Be a Part of the New Jason Parker Quartet CD
The recording process for the new Jason Parker Quartet CD is complete! Josh, Evan, D’Vonne and I spent a wonderful day at MOUSe Studios in Seattle in April and laid down the 7 tracks for the new album. We were also joined by Cynthia Mullis on saxophone for 3 of the tunes and I can’t wait for you to hear how beautiful it all turned out! I’m shooting for a release in late-June or early-July.
But you can pre-order your copy of the CD today! Every pre-order will receive their copy one week before the release to the public. Read on for information on how you can also receive bonus goodies.
I am financing this record in all the usual ways: my own money, grant money, the kindness of friends, etc. But I’ve decided to try something new this time around: micropatronage.
Micropatronage is a system in which the public directly supports the work of others by making donations through the Internet. It relies on the premise that it is easier to find many “patrons” to donate small amounts, rather than a small number of patrons making larger contributions.
To entice you to become a patron, I have come up with some packages that are all unique to this program. Once the CD is complete it will be sold through all the usual channels, but none of these packages will be available after the release date. It is my hope that you will find one of them interesting enough to be willing to donate a small amount of your hard-earned money to help me complete this project.
I’ve set up PayPal buttons to make it easier, but if you’d rather send a check just scroll down to the end of the post and you’ll find the mailing address.
PARTICIPATION PACKAGES
Solo Package
Participants in the Solo Package will donate $10.00 to the project and will receive:
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Duo Package
Participants in the Duo Package will donate $15.00 to the project and will receive:
- A copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Trio Package
Participants in the Trio Package will donate $25.00 to the project and will receive:
- Photos and videos from rehearsals and recording session
- Sheet music of the original compositions from the CD
- An autographed copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Quartet Package
Participants in the Quartet Package will donate $100.00 to the project and will receive:
- An invitation to sit in on a rehearsal or the recording session
- A “Thank You” in the album liner notes
- Photos and videos from rehearsals and recording session
- Sheet music of the original compositions from the CD
- An autographed copy of the finished CD
- High-quality audio files one week prior to the official release date of the CD
- Files will be in your choice of 320k mp3s, FLAC or Apple Lossless
Because every donation helps, no matter how big or small, participants in the Donate What You Want Package choose their own level of participation in the project and will receive:
- Our undying love and gratitude
- Other goodies to be determined
Jason Parker Quartet
PO Box 95428
Seattle, WA 98145
I can’t thank you enough for your support! I hope that by participating you will feel closer to the JPQ, and I will do everything I can to make it worth your while.
My Chet Baker Moment
I had the pleasure of working with photographer Michael Riedel at the Waterfront Bridal Show last weekend. He’s an incredible talent not only as a photographer but as a digital retoucher as well, having recently been award a Guru Award from PhotoshopWorld. He was there photographing a model named Veronica for the make-up artist Illusions by Melanie. He ask if he could take some shots of the two of us and I said of course! I felt like Chet Baker in one of those old William Claxton photos. I hope to post more of these beautiful shots soon.
Slava! Ukrainian Carols in February?
My good friend Michael Owcharuk put together a wonderful and ambitious project called Slava! Ukrainian Carols and New Christmas Music that was snowed out during the big storm last December. We rehearsed it and were ready to go, and everyone was disappointed when we had to call it. Thankfully, the composers and musicians involved all agreed that the music was too good to go unheard, and Mike decided to put on the concert anyway. So breakout the eggnog and the mistletoe, because Christmas is coming again in February!
The reschedule concert will take place this Friday, February 27th at Trinity Church on First Hill in Seattle. Come hear new arrangements of traditional Ukrainian Carols and brand new Christmas music by seven of Seattle’s finest composers, played by seven of Seattle’s finest musicians. Oh, and its free!
We Rocked Egan’s!
I just got back from our gig at Egan’s and I’m pumped! Once again the band was amazing. I feel so privileged to play with Josh, Evan and D’Vonne. They make every minute on stage and absolute joy and make me sound better than I ever could have imagined. We debuted the new tunes and they went great. Plus, we were joined by the wonderful tenor player Cynthia Mullis, who I’ve been wanted to play with for a long time now. She joined us on Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple” and tore it up! I hope to play with Cynthia more soon. Perhaps she might end up on the JPQ CD?
Thanks to all who showed up for the gig. It mean so much to have friends both old and new in the audience supporting us. Moises, great to see you buddy. Next time you better bring your horn! And thanks to Margie for the photo.
New Tunes!
So I’ve been talking for a while about some new tunes that we’ll be debuting at our shows in the next couple months. The one’s that go well and feel the best will be recorded for our next CD in April at MOUSe Recording Studios. Today we had a rehearsal for our show at Egan’s tomorrow, and ran through a few of them. Much to my delight, they went great! Two that I’m particularly excited about are an arrangement I’ve been working on of Nick Drake’s “Three Hours” and our rendition of the Duke Pearson composition “Idle Moments”, which was originally made famous by the guitarist Grant Green. The boys had never seen or heard the Drake tune before, but totally nailed the concept I had in mind within minutes. I can’t wait to lay that tune on the folks at Egan’s tomorrow. And “Idle Moments”, which is a super-slow blues, is the perfect vehicle for Josh, who pulled out his finest Gene Harris licks and killed it! If you’re in Seattle and free tomorrow night, come down to Egan’s in Ballard and check us out from 7-9pm.
Jason Parker Quartet returns to Egan’s
Egan’s Ballard Jamhouse is everything a Jazz club should be…intimate, friendly and a great sounding room. We haven’t played there since October, and we’re happy to be returning on Tuesday, February 24th. Join us as we debut a few new tunes that we plan to record for our next CD in April, and a few old favorites. We play the early set, 7:00-8:30pm, so drop by after work for dinner and some great jazz!
The All New Jason Parker Music.com!
Welcome to the all new Jason Parker Music.com! I am in the process of teaching myself Wordpress, so bear with me while I figure it all out. Soon you will find information, recordings, videos, concert calendars and musings about my career as a working musician in Seattle, WA. I hope you’ll check back often for updates, and please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Waterfront Bridal Show
Josh and I have been invited to play and exhibit at the Waterfront Bridal Show on the famed Skansonia Ferry Boat on Lake Union in Seattle. The show takes place this Sunday, February 22nd from 11:00-3:00 and will feature many of the area’s finest and most sought-after wedding vendors and professionals. If you’re planning your wedding, please come join us for some great music and a chance to chat up the people who just might be your perfect caterer, photographer, baker, officiant, etc…
Lisa Dupar Catering Open House
Josh and I had the pleasure of playing at the Lisa Dupar Company open house last night and had a blast. Lisa, Jonathan and Co. have a beautiful production kitchen in Issaquah, and each year they open it up to their friends, clients and prospective clients for a bash. Having the party in their kitchen is a great touch, as attendees get to see where it all happens. Of course, the food was amazing! There were bites of everything from Potato Latkes with Spinach and Sour Cream to Chorizo Corn Dogs to Tongue Tacos! And Jonathan’s desserts were spectacular, as always, with just a hint of Valentine’s flair. It was great to see old friends like Lisa from Seattle Hospitality, Kaycee from Parker Events, Josh from Chateau Ste. Michelle and Jacky from Event Success as well as meet some great new friends. Thanks to Lisa, Jonathan and the whole Dupar crew for a wonderful evening. If you’re looking for a caterer for your wedding or event, do check them out.
JPQ to play Tula’s in April!
Tula’s Restaurant & Nightclub is the place all the local jazz musicians want to play. It’s the room you have to play to make a name for yourself in Seattle. It’s even been praised by Wynton Marsalis! The JPQ played a Hurricane Katrina benefit there back in 2005, and I’ve sat in with friends like Isabella DuGraf, but this will be our first official show there. Please come out and join us on April 13th for an evening of originals and standards in this venerable establishment.
Recording Date Set!
I’m pleased to announce that I have scheduled studio time for the second JPQ recording! Josh, Evan, D’Vonne and I will be hunkering down at MOUSe Studios in Seattle on April 8th to lay down the tracks that will make up our new CD. I have four original compositions I want to put down, plus standards and covers from artists as diverse as Cole Porter, Lee Morgan, Nick Drake and Kermit the Frog! Check back for details and glimpses into the recording process.
ArtZone Broadcast Date
As mentioned below, the JPQ is excited to be the featured performer on Nancy Guppy’s program ArtZone on the Seattle Channel. We’ll be featured on the the episode that airs on Comcast Cable channel 21 at 8:00pm on Thursday, March 5th. They rebroadcast the show all weekend long if you miss the premiere, and it will be available to stream on the web at Seattle Channel.org.
