This folk-music-related post is about participation, not performance. Shapenote singing (aka Sacred Harp) has been part of American life for well over 250 years, and has been sung in Seattle for 30 or 40. A sizeable group of people will gather in Ballard this weekend, at the Pacific Northwest... continue reading on Seattlest
Even though he grew up in Seattle and has recently joined the UW jazz studies faculty, and even though he had an intriguing-looking gig at SAM during last fall's Earshot Jazz Festival, we still haven't managed to catch a performance by trumpeter Cuong Vu. But we'd sure like to catch... continue reading on Seattlest
When your band's roster (Gonzalez on trumpet and congas; Andy Gonzalez, bass; Larry Willis, piano; Steve Berrios, drums; Joe Ford, sax/flute) has been in place since 1990, you have time to develop the musical telepathy that makes jazz jazz. And when that telepathy communicates both the bebop-and-beyond mainstream and... continue reading on Seattlest
"Go see George Colligan," our friend e-mailed from DC. "He's one of the best pianists working today." So we did—Colligan was at Tula's on Friday and Saturday nights, as the Earshot Jazz Festival neared its close—and he is. Although it is easy to hear earlier influences (Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner)... continue reading on Seattlest
You don't often hear French horn in jazz. But Tom Varner (whose New Seattle Quintet performed Wednesday night at Tula's as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival, which continues through Sunday) strips the instrument of its traditional classical dress and makes something new of it. In a blindfold test, you... continue reading on Seattlest
Recent Posts from Erik
