So today I made a list of all the failures I’ve had over the past ten or so years. Yeah, I know. It’s not something a person would normally want to do. It’s a tad masochistic. (“Ya think?” yells the peanut gallery that sits in the back row of my brain.) But sometimes a chick can’t help it. Sometimes I just have to stare it all down and see what I can decipher. Maybe a comforting metaphor is lingering just beneath the surface. Maybe not.…
A few days ago, my friend Jason Parker, trumpeter, bandleader, educator and KPLU blogger, wrote a post entitled “Why Jazz Fans Shouldn’t Be So Quick to Dismiss Pop Music.” Jason is a member of a Facebook group “Jam of the Week” and wrote his post in response to negative comments that some “jazz snobs” had made about pop music. Jason makes a lot of good points. He questions the logic behind cutting oneself off from an entire genre of music. He also gives examples of…
About once or twice a week, I receive a notice, usually either via my Facebook page or email inbox, that some musician friend has been nominated for some kind of award in some kind of competition. These notices typically come with a friendly request that I click on a provided link and cast a vote for that person. I receive these on a fairly regular basis. If it’s a friend, then it’s no problem. I’m happy for them and I’m down. I click and vote…
Earshot Jazz Festival: Randy Halberstadt Quintet-Wednesday, November 3 at Tula's Randy Halberstadt seems to move at the speed of light. It’s no wonder. As one of the top-call jazz pianists in the city, he’s one busy guy. He is a musical rainmaker, lending his touch and expertise to multiple bands, musicians and projects. He is a member of the esteemed Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. He is the accompanist and arranger for many Northwest vocalists, including…
The Earshot Jazz Festival is in full swing with outstanding jazz performances taking place at clubs and concert venues across the city. The roster of artists is exquisite as usual. Although it will be impossible to hit all of the shows, I will be making noise about some of the performances that I think are worth checking out. I am all about the locals and I’m happy that Earshot is featuring many hometown artists in the festival this year.…