October at Town Hall kicks off with the 31st annual Earshot Jazz Festival. The season’s lineup is diverse and eclectic, with everything from classic swing sounds to avant garde experimentation and collaborations by modern masters. Here are just a few of the jazz offerings you’ll find at Town Hall this month.
10/6 – Trailblazing trumpeter Bria Skonberg has been described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal). Whether you’re looking for a sound that evokes Louis Armstrong, or just curious to see a Millennial take on the world of hot jazz, this concert is not to be missed!
10/12 – Two powerhouse duos shake the stage on this Saturday night. First, witness the collision of two definitive styles, with the expressive improvisational vocals of Fay Victor alongside the practiced elegance of pianist Myra Melford. They’re followed by Indian-born jazz drummer and producer Ravish Momin and Haitian percussionist and turntablist Val Jeanty for a hypnotic and genre-exploding electronic exploration of jazz rhythm.
10/17 – Some consider Cuban pianist and composer Chucho Valdés to be the most influential figure in modern Afro-Cuban jazz. He’s brought that energy to his latest project, a piano jazz trio that integrates the sounds of the sacred batá drum, a central feature of ritual music in the Yoruba religion. Experience the latest project of a jazz master who’s been shaping his school of music for over 50 years.
10/25 – Drummer Tyshawn Sorey is no stranger to Town Hall. He was onstage at the Cornish Playhouse in March, 2018 for the Summit In Seattle, a historic collaboration alongside three other movers and shakers of the modern jazz world. Now he takes the stage for the first time back in Town Hall’s newly renovated building to bring the house down with the help of his hand-picked quintet.
11/1 – It’s delightfully challenging to even begin to describe the 18-piece Belgian ensemble Flat Earth Society. Despite their size the group doesn’t play like a jazz orchestra or a Big Band. Their eclectic sound defies expectation, and that seems to be the way they like it. There’s nothing else for it, except to experience this provocative, disruptive, and utterly absurd performance for yourself.
Can’t get enough Earshot at Town Hall? Check out the full lineup below or click here!
10/5 – Jazz Showcase: Jacqueline Tabor, Marina Albero, Mandyck/ Johnson/ Bishop
10/6 – Bria Skonberg Quartet
10/10 – Jazz Up Jackson Street: Benefit for Washington Middle School & Garfield High School
10/11 – Orrin Evans Trio with Jeff “Tain” Watts
10/12 – Afro-Electric: Fay Victor and Myra Melford, Ravish Momin and Val Jeanty
10/15 – Seattle Modern Orchestra
10/17 – Chucho Valdés Jazz Batá
10/18 – Cécile McLorin Salvant with the Aaron Diehl Trio
10/21 – Anton Schwartz Sextet
10/23 – Jay Thomas East West Alliance
10/24 – Jenny Scheinman and Allison Miller’s Parlour Game
10/25 – Tyshawn Sorey Quintet
10/26 – Kiki Valera y su Son Cubano
10/30 – Egberto Gismonti
11/1 – Flat Earth Society
11/2 – Jazz Showcase: Bill Anschell Standards Trio, LaVon Hardison, Tarik Abouzied/Joe Doria/Cole Schuster
11/5 – Emmet Cohen Trio
