
Congratulations to Jessica Kenney
Vocalist and composer Jessica Kenney, a key figure in new-music circles of the Northwest, has received the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award, the largest financial grant that the state of Washington makes to an individual artist.
The purpose of the Ray award is to advance the work of an extraordinary artist with an individualized program of advisory support and access to opportunities offered through the Creative Career Center, which is a program of Artist Trust, a not-for-profit organization that supports artists in all disciplines.
Jazz Northwest
Jazz Northwest, the always-outstanding radio program that Jim Wilke hosts on Sunday afternoons at 2pm on KPLU 88.5FM, has a particularly spectacular offering this month. On March 9, he’ll air excerpts from Duke Ellington’s Such Sweet Thunder played by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. Ellington’s musical portrayals of Shakespearean characters are paired with related readings by three actors from the Seattle Shakespeare Company.
But wait, there’s more. On March 23 he’ll have highlights from the Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto concert from Earshot’s Art of Jazz series at the Seattle Art Museum – which, by the way, is now in its 17th year. The Art of Jazz concerts take place at 5:30pm on the second Thursday evening of each month, are free after museum admission, and provide perfect opportunities not only to indulge your own jazz buds, but also to introduce your kids to the art form in a vibrant and… Dare we claim it? Yes: a vibrant and hip setting.
Sonarchy Radio
Every weekend, when midnight tolls as Sunday turns to Monday, you can depend on Doug Haire’s Sonarchy radio broadcast on KEXP 90.3FM to bring you fresh, organic sonic fare under its rubric of “New Music and Sound Art from the Pacific Northwest Underground.”
It’s right there between the always-expansive Expansions where Riz, Masa, and Kid Hops spin the MP3s from 9pm to midnight, and Earshot’s own, John Gilbreath, acts up in his Jazz Theater, from 1am to 3am.
As for Sonarchy, Haire records it live in the studios of Jack Straw Productions, the long-running U District-based nonprofit audio lab and sponsor. Sonarchy is, itself, in the bloom of its youth at 17 years of age, and showing no signs of going to seed.
Its broadcasts range through musical styles and their recombinations, with jazz often prominent in the mixes and the hybrids. That’s the case in March, too.
For the ear-opening presentations, Haire appropriately provides idiosyncratic descriptions, always in key. He informs us that on March 2 (as it slips over to March 3), you may “follow your muse wherever she may take you” via a solo piano performance by one of the region’s finest keyboardists, Ron Weinstein.
March 9/10 brings Myth of Progress, a psychedelic post-rock fusion from guitarist Jules Nickel, bassist Todd Lui, and drummer Chris Martin. More info at mythofprogress.com.
Two aces of the regions thriving sound-art scene, Jeph Jerman and Dave Knott, create for the March 16/17 show “a remarkable radioscape with guitar, piano, materials from nature, battery amps, objects, and various inexplicable sound sources,” Haire promises.
Then, on March 23/24, Paul Kikuchi presents his Bat of No Bird Island ensemble piece inspired by a family memoir and a 78rpm record collection. The ensembles is a blockbuster: with the percussionist are Tari Nelson-Zagar, Maria Scherer Wilson, Eyvind Kang, Bill Horist, Rob Millis, and venerable stalwart of the Northwest — in fact, global – fresh-music scene, trombonist-plus Stuart Dempster. More info at paulkikuchi.com.
To round out the month, March 30/31, Sonarchy will bring us Doomsday Device, “in that fine Seattle tradition of the jazz, new music jam band,” with Scott Morning on trumpet, Aaron Jenkins on sax, Adam Kessler on drums, Nate Omdal on bass, and Rich Pellegrin on keys.
You can listen to Sonarchy live, at midnight, or stream it from the KEXP website during the following two weeks, in a variety of audio formats. Just search for podcasts, or with the program’s name. In fact, the station boasts a vast archive of podcasts and live recordings, all warehoused there.
And while you’re transported to the magical outlands of Northwest music culture, do consider aiding Jack Straw in its mission, via jackstraw.org.
What’s more, if you decide your music project warrants airing in high-quality audio, get in touch with Doug Haire (doug@jackstraw.org) or the Sonarchy pages on the nonprofit’s website.
And remember this: Sonarchy offers a high-quality recording and broadcast experience, and its gatekeeper is renowned for his supportive, inclusive nature. So, whatever you do, don’t chicken out!
In One Ear News
Email news about Seattle-area jazz artists, for In One Ear, to editor@earshot.org.