Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Renton - great jazz is available around the Pacific Northwest this first weekend of summer. Sunday, June 26, Jazz Northwest will preview some of music available in the coming week, including Vancouver and Victoria International Jazz Festivals, as well as in clubs in Seattle and Renton. Seattle artists Jay Thomas, Thomas Marriott and The Full Circle Jazz Ensemble (playing in Renton Sunday night) are among the highlights, along with visiting artists playing at

The Ballard Jazz Walk is a very popular part of the annual Ballard Jazz Festival. This year, 22 bands played in 10 venues around Old Ballard. LineUp, led by pianist Dawn Clement and saxophonist Mark Taylor had a special guest in trombonist Julian Priester, who played with Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and many others before a long teaching career at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. Michael Glynn on bass and D'Vonne Lewis complete LineUp, and they were recorded

There's an easy interplay between New York and Seattle musicians and several recent releases illustrate this. Trumpet players Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott reunited for a second CD together, and Jay Thomas and Gary Smulyan have a new release (on a Japanese label!). This Sunday, June 12 on Jazz Northwest on 88.5 KPLU, we'll play music from both of these CDs and also the 2013 release by Seattle saxophonist Steve Treseler with Ingrid Jensen (former B.C., now N.Y.). Just for kicks, and because we

Spanish pianist Marina Albero brought a new quartet and two sets of new music to the Ballard Jazz Walk in May as part of the 14th annual Ballard Jazz Festival. The SRO performance was recorded for broadcast and will air on Jazz Northwest on Sunday, June 5 at 2 p.m. Pacific on 88.5 KPLU, and streaming at kplu.org. Joining Marina Albero at the piano are Ben Thomas, vibes, Chuck Deardorf, bass and Mark Ivester at the drums. Marina Albero also plays hammered dulcimer on one selection. Born in

May be hard to believe, but there are three jazz festivals in the Seattle/Bellevue area this week and next. This weekend, the Couth Buzzard Jazz Festival on Greenwood is a mini survey of the history of jazz with a feature on Charles Mingus' music Sunday night. Etienne Charles and Shemekia Copland headline the Bellevue Jazz and Blues Festival next week, and the IMP fest at the UW features Bill Frisell, Reid Anderson, Bill McHenry and Cuong Vu next week. New Releases by Jay Thomas and Gary

The Michael Brockman Quartet played the May concert in the Art of Jazz series at The Seattle Art Museum. With Michael on tenor sax, Randy Halberstadt at the piano, Phil Sparks, bass and D'vonne Lewis at the drums, the quartet played two sets featuring music by Billy Strayhorn and others with originals by Michael Brockman. The concert was recorded for broadcast and will air on Jazz Northwest on Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. Pacific on 88.5 KPLU and streaming at KPLU. Michael Brockman is on the music

One of the world's most widely-known and respected jazz arrangers, Bill Holman conducted the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra in three concerts of his music in Edmonds, Seattle and Kirkland last month. The final concert was recorded for broadcast and highlights will air on Jazz Northwest on Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. Pacific on 88.5 KPLU and streaming at kplu.org. Designated a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, Bill Holman is also a three-time Grammy winner and the winner of

Jazz Northwest celebrates May Day with a bouquet of Northwest favorites old and new. This week's show includes a 1990 duet by Larry Coryell and Marc Seales playing "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" as well as new releases by trumpet players Ray Vega and Thomas Marriott, and Jazz Port Townsend favorite Matt Wilson's "Big Happy Family." Some outstanding women in jazz including Jill Townsend, Sara Gazarek, Ann Reynolds and Miranda Sage are featured and we'll remember the recently closed