There are a lot of fine music festivals in the Puget Sound region, but the only one that celebrtes the first half-century of jazz in ALL its forms is Burien Arts’ annual Highline Classic Jazz Festival.
Highline Classic Jazz Festival 2012 performers (highlineclassicjazz.com)
Susan Pascal Quartet with Greta Matassa
Greta Matassa - vocals
Susan Pascal - vibraharp
Darin Clendenin - piano
Clipper Anderson - bass
Mark Ivester - drums
Jazz vibraphonist Susan Pascal’s quartet strikes a dynamic balance between spontaneity and imaginative arrangements, originals and great jazz and American songbook standards. Susan has played in every major jazz festival, jazz series and, jazz club in the area, as well as dozens of not so well known venues. Her tone, taste and virtuosity and warm personality make fans of listeners wherever she plays.
In 2009, Greta Matassa was voted "Northwest Vocalist of the Year" by Earshot Jazz. This marks the sixth time she has received this award in 15 years. Greta Matassa is one of the most talented singers working in jazz today. Her latest cd "I Wanna be Loved" Resonance Records remained on the national jazz charts for radio airplay for 3 months.
Pearl Django
Michale Gray - violin
Troy Chapman - guitar
Ryan Hoffman - guitar
David Lange - accordion
Rick Leppanen - bass
Now in their sixteenth year of performing Pearl Django continues to be one of America’s most respected and busiest Hot Club style groups. Pearl Django has played at every Highline Classic Jazz Festival.
Though still strongly influenced by the music of Django Reinhardt, Pearl Django’s repertoire now includes many original compositions. Their music reaches out across the divides of taste to a wide variety of audiences. The band's fervent followers include Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli fans, guitar enthusiasts (and guitarists!), lovers of string music, including bluegrass devotees, who relish nimble, clean, intricate picking, "world music" fans drawn to French and Gypsy accents, plus jazz buffs and aficionados of the new swing music.
Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band www.uptownlowdownjazz.com
Bert Barr - trumpet
Rose Marie Barr - piano
Paul Woltz - Reeds
Al Latourette - banjo
Tom Jacobus - trombone
Paul Hagglund - sousaphone
Seattle’s Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band specializes in authentic sounding Dixieland jazz and ragtime, entertaining fans since 1971. The band in that span of time has performed in every way imaginable – from the opening of the Kingdome to the final beam raising of the Westin Hotel. The band has played in many festivals around the US and abroad. As one fan puts it, “Uptown Lowdown is to traditional jazz what Mozart is to classics. Every note has a purpose, nothing is out of place.” Its “book” includes the works of Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong and many other early jazz legends, plus delving into Ragtime and Swing.
Del Rey and Matt Weiner
Del Rey - guitar, ukulele
Matt Weiner - bass
Del Rey started playing classical guitar when she was four. Asa teenager, she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues queen. Her playing combines country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie. Her show is full of complex guitar and ukulele grooves, soulful vocals and sly humor.
Matt Weiner is a bassist who credits span the country from Boston to Austin and a variety of styles from Classical to Rockabilly. He’s a master of the stand-up bass slap technique, using it to enhance rhythm sections in all kinds of traditional jazz bands. His cd of ukulele and bass duets with Del Rey “At the Uke Shack #1” is a tour de force of writing and arranging.
Glenn Crytzer and His Syncopators www.syncopators.net
Glenn Crytzer - guitar
Steve Mostovoy - trumpet
Craig Flory - reeds
Ray Skjelbred - piano
Dave Borwn - bass
Mike Daugherty - drums
The Syncopators are a jazz band dedicated to the popular music of the 1920’s and 1030’s and early 1940’s. The group has become a premier swing-ear band, having won over the hearts and feet of dancers across the nation. Their musical influences include jazz greats such as Benny Goodman, Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, John Kirby, Jelly Roll Morton, and more. In addition to performing classic songs, the syncopators perform new songs composed in the vintage style by bandleader Glenn Crytzer. The Syncopators are the house band for the swing nights at Seattle’s historic Century Ballroom and have been featured at popular dance events both locally and around the country.
Holotradband www.holotradband.com
Dave Holo - cornet
David Loomis - Trombone
Bruce Hall - clarinet & saxophone
Alex Guilbert - piano
Jeff Norwood - bass
Lance Haslund - guitar
Mike Daugherty - drums
Holotradband , a high energy hot jazz band from Seattle is a house afire. The blend of improvisation, riffs and melody created by its front line soars over a blazing foundation laid down by one of the most spirited rhythm sections on the west coast. The band draws its repertoire from the Golden Ages of early jazz: Legendary musicians and composers like Jellyroll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbeck, Sidney Bechet, who created America’s first original art form. Holotradband makes the most of a traditional instrumentation to serve up this music with respect and appreciation and more than a little panache.
The Jangles www.janglesband.com
Mike Faast - guitar & vocals
Paul Anastasio - fiddle
Roger Ferguson - guitar & fiddle
Toby Hanson - accordion
Laurie Haslund - ukulele & vocals
Mark Drake - drums
Lance Haslund - bass & vocals
The Jangles perform an acoustic version of Texas Swing music that is winning fans in both jazz and country circles alike. Borrowing from Milton Brown, Bob Wills, Gene Autry, Patsy Cline, Jimmy Rivers and others, they put a contemporary edge on a timeless brand of 1930’s and 1940’s dance music. Solid rhythm, three-part harmony, and blazing solos combine to
Echoes of Harlem Jazz Orchestra
The Music of Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington from the Days of the Cotton Club
Reeds - Bruce Hall, Craig Flory, Galen Green
Trumpets - Steve Mostovoy, Dave Holo, Terry Thompson
Trombone/Arranger - Dave Loomis,
Trombone?Tuba - Dan Marcus
Piano - Ray Sjkelbred
Guitar/Banjo - Glenn Crytzer
String Bass - Matt Weiner
Drums - Mike Daugherty
Fletcher Henderson Orchestra
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington helped to define the transition from polyphonic ensemble playing of the 1920’s to the brass-and-reeds sectional playing that eventually became known as the “Big Band” style. Many of their arrangements later found their way into the books of other bands and became huge hits, but in the late 20’s and early 30’s their bands were the undisputed kings of New York’s ballrooms and dance halls. The Echoes of Harlem Jazz Orchestra is a group of like-minded individuals with a deep appreciation for the pre-swing arrangements of the legendary large bands of the era. No stock arrangements are used and each one is carefully transcribed from, and played in the style of, the original recording.
Jennifer Scott Trio www.jenniferscott.ca
Jennifer Scott - piano & vocal
Rene Worst - bass
Jud Sherwood - drums
Jennifer Scott is a Vancouver-born vocalist and jazz pianist specializing in jazz, blues and world music. Jennifer is considered one of the most important jazz artists working in Canada and the United States today. From sold-out concerts in San Francisco to exclusive local club dates, Jennifer’s performance experiences have been varied, including Jazz Festivals all across Canada and the US.
Jennifer has set herself apart from the jazz-vocalist pack with her mesmerizing renditions of the most unlikely tunes. As much a song stylist as an improviser, she puts her stamp on material through her supple sense of swing and deft, slippery phrasing.
Rainier High School Jazz BandThe award-winning Rainier High School Jazz Band will represent not only our most local band, but the also in insight into the on-going tradition in regional high schools of insuring the continuation of America's unique art form. High School jazz bands throughout the Northwest consistently rank among the best youth jazz bands in the nation. Rainier High School Jazz Band won 1st place at the Bellevue Jazz Festival in 2006 and 2007 (the last year they participated).Alto Sax: Coleman Rogers, Cameron Stedman Tenor Sax: Mikael Burgos Bari Sax: Devin Shaw Trumpets: Jonathan Gleason, Nathan Rencher, Arden Gibb, Joseph WilckenTrombones: Josh Rios, Dom Oliveros, John Watters, Cade Stedman, Maria FloresTuba: Sierra Miller Guitar: George GonzalezPiano: Coleman Rogers Bass: Kari BlombergDrums: Nolan Gibb, James Postlewait
Gail Pettis www.gailpettis.com Gail Pettis – vocals Bill Anschell – piano Rene Worst – bass
Named “2010 Northwest Vocalist of the Year,” by Earshot Jazz Society, (also 2007), Gail’s rich, warm vocals and understated phrasing have been described as “deliciously soulful” by Cadence Magazine. Born into a musical family, singing has always a part of her life, even while she earned a degree in dentistry and completed an orthodontic residency program at Harvard University, after which she taught and practiced orthodontics full-time for the next 15 years. No longer practicing orthodontics, Gail is winning fans and accolades around the country for her performances and recordings.
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