The Seattle Jazz Fellowship is an inclusive space that exists at the intersection of community, fellowship and learning as it pertains to jazz music, a creation of Black American culture and struggle. The Fellowship hosts workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals, album listening events, mentorship programs and public performances, engaging local master musicians, as well as touring bands and those new to the profession and experience of jazz.

The Seattle Jazz Fellowship provides both aspiring young talent and experienced elders a place in the mentorship culture that has propelled jazz forward since its very inception. Our vision is that by investing in the jazz community and providing opportunities for mentorship, fellowship, and in-the-moment creation, we will ensure the richness, sustainability and growth of jazz artistry in our community.

Why This Matters

Stanley Crouch, noted jazz writer and co-founder of Jazz at Lincoln Center, wrote that, “Jazz is the highest American musical form because it is the most comprehensive, possessing an epic frame of reference, sensual clarity and spiritual radiance.” In order for musicians to fully grasp that “comprehensive” nature of jazz, a specialized learning environment is required, including opportunities to engage with and play alongside elders in the musical community. This learning environment has existed naturally in most large cities for close to 100 years. Sadly, with Seattle’s rise in affluence and income disparity, the current economic ravages of the pandemic, and the talent-drain of young musicians to more affordable or music-rich environments, our region is losing this essential community-based approach to learning our most American form of art.

Traditional institutions of jazz education teach the fundamental aspects of music, instrumental technique, a little teamwork, and to a degree, the jazz tradition. While those elements of study are meaningful and supportive of excellence, they aren’t the whole picture when it comes to learning the art of jazz. A fully realized perspective on the music takes time on the bandstand with superior musicians. On the bandstand, one can observe the moment of a master’s creation up-close. In-the-moment learning allows novices to witness how to communicate an idea or emotion through sound. Only on the bandstand can one see in real time how to weave together the past, present and future in a single moment and learn to captivate an audience, hold their attention and take them on a journey. This kind of musical wisdom is earned slowly and isn’t given away easily. It can (and must) be passed down to the next generation, but the seeds of that learning must be planted, tended to, and grown through the personal experience and practice of the student, until that wisdom becomes fully realized.

This kind of learning is not achievable in the classroom. It requires close fellowship with a community of elders. All of the most beloved jazz giants, past and present, learned their mastery from participating in this cycle of mentorship, by learning at the feet of other giants. We only need to look at the history of jazz to see a multitude of examples. Charlie Parker famously mentored a young Miles Davis, who went on to mentor Herbie Hancock, who went on to mentor Wynton Marsalis, who in turn mentored hundreds of others. The Seattle Jazz Fellowship offers a pathway to that experience. By providing the time, place and opportunity for young lions and dues-paid veterans to participate in an exchange of ideas and music, the Seattle Jazz Fellowship will build a foundation for a stronger jazz community and stronger jazz music.

There are currently no full-time jazz venues in Seattle for local artists. Some venues have some jazz, some nights, but there is no consistent space featuring Seattle jazz musicians every night. For a jazz fan just arriving in Seattle, where do we send them to hear live local jazz on any given night? Our once thriving Seattle jazz community has gradually been whittled away to nearly nothing.

In terms of talent, there is a pool of extraordinary jazz musicians in Seattle, but it is small and needs nurturing. Many of our most experienced and skilled musicians have gone into academia to make ends meet, rather than leading by example out in the community and on the bandstand. The Northwest’s public school jazz programs have produced some of the top young jazz players in the country every year, with the generous support of our community. But these top players nearly all leave Seattle to continue their study in cities like New York or Boston, having never engaged with the community of professional jazz musicians right here. That exodus effectively ends a musical continuum that has persisted since the 1930’s, cutting off Seattle’s jazz culture.

Where do we send our underage Seattle students to hear the “real thing” and watch the music being made in real time at the highest level? (Or is their learning just theoretical?) Where can they go to see and engage with the living example of the thing they are trying to do? (Or is that just something they do in other cities?) Where do musicians go to learn how to be artists, and not just future jazz educators? (Besides New York?) Where do bandleaders have an opportunity to present their own music on a high-level to a live audience at a professional wage? (Without going on the road?) Where does a really good player get the chance to play with more talented performers so they can improve? (Without enrolling at an elite school?) Where does the jazz fan go to get their spiritual and emotional batteries re-charged by the music? Sadly - until now, the answer is “nowhere.” This is precisely why we need the Seattle Jazz Fellowship.

At the Seattle Jazz Fellowship, our hope is to make all of the following statements true: Jazz music is made at the highest levels in Seattle, by Seattle musicians. Aspiring jazz musicians can learn the ropes of their trade and “pay dues” here in Seattle, with master-level musicians. Our top musicians can have a fulfilling artistic life here in Seattle and set the bar high for everyone else. In Seattle, you can always find someone on the scene to challenge you and to learn from. Our jazz audiences are the most dedicated and enthusiastic anywhere because our diverse community of jazz musicians deliver engaging performances every night.

How We Do It

Our Programs

Fellowship Wednesdays

Fellowship Wednesday is our reoccurring showcase of local jazz excellence. Each Wednesday we showcase two different bands that represent a different slice of our jazz community. This enables each band’s members (and audiences) to get to know each other and their music. In this way we build community. We pay each band a competitive wage that incentivizes their best work and we promote the show so they can concentrate on making the best music they can. Fellowship Wednesdays run seasonally for six weeks at a time. We strongly encourage artists who want to play the series to attend our events and help us build community and vibrancy first.

Julian Speaks

Julian Speaks is our listening session with Artist-In-Residence Julian Priester. Together with Julian Priester, we listen to the albums he’s been a part of during his 70+ years as a jazz artist. We hear his reflections on the giants he’s worked with: Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Max Roach, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and Sun Ra - to name a few! Julian Speaks is an opportunity to learn directly from the source and runs concurrently with Fellowship Wednesdays.

The Fellowship ‘Ceptet

A pilot program in 2022, The Fellowship ‘Ceptet is a working seven piece-band that represents our goals in action: building community, mentorship, excellence and access. The ‘Ceptet places developing musicians alongside seasoned veterans in real-world music making situations with professional accountability. The Fellowship ‘Ceptet represents the desired end result of out work: multigenerational, multicultural jazz excellence forged through a communal experience.

The Fellowship Band Workshop

The Fellowship Band Workshop, new in 2023, provides an opportunity for bands to get feedback on their music from more experienced and established artists and bandleaders, including Artist-In-Residence Julian Priester. Bands must be self-organized (not affiliated with a school or institution) and must include at least one band member under 21. The Fellowship Band Workshop is free for all attendees, but limited to five bands per workshop. Each band receives a small travel stipend to allow for greater accessibility, and all back-line is provided by Seattle Jazz Fellowship.

Special Events

The Seattle Jazz Fellowship serves as a point of contact for jazz communities across the country and around the world. The Fellowship partners with artists outside of our community to ensure the richness of our music, inspire local musicians, and to build a greater jazz community.

FUTURE PROGRAMS:

The Seattle Jazz Fellowship is working to open a full-time performing arts venue in south / central Seattle. From this venue, we will host a variety of programs designed to grow community, incentivize excellence, reinvigorate the mentorship culture and lower the barriers to access.