April Magazine
April 2021
-In Memoriam-
-Profile-
The 2020 Golden Ear and Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame Awards
-Preview-
Earshot Jazz Live at The Royal Room
Earshot Jazz Live at the Forum
-Meet The Board-
Masthead
April 2021
Volume 37, No. 4
Executive Director
John Gilbreath
Managing Director
Karen Caropepe
Marketing & Development Associate
Lucienne Aggarwal
Editor
Lucienne Aggarwal
Earshot Jazz Copy Editor
Caitlin Carter
Contributing Writers/Artists
Paul de Barros
Peter Monaghan
Paul Rauch
Calendar Editors
Carol Levin
Jane Emerson
Photography
Daniel Sheehan
Layout
Karen Caropepe
Distribution
Karen Caropepe
Dan Dubie
Earshot Jazz volunteers
Send Calendar Information to:
Add a gig to the calendar online or send us an email.
Board of Directors
Chris Icasiano (President)
Sheila Hughes (Vice President)
Chris Nutter (Secretary)
Augusto Cardoso
John W. Comerford
Maurice James
Danielle Leigh
Ruby Smith Love
Diane Wah
Emeritus Board Members
Clarence Acox
Sue Coliton
Taina Honkalehto
Hideo Makihara
Kenneth W. Masters
Peter Monaghan
Lola Pedrini
Richard Thurston
Paul Toliver
Cuong Vu
Founded in 1984 by Paul de Barros, Gary Bannister, and Allen Youngblood.
Earshot Jazz is published monthly by Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle.
Subscription (with membership): $35
3417 Fremont Ave N, #221
Seattle, WA 98103
phone / (206) 547-6763
Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984
Printed by Yakima Herald-Republic
© 2020 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle
Letter From The Director
We’re Golden
As you can see by the collage of screen grabs on this month’s cover, the recent Golden Ear Awards party from the Royal Room (and people’s living room) was a great success. The collage also illustrates the circumstances of this past year: that many individual artists, living and creating on their own, make up one of the most vibrant jazz communities in the country.
The Earshot Jazz organization is dedicated to supporting, enriching, and documenting Seattle’s incredible jazz scene. For 30 years, the annual awards ceremony has provided a setting to pause and celebrate the work of Seattle artists. Over and above the individual categories and recipients, the event signifies to the greater Seattle cultural community that something very special exists here, and that the artists who live and work among us deserve recognition.
The first Golden Ear and Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame Awards party took place in 1990, warming the stage at Lofurno’s, the cherished and well-patinaed Italian restaurant and jazz club at the south end of Ballard Bridge. Originally conceived by Earshot Jazz cofounder Gary Bannister, the awards program has endured as an important annual event to honor the significant work done by Seattle’s established and emerging artists.
Those original Hall of Fame recipients were Floyd Standifer, Al Hood, Chuck Metcalf, and Ernestine Anderson. Over the years, the Hall of Fame has grown to include Seattle legends Buddy Catlett, Don Lanphere, Bud Young, Melody Jones, Jabo Ward, Hadley Caliman, Vonne Griffin, Lola Pedrini, Overton Berry, Julian Priester, Gaye Anderson, and so many others who, collectively, have built the structure of Seattle’s jazz legacy. We’re privileged to help that structure grow through the arc of our own history, understanding that any of today’s artists can be the legends of tomorrow.
Moreover, Seattle’s jazz scene is a shining example of the excellence and multiplicity of approaches that make this such an exciting time for jazz around the world. The Earshot Jazz organization has always embraced an expansive view of the art form, with an enduring commitment to our home community. Earshot’s 36-year presenting history is full of names of the adventurous seekers who have helped to pave the way for the richness of today’s scene, much as the artists we’ll present in the coming months are blazing a trail to the future.
We invite you to join us. Support your local artists. Even in a world segmented by circumstances, jazz is alive and thriving here in Seattle.
See you out there.
JOHN GILBREATH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR