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JUNE 3 – JUNE 6, 2010

About the Bellevue Jazz Festival

2009 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL CELEBRATES COMMUNITY AND THE CREATIVE POWER OF MUSIC

National and local jazz stars will light up the 2009 Bellevue Jazz Festival in Downtown Bellevue, May 22 – 24. Featured artists are Dianne Reeves Strings Attached, the Mingus Big Band, Kurt Elling, Patricia Barber, Danilo Perez, and Mose Allison Trio.

The Bellevue Jazz Festival returned last year under the direction of the Bellevue Downtown Association (BDA) with a focus on entertaining audiences with premier world and regional talent and showcasing the rich tradition of jazz education in our community.

World-renowned saxophonist and three-time Grammy winner Branford Marsalis headlined the festival with a concert May 23 at Meydenbauer Center. The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, a 13-member Latin jazz ensemble and Grammy winner, performed a sizzling Latin jazz dance set May 24 at Meydenbauer Center. More than 20 free concerts by top regional artists were offered during the weekend at venues throughout Downtown Bellevue.

Bellevue's jazz festival history dates back to 1978 when the City of Bellevue first hosted the Bellevue Jazz Festival at Bellevue Community College. Honoring this tradition and bringing jazz back in festival form is a primary aim of the BDA. To accomplish this, the BDA has brought together a cast of more than 20 jazz experts to help guide programming for the festival.

Since 1974, the BDA has produced major arts and cultural community events, in addition to advocacy work on behalf of members, all to advance Downtown Bellevue as the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside.


2009 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL ADVISORS

Michele Abrams, CJAZZ
Shelley Brittingham, CITY OF BELLEVUE
Mary Pat Byrne, CITY OF BELLEVUE
Vivian Christiansen, KPLU 88.5
Joey Cohn, KPLU 88.5
Robert Derrick, CITY OF BELLEVUE
Karen Donovan, SPACE MEDIA
Stephen Elliott, MEYDENBAUER CENTER
John Gilbreath, EARSHOT JAZZ
Brenda Goldstein-Young, KPLU 88.5
Stacy Graven, MEYDENBAUER CENTER
John Haynes, PACE
Matt Jorgensen, ORIGIN RECORDS
Cooksie & Lionel Kramer, EASTSIDE JAZZ CLUB
Jennifer Leavitt, THE BELLEVUE COLLECTION
Greta Matassa, VOCALIST
Steve Ramsey, KBCS 91.3 FM
Leng Tshua, SHERMAN CLAY PIANOS
Rick Tupper, COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT
Jim Wilke, “JAZZ AFTER HOURS”

Bellevue Jazz Festival Rising Stars Program

The 2009 festival also marks the launch of a program to celebrate and help develop emerging jazz students. Working with a team of noted educators, the festival will present a unique high school player invitational program called the Bellevue Jazz Festival Rising Stars.

Rising Stars offers promising students from the Seattle metropolitan region the unique opportunity to rehearse with noted area musicians in a workshop environment, and then perform in a professional setting as part of the festival.

The Bellevue Jazz Festival invited 50 high school band directors from Washington State to nominate students for Rising Stars. Nominated students applied and auditioned for the program, and a panel of Rising Stars program advisors selected players to form three six-member ensembles. The ensembles rehearsed under the direction of three professional musicians from the local area. Rehearsals were hosted and facilitated by Music Works Northwest.

The Bellevue Jazz Festival Rising Stars program will culminate at the Bellevue Jazz Festival, Sunday, May 24 at 7:00 p.m. with a live performance by the ensembles at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center, as an opening act for the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2009 RISING STARS:

Christian Anderson, EDMONDS-WOODWAY (tenor saxophone)
Max Bates, BELLEVUE (alto saxophone)
Eddie Bond, MERCER ISLAND (guitar)
Tory Brediger, SHOREWOOD (bass)
Joe Gladow, SHOREWOOD (tenor saxophone)
Peter Graham, BELLEVUE (piano)
Thomas Guenther, KENTWOOD (alto saxophone)
Matthew Gunby, MERCER ISLAND (trombone)
Max Holmberg, ROOSEVELT (drums)
Ellie Lightfoot, GARFIELD (drums)
Eli Meisner, NEWPORT (guitar)
Mat Muntz, ROOSEVELT (bass)
Chris Picardo, MERCER ISLAND (tenor saxophone)
Ariel Pocock, NEWPORT (piano)
Colin Ramsay, MERCER ISLAND (drums)
Nick Rogstad, SAMMAMISH (trombone)
Zach Stoddard, NEWPORT (bass)
Devon Yesberger, EDMONDS-WOODWAY (piano)

2009 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL RISING STARS CLINICIANS:

Michael Brockman, UW SCHOOL OF MUSIC FACULTY / CO-DIRECTOR OF SRJO (Earshot Jazz Golden Ear for “Best Acoustic Jazz Ensemble,” 2005)

Steve Korn, DRUMMER
(Earshot Jazz Golden Ear “Emerging Artist of the Year,” 2000)

Neil Welch, SAXOPHONIST AND COMPOSER
(Earshot Jazz Golden Ear “Emerging Artist of the Year,” 2008)

2009 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL STUDENT SHOWCASE

The Bellevue Jazz Festival is thrilled to present the Student Showcase at the Bellevue Arts Museum on Friday and Saturday, May 22 & 23. Combos from award-winning local programs will perform 45-minute sets showcasing the rich and diverse offerings presented by members of the local high school jazz scene. Stop by the Bellevue Arts Museum for an up close look at what makes this area a hotbed of jazz talent!

Friday, May 22

Saturday, May 23

3:15pm – 4:00pm
Sammamish

12:30pm – 1:15pm
Bellevue

4:30pm – 5:15pm
Newport

3:30pm – 4:15pm
Shorewood

5:45pm – 6:30pm
Edmonds-Woodway

4:45pm – 5:30pm
Ingraham

 

2009 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL EDUCATION TEAM

Michael Brockman, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Vince Caruso, BELLEVUE HIGH SCHOOL
Matt Eisenhauer, NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL
Paul Harshman. SHOREWOOD HIGH SCHOOL
Scott Ketron, MUSIC WORKS NORTHWEST