Before Seattle rocked – Our musical legacy explored
Oct 12, 2011, 5:18 AM | Updated: 8:25 am
When it comes to the history of Seattle music, talk naturally turns first to Nirvana or Jimi Hendrix.
But the city has been home to groundbreaking sounds since the first settlers sailed into Elliott Bay.
Listen to Josh Kerns interviews Kurt Armbruster, author of the new book “Before Seattle Rocked”
(City of Seattle archives)
“Yesler’s cookhouse, sailors and loggers singing and dancing and whooping up a storm,” says author and musician Kurt E. Armbruster, who chronicles the history and influence of the local music scene in his new book Before Seattle Rocked: A City and its Music.
Armbruster says whether it was settlers carrying sheet music, or gold miners on their way to Alaska, music was always an integral part of our remote corner of the country.
“In 1861, we had our first brass band organized and it was the start of organized ensemble music here. And it just kept rolling right along.”
The book details a vibrant local scene featuring every kind of music, reflecting both the people of the time and the places they came from.
There was the folk tune that spawned what would become the state song, “Acres of Clams” (which was ultimately taught to local restaurant icon Ivar Haglund by Peet Seeger and Woodie Guthrie,) traditional Asian music brought by immigrants from China and Japan, and ultimately, jazz.
Listen to Old Settler’s Song (Acres of Clams)
As the city grew, so did its music scene. Armbruster says clubs and theaters exploded all over the area and top talent emerged.
“Seattle has had tons of great piano players, saxophonists, so many names not to mention the great Floyd Standifer, of course.”
Standifer was as iconic a Seattle artist as Jimmy Hendrix or Kurt Cobain. And even if you aren’t a jazz fan, Armbruster says you have to be in awe of the people he helped propel from Seattle onto the national scene, guys like Quincy Jones and Ray Charles.
“Seattle was a happening place, a crossroads. 1946 was a magical time that attracted a lot of new talent here.”
That talent has continued flocking here, not to mention all of the homegrown musical genius that continues to flourish in all styles of music from funk to fusion, classical organ to opera. But Standifer says they all trace their roots back to a time before Seattle rocked.
By Josh Kerns/97.3 KIRO FM
