Like every year, October and November mark (make?) the season with months of improv, jazz, neoclassical and on occasion, the avant-garde presented by Earshot Jazz Festival and the accompanying documentary series hosted by Northwest Film Forum, Earshot Jazz Films. Though very little of the Japanese or Scandinavian Free-Jazz that makes up the largest part of my personal listening and priority in the world of the genre, the festival still has a number of highlights this year. The Cat O’ Nine Tails ensemble named after, and performing, the piece by John Zorn, local guitar legend Bill Frisell with the usual suspects including pianist Robin Holcomb, Jim Woodring and electric violist wizard, Eyvind Kang, Chicago Sax lead-man, head numerous hard hitting Free-Jazz ensembles Ken Vandermark & Nate Wooley, ECM's main staple Keith Jarrett, with Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette. American minimalist Philip Glass in rare solo mode and most significantly to these ears, the (still going strong as his lengthy two-part interview in The Wire revealed) 'saxophone colossus' Peter Brötzmann who's "Soldier of the Road" was one of the great artist documentaries of this past year, in an idyllic matching with Mats Gustafsson collaborator and Smalltown Supersound and Rune Grammofon label driving percussion force, Paal Nilssen-Love.
Photo credit: Maurizio Zorzi
