doesn鈥檛 separate his work as a professional musician and his teaching responsibilities at the 天美影视传媒.

At the UW, he鈥檚 the associate director of the School of Music and an associate professor of jazz studies. The rest of his calendar is filled with tours, performances and recording sessions. While the packed schedule can occasionally be difficult to navigate, Poor said his two worlds aren鈥檛 really disconnected.

鈥淢y work here at the UW and with students is very much informed by and integrated with my work as a professional musician,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 able to take all that I am learning out in the world, bring that to the students and hopefully shed some light on the process. Music is a lifelong pursuit. It鈥檚 never ending. In that sense, the students and I are no different from one another. We鈥檙e on a continuum.鈥�

Poor has previously collaborated with renowned artists such as Paul Simon, Marcus Mumford, Rufus Wainwright and more. More recently, he went on a tour with the that took him from Europe to Chicago and culminated with two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. The trio 鈥� Bird, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Poor on drums and bassist 鈥� played a combination of the , jazz standards and compositions by Bird.

鈥淵ou get a really specific feel from the Hollywood Bowl space itself,鈥� said Poor, who played the iconic Los Angeles amphitheater for the first time. 鈥淛ust being on stage and hitting the snare drum before everything is amplified 鈥� even though it鈥檚 so massive, you feel connected to the space. It听gives back to you on stage.鈥�

Playing with the trio is one of Poor鈥檚 favorite activities. The musicians have been together for years, and that familiarity gives them space to make every performance unique.

鈥淭he music is reactive to that moment, that evening, that day,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just delivering renditions of Andrew鈥檚 songs. We’re finding music each night. Some nights the music might take on a slightly different shade, and other nights it could be radically different. There鈥檚 just this freedom and an invitation to allow your impulses to guide the way.鈥�

In early 2024, the Andrew Bird Trio recorded and released 鈥淪unday Morning Put On,鈥� a take on American Songbook tunes.听 Poor saw the album as an opportunity for a group with so much history to focus on different material.

鈥淭here was this sort of trust that we could try some new things that weren鈥檛 obvious without the fear of somebody questioning if the band is working,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淲e know the band works. We know what we’re capable of. Because of that, we can investigate things that that might not be the safe choice.鈥�

Outside of the Andrew Bird Trio, Poor has been spending time in Los Angeles working on an album of experimental pop songs with singer, songwriter and poet . The collaboration includes producer , who has worked with Paul McCartney and Los Lobos, among others, and , whose credits include Disney/Pixar._听

The record, co-written and co-produced by Poor and Kuyimba, is supported in part by the Floyd and Delores Jones Endowed Fund for the Arts and will be released this year. It鈥檚 based on Poor鈥檚 instrumental compositions to which Kuyimba later wrote and added vocals. They鈥檝e since worked together on further writing, orchestration and production. The two were initially introduced by a mutual friend who knew Poor had instrumental music with no vocals and Kuyimba was looking to collaborate with a jazz musician.

鈥淲e had never met,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淲e talked a little over FaceTime and I sent her a whole slew of recordings I made. She parsed through them and found inspiration and created these incredible new dimensions. Suddenly my music had become our music. It鈥檚 been an amazing process. I鈥檝e never collaborated in this fashion before.鈥�

Additionally, Poor found time to play in live performances of 鈥� a studio album covering the 1970s album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, 鈥淏uckingham Nicks鈥� 鈥� at the Bumbershoot and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festivals. Cunningham Bird is a collaboration between Bird and Grammy award-winning singer songwriter .

Poor also recorded a new drum set solo work for The Bell Choir Sessions, an in-studio concert series. The Los Angeles studio was opened by , a friend of Poor鈥檚 and a Grammy-nominated producer, session musician, instrumentalist and composer.

鈥淚n addition to traditional recording sessions, Tyler鈥檚 been doing these recorded concert series,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淚 was part of one of those back in December where I played solo drums, and we recorded it. I’m trying to figure out what to do with it exactly. It鈥檚 an intimate room 鈥� like 100 people packed into a choir room with a number of artists present.鈥�

Poor will keep the momentum going this summer. He鈥檚 currently rehearsing with one of his heroes, Grammy-winning jazz guitarist , in preparation for a long tour in Europe this summer.

At the UW, he鈥檚 part of a project called the Provost鈥檚 Academy, a leadership development and innovation program for emerging leaders in the faculty. Poor鈥檚 been paired with , UW dean of undergraduate affairs. While the year-long collaboration is in the early stages of development, in many ways, Poor鈥檚 vision mimics how he carries his professional experiences back to his students.

鈥淲e鈥檙e at a moment where I think we can figure out a way for the arts to engage with more students,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淣ot necessarily only teaching more students how to play instruments or be a dancer 鈥� even though that鈥檚 wonderful 鈥� but finding ways to get them into the mindset of an artist and help some broader student populations experience what it means to work in an artistic way, and provide balance to their studies in the sciences or business, etc. What if improvisation and creative discovery could be a part of every student’s time here at the UW, regardless of their area of study? I think that would be a good thing.鈥�

For more information, contact Poor at tedpoor@uw.edu.

For five days in April, jazz music echoed through the Meany Hall Studio Theatre.听听

But the sounds of collaboration didn鈥檛 end there.听听

In between playing, students and faculty engaged in listening sessions and conversations about the recording process. That was the format for this year鈥檚 , held annually through the 天美影视传媒 School of Music.听

Typically, the project brings in guest artists to work with students and put on public performances. This year, the event had a different focus as recording engineer offered students an in-depth experience focused on the performance and engineering sides of recording. The new format allowed students and faculty to gain experience with UW鈥檚 new mobile recording system. While teaching fundamental recording and audio skills, Boucher also worked with students and faculty to document new works and experiment with techniques.听

鈥淵ou become a better musician by becoming a better recording engineer,鈥� Boucher said, 鈥渁nd vice versa.鈥�听

Boucher has credits as an engineer, mixer and producer. He鈥檚 worked with a variety pop and rock musicians, including Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham and Rufus Wainwright. He has also worked on motion picture soundtracks, earning engineering credits on 鈥淔rozen鈥� and 鈥淓ncanto,鈥� among others.听

, associate professor of jazz studies, is the faculty advisor for the Improvised Music Project. The program, which will return to its original format in 2023, is open to any students and faculty members across the School of Music.听

鈥淩ecording is about our ability to listen deeply and listen to greater levels of detail and respect that detail,鈥� Poor said. 鈥淵ou get this other perspective that you can鈥檛 naturally have when you鈥檙e playing by yourself.鈥�听

听For more information, contact Poor at tedpoor@uw.edu.听

Sephardic Studies chair Devin Naar speaks at Holocaust commemoration event

, UW professor of history and Jewish studies and chair of the Jackson School鈥檚 Sephardic Studies Program, delivered a keynote address for Sephardic Heritage International DC’s third annual , held virtually on Jan. 28.

The event, sponsored by U.S. , a Democrat from Maryland, had the theme of “Refugees of the Holocaust.” The featured speaker was , CEO of the pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer, who told of his Sephardic Jewish family’s Holocaust survival; his parents were among the few Jews to survive the Nazi onslaught on Thessaloniki, Greece.

Naar spoke of Claire Barkey Flash, author of the 2016 memoir “A Hug From Afar: One Family’s Dramatic Journey Through Three Continents to Escape the Holocaust.” The Barkey family emigrated from the Mediterranean island of Rhodes to Tangier, and finally to the United States. Naar, who is the Isaac Alhadeff Professor in Sephardic Studies, wrote a foreword for the book.

is a nonprofit that celebrates Sephardic culture and raises awareness of the histories of underrepresented Jewish communities. Watch a of the event.

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Melia Watras releases new album, ‘Firefly Songs’

Violist, composer and music professor put out a new album in January. “,” with14 of Watras’ compositions played with the ensemble Frequency and other guests, was released by Seattle-based Planet M Records.

Album notes say the compositions “are a reflection on stories, artistic influences and people that are interconnected points of light from her own personal folklore.” Watras composed the music, for various instruments and voices, from 2015 to 2018.

Members of Frequency are Watras, viola and voice; Michael Jinsoo Lim, violin and voice; and S忙unn Thorsteinsdottir, cello. Also on the album are the voices of Catherine Connors and Vina Vu Vald茅s, as well as excerpts of recorded viola lessons given by Atar Arad. Watras is the Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professor, viola.

Watch a video of the album.

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Ted Poor’s ‘You Already Know’ noted among best local albums of 2020

An album by , assistant professor in the UW School of Music, was named on The Seattle Times list of the . Poor’s “” was released in March.

The Times asked 15 music critics to submit their top 10 for 2020 and then combined the results. “You Already Know” tied for No. 19 on the list. Though COVID prevented an in-person album release, the Times wrote, “this beautifully austere duo set with Seattle-reared sax man Andrew D’Angelo 鈥� hardly went unnoticed.”

An astronomer tells tales of stargazing and pursuing the universe’s big questions, a grandparent shares wisdom for happy living, a jazz drummer lays down a cool new album 鈥�

But behold, yet more! An engineer pens STEM biographies for children, a cartoonist draws stories from his life, researchers ponder the future of river and wildlife conservation, and faculty masters bring out new classical recordings on guitar and piano.

Though 2020 was a holy humbug of a year, 天美影视传媒 talents persevered, and published. Here’s a quick look at some giftworthy books and music created by UW faculty and staff, and a reminder of some recent favorites.

Stargazing stories: , associate professor of astronomy, published the anecdote-filled “” in August. “These are stories astronomers tell each other when all of us are hanging out at meetings,” Levesque said. Kirkus Reviews called them “entertaining, ardent tales from an era of stargazing that may not last much longer.”

‘Grand’ wisdom: , professor emeritus of English, has written novels, short stories and more, but takes a personal turn in “.” He offers his grandson, and readers, “what I hope are 10 fertile and essential ideas for the art of living.” It’s all presented “tentatively and with great humility,” Johnson says, as “grandfatherly advice is as plentiful as blackberries.”

Drums, duets: , assistant professor of music, released the album “” in March. Poor told UW News the music “is a celebration of space 鈥� space for drums to resonate and convey a feeling, and for the melody to dance around and push that feeling. It is primarily a collection of duets with saxophonist听 and the sound of the record is focused on drums and sax throughout.”

STEM stories: , professor of civil and environmental engineering, published two books for young readers this fall: “The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers, and Doctors,” volumes and . The volumes showcase “the struggle, growth and success” of 12 professionals in STEM fields, including a geneticist, a biologist, a cancer researcher and a scientist at the National Institutes of Health. More books are .

Life drawings: , professor of Slavic languages and literatures and comparative literature, published “,” a eclectic collection of drawings and essays, highlighting his different styles through the years, “from tragedy to tragicomedy to documentary to black humor,” he said.

Guitar works: School of Music faculty guitarist released his 10^th album in March. “” features classical guitar works written for him by composers and

Sheppard plays Brahms: , internationally known professor and pianist, put out a digital release of 107 early Brahms works in October, titled “.” The work joins Sheppard’s lengthy from a decades-long career.

Ecological restoration: How has climate change affected regional ecological restoration? , a research scientist in human centered design and engineering, looks for answers in “,” from UW Press.

River history: Seattle was born from the banks of the Duwamish River, writes BJ Cummings of the UW Superfund Research Program, but the river鈥檚 story, and that of its people, has not fully been told. Cummings seeks to remedy that with 鈥�,鈥� published by UW Press.

Coexisting: Agriculture and wildlife can coexist, says , professor of environmental and forest sciences, in his book “.” But only “if farmers are justly rewarded for conservation, if future technological advancements increase food production and reduce food waste, and if consumers cut back on meat consumption.”

And here are some favorites from 2019:

O鈥橫ara鈥檚 鈥楥ode鈥�: History professor provides a sweeping history of California鈥檚 computer industry titans in “ The New York Times called it an “accessible yet sophisticated chronicle.”

Mindful travel: of the English Department and the Comparative History of Ideas program discusses how travelers can respectfully explore cultures with lower incomes, different cultural patterns and fewer luxuries in “.”

Kingdome man: , associate professor of architecture, studies the life and work of Jack Christiansen, designer of the Kingdome and other structures, in “,” published by UW Press.

Powerful silence: “,” a documentary directed by English professor about NFL star Marshawn Lynch’s use of silence as a form of protest, is available for rent or purchase on several platforms.

Seattle stories: UW Press republished English professor ‘s well-loved 1976 reflections on his city, “.” Sale, who taught at the UW for decades, died in 2017.

• Joanne De Pue, School of Music communications director, assisted with this story.

Historian Patricia Ebrey receives Association of Asian Studies’ top award for 2020

The Association of Asian Studies has given UW historian its 2020 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies. The award, the highest the bestows, honors outstanding scholarship in the field.

Ebrey is the Williams Family Endowed Professor of History. She has written or edited many works on China and East Asia as well as a sourcebook on China for undergraduate teaching. She has written over 70 journal articles and book chapters and her works have been translated into several other languages.

Praising Ebrey for groundbreaking efforts in several areas, the association said in a news release: “By editing or co-editing volumes of scholarly work, and by providing translations and reproductions of primary materials, she has dedicated herself to developing the historical study of China both in terms of research and teaching.”

for the honor at the Association of Asian Studies website.

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UW political scientist Christopher Parker joins Cascade Public Media board of directors

, UW professor of political science, has been chosen to join the board of directors for Cascade Public Media, the nonprofit home of KCTS 9 television and Crosscut.

Parker has taught at the UW since 2006 and is the author of two books, “” (with Matt Barreto, 2013) and “” (2009). His next book, planned for this year, is “The Great White Hope: Donald Trump, Race, and the Crisis of American Democracy.”

Parker was one of two new named, along with Holly Mesrobian, a UW alumna who is a director of engineering at Amazon Web Services. The appointments were April 28. Also on the Cascade Public Media board is , UW professor of law.

“Not only is the world of media changing rapidly, the world itself is changing at a breakneck pace,” Robert Dunlop, CEO of , said of the two new directors. “Their insights will be extremely valuable as we continue to bring the people of our region news and programming that informs and inspires.”

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Terryl Ross receives 2020 social equity award from American Society of Public Administration

The American Society of Public Administration has given , assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion in the UW College of the Environment, its 2020 Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award for 2020.

The recognizes lifetime achievement in the cause of social equity. Candidates are evaluated on the consistency, level and duration of their work on social equity as well as the impact of their efforts. The society’s 8,000-some members are practitioners, academics and students.

Ross came to the UW in 1992 as a doctoral student in the Educational and Communication Technology Program housed in the College of Education and later created the group Multicultural Organization of Students Actively Involved in Change, or MOSAIC.

“Ross continues to work in diversity and inclusion today as he collaborates with college stakeholders to envision diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the college,” the association wrote.

The award, established in 2003, is named for a longtime employee of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

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David Montgomery honored by Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography

The Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography has awarded , UW professor of Earth and space sciences its 2020 for achievements in physical geography. He was honored his work in the field of geomorphology 鈥� the study of the origin and evolution of landforms.

Montgomery has written several popular science books as well as teaching materials and over 200 articles. The society praised his impact on the research community. His last book was “,” published in 2017.

“He has studied everything from the ways that landslides and glaciers influence the height of mountain ranges, to the way that soils have shaped human civilizations now and in the past,” the society wrote in its award announcement.

The was founded in 1878 and is supported mainly by the King of Sweden. Its objective is to promote the development of anthropology, geography and closely related sciences in Sweden and serve as a link between scientists in these disciplines, and the public.

The award, one of two informally referred to as the Nobel prize of geography, is named for the of Swedish explorer , who discovered the Northwest Passage in 1881.

Read more on the College of the Environment .

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In other faculty news:

Openness letter: , UW professor of urban design and planning in the College of Built Environments, was one of 31 scientists to sign an open letter to the journal Science calling for more openness in coronavirus modeling. “” was published in Science on May 1.

“A hallmark of science is the open exchange of knowledge, the cosigners wrote. “We strongly urge all scientists modeling the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and its consequences for health and society to rapidly and openly publish their code 鈥� so that it is accessible to all scientists around the world.”

Seattle Channel meets Indigo Mist: The Seattle Channel recently filmed a visit with the UW School of Music faculty members who comprise the improvisational music group : professors , , and , the school’s director 鈥� , artist in residence (and longtime bassist). The school took note in its April newsletter.

“You just let go and let your creativity do its thing,” Vu said in the video, describing the group’s creative approach. Whatever art comes out of that, he said, is “going to make sense 鈥� and it’s going to be uniquely your expression.”

Watch the Youtube video:

, assistant professor of drums in the UW School of Music, has a new album out. “You Already Know” was released Feb. 28 on , his debut on that jazz label.

Poor is a Seattle-based drummer who has played with well-known artists such as fellow UW faculty members and as well as , , , and . He plays with the band of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter , who also performs on the album. He the UW faculty in 2013.

A single from the album, “,” is out. Poor will have an at 8 p.m. March 7 at Seattle鈥檚 Columbia City Theater, where he will be joined by faculty colleague Vu on trumpet.

The New York Times has called Poor “a trustworthy engine in countless modern-jazz settings.” magazine called his drumming “extremely thoughtful,” adding: “He knows how to craft a part, and play for the song 鈥� the way Ted flows in and out of cohesive ideas when he鈥檚 playing improv is a sight and sound to behold, if you’re not already familiar.”

UW Notebook caught up with Poor with a few questions about his work and the new album.

How would you describe the music on “You Already Know”?

Ted Poor: The music is a celebration of space 鈥� space for the drums to resonate and convey a feeling, and for the melody to dance around and push against that feeling.听It is primarily a collection of duets with saxophonist听 and the sound of the record is focused on drums and sax throughout. At first there’s a simplicity to that combination, but out of that sonic world emerges tremendous depth and subtlety.听I’m thrilled to feature the drum set in this way.

What鈥檚 the process for creating an album like this? How long does it take and what are the challenges?

T.P.: After recording the core duet tracks at Brooklyn Recording with Andrew, I went to LA and worked with producer to add some subtle orchestrations (piano, strings, percussion, harmonium etc.) to further illuminate elements of the compositions, but without taking up too much space or overstating our ideas.

We spent about 10 days in the studio spread out over a period of two years to get all the tracking done.听Mixing and mastering took a few more weeks after that.听The biggest challenge was staying true to the main sound of the band.听 At times I had to fight the temptation to add more and more. In the end, I think we achieved听our goal of balance and space.

Of the work on this album, of what are you most proud?

T.P.: I suppose I’m most proud of the clarity of the compositions and the clarity and direct nature of the drumming.听The music has complexity but it is also very approachable: oftentimes nothing more than a nice drum beat and melody just coexisting. I think I was able to strip away all but the essentials in the drum parts and writing. All this leads to a sense of purpose and a specificity of emotion.

What will folks see and hear at the March 7 album release show? 听

T.P.: The album release show is very exciting for me.听I have been working for months now to work up this music with my dear friend Cuong Vu.听We’ve been playing music together for 17 years now and it’s exciting to draw on the long history while we develop this fresh duet approach.

We’ll play many songs from the record along with a slew of new material.听Also joining us is world-renowned visual artist and lighting designer .听Abby and I will be working the week prior to develop a video projection piece that will accompany the music and serve as the light show.听Knowing Abigail’s work, I can assure you it will be stunning!

How does it work, being both a touring professional musician and a teaching faculty member in the School of Music?

T.P.: It is certainly a juggling act! Above all I try to remain in control of my own schedule and commitments.听Honest, clear communication is the key.听In the end I love how I can share openly with my students the challenges I face as a touring professional and draw on my experiences to help them tackle the issues relevant to them.听If I weren’t out in the world making music, I would have a hard time standing in front of the students.听My teaching is completely informed by who I am as a working musician and human.

Finally, we’ve been talking jazz drumming 鈥� care to suggest three jazz albums that you think feature great drumming?

T.P.: “” by (who is also the drummer).

“” by featuring on drums.

“” by featuring on drums.

For more information on the album, contact Poor at tedpoor@uw.edu or visit his personal .

UW Notebook is a section of the UW News site dedicated to telling stories of the good work done by faculty and staff at the 天美影视传媒. Read all posts here.听