The New Yorker has famously called it Seattle's other music scene. Jazz may never achieve the notoriety of grunge, but for some time there has been a growing recognition among musicians, critics, and an ever-increasing public that something special is happening in the Pacific Northwest. Here is a new musical openness, a fresh mindset, reinvigorating a storied art form.
The first in a series of Origin compilation CDs, Modern Jazz reflects some of the best of Seattle's deep and rich jazz scene. From the refined, ensemble work on "Incompatibility" to the Brazilian/R&B groove of "Appalachian Soul Camp," or the virtuostic pianistics of "Notoriety" to the wide open vamps of "For Tony," Modern Jazz displays respect for the tradition with the progressive vision of a special musical community.
Track Listing:
1. Blue 7:39 Marc Seales
2. Incompatibility 4:58 Clay Giberson
3. Appalachian Soul Camp 5:52 Hans Teuber
4. Notoriety 7:19 Marius Nordal
5. After Hours 7:51 Mark Taylor
6. Rainy States 4:54 Rick Mandyck
7. Enlah 7:14 Whitney Ashe
8. The Mystagogue 8:35 Ben Thomas
9. Somnambulist 6:51 Richard Cole
10. For Tony 6:23 Matt Jorgensen
Performers:
Various Artists:
1. New Stories - Speakin' Out
2. Clay Giberson Trio - Mirador
3. Hans Teuber - Lucky
4. Marius Nordal - Notoriety
5. Mark Taylor with RadioAction - After Hours
6. John Bishop/Jeff Johnson/Rick Mandyck/John Stowell - Scenes
7. RadioAction - HiFi
8. Ben Thomas - The Mystagogue
9. Richard Cole - The Forgotten
10. Matt Jorgensen + 451 - The Road Begins Here
Production Info:
produced by JOHN BISHOP & MATT JORGENSEN
compilation mastered by MARK GUENTHER at SEATTLE DISC MASTERING
photographs by WALTER JORGENSEN, Seattle, 1962
design & layout by JOHN BISHOP/OriginArts
Reviews of Modern Jazz: A Collection of Seattle's Finest Jazz
All Music Guide (Adam Greenburg)
A nice compilation of the lighter and somewhat more mainstream end of the Origin label's growing catalog of Seattle jazzers. With a number of artists represented, the mainstay of the album is a focus with something of a modern bent. There are aspects of post-bop to be heard, and slight references to the third stream set, but far and away, the bulk ...
Seattle PI (Bill White)
With a respite from the harsh weather that had tied up the city earlier in the week, Ballard Avenue was alive Thursday night with the festive laughter of bar-hopping crowds sampling some of Seattle's finest jazz.
The snow and ice had melted, the winds had stopped, and the sky was clear. The eight venues participating in the Ballard Jazz Walk wer ...
All About Jazz (C. Michael Bailey)
It only makes marketing sense to release sampler discs of music that a label has in its stables. Origin Arts has accumulated an impressive amount of impressive music. Collected on Modern Jazz are among the first releases from the OriginArts labels Origin Records and OA2. Originally commissioned by Microsoft as a musical melange for the unveiling of ...
