INSIDE: Reviews of Marc Seales, Steve Rice Trio & Bud Shank Earshot J Seattle, July 1989 A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community I ^ Local Jazz Lives at Bellevue and Roots of Jazz: Gig Harbor Festivals Bob Russell Despite budget cuts and wavering sup­ Trumpeter Bob Russell started playing profession­ port from the Bellevue City Parks Depart­ ally in Kansas City in the 1920s, and moved to Seattle in 1944. Before coming to Seattle, he ment, it appears the Bellevue Jazz Festival, worked with drummer Vernon Brown in Milwau­ slated for July 10 - 16, will prevail as one of kee and recorded with Grant Moore's New Or­ the most important showcases for top local leans Black Devils. Brown sent for Russell in 1944 and throughout the '40s Russell was a member of jazz talent. Set in a beautiful downtown loca­ the popular Al Pierre band, which held down a tion against a backdrop of glass skyscrapers, steady job at Seattle s Marine (later Union) Club. the festival will spread out on a grass lawn so Laudatory mentions of Russell by other subjects ofthe "Roots of Jazz" project led us to draw out green, "it's like the lawn in your wildest his recollections. The following excerpts are from dreams," says organizer Jim Wilke. an interview taken by Ted Dzielak at Russell's This year's festival will feature a free home, March 7, 1989. This interview was made possible in part with support from the King County concert Friday evening, July 14; an evening Centennial Commission and the King County concert on Saturday, July 15 (admission S3); Landmarks Heritage Division. and a Sunday afternoon concert on the 16th (admission S5). All shows will be held at Bob Russell: I was born August 28, Downtown Park, next to Bellevue Square. A Mel Brown 1907, in Zion, Wyoming and raised in series of noontime concerts will also be held group appeared in June as the opening act at Denver. When I was 16,1 moved to Kansas Monday the 10th through Friday the 14th at the Playboy Jazz Festival, as a result of win­ City. I was on my own, had no one but various locations in downtown Bellevue. (Free ning the 5th Annual Hermessy Jazz Search myself. When I came back to Denver, that's parking for the weekend concerts is available competition. Proceeds from the Gig Harbor when I really got started. Sergeant Lee, an off 100th Ave NE, near the park.) gig go to Interaction/Transition, a non-profit old army master, started me in the old The 4th Annual Gig Harbor Jazz agency. The price of ad- mission is tax- Angus Highlander Band, on trumpet. I stayed Festival, with Dee Daniels as festival host­ deductible. Call Ticketmaster, 628-0888, for there a year and a half and got so I could ess, again promises a fine line-up of local and tickets. read music. That was about all—I could fill national talent. Included is a performance by See calendar listings on pages 4 and 5 the hom and could read. Then I went back to one of the hottest, up-and-coming bands for more information on both the Bellevue Kansas City and I stayed there about two around, Portland's Mel Brown Sextet. The and Gig Harbor Festivals. months, and got a job playing in the Plantation Night Club. I worked there about seven months, and went from there to the Lincoln Theater. We had just a small band, about six or seven pieces. Then, when they decided they were going to put in Vitaphone, Nearly 600 listeners that's when I got out. enjoyed the sun and music at Earshot's Ted Dzielak: Vitaphone? concert/picnic at the Russell: Isn't that what they call it? The Good Shepherd machine they use now that makes it talking Center, Sunday, June pictures. 25. The concert was TD: So at the Lincoln Theatre, were part of Earshot's there movies being shown and you were Summer Festival that playing in the band? winds up July 1. Russell: Uh huh, that's it. TD: That must have been quite some (photo by Georgia Steele) time, being in Kansas City. Russell: Well, not as much as you think. There was a lot of jazz playing there, but a lot of them wasn't working. Bennie Moten continued on page 3 1 Best New Don Lanphere's Go Again § Jazz Entertainers album was named album 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. at the of the month by Crescendo Interna­ tional magazine in London... 323 Second Avenue Roosevelt High School (Second & Jackson) musicians Mark 628-8964/328-1140 Taylor and Dave Acosta won All-Star awards from Downbeat magazine ... Drummer Dave Coleman, well-known and loved in the 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. at Seattle jazz community, died in May Tihtg ©sd©M at the age of 66. A native of Pasadena, where he worked with 1918 First Avenue Freddy Slack, T-Bone Walker, and Mark Henderson - (Between Stewart & Virginia) Red Nichols' 5 Pennies, Coleman Reggie Goings Quintet 441-7171/328-1140 moved to Seattle in 1955 and played with Elmer Gill, Floyd Standifer, Chuck Metcalf, and others ... Earshot members Pat and Bill Waddington of Olympia ask if anyone knows of clubs where you can still get up and THE 4TH ANNUAL jitterbug or otherwise dance to the music. Write or call us at the GIG HARBOR JAZZ FESTIVAL magazine and we'll pass the infor­ mation along ... Former Seattelite Frank Clayton, who now calls New York his home, sat in on a few gigs at the Oxford and the Latona while in town last month ... Jerry Granelli was recently caught on the drums at Hollywood's on Broadway with his son, bassist J. Earshot Jazz Vol. 5 No. 6 ©1989 Earshot Jazz Dee Daniels, Festival Hostess Editor: Brian McWilliams with Assistant Editor: Charles Smyth Art Director: Seiko Sato • HANK CRAWFORD & JIMMY McGRIFFD BOBBY HUTCH­ Calendar Editor: Bob Mariano, 364-9357 ERSON QUARTET D JEANNIE & JIMMY CHEATHAM & THE Advertising Manager: Jeff Ferguson, 328-6199 BABYBLUESBANDDMEL BROWN SEXTETDEDDIE HARRIS Staff Writers: Sandra Burlingame, Todd • DON LANPHERE QUARTET • NATE BREEDLOVE & Campbell and Joseph Murphy. HADLEY CALIMAN • JAZZ POLICE WITH GRETA GOEHLE D Contributors: Herb Levy, Ted Dzielak, Paul de Barros, Ken Wiley, Susan Golden, BILL WATROUS QUARTET • STEVE MUNGER QUARTET • Gary Bannister, and Roberta Penn. ROADSIDE ATTRACTION • LONNIE WILLIAMS • THE Mailing: LolaPedrini Computer assistance: Rich Minor AIRFORCE BIG BAND • AND MORE! Distribution: Jim Knodle Earshot Board of Directors: Cherrie Adams, Gary Bannister, Don Brown, Sandra Burlingame, Judy de Barros, Vince AUGUST 12 & 13, 1989 Gonzales, Anthony Greenwald, Lola Ped- CELEBRATIONS MEADOW rini, Mark Solomon & Peter Davenport. General Information, (206) 547-6763. GIG HARBOR Address all correspondence to: P.O. Box 85851, Seattle, WA 98145-2858. 628-0888 Tickets at Ticketmaster or BON MARCHE & TOWER The monthly magazine Earshot Jazz is printed by Murray Publishing Company of (tax deductible: The Gig Harbor Jazz Festival is a benefit for Interaction/Transition) Seattle, 2312 Third Ave. Roots of Jazz: Bob Russell , continued from page 1 talked to me about joining his band and I ald trumpet, regular trumpet and then an­ do it but he just didn't like to do it. decided, "No," that I'd stay right where I other— what the heck was that little thing.. .it TD: Did you and Al Pierre's band play was at, playing in theatres and nightclubs. wasn't as small as that little bitty trumpet, mostly in the legitimate clubs, or did they do TD: What kind of music did you play? not that little. I had a heck of a time learning after-hours clubs too? Russell: Some jazz, but mostly Russell: After-hours clubs mostly. That heavy stuff, overtures and all that stuff. was the only way to make money. All Harry Dillard, he had charge of the band those others you go down there and make and he had cut all that stuff down. [From a little piddling salary, maybe twenty- arrangements for large orchestra to five dollars a week. And we were small band.] They had it for trumpet, 111 doing better than that. At least a trombone, saxophone, clarinet, piano, hundred to a hundred and a half, any­ bass and drums. That's what we had where in there. So that's one reason why and we played all that stuff. Any way we stayed with those after-hours clubs. you wanted it, we played it. That's what almost everything that TD: Was everyone a good reader? you see pictures of there. They're just Russell: Yes, everybody was read­ about all after-hours clubs. ing. There was no goof in' there. You couldn't get by with that goofy busi­ At the Marine Club, as at other after- ness. Everybody had to read and read M hours places, the best tips came from what was there. Wasn't no sliding over "table singing," in which a singer would Pictured, l-r, Bob Russell, Roscoe Weathers, Vernon Brown, wander the club, taking requests from and saying 'Let's play this.' You played Jabo Ward, (bassist and conductor unidentified). what was on that sheet. At the theater, individuals. at the intermission, we played some jazz and to play it. Then after I learned to play it I we played vaudeville, too....When I left didn't want to get rid of it. It got mashed Russell: When we had Dee Dee there—well I don't know, things got messed somewhere; in Vancouver, I think. Hackett singing with us, why she could sing up there 'cause some guy got picked up for all them nasty songs.