All seasonal concerts and performances have been canceled this year, but we have some great memories to relive from previous years. The Duke Ellington Concert of Sacred Music has been presented annually in Seattle since 1989 and was one of the reasons why the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra came into existence in 1994. Earshot Jazz took over the stewardship of the concerts in 1993 and will present this year's streamed version of highlights with some new material Dec. 26-Jan. 2.
One of the most glorious performances in Seattle was in December 2018 when the Ellington Sacred Concert was presented at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral on Capitol Hill in Seattle. A capacity audience enjoyed soloists Nichol Veneé Eskridge, Stephen Newby, the Northwest Chamber Chorus and Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra conducted by Michael Brockman in the rich acoustics of St. Mark's. The performance was recorded for broadcast that year, and excerpts from that concert will be re-broadcast today.
Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke and airs Sundays at 2 p.m. Listeners may also subscribe to the podcast at KNKX, NPR, Apple, or Google.