Jeff Johnson Photo by Daniel Sheehan NOTES
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A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community June 2012 Vol. 28, No. 6 EARSHOT JAZZSeattle, Washington Jeff Johnson Photo by Daniel Sheehan NOTES Eddie Creed Memorial Concert Submissions should include a recorded Roosevelt High Takes Second Join in a memorial get together for sample of a project that can be per- Place at Ellington Competition pianist Eddie Creed at the New Or- formed in a concert setting. Selected Taking place at New York City’s leans Creole Restaurant, Sunday June artists are scheduled for performances famed Avery Fisher Hall on May 6, the 10, 4pm-8pm. A veteran and lifelong on July 12, 19, 26. Artists are paid a final concert at the 17th Annual Essen- jazz pianist, Creed was born in 1935 competitive fee for the performance. tially Ellington High School Jazz Band and died from complications due to Please send questions and submissions Competition & Festival, presented by throat cancer. electronically to [email protected]; or Jazz at Lincoln Center, featured the by mail to Earshot Jazz, 3429 Fremont Call for Artists, Deadline June 4 three top-placing bands performing Place N., #309, Seattle, WA 98103. Call with a member of the Jazz at Lincoln The submissions deadline for the Jazz: (206) 547-6763 with questions. Center Orchestra as a soloist. At an The Second Century series is June 4. awards ceremony after the performanc- es, Wynton Marsalis presented prizes and cash awards to each of the 15 final- ist bands. Christopher Dorsey, Direc- tor of the Dillard Center for the Arts, accepted the 1st place trophy and an THE SECOND CENTURY award of $5,000. Seattle’s Scott Brown, Director of Roosevelt High School, accepted the 2nd place trophy and an JA award of $2,500. Peter Francis, Direc- tor of New World School of the Arts, accepted the 3rd place trophy and an award of $1,000. Rio Americano High School was named honorable mention NEW MUSIC band and received an award of $750. The remaining 11 finalist bands and BY SEATTLE ARTISTS winning community ensemble were IN THREE CONCERTS awarded certificates of merit and cash awards of $500. Local jazz bands from Ballard High School and Mountlake Terrace High School were among that group of finalists. Mountlake Terrace received awards for outstanding reeds ARTISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED MID JUNE JULY and outstanding rhythm sections. Jade T CHAPEL PERFORMANCE SPACE Likkel of Ballard High School won the AT GOOD SHEPHERD CENTER outstanding vocalist award. All mon- H 12 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle etary awards go toward improving the U schools’ jazz programs. Awards for out- Admission sliding scale $5 -15 standing soloists and sections were also 19 R Tickets and information available at presented. Competition performances www.earshot.org (206) 547-6763 S 26 of all the bands were streamed live and D are archived at http://www.jalc.org/es- A sentiallyellington2012. Y PRESENTED BY EARSHOT JAZZ, A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION CONTINUED ON PAGE 23 2 • EARSHOT JAZZ • June 2012 EARSHOT JAZZ IN ONE EAR A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Bill Frisell Awarded Doris Duke Jim Wilke’s Jazz NW June Lineup Executive Director John Gilbreath Artist Fellowships Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwest features Managing Director Karen Caropepe Seattle-based musician and compos- the artists and events of the regional er Bill Frisell and more than a dozen jazz scene. The radio program airs Sun- Earshot Jazz Editor Danielle Bias days at 1pm on 88.5 KPLU and is also Assistant Editor Schraepfer Harvey other American performing artists have been named as part of the first available online in an archived pod- Contributing Writers Christine Beaderstadt, class of Doris Duke Artists, a new ini- cast. Jazz Northwest is recorded and Mark Bonicillo, Libby Graham, Steve tiative of the Doris Duke Charitable produced by Jim Wilke, exclusively Griggs, Peter Monaghan Foundation (DDCF). Frisell and the for KPLU. See jazznw.org for program Calendar Editor Schraepfer Harvey other artists receive a multi-year cash schedule and updates. Calendar Volunteer Tim Swetonic grant of $225,000, plus as much as Sonarchy June Lineup Photography Daniel Sheehan $50,000 more in targeted support for Layout Kawika Sweeney retirement savings and audience de- Sonarchy broadcasts Sundays at Mailing Karen Caropepe and volunteers velopment. DDCF is granting these midnight (PST) on 90.3 KEXP. The Send Calendar Information to: awards as part of a $50 million, ten- shows can be heard live at KEXP.org 3429 Fremont Place N, #309 year commitment over and above its and are available as a podcasts shortly Seattle, WA 98103 Doug Haire existing funding for the performing after they air. is the pro- fax / (206) 547-6286 arts. More information about the Do- ducer and mixes these live shows. On email / [email protected] Brent Arnold ris Duke Performing Artist Awards is June 3, present cello Board of Directors Kenneth W. Masters available at www.ddpaa.org. solos with a wildly unorthodox ap- (president), Richard Thurston (vice- proach, using amplification, guitar- president), Renee Staton (treasurer), Hideo Myra Melford Receives Alpert like fingerpicking, electronics and Makihara (secretary), Clarence Acox, Bill Award in the Arts techniques from Arabic, Eastern and Broesamle, George Heidorn, Femi Lakeru, Pianist Myra Melford has been African music. Then on June 10,Dull Lola Pedrini, Paul Toliver, Cuong Vu named one of five 2012 winners of Knife presents hardcore Seattle elec- Earshot Jazz is published monthly by the 18th annual Alpert Award in the tronics with Adam Svenson on bass Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle and is Arts. The award, which “recognizes and vocals joined by Garek Druss available online at www.earshot.org. past performance and future promise,” on synth, drum machine and vocals. Subscription (with membership): $35 includes a prize of $75,000. A former Next on June 17, the show features 3429 Fremont Place #309 Northwest resident, Melford earned a Racer Session #4, a series highlight- Seattle, WA 98103 BA from Evergreen State College in ing artists associated with the Racer phone / (206) 547-6763 Olympia and completed her studies Sessions collective. This session is all fax / (206) 547-6286 with Art Lande and Gary Peacock at acoustic and features Andrew Olm- Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 the Cornish College of the Arts. Mel- stead on piano, Andrew Swanson on Printed by Pacific Publishing Company ford is currently Assistant Professor of clarinet, Neil Welch on saxophones, © 2012 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle Improvisation and Jazz in the Music and Chris Icasiano and Evan Woo- Department at the University of Cali- dle on drums. The month’s programs fornia at Berkeley. wrap up on June 24 with Phantom MISSION STATEMENT Empire. First heard in May 2002, this Earshot Jazz is a non-profit arts and service Jam Session News organization formed in 1984 to cultivate a show comes from the mind of the late support system for jazz in the community The Gus Carns Wednesday session at Robert Jenkins – master conceptual- and to increase awareness of jazz. Earshot the Royal Room has ended. Carns is ist, guitarist and improviser. Featur- Jazz pursues its mission through publishing a focusing on rehearsing his quartet; you ing an elaborate, high-decibel feed- monthly newsletter, presenting creative music, can still view his early ambition for the providing educational programs, identifying and back system, radio transmitters and filling career needs for jazz artists, increasing jam session and reach the young pia- an unearthly choir of voices, Phantom listenership, augmenting and complementing nist at www.royalsession.com. Pianist Empire takes radio and the internet existing services and programs, and networking Tim Kennedy hosts a Tuesday session right out to the edge. with the national and international jazz there, 9:30pm. community. June 2012 • EARSHOT JAZZ • 3 PROFILE Jeff Johnson Open to the Moment By Steve Griggs Jeff Johnson does not typically plot lines of bass notes on each beat. No. He’s a musical surfer dude. Atop his fingerboard, he scans musical swells – open to possibilities, sensing move- ment. When the Zen is right, he fear- lessly carves melodies in breaking sound waves. Leaning forward. Cutting left. Gliding. Dancing in the spray. With equal measure of instinct and intellect, it appears easy. In sync, in sound, inside the music. This balance comes from a life of no regrets. Pursuing his muse, Johnson faced down demons that haunt pioneer- ing artists. “You could say I’ve explored as far out in the universe as I could go,” says Johnson. The quest becomes mu- sic. “I want to hear searching.” Johnson is not alone in the search. He finds other open-minded collaborators along his path and builds deep musical relationships. Standouts include drum- mers Philly Joe Jones, Tad Britton, Billy Mintz and John Bishop, saxophonist Hans Teuber, guitarist John Stowell, pianists Art Resnick, Randy Porter, Bill Anschell and Hal Galper. JEFF JOHNSON PHOTO BY DANIEL SHEEHAN Johnson was born on December 11, the audience one night. In the fall of music changed based on the musicians,” 1954, in Minneapolis. Guitar launched 1975, Johnson got the call to join Jones says Johnson. He learned flexibility and him musically at age nine. He worked in Philadelphia. the importance of assembling compat- the Twin Cities scene with his union Johnson recalls migrating between ible ensembles. “Eventually the money card and an electric bass, playing six intermittent gigs on the East Coast: “I ran out, so I headed back to Minneapo- nights a week at age fifteen. At seven- was desperately learning what I didn’t lis after a year.” teen, he joined saxophonist Irv Wil- know. I could play but I wasn’t always Johnson frequented all-night sessions liams on a seven-night-a-week gig at the hearing what was going on.” at the home of pianist Art Resnick.