Results for "Seattle"

Greta Matassa

Born: September 5, 1962

In the Pacific Northwest, where she built her career, Greta Matassa wins wide acclaim; 7 times, the readers of Earshot, the Seattle jazz magazine, have voted her the best jazz vocalist in the Northwest. She was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014. Jim Wilke, the Seattle jazz maven and host of the syndicated "Jazz After Hours" radio program, praises her versatility. "She has a fearlessness in approaching material,” Wilke says, "that makes her like an instrumentalist in a jam session.” Bassist and producer John Clayton says “One of the best jazz singers we have to boast about these days.” Her 40 year career has been a whirlwind of exciting opportunities and experiences

Jeff Johnson

Born: December 12, 1954

Jazz bassist, Jeff Johnson, received an acoustic guitar at age 9 and began his personal musical journey. British rock and American soul music were his earliest influences. Early 1960's AM radio became his first "teacher". Jeff learned the licks and chords of popular music of the time by listening and copying what he heard. At age 15, Jeff took a job offer to play electric bass guitar in a steadily working band which introduced him to jazz. By age 17 he was teaching himself the acoustic double bass, learning onstage with veterans and peers of the fertile "Twin Cities" jazz scene. Jeff credits saxophonists Irv Williams, Larry Hillman, Bob Crea, Dick Oatts, and Bob Rockwell, as well as pianists Buddy Davis, Tom O'Donnell, Bobby Peterson, Art Resnick, and Bobby Lyle, along with guitarist Dean Granros, bassist Billy Peterson, and drummers Jay Epstein, Kenny Horst, Paul Lagos, and Eric Gravatt as early Minneapolis/St.Paul mentors. In 1975, at age 20, Jeff left Minneapolis for Philadelphia to join legendary drummer Philly Joe Jones' then touring group called "Le Gran Prix"

Wayne Horvitz

Born: September 1, 1955

Composer, pianist, and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz performs extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. He is leader and principal composer for the quartet Sweeter Than the Day and performs regularly as an improviser on both piano and electronics throughout the world. Past ensembles include The President and the Horvitz, Morris, Previte Trio, Pigpen, Zony Mash, The New York Composers' Orchestra, Ponga and The Four Plus One Ensemble. His newest ensemble, The Gravitas Quartet, is a chamber group featuring cellist Peggy Lee, trumpeter Ron Miles and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck. As a composer, Horvitz has been commissioned by The Kitchen, The Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New World Records, The Seattle Chamber Players and Earshot Jazz

Bill Frisell

Born: March 18, 1951

Born in Baltimore, Bill Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio. Soon, the Chicago Blues became a passion through the work of Otis Rush, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield and Buddy Guy. In high school, he played in bands covering pop and soul classics, James Brown and other dance material. Later, Bill studied music at the University of Northern Colorado before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied with John Damian, Herb Pomeroy and Michael Gibbs. In 1978, Frisell moved for a year to Belgium where he concentrated on writing music

Amy E. Denio

Born: June 9, 1961

Denio (rhymes with ‘Ohio’ or ‘gennaio’) is a multi- instrumentalist composer and singer based in Hansville, WA. Home-taper since the Dark Ages of Analogue, she started her label Spoot Music in 1986, with the release of her first cassette, ‘No Bones.’ Since then, she’s recorded & released over 60 cassettes, LPs and CDs created solo and with an array of international musicians. Her parents played jazz semi-professionally, and she grew up in a musical household. She was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2015. An award-winning composer, she has been creating & producing soundscores for dance, theater and film since 1983

Jeff Kashiwa

One of the most diverse, in demand sax players in all of contemporary jazz, Jeff Kashiwa finds pure joy at the heart of his increasingly fast-paced touring schedule by reminding himself, every time he gets on stage, that he’s there to do one thing: Play!

Over the last few years, he’s been doing just that to the tune of almost 100 performances annually, bringing his trademark exuberance to gigs with his longtime band Coastal Access, shows across the country with The Sax Pack (featuring fellow genre A-listers Steve Cole & Kim Waters), dates in the U.S. and England with Acoustic Alchemy and others with Chuck Loeb. Last year, he also reunited with The Rippingtons – whom he originally recorded and toured with from 1990-99 – for the group’s 20th Anniversary Tour; he will be joining his former band for many dates this Summer as well.

Jenny Davis

Redefining the art of singing, award-winning vocalist, composer, and bandleader Radebaugh, she has found the balance of songs and styles that showcase their collective talents, blending beautiful arrangements and soulful compositions, while adding new freshness to favorite jazz standards. In this adventurous recording, Jenny’s vocals fuse with inspired solos by Easton, Radegaugh and Willy Ingersoll, creating improvisations that make her voice sound, in the words of one of her fans, “like an instrument among instruments." Her voice invites the listener inside the music in recordings of vibrant bebop standards that are usually performed instrumentally such as Clifford Brown’s "Joy Spring" and Charlie Parker’s "Scrapple from the Apple"

Ray Clemens

Born: March 5, 1977

Upright bassist Ray Clemens studied jazz at the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California and at the New School for Social Research in New York, honing his craft under the tutelage of masters like Marshall Hawkins, Buster Williams, and Peter Paulsen. An accomplished teacher in his own right, Ray has a wide range of instructionexperience, in all age groups and ability levels, ranging from private instruction, to small ensemble and orchestra. Along his travels through time and space, he has played with many great players including: Harry Pickens, Bob Mintzer, and Arnie Lawrence. He’s performed at the Kimmel Center, World Café Live, the Roxy, Blue Note, Dazzle Jazz, and the Kennedy Center

Matt Jorgensen

Born: October 13, 1972

Since moving back to Seattle in 2002 after 10 years in New York City, Matt Jorgensen has been active in all aspects of the Seattle jazz scene. He has recorded four CD ’s with his group Matt Jorgensen +451 for Origin Records, and has toured extensively from New York to LA and in 2003 picked up an award for “Best Acoustic Jazz Group” by Earshot Jazz.

As a sideman he is frequently called on by an impressive list of musicians including Peter Bernstein, Eric Alexander, Bill Mays, Vincent Herring, George Colligan, Reggie Workman, Tim Ries, Chuck Leavell and others.

Marc Smason

Born: June 18, 1951

Trombonist/vocalist/composer, Marc Smason learned to sing as a child in Texas and studied classical trombone in Seattle and Los Angeles with Stu Dempster, Julian Priester, Ken Cloud & Slide Hampton. Voice with Jay Clayton (jazz), Yo Jin Chong (Korean) & Ki Wasitodipuro (Javanese). B.F.A. - California Institute of the Arts and a member of International Federation of Musicians - local 76-493. Marc has taught private lessons and workshops throughout his career. He has performed around the world with such luminaries as the Funk Brothers, Benny Green, Baby Gramps, Andy Statman, Big Joe Turner, Perry Robinson, Sam Shepard, Julian Priester, Sonny Simmons, Jeff Johnson and the Ivar's clams