“market street dixieland jass band” winds up spring ......tuesdays, 7 - 10 p.m., new orleans...
TRANSCRIPT
From the Prez
“Market Street Dixieland Jass Band” Winds up Spring Monthly Concert Series with a Truly “Trad” June 17th Program.
June 2012 Volume 37, Number 06
By Rod Belcher
By Judy Levy
When a band chooses its name including the word “Jass” you
know it’s got to be a practitioner of the kind of music that gives the name to our Society. It’s the way “Jazz” was originally spelled during the early period of its entry into the American music scene.
Sure enough, the “Market Street Dixieland Jass Band” touts itself as a group that focuses on the classic style that flourished in the first three decades of the 20th Century. And I’m assuming that adding “Market Street” to the title is a nod to the West Coast revival bands that came out of San Francisco in the 1940s and ‘50s, harking back to the New Orleans roots of Jass / Jazz.
Last month’s group – Glenn Crytzer’s Syncopators – had a wider focus, adding the type of “swing” that prevailed around New York’s 52nd Street in the World War II days. The Market Streeters, though, will zero in on what they know – and do – best, and that’s trad.
The players are all residents of the Puget Sound area and have been getting increased bookings in various venues hereabouts.
The nominal leader is banjoist Tim Sherman, and the front-line lead is handled by cornetist Ansgar Duemchen, a veteran of the European jazz scene before locating in the Northwest. Others in the (no piano) sextet are John Mascorella, trombone; Jim DeJoie, clarinet; John Bigelow, tuba; and Tadd Morris, drums. You might recall that some were members of what was then called: “Doctor D. and His Dixie Dogs,” the previous version of the combo.
The session will wind up the season’s regular PSTJS monthly concerts. We’ll “go dark” as usual during the months of July and August, resuming on Sunday, September 16th. WHEN: Sunday, June 17, 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.WHERE: Ballard Elks Lodge, 6411 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle.ADMISSION: PSTJS members, $10; Non-member guests, $13.MORE INFO: 425-776-5072 or website: www.pstjs.orgSnacks, coffee, other beverages available.Lots of free parking. Great view.
Well, here we are in the last month of our Spring Jazz Sundays. It’s been loads of fun so far in 2012 and we still have September through December to enjoy.
Be sure to put Sunday September 16th on your calendar for the first session of the Fall series. We’re hoping to be able to have Bob Schulz and his Frisco Jazz Band with us again, if we are able to reach our minimum goal to bring them all here. Please let us know if you would like to contribute to the Schulz Weekend Fund.
This year, thanks to your continued support buying raffle tickets, we will be sending two students on full scholarship and three students on half scholarship. All of these students attended last year
and I’m happy to help them attend again. They are all fine musicians and continued attendance at camp makes such a big difference in their knowledge and skill with their instruments and the music. Jazz Camps are where OKOM musicians will come from to keep the music alive for all of us. Jazz Camp Heebie Jeebies will run from Sunday July 1st to Saturday July 7th, 2012.
I’ll have a report on camp in the September “Soundings”, along with letters from the students.
Have a wonderful summer and stay well. See you all in September. Cheers,Judy
New Admission Fees
By Gloria Kristovich
Because the admission fees at the current price are seldom meeting the amount we pay out for rent and musicians, your PSTJS board has voted to increase the admission amounts beginning in SEPTEMBER 2012.
The new “ticket” prices will be $12 for members and $15 for non-members. There will no longer be a different charge for some bands.
I would also whole-heartedly encourage you to become life members or patrons. As some new Washington state auto license plates say: MUSIC MATTERS!!!!!
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 2
Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society
19031 Ocean AvenueEdmonds, WA 98020-2344
425-776-5072 www.pstjs.org
UPCOMING EVENTSElks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle
June 17 Market Street Dixieland Jass BandSept 16 TBD Oct 21 Black Swan Nov 18 Evergreen ClassicDec 16 Ray Skjelbred’s First Thursday Band
PRESIDENT: Judy Levy [email protected] 425-890-6605VICE PRESIDENT: George Swinford [email protected] 425-869-2780SECRETARY: Cilla Trush [email protected] 206-363-9174TREASURER: Gloria Kristovich [email protected] 425-776-7816 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joanne Hargrave [email protected] 206-550-4664Leroy Johnson: [email protected] 206-772-4378Jan Lemmon [email protected] 425-776-9763Edmund Lewin: 360-297-6633Gary Lydum: [email protected] 206-719-3955 George Oelrich: [email protected] 360-793-0836 Carol Rippey: [email protected] 425-776-5072Jack Temp 425-502-8148
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Carol Rippey: [email protected] 425-776-5072 EDITORAnita LaFranchi: [email protected] 206-522-7691
Gigs for Local Bands
BELLINGHAM TRADITIONAL JAZZ SOCIETY 1st Saturday 2 - 5 pm VFW Hall 625 N. State St June 2 Ain’t No Heaven Seven
CASEY MacGILL’s BLUE 4 TRIOSundays, 5:30 - 8:30 Tutta Bella Pizzeria 4411 Stoneway N 206-633-3800Wednesdays, 8-11. Pink Door Restaurant & Lounge 1919 Post Alley (Pike Market) 206-443-3241
FIRST THURSDAY BAND1st Thurs of the month, 7 - 10 p.m., New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA
GLENN CRYTZER’s SYNCOPATORS1st Sunday of the Month 9:30-12:30 Century Ballroom 915 East Pine (2nd Floor) 206-324-7263Third Wednesday of the Month (same as above)
GRAND DOMINION JAZZ BANDNew website: www.dizswift.btinternet.co.uk/gdjb/calendar_page.htm
GREATER OLYMPIA DIXIELAND JAZZ SOCIETY 2rd Sunday at the Olympia Elks, Times are 1pm till 4:30pm
holotradband Tuesdays, 7 - 10 p.m., New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA
MARKET STREET DIXIELAND JASS BANDJune 17, 1-4pm Elks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ QUINTET Mondays 6:30 - 9:30 pm New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA
PEARL DJANGOJune 9, 3-6pm Sudden Valley Library on Lake Whatcom, Bellingham, WA www.pearldjango.com/files/calendar.htmJune 21, 7pm Paschal Winery 1122 Suncrest Rd, Talent, Or
UPTOWN LOWDOWN JBJune 16, 5:30 - 7:30 pm - Marysville Strawberry Festival, Marysville, WA June 29, 30 and July 1, America’s Festival, Lacey, WA
On Your Dial........Saturday7 - 12 p.m. Swing Years and beyond KUOW 94.9 FMSunday3 -6 p.m. Art of Jazz, Ken Wiley, KPLU 88.5 FM
JAZZ SOUNDINGSPublished monthly except July and August by the Puget Sound Tradi-tional Jazz Society.Anita LaFranchi, Editor, [email protected] must be submitted in a jpeg or PDF format Payment in advance to: Gloria Kristovich, P.O. Box 373, Edmonds, WA 98020-0373
Advertising Rates:Full page $100. 7 1/2” wide by 9 1/2 “ tallHalf Page $60. 7 1/2” wide by 4 1/4 “ tall Quarter Page $40. 3 5/8 Wide by 4 1/4 “ tall Deadline is the 10th of the month for the next month’s issue
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 3
Jazz Festival
SPECIAL FEATURESFour venues, one site
three dancing, one listeningLarge dance floors
Nearby hotels • Shuttle service
Parasol paradesAfter Glow Party • Special Sets
On-site RV parkingDancing Lessons
Saint Martin’s University(Marcus Pavilion Headquarters)5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, WA
www.olyjazz.com
Qty.____ Early Bird All Event before May 31, 2012 $85____ All Event after May 31, 2012 $90____ Pre-festival Thursday $15____ Friday only $40____ Friday nite after 7pm $25____ Saturday only $50____ Saturday nite after 7pm $25____ Sunday only $25____ Student - 14-22 w/ID, All Event $15____ Patron of Jazz (Includes All Event Badge) $150
INFORMATION: Charlotte Dickison - 360-943-9123 • Email: [email protected] PARKING: Pat Herndon - 360-956-7132 • Email: [email protected]
Visit our website at: www.olyjazz.com
Name ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
City _____________________________________________________________________________________ State_______________Zip_____________
Phone ___________________________________________________________Email_______________________________________________________
Credit Card #__________-__________-__________-__________ Exp.______/___*__
Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Postmark will determine price. Voucher will be mailed. Badges required at all festival sites.NO REFUNDS AFTER JUNE 15, 2012. PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO GODJS (We accept VISA/MasterCard/Discover credit cards)
Mail to: Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society • P.O. Box 924, Olympia, WA 98507WE ARE A 501 C3 AND AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ORGANIZATION
22nd AnnualJazz Festival
June 28, 29, 30, July 1, 2012
Great Jazz BandsGRAND DOMINION • HIGH SIERRA • IVORY & GOLD
RAY SKJELBRED AND HIS CUBS • ST. LOUIS RIVERMENTITAN HOT SEVEN • TOM HOOK/BLACK DOGS
TOM RIGNEY FLAMBEAU • UPTOWN LOWDOWN • WOLVERINESYERBA BUENA STOMPERS • BOB SCHULZ GUEST ARTIST
GREAT
Gold Sponsor ....................................................$500Silver Sponsor ..................................................$350Individual Sponsor ............................................$250Band Members (each) .......................................$100RV parking w/hookup:_______ days @ $25/dayRV dry park parking:_______ days @$20/dayLength of RV:________ ft.No. of slideouts________ Permit issued at check inTOTAL $_____________________
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 4
Drummer Hal Smith has followed Ray Skjelbred’s music since 1970. Currently he works with Ray’s “Cubs” and also in Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band.
Ray Skjelbred - Treasures From the Keyboardby Hal Smith - A reprint from the American Rag.
Above: Ray Skjelbred and his dog Pika
Ray Skjelbred plays a rumbling bass line on a slow blues, head turned away from the piano and eyes shut tightly in concentration. He is inhabiting the soul of Chicago pianist Art Hodes. A few measures on, he opens his eyes and watches the keyboard…left hand walking the bass slowly and right hand playing a tremolo. Now Ray is in Burt Bales territory; a foggy San Francisco night at Pier 23. On the last chorus, the intensity builds, and Ray braces his shoulders to play a strolling bass line, climaxed by a series of crashing tone clusters that bring the performance back to Chicago, and the unbridled passion of Joe Sullivan. The performance ends with Sullivan’s signature coda, and a dramatic moment as Ray hunches over the keys, then rocks back quickly. His right arm bounces up like the follow-through of a Chicago Cubs batter. He relaxes visibly, and lets out a deep breath. He has given his all. The audience, realizing that they have just heard something extraordinary, responds with a long, sincere ovation.
A native Chicagoan, Ray began playing piano in 1960, after his family moved to Seattle. The aforementioned Burt Bales and Seattle pianist John Wittwer were Ray’s first teachers, and he learned even more from the classic recordings by keyboard masters of the ‘20s, ‘30s and
‘40s. Within a few short years, he became one of the most in-demand pianists in traditional jazz and swing –– especially after a move to the Bay Area in the late 1960s. There, he worked with Bob Mielke’s Bearcats, Turk Murphy’s San Francisco Jazz Band, Ted Shafer’s Jelly Roll Jazz Band, vocalists Victoria Spivey and Barbara Dane, jazz pioneers Darnell Howard and Pops Foster, Dick Oxtot’s Golden Age Jazz Band, the Roadrunners and too many other groups to name here. In Seattle, Ray had co-led the Great Excelsior Jazz Band with bassist Mike Duffy. It was basically a New Orleans-style group, with some Chicago and swing influences. After relocating to the Bay Area, Ray organized “Berkeley Rhythm,” a swinging octet that gigged around the Bay Area and recorded for Ray’s own “Berkeley Rhythm” label.
During his Bay Area residency, Ray was able to enjoy the music of his mentor Burt Bales at venues such as Dick’s at the Beach and The Serenader. And, having learned trombone along the way, Ray was able to play it in jam sessions with Bales. Ray played a long and musically rewarding stint at the Bull Valley Inn in Port Costa, with the phenomenal cornetist Jim Goodwin and a list of guest musicians that reads like
a “who’s who” of latter-day jazz and swing. He also became acquainted with longtime keyboard inspirations Joe Sullivan, Jess Stacy and Art Hodes. Later he was the accompanist for the wonderful vocalist Barbara Lashley. Before the vocalist’s untimely death, Ray recalled playing an engagement with her at the Serenader in Oakland when, at the end of one song he looked up from the keyboard, only to see Earl Hines watching him intensely!
Despite a full musical calendar, Ray continued to pursue another career –– as a high school English teacher. His love of language and literature helped to lead him into yet another creative endeavor: Poetry. Though he is now retired from teaching, he still composes poems and three collections of his poetry have been published.
In 2007 Ray returned to Seattle, moving into a beautiful home in Lake Forest Park with his second wife Elsa, their son John and Pika, the world’s most gentle dog. Ray is active on the Seattle jazz scene as a soloist, bandleader (the eponymously-named First Thursday band, which performs at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square) and as a sideman with Glenn Crytzer’s Syncopators, a favorite of swing dancers from coast to coast. He also continues to work with Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band and his own “Cubs,” which are just now beginning to hit the festival circuit.
Ray Skjelbred’s piano heroes are “The Goofy Guys.” He has composed several tributes to these pianists, including “’Zackly,” “Fatha Swing,” “Kansas City Frank,”; “Zinky,” and “Jess’ Fine.” Ray’s “Reflections Rag” includes bits and pieces of Thelonious Monk melodies, and “Lean and Griefy” was inspired by a spoken cadence in a Mark Twain story.
Ray takes the words of Lester Young to heart: “I don’t want to be no repeater pencil.” Though listeners (and bandmates) cannot predict what Ray will play, you can count on hearing musical treasures whenever he sits down at the piano! Drummer Hal Smith has followed Ray Skjelbred’s music since 1970. Currently he works with Ray in the former’s “Cubs” and also in Bob Schulz’s Frisco Jazz Band.
Dues for 12 months: Single $25 Couple $40 Lifetime single $200 Lifetime Couple $350Patron $500 (One or two lifetime membership)Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
The Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the performance and preservation of traditional jazz. Your membership and contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you.
Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society19031 Ocean Ave., Edmonds, WA 98020-2344
Please (enroll) (renew) (me) (us) as a member or members
NameAddress City, StateZip Code E-Mail Phone Check when renewing if your address label is correct
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 5
SUBSCRIBE TODAYNews You Can Use About Traditional Jazz and Ragtime
U.S. One Year: $26 -:- Canadian $39 U.S. Funds*U.S. Two Years: $48 -:- Canadian $74 U.S. Funds*
(*) Includes Airmail DeliveryMake check payable to: The American Rag
20137 Skyline Ranch Dr., Apple Valley, CA 92308-5035Phone/Fax: 760-247-5145
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Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society
LAST CALL FOR BOB SCHULZ WEEKEND PLEDGES
One Last Call for the Schulz weekend. We are close to our goal, but not close enough yet. June will be the last time for you to contribute to the September Schulz weekend. Please contact Carol Rippey with your pledge. We need the goal reached in June but payment isn’t necessary until the end of July. Thanks to everyone for your support, We all look forward to the September gig with the Schulz band and it would be very disappointing to come close to the goal but not reach it. Just call Carol at 425-776-5072, or e-mail [email protected] to make your pledge. No need to send money at this time....sponsors will be contacted at a later date.
Remember, this donation is tax deductible due to our 501c(3) status.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
ALICE BURK DICK CIHAK HERB McCLEES BARBARA STILSON JIM WILLIAMS
AIN’T NO HEAVEN SEVEN Leader: Terry [email protected] 206-465-6601CASEY MacGILL’s BLUE 4 TRIOContact: Mike Daugherty [email protected] 206-832-5372 www.blue4trio.comCOAL CREEK JAZZ BAND Leader: Judy Logen, 425-641-1692 Bookings: [email protected] DE LUXE Bookings: Candace Brownwww.combodeluxe.net [email protected] CONCERT BAND Leader: Allan Rustadwww.comband.org 425-744-4575DUKES OF DABOB Bookings: Mark Holman, 360-779-6357, [email protected]. DUWAMISH JAZZ BAND Bookings: Carol [email protected] 206-932-7632FIRST THURSDAY BAND Leader: Ray Skjelbred,[email protected] 206-420-8535FOGGY BOTTOM JAZZ BAND Leader: Bruce Cosacchi360-638-2074GRAND DOMINION JAZZ BAND Bookings: Bob [email protected] 360-387-2500 holotradband Leader: Dave Holowww.holotradband.com 253-875-6932 HOT CLUB SANDWICH Contact: James Schneiderwww.hotclubsandwich.com 206-561-1137
HUME STREET PRESERVATION JAZZ BANDBookings: Karla West 406-862-3814JAZZ UNLIMITED BAND Leader: Duane [email protected] 866-337-2111JAZZ STRINGS Bookings: Candace [email protected] 253-752-6525LOUISIANA JOYMAKERS! Leader: Leigh [email protected] 604-294-9464THE MARKET STREET DIXIELAND JASS BANDAnsgar Duemchen: 425-286-5703 Tim Sherman 206-547-1772www.marketstreetdixielandjass.com MIGHTY APHRODITE Co-leaders: Bria Skonberg, Claire McKenna [email protected] 405-613-0568NEW ORLEANS QUINTET Leader: Dave Holowww.neworleansquintet.com 253-875-6932RAINIER JAZZ BAND Manager: Randy [email protected] 206-437-1568RAY [email protected] 206-420-8535RONNIE PIERCE JAZZ [email protected], 206-467-9365UPTOWN LOWDOWN JAZZ BAND Leader: Bert [email protected] 425-898-4288WILD CARDS JAZZ Leader: Randy [email protected] 206-437-1568
BANDS, CONTACTS
Puget SoundTraditional Jazz Society19031 Ocean Ave.Edmonds, WA 98020-2344
Address service requested
Non-profit OrgU..S. Postage
PaidSeattle, WAPermit 1375
You and your friends are cordially invited to hear sizzling-hot jazz
as a guest of Elks Club Jazz Society member Colin Dearing.
Admission is payable at the door.