26

Tuesday
8PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

Mark Murphy, with Lary Barilleau and New Stories Trio
8pm, doors at 7pm.
Tickets: $20 advance @ FASTIXX/TICKETSWEST, $25 @ the door.
For press kits, photos, CD’s, radio promotion, and all interview requests, please contact Nicholas Dyson @ 206.762.5518

A six time Grammy nominee, vocalist Mark Murphy has enjoyed a prolific 40 year recording career.  His original lyrics to 'Stolen Moments' and 'Red Clay' and more are known the world over.  His innovative projects range from the work of Nat 'King' Cole to Jack Kerouac to Ivan Lins to Eddie Jefferson.  "Mark has devoted a long career to singing the hippest music with the best musicians." states Leonard Feather. "Consider the company he has kept on records.  In the '60s, Clark Terry, Dick Hyman, Roger Kellaway.  In the '70s, David Sanborn and the Brecker Brothers.  In the '80s, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole and the Azymuth Trio.  Consider the jazzmen to whose instrumental works he has composed and sung lyrics: Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter."

These two nights will be no different, with two sets from Mark each night, backed by Larry Berrileau on percussion and Seattle's own New Stories Trio.

(New Stories Trio)  Since their inception in 1988, Seattle-based New Stories has divided it's time between performing as a trio and as the backup group to some of the greatest names in jazz. They have three critically acclaimed CDs of their own, five with be-bop saxophone great Don Lanphere, and a Grammy nominated effort for RCA with singer Mark Murphy. Their latest recording, Don Lanphere & New Stories, "Home At Last" was selected as one of the top 5 CDs of 2001 by Ira Gitler in JazzTimes magazine. The trio has been a house group for 14 years at Bud Shank's Pt. Townsend Jazz Festival, performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in Vladivostok, Russia, appeared in concert with Tom Harrell, Nick Brignola, Jane Monheit, Conte Condoli, Bobby Shew, Jon Faddis, & Larry Coryell, and regularly do concerts and clinics at colleges & clubs around the country by themselves or in appearances with Don Lanphere, Mark Murphy or Ernie Watts. Their music has been included on an internationally released compilation CD for Universal Music entitled: "Repertoire: A Starbuck's Collection of Unforgettable Piano Jazz," and is included as a Windows Media sample in the Microsoft Windows XP Operating System. Recently, New Stories recorded 4 projects for producer Don Sickler at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. Scheduled for release in 2003, they include: an album of music by Elmo Hope with special guest Bobby Porcelli; a collection of 10 New Stories' original compositions; a CD for New York trombonist Scott Whitfield, and a music-minus-one CD for Hal Leonard Publications.

Doug Miller – bass
Marc Seales – piano, keys
John Bishop – drums

27

Wednesday

8PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

28

Thursday

29

Friday
9pm
$7 @ door
21+ w/ID

(JOWB)  Jam on White Bread magnetizes venues with an engaging, highly danceable musical force.  Combining decades of genre influences with a signature personality all of their own, these six musicians demonstrate the powerful capabilities of the live music experience - music created in the moment, for the moment. Exploring a wide range of musical influences, the band's constantly evolving sound flows through a landscape of inventive, soulful tunes. They project a boldly progressive style, yet stay true to the roots of soul, R&B, blues, funk, pop and the multi-faceted qualities of rock. Jam on White Bread is building a rapidly-expanding audience, thanks in large part to their uncanny ability to offer an entirely original experience every time they take the stage.  Every show features new interpretations of originals and covers alike, a contributing factor to the growing core audience that eagerly tracks their musical explorations. To preserve the events, live recording enthusiasts regularly record the shows, then share the music with other enthusiasts across the country.

30

Saturday
9PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

Bob Berg and Four Walls Of Freedom
featuring Joe Locke, Ed Howard and Gary Novak.
9pm, doors at 8pm.
Tickets: $20 advance @ FASTIXX/TICKETSWEST, $25 @ the door.
For press kits, photos, CD’s, radio promotion, and all interview requests, please contact Nicholas Dyson @ 206.762.5518

Born in 1951, Bob Berg began his musical experience at the age of six, studying classical piano at his home in Brooklyn N.Y. He began playing saxophone at the age of 13, and soon thereafter attended the High School of the Performing Arts. In 1968, Berg was admitted to The Juilliard School, studying classical saxophone. While attending Juilliard, Berg was offered a tour with the organist Jack McDuff, which began his career as a jazz musician.

In 1973, Berg joined Horace Silver's band and remained there for three years, appearing on three of Silver's albums. It was in this period that Bob also became active on the New York jazz scene meeting other young musicians and playing and exchanging ideas with many of his peers. It also gave him the opportunity to work with some of the great bands working around the city.

In 1976, he replaced George Coleman in Cedar Walton's classic quartet, Eastern Rebellion. Berg remained with Walton for five years, playing alongside the legendary rhythm section of bassist Sam Jones and drummer Billy Higgins. With this band, Berg toured the world extensively and recorded many albums.

In 1984, Berg joined the Miles Davis band. His association with Miles lasted three years and consisted of many world tours and several recordings. After leaving Davis, Berg embarked on a solo recording career and a well-known collaboration with guitarist Mike Stern. Bob and Mike produced many recordings together and toured extensively.

In 1992, Berg began his work with Chick Corea's acoustic Quartet. Again, he has toured the world several times with this great band, also recording two CD's with the band.  In the nineties Berg was invited to act as a cultural ambassador by the US Department of State. The "Bob Berg Quartet" toured the Caribbean Rim in 1992, and a large portion of the former Soviet Union in1994. The band met with much success in these regions.

At the current time, Berg is touring with his own Quartet and other special projects. Bob is also involved with a new reincarnation of Steps Ahead featuring Mike Manieri, Peter Erskine, Eliane Elias and Marc Johnson.

Berg has played and recorded with many other great musicians, too numerous to mention. He has recorded ten albums as a leader, which have reflected his rather wide scope of interests in improvisational-based music. In 1993, Berg's recording "Back Roads" was nominated for a Grammy Award for "best contemporary jazz performance."

The critically acclaimed CD titled "Another Standard", is Bob's latest solo album. "The Jazz Times Superband", featuring Randy Brecker, Joey Defrancesco and Dennis Chambers, was also well received by the press and fans alike.

Bob's newest project is the cooperative effort, "Four Walls of Freedom", with vibraphonist Joe Locke, drummer Gary Novak and bassist James Genus, just recorded for the Sirocco record label. The adventurous

1

Sunday
8PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

2

Monday

3

Tuesday
8pm
$7 @ door

4

Wednesday
8PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

Claudia Acuna Quintet
8pm, doors at 7pm.
Tickets: $20 advance @ FASTIXX/TICKETSWEST, $25 @ the door.
For press kits, photos, CD’s, radio promotion, and all interview requests, please contact Nicholas Dyson @ 206.762.5518

Though she always wanted to be a singer, Chilean jazz vocalist Claudia Acuna didn't discover jazz music until she was 15. Instead the Santiago native grew up singing traditional folk songs and current pop hits, but once some of the city's jazz fans heard her perform, they told her she had a natural gift for the style. Acuna frequented Santiago's major jazz club as a performer as well as an audience member, sitting in on sets with local musicians and meeting luminaries like Wynton Marsalis, Michel Petrucciani and Danilo Perez.

In 1995, Acuna moved to New York to pursue her career more seriously. Taking odd jobs and sitting in on as many jam sessions as possible — sometimes waiting till the early morning hours for her chance to sing — she gradually made a name for herself in the jazz community, eventually performing regular dates at Smalls, Sweet Basil, the Zinc Bar and Metronome. Through this consistent gigging she met bassist Avishai Cohen, with whom she collaborated on a demo tape that earned Acuna a contract with Verve Records. Cohen also worked with her on her debut album The Wind From The South, which Verve released in spring 2000. — Heather Phares (AMG)

5

Thursday
8PM
$20 adv.

$25 @ door

6

Friday
9pm
$7 @ door
21+ w/ID

Rubberneck:
RUBBERNECK Sets New Funk Standard With Release Of “EGO><MANIC”
Join Portland’s favorite Latin funk group as they celebrate the November 26th release of their highly anticipated new studio album, EGO><MANIC. With signed CD’s and giveaways just for coming through the door, the night no doubt promises to be a magical one. Don’t miss an evening of Northwest funk’s past, present, and future- Rubberneck, Friday, December 6th @ About The Music.

Nearly four years after the release of their nationally acclaimed album, El Nino, Rubberneck is once again rewriting the boundaries of funk, soul, and Latin music with their own timeless fusion. Intelligent, hook-laden, and funky as ever, EGO><MANIC soulfully leads the listener through the highs of the party and the lows of bottomed out relationships while maintaining a groove that is as addicting as it is undeniable.

EGO><MANIC was recorded and mixed at Falcon Studios in Portland, Oregon and incorporates enduring attributes of music by James Brown, Tower of Power, Santana, and Curtis Mayfield, while maintaining a distinctly modern feel. Inspired by artists like India Arie, D’Angelo, Angie Stone, and Jill Scott, Rubberneck’s frontman/songwriter, Ricardo Ojeda remarks, “I think if you listen to the new soul and funk out there right now, you’ll find our muse. We just like to come at it with an old-school approach.” 

That “old school approach” is part of what makes EGO><MANIC so special.  Rubberneck avoids employing samples or programmed beats and recorded many of the songs live in order to capture the energy that makes their club performances so convincing.  As a result, the album transmits a sense of classic authenticity and that heavy, urban feel DJs are recreating in the studio.

The thick groove is provided courtesy of nationally-renown drummer Bruce Carter (Cameo, Kenny G, Pleasure) and Pablo Ojeda (bass), while several tasty solos are added by saxmen Tim Bryson (Linda Hornbuckle) and Josh Cliburn (Porterhouse). Ricardo’s soulful vocal rasp relays a sense of intense passion with each passing lyric, while mega-tight horn lines arranged by saxophonist John Morrow and recently acquired trumpeter James Gregg nimbly jump from Motown to Salsa to New York funk. Combine this with a strong songwriter sensibility, irresistible hooks, and EGO><MANIC has the makings of a new funk classic.

Otis P and the Jivefunk:
From the ashes of disaster and collapse rises a new band that doesn't need the Studio Magic knob to sound good. Yet again the Great Northwest issues forth another brand of musician to take music to the next level. Drawing from the influences of past Phenoms and Legends of the musical world, Otis P & the JiveFunk already have a sound far more classic than its years.

7

Saturday

1pm clinic
No Charge

9pm Show
$18 adv.

$23 @ door

Bobby Shew with New Stories Trio
9pm, doors at 8pm.
Tickets: $18 advance @ FASTIXX/TICKETSWEST, $23 @ the door.
Mr. Shew will conduct an Improvisation clinic at 1PM.  There is no charge for this event.
For press kits, photos, CD’s, radio promotion, and all interview requests, please contact Nicholas Dyson @ 206.762.5518

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bobby began playing the guitar at the age of eight and switched to the trumpet at ten. By the time he was thirteen he was playing at local dances with a number of bands and by fifteen had put together his own group to play at dances, occasional concerts and in jazz coffee houses. He spent most of his high school days playing as many as six nights a week in a dinner club, giving him an early start to his professional career.

He then spent three years as the jazz trumpet soloist in the famed NORAD multi-service band. Shortly after leaving he joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of Sam Donahue, which, among other things, gave him the chance to perform quite a bit with trumpet legend Charlie Shavers. After his stint with Tommy Dorsey, Bobby was asked to play with Woody Herman's band upon Bill Chase's recommendation. He then spent some time playing for Della Reese and Buddy Rich, who's big band had just been formed.  Many other similar situations followed and Bobby played lead trumpet for a number of pop stars. This brought Bobby to live in Las Vegas where he became prominent in various hotels and casinos.  By this time Bobby was widely known for his strong lead playing rather than as a jazz soloist. So late in 1972 he decided to make a move to the Los Angeles area in order to get reinvolved in developing as a jazz player.

Once in Los Angeles, Bobby quickly found what he was looking for, and in the years to come he spent time with the groups of Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Horace Silver Quintet, and Frank Strazzer-Sam Moss, as well as numerous big bands such as Bill Holman, Louie Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin, Oliver Nelson, Bill Berry, Nat Pierce-Frank Capp Juggernaut, Ed Shaughnessy, Terry Gibbs, Benny Goodman, Maynard Ferguson, Neal Hefti, Don Menza, and Bob Florence.

In addition to being a sideman Bobby also became a leader around this time, recording many of his own albums. Several of these received very high accolades from critics and high placement on the airplay charts. One of his albums, 'Outstanding In His Field' was nominated for a Grammy in 1980, while, 'Heavy Company' was awarded the Jazz Album Of The Year in 1983.

During this time Bobby also found a great deal of studio work, including TV shows like 'Hawaii 5-O', 'Streets Of San Francisco', 'Bob Newhart', 'Mary Tyler Moore', 'Midnight Specials', 'Don Kirschner Rock Concert', 'Happy Days', 'Laverne And Shirley', and 'Eight Is Enough.' His work on soundtracks includes 'Grease I and II', 'Rocky I and II', 'Six-Pack', 'The Muppet Movie', 'The Drivers', and 'Taxi'.

Today, in addition to a busy performing and private teaching schedule, Bobby spends a considerable amount of time actively involved in the educational system, conducting clinics and master classes at high schools and college campuses all over the world. Bobby has also been active on the Board of Directors of the International Trumpet Guild, and has acted as National Trumpet Chairman for the International Association of Jazz Educator's for 16 years. He authors numerous articles of educational interest in various trade magazines, all translated into several languages for worldwide distribution and is currently writing a trumpet tutor for CD-ROM. During a period of traveling to New Zealand, Bobby acted as host for a weekly TV show entitled 'Just Jazz' and has been in numerous artist-in-residence situations virtually all over the world. He has even had a few minor acting roles in movies and TV shows.

He continues to tour internationally and to produce and record excellent music. He has released several recent albums for the MAMA Foundation including Playing With Fire (w/Tom Harrell), Heavyweights (w/Carl Fontana), and Salsa Caliente.

Bobby Shew never stops using his remarkable insight, sensitivity and creativity to inspire the next generation of jazz players and teachers.

(New Stories Trio)  Since their inception in 1988, Seattle-based New Stories has divided it's time between performing as a trio and as the backup group to some of the greatest names in jazz. They have three critically acclaimed CDs of their own, five with be-bop saxophone great Don Lanphere, and a Grammy nominated effort for RCA with singer Mark Murphy. Their latest recording, Don Lanphere & New Stories, "Home At Last" was selected as one of the top 5 CDs of 2001 by Ira Gitler in JazzTimes magazine. The trio has been a house group for 14 years at Bud Shank's Pt. Townsend Jazz Festival, performed at the JVC Jazz Festival in Vladivostok, Russia, appeared in concert with Tom Harrell, Nick Brignola, Jane Monheit, Conte Condoli, Bobby Shew, Jon Faddis, & Larry Coryell, and regularly do concerts and clinics at colleges & clubs around the country by themselves or in appearances with Don Lanphere, Mark Murphy or Ernie Watts. Their music has been included on an internationally released compilation CD for Universal Music entitled: "Repertoire: A Starbuck's Collection of Unforgettable Piano Jazz," and is included as a Windows Media sample in the Microsoft Windows XP Operating System. Recently, New Stories recorded 4 projects for producer Don Sickler at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. Scheduled for release in 2003, they include: an album of music by Elmo Hope with special guest Bobby Porcelli; a collection of 10 New Stories' original compositions; a CD for New York trombonist Scott Whitfield, and a music-minus-one CD for Hal Leonard Publications.

Doug Miller – bass
Marc Seales – piano, keys
John Bishop – drums

8

Sunday

1pm clinic
No Charge

8pm Show
$18 adv.

$23 @ door

The Emerald City Jazz Orchestra is one of Seattle, Washington's most exciting big bands. The group is made up of the areas top young players, combined with the writing talents of one of the finest writers and arrangers to be found anywhere. Matso Limtiaco's compositions and arrangements have been used in local schools and colleges for years, but nothing can come close to the material that Matso has prepared specifically for our band.

The ECJO is a hard swinging band that is full of exciting soloists and performers. Many of the band members are seen performing with many other groups in town, usually with more then one other ECJO member in the group as well.  With the completion of our first CD Alive and Swingin', the group has been receiving wide spread recognition and radio play from local station KPLU all of the the way to radio stations in London, England and Tokyo, Japan.

For exciting Jazz, the band is not to be missed, as Bobby Shew states "I hope this band lasts forever."

Personnel:
Kevin Seeley, Greg Lyon, Thomas Marriott, Jim Sisko, Rich Sumstad, John Paloy, Richard Wetzel, trumpets; Greg Koehler, David Marriott, Jeremy Ostrander, Bob Phillips, Fred Hawkinson, Jeff Newell, Chris Angelos, Chris Laughbon, trombones; Mark Taylor, Charles Davis, Rob Davis, Stuart McDonald, Matso Limtiaco, Travis Ramsey, saxophones; Reuel Lubag, piano; Bryce Van Parys, Andy Zadrozny, bass; Eric Eagle, John Wikan, drums. 

9

Monday

10

Tuesday
8PM

$7 @ door

Stinkhorn
Jim Knodle and Anansi

Stinkhorn "tunguska" cd review

by Peter Monaghan, Earshot Jazz, January, 2002

The new album by the Seattle-based quartet Stinkhorn will surprise even those familiar with the quartet’s excellent output and live shows of the past few years.

Here is an album that can take its place among an elite of Northwest recording: It’s strikingly evolved, cannily paced and arranged for flow, and has an impressive balance of musical abandon and restraint. For likenesses, influences, or inflections in this music, one thinks of bands like Last Exit, where sweetly howling guitarist Sonny Sharrock and unleashed hornman Peter Brotzman rode (often off the rails) the rocksolid foundation of Ronald Shannon Jackson and Bill Laswell. But there’s a different tone and bearing in much of Stinkhorn’s music, which is at once confident and highly accomplished but winningly modest in its claims.

In Heaney one hears Sharrock, also some highspeed john Mclaughlin and slashing James Blood Ulmer, but individualists of raunchy, trippy rock and funk, too --- Funkadelic’s Eddie Hazel, for instance. But that’s just where Heaney starts on a personal sound that is varied and surprising, as when he turns on one cut to a delicate, koto-like passage.

On tenor and soprano sax, Michael Monhart displays a superbly individual voice. It recalls, at times, Jimmy Guiffre --- at others Pharoah Sanders, for his yearning.

And, as John Whitton remarked in these pages in 1997, reviewing Stinkhorn’s earlier, self-titled album, Monhart also possesses something reminiscent of Arkestra stalwart, the late John Gilmore --- It’s something in their shared harsh beauty.

Drummer Howard Ouchi thunders and hushes as appropriate. Bassist John Morris rumbles along, re-stating and re-shaping the melodies.

All four Stinkhornist can easily out shred Nixon when the moment is right. But the album starts with a quiet, coaxed emergence – distorted guitar and restrained, primal screeches wrenched from the saxophone – before suddenly switching to a melody as friendly as a romping Saint Bernard. Ouchi on drums drives the tune with a this-is-for-real, heavyfisted command, a la Buddy Miles, supported by Morris’s plain but lyrical bass. Then quickly the opening piece, a coda for the album, is done.

In its choruses, the next track, “Sonny’s Delight,” signals the album’s predominant friendliness, and from the solo passages one gains a sense of the projects contrasting questing and earthbound modesty. The horns are slightly flattened. They have vibrato virtually never – only when indicated rather than as a saxophone convention. They tend to the shrillness of a shawm wending in exploration.

A few cuts in, one registers that these pieces have heads and kind-of-solos that tie them to the jazz tradition, but there is also an emphasis on unison playing and solo trading, throughout, that recalls the simple, revolutionary moves of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Tunguska’s variation of emotion and pace recalls that great band, too.

Key, is the music’s evocation of the mystery of contemplation. A clanging as of a prayer bell against a drone – a background echo – creates a spaciousness, the high Himalayas, simple beauty, devotion, absolving, saddening.

With inspired placement, “Masha” follows in a delicately swaying waltz-time – around Monhart’s serpentine soprano, the guitar, bass and drums decorously step

And then to follow it with the disc’s skronkist cut! The horn honks and worries against sheets, shards, and unleashes flails of metallic guitar, and flaying, rapid-fire drumming, and rumbling bass.

A great attribute of the electric guitar is that it can create sound that is blessed because simultaneously foundry-metallic, eardrum-peeling, unhingedly jangling, and of a wondrous, unlikely grandeur. Those elements are in good, cohering company here, with the drums’ crashing and the rataplan and often-squalling horns as from the Central Asian plains.

11

Wednesday
8pm Show
$20 adv.

$25 @ door