Trimtab
August 11th, 2014
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(Jason Goessl, Brian Oppel, Phil Cali)
Earshot Jazz presented the last in the Jazz: The Second Century series last month ending the series with Trimtab. I really enjoyed listening to this group.
R. Buckminster Fuller, the great 20th century architect and theorist said, “We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.†The band Trimtab is the sonic answer to this call. Trimtab is the concept of guitarist Jason Goessl, who being heavily influenced by the ideas of Buckminster Fuller, saw an intrinsic link between architecture and musical form – a link he sought to express in sound. Initially formed in Minneapolis, Goessl moved west to Seattle and enlisted bassist Phil Cali and drummer Brian Oppel, to form the newest incarnation of Trimtab, and further realize his musical vision.
Sweeping dynamic changes, woven through hypnotic musical tensions, all set against persistent grooves, the music of Trimtab is a unique blend of the concrete and the sonic, the physical and the ephemeral. There is a unique gravitational pull in their music, much like the unseen forces that send skyscrapers into the heavens and lift bridges across impossible expanses. Trimtab, if they are the true architects of the future, call on the past and the future alike to forge a sound whose gravitational center is the inescapable present. If they are answering the call, hopefully someone is listening.
The Westerlies
July 23rd, 2014
In June Earshot Jazz presented the Westerlies in concert at the Seattle Art Museum. Having taken New York by storm, former Seattle residents Riley Mulherkar, Zubin Hensler (trumpets), Willem de Koch and Andy Clausen (trombones) return as the new-music brass quartet the Westerlies. And Horvitz’s all-star improvising conduction ensemble charms at their home venue.
The Westerlies emphasize original composition and improvisation in conventional chamber music, aiming to create in the ever-narrowing gap between contemporary classical composition, jazz-influenced improvisation and North American folk music. The Westerlies seek to present chamber music as an organic and dynamic means of artistic expression in the twenty-first century.
Tineke Postma Quartet at SAM
May 10th, 2013
The internationally acknowledged Dutch jazz saxophonist Tineke Postma played at Earshot Jazz Art of Jazz series at SAM last night. She played a wonderful set and will play again on Saturday opening for Grace Kelly at the Kirkland Performance Center. She is in the US for a series of concerts throughout the country, including Portland, Washington DC, and New York City.
Bobby Previte’s Voodoo Orchestra West
October 23rd, 2012
Bobby Previte leads his Voodoo Orchestra West Monday night at The Triple Door as R=Earshot Jazz Festival rolls on.
Click on the schedule here 2012 Earshot Jazz Festival  continues.
New York-based drummer Bobby Previte first brought his transcriptions of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew-era psychedelia to NYC’s Knitting Factory with the weekly Voodoo Orchestra 15 years ago. Now Davis’ seductively brooding electric music is resurrected with a cast of seasoned Seattle pros:
Saxophones Neil Welch, Kate Olson, bass clarinet Beth Fleenor, French horn Tom Varner, electric bass Keith Lowe, string bass Geoff Harper, Fender Rhodes Ryan Burns, keys Wayne Horvitz, B-3 organ Joe Doria, electric guitar Tim Young and percussion Jeff Busch.
Under Previte’s direction from the drums, the pieces often progress at differently than what Davis devotees are accustomed to. His Voodoo Orchestra West conjures the source material’s spirit and atmosphere; they play as themselves in Davis’ court, rather than simply emulating the sidemen on the original records. That allows a freedom to uncover their own starts, stops and melodies.
Roosevelt High School Jazz Band
October 17th, 2011
On the opening night of the 2011 Earshot Jazz Festival two of the top three bands in this year’s Essentially Ellington competition at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center assure Seattle’s jazz future. Roosevelt & Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Bands Performed. here are some pictures of the Roosevelt band I manages to get. Scott Brown conducts the Roosevelt HS Jazz Band. To see more pictures and to order prints see Roosevelt Web Gallery.
Being selected to participate in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual Essentially Ellington competition in New York is a prestigious honor that has been bestowed upon Seattle-area bands many times in the competition’s 16-year history. This year, 110 schools applied to the competition; 15 were invited to compete, including the Roosevelt and Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Bands. Those two bands were on stage at Town Hall, playing some of the swinging Count Basie tunes that got them second and third place, respectively, in the competition.
The Roosevelt High School Jazz Band remains a titan of big band excellence. They have been to the Essentially Ellington competition 12 of the last 16 years. Praised far and wide for their strong ensemble playing, the band performs under the direction of Scott Brown, a dedicated teacher and accomplished jazz artist. Brown is himself a trombonist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and recipient of the 2007 KCTS Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education. To see more pictures and to order prints see Roosevelt Web Gallery.
We’re with You Japan | Benefit Jazz Concert
May 16th, 2011
Burnlist with Cuong Vu, Greg Sinibaldi, Chris Icasiano, and Aaron Otheim were the headlining act at this Saturday night concert presented by the Japan Young Professionals Group (JYPG) and Earshot Jazz. Appearing before Burnlist, was vocalist Aiko Shimada, and Chemical Clock performing in a special concert benefiting Japan earthquake relief through the Peace Winds America agency. There was a  really good turnout despite the cold rainy night.
Coung Vu
Greg Sinibaldi
Cameron Sharif, Ray Larsen, Evan Woodle and Mark Hunter are Chemical Clock. Finding themselves together within the darkened recesses of the University of Washington’s music building, these four undergraduates united in their common desire to experiment in new musical territories — the bleeding-edge kind of stuff they’d never learn about in jazz college. Under the influence of professor Cuong Vu, who fervently supported their artistic explorations, Chemical Clock has taken to it in earnest since the early days of 2009.
Ask The Ages at Cafe Racer
May 16th, 2011
Ask The Ages played a great set on Saturday night opening up for Gutbucket. They are Brian Heaney, guitar, Greg Campbell, drums, John Seman, bass, and Steven Bell, vibraphone. Here are some pictures from the evening.
