Top U.S. jazz composers lead tonight’s concert in Edmonds

Published 7:17 pm Wednesday, April 13, 2016

EDMONDS — Snohomish County jazz fans have a great opportunity to see and hear some of the best musicians around, led in concert tonight by one of America’s leading jazz composers.

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (considered by many to be in the same league as Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony) hosts jazz master Bill Holman at 7:30 p.m. April 15 at Edmonds Center for the Arts.

The concert will feature Holman’s most famous works, written for the bands of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Count Basie.

SRJO, which historically has played most of its concerts at Benaroya Hall in Seattle and at the Kirkland Performance Center, is now staking out territory in Edmonds, hoping to involve more students and fans north of Seattle.

Michael Brockman, an SRJO leader and a member of the University of Washington music faculty, said the other venues are always sold out.

“We want people from Everett and north, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Bothell and the Edmonds school district area to attend our concert in Edmonds,” Brockman said. “Because of the sellouts in the city, we aren’t able to offer many tickets to families and students. More than half of our audiences there are season ticket holders. Edmonds Center is a great hall, and it was an obvious choice for our expansion.”

With great jazz bands at high schools such as Mountlake Terrace, Edmonds-Woodway and Everett, Brockman said he is certain the fans are out there.

But people have to show up.

Jazz is just as popular in the Northwest as it is in New Orleans and other parts of the country.

“Jazz is an amazing art form,” said Brockman, a saxophonist, “because it includes and envelopes all parts of American culture. With each different cultural influence coming into our country, some new portion emerges.”

Jazz is America’s classical music, he said.

“It’s the one musical art form that originated in this country,” Brockman said. “It’s our gift to the world.”

And SRJO, which is in its 21st season, is one of only a handful of such ensembles in the world.

“One of the most important aspects of this professional jazz orchestra is that we provide inspiration for young musicians, who need to know the history of the music and its legacy.”

Any one of the SRJO members could pull off a thrilling solo show anywhere, Brockman said. These people include co-director Clarence Acox on drums, Phil Sparks on bass, Milo Petersen on guitar, Randy Halberstad on piano; trombonists Scott Brown, Dan Marcus, Bill Anthony and David Bently; trumpeters Andy Omdahl, Thomas Marriott, Jay Thomas and Michael Van Bebber; and sax/reed players Brockman, Alex Dugdale, Mark Taylor, Tobi Stone, Travis Ranney, Bill Ramsey and Dan Wickham. Check out their biographies at www.srjo.org/#!the-band

“But really, Seattle area jazz musicians, young and old, are on par with any musicians in the world,” Brockman said. “And speaking of world class, there’s Bill Holman.”

Known by musicians around the globe as one of the top living jazz composers and arrangers, Holman has a huge resume that includes top recordings by his own Los Angeles-based band.

“This concert is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear one of the great American composers leading an all-star group from the north shore jazz culture,” Brockman said. “Holman is a fascinating writer in that he constructs beautiful compositions and arrangements that use rich harmony, which is immediately appealing to everyone. And yet he is mixing together musical lines in a very sophisticated way, akin to the baroque composers weaving their counterpoint. He is really a brilliant modern J.S. Bach.”

Edmonds fan Lynne Chelius doesn’t miss SRJO concerts.

“The orchestra is a real Northwest treasure,” Chelius said. “SRJO’s mission is to ‘foster an appreciation for jazz in the next generation’ and we have some ‘smokin’ high school jazz bands in our area, whose members can get tickets for a discount.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.

If you go

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with guest Bill Holman: 7:30 p.m. April 15, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds. Single tickets are $35 general admission, $33 for seniors and $10 for all jazz fans ages 25 and under. Call 425-775-9595.