Beginning on October 9th, Earshot Jazz Festival will kick of the beginning of the jazz season. The festival, which has been running since 1986, is predicted to draw its largest crowd yet to the fifteen venues it hosts. This year’s festival will run from October 9th to November 18th at venues that include Benaroya, Edmonds Woodway HS, and The Seattle Art Museum.

Both local and internationally famous bands will be playing during the festival. In fact, two local Seattle high school bands will be playing. Edmonds Woodway High School will be playing in accompaniment to David Goldblatt and Kathy Kosins, two well known musicians. My friend, Luis Ross, was kind enough to say a few words about the upcoming performance.

PW: “so what are you most looking forward to playing with this special line up”

LR “Ohh gosh, I’d probably have to say Dare the Moon that I’m playing with the Jazz Choir. It’s a fast samba tune that had this really cool funk breakdown in the middle of it.

Definitely the song to catch at the Woodway Performance”

PW: “Awesome, definitely will be there even if I have to fly a snow plane in”

PW: “What performance, other than your own are you looking forward to the most?”

LR: “personally I’m really looking forward to seeing the greats, Christian Mcbride and

Edgar Myer play in Edmonds but I’m also looking forward to hanging with the cats from

Garfield and watching Bill Frisell play at Benaroya.”

PW: “Ok last question, on a scale of 1-10 how amazing is the song “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” from the Aristocats?

LR: “ 10 of course. That song swings man”

Many thanks to LR for grating his time for my menial interview. And now on to the professional scene. As LR mentioned above, Brad Mehldau, the world renowned pianist will be coming to town November 13, and will be playing at the Town Hall Seattle. In addition to Mehldau, two of my teacher from Jazz camp, who also happen to be professors at UW School of Music, Mark Taylor (sax) and Marc Seales will be playing on October 17th at Tulas and October 23 at The Royal Room respectively.

You can catch me and all the cats at the Woodway, Taylor and Mehdau performances, and If your interested in joining the local youth jazz scene, the University of Washington offers a Jazz Workshop in the middle of July ( I know cut your stay in Europe short, its worth it) for any high school grade at any level of experience. Hope to see you all there.