Danilo Perez – Jazz Photography

Photographing Danilo Perez in concert at ast weekend’s 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival was a lot of fun. He was so unpredictable as he moved around a lot as he played the piano and sometime like here he played on the side of the piano. His music was serious but he made the performance feel fun. This just about wraps up my coverage of the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Dianne Reeves Redux

Here is another shot of amazing jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves from last weekend’s 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival. This one was made during the sound check and I love her expression of emotion as she sings even with the huge hall empty of an audience.

Kurt Elling Redux

Here is another shot of Kurt Elling from last weekend’s 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival.

Thomas Marriott and L.Ron Weinstein

Thomas Marriott  appeared last weekend at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival with his Trio at the Cypress Lounge and Wine Bar at The Westin Bellevue. Thomas here waits as the great organist L. Ron Weinstein, wearing a tie, does his solo on the Hammond B-3 organ

Greta Matassa Quartet

Here is a shot of jazz vocalist Greta Matassa who appeared last weekend at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival.

Bill Anschell Trio – Jazz Photography

The Bill Anschell Tiro who appeared last weekend at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival performed at the Bellevue Grill to a packed house.

Jazz Photos – Mingus Big Band

Here are some more shots of the fantastic Mingus Big Band who appeared last weekend at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival with a description of them from their website at http://mingusmingusmingus.com/:
“The Mingus Big Band celebrates the music of the composer and bassist, Charles Mingus, who died in 1979. Under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, this 14-piece band performed Thursday nights from 1991 to 2004 at the Fez under Time Cafe in New York City, occasionally alternating with the Charles Mingus Orchestra. From November 2004 to September 2008, the big band had a residency at Iridium Jazz Club and in October 2008 moved to Monday residency at Jazz Standard. The Mingus Big Band tours extensively in the United States and abroad, and has eight recordings to its credit, six of which have been nominated for Grammys.

Regulars currently appearing in the 14-piece band:
3 Trumpets: Randy Brecker, Earl Gardner, Alex Sipiagin, Lew Soloff, Tatum Greenblatt, Ryan Kisor, Kenny Rampton, Jack Walrath, Sean Jones
3 Trombones: Conrad Herwig, Andy Hunter, Ku-umba Frank Lacy, Earl McIntyre, Dave Taylor, Robin Eubanks, Joe Fiedler, Clark Gayton
5 Saxophones: Vincent Herring, Seamus Blake, Abraham Burton, Wayne Escoffery, Donny McCaslin, Mark Gross, Craig Handy, Jason Marshall, Lauren Sevian, Jaleel Shaw, Steve Slagle, Ronnie Cuber, David Lee Jones
Piano: Orrin Evans, David Kikoski, Helen Sung, George Colligan, Kenny Drew Jr.
Bass: Boris Kozlov, Hans Glawischnig, Andy McKee, Joe Martin, Ugonna Okegwo, Dwayne Burno
Drums: Donald Edwards, Gene Jackson, Victor Lewis, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Adam Cruz “

 

Jazz Photography – Patricia Barber

Here is another shot of Patricia Barber from last weekend’s 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival.

New Age Flamenco

New Age Flamenco also played on the first day of the 2009 Bellevue JAzz Festival at the Bellevue Grille with some lively Latin jazz.

Jon Hamar Trio

Bassist Jon Hamar led a wonderful trio at the Vertigo Lounge & Grill on Friday the first day of the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival

Jose Gonzales Trio

Jose Gonzales Trio performed on Friday at the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival and delivered a  spicy blend of funk, swing, and pop. 

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra Here are some more images form The Bellevue Jazz Festival 2009 this past weekend starting with the SRJO.

 

Jay Thomas on trumpet.

 

Hadley Caliman on saxophone.

Randy Halberstadt on piano.

About The SRJO
The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO) is the Northwest’s premier big band jazz ensemble. Founded in 1995, the 17-piece big band is made up of the most prominent jazz soloists and band leaders in the greater Seattle area.
The SRJO is co-directed by drummer Clarence Acox, nationally recognized director of bands at Seattle’s Garfield High School, and saxophonist/arranger Michael Brockman, long-time faculty member at the University of Washington School of Music.

The SRJO’s extensive and growing repertoire is drawn from the 100-year history of jazz, from turn-of-the-20th century ragtime to turn-of-the-21st century avant-garde. This includes works by America’s most famous jazz composers, among them Fletcher Henderson, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones, and of course, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. In addition, the SRJO’s repertoire grows each year as the ensemble adds previously unpublished works to its library.

Recovering jazz classics for performance by the ensemble is accomplished by co-director Michael Brockman, our region’s outstanding practitioner of the art of transcribing lost-to-print composition and arrangement, note for note, from vintage recordings.

The Players

The SRJO is made up of the Seattle area’s leading jazz instrumentalists, comprising an ethnically diverse group of young and veteran performers.
Trumpeter Jay Thomas has repeatedly been named best instrumentalist at Earshot’s annual Golden Ear awards and has recorded with Cedar Walton and Herb Ellis. Saxophonist Bill Ramsay is a touring veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra and the Benny Goodman bands. Saxophonist Hadley Caliman is a jazz faculty member at the Cornish College of the Arts, and a veteran of the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Earl Hines. Phil Sparks, named Earshot Musician of the Year in 1996, is the busiest bass player in Seattle. Saxophonist Mark Taylor is among the most in-demand young players in Seattle. Pianist Randy Halberstadt, another local headliner, serves on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts.

A Great History

The SRJO has brought internationally known guest soloists to join in its concerts, including trumpeters Clark Terry and Arturo Sandoval, saxophonists James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Frank Wess and Kenny Hing, trombonist Slide Hampton, and singers Marlena Shaw, Ernie Andrews and Dee Daniels. In 2001, Quincy Jones conducted the SRJO at the Seattle Opera House in a performance of works he wrote for the Basie band and his own groups. The SRJO has played tribute concerts to Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, Stan Kenton, and Thelonious Monk.

Awards and Recognition

Named in “Best Jazz Concerts of 2006″ by the Seattle Times
Named in “Best Recordings of 2006″ by AudiophileAudition.com
Winner of 2005 Earshot Jazz Society Golden Ear Award for “NW Best Acoustic Jazz Ensemble”
Named in “Best Jazz Concerts of 2005″ by the Seattle Times
Named in “Best of 2005″ by Public Radio International�s Jazz After Hours
Winner of 1998 Earshot Jazz Society Golden Ear Award for “Concert of the Year”
Winner of 1999 and 2000 Starlight Award from the Kirkland Performance Center