Jazz Northwest

Saxophonist Gary Hammon brought his quintet to the Seattle Art Museum's Art of Jazz concert in January. The program includes original music by Hammon and trumpeter Erik Esvelt and two jazz standards. Others in the group include Mike Eskenazy, guitar, Todd Gowers on bass and Mike Eppert at the drums. Gary Hammon grew up in Seattle's Central District and began playing saxophone as a junior at Garfield High School and began gigging around Seattle clubs as a young musician. He went on to study music

This week on Jazz Northwest, we'll sample two new releases with former Seattle musicians now active in New York City, pianist Carmen Staaf and trumpeter Riley Mulherkar. We will also hear songs from Nancy Erickson and the 200 Trio from recent recording sessions in small, intimate clubs in Shoreline and Ballard, and share some of our best bets for live jazz in the coming week. Never miss an episode again. Subscribe to Jazz Northwest with iTunes or Google Play now. More Info Carmen Staaf Nancy

With our first show of the new year, we're sharing some of our favorite albums from 2017 and debuting some new releases. The new album by Canadian saxophonist, PJ Perry who's been active in Vancouver, Toronto, New York and since 1975, he's called Edmonton, Alberta home. His latest release, recorded live at the Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, features great sound and fleet mastery. Also new is Cory Weeds & Jeff Hamilton Trio's release Dreamsville. Finally, we will listen to Seattle drummer Phil

Seattle's world music trio dunde libre played the December Art of Jazz concert at The Seattle Art Museum and was recorded for this weeks program. The trio plays original music inspired by the musical cultures of Spain, Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean. The fusion trio includes Alex Chadsey on piano and the electric keyboard. Farko Dosumov performing on the electric bass and Jeff Busch on drums and percussion. The group takes its name from a concept of the Spanish author Federico Garcia Lorca. The

Time once again to turn on the Christmas lights, put a Santa cap on the microphone and settle in for a seasonal sampler of musicians from Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. With the beginning of winter, the shortest days of the year and multiple holiday traditions and celebrations, this is our celebration with a sampling of resident musicians in the Pacific Northwest. This year's show includes Bobby Medina, Karin Plato, David Friesen, Dave Frishberg, Thomas Marriott, the SRJO, Primo Kim,

Portland's outstanding jazz singer Nancy King has been nominated in the jazz vocal category of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. An underground favorite for decades, Nancy King has played international festivals and small jazz clubs, with orchestras and in duos in every type of venue imaginable. A skilled improvising jazz vocalist who can be favorably compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Betty Carter and Sheila Jordan, she's always gone her own way with her extraordinary ability to bridge the vocal

Three great singers with roots in black church music were featured in concert singly and together at Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend last July. "Raising Voices" featured Dee Daniels, Cedric Dent and Niki Haris each singing a pair of songs and joining for the finale in the concert which brings together spirituals, blues and jazz and demonstrates their common heritage. Accompanying the singers were Sullivan Fortner, piano, Jon Hamar, bass and Joe LaBarbera. Dee Daniels began singing in her stepfather

This week's show samples upcoming performances by the Jim Cutler Jazz Orchestra, Duende Libre, Kareem Kandi, Greta Matassa and others, plus a new Christmas album with Eugene, Oregon trumpet and flugelhorn player Tony Glausi. Also this week, The Garfield Jazz Ensemble in part of their 2017 Essentially Ellington performance in NYC, and The Three Sounds at The Penthouse in Seattle in the Sixties.

Among the many holiday musical traditions is The Roosevelt Jazz Band's "Jazz Nutcracker" which has been presented annually in Seattle since 2000.

Hear highlights from a concert by The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with special guest Wycliffe Gordon recorded last weekend at The Kirkland Performance center. Wycliffe Gordon is a multi award and poll-winning trombonist, in addition to playing the trumpet and singing, he also conducted SRJO. Wycliffe Gordon also composed most of the music in this hour of highlights.

With an outstanding jazz faculty assembled for its annual Jazz Workshop, Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend has a ready all-star big band to play the festival on the last weekend of July each year. With soloists in every chair, this becomes one of the best bands on the planet for one weekend. This year was no exception. Led by Jazz Port Townsend Artistic Director John Clayton, this year's Festival Big Band featured many outstanding soloists, including Matt Wilson, Dan Marcus, Alex Dugdale, Sean Jones,

Jazz Northwest marks the Buddy Rich and Dizzy Gillespie centennials in 2017 with radio aircheck recordings produced in the 60s by host Jim Wilke. The Buddy Rich Big Band played a live broadcast from D.J.'s on Fourth Avenue in 1968, The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet played a live broadcast from The Penthouse in 1966. Also included on this program are samples of some upcoming Earshot Jazz Festival performers - Edward Simon, Gregory Porter, and Amina Figarova.

John Gilbreath, Executive Director of Earshot Jazz will talk about some of the international artists including Afro-Cuban pianist and band leader Omar Sosa (October 15), and Azerbaijan-born pianist and composer Amina Figarova (November 4) who studied in the Netherlands and now lives in New York . Drummer Matt Wilson will celebrate poet Carl Sandburg who was born in Illinois near where Matt Wilson was born. Matt Wilson will make 3 appearances with three different ensembles including the Roosevelt

New faces and fresh talent at Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend in 2017 included alto saxophonist Tia Fuller and pianist Sullivan Fortner who fronted a quartet with bassist Doug Weis and drummer Kendrick Scott. The performance in McCurdy Pavilion at Fort Worden was recorded for radio and will air on Jazz Northwest on Sunday, October 8 at 2 PM Pacific on 88.5 KNKX. All four musicians also served on the faculty of the Jazz Workshop during the week before the festival. Tia Fuller was recently featured

The 29th annual Earshot Jazz Festival (October 8-November 12) will be sampled and previewed this week on Jazz Northwest. Earshot Jazz Executive Director John Gilbreath joins us to sample and discuss some of the more than 50 events during the five-week festival. Included will be several events in a centennial salute to pianist-composer Thelonious Monk. Seattle pianists Overton Berry and Dawn Clement will be featured along with many international and regional artists and rising stars. Learn more