Friday, March 30, 2012

Nicolas Bearde photo by Libby Graham
THE VOCAL JAZZ HOUSE CONCERT SCENE

Hello, I’m Libby Graham, an avid Earshot volunteer and devoted music fan who would love to enlighten you about the thriving vocal jazz house concert scene in this region.  For those of you who yearn for an alternate listening experience or wish to augment what is offered by local nightclubs and restaurants, house concerts are truly the way to go.  They provide an exciting, affordable opportunity to see stellar local and national artists perform in an intimate setting.  I find that these wonderful musicians are more relaxed in this kind of environment, allowing freer expression and excellence in their craft.

There are four fabulous vocal jazz house concert series to choose from, each unique in their own way.  I have been closely affiliated with JazzVox which is jazz fanatic Nich Anderson’s series, now in its fifth year, featuring premier vocalists from around the world accompanied by first-rate instrumentalists from the Seattle area.  He has presented such luminaries as velvet baritone virtuoso Kevin Mahogany, bebop jazz veteran Sheila Jordan, primal hipster Bob Dorough, vivacious San Francisco singer Madeline Eastman and lauded LA-based vocalist/composer John Proulx.  Fresh jazz sensation and Berklee Professor Jeremy Scott Ragsdale will make his highly anticipated appearances on April 20 and 22.   Nich has fantastic venues in Auburn, Camano Island, and Seattle, making it easily accessible for folks to attend.  Please visit jazzvox.com for more information and to make reservations.

Another quality house concert series is JazzScapes, held by budding pianist Ivy Nugent and gifted vocalist Julie Olson in a beautiful West Seattle setting in the Arroyos neighborhood.  They have hosted the show for two years now and give it a cozy yet very elegant quality.  Together Ivy and Julie have cultivated a dedicated following and are known for treating their guests and artists with a gentle touch.   Acclaimed local favorites as Alma Villegas and Greta Matassa as well as nationally-known prodigy Nicolas Bearde have graced their stage, and upcoming concerts include Dallas-born maven Kellye Gray on April 21st and Seattle’s own enchanting songstress Stephanie Porter on June 2nd.  Visit jazzscapes.com for all the latest concert and artist information and to reserve your seats.

If the caliber of talent and the festive atmosphere weren’t enough, you are also treated to a succulent buffet for both the JazzVox and JazzScapes concert series.   All homemade recipes and special creations are lovingly prepared by cuisine connoisseurs.  A selection of wine is also served at these gatherings.

A third hugely popular house concert series, currently in its sixth year, is hosted by Lance and Laurie Haslund in their wonderful Burien home.  They are well respected musicians in this area and feature mainly classical, Americana, and swing as well as eclectic jazz artists. Their warm welcome has most recently been extended to Canadian-born vocal jazz songbird Jennifer Scott and Portland-based singer extraordinaire Nancy King, as well as fabulous local chanteuse Gail Pettis.  Lance and Laurie generously accommodate a spread of delicious foods to savor and encourage patrons to bring an appetizer or dessert and beverage to share.  They choose not to have a website and communicate via email with their series followers – contact them at llh@lanceandlaurie.net to be added to their mailing list and to reserve your seats early, as they typically go fast! 

A fourth outstanding house concert series, located in central Seattle's Colman neighborhood, is the Teahouse Concerts Series hosted by jazz aficionados Reggie Bardach and her husband Richard Wells.   Founded in 2004 with an inaugural concert by renowned jazz vocalist Jay Clayton and the late, great trumpeter Floyd Standifer, this special series has become the spring and summer event worth waiting for, held in Bardach's lovely backyard garden.   Concerts take place in the late afternoon on Sundays in August, and there is time for refreshments, socializing, and enjoying the garden as well as an array of incredible music.  For the last two years, they have also presented smaller, intimate indoor house concerts featuring local artists as superb singer and pianist Dawn Clement and revered vocalist and educator Greta Matassa.  Please visit their website at teahouseconcerts.com for more information.

With the advent of spring, folks will be more than ready to get out and enjoy the wealth of remarkable talent in such a variety of warm and inviting abodes. This flourishing jazz house concert scene is definitely here to stay in Seattle and you are sure to relish all that these one-of-a-kind concert experiences have to offer – we’ll see you there!

Monday, March 12, 2012

JAZZVOX CONCERT – JOHN PROULX AND KRISTIN KORB AT CAMANO ISLAND – 3/10/12

John Proulx photo by Ziggy Spiz
Our trip up to Camano Island (with my sister Sally and brother-in-law Mort) was so scenic with the snow-capped Cascades looming to our right, and when we took our seats in the living room of JazzVox co-hosts Andy and Patti Carr, we had a birds-eye view of the glistening Sound through their picture window.  It was the perfect setting for one of music fanatic Nich Anderson’s marvelous JazzVox vocal jazz house concerts, and his featured artists, John Proulx and Kristin Korb, were in rare form that afternoon.


 John is a lauded LA-based vocalist/composer/pianist, and Kristin does double duty as a first-rate bassist and singer who now resides in Denmark.  They worked together in LA for many years and consider each other musical soul mates who speak the same “language”.  This is totally evidenced in the synergy they create, anticipating each other’s ideas and complementing one another so beautifully with a rich palette of moods and emotions.  Their songs ranged from John’s infectious original composition honoring his wife “Push Hands Ana” to Kristin’s soulful rendition in Portuguese of “You made me love you”.  Other crowd pleasing favorites were old chestnuts as “There will never be another you” and “Them there eyes” as well as eclectic jazz arrangements of “Sing” and “Don’t fence me in”.  John’s exquisite rendition of the beautiful ballad “I can’t make you love me” was especially heartfelt as was the ever enchanting “Will you still be mine?”

John Proulx and Kristin Korb together made those songs magically come alive for an enthralled audience through their dazzling vocal arrangements as well as his swinging hot piano and her amazing, groove-driven bass.  It was a stellar program of sheer artistic genius and enlightened musical poetry, and a shining example of the very best JazzVox has to offer!  Another wonderful feature of this series is of course the succulent buffet lovingly prepared by Patti Carr and Desiree Dyck for each concert, which today included two heavenly pasta creations and a yummy garden salad.  After the show, having worked up quite an appetite, we were treated to a succulent array of chocolate desserts, wines and rich dark roast coffee that was indeed icing on the cake.  I always come away from such extraordinary JazzVox concerts feeling very fulfilled, in more ways than one, and enjoy letting folks know what a treasure they are.  If you wish to be a part of this incredible experience, please visit Nich Anderson’s website at jazzvox.com for all the latest concert information and to make reservations.  You’ll be so glad you did!