Jazz Photography | EyeShotJazz

Butch Morris conducting his Conduction® No. 189, S & P at PONCHO Hall Saturday night.

The New York-based composer, conductor, and cornetist Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris redefined the roles of composer, conductor, and performer with this concert which featured two separate 15-member ensembles. Below is Butch working with the Associate Artists Ensemble.

The Associate Artists Ensemble was: Darian Asplund, soprano sax; Jacob Brady, drums; Colin Field, cello; Jacob Herring, trombone; Jamie Maschler, accordion; Evan McPherson, guitar; Steven O’Brien, trumpet; James Pfeffer, percussion; Matthew Reed, clarinet; Dick Robinson, flute; Sydney Robinson, voice; Jacob Stickney, tenor sax; Martin Strand, bass; Brent Vaartstra, guitar; Colby White, alto sax

The second group was the Master Artists Ensemble of: Brianna Atwell, viola; Heather Bentley, violin; Samantha Boshnack, trumpet; Greg Cambell, percussion; Lesli Dalaba, trumpet; Beth Fleenor, clarinet; Craig Flory, woodwinds; Wayne Horvitz, electronics; Paris Hurley, violin; Paul Kukichu, percussion; Joanne de Mars, cello; Lisa Miller, piano; Steve Moore, keyboards; Katie Rife, vibes; Monica Schley, harp; Tom Varner, horn.

This was one of the most interesting performances I have seen in a log time. Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris is recognized internationally as a leading innovator in the confluence of jazz, new music, improvisation and contemporary classical music and the principal theorist and practitioner in the evolution of Conduction®. Since 1974, his career has been distinguished by unique and outstanding international contributions to film, theater, dance, television, radio, interdisciplinary collaborations, concerts and recordings. Employing more than 5,000 musicians in 23 countries and 63 cities, Morris has opened the door to a new understanding of musical language. Morris has acted as a resident conductor and lecturer at institutions such as Princeton University, California Institute of the Arts, Yale University, Wesleyan University, New York University, University of Westminster, London, Orchestra della Toscana, Florence, Mito Museum, Mito, Japan, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many others.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

The Steve Griggs Ensemble performing Cancao Carioca at the Chapel Performance Space, Weds night March 3rd.

In a wonderful sold out performance, Steve Griggs and his ensemble performed music from Rio de Janeiro, music written by composers from the “marvelous city” about their home. Performaned were works by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Nazareth, Pixinguinha, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, among others. It was very delightful to hear the blend of instruments on tunes I remember being played only on guitar. The Ensemble is composed of Steve Griggs – saxophone, Louie Richmond – cello, Tom Varner – French Horn, Phil Sparks – bass, Jeff Busch – percussion, Marco de Carvalho – guitar, and Susan Pascal – vibraphone, marimba.

All photographs on this website are Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Chris Icasiano playing in January with Bad Luck. Just got word that Chris will be playing in the upcoming Ballard Jazz Festival.

All photographs on this website are Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Last spring I photographed SPEAK in Ballard for Earshot Jazz. Here is another version from the July Earshot Jazz profile on the group featuring Aaron Otheim, Cuong Vu, Luke Bergman, Chris Icasiano, Andrew Swanson.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Tinariwen in Concert: Wonou Walet Sidati, vocalist, Elaga Ag Hamid, guitar, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, guitar, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, guitar, Eyadou Ag Leche, bass, and Said Ag Ayad on drum.

All photographs on this website are Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

As promised, here are some more images from Tinariwen’s performance at the Triple Door last week.
An amazing group to see and hear in concert.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Tinariwen at the Triple Door Tuesday night.

There was SRO, or rather there was dancing room only as everyone who could fit up under the stage was on their feet for almost the whole time they were playing. Earshot Jazz presented the Touareg group for 2 shows and they were both sold out.

‘Assouf’ is the name which the Touareg themselves often give Tinariwen’s guitar style. ‘Assouf’ means the blues, loneliness, heartache, longing, homesickness, the darkness beyond the campfire. From the sands of the Sahara in northern Mali comes the group Tinariwen playing concerts all over the world. Their music is soulful and makes you move your feet.

Earshot Jazz presented the Touareg group Tinariwen on stage at the Triple Door Tuesday night.

Both shows at the Triple Door were sold out  and there was SRO, or rather there was dancing room only as everyone who could fit up under the stage was on their feet for almost the whole time they were playing.  ‘Assouf’ is the name which the Touareg themselves often give Tinariwen’s guitar style. ‘Assouf’ means the blues, loneliness, heartache, longing, homesickness, the darkness beyond the campfire. From the sands of the Sahara in northern Mali comes the group Tinariwen playing concerts all over the world. Their music is soulful and makes you move your feet.

They were a big hit again in Seattle. I just got back from their concert and I will post some more photos from their performance in a few days.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Josh Rawlings, Fender Rhodes, Evan Flory-Barnes, double bass, Ahamefule J. Oluo, trumpet, and D’Vonne Lewis, drums performed at the CD release party at Electric Tea Garden Saturday night, up on Capital Hill. It was a great scens and the music was smokin.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Jay Clayton, vocals, Jerry Granelli, drums, Anthony Cox, bass and Julian Priester, trombone, performed in a special reunion concert at Cornish College Saturday night part of the Earshot Jazz Spring Series.

Originally from Chicago, Julian Priester’s performing career is long and varied, beginning with stints in his teens playing with blues and R&B legends Muddy Waters, Dinah Washington, and Bo Diddley. In the early 1950s Priester was also a member of Sun Ra’s big band, and recorded several albums with that group before leaving Chicago in 1956 to tour with vibraphonist Lionel Hampton. Priester subsequently settled in New York, and between 1961 and 1969 appeared as a sideman on albums by Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Blue Mitchell, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Johnny Griffin, and Sam Rivers. In 1969 he accepted an offer to play with Duke Ellington’s big band, then left in 1970 to join pianist Herbie Hancock’s fusion sextet. Since settling down in Seattle and joining the Cornish faculty in the late 1970s Priester has continued to perform as both a bandleader and sideman including tours with Sun Ra, Gary Peacock, the Dave Holland Quintet, Lester Bowie’s New York Organ Ensemble, and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. His compositions have been recorded by Sun Ra, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Philly Jo Jones, Lee Morgan, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Clifford Jordan, and Dave Holland. His own music can be heard on the Riverside, ECM, and Conduit record labels.

Jay Clayton has gained worldwide attention as both performer and teacher. She has appeared at major venues including Lincoln Center, Sweet Basil, Town Hall, the Kennedy Center, Jazz Alley, and the North Sea and Montmartre Festivals. She has taught at Universitat fur Musik in Austria, Bud Shank Jazz Workshop, and at City College and the New School in New York City. She co-taught with Sheila Jordan at the Vermont Jazz Workshop, and at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, and was on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts for twenty years. Her book Sing Your Story: a Practical Guide for Learning and Teaching the Art of Jazz Singing is published by Advance Music. Jay has performed and recorded throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe with leading jazz and new music artists including Muhal Richard Abrams, Steve Reich, Stanley Cowell, Kirk Nurock, Gary Bartz, George Cables, and Jane Ira Bloom as well as with the a cappella group Vocal Summit comprised of Urszula Dudziak, Bobby McFerrin, Jeanne Lee, and Norma Winstone. Her current projects integrate poetry and electronics into her music. Her projects reflect the diversity of her art and her live performances, which range from duo to sextet, and are unique events that draw from all of these collaborations.

Bassist Anthony Cox has recorded with Arthur Blythe, Dewey Redman, Geri Allen, Mike Cain, Uri Caine and many others.

Halifax-based percussionist-composer Jerry Granelli grew up in San Francisco where he studied with Joe Morello and drummed for pianists Denny Zeitlin and Vince Guaraldi (on many a Charlie Brown television specials). He pioneered world jazz fusion and electro-acoustic percussion during the ‘60s, established the music department at Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado in the 1970s, and has taught continuously since then in Boulder, Seattle, Halifax and Berlin. In the early ‘80s he performed and recorded in a trio with Ralph Towner and Gary Peacock for ECM records. He has recorded as a leader for Evidence, Intuition, ITM, and the Koch labels, and performed and recorded with longtime musical associates Mose Allison, Jay Clayton, Jane Ira Bloom, Glen Moore, Anthony Cox, Dave Friedman, and Jamie Saft, as well as projects with Bill Frisell, Robben Ford, Julian Priester, Charlie Haden, Kenny Garrett, and Buck 64.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.

Here are some more images from the annual Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards for 2009 from last Monday night. Above is Greg Williamson A-Y-P Large Ensemble performing before the awards were given out.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Below are some more pictures from the awards ceremony.

Steve Peters, co-founder of the Nonsequitur Foundation, which runs the Chapel Performance Space, also received a community service award.

David Pierre-Louis, owner of Lucid Jazz Lounge, was given a special award in recognition of dedication and innovation in support of the  Seattle Jazz community.

Steve Peters, co-founder of the Nonsequitur Foundation, which runs the Chapel Performance Space, also received a special award with gratitude in recognition of tremendous contributions to Seattle’s Creative Jazz Scene.

Just got back from the annual Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards and it was a blast to see how the jazz community in Seattle comes together like this every year. Old friends and new together again. Here are a few of the award winners tonight. I will post some more later in the week.

All photographs on this website are by Daniel Sheehan © 2010. All Rights Reserved. Please inquire for permission to use.

Kimberly Reason, Kay Bailey and Karen Shivers, accepted their award for Earshot Jazz’s prestigious Golden Ear Award for 2009 Northwest Vocalist of the Year for their group COCOA MARTINI and they thanked everyone including the members of their group, Bill Anschell on piano, Bernie Jacobs on flute and tenor saxophone, Doug Miller on bass, and Greg Williamson on drums.

Evan Flory-Barnes, Josh Rawlings and Jeremy Jones here accept the 2009 NW Acoustic Jazz Group Award for their group The Teaching

Evan Flory-Barnes was back up soon after to receive the award for 2009 NW Jazz Concert of the Year for his “Acknowledgment of a Celebration,” Town Hall, Earshot Jazz Festival, November 8

Neil Welch and Chris Icasiano won 2009 NW Alternative Jazz Group for Duo

Eric Barber took the 2009 NW Instrumentalist of the Year Golden Ear Award for his performances on saxophones.

Andy Clausen & Sjenka won 2009 NW Emerging Artist or Group

Last, but not least, Marc Seales received  the 2009 Jazz Hall of Fame award from fellow University of Washington faculty member Coung Vu.

More pictures from the evening later.

Jazz Photography by Seattle photographer Daniel Sheehan who covers jazz performances, and creates portrait photography for publications and corporations and a Seattle Wedding Photographer at A Beautiful Day Photography, a wedding photographer with an artistic photojournalist style.