January 2007 VolVol. 23, NoNo. 1 EARSHOTA MirrorMirror andand FocusFocus fforor tthehe JJazzazz CCommunityommunity JASeattle,SeZattle, WashingtoWaZshington Greg Williamson Art of Jazz Tom Baker Quartet Greg Williamson Practice This: Rick Mandyck Photo by Daniel Sheehan Notes EARSHOT J A Z Z A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Art of Jazz Series struments are welcome, as fi nding homes Th is month in the series, held at Seattle for them with students eager to play is not Executive Director: John Gilbreath Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, at a problem. Earshot Jazz is collecting in- Earshot Jazz Editor: Peter Monaghan 5pm: Th e Victor Noriega Trio, featuring struments, indefi nitely, at 3429 Fremont Contributing Writers: Andrew Bartlett, the fi ne pianist, on January 10. Admis- Place #309, Seattle WA 98103. For more information, call 206-547-6763, or email Paul Harding, Josie Holtzman, Peter sion to the events is free with museum Monaghan, Lloyd Peterson admission by modest suggested donation. [email protected]. Coming February 8: Rochelle House, Events Listings Photography: Daniel Sheehan and on March 8: Blue Street Voices. Layout: Karen Caropepe Please send gig listings to Mailing: Lola Pedrini Call for Unwanted Instruments [email protected]. Also send Program Manager: Karen Caropepe Earshot Jazz asks that people who have links to your own websites, so we can Program Assistant: Josie Holtzman instruments that are unused and are sim- update our links page. Please format your ply taking up space to consider donating gig listings in keeping with the way they Calendar Information: mail to 3429 them to needy students. Any and all in- appear in the calendar in this issue. Fremont Place #309, Seattle WA 98103; fax to (206) 547-6286; or email [email protected] Board of Directors: Genesee Adkins (president), Paul Harding (vice- president), Fred Gilbert (treasurer), Margret Warrick Truax (secretary), George Heidorn, Taina Honkalehto, Hideo Makihara, Th omas Marriott, Lola Pedrini Earshot Jazz is published monthly by Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle and is available online at www.earshot.org. Subscription (with membership): $35 3429 Fremont Place #309 Seattle, WA 98103 T: (206) 547-6763 F: (206) 547-6286 Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 Printed by Pacifi c Publishing Company. ©2006 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle Earshot Jazz Mission Statement Earshot Jazz is a non-profi t arts and service organization formed in 1986 to cultivate a support system for jazz in the community and to increase awareness of jazz. Earshot Jazz pursues its mission through publishing a monthly newsletter, presenting creative music, providing educational programs, identifying and fi lling career needs for jazz artists, increasing listenership, augmenting and complementing existing services and programs, and networking with the national and international jazz community. 2 • Earshot Jazz • January 2007 In One Ear Director’s Report Violinist Michael White, one of the greats of jazz’s modern era of the instru- ment, has won the Jazz Song category What We Did in of the 6th Independent Music Awards, which are sponsored by the Music Re- source Group and Border’s Books & 2006 Music. Over the past 20 years Earshot Jazz has A judging panel that included big-name presented more than 1,600 memorable industry reps and journalists chose the concert events to Seattle audiences. Since White quintet’s “Mechanical Man” for our early presentations in 1986, thou- the award. Th e song, from the band’s sands of artists from around the world, recent disc Voices, features White on and around the Pacifi c Northwest, have violin with vocalist Lesei Chen, guitarist performed under the Earshot banner for Michael Howell, percussionist Kenneth tens of thousands of appreciative audi- Nash, and vaunted veteran bassist Cecil ence members. And thousands of stu- McBee. IMA will provide the band, dents have learned about jazz in Earshot which is marketing itself as an inter- educational programs. Earshot Jazz has distributed more than national touring outfi t, with year-long gramming.” Of the 250 artists presented 4,000 copies of this monthly newsletter promotions, airplay, and distribution in this year’s festival, 35 percent were na- in the Seattle area free of charge every assistance. tional, and 8 percent international, while month for the past 21 years. Th at’s over the majority, 57 percent were Seattle-area one million individual copies! We’ve also Coming on February 9, at the Para- residents. provided educational programs in jazz mount Th eater: the 11th Annual Hot Overall, counting all bookings done to thousands of students and helped to Java Cool Jazz event, a benefi t concert by this organization in 2006, close to support the local jazz infrastructure with featuring, and designed to assist, seven 70 percent of the 500-plus artists we awards programs, consulting and book- school jazz programs in the Seattle region. presented this year were residents of the ing services, fundraising, and professional Garfi eld, Roosevelt, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle area. Beyond that, we presented development assistance. Shorewood, and Edmonds-Woodway respected artists from Europe, Asia, and, But for jazz artists and fans alike, high school will perform, along with Eck- of course, New York. concert presentation seems to be the stein and Washington middle schools. In 2007, we will continue to present as most important service we can provide. much music as possible and to search for While it remains our pleasure to engage Cornish College of the Arts raised over new ways to satisfy the creative appetites Seattle audiences with some of the most $310,000 for the Cornish Scholarship of the jazz artists and audiences of the important artists from around the world, Fund at its annual event, Cornish Cele- Seattle region. But, as a small non-profi t it is most consistent with our mission to brates An Evening of the Arts on Sunday, organization with large ambitions, we present a greater percentage of Seattle in November. Th e Cornish Scholarship are already stretched close to the maxi- resident artists in respectful settings. Fund provides much-needed support for mum. Th e most recent Earshot Jazz Festival, visual and performing arts students to So, please join us. Become a member of October 20 to November 5, 2006, was attend the college with a reduced fi nan- Earshot Jazz or get involved as a volunteer among our most ambitious and most suc- cial burden. Also at the event, Cornish or donor. Give us your feedback and help cessful. It drew an audience of 10,000 to president Sergei P. Tschernisch honored us do all we can to support creative jazz nearly 90 individual events over 18 days, Jim Knapp for his 35 years of leadership in this region. in venues around the city. Th e festival of the college’s jazz program. And, Happy New Year! gained national attention for what Jazz If you missed Jay Thomas’s stellar Times called “adventurous, spot-on pro- – John Gilbreath East/West Double Trio in their 2006 Earshot Jazz Festival kickoff event at City Inside this issue... Hall, weep no more. You can now watch Notes _________________________________ 2 Preview: In The Mood revue ___________ 12 the event online. Go to http://www. In One Ear ____________________________ 3 Preview: Sunship _____________________ 14 seattlechannel.org/videos/ and enter Director’s Report ______________________ 3 Radio Notes __________________________ 15 keywords Jay Th omas. Th e event featured Golden Ear Awards ____________________ 4 Review Feature: Tom Baker Quartet ___ 17 Th omas with two of Seattle’s and three of Jazz in January ________________________ 5 NEW FEATURE: Practice This _________ 19 Japan’s top jazz talents. Greg Williamson ______________________ 7 Calendar _____________________________ 20 Preview: Erwin Schulhoff Festival _____ 11 Carlton Holmes Trio __________________ 22 January 2007 • Earshot Jazz • 3 2006 Golden Ear Awards Party January 29, 2007; 7:30pm The awards are determined by a combi- Thomas Marriott, trumpet; Evan Flory- EMP Sky Church nation of nominations and popular vote. Barnes, bass; D’Vonne Lewis, drums; (325 Fifth Ave N, Seattle) Fans can vote for nominees identified by and Larry Barilleau, percussion. Admission: $10 general; $5 EMP & a committee of Seattle jazz players, audi- The emcee for the event is the celebrated Earshot members & working musicians ence members, journalists, and industry jazz radio programmer Jim Wilke, who reps. Or, they may vote for their own, assures a genial, informed, and well-paced This year, the Earshot Golden Ear write-in selections. Awards are made in evening. Awards Party takes place in EMP’s Sky several categories (see below) and one or Please email ([email protected]) or mail/ Church. Should be a soaring time. more inductions are made each year to fax (see masthead pg. 2) your selections Each year, the awards recognize and the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame. to Earshot by January 20. (The goal is celebrate the outstanding achievements This year’s gathering will be the eigh- to get a sense of what fans actually like of the previous year in Seattle jazz, and teenth, and the music will be of a par- and support, not who can stuff the ballot Seattle jazz fans and performers take stock ticularly high caliber. In the Marc Seales box best.) of, and show gratitude for, the region’s New Quintet, the pianist leader presents The nominations for the awards this rich, vibrant jazz ecology. a sterling lineup of fine young turks: year are: 2006 NW Recording of the Year: NW Jazz Instrumentalist: � Big Neighborhood: