North City Bistro & Wine Shop- Seattle’s Hidden Gem

A spirited singer who covers jazz, classical, gospel, and folk genres with […]

I started the Jovino Santos Neto Quarteto right after I arrived in Seattle in 1993, as a vehicle to develop my original voice as a composer, arranger and musician. My goal was to join traditional Brazilian rhythms with a contemporary harmonic language and a strong focus on improvisation. Since then, I have written over 150 pieces for the ensemble, which became a Quintet in 2000. The core rhythm section of myself on piano and flute, Chuck Deardorf on bass and Mark Ivester on drums have remained together since the start. Jeff Busch on percussion and Ben Thomas on vibraphone joined us at different times. Over the years, the group has evolved a unique sound built upon solid grooves, world-class musicianship and interactive cohesion. In 1997 Liquid City Records released "Caboclo", our first CD. It was followed by "Live in Olympia" in 2000. In 2003 we were awarded a CMA New Works: Creation and Presentation Award for jazz composition. The commissioned music was recorded in the CD "Canto do Rio", which was nominated for the 2004 Latin Grammys as Best Latin Jazz Album. Since then, I have had 2 other CDs nominated for Latin Grammy Awards, "Roda Carioca" in 2006 and "Live at Caramoor" in 2009. In 2011 Adventure Music released another JSN Quinteto CD "Current", featuring a new set of my compositions and arrangements. In 2012 and 2015 we received the Seattle Golden Ear Award as Best Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the year. In 2018 we released Por Causa de Você”, a a live recording tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. The Quinteto, still with most of its original members, rehearses constantly, exploring deeper ways to engage in creative interpretations of our Brazilian-tinged music while allowing for greater individual explorations within the collective language of groove and improvisation.

Lee Oskar is an internationally acclaimed harmonica virtuoso, composer,
producer, manufacturer and lifelong musical explorer. He is renowned for his
iconic role as a founding member, co-composer and lead harmonica player of the
pioneering funk/jazz band that composed and recorded such hits as “Low
Rider,”“Spill the Wine,” “Cisco Kid,” “The World is a Ghetto,” “Slippin’ into
Darkness,” “Why Can’t Be Friends,” and many more chart-topping songs from
1969-1993.
Since then, Oskar and his original band mates from that era perform as the
LowRider Band. Oskar also performs around the world with outstanding musicians
from the Pacific Northwest, known as Lee Oskar & Friends, featuring his own new
arrangements, innovative compositions and well-loved hit songs.
Artistically, Oskar has earned critical and popular acclaim for nearly four decades
with his wide-ranging portfolio of unforgettable compositions evoking different
moods, rhythms and genres. In the words of Seattle Times critic Misha Berson,
“The harmonica man can really blow, but he can croon, too.”
Lee Oskar has earned ASCAP writing awards, and had his signature sound
celebrated in Pitbull and Kesha's recent hit, "Timber," which was inspired by
Oskar's harmonica contributions in the song "San Francisco Bay."
Lee Oskar established his own recording label, Dreams We Share™ in 2020. He
proudly produces professional recording artists as well as his own music. Most
recently, Oskar brought in highly accomplished instrumentalists to play exciting
new arrangements of his original compositions, that will be released in late 2021.
The first collection of Lee’s original works under Dreams We Share is the about-
to-be-released master work, “Never Forget”(2021), which serves as a culmination
of his life’s work and an artistic memoir of his life. Other recording projects with
Lee Oskar & Friends are in development.
Also under his Dreams We Share™ label, Oskar recently produced and released
the much-anticipated album, “So Much Trouble,” featuring original songs written
and performed by David Rotundo, a well-received Canadian artist and Lee Oskar
Harmonicas Featured Artist (Dreams We Share; October 2020). This album has
been highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike, performing consistently well on
numerous blues charts since its release.
In addition, Oskar has brilliantly produced the work of other artists playing Oskar

compositions, including Takahiro Miyazaki from Japan, who Oskar considers to be
one of the world’s greatest saxophone players
Oskar is proud to be a featured artist on globally recognized Playing for Change's
“Songs Around the World” album and the “Listen to the Music” project, in
collaboration with musicians around the world.
Through his company, Lee Oskar Harmonicas, he has

Award winning jazz educator Greta Matassa is very proud to be presenting […]

After over three decades as busy sideman and session musician, guitarist Brian […]

Twist, shag, jive and watusi to the retro repertoire of The New […]

Adriana & Marina and the band will be here Thursday February 10th. […]

Brazilian vocalist/composer Adriana Giordano and Spanish pianist/composer Marina Albero collaborate to bring an infectious collection of celebratory original music.  They are joined by one of Seattle's most versatile rhythm sections; bassist Dean Schmidt & drummer Jeff Busch.  An uplifting night, not to be missed!

“… a retro air that hints at the silken sophistication
and storytelling elan of the young Nancy Wilson…”
Christopher Loudon
JazzTimes MAGAZINE

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.

Join Seattle jazz sweethearts Greta Matassa and Clipper Anderson with their group […]

Abby K draws upon many influences in her music from her childhood days […]

Clave Gringa returns to North City Bistro this time with 2 horns! Daniel Barry (trumpet) and Darian Asplund (tenor sax and flute). And, we have a new fabulous percussionist, Willie Garza. What remains the same is the great selection of Cuban tunes - standards and a couple of new originals by Ann Reynolds. The joy and warmth of Cuba! Please join us.

You can expect Joel Astley to bring you an upbeat blend of […]

Composer, bandleader and Seattle native Jenny Davis is a critically acclaimed
jazz vocalist, music educator, and passionate human rights proponent. Refusing
to conform to more vocal jazz idioms, Davis began composing her own material,
hiring instrumentalists, and taking her ideas onto the bandstand. With a desire to
focus more on writing, she was led to graduate school, and to alliances with
arrangers, producers and co-founders of her cooperative record label, Three
Penny Records.
Pushed to the creative edge, her fourth album as leader, and latest release,
REARRANGED, is inspired by a devotion to gender rights advocacy. It is an
album in which the art of composition takes center stage, as all but three works
featured here have been crafted by Davis. Attracting collaboration from both jazz
and cross-genre arrangers , the album features an all-star cast, of seventeen
world-class musicians, including: multi-Grammy© nominated pianist, Jovino
Santos Neto, Dmitri Matheny; Mark Taylor, Kate Olson, Cynthia Mullis, Jim
Dejoie, Heather Bentley, David Lange, Chuck Deardorf, Jeff Busch, Lorrie Ruiz,
Vanessa Littrell and NYC Sirius String Quartet.
Jenny’s tour schedule has included both national and international destinations
— most recently performing to sold out audiences in Lyon, France, with the
David Bressat Trio. Jenny holds an MFA in Music Composition from Vermont
College of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Cornish
College of the Arts. She currently lectures at various Pacific NW colleges and
schools and is on music faculty at Island Music Guild, Bainbridge Island, WA.
PRESS QUOTES
“Passionate…brilliant!    EARSHOT JAZZ
“A talented singer-composer – knocking it out of the park!” ROOTS MUSIC REPORT
“With REARRANGED, Davis has catapulted her career out of the jazz standards vocalist idiom
and conveyed a depth of writing with profundity.”  CONTEMPORARY FUSION
“Her voice resonates with a crystalline serenity—hauntingly beautiful”  EARSHOT JAZZ
“Wise Up” is an instrumental wonder!”  CONTEMPORARY FUSION
“An impressive vocalist… equally captivating as a composer.”  THE SENTINEL & RURAL TIMES
"Like any good jazz musician Jenny uses her voice as an instrument… the kind of singer that
gets deep into the songs and makes you feel the lyrics.” JAZZ TIMES

John Pinetree & The Yellin' Degenerates are an eclectic collective of musicians […]

With a performance history spanning more than 27 years and having released […]

With nearly 20 years of bringing their special blend of Gypsy jazz […]

Jazz artists Dmitri Matheny and Holly Pyle join forces for one night only in an all-star celebration of Joni Mitchell!

Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell is a Canadian singer-songwriter and painter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, classical, and jazz, Mitchell's songs often reflect on social and philosophical ideals as well as her feelings about romance, womanhood, disillusionment and joy. Winner of nine Grammy Awards and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she has been called “one of the greatest songwriters ever” (Rolling Stone) and “the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century” (All Music Guide).

Known for her “soulfully graceful, liquid-like voice” (Phoenix New Times), Los Angeles vocalist Holly Pyle started out as an opera major before studying jazz and psychology. Now one of the most popular vocalists in the west, Holly performs with leading jazz groups, tours with the progressive soul-pop band House of Stairs, and appears regularly as a solo a-cappella act using electronic looping to build masterful sonic creations.

Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny has been lauded as “one of the most emotionally expressive improvisers of his generation” (International Review of Music). An honors graduate of Berklee College of Music, Dmitri Matheny vaulted onto the jazz scene in the 1990s as the protégé of jazz legend Art Farmer. Since then he has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal international following, releasing eleven CDs and touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.The San Francisco Chronicle calls Matheny “one of the jazz world’s most talented horn players.”