In this Issue
Table of Contents
– Profile –
Kiki Valera: Adventures in Clave Cubana
– Preview –
Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music in Concert
-Special Events Calendar–
-Earshot Jazz Festival-
Celebrating the 31st Annual Earshot Jazz Festival
-Roots-
Masthead
December 2019
Volume 35, No. 12
Executive Director
John Gilbreath
Managing Director
Karen Caropepe
Programs Manager
Tara Peters
Development Manager
Errin Patton
Marketing & Development Asssociate
Lucienne Aggarwal
Editors
Lucienne Aggagrwal & Tara Peters
Contributing Writers
Paul de Barros
Ian Gwin
Gus Marshall
Paul Rauch
Calendar Editors
Carol Levin
Jane Emerson
Tara Peters
Photography
Daniel Sheehan
Layout
Tara Peters
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
Danielle Leigh (President)
Chris Icasiano (Vice President)
Chris Nutter (Secretary)
Sheila Hughes (Treasurer)
John W. Comerford
Maurice James
Kenneth W. Masters
Gail Pettis
Ruby Smith Love
Diane Wah
Emeritus Board Members
Clarence Acox
Sue Coliton
Taina Honkalehto
Hideo Makihara
Kenneth W. Masters
Peter Monaghan
Lola Pedrini
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 Pacific Publishing Company
© 2019 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle
Letter from the Director
We Can’t Do This Without You
Thank you for an amazing year! With special thanks, as always, to the musical artists, students, and educators who work so hard to ensure a strong future for jazz here in Seattle. The Earshot Jazz organization is hard at work reinforcing that important bridge between the brilliant artists of the day, and the public who support live performances and recordings. And we need your financial support.
We’re especially proud that DownBeat magazine ran its review of this year’s Earshot Jazz Festival under the headline, “Earshot Serves as Platform for Thriving Seattle Scene.” That’s the essence of our work: to celebrate Seattle’s place in the global jazz community while featuring local and emerging artists alongside international jazz masters. Ticket sales offset only half of the festival’s production expenses, and none of its administrative costs; we need your financial support to build on this legacy of service.
In addition to the projects with Jay Thomas, Seattle Modern Orchestra, and Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra that Paul de Barros mentions in the DownBeat piece, the recent festival also debuted two successful Seattle Jazz showcase nights, helped to raise awareness and funding for this pivotal time in the Washington Middle School/Garfield High School pipeline, and introduced the Trace Generations project, which is designed to link established musicians with recent graduates who are now ready to enter the professional field. Your financial support allows us to keep ticket prices low, and to focus on the intrinsic value of our programming, rather than its potential for profitability.
This is such a rich time for jazz. Whether we’re seeing the cumulative effect of the growing emphasis on jazz education programs, or the natural evolution of the art form, this year’s festival left no doubt that the “sound of surprise” also has the ability to nourish the spirit in times of need. You can support the next concerts by remarkable young artists who are set to make the future of jazz even richer.
Please make a donation to Earshot Jazz today. You decide on the amount that fits your budget, and make a contribution to help bring inspiration and dedication to Seattle stages.
Thank you!!
–John Gilbreath, Executive Director