John Gilbreath photo by Bill Uznay
Can I get a couple of choruses of “Summertime”?
This July issue of Earshot Jazz illustrates just how vibrant Seattle’s far-reaching jazz scene has become. In a time when jazz life and commerce typically slow down a bit, the Seattle scene is boasting new summer jazz-education programs, plenty of live music opportunities and lots of news about the past, present and future of our self-renewing jazz ecology.
In doing research for this month’s look at the storied career of Jay Thomas, our esteemed editor had several back issues of the Earshot newsletter from the late 80s and early 90s out in the office for a few days. It is always a treat to look through vintage Earshots. For me, the initial fun of seeing photos of the fresh young faces, and reading about the similarities and the differences of the scene over the years, invariably gives way to a larger respect for all of the people who dedicate their lives to the music they love here in our community. It also becomes clear that this publication – month in and month out for nearly 30 years (so far) – is providing an important, ongoing documentation of what is generally recognized as a pretty remarkable creative community.
We are hoping that Earshot can soon be part of an initiative to digitally archive and index the 30 years (so far) of monthly newsletters, so that more people can have access to this wonderful, long-view perspective on our communal labor of love. It is a valuable opportunity to step back from the daily “trees” of our individual struggles and view the greater “forest” of our collective work.
It has been gratifying to me to bear witness to the artists and infrastructure of Seattle jazz in the 23 years (so far) that I’ve been a part of the Earshot Jazz organization. And, the older I get, the more inclined I am to see this “jazz continuum” or “self-renewing jazz ecology” I always talk about, from a different perspective. But I do see it clearly – on the bandstand, in the schools and community centers, in the audiences, and behind the scenes – and that is a blessing.
As always, we invite you to become an Earshot member and join us in support of this vibrant jazz community. We’ll see you out there!
John Gilbreath, Executive Director, Earshot Jazz
