JUNE 3 – JUNE 6, 2010
About the Bellevue Jazz Festival
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY AND THE CREATIVE POWER OF MUSIC
The Bellevue Jazz Festival returns to Downtown Bellevue in its third incarnation
June 3-6, 2010. National artists, local musicians and high school all stars
will perform in free and ticketed venues throughout the weekend.
Shows range from concerts at the Meydenbauer Theater — with its ideal
acoustics and intimate setting — to tableside sets in downtown bars
and hotels. The menu of choices will include a Sunday Jazz Brunch and some
of the best school jazz bands from around the Seattle area — an area
noted for its depth of student and instructional talent.
"Nothing beats the experience of a live performance," said Leslie
Lloyd, festival director and president of the Bellevue Downtown Association,
"and we're extremely proud to be able to bring this event to Bellevue.”
The Bellevue Jazz Festival allows us to tap into Bellevue's long relationship
with jazz, and to extend our reach to artists who would not otherwise appear
here. At the same time, we featurevlocal musicians and students —
last year, we employed 66 local musicians, and featured 6 metro-area bands.
And it was a great thrill to feature 18 of the top student performers in
the Seattle metro area through our inaugural Rising Stars program."
The 2010 Festival will showcase an all-star lineup of featured shows highlighted
by Terence Blanchard. Blanchard is a GRAMMY winning trumpeter,
bandleader, composer, arranger and Golden Globe-nominated film score composer.
The Bad Plus will electrify audiences with their refreshing
and awe-inspiring sounds. This progressive jazz trio consists of pianist
Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King.
Recognized as one of the most original of the jazz-based guitarists to emerge
out of the 1960, Pat Martino made a remarkable comeback
after brain surgery in 1980 to correct an aneurysm that caused him to lose
his memory and completely forget how to play. Martino delivers a distinctive,
fat sound and gut-wrenching performances.
Capping the festival is a double bill featuring piano duo Bill Charlap
and Renee Rosnes, with opening vocalist, Sachal Vashandani.
Charlap, regarded as one of the premier interpreters of the American songbook,
and wife Rosnes, a Canadian virtuoso and founding member of the SF Jazz
Collective, team up to render a superb collection of standards as well as
Rosne's original compositions.
Vocalist and songwriter Sachal Vashandani and his trio will open the show.
This Chicago native and standout singer — named Collegiate Jazz Vocalist
of the year in 1999, will feature standards and an excellent array of his
own compositions.
The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra also featuring the
Bellevue Jazz Festival Rising Stars will kick off the festival
on Thursday night. The 17-peice Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra is co-directed
by Clarence Acox, director of the award-winning Garfield High School Jazz
Ensemble, and Michael Brockman, faculty member of University of Washington's
School of Music. The Rising Stars program brings together the top jazz students
from the metro Seattle area for small ensemble workshops in a professional
setting to enrich and stretch their artistic development. Students are placed
in ensembles and workshop with professional musicians prior to performing
in the Meydenbauer Theater.
Award-winning high school jazz programs will be featured in the festival’s
Student Showcase. Groups will perform 45-minute sets highlighting
the rich and diverse offerings presented by members of the local high school
jazz scene.
Dozens of free shows in various locations will keep the music flowing throughout
the weekend, featuring top local and regional artists.
2010 BELLEVUE JAZZ FESTIVAL ADVISORS
Michele Abrams, CJAZZ
Bart Becker, BELLEVUE COLLEGE
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
Scott Ketron, MUSIC WORKS NORTHWEST
Cooksie & Lionel Kramer, EASTSIDE JAZZ CLUB
Jennifer Leavitt, THE BELLEVUE COLLECTION
Greta Matassa, VOCALIST
Steve Ramsey, KBCS 91.3 FM
Leng Tshua, L @ L Luxury Marketing
Rick Tupper, COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT
Jim Wilke, “JAZZ AFTER HOURS”