Arias Hoyle of Khu.éex’ photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn
Tickets are on sale now for the 36th annual Earshot Jazz Festival! We are excited to announce another exciting slate of brilliant artists from Seattle and around the world. Tickets and information available at earshot.org.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On: Seattle Modern Orchestra
The new-music ensemble collaborates with Wayne Horvitz on the premiere of a commissioned work by Chari Glogovac-Smith; Horvitz’s “188 Sullivan,” inspired by Charlie Parker’s meeting with modernist composer Edgard Varèse; Julius Hemphill’s “One Atmosphere for Piano and String Quartet;” and Horvitz leading “Worst Planet Yet: A Sun Ra Conduction.”
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 7:30PM
Town Hall Forum
Skerik & Ahamefule J. Oluo Ensemble
The multifaceted saxophonist opens the festival spectacularly with a power-packed band with trumpeter Ahamefule J. Oluo. Interpreting their compositions will be Josh Rawlings (keyboards), D’Vonne Lewis (drums), Jason Cressey (trombone), Marina Christopher (bass), and Phinehas M Nyang’Oro (vocals). Dramatic deep grooves, amped up!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 8PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
The powerful Memphis-reared, Seattle-based vocalist challenges genre boundaries with a contemporary, soulful sound. Her motto: “My intention remains constant – to bring light into lives” while performing her “unapologetic and gritty new alternative Soul Fusion Sound.”
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 3PM
arts at king street station
Event Launch for Jazz Trail
The launch of the multifaceted Jackson Street Jazz Trail, which will include a self-guided walking tour of Seattle’s historic jazz district and an interactive website. With video presentation by jazz author Paul de Barros, vintage photographs, and a performance by vocalist Darelle Holden. Free.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 7:30PM
Town Hall Great Hall
Lincoln High School Jazz Band Plays Wayne Shorter and Carla Bley, Garfield High School Jazz Band Plays Sun Ra
Lincoln High, under Zachariah MacIntyre, and assisted by saxophonist Neil Welch, performs Wayne Shorter and Carla Bley. Plus, bandmaster Jared Sessink leads the Garfield Jazz ensemble in interpretations of Sun Ra’s swinging big band music. Guest artist is keyboard master Wayne Horvitz who has played a key role in expanding horizons for the next generation of Seattle jazz.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 8PM
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
Jenny Scheinman: All Species Parade
The boundary-erasing violinist is a first-call collaborator for jazz leaders like Bill Frisell and Jason Moran. Joining this “major force in avant jazz and roots-oriented creative music” (AllMusic) are Carmen Staaf (piano), Adam Ratner (guitar), and Mark Ferber (drums). Support provided by WESTAF TourWest.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2:30PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Performing solo, the New York-based trombonist and gifted composer of The Westerlies demonstrates what makes his recent Few Ill Words: Solo Trombone at The TANK, Vol. 1 so compelling. He performs moving, sonorous originals along with tunes by the likes of Paul Motian, Duke Ellington, and Bill Frisell.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 8PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Samantha Boshnack’s Uncomfortable Subjects
The Seattle-based trumpeter premieres a genre-dissolving song cycle for a 13-piece Seattle jazz, alt-pop, new music, classical supergroup along with live remarks from poet Jane Wong. Joshua Kohl (cofounder of Degenerate Art Ensemble) conducts.
Co-presented with Nonsequitur and Cornish Music Department.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 7:30PM
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE
Seattle psych-jazz “sonic chameleons” Afrocop — Noel Brass Jr. (keys), Andy Sells (drums), and Carlos Tulloss (bass, baritone guitar) — improvise soundscapes of soul, afrobeat, breakbeat, sci-fi and jazz. The Seattle-based Ethiopian-American hip- hop artist Gabriel Teodros found acclaim with his debut Lovework. On From the Ashes of Our Homes, he reflects on loss of home and safety with Camilo Estrada (bass), Chris Patin (drums), Darrius Willrich (keys), and Ahamefule J. Oluo (trumpet). Co-presented with LANGSTON Seattle.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 8PM
CHAPEL PERFORMANCE SPACE
Skerik
With Blazinspace (aka Gardenia Theroux) transforming the space with immersive digital projections, Skerik performs solo saxophone with complex effects that permit him to create multiple voices. He constructs symphonic improvisations inspired by the likes of Wayne Shorter, Ornette Coleman, Olivier Messiaen, and Steve Reich.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:30PM
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE
The New York-raised, Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist (and host of Jazz Caliente on KNKX) presents his latest work, an Earshot commission. He melds influences from Latin jazz, hip-hop, reggae, funk, rock and orchestral music, always innovative and celebratory. Co-presented with LANGSTON Seattle.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
Julius Hemphill’s Dogon A.D.
St. Louis, Chicago, LA and New York
A salute to Julius Hemphill’s iconic 1972 album Dogon A.D., directed by Marty Ehrlich, with D’Vonne Lewis (drums), Peggy Lee (cello), and Stephanie Richards (trumpet) — an improviser, composer, and close associate of the late Butch Morris. Also on the bill, a Butch Morris Conduction meets the music of Julius Hemphill, Sun Ra, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Ornette Coleman, and Cecil Taylor. Special guests Peggy Lee and Darius Jones (saxophone) with members of The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble. Directed by Wayne Horvitz.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 7:30PM
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE
“Über hip, modern yet timeless” (DownBeat), the trumpeter of The Westerlies and one of DownBeat’s recently announced “25 For The Future” appears with Chris Pattishall (piano/programming/sound design), a pianist with a “forthright relationship to the jazz tradition” (The New York Times), Joshua Crumbly (bass) and Jason Burger (drums). Co-presented with LANGSTON Seattle.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
Kin of the Moon Open Strings Orchestra
Julius Hemphill, the Saxophone Sextets
Heather Bentley (violist/violinist) and Leanna Keith (flute) appear with special guests including Robin Holcomb (piano), Peggy Lee (cello), Darius Jones (saxophones), and Alina To (violin). Conduction by Wayne Horvitz and Stephanie Richards. Also on the bill, a tribute to Hemphill’s sax sextets from Darius Jones, Neil Welch, Skerik, Marty Ehrlich, Alex Dugdale, and Jory Tindall.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 8PM
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE
Day Soul Exquisite
Francesca Eluhu (vocals/guitar) fronts the Seattle QTBIPOC six-piece mixing neo-soul, psychedelic R&B, and jazz. Inspired by London jazz and Afro-Caribbean sounds, Day Soul Exquisite performs performs oppression-defying sweet love songs. With Zora Seboulisa (bass/guitar/vocals), Josh Pehrson (drums), Lillian Minke Tahar (keys/bass), Thomas Arndt (percussion/bass/sampler) and Xiomara Mills-DuPree (saxophones). Co-presented with LANGSTON Seattle.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 8PM
Town Hall Great Hall
Flute takes center stage in London jazz maestro Shabaka Hutching’s reflective compositions, bringing vast musical influences and life lessons together through his gripping, otherworldly ensemble. “SHABAKA hasn’t dialed down his intensity – instead he’s rechannelled it into something more profound.” (BBC Music Magazine)
Friday, OCTOBER 25, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
Julius Hemphill: Compositions for Jazz Orchestra
Electric Circus “Nublu”
Marty Ehrlich leads an orchestra featuring members of The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble in performances of Julius Hemphill’s compositions for jazz orchestra. Electric Circus pays homage to Butch Morris’s Nublu mid-2000s “conduction of groove” recordings at New York’s Nublu club where stars from multiple genres created a stunning amalgam. With conduction by Wayne Horvitz, Electric Circus is joined by Marty Ehrlich (reeds), Peggy Lee (cello), Darius Jones (saxophones), and others.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 8PM
LANGSTON HUGHES PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE
BOOMscat
The Washington, DC-based Peace Body Roll Duo BOOMscat journey meditatively through life, love, and relationships. With multi-instrumentalist/producer Asha Santee (BOOM) and vocalist/songwriter Jennifer Patience Rowe (scat). With free workshop at 3pm. Co-presented with LANGSTON Seattle.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26, 8PM
Town Hall Great Hall
Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade: Legacy of Wayne Shorter w/ special guest Mark Turner
Four masters tribute the late, legendary jazz composer and saxophonist — their bandleader over 24 years of acclaimed concerts and Grammy Award-winning recordings. Danilo Pérez (piano), John Patitucci (bass), and Brian Blade (drums) — with special guest saxophonist Mark Turner, freely interpret Shorter’s compositions.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 8PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
Skerik Quartet feat. Johnaye Kendrick
The saxophonist demonstrates in this quartet that he embraces a very wide array of musical styles and developments, all riveting. With Tim Kennedy (piano), D’Vonne Lewis (drums), Geoff Harper (bass), and award-winning vocalist Johnaye Kendrick, Skerik (saxophone) leads an acoustic quartet with a far ranging repertoire.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 7:30PM
Town Hall Forum
Myra Melford Fire and Water Quintet
Five of the top woman improvisers in jazz led by the transcendent pianist (and melodica player). She joins Mary Halvorson (guitar), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophone), Tomeka Reid (cello), and Lesley Mok (drums), all compelling creators who make Melford’s compositions “welcoming, suffused with melody and feeling, rooted in both Monk and Bartok.” (The New York Times)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 7:30PM
Town Hall Forum
The Belgian mega-big band of 15 players, founded and led by Peter Vermeersch, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The madhouse maximalist juggernaut ensemble creates dazzling, smart and political music, wildly innovative, and as tight as a fine classical orchestra. With thanks to the Government of Belgium for touring support.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 8PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Bill Anschell Standards Trio
One of the region’s finest jazz pianists appears with one of its most outstanding rhythm sections: Jeff Johnson (bass) and D’Vonne Lewis (drums). The trio takes standards, both well-loved and more obscure, into the unknown with a spontaneous, turn-on-a-dime approach.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
Syrinx Effect
Jessica Ackerley Trio
Syrinx Effect — saxophonist Kate Olson and trombonist Naomi Moon Siegel — employ everything from simple folk melodies to abstract, ambient noise. “Each piece is a meditation, an exploration, and sometimes a romp,” they say. Ackerley, “one of the most exciting guitarists to have emerged from the US free music scene in recent years” (The Wire), appears with Walter Stinson (bass) and Aaron Edgcomb (drums).
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 8PM
Nordstrom Recital Hall AT Benaroya Hall
The Vijay Iyer Trio feat. Linda May Han Oh and Jeremy Dutton
The pianist, described as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway” (The New York Times), is a leading voice of his generation, as demonstrated again this year on Compassion (ECM), featuring Iyer and acclaimed bassist Linda May Han Oh, joined on this date by drummer Jeremy Dutton.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
Jazz in Silhouette
Hip Hop and its Elders
In Silhouette, a mid-sized group reimagines the legendary 1959 Sun Ra swing album. Members of The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble and guests Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon), Brandon Ross (guitar), and Vincent Chancey (French horn) cover Sun Ra’s transcendent compositions. Also on the bill, Thaddeus Turner and Darrius Willrich of Shabazz Palaces, the complex jazz rap group Digable Planets, and visiting musicians explore how hip-hop radically re-configured the notion of structure in song form and beyond. Hosted by DJ Riz.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 9PM
Clock-Out Lounge (21+)
Bassist Preston Singletary with other members of the Tlingit, Haida, and Blackfoot tribes, convenes Khu.éex’, Tlingit for “potlatch.” Inspired by the music of his Alaskan forebears, Singletary (also a revered glass artist) and his jazz-funk collaborators create “songs that soar with a profound spirituality and exude celebratory vibrations.” (The Stranger)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 7:30PM
Edmonds-Woodway High School LITTLE THEATER
Ryan Keberle Catharsis w/ Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Band
JazzTimes’ 2020 Best Trombone leads a band that the LA Times hailed as a “potent blend of cinematic sweep and lush, ear-grabbing melodies” for merging jazz, chamber music, South American folk and indie rock. They will perform with the school band, including an afternoon workshop. Support provided by Chamber Music America.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
The World of Conduction
Electric Circus/Space Is the Place
A tribute to the legacy of Butch Morris: Wayne Horvitz, Stephanie Richards, and Brandon Ross lead members of the The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble plus percussionist Sheridan Riley and flutist Leanna Keith. With free, public, pre-show workshop at 4pm. Also on the bill, Electric Circus reimagines the iconic 1973 Sun Ra album Space is the Place with guests Vincent Chancey (French horn), Brandon Ross (guitar) and Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon).
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2:30PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Ryan Keberle Catharsis
Thrillingly merging jazz, chamber music, South American folk and indie rock, Keberle and guitarist/vocalist Camila Meza are joined in an A-list band by trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, bassist Ike Sturm, and drummer Jimmy Macbride. Support provided by Chamber Music America.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 6:30PM & 8:30PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Nduduzo Makhathini Trio
The transcendent South African pianist, vocalist and Blue Note recording artist with his trio in an intimate setting. Deeply influenced by countrymen Abdullah Ibrahim and American jazz legends, Makhathini has pursued “a kind of playing that could mirror or evoke the way my people danced, sung, and spoke,” he says. His telepathic trio has Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere (bass) and Francisco Mela (drums).
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 7:30PM
THE ROYAL ROOM
What’s Going On:
Manual de Ritmo y Percusión con Señas
Dust to Dust, the Songs of Butch Morris
An all-percussion orchestra draws from the teachings of Santiago Vazquez, an Argentinean percussionist whom Butch Morris inspired to develop an entire percussion system. With Evan Woodle, Sheridan Riley, Greg Campbell, Rocky Martin, and others. Also on the bill, the beautiful instrumental songs from Morris’s 1990 album Dust to Dust (which was produced by Wayne Horvitz) featuring Vincent Chancey (French horn), Brandon Ross (guitar), and Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon).
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2:30PM & 7:30PM
CORNISH RAISBECK Auditorium
Marina Albero feat. Yusa
The phenomenal Albero, on piano, keytar and hammered dulcimer, releases her latest album, A Nomad of Sound, with acclaimed Cuban bassist, guitarist, singer and composer Yusa and vocalist Serena, Albero’s daughter, traveling from Spain for the occasion. With Jackson Cotugno (saxophone), Kelsey Mines (bass) and D’Vonne Lewis (drums).
Schedule subject to change.
