Elnah Jordan photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn
Board Member Updates
Earshot Jazz would like to recognize and thank the service of two board members who have recently moved on from our board, John Comerford and Sheila Hughes. Comerford served on the board since 2014, assuming the role of Vice President as well as various other capacities, such as supporting the organization in operations, marketing, and fundraising. Hughes joined the board in 2018, serving in the role of Board Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair. We thank you both for your years of dedication to this organization, community, and of course this art form that which unites us all. Please join us in wishing them the best in their next endeavors!
The 2022 Essentially Ellington Finalists
Three area schools have been chosen to compete in the 2022 Essentially Ellington finals competition: Mount Si High School under the direction of William Leather, Bothell High School under the direction of Philip Dean, and Roosevelt High School under the direction of Scott Brown. The annual competition will be held May 5-7 in New York at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Congrats to these three schools! We’ll be rooting you on from here!
Call for “Community Corner” Submissions
Earshot Jazz is calling on our community to submit your stories, reflections, and ideas to one of our newest series “Community Corner”. As a community-centered organization, we strive to continue to use all aspects of our organization, including the magazine, to uplift the voices of the incredible artists, collaborators, and audiences that make up our scene. All submissions are paid. Please email questions and/or submissions to editor@earshot.org.
Seattle Black Film Festival
The 19th annual Seattle Black Film Festival returns to the halls of the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute April 29-May 1. The three-day weekend of in-person and video on demand screenings, panels and events will host an international selection of over forty feature films, music videos, documentaries and short films; showcasing the range and depth of the Black experience on the big screen. Festival highlights include special guests, WACO Theater Center Co-Artistic Directors, Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles Lawson of the documentary film The Evolution of African Dance and the behind-the-scenes short documentary of the making of Black Terror. Festival passes are on sale now, with individual tickets soon to be available as well. Visit langstonseattle.org/home/sbff for more details.
Seattle Jazz Fellowship Spring Series
It’s going to be a swinging spring at Seattle Jazz Fellowship! Starting April 20, the newly minted non-profit will resume its “Fellowship Wednesday” series of shows at Vermillion Art Bar and Gallery on Capitol Hill. Each show will begin with current Artist-In-Residence and local jazz hero Julian Priester hosting a listening session. Priester’s rich recorded history includes work with Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Sun Ra, Ray Charles, Max Roach, and scores of others. After the listening session, Seattle Jazz Fellowship hosts two different bands each week, with each band representing the depth and diversity of our local jazz community from a different side. April Fellowship Wednesdays include performances by Darrell Grant and Ron Perrillo on April 20 and the Fellowship ‘Ceptet and Ted Poor on April 27. Also new this spring: Seattle Jazz Fellowship is enrolling members. Annual memberships support the ongoing work of the Fellowship and cost $300 per person or $150 for students (anyone 25 years old or younger). For more information visit seattlejazzfellowship.org.
2022 Artist Trust Fellowship Awardee
Congratulations to Jovino Santos Neto for being one of the fifteen 2022 Artist Trust Fellowship artists to receive an unrestricted cash award of $10,000 from Artist Trust, a local non-profit that supports musicians of all disciplines across Washington State. “This award represents tremendous support for my career as a musician. The past two years have seen a collapse in live performance opportunities and that has curtailed many of the musical activities that we would normally engage in,” said Santos Neto. “With this award, I can consider recording my band in the studio once again and continue to compose and rehearse new music for the near future. My appreciation for this prize is infinite. Thank you to Artist Trust and to all who support its mission!” The next cycle of the Fellowship Awards opens in October 2022, and the deadline to apply is early November. Guidelines will be posted on artisttrust.org in September.
An Afternoon of Community and Jazz
Co-presented with LANGSTON, join us on April 24, 2-4pm, for community engagement at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. This event invites communities of color to share their feedback, insight, and dreams to help us plan the future of Earshot Jazz as an organization and how we can better connect and be intentional in our service to the legacy of jazz. During the event, enjoy music from Elnah Jordan and Paul Richardson. We value our longstanding partnership with LANGSTON and their mission in Cultivating Black Brilliance. We look forward to hearing from you!
