Roosevelt High School Jazz Band
October 17th, 2011
On the opening night of the 2011 Earshot Jazz Festival two of the top three bands in this year’s Essentially Ellington competition at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center assure Seattle’s jazz future. Roosevelt & Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Bands Performed. here are some pictures of the Roosevelt band I manages to get. Scott Brown conducts the Roosevelt HS Jazz Band. To see more pictures and to order prints see Roosevelt Web Gallery.
Being selected to participate in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual Essentially Ellington competition in New York is a prestigious honor that has been bestowed upon Seattle-area bands many times in the competition’s 16-year history. This year, 110 schools applied to the competition; 15 were invited to compete, including the Roosevelt and Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Bands. Those two bands were on stage at Town Hall, playing some of the swinging Count Basie tunes that got them second and third place, respectively, in the competition.
The Roosevelt High School Jazz Band remains a titan of big band excellence. They have been to the Essentially Ellington competition 12 of the last 16 years. Praised far and wide for their strong ensemble playing, the band performs under the direction of Scott Brown, a dedicated teacher and accomplished jazz artist. Brown is himself a trombonist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and recipient of the 2007 KCTS Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education. To see more pictures and to order prints see Roosevelt Web Gallery.
Earshot Jazz Festival Opening Night
October 17th, 2011
John Gilbreath, Executive Director of Earshot Jazz, Introduces the Roosevelt HS Jazz Band on the first night of the 2011 Earshot Jazz festival.
Emi Meyer’s Japan Trio
October 16th, 2011
Performing at Tula’s tonight as the 2011 Earshot Jazz Festival continues in its first weekend was Emi Meyer and her Japan Trio. I was taken aback with how wonderful she played and sang. The Kyoto-born, Seattle-raised pianist and vocalist, who won the Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition in 2007 and has topped Japanese jazz charts, appeared with Motoki Yamaguchi (drums) and Masanori Hattori (bass). In addition she had local guitarist MILO PETERSEN sit in and join them. Emi and Milo met last spring at a benefit performance raising funds for Japanese victims of the earthquake and hit it off. I wish I could have stayed for the entire set but I had to cover Eric Vloeimans’ Gatecrash at SAM. See the rest of the Earshot Jazz Festival Schedule
Born in Kyoto, Japan, and raised in Seattle, Emi Meyer’s culturally rich heritage has shaped the unique jazz-inspired pop sound heard on her three albums to date, including one recorded entirely in Japanese. Meyer began her musical career early in life, starting with classical piano at the age of 6 and eventually expanding to jazz “for the spontaneity it offered.”
It was her jazz background that paved the way for her win at the 2007 Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition – a contest between residents of Seattle and its sister city of Kobe, Japan. Following her win, Meyer had the first of many performances in Japan, where she has subsequently enjoyed a great deal of success, and she credits the competition with giving her the courage to ultimately pursue her musical ambitions. With the release of her first album, Curious Creature, Emi was invited to perform at the legendary Sundance Film Festival and shot to the very top of the Japanese jazz charts after her single “Room Blue” was chosen Single of the Week on iTunes.
She continues to evolve as an artist, and her latest work, Suitcase of Stones, is a refreshingly unique blend of jazz, pop and soul, using powerful lyrics carried effortlessly along by her signature melodies. The record was mixed and mastered by Husky Huskolds, who has worked with the likes of Norah Jones and Yael Naim. Japan Times praised Meyer’s performance on Suitcase of Stones, citing Meyer’s “gift for belting out warm, wistful songs with a hint of nostalgia.”
Fresh from a string of charity concerts to support the country that has given her so much, Meyer is joined for this Earshot Jazz Festival performance by Motoki Yamaguchi (drums) and Masanori Hattori (bass).It was her jazz background that paved the way for her win at the 2007 Seattle-Kobe Jazz Vocalist Competition – a contest between residents of Seattle and its sister city of Kobe, Japan. Following her win, Meyer had the first of many performances in Japan, where she has subsequently enjoyed a great deal of success, and she credits the competition with giving her the courage to ultimately pursue her musical ambitions. With the release of her first album, Curious Creature, Emi was invited to perform at the legendary Sundance Film Festival and shot to the very top of the Japanese jazz charts after her single “Room Blue” was chosen Single of the Week on iTunes.
Eric Vloeimans’ Gatecrash | Earshot jazz Festival
October 16th, 2011
The Earshot Jazz Festival started a couple of days ago and I am already falling behind. I will attempt to catch up over the next few days and provide pictures from as many performances as I can. Tonight I will begin here with the incomparable Eric Vloeimans and his group Gatecrash. they put on an amazing and mesmerizing performance at The Seattle Art Museum.
The stellar Dutch trumpeter’s Gatecrash chain-links lazy lounge, hard-core beats, spaced-out moods, and Zappaesque meters, with soundscapist Jeroen van Vliet, Gulli Gudmundsson on bass and effects, and emerging drum star Jasper van Hulten. For more information on the Earshot Jazz Festival Schedule check out their website.
Trio Commando DEBUT
October 1st, 2011
Trio Commando made their public debut last noght at the chapel Performance Space opening up for Eric Barber, performing improvisations, excavations and conversations through a high powered trio configuration featuring Wayne Horvitz (piano), Samantha Boshnack(trumpets), and Beth Fleenor (clarinets/voice). Unexpected and brilliant set of music with exciting electronic and vocal intermixing.
Since arriving in Seattle in 1998, clarinetist/vocal percussionist/ composer Beth Fleenor has carved a place for herself as an energetic multi-instrumentalist and dynamic generative artist. Her robust sound, organic approach, and openness to experimentation in all forms, actively fuels a long and varied list of collaborations. Ranging from shows in nightclubs, festivals, schools and galleries, to prisons, parties and concert halls, Fleenor’s work has been featured in live music, theater, performance art, recordings, modern dance, film, sound art and art installations.
Samantha Boshnack has composed and performed with a plethora of Seattle-based musicians and groups since arriving from New York in 2003. The Bard College graduate uses a broad palette in her compositions, including jazz, rock, hip-hop, Balkan, and contemporary classical music influences. Her work has received acclaim from music critics around the world, and has received support from 4Culture, Jack Straw Productions, ASCAPlus, and the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Wayne Horvitz is a composer, pianist, electronic musician, and producer. He has toured widely, and has collaborated with musicians such as Bill Frisell, Butch Morris, John Zorn, Robin Holcomb, Fred Frith, Julian Priester, Michael Shrieve, Bobby Previte, Marty Ehrlich, William Parker, Ron Miles, Sara Schoenbeck, Peggy Lee, Briggan Krauss, and many others. A recipient of numerous commissions and awards, his various ensembles include The President, Pigpen, Zony Mash, The HMP Trio, The New York Composers Orchestra, The 4 Plus 1 Ensemble, Sweeter Than the Day and The Gravitas Quartet.
Presented by NONSEQUITUR, which supports a wide range of adventurous music and sound art through recordings, performances, and exhibitions since 1989. They currently sponsor the Wayward Music Series in the Chapel Performance Space at the historic Good Shepherd Center in the Wallingford neighborhood.
Eric Barber SOLO
October 1st, 2011
Saxophonist Eric Barber, an innovative saxophonist and composer in the world of jazz, world, and improvised music gave a solo performance last night at the Chapel Performance Space. I was entranced by the sounds he blew and recorded in his black box and then played on top of again and again and twice he played pieces with recorded human voices including his young daughter’s. Beautiful.
Presented by NONSEQUITUR, which supports a wide range of adventurous music and sound art through recordings, performances, and exhibitions since 1989. They currently sponsor the Wayward Music Series in the Chapel Performance Space at the historic Good Shepherd Center in the Wallingford neighborhood.
Complex, emotional, and spontaneous, Eric Barber’s boundless musical energy and creativity have made him a favorite collaborator with master musicians from the United States, India, Iran, and the Balkans. Exploring the full sonic capabilities of his instruments, Barber fuses complex rhythmic structures and multiphonics with a keen ear and compositional sensibility. For this concert Eric will perform acoustic solo saxophone compositions and improvisations, as well as works with electronics. Sonic, metric, rhythmic, and melodic concepts are unified into cohesive pieces that have compositional structure yet allow for deep improvisatory exploration from performance to performance.
DAFNIS PRIETO Wins $500,000 MacArthur Foundation “Genius Awards”
September 20th, 2011
Dafnis Prieto performing last year with his Proverb Trio at the Crocodile as presented by the Earshot Jazz Festival 2010
It was announced today that jazz percussionist and composer Dafnis Prieto has been awarded a $500,000 so called “Genius Awards” by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
When the 25 year old Cuban born percussionist Dafnis Prieto’s arrived on the New York scene back in 1999 it sent shock waves throughout the jazz world. His subsequent years of performing, composing and recording have gone a long way toward cementing his place as one of the world’s preeminent percussionists. If fact, many believe he is revolutionizing the art of drumming. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation just might be among those who believe this.
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.
