JJA 2014 Jazz Hero

 

In conjunction with the Jazz Journalist Association’s annual Jazz Awards honoring significant achievements in jazz music and journalism, the JJA announced 2014’s Jazz Heroes, awards made annually on the basis of nominations from community members. The eminent jazz radio broadcaster and Northwest jazz archivist Jim Wilke was named a 2014 Jazz Hero, among 23 other national recipients. See the full list at www.jjajazzawards.org.

 

Westerlies Album Release

 

Seattle exports The Westerlies debuts Wish the Children Would Come On Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz this month on Songlines. You can read NY Times and JazzTimes writer Nate Chinen’s remarks on the young quartet in the May issue of JazzTimes, in his monthly “The Gig” column.

 

International Jazz Day Celebration

 

In collaboration with Seattle Center, the Jazz in the City Concert Series celebrated the 2014 United Nations International Day of Jazz with a free lunchtime concert on Wednesday, April 30, in the Seattle Center Armory. The concert made special tribute to Seattle jazz ambassador Ernestine Anderson. The event also featured artists Debbie Cavitt, Tess Guerzon and Deems Tsutakawa.

 

New Reporter Parker, Jazz

 

KPLU jazz host and trumpeter Jason Parker is the station’s new jazz reporter, creating on-air and online content for KPLU and for Jazz24.org. In his first story, Parker recounted his reaction (as a teenager) to hearing the Miles Davis Quintet in a fiery 1964 recording. It was a defining moment for him as a young musician. Parker is also a music teacher at University Prep in Seattle. Follow at kplu.org.

 

Author & Educator Saxophonist Steve Treseler

 

A new edition of saxophonist Steve Treseler’s book The Living Jazz Tradition: A Creative Guide to Improvisation and Harmony is out on local CMA Press. Chris Bruya at Central Washington University and Vern Sielert at University of Idaho have piloted previous editions for their education programs. More about the book at www.cma-press.com.

 

Welcome Resident Artist Chano Dominguez

 

Welcome to recent Grammy-nominated pianist Chano Dominguez and Marina Albero, recent transplants to Seattle.

 

Jack Straw Productions Announces 2014 Artist Support Recipients

 

A Jack Straw Productions panel selected 20 artists/artist teams to complete projects in the Jack Straw studios over the next year. 2014 recipients include Nate Omdal and the Seattle Jazz Composers Ensemble; Steve Peters, who will record interviews with Seattle-area composers and sound artists in order to assemble individual portraits and a collective oral history of experimental music activity in the city and surrounding region; Brad Gibson, who will record 8-11 original jazz compositions for solo piano, trio, and quintet; Bill Horist, for eight pieces of original music for solo acoustic guitar, Yogi McCaw and the Yoginis Indian Jazz Project, to record six new songs in the genre of Indian jazz fusion; Michael Owcharuk, to develop and record a body of work based on music written for performances with the Bushwick Book Club Seattle; Greg Ruby, for 10 new works for string jazz.

 

Jazz TV

 

KING 5’s mid-morning program New Day Northwest is partnering with ArtsFund to present an entire hour of arts and cultural programming, including performances by Seattle JazzED, Spectrum Dance Theater, and Tacoma Musical Playhouse, and segments featuring Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Wing Luke Museum, and On the Boards. Tune in on May 13, 11am.

 

Jazz Radio

 

88.5 KPLU hosts Saturday Jazz Matinee, Jazz Sunday Side Up, Ken Wiley’s the Art of Jazz and Jim Wilke’s Jazz After Hours and Jazz Northwest, in addition to its weekday NPR and late-night and prime-time jazz programs. For KPLU’s full jazz schedule, see kplu.org/schedule.

 

Jim Wilke’s Jazz Northwest, Sundays, 2pm, features the artists and events of the regional jazz scene. For JazzNW podcasts of archived programs, see jazznw.org.

 

90.3 KEXP, late-night Sundays, features Jazz Theater with John Gilbreath, 1am, and Sonarchy, midnight, a live-performance broadcast from the Jack Straw Productions studio, produced by Doug Haire. Full schedule information is available at kexp.org and jackstraw.org.

 

Sonarchy’s May lineup: May 4, Daniel Carter, Reuben Radding and Gregg Keplinger, an exceptional experience in freely improvised music; May 11, Space Weather Listening Booth, a live performance event based around the natural phenomena that come together to create the aurora borealis, with Nate Evans and John Teske (composers), Tom Baker (electronics), Neil Welch (sax) and Greg Campbell (percussion; May 18, Septet of Darkness is bassist/composer Tim Carey’s new music project featuring Brian Bermudez (tenor sax), Cynthia Mullis (alto sax), Samantha Boshnack (trumpet), Nathan Vetter (trombone), Dan Taylor (piano) and Jeff Busch (drums); May 25, Jason Wolford, solo electronics from this Seattle-based musician, producer and sound designer. 

 

91.3 KBCS, on late Sundays and prime-time Mondays, features Floatation Device with John Seman and Jonathan Lawson; Straight, No Chaser with David Utevsky; Giant Steps with John Pai. More about jazz on KBCS at kbcs.fm.

 

94.9 KUOW, Saturdays, 7pm, features Amanda Wilde’s the Swing Years and Beyond, popular music from the 1920s to the 1950s. More at kuow.org/swing_years.php.

 

In One Ear News

 

Email news about Seattle-area jazz artists, for In One Ear, to editor@earshot.org.