John Gilbreath smiling in front of jazz art poster

John Gilbreath photo by Bill Uznay

As the undisputed center of the jazz universe, New York City typically offers more exciting jazz on an off night than most cities enjoy at their peak. But for some days each January, the city doubles down on even its own reputation, putting up hundreds of concerts that showcase today’s most exciting developments in jazz. 

The New York jazz and arts scene is notoriously jacked every January with the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), Chamber Music America, and the relatively new Jazz Connect conferences attracting thousands of artists, arts presenters, and industry professionals to the New York City core. Those long days, and even longer nights, are jam-packed with showcases, meetings, and quality hangs. Over the last eleven years, the NYC Winter Jazz Fest has raised the jazz stakes exponentially, affirming New York as absolute ground zero for jazz progression. It’s a scene that Earshot Jazz cannot miss.

Under the creative initiative and heavy lifting of Brice Rosenbloom, with Adam Schatz and Kim Smith, the NYC Winter Jazz Fest originally occupied all floors of the late Knitting Factory and honed its focus on creative, adventurous pioneers and experimentalists. As the event grew, it moved to several venues in the middle of Greenwich Village, primarily around its headquarters in Le Poisson Rouge, the former location of the fabled Village Gate. This year’s festival expanded to ten nearby venues, running continuous concerts from 6:pm to 2:am, and offering a schedule that would make any Earshot enthusiast faint. 

It has been my pleasure to host a WJF stage or two, for nine of the past eleven years, reaffirming Earshot’s role as a supporter of important artists who are dedicated to the progression of the art form. Not surprisingly, many of the artists you’ll see on our spring series and fall festival are the same artists seen under the spotlight at Winter Jazz Fest. 

Earshot brings New York jazz to Seattle every year. We also bring artists from exciting European scenes to Seattle stages, to mix and match with Seattle artists and audiences. We have a great series of concerts lined up for you in the coming months, and we’re well into plans for another exciting fall festival. Please join us!

Check www.earshot.org for details, and take a chance on some fresh jazz. 

– John Gilbreath, Executive Director