A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community January 2020 Vol. 36, No. 01 EARSHOT JAZZSeattle, Washington Beth Fleenor Photo by Daniel Sheehan LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS S 2020 Vision Nominations Wanted: 2019 Golden Ear Awards Given the incredible growth in The Golden Ear Awards cel- jazz over the last 10 years—both ebrate the outstanding achieve- in global reach and sheer excel- ments of Seattle jazz artists lence—I’m optimistic about what over the previous year. Please we might see and hear from the email your nominations to art form in the coming decade. [email protected] by In fact, given that Seattle itself January 15. was the fastest growing city in In order to preserve the integ- America over the past 10 years, rity of the democratic process, with 114,000 new citizens bump- please, no ballot-stuffing. The- of ing our population up by 18.7%, ficial voting ballots for the 2019 I am equally optimistic about the awards will be printed in the potential upside for our city’s arts February issue of Earshot Jazz and cultural sensibilities. and available at earshot.org. Earshot Jazz is proud to hold a Send us your suggestions for: valuable place within Seattle’s remarkable cultural communi- NW Recording of the Year: ty. There is a civic value system around jazz here in Seattle that is unique in America. Building on that, we can’t wait to see how this next set NW Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the of Roaring 20’s will evolve. We’ve certainly seen a lot of new faces at our Year: programs in recent years, and we’re glad to welcome a younger and more inclusive audience that is clearly interested in engaging with a broad spec- trum of cultural experiences. And you know that can’t be bad. Alternative Jazz Group of the Year: I, myself, first came around the Earshot Jazz organization as a new Se- attleite in 1990. The first event I attended was the very first Golden Ear Awards party, upstairs at the old Lofurno’s on 15th Ave W. The music was NW Concert of the Year: sweet, the vibe was warm and welcoming, and I remember being a little knocked out that there was an organization that would honor the jazz artists who were living and working in the city. Having attended every NW Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year: Golden Ear Awards event since then, I can admit to still being humbled by the artistry and dedication that surrounds us, and even more convinced of the importance of formally recognizing it. Emerging Artist of the Year: We’re excited about our circumstances in these coming years. We’re proud of the recent DownBeat magazine headline that says, “Earshot Serves as Platform for Thriving Seattle Scene,” and we resolve to redouble NW Vocalist of the Year: our work in support of the incredible ecosystem for jazz in this beautiful, fast-growing megabopolis. Please join us! Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame: –John Gilbreath, Executive Director 2 • EARSHOT JAZZ • January 2020 NOTES EARSHOT JAZZ A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Johnaye Kendrick Receives Online registration begins January Chamber Music Award Grant 2 at swojo.org. For more information Executive Director John Gilbreath Managing Director Karen Caropepe Congratulations to vocalist Johnaye contact [email protected]. Programs Manager Tara Peters Kendrick and all the other winners of FACE Foundation Call for Development Manager Errin Patton CMA’s Performance Plus grant. The Applications Marketing & Development Associate Lucienne award supports U.S.-based female-led Aggarwal FACE Foundation, in collabora- jazz ensembles by connecting them Earshot Jazz Editors Lucienne Aggarwal & tion with the Cultural Services of the with an experienced jazz artist-educa- Tara Peters French Embassy in the U.S., is re- tor for six evaluative listening sessions Contributing Writers Whitney Bashaw, Paul questing applications for their 2020- with the goal of enhancing the en- de Barros, Ian Gwin, Bryan Lineberry, 2021 Jazz & New Music Program. semble’s performance. Johnaye Kend- Rayna Mathis, Paul Rauch The program awards three differ- rick and her ensemble will be working ent grants: creative grants, residency Calendar Editors Carol Levin, Jane Emerson, with artist-educator Jim Knapp, who & Tara Peters grants, and touring grants for eligible is a renowned trumpeter, composer, Photography Daniel Sheehan projects jointly conceived with French and orchestrator. For more details visit Layout Tara Peters & Karen Caropepe and American musicians. Funding is Distribution Karen Caropepe, Dan Dubie & chamber-music.org. offered to American or French non- Earshot Jazz volunteers SWOJO 2020 Girls Jazz Band profit organizations who represent Send Calendar Information to: Program individual artists or ensembles. The [email protected] Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra application deadline is March 2. Visit Board of Directors Danielle Leigh (SWOJO) presents its 2020 Girls Jazz face-foundation.org for more details (President), Chris Icasiano (Vice President), and application. Chris Nutter (Secretary), Sheila Hughes Band program, from January 29– (Treasurer), John W. Comerford, Maurice March 25. The program is open to girls Sweeping Changes Proposed to James, Kenneth W. Masters, Gail Pettis, in middle school and above and offers Artist Visa Fees Ruby Smith Love, Diane Wah eight after-school workshop sessions The United States Citizenship and with a special concert to cap off the Emeritus Board Members Clarence Acox, Sue Immigration Services (USCIS) has Coliton, Taina Honkalehto, Hideo Makihara, course. All instruments are welcome. proposed fee increases and policy Peter Monaghan, Kenneth W. Masters, Lola Members of SWOJO will provide changes, which includes plans to in- Pedrini, Paul Toliver, Cuong Vu mentoring to help develop skills in jazz interpretation and improvisation. Founded in 1984 by Paul de Barros, Gary CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 Bannister, and Allen Youngblood. Earshot Jazz is published monthly and is available online at earshot.org. Subscription (with membership): $35 3417 Fremont Ave N, #221 Seattle, WA 98103 All ages and levels. phone / (206) 547-6763 Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 Printed by Yakima Herald-Republic © 2020 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle MISSION STATEMENT To ensure the legacy and progression Want to play? You can. of the art form, Earshot Jazz cultivates a vibrant jazz community by engaging www.jazznightschool.org • (206) 722 6061 audiences, celebrating artists, and A nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Jazz Night School does not discriminate on the basis of supporting arts education. race, color, gender, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies. January 2020 • EARSHOT JAZZ • 3 PROFILE Beth Fleenor: The Discipline of Being By Paul Rauch on in my life,” she says. If one defines The music that artistry as a simple Fleenor has sensed expression of ar- within her from tistic ability, the the beginning is surface is barely a confluence of scratched in terms many turbulent of what motivates musical tributar- passion for that ies. It is the delta expression. If art- where improvisa- istry is defined as tion and composi- a discipline of be- tion flow together ing—as a way to into one powerful, find one’s pathway energetic flow. to self-realization “At my core, I’m and come to terms an improviser. with one’s own The best improvi- humanity—then sations sound like you’ve defined definitive compo- the day-to-day sitions, the best practice of sonic composed works sensory clarinet- BETH FLEENOR PHOTO BY DANIEL SHEEHAN are rendered with ist and vocalist the fire of an impro- Beth Fleenor nor referring to her instruments. It’s as visation, they’re inex- Fleenor has a tendency to gather if she is routinely setting foot in a tonal tricably linked. It’s not like there’s one her creative impulses over a period of universe previously undisturbed. or the other, in my opinion,” she says. time, and release them through her Though mostly inspired by guitar- Fleenor’s vocal style is a soul-deep two main projects: Crystal Beth and ists and drummers, Fleenor’s work on wail, developed long after her rela- the Boom Boom Band, and her solo bass clarinet draws on the language tionship with the clarinet was estab- persona as simply Crystal Beth. of her instrument’s contemporaries, lished. At a young age, Fleenor heard In both incarnations, Fleenor uses most notably, the late Eric Dolphy, artists like Frank Zappa who sparked her clarinet and bass clarinet as direct who died tragically at the age of 36. an interest in a new musical direction, extensions of herself, in ways that of- Fleenor dedicates a new composition igniting what was already dwelling fer an unexpected divergence from the to him entitled simply “Dolphy,” on dormant in her creative imagination. lineage of jazz or classical clarinetists. her new independent Crystal Beth re- “Oh, that’s it, she thought. “That’s the Employing electronics to create her lease, Push Thru merger of my two heads.” Making her own sonic universe, Fleenor has estab- “On my new record, there is a piece voice come to life however, required lished an unbeaten trail that fluctuates ‘Dolphy’, which is completely for him. some serious soul searching. between electronic modernism and I wrote it around my 36th birthday, “I gave myself permission to sing in neo-acoustic virtuosity. because I was having that realization public for the first time in 2007. It was “It’s an extension of me as much as of where I am in the process. Here’s bursting to come out. There’s a huge any other part of my body,” says Flee- what I’m doing and here’s what’s going range of emotion that you can get to 4 • EARSHOT JAZZ • January 2020 with the human voice that is different rediscovering her sound and—in do- Seattle felt as if it were simply meant than with the instrument,” she recalls.