Music / Nightlife

If by chance you have recently come to this site to find Seattle Times music stories and found nothing, here’s why: From now on, our music stories will not be published on SoundPosts. You’ll find our music coverage on the newly redesigned seattletimes.com, under Music. We’ll still be on Twitter and you’ll see our…

Seattle Symphony’s fourth annual cross-genre Sonic Evolution concert (8 p.m. Jan. 30) will include a SSO-commissioned work by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready (during which he’ll perform, too), the SSO has announced. Other big Sonic Evolution news: McCready will also perform during the show with Mad Season — original drummer Barrett Martin,  Guns N’…

It’s probably not a surprise to most fans that Tony Bennett, who appears at the Paramount Theatre Thursday, Nov. 6, comes off far better than Lady Gaga, his musical sweetheart of late, on their punchy but problematic new album, “Cheek to Cheek.”

But it’s certainly telling. Relaxed and in total control of his material, at 88 Bennett is still a master of his craft.

The ACLU of Washington announced today that Macklemore, the local-boy-made-worldwide-music-phenom, has been awarded the organization’s Civil Libertarian Award for his efforts around same-sex marriage. According to a news release, the rapper “has been an outspoken supporter of gay rights. He shares his views about the issue in his moving song ‘Same Love,’ written in support of legalizing marriage…

Vocalist Karrin Allyson loves visiting Seattle’s Jazz Alley every year — and we love seeing her — but even she would admit that the Emerald City doesn’t quite compare to where she’s been recently — a jazz cruise on the Mediterranean, with stops in Monte Carlo, Marseilles and Rome. Allyson was keeping pretty great company at sea, too, with a front line that included reed player Anat Cohen, trumpeter Randy Brecker and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon.

One of the great pleasures of jazz is its capacity for surprise.

The exquisite concert by Sound Prints Saturday at Town Hall — the centerpiece of the Earshot Jazz Festival, which started a week ago Friday and continues through Nov. 11 ­— was a delightful case in point.

Northwest electronic duo Odesza’s profile has grown immensely in the past two years, and the group now has a proper album to show for it. Upcoming Seattle shows are in support of “In Return,” a release that expands Odesza’s trademarks — waves of sub bass, hip-hop-lite drums and hooky melodies from a cadre of anonymous-sounding guest vocalists — to widescreen proportions. With Hayden James, Ambassadeurs.

New Orleans’ Big Freedia has built a cult the past few years with her high-energy “bounce music,” a party-centric regional rap subgenre geared specifically to get butts shaking. With a two-season renewal of her Fuse TV reality show, “Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce,” and a forthcoming memoir, tentatively titled “God Save the Queen Diva,” the flamboyant rapper may be edging toward the mainstream. Her dynamic live performances featuring expert-level exhibitions of twerking by Freedia and her dance team are a vital part of the experience, which is all about cutting loose, having fun, and — as her recently released album’s title suggests — to “Just Be Free.”

The Portland Jazz Festival, which runs Feb. 18 – March 1, 2015, announced the headliners Wednesday for its 12th edition. They include bassists Ron Carter and Christian McBride, vocalists Sheila Jordan and Kurt Elling, trumpeter Nicholas Payton and alto saxophonists Lou Donaldson and Lee Konitz. Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto opens the festival and blues man…

Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney has joined the chorus of artists and fans decrying the way U2 released its new album, “Songs of Innocence.” The band  sold the album to Apple, which in turn automatically added it to all 500 million iTunes accounts worldwide last month. In an interview with The Seattle Times Wednesday to advance…