A musician must find his space in the world. Some are satisfied in one spot. Some feel an inclination to move around, to ramble. But these experiences affect their playing. During this tumult, the innate human endeavor to find companionship presents itself as a doubly difficult task for musicians. In addition to finding a mate to live with and not want to fight, a musical mate must also be sought. In some ways this might be a more difficult task than finding love. No, you don’t have to live in close proximity or even in the same city, but communication, interaction and understanding is still tantamount to success. With the various outlets for free music, a strain proffered by Coltrane and his disciples, Seattle services not just Bumbershoot. Seattle Improvised Music, the various ‘burbs and Anacortes Jazz gatherings as well as the Earshot Festival provide release for local and national jazz players. Since 1918 and the Grand Benefit Ball, hosted by the NAACP, featuring Miss Lillian Smith’s Jazz Band, Seattle fosters those who traverse the jazz idiom. Coming from various corners of the country and the state, the Wally Shoup Quartet stands as one of Seattle’s most forward looking ensembles. The European influence of Gust Burns on piano, polyrhythmic infatuations manifesting themselves in the appendages of Greg Campbell, East Coast assuredness come North West self reliance in the round tones of Ruben Radding’s bass and Wally Shoup’s unnerving energy create an unequalled squalling and beautiful mess of sound. Too bad everyone doesn’t call the same place home any longer. The two main rovers of the group, Radding and Shoup have called enough different cities home to lose count. Something led both of these men here and something separated them as well.

Though more than a decade earlier than bassist Ruben Radding, Wally Shoup began exploring the noises he was able to coax from a sax in the early seventies. It seems the time that he chose to begin playing allowed him the fortunate opportunity of discovering music during an era when musicians were still able to amass label support for bizarre endeavors. Beefheart was between the enigmatic Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals Off, Baby. And while Coltrane had exited this world to the next, his disciples raged into the following decade with Pharaoh Sanders releasing Thembi and Village of the Pharaohs. This was the musical backdrop in which Shoup “began practicing daily” and “exploring the intricacies of the instrument”. The search was on for same-thinking players. And early enough a musical partner was proffered in Ross Rabin. Together these two, along with Keith Gardner would release Scree-Run Waltz in the early ‘80s.