Three jazz festivals converge this weekend in Edmonds, Bellevue, and
Tacoma. It’s worth the half-hour drive to Edmonds to catch Ann
Hampton Callaway at the all-day Edmonds Jazz Connection (Sat
May 23, Edmonds Center for the Arts, see www.jazzconnection.org for
details, 7:30 pm, $35). Headlining a Seattle Men’s Chorus show a few
years ago, Callaway dished out diva-quality singing (especially on
“Route 66” and “My Funny Valentine”), dead-on celebrity imitations, and
Vegas-caliber patter. Another daylong event, the Tacoma Jazz &
Blues Festival (Sat May 23, various venues, see www.tacomajazzandblues.com for
details, free) includes the ever-smiling guitarist Michael Powers
and Roadside Attraction along with a slew of good and
damn-good high-school big bands.
The Bellevue Jazz Festival (Fri–Sun May 22–24,
various venues, see www.bellevuejazz.com for details, free–$199)
continues its impressive revival with Kurt Elling, Dianne Reeves,
Mose Allison, Patricia Barber, and the Mingus Big Band. Blessed
with an oaken baritone, Elling (Fri May 22, 7 pm, $30–$40)
ventures where few singers dare to tread, juicing up his repertoire
with unusual medleys and audacious moves like adding lyrics to John
Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. A master of vocalese, he wordlessly
glides from earthy rumbles to eerie, half-hummed falsettos. I’m
surprised and excited by the presence of the Mingus Big Band (Sat May
23, 9 pm, $20–$75). Although Charles Mingus (1922–1979) is
long gone, this legacy outfit—organized by his
widow—magnifies the essential quality of the great
bassist/composer’s music: crisscrossing polyphony etched from bluesy,
sometimes dissonant licks, all propelled by grooves that shamble and
strut.
In Seattle, Karrin (say “car-inn” quickly) Allyson (Thurs–Sat May 21–23, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, Sun May 24, 7:30
pm, Jazz Alley, $24.50) sings a mix of standards along with Brazilian
tunes (think “Desafinado”) and pop numbers. Also saxophonist Tobi
Stone and the remarkable pianist Dawn Clement (Sat May 23,
Elliott Bay Cafe, 800-838-3006, 7 pm, $45) helm a quartet gig
benefiting the Breast Cancer Fund.
Fans of the avant should make a reservation to get a seat for the
Deep Listening Band; the all-star improvising trio of Stuart
Dempster, Pauline Oliveros, and David Gamper make a rare Seattle
appearance (Sat May 23, Chapel Performance Space, 7 and 8:30 pm,
$5–$15 sliding-scale donation). By turns playful, austere,
simple, hypnotic (in the old-school minimalist sense), funny, and
complex, the DLB’s “deep listening” happens among the musicians and
inside the surrounding acoustic space. Make a reservation at www.nseq.blogspot.com.
Finally, pianist Ann Cummings teams up with Carson
Farley to present an evening of seldom-heard works for piano and
cello (Sat May 23, Sherman Clay Pianos, 1624 Fourth Ave, 6 pm, $15).
Together they tackle the Elegie of Fauré, a sonata by
Jean-Baptiste Breval (1753–1823), and Franck’s Sonata in A
major. 
