I went to Bake’s Place in Issaquah on Friday, June 11th and had the great pleasure of seeing vocalist and trumpeter extraordinaire Jake Bergevin. He is one of the nicest people you’ll meet and has a mega talent to match with his effortless crooning vocalese, inventive original compositions, and sensitive re-imaginings of works by such artists as Kurt Elling and Leonard Bernstein. His rendition of the classic standard “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face” and a fresh arrangement of Sting’s “The Girl with No Regrets” were shining examples of his varied, eclectic repertoire. Joining Jake that evening was an exceptional rhythm section comprised of Dan Kramlich on piano, Brad Boal playing drums, RJ Whitlow on bass, and local favorite Susan Pascal playing vibes. Jake’s second set was themed around songs of New York and the debut of brand new material for him. Especially wonderful were his takes on “New York, New York”, “Let Me off Uptown” and a couple of songs dedicated to two famous NY bridges, “Chelsea Bridge” and “Brooklyn Bridge”.
Jake is the gifted jazz band director at Edmonds-Woodway High School and in May, gained national recognition for his band’s participation in the famed Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center, NYC. He also fronts his popular big band, “Javatown Swing Orchestra” and will be performing with them for the 13th year in a row at Ellensburg’s Jazz in the Valley on Saturday, July 31st. Jake’s exciting summer performance line-up also includes PLU (Pacific Lutheran University) Jazz under the Stars on Thursday, July 15th, The Bloedel Reserve Concert Series (Bainbridge Island) on Saturday, July 17th and The Mill Creek Community Summer Concert Series on Thursday, August 5th.
Jake Bergevin is such an integral part of the Seattle jazz scene and performs at private engagements, house concerts, restaurants and supper clubs in addition to the numerous prestigious festivals and events he participates in each year. His effervescent energy, classy style, as well as a disarming sense of humor always delights audiences wherever he goes. Please visit Jake’s wonderful website at: jakebergevinmusic.com for his artist bio, concert schedule, and all the info on his two acclaimed CDs, “My Name is Jake”, and “Holding Back the Dawn”. He is at once the consummate entertainer and an evocative artist simply not to be missed!
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