Free Jazz Shows in Seattle

Mon, Nov 9, 7:30 PM PST

What’s Going On: New Music Mondays

The Royal Room / Columbia City / Map

Doors 6:30 pm ⎮ Open Rehearsal : 7:00pm⎮ Show : 7:30pm Tickets : Donations to SHMP Encouraged Advance tickets can only be purchased online-we do not sell advance tickets at the venue. Refunds are not available within 48 hours of the event. Tickets do not guarantee seating during shows at the Royal Room. We are now accepting reservations for diners! After purchasing tickets, please visit the Reservations page to book a table. Table reservations require advance tickets, and are only for guests who plan to dine at the Royal Room. We do not take reservations over the phone. Seating for non-diners is first come, first served. Please arrive early to guarantee a seat! South Hudson Music Project Presents: What’s Going On: Conduction, Improvisation, and the Culture of Structure: New Music Mondays 11/2, 11/9 and 11/16 Set 1: The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble Plays Sun Ra Set 2: The Wayne Horvitz Ensemble 11/30 Set 1 and 2: The Wayne Horvitz Ensemble For our third annual festival, South Hudson Music Project continues its mission to present music that reflects the innovations in jazz and contemporary music with deep roots in the music of Chicago, NYC, St Louis and Los Angeles in the late 20t Century. Our first two years focused on the musical innovations of Butch Morris, Sun Ra, Henry Threadgill and Julius Hemphill. This year expands to a deep dive into the music specifically associated with NYC in the 80s and the Downtown Scene. The downtown scene was well known for the explosion of creative activity and the cross pollination of artists associated with free jazz, Black creative music, rock/punk music, experimental music and electronic music. John Zorn and Anthony Braxton were playing at the Public Theater, The Art Ensemble of Chicago was playing at Great American Music Hall and the Smithsonian, Joe Bowie was playing at CBGB’s and the Contortions were playing at Studio Rivbea. In the meantime Deborah Harry and David Byrne were keeping an eye on it all along with John Adams and Philip Glass. Special guests this year include Mazz Swift (Anohni, Laurie Anderson, Silk Road), Fred Frith (Henry Cow, Massacre, Naked City, Ensemble Moderne), Sarah Schoenbeck (Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill) and 3 stellar instrumentalists with deep roots in Seattle – Ha Yang Kim, Stephanie Richards and Leanna Keith. Al Keith Brennan Carter Ray Larsen Steph Richards Naomi Siegel Christian Pincock David Marriott James Falzone Kate Olson Jory Tindall Neil Welch Greg Sinibaldi Ryan Burns Evan Woodle Abbey Blackwell Geoff Harper Eric Eagle Wayne Horvitz

A native of the Pacific Northwest, saxophonist Kareem Kandi is a performer, composer, and educator, in high demand for his talents both on and off the stage. Kareem is a versatile saxophonist and composer with strong roots in the traditions of Jazz, Blues, Classical and Funk, and has been performing throughout the U.S. and abroad for years, gaining attention from critics and audiences alike. While staying true to musical styles of the past, he also keeps an eye towards the future by composing original music as well as new arrangements of timeless songs from the great American songbook.

some of the best jazz instrumentalists in the northwest

The 200 Trio (Cole Schuster, Greg Feingold, and Max Holmberg) play every Wednesday from 8:30-11:30pm in the amaro bar within Il Bistro in Pike Place.

a globe-trotting Seattle chanteuse with humor, heart, and international flair

Thu, Nov 5, 8:00 PM PST

First Thursday Art Walk - Free Show

Seattle Jazz Fellowship / Pioneer Square / Map

Stop by the Fellowship and Antipode during art walk! Come experience amazing art and a free show with local jazz luminaries. Show time at 8:00 p.m. All seats are first come, first served. All shows are all ages. 103 S. Main Street, Seattle WA Please note: we are a basement venue only accessible by stairs.

Seattle saxophonist Evan Smith returns to perform a solo set of his own music. Moving freely between composed and improvised sections, Evan’s solo performances blend influences from contemporary classical music, jazz, and the avant-garde. Utilizing a range of saxophone voices from soprano to baritone, disjunct melodies coexist with meditative textures unfolding over the course of the performance. Each solo performance takes inspiration from the audience and environment of the moment and stands as a record of the time and place. Following his solo set, Evan will be joined by fellow saxophonists Alexis Rosenberg, Christian Nicoll, and Greg Sinibaldi – bringing to life selections from Yusef Lateer’s Flute Book of The Blues arranged by Andrew Hollander. The quartet will explore these seldom-performed pieces and use Lateef’s melodies to expand freely on the Blues, channeling the famous improvisor’s own expansive and adventurous spirit.

Fri, Nov 6, 4:00 PM PST

The Joe Casalini Trio

The Royal Room / Columbia City / Map

Join us for a special Happy Hour (the Happiest Hour), with lovely music, good food & drink, marvelous ambience, and some of your very best friends. Happy Hour: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Ticket: FREE No cover, just great drinks and snacks Feel free to tip the musicians! The Casalini Trio has played happy hours at the Royal Room since 2019. They play laid-back, swinging versions of great tunes by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Hoagie Carmichael, Phillip Johnston, and other great American songwriters of the last 100 years. The happy hour usually lasts about an hour and a half. Good drinks, good people, good ambience, and there’s never a cover charge, although the band often encourages donations to local food banks and other worthy causes.