Well, folks, this looks to be my final offering for this slot in the Earshot Jazz magazine. I’ll be retiring out the door at the end of January. For me, it’s sad, it’s exciting, and it’s a little scary; but it’s definitely time. As the old jazz lyric says, “It’s too late to leave early.”
Now, 33 years later, Earshot, under his leadership, is celebrated around the world by jazz artists and presenters alike. Gilbreath himself has become a major player in arts presentation, education, and advocacy, frequently serving as grants panelist, nominating committee member, emcee, and board member for respected institutions like the MacArthur Fellows, Chamber Music America, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Uniformly compelling from the first note to the final fade, every track on Siegel’s latest is a highlight, and each musician has their time to shine. The album kicks off by dialing up the jazz quotient on the first couple of tracks, and “Sabotage,” in particular, with its swinging, Monk-ish outlines, almost evokes a Blue Note album.
The album features three very distinctive writing styles from this triad of Seattle stalwarts, with a pair of Wayne Shorter gems amongst the offering. The result is a recording that features some of Seales’ most introspective and deeply lyrical playing, supported by Johnson and Korn as equal partners.
Black has acquired a new goal for his fifties. “I want to thrive,” he shares. He’s lighting up – the excitement is palpable in his voice. “I want to be connected. I want to co-create. I want to focus on interdependency and community and use my voice – this precious gift that I’ve been given that I lose touch with sometimes. It’s like, use it to be a benefit in the world because the world is on fire.”
His hard work paid off, and after earning his undergraduate degree in 2022, Goings started racking up the opportunities. You’d see him tapping next to Cedric the Entertainer on The Late Late Show with James Corden, or on the same screen as Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds during Apple TV’s Scrooge adaptation Spirited, or as one of many under-appreciated auditions on So You Think You Can Dance.
The final stretch of the festival is jam packed with concerts from Ryan Keberle Catharsis and Edmonds Woodway Jazz Band; more concerts in the What’s Going On Series; Khu.éex’; Nduduzo Makhathini, and much more. Two concerts in November also feature livestreams.
We are endlessly grateful to the support this community has given us. Building on this legacy, the Earshot Jazz organization remains in fluid motion toward a bright and productive future. The Earshot board of directors has been hard at work crafting an executive succession that carefully supports the creative path forward.
The new album, Diaspora, from Seattle jazz accordionist Josh Hou is a special treat, bringing Hou’s Chinese and Malaysian heritage into the jazz fold, all tied together by this humble instrument.
Earshot Jazz honors jazz as a vital Black American art form through live performance presentations, artist advocacy, and community engagement.
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