Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards 2011
March 21st, 2011
Chuck Deardorf Quintet with Warren Rand (alto sax), Dawn Clement (piano), Dave Peterson (guitar), Gary Hobbs (drums), and Deardorf (bass) played at Tula’s before the start of the Golden Ear Awards.
Chuck Deardorf is a regular performer in the Seattle area; a full-time professor of bass at the Cornish College of the Arts, where he’s also served as music faculty chair; and a member of Centrum’s 2011 Jazz Port Townsend faculty. His quintet warmed up the Tula’s stage at 7pm, ahead of the presentation of awards at 8pm.  Celebrated jazz radio programmer Jim Wilke emceed  the event. It was a wonderful laid back evening and I congratulate all of the nominees and winners.
The Kora Band, Cascades (OA2 Records) won the NW Recording of the Year Award presented by Rochelle House, left to Andrew Oliver, Kane Mathis, and Chad McCullough.
Tom Marriott gathered the honors for NW Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year for Thomas Marriott’s Flexicon
Alternative Jazz Group of the Year and NW Concert of the Year were both awarded to Speak with drummer Chris Icasiano accepting the award with Andrew Swanson
Bill Anschell, piano, was surprised  and grateful to win NW Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year
And NW Vocalist of the Year went to Gail Pettis
Chuck Deardorf was also surprised when he was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame
Wayne Horvitz was also Inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame.
Another award announced but not in attendance was Paul Kikuchi for Emerging Artist of the Year
After all the awards were given out I got a photo of all of the nominees for NW Vocalist of the Year
Valerie Joyce, Â Gail Pettis, Kelley Johnson and Greta Mattassa 2010 NW Vocalist of the Year Nominees.