Adrian Notebloom and Empty Boat will be performing THIS FRIDAY at Cafe Solstice, and just like all of the past showcases, music will start promptly at 7:00 PM. But this time, we have brand new faces that have not yet graced the stage for an IMP Showcase.

Playing first will be Adrian Notebloom, who will be playing with Lucas Winter (guitar) and Mathew Singler (drums) of Cornish, and Carmen Rothwell (bass) of UW. The group will be performing a few jazz standards as well as a couple originals by Notebloom. Adrian says of the group, “the guitar will act more as a horn player and do minimal comping. I want it to be pretty Tristano-like so we can play more freely over the changes.”

And performing second, Named after the Lao Tzu parable, Empty Boat is a quintet of excellent Seattle creative musicians presenting original compositions, with a heavy dose of improvisation. Empty Boat includes Don Berman (Drums), Geoff Harper (Bass), Jim Knodle (Trumpet), Dennis Rea (Guitar), and Dick Valentine (Saxes, Flutes).

Both groups will be outstanding, and we are excited to see them on the stage at Solstice.

See you there!

—IMP 

This year has been full of new experiences, particularly in the form of brand new classes added to the School of Music course list.

Ted Poor has been giving a three week-long seminar each quarter to interested Jazz Studies majors, and next Fall, he will begin a full time position on the UW Jazz Faculty!

Another exciting addition to the faculty is Bill Frisell, as he is now an official UW Affiliate Professor!

This means that you’ll be seeing lots of Bill and Ted next year. So start the year off right and make it over to The Chapel on Thursday to see them play together.

See you then!

—IMP

For those of you that may be interested in playing, learning, or are an avid listener, we have a couple extra treats for you.

Both Bill Frisell and Eric Revis will be holding separate clinic/workshops at the University of Washington School of Music before their performances.

The workshops will include an open rehearsal for their shows and a question and answer session with the audience. 

Frisell’s workshop will be at 12:30 PM  on Wednesday, April 24th. Revis’s workshop will be at 12:30 PM on Thursday, April 25h. Both workshops are FREE and will be held in the UW Music Building’s Room 35, which is in the sub-basement. To get there, take the elevator to level B, walk down the corridor, and take a left at the bathrooms. Take the next flight of stairs going down and you’re there!

See you there!

We have been getting lots of questions about the festival, particularly about Bill Frisell’s performance on the 25th. 

Unfortunately, tickets are NOT available in advance. Since we are only able to accept donations, we can’t sell advance tickets. The best way to get a good seat is to get there at 7:00PM SHARP when doors open. Judging by the number of emails we have been receiving about this particular concert, there is going to be a big crowd!

This donation system goes for all three shows. 

And just because Bill Frisell is playing on the first night doesn’t mean you should take the rest of the weekend off! Grammy winner Eric Revis will be playing on Friday the 26th with Ted Poor and Cuong Vu as Triggerfish, and also with UW Jazz students as an ensemble created just for IMPfest. This particular group will be performing pieces by Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Stockhausen, and Revis himself.

Last but not least is Seattle’s favorite Haitian Voodoo band, King Tears Bat Trip, will be playing on Saturday the 27th, along with the new improvising group Japanese Guy — who just printed some beautiful records — and Ray Larsen’s “How Glass Is Made.”

See you on the 25th!

It’s really here! IMPfest V is right around the corner and we are proud to announce that the following artists will performing April 25-27 at the Good Shepherd Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave N  Seattle, WA 98103). All shows begin at 7:30PM, with doors opening at 7:00PM. All performances prices are a suggested donation of $5-$15.

Thursday, April 25th
Bill Frisell with students
Insistent Caterpillars

Friday, April 26th
Eric Revis with 
Ted Poor and Cuong Vu and students
Sequoia

Saturday, April 27th
King Tears Bat Trip
Japanese Guy
How Glass Is Made

Follow the links to their websites for more information about them.

See you in a month!

—IMP

Poster by Andrew J.S.

It’s here! It’s finally here! This Friday, March 8th, the IMP is proud to announce the lineup for IMPfest V. RSVP on the Facebook event. Suggested donation only.

Performing this Friday will be the UW Modern Band, a large, student ensemble coached by Cuong Vu, the professor of Jazz and Trumpet at the University of Washington. The Modern Band contains graduate and undergraduate students of Jazz, and this month, Cuong has stepped in on trumpet as well. Each performer in the group is a serious musician that should be kept an eye on. All of them will definitely go on to make a name for themselves in the music world.

The Modern Band will play all original music by the students in the band. This will be a sneak peak at their set next week, so if you can’t see them on March 11th at the Meany Studio Theater, come see them this Friday, March 8th!

Also playing on Friday will be Honey Noble, a newly four-piece (was just three) folk- and jazz-inspired group that has been playing in the Seattle area for over a year now. The group features Katie Jacobson’s music and clear vocals, which are backed by Abbey Blackwell on bass, Chris Icasiano on drums, and now Gregg Belisle-Chi on guitar. This group, though it has a traditional instrumentation, has something new to offer to the world of folk and jazz. They are not something to be missed. They’ll be playing first, so get there 7:00 sharp! 

Note: IMPfest V will take place Thursday, April 25th through Saturday, April 27th at the Chapel Performance Space in Wallingford. Mark your calendars!

Poster by Andrew J.S.

WOW. That’s all that can be said about last night’s performance and turn out.

Well, not completely. We are so grateful to everyone that came out last night, and to Cafe Solstice, which held steady against the onslaught of customers last night.

The music was absolutely incredible. Christian Pincock’s warm and grooving “Yellow” pulled us all into a relaxed spirit, while Ted Poor’s “Take the Coltrane” got our hearts pounding as we headed out to start our weekend.

For those of you that may have attended the concert for a History of Jazz concert, here are the performers’ names again:

Christian Pincock Ensemble:
Christian Pincock—trombone
Evan Smith—bariton saxophone
David Balatero—electric bass
Chris Icasiano—drumset

Ted Poor and Friends:
Ted Poor—drumset
Cuong Vu—trumpet
Levi Gillis—tenor saxophone
Carmen Rothwell—double bass

We may have a change of venue for next month’s showcase, so keep your eyes peeled! But word on the street is that we may have some special guests from Table & Chairs.

Best,

—IMP

A quick look at this post:

IMP February Showcase
Friday, February 8th, 2013
7:00 pm
Cafe Solstice
Christian Pincock Ensemble
Ted Poor and Friends
all ages

This month’s showcase has lots of new music to share with you, and a lot of it will be new especially for Seattle. There have been a few recent transplants to our city in the past couple months and it just so happens that they’ll be performing on the same bill on Friday!

Christian Pincock is a trombonist and composer who recently moved here from New Mexico, where he taught at multiple universities, doing masterclasses and workshops, as well as performing some of his outrageously awesome music. Christian often composes using directed improvisations with his Live Composition Ensemble. 

He has recently joined the members of the Table & Chairs board and will soon release an album with his Live Composition Ensemble on the label.

You can find more information about the music and himself at his website. Also, keep an eye on the Table & Chairs events page for news about his upcoming performances.

Ted Poor is another recently relocated musician that will be gracing the stage at Cafe Solstice on Friday. Although Ted isn’t here to stay, he’ll be here for long enough, as he’s holding a residency at the University of Washington for the next three weeks. 

Ted is a renowned drummer that could out-paradiddle anyone you could think of, but more often than not, falls to his musicality, not his chops (which is refreshing to hear from a drummer, to say the least).

On Friday, Ted will perform with a few UW regulars, including professor of Jazz Studies Cuong Vu, and Jazz students Carmen and Adrian. Word on the street is that they’re going to get back into the swing of things with some blues. 

We hope to see you at Cafe Solstice on Friday! As always, music starts at 7:00 pm sharp. 

Also, there will be a fun show at the new venue Heartland up the street after the IMP Showcase. Seattle’s favorite band, Heatwarmer, will be closing that show, so make the trek up Roosevelt after you hang at Solstice!

See you Friday!

—IMP

Here is a brief list of what we at the IMP are listening to these days. Enjoy!

Ray: Stephen Sondheim — Sweeney Todd

Carmen: Bill Frisell — Beautiful Dreamers

Chris: The Bartok String Quartets; Jonny Greenwood/Krzyzstof Penderecki album

Ivan: Deep in the Heart of Tuva  (Tuvan throat singing)

Evan: Mount Eerie — Clear Moon

Sam & Gus: Lee Konitz — Live at the Half Note

Abbey: Dvorak Symphony No. 9; Sibelius Symphony No. 2