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!

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!

JAZZVOX CONCERT – SHEILA JORDAN AND CAMERON BROWN – FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Sheila Jordan and Cameron Brown photo by Libby Graham

I had the utmost pleasure of attending an absolutely stellar concert, as part of Nich Anderson’s popular JazzVox house concert series, in Auburn on February 10^th featuring NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan.  To see this indomitable vocal jazz veteran cozy up with her long-time bassist Cameron Brown was a sight that won’t soon be replicated.  After all, they originated the “base and face” concept in jazz and totally mesmerized us with their nuanced, heartfelt delivery on such classics as “I’ve grown accustomed to your face” and “It’s you or no one for me”.   Also of note were her fabulous “Freedom for Humanity” interpretation of Martin Luther King’s teachings and a medley of infectious blues standards to close out this extraordinary evening.

Sheila began performing in the storied jazz clubs of Detroit and New York at an early age and was so ingratiated with the bebop scene that she married Charlie Parker’s pianist, Duke Jordan.  She studied the bebop idiom with Lennie Tristano and was known for patterning her vocals after instrumental solos and improvising logical lyrics (which often rhymed).  Sheila thus became one of the few singers to lead her own Blue Note album in 1962 and went on to record with a variety of artists including Steve Kuhn in the late `70s.   Jazz audiences had begun to understand her uncompromising style, and by the `80s, gained the recognition she deserved 20 years earlier.   The rest, as they say, is history, and still very much in the prime of her career, Sheila Jordan tours all over the world, acts as a visiting professor at Stanford, and holds a multitude of incredible seminars and master classes.  In 2012 Sheila received the prestigious NEA Jazz Master award which is the highest honor in jazz and accepted it with her trademark grace and dignity.

Cameron Brown established a name for himself early on, performing and recording with such greats as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Don Pullen, and Archie Shepp.  He first met Sheila Jordan in 1974 and has forged a uniquely special collaboration with her to this day.  Cameron’s specialty has always been the double bass and utilizes his prodigious talent teaching at Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, New York in addition to touring extensively world-wide.  His style is breathtakingly stunning and inventive, providing the perfect accompaniment to Sheila’s starkly honest, emotional lyricism and sweeping, rhythmic tenacity.

To learn more about and stay in contact with these remarkable artists, visit Sheila Jordan’s website at sheilajordanjazz.com and Cameron Brown’s website at http://jazzhalo.be/homepage_brown.html  For more information about the JazzVox vocal jazz house concert series and to make reservations, please visit jazzvox.com

JAZZVOX CONCERT – DEBORAH BROWN WITH BILL ANSCHELL – JANUARY 06, 2012

Deborah Brown photo by Libby Graham

Deborah Brown is JazzVox host Nich Anderson’s favorite living jazz singer and she certainly didn’t disappoint that sublimely lovely Friday night before last (1/6/12).  Music aficionados Angela and Paul Frankel so graciously opened their Northgate home for the occasion and are scheduled to co-host two more JazzVox concerts this year.  They helped kicked off Anderson’s  5^th year of hosting his hugely successful  house concert series to an very appreciative audience.

Deborah is an ultra soulful jazz maven hailing from Kansas City which is the birthplace of the blues jazz genre, and brought it all home along with local pianist extraordinaire Bill Anschell.  Deborah’s songs ranged from Irving Berlin’s “Falling in love with love” to Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” to Don Redman’s “Gee baby Ain’t  I good to you”.  She has incredible vocal control and can swoop, turn, or extend a melody to fit the song’s mood and lyrics.  Her scatting is effortless and beguiling, and has the ability to connect to an audience with utter flair, wit and charm.  There is not much this fine lady cannot do, and I will be an uber fan of hers forever!

Please visit Deborah Brown's wonderful website, jazzvox.com/deborahbrown, for her discography and bio, as well as Nich Anderson's great JazzVox website, jazzvox.com, for all the latest concert/artist info and to make reservations.

JAZZVOX CONCERT – JOHN PROULX AND CHUCK KISTLER – MAY 21, 2011

Nich Anderson, lauded vocalist with Seattle Jazz Singers, had two very big reasons to celebrate last night’s fantastic “Boys, Boys, Boys” concert, as part of the JazzVox house concert series, in Auburn, WA.  Reason #1:  It was a CD Release party for his stellar debut JazzVox CD “Back in your own backyard” (a showcase of new studio recordings by past JazzVox artists) and Reason #2:  It marked the resplendent return of great LA-based jazz vocalist/pianist John Proulx.  Nich has been hosting this incredible house concert series at his cozy condo in Auburn, WA and also the lovely home of friends Andy and Patti Carr on Camano Island for 3 1/2 years now.  He continues to enthrall audiences every time, bringing in the best national/international vocal artists as well as fostering a wealth of local and regional talent.

It was a magical evening with John singing in an understated, mellow style reminiscent of Chet Baker such eclectic tunes as his heart-rendering ballad “Welcome To My World” (about then-newborn daughter Maya who is now 3), the wonderful Jimmy McHugh song “I just found out about love” and “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You? popularized by Nat King Cole.  John encouraged lively audience participation in such numbers as his light-hearted original “Push-Hands Anna” (a tribute to his wife) and “Sing”, known by many from The Carpenter's timeless version.  He also featured songs on his two marvelous CD’s (“Moon and Sand”, and “Baker’s Dozen”) including “I’ve never been in love before” and the catchy closing number “Look for the silver lining”.

Not only is John Proulx a master of song but kept perfect time with his “toes” while playing a mightily swinging piano, yet had a sweetly sensitive, nuanced touch on gentler tunes.  He was accompanied brilliantly by local favorite Chuck Kistler who is established as a first-call bassist throughout the region.  Chuck plays with command and vigor and knows how to accentuate the melody and rhythm of every song to great effect.

I always relish each morning following a JazzVox concert because it allows me to reflect on the awesome music and special people I meet again or for the first time.  If you love vocal jazz in an intimate setting and want to be a part of this fabulous experience, and to purchase Nich’s fine JazzVox CD, please visit jazzvox.com.  Please also visit John Proulx’s terrific website at johnproulx.com for his latest concert and bio/CD information, as well as Chuck Kistler’s wonderful website at ChuckKislter.com.

JAZZ BRUNCH WITH THE GAIL PETTIS QUARTET - NORDIC HERITAGE MUSEUM - APRIL 23, 2011



Gail Pettis and Clark Sommers

What better way to spend a sunny Saturday morning than enjoying the exquisite vocal jazz stylings of local favorite Gail Pettis and her dynamic group at the Nordic Heritage Museum.  It is my third year of attending this marvelous event – a Swedish Pancake Jazz Brunch as part of the acclaimed Ballard Jazz Festival which typically runs during the third week in April.

Folks of all ages informally gathered around large round tables at the Museum helping themselves to sumptuous pancakes topped with strawberry and loganberry sauces as well as delicious sliced ham and plenty of OJ to go around.  I loved how the vibe was very peaceful and mellow, and Gail Pettis’ repertoire certainly accentuated that.  She claimed to at first not be familiar with standards as “Secret Love”, “Misty” “Night and Day”, “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Moonlight in Vermont” but sang them all with such finesse and ease that one could never tell!  She closed with her searing rendition of “At Last” which drew raves from the appreciative audience.  Gail’s rhythm section was second to none and augmented her so beautifully with Belgian-born Bram Weijters’ evocative interpretations on piano,  Clark Sommer’s soulful playing on bass, and Kobie Watkin’s sensitive interplay on drums.

It was truly a memorable occasion for everyone with one terrific final mainstage concert wrapping up the festival tonight at Nordic Heritage Museum featuring the Mitchel Forman Quartet, Ray Vega & Thomas Marriot’s East-West Trumpet Summit.  If you truly wish to experience all that this amazing jazz festival has to offer for next year, get a head start by visiting ballardjazzfestival.com with the latest concert and artist updates – you’ll be so glad you did!

JAZZVOX CONCERT – BEAT KAESTLI WITH JOHN HANSEN – FEBRUARY 20, 2011

February’s edition of the always stellar JazzVox House Concert Series featured Swiss-born vocalist/arranger Beat Kaestli on a glorious Sunday afternoon on Camano Island, WA.  The view was picture-perfect of the snow-capped North Cascades, and Beat enchanted us with his gorgeous baritone vocals and elegant demeanor.  Revered local pianist John Hansen provided the perfect accompaniment, embellishing each song with a plethora of ideas, unique rhythms and lush chordal patterns.

I particularly enjoyed Beat telling us about his Swiss-German heritage and how he melds European influences into his beautiful arrangements.  Beat’s ultra-suave presence and artful use of space so effectively distinguish him from such contemporary crooners as Harry Connick Jr. and Kurt Elling.  His eclectic repertoire ranges from Johnny Mercer’s “I Thought about You” to the beautiful Latin ballad “Pra dizer adeus”- To say Goodbye”, as well as two affecting original compositions “Corrupted by the blues” and “The Choice You Make”.  He also sang lovely renditions of “Day in Day Out” and “I Wish You Love”, and closed so eloquently with the classic “That’s all”.  Please check out Beat’s fabulous website www.beatkaestli.com to learn more about this true gentleman of jazz who we hope to see back in Seattle very soon!

As sensational as the music were delectable wine and soup ‘pairings’ fastidiously prepared by close friend Patti Carr who, along with her husband Andy Carr, hosted this afternoon’s concert.  She made two different soup dishes – turkey meatball and succulent crab bisque as well as her own special chili spiced with cumin and cloves.  Patti’s dessert ‘pairing’ was none other than a heavenly tiramisu with tantalizing rich dark-roast coffee.

It is always a great pleasure to see extraordinary vocal jazz artists as Beat and John with fellow music lovers, and enjoy the comforts of home indulging in culinary delights that are second to none.  If you too wish to be a part of this incredible experience, please visit JazzVox host Nich Anderson’s website at www.jazzvox.com for all the latest artist/concert info and to make reservations!  Season four’s popular JazzVox theme is “Boys, Boys, Boys” exclusively featuring top-notch male vocalists all year long – what a golden opportunity!