Inside/Out Jazz Awards Celebrates Seattle Jazz!

Lucid Jazz Lounge is proud to present the first “Inside/Out Jazz Awards” at Benaroya Hall on Monday, May 31, 2010. The concept for the I/O Awards sprang from the same idea as Lucid – that the Seattle jazz community needs to build itself from the inside out. Over the last year plus, this is what Lucid has tried to accomplish, and now we are ready to bring the concept to the masses.

The I/O Awards will, of course, include awards given to various members of our community. Some will be standard awards you’d see at other events (Outstanding Instrumentals, Outstanding Album, etc.) and some will be more personalized. The event will also include numerous performances from Seattle jazz musicians, including a reprise of Evan Flory-Barnes’ Earshot Award winning “Acknowledgment of a Celebration”, Clarence Acox, Andy Clausen, Tom Baker, Reservoir Cats, Miles Davis Tribute (featuring me and three other great trumpet players!), The Teaching and more.

In addition to performing with the Miles Davis Tribute, I am honored to be the host of the event. It will put my public speaking skills to the test. I have also been nominated for the “Best Stage Presence” award, so I’d better step up!

100% of the proceeds from this event will go to Strength Through Unity, a non-profit organization established by Lucid’s owner, David Pierre-Louis, to aid with rebuilding his native Haiti. STU’s mission is to rebuild the spirit of Haitians by providing immediate aid and assistance and by creating meaningful ways in which to empower Haitians for sustainable lifestyles.

The nominations are complete and voting has begun! Click here to cast your vote today.

This event promises to be the biggest ever to celebrate the Seattle jazz community. The whole concept of Inside/Out is to grow the community and help us all as individuals and as a group.

You can read more about the event in this month’s Earshot Magazine.