With so many shows and events to choose from it can be daunting and downright paralyzing to figure out what to see and hear. But never fear--I'm here to help! As a working jazz musician myself, I thought it might be helpful to hip you to the shows I'm most excited about. Some of these artists might be familiar to you already, but there are some names on the schedule that are known only to the jazz cognoscenti (a group I humbly and rather geekily put myself in). Either way these are must-see shows that will be talked about all year.
With that I give you One Working Musician's Top 10 Guide to the Earshot Jazz Festival (in chronological order):
1. Friday, Oct. 15th - Kora Band at Tula's
The Kora band is the brainchild of Portland pianist Andrew Oliver. Not your typical jazz band, the group is built around the playing of Kane Mathis on the 21-string Kora, a traditional harp from West Africa. The group is rounded out by some of Seattle's finest young musicians, including Chad McCullough on trumpet, Brady Millard-Kish on bass and Mark DiFlorio on drums. The group's combination of West African rhythms and melodies and its members' formidable improvising chops has left me breathless when I've seen them perform.
Here's a video of the band from their recent CD Release Party:
2. Sunday, Oct. 16th - Robert Glasper Trio at The Triple Door
Glasper is one of the most celebrated young cats on the scene today. His trio is equally at home playing straight-ahead bop and modern jazz. And like many jazz musicians of his generation, he stretches outside the jazz genre in his own groups and as a sideman with the likes of Q-Tip, MeShell Ndegeocello, Kanye West and Bilal. You're just as likely to hear him quoting J Dilla as you are Thelonious Monk, and that's a good thing for jazz! Glasper is also a bit of a ham on stage, and you never know what he might say...jokes, asides and non sequiturs are a regular part of his performances. I saw him perform at Jazz Alley last year and it was one of the stand-out shows I've seen in a while. The show really provide the past, present and future of jazz all in one night! Preceding the concert will be a special showing of one segment from Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense , a film about the current state of jazz made by Seattle filmmakers.
Here's a video showing the trio in action, playing a mash-up of Radiohead's "Everything In It's Right Place" and Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage":
3. Thursday, Oct. 21st - Julian Priester / David Haney Duo at the Chapel Performance Space
With Floyd Standifer and Hadley Caliman passing in the last couple years, Julian Priester is certainly one of the true patriarchs of the Seattle jazz scene. at 75 years old, the trombonist is a walking encyclopedia of jazz, having played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Herbie Hancock just to name a few. He's been teaching at Cornish College since 1979 and steadily playing with modern jazz luminaries like Dave Holland, Sam Rivers and Seattle's own Dawn Clement. He's been playing in the duo with pianist David Haney for years as well, and the two have 5 CDs out. Haney also has a long list of stellar musicians he's worked with including Andrew Cyrille, Bernard Purdie, Han Bennink, Bud Shank, Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai. Together these two master improvisers weave free jazz lines that sometimes find common ground and somet deliberately fight each other. Whatever the case, the result is thrilling and shows just how captivating free improvising can be.
Here's Priester in a more electronic mode with Marcus Wood:
4. Saturday, Oct. 23rd - Wellstone Conspiracy at Tula's
If you're a fan of more straight-ahead fare, you won't get much better that Wellstone Conspiracy, featuring Idaho's Brent Jensen on sax and the Seattle trio of Bill Anschell on piano, Jeff Johnson on bass and John Bishop on drums. The band celebrates the release of their new CD, Motives , on Origin Records tonight. Jensen is a superb player, bringing to mind a more modern Paul Desmond with is dry sound and intricate lines. He and Anschell have been playing together for years and have a telepathic chemistry which is only enhanced by the addition of Johnson and Bishop, both masters at their respective instruments. Originals and standards are in good hands with this group.
Here's Jensen & Anschell playing "You and the Night and the Music":
5. Sunday, Oct. 24th - Gretchen Parlato Group at The Triple Door
To me, Gretchen Parlato is the most exciting jazz vocalist to come along since Cassandra Wilson. Parlato cut her teeth singing standards, but she has developed into a wonderful writer and a unique voice. She's a true improviser, which is why jazz musicians of all stripes are singing her praises and playing with her. Her latest album, In a Dream , has been in my CD player since it came out and I have yet to tire of it. I've never seen her live and am really excited about this show! Opening is saxophonist Tia Fuller, another up-and-coming voice in the jazz world.
Here she is with a beautiful take on Herbie Hancock's "Butterfly":
6. Tuesday, Oct. 26th - Matt Jorgensen Quintet at The Triple Door
Jorgensen is a fixture on the Seattle jazz scene. As one of the principles behind Origin Records, the Ballard Jazz Festival and one of the most in-demand drummers, Matt has his hands in a large percentage of the jazz that happens in Seattle. This is the CD Release Party and world premiere of his latest project, "Tattooed By Passion". The CD features original compositions inspired by the paintings or renowned Denver painter Dale Chisman, who was also Jorgensen's father-in-law. The songs on the record are lush, cinematic and beautiful, and are played by the crack band of Seattle jazz cats Thomas Marriott on trumpet and Mark Taylor on sax, Portland's Dave Captein on bass and Utah guitarist Corey Christiansen. Besides the compositions themselves, the standout on this disc is Christiansen, who's guitar adds so many different textures to the music, from delicate and soft to out and out rockin'! The band will be joined by a string quartet as well for this unique performance.
Here's a cool video about the making of the album:
7. Wednesday, Oct. 27th - The Teaching at The Triple Door
The Teaching is one of the most exciting young groups on the Seattle jazz scene today. Of course, I'm biased, as pianist Josh Rawlings and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes are in my band, and drummer Jeremy Jones subs for us when our regular drummer is not available. These three musicians are truly blazing new trails and combining genres to form a sound all their own. Any given tune might meander from swing to rock to hip hop to funk and back again, all the while sounding perfectly logical and succinct. The group has been playing weekly at LUCID Jazz Lounge (and Lo-Fi before that) for 3 years, hosting "The Hang", a collaborative session that has become one of the cornerstones of the "new Seattle" sound. They also won Earshot’s 2009 NW Acoustic Jazz Group of the Year and Band of the Year at the 2010 Inside/Out Jazz Awards. Come see what all the fuss is about!
Here's The Teaching from one of their previous sold-out shows at The Triple Door:
8. Friday, Oct. 29th - Steve Lehman Octet at Seattle Art Museum
Steve Lehman has played the festival before, last time in a solo sax with electronics setting. This year he's back with his all-star octet, featuring Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Mark Shim on tenor sax, Jacob Garchik on trombone, Chris Dingman on vibes, Jose Davila on tuba, Drew Gress on bass, and Cody Brown on drums. Lehman's latest release Travail, Transformation & Flow has won numerous awards and accolades and is a stunning example of modern large-group jazz composition and execution. It's jagged, sweet, intellectual and emotional all at the same time. I can only imagine how powerful this music will be live!
Here's a cool little documentary about Steve and his music:
9. Friday, Nov. 5th - Brian Blade & the Fellowship Band at the EMP
Drummer Brian Blade has become one of the most in-demand drummers of his generation, playing with countless jazz heavies such as Wayne Shorter, Norah Jones, Bill Frisell, and Ellis Marsalis, as well as non-jazz folks like Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Joni Mitchell. He's a force of nature on the drums from the Tony Williams school, and plays with a controlled reckless abandon that is captivating and thrilling, all the while with a huge smile on his face. His Fellowship Band has released a number of great albums and toes the line between numerous genres. Call it a folk-jazz band, a jazz-folk band, or better yet, just go see them for yourselves! There will be a screening of a segment of Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense before this show as well.
Here's the Fellowship Band in all their glory:
10. Saturday, Nov. 6th - U-District Jazz Walk
If you want the most bang for your buck, head to the University District Jazz Walk to catch 17 bands in 15 venues, all for one low price! Many of Seattle's top young performers are featured in the Jazz Walk, which is also the 2nd Anniversary Celebration for LUCID Jazz Lounge. Check the full schedule here.
It was hard to narrow the field to 10! I have to give honorable mention to Matana Roberts COIN COIN, Meklit Hadero, DJ Spooky with Josh Roman and the Odean Quartet, Ryiuchi Sakamoto, Mavis Staples and Rufus Reid. But really, any show you pick will be well worth your while!
If you'll pardon just a wee bit of self-promotion here, my new podcast, Jazz Now! Seattle, will be previewing all the Seattle musicians involved in the festival over the next four weeks, playing music from as many of them as we can. And I'm excited to be playing the festival this year with my piano player Josh Rawlings. We'll be playing at Mars Bistrot on Saturday, November 6, as part of the U-District Jazz Walk. See you there!
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