May Magazine
May 2021
-Profile-
Cultivating Black Brilliance: A Conversation with Langston’s Tim Lennon
-Feature-
Paul Rucker: Preserving Black History in the Central District
When Life Gives You Lemons: Gordon Brown’s Big Pandemic Pivot
-Preview-
Earshot Jazz Live at The Royal Room
Earshot Jazz Live at Town Hall
Lake Chelan Wine and Jazz Festival
-Meet The Board-
Masthead
May 2021
Volume 37, No. 5
Executive Director
John Gilbreath
Managing Director
Karen Caropepe
Marketing & Development Associate
Lucienne Aggarwal
Editor
Lucienne Aggarwal and Rayna Mathis
Earshot Jazz Copy Editor
Caitlin Carter
Contributing Writers/Artists
Paul de Barros
Marianne Gonterman
Paul Rauch
Jonathan Shipley
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
Actual Optimism
We hope that you and yours are safe and healthy. Congratulations on getting through this past year! Spring comes each year, but this one feels a LOT better than the last one. Here’s hoping that the warmer winds will carry a sense of progress and positivity, and the longer allotment of daylight will help us see the way to better circumstances for all. We’ve still got a long way to go, but it feels like we’re getting “on the good foot,” as the Godfather of soul would say.
Our livestream concert series this spring has been gratifying on a few levels. We’re always glad to engage Seattle’s great jazz artists in paid performance opportunities, but these performances have been sweetened by creative reunions that have taken place onstage. In many cases, it has been the first time that musicians have worked together in person for a year or more. And the comments from our audience members during the streams have proven that the joy of the connections is also felt by the viewers. AND, we’re finally beginning to invite a small number of audience members into our Town Hall events for May. As always, the health and safety of audience, artists, and crew is foremost. Stay tuned for details.
I’ve also recently attended a few of the Tuesday night jam sessions at the Owl N’ Thistle on Post Alley, downtown, and have been warmed by the music and spirit of connection among the cross-section of musicians. The long-running sessions at Owl N’ Thistle absolutely embody the greater jazz continuum, providing a chance for younger musicians and those new to the scene, to meet each other, make music, and learn on the bandstand from the more established masters of our community. It’s a quality hang, to be sure, and jazz to the bone.
We’d like to extend a special welcome to Rayna Mathis, who joins the Earshot team this month as the new editor of this magazine. Welcome, Rayna!! This will be fun!
Earshot Jazz is proud to be an active part of this resilient jazz community, and of Seattle’s greater cultural community. The work that we do, whether through concert production, artist support, or this monthly Earshot Jazz magazine (which has been available around the city all through the pandemic), is all about supporting the artists, audiences, educators, and presenters of this incredible jazz community. And, we do it with your financial support. We hope that you’ll join us again this month when the GiveBIG campaign sweeps across the city.
Please make a donation to Earshot Jazz this month, whether through GiveBIG, the mail, or on earshot.org. Become a member and we’ll hook you up with the monthly Earshot magazine and discounts to our concerts.
As always, we thank you for your support!
JOHN GILBREATH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR