Jazz Northwest

Several new and recent releases from regional jazz artists are featured on this week’s episode of Jazz Northwest. Kelley Johnson's new CD "Something Good" is her first in more than a decade and it shows a widening and deepening of her voice and repertoire. It's a welcome release from one of the top singers in the Northwest. Guitarist Dave Peterson is something of a hidden treasure to most non-musicians, but insiders know and cherish his guitar work and his long, open melodic lines. He's

Trumpeter Thomas Marriott has been playing at Tula's for all his professional life. He started there with his brother Dave on trombone when they were in their teens. The Marriotts represent an entire generation of Seattle musicians who have been regulars on stage at Tula's for more than two decades. Sadly, Tula's closes after 26 years at the end of this month, another victim of gentrification and high rents. Most of the one-story block in Belltown will be demolished for a new high-rise building.

Singer Jacqueline Tabor, named Earshot Vocalist of the year for 2018, was accompanied by a quartet including Michael Brockman on saxophone, John Hansen on piano, Clipper Anderson on bass and D'Vonne Lewis playing the drums. Songs performed ranged from well-known standards to several more obscure songs and the title song from her most recent CD, "The Lady In The Gown." The Art of Jazz series is presented by Earshot Jazz and The Seattle Art Museum with the support of KNKX. John Gilbreath,

John Clayton, Artistic Director of Jazz Port Townsend, leads a specially assembled big band in concert on this week’s episode of Jazz Northwest. The all-star big band is an annual feature of the festival which celebrated its 45th year in July. Featured soloists from this performance include Jeff Hamilton, Terell Stafford, René Marie, Gerald Clayton and Akiko Tsuruga. The concert was recorded in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden near Port Townsend and drew musicians and audience from across the

Vocalist Michael Mayo won many new fans with his performance at the 2019 Jazz Port Townsend. His wide-ranging flexible voice was surprisingly supple and expressive in a program mostly given to the popular standards songbook, with the exception of the opening original song, in which he used loops and effects building to a choral effect in a solo performance. In the balance of the concert, he enjoyed all-star backing from Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Graham Dechter (guitar), Vicente Archer (bass) and

LA tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts and Seattle's New Stories Trio were reunited at the 2019 Ballard Jazz Festival on the mainstage at the National Nordic Museum. Ernie Watts and New Stories first performed together in the 90s at The New Orleans Creole Restaurant and other Seattle locations and recorded a CD "Speakin' Out" for Origin Records in 1999. New Stories also performed as the rhythm section for numerous resident and visiting artists including Don Lanphere, Mark Murphy, Charles McPherson,

Two musicians in a room invites interaction, introspection and interplay. Such is the case in an intimate duo recorded in a quiet room in a private home in Vancouver, B.C. last December. Edmonton alto saxophonist and bi-coastal pianist Bill Mays recorded this CD after playing four concerts last December. We'll hear them play two songs on this episode of Jazz Northwest.

Two great trumpet players were featured together at Jazz Port Townsend this summer. Terell Stafford and Marquis Hill traded brilliant solos during a matinee concert in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden during this year’s festival. With George Cables at the piano, Chuck Deardorf on bass and Matt Wilson at the drums, the quintet generated a lot of excitement for a near-capacity crowd.

Equal Time is an organ trio in the classic style that emerged in the 60s. All three are leaders of their own groups and equal partners in the present trio. They all compose and arrange and take turns introducing the tunes as in this performance recorded in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden during Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend in July.

The first in a series of broadcast concerts from Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend will air on this episode of Jazz Northwest. The opening Friday evening concert of the 45th annual festival features the duo of clarinetist Anat Cohen and seven string guitarist Marçello Goncalves, recorded in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden.