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Washington Hall is home to Seattle’s first reported jazz concert, and this historic venue will host an intimate conversation on The Future of Jazz. Moderated by Brian Kirk (Seattle Central College Professor of Jazz), with panelists John Bishop (Founder of Origin Records), Carol Handley (Director of Music Programming, KNKX), and Marina Albero (Marina Albero Project)!

This event will be free and live streamed on YouTube and Facebook. RSVP to let us know you’ll be watching!

The stream will start at 7pm. If you’re not seeing it on our YouTube or Facebook when the event begins, refresh your page and it should appear!

About Brian Kirk

A graduate of California State University East Bay (B.A. Music) and New York University (M.A. Jazz Contemporary Music), and son of Indianapolis Hall of Fame drummer and educator Dr. Willis Kirk, Brian grew up in San Francisco where he performed with Gladys Knight, Marlena Shaw, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Bishop Norman Williams, John Handy, and Jessica Williams.

Brian spent ten years in New York City where he was a member of the Lou Donaldson, Jack McDuff and Little Jimmy Scott bands. He also performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Locke, Andrew Hill, The Lionel Hampton Orchestra and The Count Basie Orchestra. He has appeared with Piano Duo Landsberg and Yount, in concerts featuring the Baltimore Symphony, Philadelphia Pops Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony and the Miami Symphony, to name a few.

Mr. Kirk was first call on New York’s Broadway show scene performing in Ain’t Misbehavin’ for over 10 years (1 year with the production featuring The Pointer Sisters), Five Guys Named Moe, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Miserables, Jelly’s’ Last Jam (featuring Gregory Hines), and Bring on the Noise Bring in The Funk (featuring Savion Glover).

Brian has made numerous recordings including the soundtracks from Philadelphia (starring Tom Hanks), The Money Train, A Rage in Harlem (starring Forrest Whitaker),and the original sound tracks of David Lynch’s’ Twin Peaks – Fire Walk with Me, Five Guys Named Moe and The Pointer Sisters’ “Ain’t Misbehavin” on Sony Records.

Mr. Kirk is a Professor of Jazz, Electronic Music, Music Theory and Percussion at Seattle Central College. He is a Whitely Scholar (University of Washington) and is an active member of the Washington Music Educators Association, a collective of Washington State Educators whose purpose is to provide students with a strong foundation in music education and musical performance.

About John Bishop

As a drummer, educator, record label owner, graphic designer, and festival presenter, John Bishop has been one of the primary voices in Northwest Jazz for over 35 years. He has performed in concerts and clubs with Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, George Cables, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sonny Fortune, Herb Ellis, Buddy DeFranco, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Locke, Jerry Bergonzi, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Larry Coryell, and countless others. He’s appeared on more than 100 albums, was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008, and was named a “Jazz Hero” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2019.

In 1997, Bishop started the jazz label Origin Records (named Jazzweek’s 2009 “Label Of The Year”) and OriginArts, a graphic design & CD production company, to help further the exposure of creative artists and their music. In partnership with his ex-drum student, Matt Jorgensen, they have released over 650 recordings by 330 artists from around the world. In 2002 they added another jazz label, OA2 Records, a classical imprint, Origin Classical in 2008, and in 2003 began Seattle’s annual 4-day Ballard Jazz Festival. Bishop has designed over 700 CD packages and multiple book covers, banners, posters, and other graphics for clients around the globe. He was on the NW chapter Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, and annually takes part in multiple music conferences & events, including JazzCongress (NYC), JazzWeek (San Jose), JazzAhead (Bremen), Jazz Education Network, and occasionally, NAMM, PASIC, MIDEM (Cannes), and the Grammys.

Along with bassist Jeff Johnson, Bishop is a member of New York pianist Hal Galper’s Trio where over the last 13 years, they’ve released 7 acclaimed albums and toured internationally. They also perform with Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez, appearing recently at the 60th Monterey Jazz Festival, and are members of the 20-year-old collective Scenes with guitarist John Stowell. In 1983, he helped form the fusion group Blue Sky, which released two National Top 10 albums and performed extensively throughout the west coast and Canada over the next 9 years. For 20 years, he was a member of the piano trio New Stories along with pianist Marc Seales and bassist Doug Miller.

About Carol Handley

Carol is currently the Director of Music Programming for KNKX, the regions Jazz, Blues and NPR News station and it’s streaming/HD2 station, Jazz24.org. She has been a broadcaster in the Puget Sound region for more than 30 years, programming Roots-based/AAA as well as Contemporary and Mainstream Jazz on commercial and non-commercial music stations. Along with her broadcast background, Carol has had her own streaming radio station and live concert, marketing and events business producing small club events and large multi-day festivals.

About Marina Albero

A master of the piano, psalterium (a mediterranean Hammered Dulcimer), vibraphone and composition, Marina Albero is a working musician based in Seattle, leading the Marina Albero Project.

Born and raised in Barcelona, Marina Albero started playing music on stages as a child with her family while they toured all around the world playing traditional music and creating new shows. In her early years she studied in Barcelona’s Conservatory (El Bruc) and later in La Havana (ISA), where she finished her classical piano degree with the great professor and pianist Mrs. Teresa Junco.

 She has played and recorded with several well known musicians and bands including L’Arpeggiata, Chano Dominguez, Pepe Habichuela, La Folata, Mariona Sagarra, Barbarito Torres, Llibert Fortuny, Glen Velez, Lori Cotler, Carlos Saura and Ars Longa.

As a hammered dulcimer player she created a language using flamenco rhythms, improvisation and modal music connecting the instrument from their origins in Persia to the nowadays sounds and textures. She has been at the NAMM show representing Dusty Strings, teaching several workshops and performing with this instrument at unusual stages such as Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival or Benaroya Hall among others.

Since September 2014, she enjoys living in Seattle with her musical kids and has added to the local music scene and been well received by her fellow musicians as well as the listeners and the media.

Since then, she has been teaching at Cornish a College of the arts, she is piano chair at Teatro Zinzanni and has been invited to present her music at the Ballard Jazz Festival, Earshot Jazz Festival and KNKX programs “live studio sessions” and “Jazz Northwest” produced by Jim Wilke. The Marina Albero Project features some of the finest musicians like Hans Teuber, Evan Flory-Barnes, D’Vonne Lewis, Jeff Busch, Jeff Johnson, Ben Thomas, Chuck Deardorf and Jose Martinez. She is the 20108 recipient of the Golden Ear award Emerging Artist of the year as well as the 2019 awardee of two Golden Ear for Best instrumentalist and Best record of the Northwest.