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Seattle Times
Quincy Jones, a Garfield High School alum, has worked with all the pop and jazz music greats. From Aretha Franklin to Michael Jackson, John Coltrane to Miles Davis, Jones has collaborated and learned from all of our heroes and role models. Now Jones is teaching us a thing or two in his new book, Q on Producing. Jones explains that when he was learning his craft, older, wiser musicians would say, “Step into my office,” signifying they were going to pass on some of their musical knowledge. Q on Producing is, essentially, Jones’ office. To read more about the book and Quincy Jones, follow the link above.
Rolling Stone
A new film documenting Jimi Hendrix’s concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall in February 1969 will be released next year. According to Jimi’s half-sister, Janie, the film is “a day in the life of Jimi… It’s not an actor playing Jimi; it’s Jimi, and he really does forget the cameras are rolling and you see those sides of him, the stage and the sweetness with different girlfriends — there’s several that are in the film — and how he was around friends and how he was really into listening to the [recording of] the night before’s performance.” This film will be released theatrically, on pay-per-view and DVD. For more information, follow the link.
Filed under: Music | Tags: clarence acox, educational opportunities, jazz, Seattle Jazz Ed
KPLU
Everyone knows that Roosevelt and Garfield High Schools have some of the best high school jazz bands in the country. But what about the young Seattle musicians who don’t live in those neighborhoods? Enter the newly established Seattle Jazz Ed, under the direction of Clarence Acox, Laurie de Koch and Robert Knatt. The group, which meets once a week at Cornish College, pulls children from all over the city to form three jazz bands: beginning, intermediate and advanced. Though tuition is $750, scholarships are available for families in need. You can catch the Seattle Jazz Ed bands performing on December 9 at the Northwest African American Museum. For more information about the group, click the link above.
Flavorwire
Flavorwire has recognized The Vera Project, Seattle’s groundbreaking all-ages rock hall/community center, as one of the greatest new rock venues to have opened since the turn of the 21st century. Coming on the heels of Gibson’s Guitar’s inventory of the best rock venues of all time—a list which included legendary Seattle club, The Crocodile—Flavorwire compiled the list in an effort to shine a light on new music and the up-and-coming venues that support it. “Like many great all-ages venues conceived out of the DIY punk ethos, The Vera Project isn’t just a place to see bands play,” Flavorwire comments, citing the non-profit’s mission to foster a participatory creative culture through music, arts programs and volunteering. “The Vera Project offers […] many opportunities for teens to get involved in its community […]but the place still takes its bookings very seriously: Dan Deacon, Titus Andronicus, and Deerhoof are just a few of the great bands that have performed there.” To read the full article, be sure to check out the link.
City Arts Blog
Up and coming Seattle songstress Portable Morla has just released a video for her song, “Ode to Willow.” City Arts Blog describes the artist’s sound as a rich mixture of “minimalist new wave synth” with “1930’s lounge-style vocals,” a vibe underscored by the video’s aesthetic juxtaposition of nature and electronica. Check it all out below!
Filed under: Film | Tags: film graduate degree programs, film schools, seattle film institute
Seattle Film Institute
A few weeks ago, we helped to spread the great news that the Seattle Film Institute (SFI) has just been approved to offer a Master of Arts in Producing for Film and a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking—the only graduate programs for film in the entire Northwest. The new degrees make their debut February 2011, but you can join SFI tomorrow, November 20, for an informational meeting to learn more about the programs. This is not only a chance to get your burning questions answered; it’s also a great opportunity to see the school, meet key faculty members and other prospective students, and also to get the scoop on scholarships and financial aid. The event will be held at SFI’s main campus from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. For more information or directions, be sure to check out the link.
KEXP
Renowned Seattle vocalist Ernestine Anderson is profiled in the latest installment of KEXP’s “Sirens of Jazz,” a 10-part documentary series that features the station’s favorite female jazz voices. KEXP says Anderson was chosen for her signature bluesy style that still somehow fits into the realm of jazz, and for a “special twist of talent” that has garnered the singer, now 72, international acclaim throughout her long and storied career. KEXP interviewed Anderson in her Central District home –which she almost lost due to lack of income a few years back until Quincy Jones himself intervened. Says Anderson, “I can be down in spirit and I put on a record and I’m up again. Music changes your attitude.” To hear the entire documentary, follow the link.
Filed under: Music | Tags: Earthwise Salvage, john roderick, Odd Fellows, Pretty Parlor, shelby earle, the crocodile, the long winters, The Showbox
Rhapsody
If you love Seattle and you love music, then you should really watch the video linked above. Musician John Roderick of the Long Winters and Harvey Danger takes viewers on a “Rock Star Guide to the Galaxy Seattle.” The rock star stops at such city gems as Odd Fellows, Pretty Parlor, The Crocodile (including a chat with photographer great Charles Peterson), Earthwise Salvage, The Showbox (the night of the Telekinesis show), Shelby Earle recording with Eric Corson and Le Pichet. Be sure to give it a watch.
Filed under: Film, Music | Tags: arts and education, mayor mike mcginn, Seattle Public Schools, susan enfield
Seattle Channel
Last week, Mayor McGinn, Seattle Public Schools’ Susan Enfield and three students from various public schools in Seattle held a panel discussion about arts and education. The students were each allowed to ask one question of the Mayor and Enfield, and then the evening opened up for questions from the audience. The discussion was lively but lacked any concrete solutions to the many problems our schools are facing. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the whole thing below.
Seattle Times
Don’t miss Wheedle’s Groove, a local documentary about Seattle’s forgotten funk/soul scene circa the 1970s, which premieres tonight at 10:00 pm on KCTS 9. During the film’s festival circuit run, The Seattle Times gave it four stars, commenting that Wheedle’s Grove “captures the soul of Seattle.” The film is part of the first season of “Reel NW,” the 12-part film series launched by KCTS to champion the work of the local independent filmmaking community and to bring the best features, documentaries and shorts to Seattle airwaves. For more information about Wheedle’s Groove or the “Reel NW” project, be sure to check out the link.
