News

Since 1990, the Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards has brought together Seattle's top jazz artists and fans to recognize significant accomplishments during the previous year in performance and recording, and to induct two people into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame. A nominating committee is formed each year to develop a list of honorees and then by popular vote, two recipients are chosen.

Cornish professor James Knapp is a jazz musician and composer who plays the trumpet. He leads the Jim Knapp Orchestra, which was awarded the Earshot Golden Ear award for Best Acoustic Group in 1995. Knapp developed the Jazz Program at Cornish College in the late 70's where he currently teaches Trumpet, Ensemble/Audition, Jazz Ensemble Composition, Jazz Orchestra, and Jazz Theory. From 1977 to 1986 Jim directed and performed with the Composers and Improvisors Orchestra, a jazz chamber orchestra that presented new work by such artists as Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Gil Evans, Dave Holland, Sam Rivers, and Ralph Towner. Jim has composed dance/theater pieces for Robert Davidson, Stephanie Skura, Joan Skinner, and others; created original pieces for the Jim Knapp Orchestra and the Composers and Improvisors Orchestra; and written arrangements for theater productions and various album projects, from jazz to heavy metal.

As a performer, Jim leads his own Quintet and co-led the Jay Clayton/Jim Knapp Collective, which has released the CD Tito's Acid Trip on ITM Pacific. He has served as a trumpet player in various groups such as the International Creative Music Orchestra, New York Composers Orchestra West, and the New Performance Group; groups led by Jay Clayton, Wayne Horvitz, Warren Rand, Brad Schoeppach, Marc Seales, and Gary Peacock; and as trumpet soloist on jazz, pop, and New Age albums by such regional artists as Marc Seales, Linda Waterfall, and David Casper. He is represented as a composer and/or performer on the ECM, Flying Fish, Catalyst, Mode, and Seabreeze record labels. Jim has received support from Meet the Composer, Artist Trust, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Seattle and King County Arts Commissions. Jim received a BA and an MA in Music Composition from the University of Illinois.

Earshot Jazz is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) arts organization formed in 1984 in service to the growing community of jazz artists and audiences in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Earshot publishes a monthly news magazine, provides educational programs and special projects in jazz, and presents nearly 100 concerts annually, including Seattle's major jazz festival. Earshot has established an international reputation for the quality of its programming and services while becoming an integral part of Seattle's vibrant cultural scene. Earshot receives regular support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Washington State, King County and Seattle arts commissions, its members and donors, and many community partners. The Executive Director is John Gilbreath and the News Magazine Editor is Peter Monaghan.