Preview: The Seattle Weekly, August 6, 2003

MARK TAYLOR QUARTET
Without doubt the smoothest, easiest transition of the night will occur between this set by Mark Taylor and the next by Matt Jorgensen. That's because the two bands have identical personnel—in the first set, the saxophonist leads; for the second set, the drummer takes over. (Taylor's quartet also adds guitarist Chris Spencer to the mix.) With a crisp, biting style on alto and soprano, Taylor is solidly in the hard-bop tradition of Cannonball Adderley and Jackie McLean, but with modernist touches and off-kilter runs. His band plays a jittery swing, interspersed with gentler ballads. His most recent record as a leader is After Hours on Origin. 5 p.m. Jazz

MATT JORGENSEN + 451
Since returning last year from a decade in New York, drummer Matt Jorgensen has been making his Seattle presence heavily felt, taking over operations of the invaluable Ballard-based label Origin Records and making tracks with a number of bands, most especially the one he leads, composes, and arranges for, 451. This band, usually a quartet, covers the range of modern jazz, creating a distinctive hybrid that's forward thinking, groove-based, and bad-assed. Ryan Burns handles Fender Rhodes duties these days, taking over from the great Marc Seales (whose work was a highlight of 451's two Origin discs), while Phil Sparks occupies the bass chair and Mark Taylor handles the sax wailing. And Jorgensen's drumming—impeccable, as always. 6 p.m. Jazz

<After the awards were announced>

"We'll give ourselves the Gross Redundancy Award for including on the jazz ballot both Mark Taylor and Matt Jorgensen + 451—the same quartet with different leaders. (Had their ballots been counted together, they'd have finished second to Pearl Django rather than sixth and fifth, respectively.)"