Max Holmberg photo courtesy of the artist
In Memoriam: Jane Emerson
Longtime Earshot Jazz audience member, donor, volunteer, and friend Jane Emerson passed away on March 5 after a brave fight with a serious illness. Members of the Seattle music community will recall Jane as an avid music fan, regularly sitting with her husband David in the front row of concerts at Earshot Jazz, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, and other music venues. Dave and Jane have easily attended hundreds of Earshot events over the years. Jane was a generous and kind spirit with a clear commitment to the importance of live music in our community. She will be dearly missed.
Patrons of The Beaver Sessions
The Beaver Sessions, a weekly straight-ahead jam session hosted by Max Holmberg, have been happening every Sunday at The Angry Beaver in Greenwood since 2014. In recent years, the bar hasn’t been able to pay the opening bands as much, so Holmberg and Josh Hou are turning to the community for support to keep the session going. Jam sessions are where musicians meet, socialize, get inspired, learn songs, and try out new ideas. And after nearly 10 years, The Angry Beaver has cemented itself as a vital fixture of this scene. Their goal is to pay each musician in the host band a guarantee, something currently not possible. Any additional funds will be invested in bringing in larger ensembles for the opening set, video recording and archiving of each opening set, installation and maintenance of a piano, and maintaining instruments for open use at the session. Holmberg and Hou launched a Patreon to raise funds to sustain the session long-term, visit patreon.com/thebeaversessions.
Office of Arts & Culture Director Search
The nationwide search for the next permanent director of the City of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture is still open through April 11. To help guide a rigorous selection process, the mayor has appointed a committee representing a broad array of prominent Seattle arts leaders and stakeholders. In a statement about the search Mayor Harrell said, “Arts allow us to share feelings, values, and experiences across communities and shape the unique social character of our neighborhoods…. The next permanent Office of Arts & Culture director must further strengthen our creative landscape – convening artists across mediums, expanding public arts, supporting a next generation of artists, and, most importantly, creating a culture in Seattle where arts are ever present in every community. I want to express my sincere gratitude to Interim Director royal alley-barnes for her work leading this office and her efforts to help our arts sector recover from the impacts of the pandemic.” To learn more about the efforts of the search visit artbeat.seattle.gov/2023/03/13/.
