
Mark Helias photo by Mo Daoud
The 2015 Earshot Jazz Spring Series runs through June 28 with eight distinctive concerts that bring a world of music to Seattle audiences.
Mark Helias’ Open Loose
w/ Tony Malaby & Tom Rainey
Friday, April 10, 8pm
The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave S (Columbia City)
Mark Helias’ Open Loose has five records under their belt, and a stage chemistry that has stunned the New York jazz scene. Tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby and drummer Tom Rainey join bassist Helias in masterful explorations of “open loose” improvisation. The trio’s remarkable synergy is a combination of their individual dedication to the art of listening. A new trio project from the bassist Evan Flory-Barnes opens the night.
Tickets available at strangertickets.com. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.
Tim Berne’s Snakeoil
Monday, May 4, 8pm
The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave S (Columbia City)
Tim Berne’s third ECM album, You’ve Been Watching Me, sees the saxophonist-composer again leading his dynamic New York band Snakeoil, now a quintet with the arrival of guitarist Ryan Ferreira, whose sound adds textural allure. Just as Berne has hit a new peak with his writing on You’ve Been Watching Me, his band has reached a heightened state of collective interaction, realizing the compositions to a tee. Snakeoil – with the leader on alto sax alongside pianist Matt Mitchell, clarinetist Oscar Noriega, percussionist Ches Smith and Ferreira on electric and acoustic guitars – can still be bracingly kinetic. But there is new space in these compositions and more lyrical focus to the improvisations, leading to a dramatic, even cinematic experience.
Tickets available at strangertickets.com. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.
Vijay Iyer Trio
Saturday, May 9, 8pm
PONCHO Concert Hall, 710 E Roy St (Capitol Hill)
Described by the Village Voice as “the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years,” Vijay Iyer brings his trio (drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Stephan Crump) to Seattle once again for this special concert, made possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Co-presented with Cornish College of the Arts. Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets $15-$25.
Peter Brötzmann Trio
Wednesday, May 13, 8pm
Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave (downtown)
The powerhouse elder statesman of European free-jazz reprises his collaboration with two masters of America’s Black avant-garde: bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. Brötzmann first came together with Parker and Drake through the Die Like A Dog Quartet in the mid-1990s. Since then the three musicians have performed in a variety of ensembles and collaborations, releasing an album as a trio in 2003, Never Too Late, But Always Too Early.
Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.
Instant Composers Pool (ICP Orchestra)
Saturday, May 16, 7pm & 9:30pm
The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave S (Columbia City)
Amsterdam’s revered ICP Orchestra, which has been among the world’s most startling and dynamic jazz ensembles for decades, is ready to bid America adieu on this farewell tour. Formed in 1967 by pianist Misha Mengelberg and drummer Han Bennink, ICP combines ten of Europe’s most accomplished and daring improvisers in performances renowned for their virtuosity and, of all things, fun. Tonight, ICP bids us farewell with two separate performances in Seattle’s newest home for creative music.
Tickets available at strangertickets.com. Tickets $20 general; $18 Earshot members & seniors; $10 students & veterans.
Giulia Valle Trio
Saturday, June 20, 8pm
Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 4th floor (Wallingford)
The Barcelona-bred bassist brings a unique musicianship to the contemporary scene with her compositions and playing. The Giulia Valle Trio presents a lineup of great maturity, in which the interplay among the musicians is the common denominator. The project includes Marco Mezquida on piano and David Xirgu on drums, and features new compositions as well as “revisited” topics Valle has introduced on previous recordings.
This Giulia Valle appearance is supported by the Institut Ramon Llull, the Spanish Society of Authors Composers & Publishers, Spain Arts & Culture, and Spain/USA Foundation.
Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.
Julia Hülsmann Trio
Friday, June 26, 8pm
Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 4th floor (Wallingford)
The Berlin-based Julia Hülsmann began playing piano at the age of 11, and formed her first band at 16. Renowned for her pristine technique and a breadth of creative influences ranging from Thelonious Monk to Emily Dickinson, Hülsmann is gaining international attention through two new records for Munich’s respected ECM label. On this rare North American tour, she is accompanied by bassist Robert Landfermann and drummer Heinrich Köbberling.
Tickets available at brownpapertickets.com. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.
Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit
Sunday, June 28, 8pm
Venue TBD

One of the most dynamic drummers in jazz, Norway’s Nilssen-Love leads a younger generation of musicians in acoustic and electronic improvisation and free jazz. After debuting in 2013 at the jazz festival in Molde (from where Nilssen-Love hails), the 11-piece “Large Unit” has gained critical, global recognition.
Tickets go on sale April 1. Tickets $18 general; $16 Earshot members & seniors; $9 students & veterans.