Schedule for the 2020 Earshot Jazz Festival

Programming across four weekends, we’ve created a series that reflects the history, progression, and spirit of jazz as it exists around the world and, especially, here in our home community.

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Jazz: The Second Century — Night Two — Watch Party
October 28 @ 7:00 pm
Night two features resident artists CHA (Carol J. Levin, Heather Bentley, and Amelia Love Clearheart), Ray Larsen, EarthtoneSkytone (Kelsey Mines and Carlos Snaider), and Rae (Abbey Blackwell, Ronan Delisle, and Evan Woodle).
Elnah Jordan & Eric Verlinde
October 29 @ 7:00 pm
The Seattle-based vocalist Elnah Jordan soulfully delivers gospel, jazz, blues, and R&B songs with keyboardist Eric Verlinde. Jordan’s experience includes a long stint portraying Bessie Smith in Jon Hendricks’s theater production Evolution of the Blues.
Ahamefule J. Oluo Jazz Quartet
October 29 @ 8:30 pm
The Resident Artist of this year’s festival presents his driving new quartet from the jazz-friendly vibe of the Royal Room. Tim Kennedy (piano), Geoff Harper (bass), and D’Vonne Lewis (drums) accompany the outstanding trumpeter.
Charles Lloyd: Red Waters, Black Sky
October 30 @ 7:00 pm
A concert film of the sax titan’s remarkable multimedia work about his great-grandmother Sallie Sunflower Whitecloud’s refusal to walk the “Trail of Tears.” Performed with strings, chorus, and an ensemble that includes guitarist Bill Frisell.
Bill Frisell
October 30 @ 8:30 pm
From Brooklyn, the cherished jazz guitarist, arguably the key exponent of the last 30 years, performs solo, highlighting his boundlessly expressive innovations.
Community Panel: The Toll of Online Jazz Education: Equity, Practical Challenges, and Teacher Burnout in a Digital Age
October 31 @ 2:00 pm
As almost everything moves online, jazz educators (many of whom are also performers) are tasked with taking instruction into the virtual world. This panel, moderated by saxophonist and educator Kate Olson, will discuss the experiences of multiple educators with Leanna Keith and Dmitri Matheny.
Gerald Clayton & John Clayton
November 1 @ 7:00 pm
Embodying the jazz continuum, the son-and-father duo of ever-expansive pianist Gerald and renowned bassist John, longtime director of Jazz Port Townsend.
Reggie Goings Quartet
November 1 @ 8:30 pm
Vocalist Reggie Goings, a beloved fixture of the Seattle jazz and blues continuum for years, performs standards, blues, bebop, and originals with home-town heroes Randy Halberstadt (piano), Phil Sparks (bass), and Jamael Nance (drums).
Thomas Marriott’s Trumpet Ship
November 5 @ 7:00 pm
From poignant balladry to propulsive post post-bop expansion, the acclaimed trumpeter Thomas Marriott leads a polished quartet of some of the city’s best: Marc Seales (piano), Jeff Johnson (bass), and John Bishop (drums).
Ab Baars
November 5 @ 8:30 pm
Dutch master Ab Baars performs solo on tenor saxophone, clarinet, and shakuhachi. Baars’ music is characterized as joyfully obstinate and is as colorful as it is astonishing.
Benjamin Hunter Quintet
November 6 @ 7:00 pm
The much-loved Hillman City violinist — and guitarist, mandolinist, singer, and teller of tales of slavery, reconstruction, reconciliation, and still-broken promises — blends musical disciplines to stirring, compassionate effect. Hunter, with Camilo Estrada on bass, Darrius Willrich on keys, Ricardo Guity on percussion, and Chris Patin on drums, will play original music exploring the Black dia...
Film–Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance
November 6 @ 7:00 pm
Jazz dance’s history and artistic roots in the expression of enslaved peoples strengthen the art form, turning its practice into a metaphor for resistance and a struggle for acceptance. The film is directed by Khadifa Wong, based on an original idea by Zack Nemorin. The films stars Debbie Allen, Joshua Bergasse, Jason Samuel Smith, Mandy Moore and others.
Fred Hersch
November 6 @ 8:30 pm
With this solo performance, the brilliant pianist, a master improviser with more than 30 albums and 14 Grammy nominations, celebrates his new album, released this very day! “A living legend” - New Yorker.
Community Panel: The Beth and Kelly Show
November 7 @ 2:00 pm
Dubbed “the Beth and Kelly Show” by colleagues, we’re teaching soulmates who love to talk shop and laugh along the way. We don’t have all the answers, but we do have a ton of experience and are willing to ask questions and make mistakes.
SRJO Nonet: Birth of the Cool
November 7 @ 7:30 pm
Streaming live from Nordstrom Recital Hall, the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra’s Nonet performs Miles Davis’s classic 1949 Birth of the Cool, a landmark in post-bebop jazz.
Ravi Coltrane Quartet
November 8 @ 7:00 pm
From Birdland in New York City, and in the spirit of John and Alice Coltrane, their celebrated saxophonist son leads a riveting quartet that features Brandee Younger, a harpist inspired by Alice Coltrane, bassist Rashaan Carter, and drummer Allan Mednard.
Ahamefule J. Oluo House Party
November 8 @ 8:30 pm
The last of three performances featuring the festival’s Resident Artist. Oluo’s virtual reality house party includes the raucous and renowned Industrial Revelation quaking the living room of a house jam-packed with music lovers, cognoscenti, friends, and an abundance of Nigerian food.