Pianist Thollem McDonas is coming to town in the midst of his 6-month U.S. tour to join forces with trumpeter Samantha Boshnack and multi-instrumentalist Amy Denio. All three composers are masters of their instruments. As a trio, they bring an extraordinarily wide array of techniques and experiences to one singular concert in Seattle. These musicians approach music with precision and abandon, fierceness and joy as they explore the infinite possibilities of their instruments and their relationship to each other.

Thollem has spent his life skirting and erasing the edges of boundaries musically, culturally and geographically. His work is ever-changing, evolving and responding to the times and his experiences, both as a soloist and in collaboration with hundreds of artists across idioms and disciplines. In the last 15 years he has released over 60 albums on 22 vanguard labels to international critical acclaim. “Thollem is a modern griot who has absorbed sounds from every place he has visited.” (William Parker from Conversations II, Rogue Art).

Member of Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame Amy Denio is an award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist (guitar family, bass, alto sax, clarinet, accordion) with a four-octave vocal range. She has written more than 400 works and has produced over 50 recordings solo and in collaboration with artists worldwide. Based in Seattle, she runs her own recording studio, record label and publishing company, Spoot Music. Her 17th solo release EUREKA will be released in September, 2019 by Klanggalerie (Vienna, Austria) in collaboration with Spoot Music.

Prolific composer/trumpeter Samantha Boshnack is based in Seattle, where she leads three ensembles dedicated to playing her compositions; Samantha Boshnack’s Seismic Belt, B’shnorkestra and the Sam Boshnack Quintet. She is also a member of the composer-collective Alchemy Sound Project and co-led Reptet. She has released five critically-acclaimed albums as a bandleader, and toured extensively. “Boshnack can scream or play it sweet.” (All About Jazz New York)

Levi Gillis and Artist Trust present the premiere of Viridian Dreams, a new work for tenor saxophone and improvising chamber ensemble. Over the last year, Gillis has worked to develop a distinctive saxophonic vocabulary for solo performance. Now in this most recent iteration, he performs these works augmented by a chamber ensemble of trumpet, cello, violin and piano. Gillis’s subtle and poignant explorations of extended techniques are brought together with his earthy melodic and harmonic language. Written from the saxophone first and orchestrated later, the ensemble operate as kind of an expanded saxophone, adding a new layer of depth to the original soloistic ideas.

Levi Gillis – Tenor Saxophone
Wayne Horvitz – Piano
Ebony Miranda – Cello
Alina To – Violin
Ray Larsen – Trumpet

EARTHTONESKYTONE, the duo project of bassist Kelsey Mines and guitarist Carlos Snaider, open the show, playing a dialogue of grounding sounds of bass/percussion mixed with the subtlety of strings and voice.

Inverted Space Ensemble explores the haunting and sublime music of Bun-Ching Lam, Brian Banks and Lou Harrison. Using the ensemble configuration of violin, piano and percussion, each composer showcases their unique language in this expressive ensemble configuration. This concert will feature Luke Fitzpatrick (violin), Brooks Tran (piano), and Isaac Anderson (percussion).

East Coast Meets West brings together two multi-talented trumpet players, one a transplant from the East Coast and another a Seattle native, to perform an exciting variety of works for trumpet and piano written by contemporary East- and West-Coast composers. Featured among the works is a grand Sonata by Boston’s Michael Weinstein, an enchanting Epithalamion by Pulitzer-winner Paul Moravec, and two world premiere works by Seattle’s own Peter Nelson-King, a frequent Wayward performer and multi-instrumentalist.

Trumpet player Judson Scott holds degrees from Baldwin-Wallace College, New England Conservatory, and the University of Washington. He is currently a member of the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Tacoma Symphony, and is an active freelance musician throughout the region, having performed with ensembles such as the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. He was a founding member of the Seattle Trumpet Consort and is the conductor of Brass Brand Northwest.

Active as a trumpet player, pianist, and occasional composer and writer, Peter Nelson-King holds degrees from University of Puget Sound and Boston University, and is a member of Brass Band Northwest, Ensign Symphony and Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra. He has premiered dozens of works by living composers on both the East and West coast, including several of his own, and is the author of two books of poetry.

The musical duo of Vickie Dodd and James Hoskins explores new musical territory that is at once organic and otherworldly.

Vickie is a vocalist, a pioneer in the art of sound healing, and a musician who has taught and performed internationally. In performance, she intuitively draws inspiration from the people and environment around her, channeling this into improvised vocalization, with a four-octave range that spans throat singing and many other techniques. The unique human connection of Vickie’s voice is matched by James Hoskins on cello. From Boulder, Colorado, James is a prolific artist who links polished technique with a soft instinctual touch that is rare among classically trained musicians. Together, Vickie and James spontaneously generate an improvised soundscape that is unlike any other and changes throughout each performance. Their new album, Found Sound, was just released on Right Brain Records. They will perform with special guest Carol J Levin on harp.

Opening act Spontanea is an eclectic improvisational quartet based in Seattle. Integrating influences including jazz, world, electronic and experimental music, Spontanea generates unique, reverberant soundscapes that will fill the Chapel space.

Join accomplished multi-instrumentalists Emily Ostrom and Peter Nelson-King for an evening of striking contemporary art songs for medium voice and piano. This widely varied program features modern masterworks that prove the art song has remained a vital medium for contemporary classical music in America. Chief among the works are three major cycles: Hale Smith‘s lush The Valley Wind, Judith Weir‘s beguiling Songs from the Exotic, and Aaron Kirschner‘s Four Love Songs of Sara Teasdale, here receiving its Northwest premiere. Also featured are world premiere songs composed by the performers, as well as other rare gems from the American song repertoire.

Emily Ostrom is a mezzo-soprano, multi-instrumentalist and composer who has dedicated her life to music. She completed undergraduate studies at Oberlin College and Conservatory with dual degrees in oboe performance and neuroscience. In college she developed a serious interest in singing, and then went off to the University of York (UK) for a master’s in vocal performance, specifically focused on Renaissance and contemporary music for five voices, SSATB.

Peter Nelson-King is a trumpet player, pianist, tenor and composer born in the Seattle area. After getting acclaim in school as a trumpet player he earned two degrees in brass performance, a Bachelors from University of Puget Sound in Tacoma and a Masters from Boston University in Boston. He is a permanent performer with the Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra, Ensign Symphony & Chorus and Brass Band Northwest, as well as the keyboardist for the Paper Puppet Opera. He has mounted a host of new music concerts as a soloist and chamber performer, premiering dozens of works over more than 10 years.

Jim Knapp’s unique ensemble of jazz-inflected guitar & bass, plus symphonic harp & strings, celebrates its ninth year with a return to the Chapel.

SCRAPE is a 9-20 player ensemble playing original compositions. It features noted local musicians, including improvisers Chris Symer on upright bass & Brian Monroney on electric guitar, and Heather Bentley as violinist/leader. Founder Jim Knapp is the composer of all the tunes on this concert. Brianna Atwell is our principal violist, librarian, and music editor for publication and performance.

Music Educators — you are especially welcome to our performance! We are inaugurating published versions of SCRAPE tunes, suitable for intermediate- and advanced-level school ensembles. Thanks to Seattle-based Marina Music, who are our new publishers!! Please get in touch with us or Marina, before or after the show for more information.

The Alchemy of Improvisation is a cross-genre, improvised musical project bringing together the varied talents of bassist Abbey Blackwell, drummer Will Lone, and pianist Daniel Salka. The trio blends genres and styles into a tapestry of improvised music, aimed at representing the mystical qualities of life and sound – an alchemical process of music-making in which consciousness transmutes sound and sound transmutes consciousness.

Born and raised in Seattle, pianist/keyboardist Daniel Salka has had a lifetime interest in music-making. His love for jazz developed participating in Roosevelt High School’s jazz program. This led him to the University of Washington to study with jazz masters Ted Poor, Cuong Vu and Marc Seales, as well as perform with iconic guitarists Bill Frisell and Ben Monder. He graduated in 2018 with degrees is Jazz Piano Performance and Environmental Studies.

Abbey Blackwell is a double and electric bassist in the Seattle area. Since graduating from the University of Washington in 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Music in String Performance, she has expanded her skill set to more fully include jazz, improvised, and rock ‘n’ roll music.

Will Lone is a drummer and improvising artist who has been immersed extensively in music since 1998, cultivating a dimensional and melodic style of drum set playing. He performs regularly in and around Seattle with numerous groups of different styles, and has worked with acclaimed musicians including David Haney, Bill Anschell, Rob Scheps, Nathan Breedlove, Jim O’Connor, Tom Varner, and many others. He is also a member of Gamelan Pacifica, one of the finest ensembles devoted to the performance of music for gamelan in the U.S.

YESOD is a meeting of Middle Eastern and Middle Western musical influences where pure musical impulses flux between sound explorations and accessible improvisational hooks. Dynamic and bold percussion mix with intricate intertwining stringed instruments creating a foundation for voice, violin, clarinet, and other melodic instrumental experimentation. It will be a fantastic journey to the center of your heart mind and soul. Doors open at 7:30.

William Wolford (guitars, dan bau, trumpet, banjo, cümbüş, etc.) is a veteran recording artist, composer, sound designer and performer. His body of work crosses many genres from country to techno rock or from meditation music to movie soundtracks. Recently he is performing with West Seattle Soul, Yesod and his one man band, The One Man Bandit, while composing cutting edge meditation music.

Tige DeCoster (bass, percussion) has played bass professionally and taught music for the past twenty-five years. Currently, he is a member of the West Seattle Soul big band, and a member of Cuban son band Los Supersones.Tige is a published poet, recipient of the 2016 Joan Grayston Poetry Prize, and a 2009 Fulbright scholar.

Amy Denio composes for modern dance, film, theater and TV. She has a four-octave vocal range and plays guitar, bass, alto sax, clarinet and accordion. She has written more than 400 works and has produced over 50 recordings solo and in collaboration with artists worldwide. She operates her own recording studio, record label and publishing company, Spoot Music.

Ahmad Yousefbeigi is an inspired and sought-after percusionist/vocalist from Kurdistan. Ahmad’s versatility, love of cultural exchange and collaboration has co-founded Yesod in 2010 an acoustic, avant-garde, improvisational collaboration. In 2017 he became a member of the band The Crown and released their first vinyl record in 2018.

Earshot’s annual juried series, Jazz: The Second Century, returns with three evenings of innovative music. Artists are selected by a peer panel through a blind jury process to perform original work in a concert setting that is questioning and expanding the conventions of the jazz form. This year’s choices reflect our city’s current dialogue surrounding the art form, in all its nuances and subtleties.

Jeremey’s Pyramid Scheme

Saxophonist and composer Jeremy Shaskus agrees with Wynton Marsalis’ claim that jazz is a “melting pot.” Returning for the second year in a row, Jeremy’s Pyramid Scheme has recruited three more members to grow its enterprise to a septet. Shaskus’ expanded vision is “inspired by old Yiddish melodies, contemporary styles, and a great desire to compose for larger ensembles.” This is a group of well-established musicians who can seriously play and take play seriously. Come see what the Pyramid Scheme cooks up. Our guess? High energy, improvised cuts, a little sweet, mostly salty.

Jeremey Shaskus, alto sax
Stuart MacDonald, tenor sax
Nathan Breedlove, trumpet
Marc Smason, trombone
Jerome Smith, tuba
Ari Joshua, guitar
Will Lone, drums

Xavier Lecouturier Quartet

21-year old drummer and composer Xavier Lecouturier has quickly been making a name for himself on the scene since graduating from Cornish College of the Arts. Jazz, to Lecouturier, is a “beautiful and continuing story of freedom, diversity, and expression.” His music draws from his experience as a Mexican-French-American and is a manifestation of a myriad of influences from his mother’s love of the Mexican rock band MANA, to his father’s love of Sting, the Foo Fighters, and Donny Hathaway, to his brother’s playing of Chopin, to his friend’s love of rap and hip-hop.

Xavier Lecouturier, drums
Ben Feldman, bass
Lucas Winter, guitar
Gus Carns, piano