December 2012 Volume 37, Number 10 SKJELBRED S GANG OF JAZZERS OFFERS PRE-YULETIDE MUSIC IN OUR FINAL 2012 SESSION DECEMBER 16 By Rod Belcher Pianist Ray Sjkelbred, a favorite PSTJS performer for years on end, brings a truly talented group of like-minded old hands together to entertain at our last concert of 2012. He calls it his First Thursday Band, derived from his once-a-month gig at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Seattle s Pioneer Square. Actually, it s an enlarged unit we ll hear, making for a bigger orchestral sound, though it s still only a septet. Imported from Portland is cornetist Chris Tyle. He s one of those multi-instrument whizzes who fits in on whatever axe-du-jour he s assigned to play. The same could be said about Steve Wright of Bellevue, who will specialize as reed-man on this date, and Jim Armstrong (down from British Columbia) who will limit his output to trombone and vocals. Joining Skjelbred to form a standout rhythm section are Mike Daugherty, drums; Jake Powel, guitar/banjo; and Dave Brown, string bass. Ray s piano stylings often echo a trace of world-renowned artists such as Art Hodes, Earl Hines, Jess Stacy, Fats Waller and Joe Sullivan, though he avoids being an outand-out copier. His bandstand mates always appreciate his ability to back their solos appropriately, a must to achieve a real jazz feel. His years of playing in various SF Bay Area trad bands shows through in his high level of musicianship. We re glad to have him and his good friends back again! WHEN: 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Sunday, December 16 WHERE: Ballard Elks Lodge, 6411 Seaview Ave.NW, Seattle ADMISSION: PSTJS members, $12; non-member guests $15 Pay only at door. MORE INFO: 425-776-5072 - or - website: www.pstjs.org Lots of free parking; beautiful view. Snacks, coffee, other beverages available. Notes From the Prez! Here we are at the end of our 2012 season, and what a year it has been. Next month we begin 2013, wow time does fly when we re having fun! Remember we agreed in September to plan on having Bob Schulz and his Frisco Jazz Band back in September 2013 for another awesome Jazz weekend. The amount we need to raise is $2800 to cover the travel expenses for the band. So I m hoping all of you have established your fund jar at home and are feeding it regularly so none of us will have to scrounge for the funds come June. It would be great if you would like to make your pledge now, or any time soon, just remember that we don t need the money in the bank until the end of June, when I begin searching for good and reasonable airfares for the guys. I m wishing each and every one of you Happy Holidays and a healthy, prosperous New Year. Cheers, Judy
Jazz Soundings December 2012 Page 2 Puget Sound Traditional Jazz Society 19031 Ocean Avenue Edmonds, WA 98020-2344 425-776-5072 www.pstjs.org UPCOMING EVENTS Elks Lodge, Ballard, 6411 Seaview Ave N.W., Seattle Dec 16 Jan 20 Feb 17 Mar 17 Apr 21 May 19 Jun 16 Ray Skjelbred s First Thursday Band Uptown Lowdown JB Glenn Crytzer and His Syncopators Gerry Green s Crescent City Shakers Sidewalk Strutters holotradband New Orleans Quintet with Ron Rustad 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 Gigs for Local Bands BELLINGHAM TRADITIONAL JAZZ SOCIETY 1st Saturday 2-5 pm VFW Hall 625 N. State St FIRST THURSDAY BAND 1st Thurs of the month, 7-10 pm, New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA 206-622-2563 GLENN CRYTZER AND HIS SYNCOPATORS 1st Sunday and 3rd Wednesday of the Month 9:30 pm -12:30 am Century Ballroom 915 East Pine Seattle, WA, 206-324-7263 holotradband Tuesdays, 7-10 pm, New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA 206-622-2563 NEW ORLEANS QUINTET Mondays, 6:30-9:30 pm, New Orleans Restaurant, 114 1st Ave S., Seattle, WA 206-622-2563 GREATER OLYMPIA DIXIELAND JAZZ SOCIETY 2rd Sunday 1-4:30 pm at the Olympia Elks, 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 425-242-0683 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 PEARL DJANGO Dec. 8, 7:30 pm, The Conway Muse This really is a fun place - come on out! 18444 Spruce (@ Main), Conway, WA; 360-445-3000 Dec. 13, 7 pm - 2 sets Boxley s 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, WA; 425-292-9307 Dec. 14, 8:00 pm, North City Bistro We love this place! Reservations recommended 1520 NE 177th St; Shoreline, WA; 206-365-4447 Dec. 15, 7:30 pm, The Seasons At Seasons Performance Hall 101 N. Naches Ave. Yakima, WA (509) 453-1888 UPTOWN LOWDOWN JB Dec 1, 2-5 pm, Bellingham Traditional Jazz Society - Bellingham VFW Hall 6pc band Dec 2, 3-6 pm, White Rock, B.C. Jazz Society Uptown Lite Crescent Branch #240 Royal Canadian Legion Hall Dec 18, 6:45 & 8:45 pm, Lights of Christmas - Warm Beach, WA Uptown Lite - Jingle Jazz Dec 19, 6:45 & 8:45 pm, Lights of Christmas - Warm Beach, WA Uptown Lite - Jingle Jazz Dec 21, 7-9:30 pm, Crossroads, Bellevue Uptown Swing Christmas jazz plus. On Your Dial... Saturday 7-12 pm Swing Years and Beyond KUOW 94.9 FM Sunday 3-6 pm Art of Jazz, Ken Wiley, KPLU 88.5 FM
Jazz Soundings December 2012 Page 3 Presented by Lighthouse Jazz Society February 22 thru 24, 2013 SEASIDE, OREGON BLACK SWAN BLUE STREET BRIDGETOWN SEXTET GRAND DOMINION HIGH SIERRA IVORY&GOLD ORIGINAL WILDCAT JASS BAND TITAN HOT SEVEN TOM RIGNEY & FLAMBEAU UPTOWN LOWDOWN WALLY S WAREHOUSE WAIFS WE THREE BOB DRAGA, Guest Artist More information at www.jazzseaside.com or 1-866-345-6257; M-F; 9 5 PM only. A portion of this project was made possible from a Tourism Grant by the City of Seaside
Jazz Soundings December 2012 Page 4 They Called it Jazz OMER SIMEON - A HOT CLARINET IS GOOD TO FIND By Hal Smith - AFCDJS Artistic Director (This is one more in a series of biographies of great traditional jazz musicians. The series started with the March/ April 1991 issue and was developed by Rambler founding publisher and Board Member, the late Len Levine). Reprinted from the Fall 2012 Jazz Rambler. Above: Omer Simeon In the late 1950s, Mary Russell presented her husband Pee Wee with an LP reissue of Jelly Roll Morton s 1926 Red Hot Peppers recordings. Pee Wee was fascinated by Omer Simeon s clarinet work on the records and played the sides over and over. Soon after, he went to hear Simeon with the Wilbur DeParis band at a New York nightclub. Pee Wee was so overcome that he marched up to the bandstand and hugged Omer Simeon! After listening to Simeon s haunting and somewhat quirky solo on Morton s recording of Smoke House Blues it is easy to understand why Pee Wee reacted that way. They were definitely kindred spirits of the clarinet. Omer Simeon was born in New Orleans in 1902. His family moved to Chicago in 1914, where he studied clarinet with Lorenzo Tio, Jr. -- who also counted Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Barney Bigard and Albert Nicholas among his pupils! Simeon became an in-demand reedman who also played alto, soprano and baritone saxophones. He was working with Elgar s Creole Orchestra when bandleader Jelly Roll Morton summoned him to participate in the Red Hot Peppers recording sessions for RCA Victor. Simeon was clearly inspired by the playing of Morton, cornetist George Mitchell, trombonist Kid Ory, banjoist/ guitarist Johnny St. Cyr, bassist John Lindsay and drummer Andrew Hillaire. If Omer Simeon never made another record, the sides with Morton are eloquent testimonies to his genius as a clarinetist. Simeon s ensemble work is flawless and every one of his solos is a masterpiece. The Tio influence is evident in Simeon s Dodds-like chorus on Original Jelly Roll Blues and The Chant which resembles Jimmie Noone s agile style. The solo on Black Bottom Stomp has elements of Tio and his students, but is unmistakably Simeon. The aforementioned Smoke House Blues ventures into the type of sounds that would be heard a few months later in 1926, when a 17-year-old Chicagoan played an outside solo on Ben Pollack s recording of Deed I Do. Throughout the mid-to-late 20s, Omer Simeon continued to work with the Elgar Orchestra and also with Erskine Tate s Orchestra. He recorded with King Oliver s Dixie Syncopators, Jabbo Smith, the Dixie Rhythm Kings and Reuben Reeves. Jelly Roll Morton once called Omer Simeon his favorite clarinetist, so it is no surprise that Simeon was included on the 1928 Red Hot Peppers date that produced another set of classics: Shreveport Stomp, Mournful Serenade, Boogaboo, Kansas City Stomp, Shoe Shiner s Drag and Georgia Swing. As on the previous Morton recordings, each clarinet solo is a work of art. A year after the second Red Hot Peppers recording, Simeon made a rare appearance as bandleader on two sensational records in a trio which features pianist Earl Hines (though some discographies list the obscure Chicago pianist William Barbee in place of Hines). In 1931, Simeon joined the Earl Hines Orchestra and settled in for a 10-year stay. Fortunately, Hines Orchestra recorded many sides between 1932 and 1941 that show Simeon to good advantage. His wailing above the final ensemble was a beautiful New Orleans/Chicago touch and the clarinet solos are all memorable. While he was with Hines, Simeon also recorded as a freelancer -- with Lionel Hampton and on a memorable session by the Friars Society Orchestra. The latter was recorded in Chicago in 1935. Alhough New Orleanians Paul Mares and Santo Pecora were in the front line, the clarinet playing on the date is a lot closer to the Windy City than the Crescent City. Simeon s choruses on Maple Leaf Rag and Nagasaki are much closer to Teschemacher than Tio. And the clarinet solo on the first take of Reincarnation could easily be mistaken for a typical chorus by Simeon s erstwhile fan, Mr. Russell. After leaving Earl Hines Orchestra, Simeon played with Coleman Hawkins Orchestra and, in 1942, joined the popular orchestra led by Jimmie Lunceford. Simeon is present on many Lunceford sides including Back Door Stuff and For Dancers Only. While touring with Lunceford in California, he also played on two recording dates with Kid Ory s Creole Jazz Band in 1944 and 1945. Back in New York, he recorded four wonderful sides with James P. Johnson and Pops Foster, billed as The Carnival Trio. Coincidentally, one of the sides recorded with Johnson and Foster is titled Lorenzo s Blues surely a reference to Simeon s teacher. Continued on page 5
Jazz Soundings December 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. Omer Simon Continued from page 4 He stayed with Lunceford until 1950, then freelanced around New York City with a variety of bands. He was featured on soprano sax on Louis Armstrong s 1954 recording of Skokiaan and spent the last years of his life performing and recording with the Wilbur DeParis band. He died of throat cancer on Sept. 17, 1959. Notable clarinetists who were inspired by Omer Simeon include the late Frank Chace, and contemporary reedmen Gentleman Jim Buchmann and Evan Christopher. Simeon s clarinet was recently featured on a segment of America s Lost Treasures on the National Geographic television channel. The horn, now owned by Dr. Michael White (also a New Orleans clarinetist) will be displayed in the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.
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 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 email: dave@daveholo.com www.holotradband.com 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 email: dave@daveholo.com 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