Ballard Jazz Festival | 11.15.03 | Ballard, WA

By Court Scott (JamBase.com)

Imagine my surprise when JamBase informed me a jazz festival was to be held in my own neighborhood--maritime Nordic Ballard--in Seattle. Having heard nothing about it, and while never claiming to be a hard-core jazzbo, I jumped at the opportunity to catch a number of truly great jazz musicians gathered so locally to me. The first ever Ballard Jazz Festival was held one gray mid-November Saturday at the brand-spankin'-new Mars Hill church, and later featured a pub-crawl down historic Ballard Avenue, which stretched late into the rainy evening. Four bars, a record store, and an athletic club played host to a number of generally local, but widely recognized trios, quartets, quintets, and more-tets. The headliners of the festival, those seen and heard at Mars Hill, included the sextuplet Brian Blade Fellowship, saxophonist Vincent Herring with New Stories, and improvisational jazz vocalist Nancy King accompanied by pianist Steve Christofferson. Additionally, for an hour or so in the afternoon, many artists and band members led and participated in hugely successful clinics with their respective instruments. Also featured throughout the afternoon were four top local high school jazz combos, several of which are nationally acclaimed. These auditory treats were visually complimented by a black and white jazz photo exhibit, which featured the lifetime work of Northwest shutterbugs Ron Hudson and Steve Robinson. Photos spanning years of the Monterey Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival, and many clubs and small shows, graced the foyer walls of Mars Hill.

I emphasize: I'm not a jazz buff, but certainly know enough to get by; most of it learned from my friends' and parents' record collections and a love of PBS. So I asked a good friend, local jazz bassist and jazz fan Paul Kemmish of Das Rut what his take was on the Ballard Jazz Festival. He was very enthusiastic it was happening and about the line-up, but bummed he had a gig that night. "You know it will be more straight ahead jazz stuff, not like what you've heard at most shows," he cautioned me, knowing what I usually listen to. "You'll see some of the best jazz musicians in Seattle, but it'll be more technical, less full-sounding," he paused, "a lot of it may lack ass." Ha! I laughed, but knew what he meant--not much of the funky jazz so popular these days, the jazz influence. Instead it would be undiluted, straightforward, listening-intensive jazz. It sounded like a challenge, and one I was up to, so off I went.

The evening concert was held in the sanctuary of Mars Hill church, which was more like a convention hall, both in architecture and layout, than a conventional church. The stage rose from the floor; a backdrop announcing the Ballard Jazz Festival stood behind it. Projected on either side of the stage were large screens announcing the festival's all-local sponsorship--Seattle's jazz radio stations and primarily Ballard businesses, several private citizens, and of course the requisite Pacific Northwest microbrewery sponsor, this time Mac & Jack's Brewing Company. The sanctuary was about a third full--I'm not good at 'how many beans are in this jar?' type questions, but I'd estimate between 500 and 600 attentively listening people gathered. According to an elder I spoke with, the sound system had been installed that very afternoon, and luckily the room's sound was warm and lush. The crowd represented a wide sample of Seattle's community--every age, every color, and every class. Clapping enthusiastically before, sometimes during, and after each piece, the rapt assembly seemed genuinely thankful for the opportunity to share a Saturday with these artists--and the vibe was mutual. Brian Blade was the most soft-spoken, yet almost compellingly humble man I have seen play in some time, and I was intrigued.

In all honesty, the pub-crawl aspect of this festival spoke more to me than the concert in a church aspect. The need to wander, to stray, to not plan on any one thing is part of my personality, and my festival training--years of touring with Phish, moe., and other bands, combined with healthy annual doses of the New Orleans Jazz Festival, have not made "sit and behave" shows any easier or appealing. The multitude slogged down Ballard Avenue searching for dry harbor--many, many settling in for Matt Jorgensen and his band 451 at Conor Byrne's Pub, some heading to Richard Cole and the Bill Ashnell Quartet at the Old Town Ale House, while others made the long trek to Bop Street Records for the Ben Thomas Group. Still others sought out Portland's Upper Left Trio at Bad Albert's, the Jay Thomas/Thomas Mariott Quintet at the Olympic Athletic Club, or went to the Lock And Keel Pub for Rick Mandyck, John Stowell, Jeff Johnson and Tad Britton. Whatever the decision made, everyone had a chance to see some fine music that night, although they may have had a hard time finding room, as many venues were at or near capacity.

Fresh from Seattle's other annual jazz festival, last month's Earshot Jazz Festival, it seems that Pacific Northwesterners have an insatiable hunger for jazz. The already formidable PNW jazz scene seems to be gathering more fans, well, monthly. Indeed, the music was a more pure, distilled jazz than what I am used to, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it in the least. Much of the music felt serene and weightless (lacking ass?), despite deep improvisation and complexity. The simple sound of a non-electric trio or quartet inherently allows space. Sometimes, within the 'jamband' grouping, song form and the balance between sound and silence is disregarded (which is often just fine), and indeed may be an intrinsic part of the genre, but it seems contrary when my ear can't recognize what's going on. Enthused by this contrast to my norm, I vowed to become more familiar with several of these artists and their influences, so that I can better understand the history, and where current artists are coming from. It was very exciting. Additionally, what struck me was the level of community involvement and pro-activity for the arts: in corporate sponsorship, national and local artist participation both professionally and academically, citizen attendance; and the positivism of all involved. Although not surprising for Seattle, the Ballard Jazz Festival was simply a really wonderful time and anyone who was a part of it should consider it a great success.