Earshot Jazz is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization March 2021 A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Volume 37, No. 03 Seattle, Washington Seattle JazzED Pushing Forward in Epic Times Jazz Prep for Beginners Trumpet class led by Samantha Boshnack (top right) Screen capture courtesy of Seattle JazzED Letter from the Director The Sound at the End of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR theFirst of all, Tunnelwe hope that you and your loved John Gilbreath MANAGING DIRECTOR ones are safe and healthy. Beyond that, here’s Karen Caropepe hoping that the longer, warmer, and brighter MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE days of spring will shine some much-needed Lucienne Aggarwal rays of optimism on the funky scenario into EARSHOT JAZZ EDITOR which these historic times have delivered us. Lucienne Aggarwal With this March issue of Earshot Jazz, we’re EARSHOT JAZZ COPY EDITOR finding hope in the jazz artists and audiences Caitlin Carter here in the Puget Sound region, delivering news CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paul de Barros, Ian Gwin, Paul Rauch, Jonathan that celebrates the past, present, and future Shipley of one of the most dynamic and resilient jazz CALENDAR EDITORS scenes in America. Carol Levin and Jane Emerson We’re delighted to begin this issue with a John Gilbreath photo by Bill Uznay PHOTOGRAPHY cover profile of Seattle JazzED. This city’s Daniel Sheehan L AYO U T jazz education programs have always been nationally respected. So much so, Karen Caropepe that they’ve helped to build the civic value system for jazz here. But Seattle DISTRIBUTION JazzED has taken the best of Seattle’s existing programs to a whole new level. Karen Caropepe, Dan Dubie & Earshot Jazz Check Paul Rauch’s profile of JazzED’s investment in a jazz future of inclusion, volunteers accessibility, and swing. SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION TO: March always brings the annual Golden Ear and Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame [email protected] BOARD OF DIRECTORS Awards to Seattle. In addition to its core mission of recognizing outstanding Chris Icasiano (President), Sheila Hughes (Vice accomplishments by our own resident artists each year, the awards are also a President), Chris Nutter (Secretary), Augusto great opportunity for the long view, to take stock of the overall face and sound Cardoso, John W. Comerford, Maurice James, Danielle Leigh, Ruby Smith Love, Diane Wah of this incredible community, especially through these difficult times. EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS These individual artists are the standard-bearers for our communal energies. We Clarence Acox, Sue Coliton, Taina Honkalehto, encourage you to join us online at our YouTube channel on March 12, 7:30pm, Hideo Makihara, Peter Monaghan, Kenneth W. streaming from the Royal Room, with music by Alex Dugdale FADE Quartet. Masters, Lola Pedrini, Richard Thurston, Paul Toliver, Cuong Vu We’re also super excited to be launching an amazing schedule of weekly lives- Founded in 1984 by Paul de Barros, Gary tream concerts, produced under all safety protocols from two major venues, and Bannister, and Allen Youngblood. Earshot Jazz providing some much-needed churn in the stagnant waters of paid gigs for Seattle is published monthly and is available online at artists! We’ll be weekly on Friday nights from the Royal Room, and bi-weekly on earshot.org. Saturday nights from Town Hall Seattle. Check the schedules in this issue, and Subscription (with membership): $35 3417 Fremont Ave N, #221 warm up the old hi-fi set for some great Seattle jazz, every week from Earshot Seattle, WA 98103 Jazz with more details at earshot.org. (206) 547-6763 See? I told you we have good news. One can almost begin to imagine a gradual Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 easing of our shared circumstances here in the Puget Sound region. The Sound Printed by Yakima Herald-Republic at the end of the tunnel! ©2021 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle As always, we invite you to join us. It is so fantastic that this monthly magazine is still distributed free of charge all around the greater Seattle area. Shoutout to MISSION STATEMENT Dan Dubie, our distribution czar. You can also make a membership donation To ensure the legacy and progression and receive it by US Mail. And you can always find us at earshot.org! See you at of the art form, Earshot Jazz cultivates the Golden Ear Awards Party!! a vibrant jazz community by engaging Thank you!! audiences, celebrating artists, and JOHN GILBREATH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR supporting arts education. 2 EARSHOTJAZZ March 2021 Support for Earshot Jazz NOTES provided by: information about the current recipients “First Sundays Concerts” can be found at artisttrust.org. Series Presents The Mark Lewis Quartet Bainbridge Community Piano Association Office of Arts and Culture Youth Arts Grant Application presents the Mark Lewis Quartet. Post- The City of Seattle’s Youth Arts Grant poned due to COVID-19, the Mark Lewis application is now open. Designed to sup- Quartet concert has been rescheduled for port equitable access to arts and cultural Sunday, March 7, at 4pm PST as a virtual learning for Seattle’s middle and high concert. The event will feature Mark Lewis school-aged youth, the program is held (saxophone), Bill Anschell (piano), Clipper outside school hours. Individual teaching Anderson (bass), and Mark Ivester (drums). artists and organizations are encouraged Ticket holders will be able to view the to apply to the program. Projects must take concert for three weeks. For tickets visit place between September 2021–August firstsundaysconcerts.org. 2022, and recipients will receive $6,000 distributed over a year. The application KNKX Receives Doris Duke deadline is March 22, 2021. Follow this Award link for more details: seattle.gov/arts. Local jazz radio station KNKX 88.5FM has been selected as one of five radio stations 4Culture 2021 Project Grants for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s 4Culture Project Grants will open for newly formed Jazz Media Lab Award, application on March 17, with an April 28 launched in January 2021. The three-year deadline. The three project grants cover the award program, targeted at the country’s disciplines of arts, heritage, and preserva- most dynamic and forward-thinking non- tion. Workshops and videos are available profit jazz radio stations, aims to bolster to help applicants. Follow this link for each radio stations’ individual strength more details: 4culture.org/project-grants. and collective resilience as essential players in the jazz ecosystem. KNKX, along with Best of the Blues Awards KMHD Portland, KUVO Denver, WBGO Ballot Available Newark, and WRTI Philadelphia, will each The Washington Blues Society ballot is receive grants of up to $275,000 over three available for the “Best of the Blues Awards” years. As well as being used for core support, program. Voting is available for members the program will also provide the resources to advance strategies to diversify the radio CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 stations’ listening bases and invest in new media platforms. For more information about this award visit ddcf.org. Help promote the Seattle Jazz community! Artist Trust Announces 2020 Earshot Jazz Editor Fellowship Awardees The Earshot Jazz magazine is looking In February, Artist Trust announced the for a new editor. This is a part-time nine recipients of the 2020 Fellowship contract position. Visit earshot.org Awards, which includes artists across genres for more information. from around Washington state. Each re- cipient receives an unrestricted cash award Earshot Jazz Writers of $10,000. This year’s recipients include Earshot Jazz is looking for freelance jazz musician, composer, and community writers to contribute to the Earshot organizer Benjamin Hunter. We congrat- Jazz magazine. Assignements include ulate all the awardees. The next cycle of special features, profiles, previews, the Fellowship awards opens in October and reviews. Visit earshot.org or 2021, with a deadline of November 8. More write to [email protected] for more information. March 2021 EARSHOTJAZZ 3 PROFILE JazzED: Pushing Forward in Epic Times Screen capture of Virtual Girls Jazz Day led by instructor Kelly Clingan (top row, second box from the left) courtesy of Seattle JazzED BY PAUL RAUCH from the aforementioned schools, as well De Koch, a professional with an extensive Jazz education in Seattle has proliferated as several quality middle school programs, background in arts management, believed generously over the past thirty years, with opportunity for students at the majority of she could make a difference. She understood nationally acclaimed programs at Garfield Seattle schools was rudimentary at best. that the life-transforming experiences of and Roosevelt High Schools leading the The music and culture, which had largely her own children meant so much less when charge. The two Seattle programs, led by been sustained by the oral tradition, now viewed through the lens of social injustice. Clarence Acox and Scott Brown, respective- fell into the hands of educators—and the Assisted by Acox and other parents, she ly, have seen their meteoric rise validated inequity of school music programs in the city. formed JazzED in 2010, with an aim to with success at the prestigious Essentially Current JazzED Executive Director Laurie provide equal opportunities across the Ellington competition at Lincoln Center. de Koch was a band parent and a front board for students from grades 4 to 12. Acox and Brown have been the beneficia- row witness to both the success of the It gave all Seattle area students access ries of ardent parental support, leading to programs, and the obvious challenges they to play in ensembles, receive top quality benefits for the students previously viewed faced going forward. instruction, and integrate themselves in as unattainable, including opportunities “My own children were fortunate enough the jazz tradition. The program grew to to travel to and perform in Europe.