June 2012 Volume 37, Number 06 Market Street Dixieland Jass Band Winds up Spring Monthly Concert Series with a Truly Trad June 17th Program. By Rod Belcher When a band chooses its name including the word Jass you know it s got to be a practitioner of the kind of music that gives the name to our Society. It s the way Jazz was originally spelled during the early period of its entry into the American music scene. Sure enough, the Market Street Dixieland Jass Band touts itself as a group that focuses on the classic style that flourished in the first three decades of the 20th Century. And I m assuming that adding Market Street to the title is a nod to the West Coast revival bands that came out of San Francisco in the 1940s and 50s, harking back to the New Orleans roots of Jass / Jazz. Last month s group Glenn Crytzer s Syncopators had a wider focus, adding the type of swing that prevailed around New York s 52nd Street in the World War II days. The Market Streeters, though, will zero in on what they know and do best, and that s trad. The players are all residents of the Puget Sound area and have been getting increased bookings in various venues hereabouts. The nominal leader is banjoist Tim Sherman, and the frontline lead is handled by cornetist Ansgar Duemchen, a veteran of the European jazz scene before locating in the Northwest. Others in the (no piano) sextet are John Mascorella, trombone; Jim DeJoie, clarinet; John Bigelow, tuba; and Tadd Morris, drums. You might recall that some were members of what was then called: Doctor D. and His Dixie Dogs, the previous version of the combo. The session will wind up the season s regular PSTJS monthly concerts. We ll go dark as usual during the months of July and August, resuming on Sunday, September 16th. WHEN: Sunday, June 17, 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Ballard Elks Lodge, 6411 Seaview Ave. NW, Seattle. ADMISSION: PSTJS members, $10; Non-member guests, $13. MORE INFO: 425-776-5072 or website: www.pstjs.org Snacks, coffee, other beverages available. Lots of free parking. Great view. By Judy Levy Well, here we are in the last month of our Spring Jazz Sundays. It s been loads of fun so far in 2012 and we still have September through December to enjoy. Be sure to put Sunday September 16th on your calendar for the first session of the Fall series. We re hoping to be able to have Bob Schulz and his Frisco Jazz Band with us again, if we are able to reach our minimum goal to bring them all here. Please let us know if you would like to contribute to the Schulz Weekend Fund. This year, thanks to your continued support buying raffle tickets, we will be sending two students on full scholarship and three students on half scholarship. All of these students attended last year From the Prez and I m happy to help them attend again. They are all fine musicians and continued attendance at camp makes such a big difference in their knowledge and skill with their instruments and the music. Jazz Camps are where OKOM musicians will come from to keep the music alive for all of us. Jazz Camp Heebie Jeebies will run from Sunday July 1st to Saturday July 7th, 2012. I ll have a report on camp in the September Soundings, along with letters from the students. Have a wonderful summer and stay well. See you all in September. Cheers, Judy New Admission Fees By Gloria Kristovich Because the admission fees at the current price are seldom meeting the amount we pay out for rent and musicians, your PSTJS board has voted to increase the admission amounts beginning in SEPTEMBER 2012. The new ticket prices will be $12 for members and $15 for non-members. There will no longer be a different charge for some bands. I would also whole-heartedly encourage you to become life members or patrons. As some new Washington state auto license plates say: MUSIC MATTERS!!!!!
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 2 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society Gigs for Local Bands 19031 Ocean Avenue Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 425-776-5072 www.pstjs.org UPCOMING EVENTS Elks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle June 17 Sept 16 Oct 21 Nov 18 Dec 16 Market Street Dixieland Jass Band TBD Black Swan Evergreen Classic Ray Skjelbred s First Thursday Band PRESIDENT: Judy Levy jazzdancer2@msn.com 425-890-6605 VICE PRESIDENT: George Swinford grs-pms@comcast.net 425-869-2780 SECRETARY: Cilla Trush paultrush@yahoo.com 206-363-9174 TREASURER: Gloria Kristovich gkristo@live.com 425-776-7816 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joanne Hargrave shorejo1@comcast.net 206-550-4664 Leroy Johnson: moldyfig33@yahoo.com 206-772-4378 Jan Lemmon djlemmon@msn.com 425-776-9763 Edmund Lewin: 360-297-6633 Gary Lydum: glydumup@hotmail.com 206-719-3955 George Oelrich: goelrich@comcast.net 360-793-0836 Carol Rippey: trianglejazz@comcast.net 425-776-5072 Jack Temp 425-502-8148 BELLINGHAM TRADITIONAL JAZZ SOCIETY 1st Saturday 2-5 pm VFW Hall 625 N. State St June 2 Ain t No Heaven Seven CASEY MacGILL s BLUE 4 TRIO Sundays, 5:30-8:30 Tutta Bella Pizzeria 4411 Stoneway N 206-633-3800 Wednesdays, 8-11. Pink Door Restaurant & Lounge 1919 Post Alley (Pike Market) 206-443-3241 FIRST THURSDAY BAND 1st Thurs of the month, 7-10 p.m., New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA GLENN CRYTZER s SYNCOPATORS 1st Sunday of the Month 9:30-12:30 Century Ballroom 915 East Pine (2nd Floor) 206-324-7263 Third Wednesday of the Month (same as above) GRAND DOMINION JAZZ BAND New website: www.dizswift.btinternet.co.uk/gdjb/calendar_page.htm GREATER OLYMPIA DIXIELAND JAZZ SOCIETY 2rd Sunday at the Olympia Elks, Times are 1pm till 4:30pm holotradband Tuesdays, 7-10 p.m., New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA MARKET STREET DIXIELAND JASS BAND June 17, 1-4pm Elks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR Carol Rippey: trianglejazz@comcast.net 425-776-5072 EDITOR Anita LaFranchi: jazzeditor@q.com 206-522-7691 JAZZ SOUNDINGS Published monthly except July and August by the Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society. Anita LaFranchi, Editor, jazzeditor@q.com Ads must be submitted in a jpeg or PDF format Payment in advance to: Gloria Kristovich, P.O. Box 373, Edmonds, WA 98020-0373 Advertising Rates: Full page $100. 7 1/2 wide by 9 1/2 tall Half Page $60. 7 1/2 wide by 4 1/4 tall Quarter Page $40. 3 5/8 Wide by 4 1/4 tall Deadline is the 10th of the month for the next month s issue NEW ORLEANS JAZZ QUINTET Mondays 6:30-9:30 pm New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA PEARL DJANGO June 9, 3-6pm Sudden Valley Library on Lake Whatcom, Bellingham, WA www.pearldjango.com/files/calendar.htm June 21, 7pm Paschal Winery 1122 Suncrest Rd, Talent, Or UPTOWN LOWDOWN JB June 16, 5:30-7:30 pm - Marysville Strawberry Festival, Marysville, WA June 29, 30 and July 1, America s Festival, Lacey, WA On Your Dial... Saturday 7-12 p.m. Swing Years and beyond KUOW 94.9 FM Sunday 3-6 p.m. Art of Jazz, Ken Wiley, KPLU 88.5 FM
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 3 Jazz Festival Four venues, one site three dancing, one listening Large dance floors Nearby hotels Shuttle service GREAT SPECIAL FEATURES 22nd Annual Jazz Festival June 28, 29, 30, July 1, 2012 Saint Martin s University (Marcus Pavilion Headquarters) 5300 Pacific Ave. SE, Lacey, WA www.olyjazz.com Great Jazz Bands GRAND DOMINION HIGH SIERRA IVORY & GOLD RAY SKJELBRED AND HIS CUBS ST. LOUIS RIVERMEN TITAN HOT SEVEN TOM HOOK/BLACK DOGS TOM RIGNEY FLAMBEAU UPTOWN LOWDOWN WOLVERINES YERBA BUENA STOMPERS BOB SCHULZ GUEST ARTIST Parasol parades After Glow Party Special Sets On-site RV parking Dancing Lessons Qty. Early Bird All Event before May 31, 2012 $85 All Event after May 31, 2012 $90 Pre-festival Thursday $15 Friday only $40 Friday nite after 7pm $25 Saturday only $50 Saturday nite after 7pm $25 Sunday only $25 Student - 14-22 w/id, All Event $15 Patron of Jazz (Includes All Event Badge) $150 Gold Sponsor...$500 Silver Sponsor...$350 Individual Sponsor...$250 Band Members (each)...$100 RV parking w/hookup: days @ $25/day RV dry park parking: days @$20/day Length of RV: ft. No. of slideouts Permit issued at check in TOTAL $ INFORMATION: Charlotte Dickison - 360-943-9123 Email: charlottedickison@comcast.net RV PARKING: Pat Herndon - 360-956-7132 Email: herndon@reachone.com Visit our website at: www.olyjazz.com Name Address City State Zip Phone Email Credit Card # - - - Exp. / * Signature Postmark will determine price. Voucher will be mailed. Badges required at all festival sites. NO REFUNDS AFTER JUNE 15, 2012. PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO GODJS (We accept VISA/MasterCard/Discover credit cards) Mail to: Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society P.O. Box 924, Olympia, WA 98507 WE ARE A 501 C3 AND AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ORGANIZATION
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 4 Ray Skjelbred - Treasures From the Keyboard by Hal Smith - A reprint from the American Rag. Ray Skjelbred plays a rumbling bass line on a slow blues, head turned away from the piano and eyes shut tightly in concentration. He is inhabiting the soul of Chicago pianist Art Hodes. A few measures on, he opens his eyes and watches the keyboard left hand walking the bass slowly and right hand playing a tremolo. Now Ray is in Burt Bales territory; a foggy San Francisco night at Pier 23. On the last chorus, the intensity builds, and Ray braces his shoulders to play a strolling bass line, climaxed by a series of crashing tone clusters that bring the performance back to Chicago, and the unbridled passion of Joe Sullivan. The performance ends with Sullivan s signature coda, and a dramatic moment as Ray hunches over the keys, then rocks back quickly. His right arm bounces up like the follow-through of a Chicago Cubs batter. He relaxes visibly, and lets out a deep breath. He has given his all. The audience, realizing that they have just heard something extraordinary, responds with a long, sincere ovation. A native Chicagoan, Ray began playing piano in 1960, after his family moved to Seattle. The aforementioned Burt Bales and Seattle pianist John Wittwer were Ray s first teachers, and he learned even more from the classic recordings by keyboard masters of the 20s, 30s and Above: Ray Skjelbred and his dog Pika 40s. Within a few short years, he became one of the most in-demand pianists in traditional jazz and swing especially after a move to the Bay Area in the late 1960s. There, he worked with Bob Mielke s Bearcats, Turk Murphy s San Francisco Jazz Band, Ted Shafer s Jelly Roll Jazz Band, vocalists Victoria Spivey and Barbara Dane, jazz pioneers Darnell Howard and Pops Foster, Dick Oxtot s Golden Age Jazz Band, the Roadrunners and too many other groups to name here. In Seattle, Ray had co-led the Great Excelsior Jazz Band with bassist Mike Duffy. It was basically a New Orleans-style group, with some Chicago and swing influences. After relocating to the Bay Area, Ray organized Berkeley Rhythm, a swinging octet that gigged around the Bay Area and recorded for Ray s own Berkeley Rhythm label. During his Bay Area residency, Ray was able to enjoy the music of his mentor Burt Bales at venues such as Dick s at the Beach and The Serenader. And, having learned trombone along the way, Ray was able to play it in jam sessions with Bales. Ray played a long and musically rewarding stint at the Bull Valley Inn in Port Costa, with the phenomenal cornetist Jim Goodwin and a list of guest musicians that reads like a who s who of latter-day jazz and swing. He also became acquainted with longtime keyboard inspirations Joe Sullivan, Jess Stacy and Art Hodes. Later he was the accompanist for the wonderful vocalist Barbara Lashley. Before the vocalist s untimely death, Ray recalled playing an engagement with her at the Serenader in Oakland when, at the end of one song he looked up from the keyboard, only to see Earl Hines watching him intensely! Despite a full musical calendar, Ray continued to pursue another career as a high school English teacher. His love of language and literature helped to lead him into yet another creative endeavor: Poetry. Though he is now retired from teaching, he still composes poems and three collections of his poetry have been published. In 2007 Ray returned to Seattle, moving into a beautiful home in Lake Forest Park with his second wife Elsa, their son John and Pika, the world s most gentle dog. Ray is active on the Seattle jazz scene as a soloist, bandleader (the eponymously-named First Thursday band, which performs at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square) and as a sideman with Glenn Crytzer s Syncopators, a favorite of swing dancers from coast to coast. He also continues to work with Bob Schulz s Frisco Jazz Band and his own Cubs, which are just now beginning to hit the festival circuit. Ray Skjelbred s piano heroes are The Goofy Guys. He has composed several tributes to these pianists, including Zackly, Fatha Swing, Kansas City Frank, ; Zinky, and Jess Fine. Ray s Reflections Rag includes bits and pieces of Thelonious Monk melodies, and Lean and Griefy was inspired by a spoken cadence in a Mark Twain story. Ray takes the words of Lester Young to heart: I don t want to be no repeater pencil. Though listeners (and bandmates) cannot predict what Ray will play, you can count on hearing musical treasures whenever he sits down at the piano! Drummer Hal Smith has followed Ray Skjelbred s music since 1970. Currently he works with Ray in the former s Cubs and also in Bob Schulz s Frisco Jazz Band.
Jazz Soundings June 2012 Page 5 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Ave., Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 Please (enroll) (renew) (me) (us) as a member or members Name Address City, State Zip Code Phone E-Mail Check when renewing if your address label is correct Dues for 12 months: Single $25 Couple $40 Lifetime single $200 Lifetime Couple $350 Patron $500 (One or two lifetime membership) Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the performance and preservation of traditional jazz. Your membership and contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you. WELCOME NEW MEMBERS ALICE BURK DICK CIHAK HERB McCLEES BARBARA STILSON JIM WILLIAMS SUBSCRIBE TODAY News You Can Use About Traditional Jazz and Ragtime U.S. One Year: $26 -:- Canadian $39 U.S. Funds* U.S. Two Years: $48 -:- Canadian $74 U.S. Funds* (*) Includes Airmail Delivery Make check payable to: The American Rag 20137 Skyline Ranch Dr., Apple Valley, CA 92308-5035 Phone/Fax: 760-247-5145 Name Address City State Phone Zip + 4 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society LAST CALL FOR BOB SCHULZ WEEKEND PLEDGES One Last Call for the Schulz weekend. We are close to our goal, but not close enough yet. June will be the last time for you to contribute to the September Schulz weekend. Please contact Carol Rippey with your pledge. We need the goal reached in June but payment isn t necessary until the end of July. Thanks to everyone for your support, We all look forward to the September gig with the Schulz band and it would be very disappointing to come close to the goal but not reach it. Just call Carol at 425-776-5072, or e-mail trianglejazz@ comcast.net to make your pledge. No need to send money at this time... sponsors will be contacted at a later date. Remember, this donation is tax deductible due to our 501c(3) status.
Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Ave. Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 Address service requested Non-profit Org U..S. Postage Paid Seattle, WA Permit 1375 You and your friends are cordially invited to hear sizzling-hot jazz as a guest of Elks Club Jazz Society member Colin Dearing. Admission is payable at the door. BANDS, CONTACTS AIN T NO HEAVEN SEVEN Leader: Terry Rogers terryrrogers@comcast.net 206-465-6601 CASEY MacGILL s BLUE 4 TRIO Contact: Mike Daugherty bookingb4t@blue4trio.com 206-832-5372 www.blue4trio.com COAL CREEK JAZZ BAND Leader: Judy Logen, 425-641- 1692 Bookings: judy@coalcreekjazzband.com COMBO DE LUXE Bookings: Candace Brown www.combodeluxe.net jazzstrings@comcast.net 253-752-6525 CORNUCOPIA CONCERT BAND Leader: Allan Rustad www.comband.org 425-744-4575 DUKES OF DABOB Bookings: Mark Holman, 360-779-6357, seaclar7@embarqmail.com. DUWAMISH JAZZ BAND Bookings: Carol Johnston carolanjo@yahoo.com 206-932-7632 FIRST THURSDAY BAND Leader: Ray Skjelbred, Rayskjelbred@gmail.com 206-420-8535 FOGGY BOTTOM JAZZ BAND Leader: Bruce Cosacchi 360-638-2074 GRAND DOMINION JAZZ BAND Bookings: Bob Pelland bobpelland@gdjb.com 360-387-2500 holotradband Leader: Dave Holo www.holotradband.com 253-875-6932 HOT CLUB SANDWICH Contact: James Schneider www.hotclubsandwich.com 206-561-1137 HUME STREET PRESERVATION JAZZ BAND Bookings: Karla West 406-862-3814 JAZZ UNLIMITED BAND Leader: Duane Wright duane.janw@verizon.net 866-337-2111 JAZZ STRINGS Bookings: Candace Brown jazzstrings@comcast.net 253-752-6525 LOUISIANA JOYMAKERS! Leader: Leigh Smith smithtunes@shaw.ca 604-294-9464 THE MARKET STREET DIXIELAND JASS BAND Ansgar Duemchen: 425-286-5703 Tim Sherman 206-547-1772 www.marketstreetdixielandjass.com MIGHTY APHRODITE Co-leaders: Bria Skonberg, Claire McKenna mightyaphroditejazz@hotmail.com 405-613-0568 NEW ORLEANS QUINTET Leader: Dave Holo www.neworleansquintet.com 253-875-6932 RAINIER JAZZ BAND Manager: Randy Keller randykeller@msn.com 206-437-1568 RAY SKJELBRED Rayskjelbred@gmail.com 206-420-8535 RONNIE PIERCE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ronniepiercemusic@yahoo.com, 206-467-9365 UPTOWN LOWDOWN JAZZ BAND Leader: Bert Barr uljb@yahoo.com 425-898-4288 WILD CARDS JAZZ Leader: Randy Keller randykeller@msn.com 206-437-1568