D’Vonne Lewis, drums performed at the CD release party at Electric Tea Garden Saturday night, up on Capital Hill. It was a great scens and the music was smokin.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Thomas Marriott playing at Tula’s with Mark Taylor

The Earshot Jazz Festival presented the Seattle trumpet ace  Thomas Marriott who brought a brilliant lineup – Mark Taylor, Matt Jorgenson, Jeff Johnson and Travis Shook – to bear on some of his favorite, though seldom performed, compositions. A six-time Golden Ear award winner, Marriott is always seeking to expand the boundaries of jazz music in all its forms. He has performed with Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau band, Rosemary Clooney, Joe Locke, The Tito Puente Orchestra, Eddie Palmieri, Kenny Kirkland, and many others. His diverse interests and skills are reflected in the range and success of his albums. His album Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson was released in early 2008 to wide critical acclaim. Jazz Times declared Marriott a “first-tier trumpet player” with “serious chops and a luxuriant trumpet sound. … This album is a kick in the pants.” His fourth album on Origin Records, Flexicon, was released in April of 2009 and made it to number 10 on the national jazz-radio airplay charts in its first few weeks of release.

Jason Parker Quartet at Lucid Saturday celebrating the release of their new CD No More, No Less in front of a standing room only crowd. Lots of cameras in the room to video and still. A great night. Nice to see so many people in such a great space.

Evan Flory-Barnes on bass.

Jason Parker on trumpet.

The Jason Parker Quartet’s second album, No More, No Less, was released at this special Lucid Jazz Lounge event. The JPQ is: Jason Parker (trumpet), Josh Rawlings (piano), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass) and D’Vonne Lewis (drums). They will be joined on stage, as they are on the album, by guest Cynthia Mullis (tenor saxophone). “No More, No Less” is the follow-up to the JPQ’s self-titled debut album from 2007. The new CD documents the growth the band has gone through during the past two years and illustrates the cohesive, passionate playing that prompted Earshot Jazz to call them “the next generation of Seattle Jazz.” More photos to come.

LUCID JAZZ LOUNGE is at  5241 University Way NE, Seattle

Thomas Marriott  appeared last weekend at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival with his Trio at the Cypress Lounge and Wine Bar at The Westin Bellevue. Thomas here waits as the great organist L. Ron Weinstein, wearing a tie, does his solo on the Hammond B-3 organ

Mark Taylor plays saxophone Tuesday noght at the Triple Door CD release party of Thomas Marriott new CD Flexicon.

Bill Anschell backed up Thomas on piano.

Geoff Harper played bass

John Bishop was on drums.

And

Thomas played trumpet and fluegelhorn. It was a really good evening at the Triple Door.