Photos by Christian Parroco
I have a friend. I will not say his name. But he is to me what Charles Swann was to Marcel, the main character in Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. My friend, who is a man about town, will often, by text, tell me to meet him somewhere that’s really happening, and count on my appearance, which is almost always a sure thing.
This time around—on the afternoon of July 30—we are to meet at the Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books in Pioneer Square. Why there? Because it’s a part of July’s Jazz Night in Pioneer Square. I’m a bit surprised at the kind of weight he places on this night. It is, after all, jazz—a musical form I love (and even made a movie about), but is hardly, in our day, “all the rage.” My friend is under the impression that, out of all the places to be in Seattle that evening, this is the one.
I walk into Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books at around 6 p.m., and it’s mostly empty. The white stools at the bar are free. I take one, order a glass of wine and a pepperoni pizza pie, not because I’m hungry, but I’m peckish. My white wine arrives: It’s respectable. The pizza arrives: It does the job admirably. I wait for my friend, who arrives at around 6:30 p.m., orders a drink, consumes the remainder of the pie, and, between bites, continues to make big claims about Jazz Night in Pioneer Square. It’s organized by the Seattle Jazz Fellowship (SJF), a group of local and established jazz musicians that, until 2023, programmed shows at the Vermillion Gallery and Bar. In 2024, SJF moved to this part of town, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.
I will not lie. I thought my friend was overdoing the hype-man shtick for this occasion. To begin with, the words “spectacular” and “jazz” are rarely said in the same breath. What the hell was he on?
But at 6:45 p.m., something strange happens: Young people quickly fill the empty seats around the bar. At 7:00, young and old people start filling the space in front of a group of musicians preparing for the show. By 7:15, the house is totally packed. By 7:30, a line runs out the door. I can’t believe my own eyes. The leader of the band is a local pro, trombonist Beserat Tafesse. He is supported by other pros: Geoff Harper on bass, Chris Icasiano on the drums, and Matt Williams on piano. Their music is just superb and has an ease that matches the summer light streaming through the bookstore’s windows. And the audience is not in any way distracted. The performance has their full attention. This is the moment. This is the music. This is a gathering of focused souls.
During the session’s break, I leave the bookstore to visit other venues. I go to Zeitgeist Coffee—a line. I go to Asylum Collective—yet another line. I go to the Underbelly bar—the same as the others. What’s going on here? All of these young people are waiting and waiting to hear America’s classical music.
“The same thing happens every Monday with our Jam Sessions [at the Seattle Jazz Fellowship’s new location in Pioneer Square]—line out the door and down the block…” says jazz trumpeter Thomas Marriott during a recent interview. Marriott (along with Trevor Ford, D’Vonne Lewis, and Tim Kennedy) is a key member of the Fellowship and the main talent organizer for Jazz Night. “It’s been incredible, and it’s a beautiful crowd of people, a really diverse crowd, but many are young. So, I mean, it’s great to play for that kind of audience… You know, they cheer and give it up for the players.”
When I ask how all of this success came about, Marriott answers: “You know, 20- to 30-year-olds, and really any person living in Seattle in this particular time, where everything is outrageously expensive, will be attracted to quality events that are affordable. Our shows are free. And we are doing our best to make jazz music accessible by making it easy to get to. So, Jazz Night in Pioneer Square, both of those events that happened this year [one was in February], were 100 percent free and unticketed. All you had to do was show up. There was no barrier to access the music, and we do that in our own venue, as well. So, Monday night is free.” The Fellowship, which is a nonprofit, does, however, suggest a donation or entry with a membership. At the end of the day, musicians must get paid.
“We’re well aware that in our age, nobody can sell a record anymore,” explains Marriott. “Everything is streamed, and so our revenue streams have come down to live music, and so we don’t want the music to be just for free, we need support.” Finally, Marriott credits Jazz Night’s success to the location, Pioneer Square, which has lots of bars and restaurants and is easily accessed by two Link light rail stations, one at its heart and the other in nearby Chinatown.
Altogether, the Jazz Nights have been great for business. Jen Moses, who does PR for Alliance for Pioneer Square, an organization that’s “funded in part by the 4Culture Lodging Tax and Historic South Downtown,” provided these hard facts about July’s Jazz Night: “Foot traffic was up 27 percent over an average Tuesday this summer, and more than 40–55 percent higher than the same date in 2024 and 2023. Participating venues reported major spikes in sales, with one business noting revenues were 500 percent higher than a typical Tuesday. Many of those surveyed want to see Jazz Night become a quarterly or biannual tradition.”
I will go further and recommend it be a monthly event, like Pioneer Square’s First Thursday, which, by the way, is also doing very well and is attended by a growing number of young people. For now, sadly, there are no more Jazz Nights scheduled this year, though Marriott is eyeing a return in February. “Jazz music is fun,” he says. “That’s the music. It is alive, it is inventive, it’s accessible. That’s not something that just happened; it’s something that’s always happening.”
Fellowship Jam Session is every Monday at 103 S Main St, 7:30 pm, free, all ages.
