Letter From The Director

10, 9, 8, 7, 6 . . . . .

We’re excited to be counting down to another incredible Earshot Jazz Festival, coming up this fall from October 17 to November 3. A complete schedule of upcoming events is included in this issue, and the full festival brochure will be in your mailboxes and on the streets soon. And, tickets are on sale now!

Now in its 36th year as “Seattle’s most important annual jazz event” (DownBeat), the Earshot Jazz Festivals have delivered many hundreds of unforgettable concert experiences that have been key in shaping the culture of this city. We’re delighted to bring you another edition, stacked with expansive performances by some of the most important creative artists of the day. As always, Seattle artists share the spotlight with world-renowned touring masters.

We’re proud to showcase the one-in-a-million Seattle saxophone maestro, Skerik, as the 2024 Earshot Jazz Festival Artist in Residence. Always one of the strongest and most unmistakable instrumentalists on our (or any other) scene, Skerik will curate three multi-dimensional mainstage concerts on this year’s schedule. You’ll also see him on several other concerts throughout the festival.

This year’s festival commission peer panel eagerly selected trombonist (and KNKX host) Freddy “Fuego” Gonzalez to create new work for the festival. Freddy will premiere his compositions for a new, expanded ensemble in a mainstage concert as part of our partnership at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. We can’t wait to see and hear what he’s cooked up.

The South Hudson Music Project has also curated a series for the festival called What’s Going On: Conduction, Improvisation, and the Culture of Structure. The seven-concert series is a tribute to Black avant-garde innovators Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris, Julius Hemphill, and Sun Ra. It includes heavy hitters from across North America alongside Seattle-based music stars. In the spirit of that series, Wayne Horvitz will also work with the Lincoln and Garfield High School Jazz Bands for their spotlight Town Hall concerts, with Lincoln focusing on the music of Wayne Shorter and Carla Bley and Garfield plays Sun Ra!

We love the jazz global continuum and our home community with equal measure! We recognize both the honor and the responsibility to bring in a world-class jazz festival every year that reflects both the changing face of jazz and that of our community. The Earshot Jazz organization has built a legacy as a creative, solid citizen of this beautiful community, and we want our ongoing work to resonate with those values.

As a non-profit arts organization, with what we consider to be a sacred trust, we rely on your donations and participation to continue our work. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, contributions are gladly accepted, and tickets are on sale now!

We can’t wait to see you out there. Thank you!!

—JOHN GILBREATH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR