Comments on: New York Times: “Seattle’s jazz scene could be model for other cities” http://thesunbreak.com/2010/09/19/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities-2/ Curious Georges in a conversation with Seattle Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:14:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Jason Parker http://thesunbreak.com/2010/09/19/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities-2/#comment-3220 Jason Parker Tue, 21 Sep 2010 04:34:00 +0000 /2010/09/18/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities#comment-3220 Ryan - I believe the session you are referring to is The Hang, which started at Lo-Fi but moved to Lucid about 2 years ago. It still has that same feel, with musicians and audience both invested in what's going on on the stage. Check it out some Thursday!<br/><br/>Greg - The guys you mention are absolutely wonderful and we're lucky to have them here in Seattle. I didn't mean to suggest that Vu was the sole reason for what's going on in Seattle, but that his presence and effect on the students at the UW has upped the ante and the visibility of the scene. Of course it's been going on since before his arrival, and will be going on long after he's gone. But his students have become very visible and are creating performance and recording opportunities for themselves that I felt should be spotlighted. <br/><br/>There's no way to write a piece like this without leaving someone out, but I think it's important to celebrate the good that is going on and tell ALL the stories. As I said in the comments to the NYT piece, the visibility of one aspect of the scene helps us all. I thought Chinen did a great job shining the spotlight on one facet of the jazz world in Seattle. Sure, it's only one facet, but that doesn't lessen its importance or impact. I chose to read his piece as a glimpse, not a definitive survey, of what's happening here.<br/><br/>I would be happy to talk to you further about this and write a follow-up to this piece. My goal in writing about jazz for the Sunbreak is to spotlight all the different facets of the Seattle scene. It won't happen in one article, but over time I hope you'll come to see me as an ally for all that is jazz in Seattle. Being a working jazz musician myself I know how little attention we get, and I hope to change that. And I'm always open to suggestions. <br/><br/>I appreciate you taking the time to comment and look forward to more discussions about what is going well and what could be going better.<br/><br/>Jason Parker Ryan – I believe the session you are referring to is The Hang, which started at Lo-Fi but moved to Lucid about 2 years ago. It still has that same feel, with musicians and audience both invested in what’s going on on the stage. Check it out some Thursday!

Greg – The guys you mention are absolutely wonderful and we’re lucky to have them here in Seattle. I didn’t mean to suggest that Vu was the sole reason for what’s going on in Seattle, but that his presence and effect on the students at the UW has upped the ante and the visibility of the scene. Of course it’s been going on since before his arrival, and will be going on long after he’s gone. But his students have become very visible and are creating performance and recording opportunities for themselves that I felt should be spotlighted.

There’s no way to write a piece like this without leaving someone out, but I think it’s important to celebrate the good that is going on and tell ALL the stories. As I said in the comments to the NYT piece, the visibility of one aspect of the scene helps us all. I thought Chinen did a great job shining the spotlight on one facet of the jazz world in Seattle. Sure, it’s only one facet, but that doesn’t lessen its importance or impact. I chose to read his piece as a glimpse, not a definitive survey, of what’s happening here.

I would be happy to talk to you further about this and write a follow-up to this piece. My goal in writing about jazz for the Sunbreak is to spotlight all the different facets of the Seattle scene. It won’t happen in one article, but over time I hope you’ll come to see me as an ally for all that is jazz in Seattle. Being a working jazz musician myself I know how little attention we get, and I hope to change that. And I’m always open to suggestions.

I appreciate you taking the time to comment and look forward to more discussions about what is going well and what could be going better.

Jason Parker

]]> By: Greg Campbell http://thesunbreak.com/2010/09/19/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities-2/#comment-3219 Greg Campbell Mon, 20 Sep 2010 17:28:00 +0000 /2010/09/18/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities#comment-3219 It's true that Cuong Vu's presence at the UW has sparked a good deal of this activity. But the creative and experimental spark in Seattle's "jazz" community is hardly new. I was a disappointed, in particular (both in Nate Chinen's NY Times piece and this one, that there was no mention of the role played by both Stuart Dempster and Bill Smith, two international luminaries who happen to live in Seattle, and who together ran the Contemporary Group for 30 years at the UW School of Music. Both are performers and improvisors as well as published authors and composers. Their open-ended approach was a jumping off point for many of the creative music scenes in Seattle, including some of the so-called grunge era music. Also missing was any mention of Gallery 1412, which started as the Polestar Music Gallery in 2002, and which consistently featured creative musicians from the local scene and also from as far away as Europe and Japan. Since Polestar's end, the space continues to operate as a collectively run space that features music from across the spectrum. And it certainly would be worth mentioning the presence of Merce Cunningham (who had a long-running collaboration with Dempster), John Cage, and Lou Harrison at the Cornish College of the Arts. It’s true that Cuong Vu’s presence at the UW has sparked a good deal of this activity. But the creative and experimental spark in Seattle’s “jazz” community is hardly new. I was a disappointed, in particular (both in Nate Chinen’s NY Times piece and this one, that there was no mention of the role played by both Stuart Dempster and Bill Smith, two international luminaries who happen to live in Seattle, and who together ran the Contemporary Group for 30 years at the UW School of Music. Both are performers and improvisors as well as published authors and composers. Their open-ended approach was a jumping off point for many of the creative music scenes in Seattle, including some of the so-called grunge era music. Also missing was any mention of Gallery 1412, which started as the Polestar Music Gallery in 2002, and which consistently featured creative musicians from the local scene and also from as far away as Europe and Japan. Since Polestar’s end, the space continues to operate as a collectively run space that features music from across the spectrum. And it certainly would be worth mentioning the presence of Merce Cunningham (who had a long-running collaboration with Dempster), John Cage, and Lou Harrison at the Cornish College of the Arts.

]]> By: Ryan http://thesunbreak.com/2010/09/19/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities-2/#comment-3218 Ryan Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:50:00 +0000 /2010/09/18/new-york-times-seattles-jazz-scene-could-be-model-for-other-cities#comment-3218 I'm not sure if they're still doing it but for quite awhile on Wednesday nights young jazz musicians would gather in the front room at the Lo-Fi on Eastlake for an epic jam session. The great thing about that venue is that you literally sit among the musicians as if you're in a very large family room. I’m not sure if they’re still doing it but for quite awhile on Wednesday nights young jazz musicians would gather in the front room at the Lo-Fi on Eastlake for an epic jam session. The great thing about that venue is that you literally sit among the musicians as if you’re in a very large family room.

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