A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Nov 2005 Vol. 21, No. 11 EARSHOT JAZZSeattle, Washington Earshot Jazz Festival in November, P 4 Conversation with Randy Halberstadt, P 21 Ballard Jazz Festival Preview, P 23 Gary McFarland Revived on Film, P 25 PHOTO BY DANIEL SHEEHAN EARSHOT JAZZ A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community ROCKRGRL Music Conference Executive Director: John Gilbreath Earshot Jazz Editor: Todd Matthews Th e ROCKRGRL Music Conference Highlights of the 2005 conference Editor-at-Large: Peter Monaghan 2005, a weekend symposium of women include keynote addresses by Patti Smith Contributing Writers: Todd Matthews, working in all aspects of the music indus- and Johnette Napolitano; and a Shop Peter Monaghan, Lloyd Peterson try, will take place November 10-12 at Talk Q&A between Bonnie Raitt and Photography: Robin Laanenen, Daniel the Madison Renaissance Hotel in Seat- Ann Wilson. Th e conference will also Sheehan, Valerie Trucchia tle. Th ree thousand people from around showcase almost 250 female-led perfor- Layout: Karen Caropepe Distribution Coordinator: Jack Gold the world attended the fi rst ROCKRGRL mances in various venues throughout Mailing: Lola Pedrini Music Conference including the legend- downtown Seattle at night, and a variety Program Manager: Karen Caropepe ary Ronnie Spector and Courtney Love. of workshops and sessions. Registra- Icons Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart tion and information at: www.rockrgrl. Calendar Information: mail to 3429 were honored with the fi rst Woman of com/conference, or email info@rockrgrl. Fremont Place #309, Seattle WA Valor lifetime achievement Award. com. 98103; fax to (206) 547-6286; or email [email protected] Board of Directors: Fred Gilbert EARSHOT JAZZ presents... (president), Paul Harding (vice-president), Lola Pedrini (treasurer), Jane Eckels (secretary), George Heidorn, Taina Honkalehto, Hideo Makihara, Th omas Duke Ellington’s Marriott, Richard Th urston Sacred Earshot Jazz is published monthly by Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle and is available online at www.earshot.org. Music Subscription (with membership): $35 3429 Fremont Place #309 Seattle, WA 98103 T: (206) 547-6763 Saturday F: (206) 547-6286 Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 December 17 Printed by Pacifi c Publishing Company. 7:30 PM ©2005 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle University Christian Church Earshot Jazz 4731 15th Ave NE Mission Statement Earshot Jazz is a non-profi t arts University District and service organization formed in Seattle 1986 to cultivate a support system for jazz in the community and to increase awareness of jazz. Earshot A Holiday Season Favorite performed by the Jazz pursues its mission through publishing a monthly newsletter, Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra presenting creative music, providing with guest vocalists educational programs, identifying and fi lling career needs for jazz artists, James Caddell and Nichol Eskridge increasing listenership, augmenting Tickets $21 and $26 available at: and complementing existing services and programs, and networking with Earshot Jazz Budʼs Wall of Sound Ticketmaster the national and international jazz (206) 547-6763 Jazz Records Records (206) 628-0888 community. www.earshot.org 1st & Jackson Pine & Melrose 2 • Earshot Jazz • November 2005 Chesky release in January string noise and texture group Noggin’ (Nov. 19); and Blue 4 Trio (Nov. 26). Vocalist Valerie Joyce has recently completed recording sessions in New York for her debut Chesky release which Jazz Vespers and Hot will be available in record stores in late Club Sandwich January. She worked with pianist Andy Ezrin and his trio featuring Gene Jackson Seattle Jazz Vespers will feature Hot on drums, Tim Lefevre, and Jon Hebert Club Sandwich on Nov. 6 at 6pm in the on bass, and Lawrence Feldman on historic gothic sanctuary of Seattle First saxophones. Baptist Church on First Hill, at the corner COVER PHOTO: of Seneca and Harvard streets. Blending Floyd Standifer performing three guitars, bass, violin, and mandolin, at the Legends of Seattle Noriega in the Studio the acoustic sextet (which includes guitar- Jazz concert at this year’s Pianist Victor Noriega was due to ist and banjoist Vince Brown, guitarist be in the studio late last month to re- Kevin Connor, mandolin player Matt Earshot Jazz Festival, cord his second CD this month. It’ll be Sircely, and musicians Greg Ruby and which continues through called Alay (pronounced AHL-lye, which Tim Wetmiller) maintains a reverence November 6. means “offering” in Tagalog). It is a col- for the “Gypsy Jazz” of Django Rein- lection of classic Filipino folk songs and hardt and Stephanne Grapelli’s Quintette Earshot Jazz Festival Tagalog numbers, filtered through the du Hot Club de France, and draws on Tickets and Information perspective of a Filipino-American jazz a repertoire that ranges broadly from (206) 547-9787 musician – that’d be Victor Noriega. American big band standards, European A couple of originals will appear on jazz, Brazilian music, and traditional www.earshot.org the CD, too. Noriega has arranged these Gypsy folk tunes pieces for his trio – himself, on piano; Willie Anderson, on bass; and Eric Eagle, on drums – and is making the recording with the support of a residency at Jack Straw Productions. Noriega will hold a release party at the Triple Door on Sunday, December 4, together with Charmaine Clamor, a Filipina vocalist from LA. Also on the night, Michael Konik, a poker commen- tator on Fox Sports Net (no kidding), will sing a couple of songs with Noriega’s outfit. For more information, see www. noriegamusic.com. Sonarchy in November Sonarchy Radio—which is broadcast on KEXP, Seattle (90.3fm) and KXOT, Tacoma/Olympia (91.7fm) Saturday nights from midnight to 1am, and fea- tures jazz and improvised offerings—will feature Akoma Drum Ensemble (Nov. 5), a group of drummers led by Yaw Ampon- Inside this issue... sah that performs Ashanti rhythms from Notes _____________________________ 2 Monhart, Keplinger & Co ________ 19 central Ghana; Oxygen Ensemble (Nov. In One Ear ________________________ 3 Conversation w/ R. Halberstadt __ 21 12), which includes bassist Thomas Bell, Festival Events in November ___ 4-18 Ballard Jazz Fest Preview ________ 23 trumpeter Dave Carter, and percussion- Interview with Wayne Horvitz ______ 9 Interview with Kristin St. Clair ___ 25 ists Olli Klomp and Franklin Starbody; The Streets of Kinshasa _________ 13 Jazz Calendar ___________________ 28 November 2005 • Earshot Jazz • 3 EARSHOT JAZZ FESTIVAL in November Tuesday November 1, Triple Door, 7pm & Tuesday Nov 1, Edmonds Woodway H. S. Wednesday November 2, Triple Door, 7pm & 9:30pm Wednesday Nov 2, Consolidated Works, 8pm 9:30pm Jeff “Tain” Watts Cuong Vu Trio Ravi Coltrane Quartet $10 general / $8 members & discount Quartet $20 general / $18 members & discount Th e trumpet/electronics individualist $20 general / $18 members & discount Cuong Vu (a regular in the Pat Metheny Group) presents his own jazz-rock trio, Th e versatile, entrancing, polyrhyth- with the astonishing Stomu Takeishi mic tenor and soprano saxophonist, at on percussion, and Ted Poor on bass. once a postbop classicist and progressive Vu’s distinctive musical gifts have by funkster, appears with his killer combo. now taken him from Seattle, where he As he demonstrated on In Flux, this year, was raised after arriving from Saigon in Coltrane has built a winning personal 1975 at the age of 6, to club and con- vocabulary from both jazz classicism and cert venues around the world. At New the funk-oriented M-Base sound, play- England Conservatory of Music, he was ing the tunes of masters like Th elonious mentored by the innovative saxophon- Monk and his father, John Coltrane, as ist Joe Maneri, who encouraged him to well as compelling originals. Coltrane impart to the trumpet his own concep- served a dedicated apprenticeship, ap- Th e modern drum titan leads a thrill- tions of its sonic possibilities, which he pearing with a host of leaders. He had ing quartet. For 20 years a drummers’ did, with reference not only to jazz but inherited, of course, a mighty legacy. drummer, Jeff “Tain” Watts came to also to classical and new-classical com- Named for Ravi Shankar, he was born the prominence through his stellar early second son of John and Alice Coltrane, collaboration with saxophonist Branford in Long Island in 1965, and raised in Los Marsalis, which bristled with intense Angeles. He began as a clarinetist, while interplay and in which it was not always his mother, an eclectic multiinstrumen- clear who was in charge, so provocative talist, inspired his interest in many kinds was the hypertalented percussionist. His of music of the world, from his father’s work with his own band, including on recordings, to classical music, to her per- last year’s Detained at the Blue Note, a formances and to recording sessions. She live record, have revealed that he has played my father’s LP’s and recordings the compositional talent and sense to of classical music, R&B, soul, popular drive a whole band to great heights, too. music, symphonic music, fi lm scores, Combining muscle and fi nesse, Watts is and much else. After studying in the late a startling technician with an uncanny 1980s at Cal Arts, he joined Elvin Jones’ ability to parse out time and reconfi g- group, and then with fellow saxophonist ure it to great eff ect, always driving the Steve Coleman’s groundbreaking outfi ts. music and his bandmates forward. He By 1997, he had recorded on over 30 has explosive power, blinding speed, and PHOTO BY VALERIE TRUCCHIA albums as a sideman, and was set to lead mastery of percussion complexity, but position and performance. In New York his own session, Moving Pictures. Adept he also plays with delight, wit, elegance, since 1994, his idiosyncracy has attracted in both blistering power and calm, rich and composure.