
Last month at The Royal Room, the Kareem Kandi Trio opened and closed a celebration of recent accomplishments by Seattle’s jazz community. The trio, with Kandi on saxophone, Delvon Lamarr on B3 organ, and Julian MacDonough on drums, delivered a tight first set with smart original compositions and fun, funky renderings of songs including “You Make Me Feel So Young.” They bookended the awards ceremony by inviting local musicians in attendance, such as trumpeter Thomas Marriott and vocalist Greta Matassa, to join in on the second set.
Jim Wilke, host of the nationally syndicated Jazz Northwest program, emceed the presentation of the Golden Ear & Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame Awards for 2014. We congratulate all the nominees in this annual look at the region’s vibrant and thriving jazz ecology.
NW Recording of the Year
Chemical Clock, Bad Habitat
Dubbed “indefinable avant-electro-acoustic,” this quartet of trumpeter Ray Larsen, keyboardist Cameron Sharif, drummer Evan Woodle, and bassist Mark Hunter crafts intricate compositions with elements of jazz, hip-hop, prog-rock, and contemporary classical music. The group impressed on their eponymous debut album in 2011, and again with their 2014 LP.
“Suffice to say that the myriad invocations in the band’s music make for a referential richness that is difficult to describe,” Earshot Jazz contributor Andrew Luthringer noted in his review of Bad Habitat in December. “Cameron Sharif’s intricate compositions and multifarious keyboard textures pull the music towards outer space, as Ray Larsen’s versatile and velvety trumpet (even when mutated by electronics) helps keep the band sound rooted in earthly pleasures, while the bass and drums tandem of Mark Hunter and Evan Woodle lock it all down like a rhythm section is supposed to, at least a rhythm section on whatever planet Chemical Clock has emigrated from.”
NW Acoustic Jazz Ensemble
Sequoia
Formed in the spring of 2011 by tenor saxophonist Levi Gillis, Sequoia Ensemble includes Evan Smith on clarinet, Nick Rogstad on trombone, Brennan Carter on trumpet, Andrew Olmstead on keyboard, Carmen Rothwell on bass, and Evan Woodle on drums. The septet lists a wide variety of influences, including Americana, indie rock, free jazz, and noise, and artists such as Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, Keith Jarrett, and Bill Frisell. Also drawing inspiration from natural landscapes, this collective’s compositions are filled with earthy, lush textures and organic, colorful undertones. Last year, Sequoia was featured in the Jazz: The Second Century series and released their debut album.

Industrial Revelation’s Evan-Flory Barnes, Ahamefule J. Oluo, and Josh Rawlings. Photo by Daniel Sheehan.
NW Alternative Jazz Group
Industrial Revelation
2014 seemed to be the year of Industrial Revelation. Not only did D’Vonne Lewis (drums), Evan Flory-Barnes (bass), Josh Rawlings (keyboard), and Ahamefule J. Oluo (trumpet) receive the 2014 Stranger Genius Award for Music, the cross-genre quartet also recorded a live album, headlined an Earshot Jazz Festival performance which was filmed for the documentary Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense, and earned attention from Seattle press as one of the city’s most exciting bands. Industrial Revelation’s boundary-breaking sound proves that jazz can cross be appreciated by a wide audience.
NW Instrumentalist of the Year
Evan Flory-Barnes
Seattle native Flory-Barnes transcends genre in his bass playing, making him a staple to diverse collaborations. Among these groups are Industrial Revelation, the 2014 Stranger Genius Award winners and NW Alternative Jazz Group of the Year, and The Teaching, who released the 2014 album Birds in Flight and received recognition for their recording on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ Grammy Award-winning album The Heist in 2012. Flory-Barnes attended Garfield High School and was a member of the award-winning symphony orchestra, while composing on the side. He strives to remove barriers from his music, which contributes to his effortless ability to transition between genres. Watch him play, and you’ll witness an emotional performance and his personal enlightenment.

Carmen Rothwell photo by Daniel Sheehan.

Table & Chairs’ Neil Welch, Jacob Zimmerman, Chris Icasiano, and Ivan Aarteaga. Photo by Daniel Sheehan
Emerging Artist or Group
Carmen Rothwell
A recent graduate of the University of Washington’s Jazz Performance Studies, bassist Rothwell is known for her great sound and versatility. This past year, she performed, composed, and improvised in Tyrant Lizard, with Ray Larsen (trumpet) and Gregg Belisle-Chi (guitar). Having shared the bandstand in assorted ensembles over the years, the trio formed in early 2014 with a common interest in playing original compositions and American folk music. Rothwell also performed in the 2014 Jazz: The Second Century series as part of the Sequoia ensemble and at the Golden Ear-nominated tribute concert to Charlie Haden. She can be seen at many venues throughout the city, particularly those that make up the UW/Table & Chairs ecology.
NW Vocalist of the Year
Greta Matassa
Beloved in the Northwest, Matassa has been voted NW Vocalist of the Year seven times in the last 15 years. She can be heard throughout the area performing in tribute shows and collaborations, while leading clinics parallel to her private teaching. This year, she will be featured on the Divine Jazz Cruise to Alaska, and plans to release a new album.
NW Concert of the Year
Table & Chairs Showcase
Ballard Jazz Walk, April 18
As Jim Wilke noted in the preamble to this category’s presentation, the Northwest region has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to jazz concerts, represented by the four strong contenders for the 2014 Concert of the Year. In the end, the top honor went to the Table & Chairs Showcase at the annual Ballard Jazz Festival, produced by Origin Records. The 2014 festival’s one-night Ballard Jazz Walk saw the most expansive Table & Chairs showcase yet, with four of the local label’s distinctive and cutting-edge bands. The evening featured a storm of avant-jazz and improvised music from netcat, Cavity Fang, Japanese Guy, and King Tears Bat Trip.
Special Award to Seattle JazzED
In recognition of their significant contributions to jazz education in Seattle
Since 2010, the non-profit organization Seattle JazzED has been focused on instilling values that create “not only successful musicians but successful human beings” through the discipline, focus, and teamwork necessary in jazz performance. With a dedication to students of all skill levels and backgrounds, Seattle JazzED provides music education and musical opportunities to those who typically would not receive such opportunities, thus empowering its students. Seattle JazzED’s vision and dedication to making jazz accessible has made the organization invaluable to the Seattle jazz community. Executive Director Laurie de Koch accepted the award.
Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Inductee Greta Matassa with Lola Pedrini. Photo by Daniel Sheehan
Amy Denio
Seattle’s Jazz Ambassador
Denio is a composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, international collaborator, and record producer. She has performed solo and with many ensembles and groups throughout the world, including the effervescent OU from Rome and the powerful all-female Tiptons Sax Quartet. Though many classify her under “avant-garde jazz,” Denio’s extensive musical abilities and global travels influence her sound in indescribable ways. While her main genre may be up for debate, there’s no arguing Denio’s 30-year footprint on the Seattle jazz scene.
Greta Matassa
Seattle’s Vocal Legend
The local luminary has been a mainstay on Seattle’s jazz stages for many years, garnering much praise for her versatile vocal jazz stylings. Longtime Seattle jazz advocate Lola Pedrini presented Matassa with the honor, and recalled watching the vocalist’s career over the years. “I’ve listened to her and followed her and watched her grow, and I’m so honored Greta is now in the Hall of Fame,” Pedrini said.