Duende Libre is a dynamic and uplifting quintet that blends elements of Afro-Cuban jazz with Brazilian samba, American funk, and traditional West African music into a unique sound of their own. The band’s most-recent album won an Earshot Jazz Golden Ear award for “Northwest Recording of the Year.”

Le Cirque Jazz is Hans Teuber (woodwinds and piano), Keith Lowe (Bass), Brian Monroney (Guitar) and Jacques Willis (Drums). They play a fun eclectic mix of jazz, funk, surf, latin, cafe music and beyond. The members of Le Cirque Jazz connected as the band for the legendary Teatro Zinzanni.

Lively and entertaining, Clave Gringa comes to North City Bistro this time with two horns (Daniel Barry on trumpet and Nathaniel Schleimer on tenor sax and flute), phenomenal percussionist Willie Garza, new star bassist Trevor Ford, and the leader pianist and vocalist Ann Reynolds. The band will take you on a journey through Cuban music from the classically oriented danzon and cha-cha-cha styles to the African folkloric sounds and rumba. You won’t be able to sit still! Clave Gringa plays original Cuban jazz originals composed by the leader, pianist Ann Reynolds, and Cuban standards that capture the joy and positive energy and love of Cuba.

David Miles Keenan and Nova Karina Devonie  - AKA - ‘Miles & […]

Formed in 1993, the Latin Grammy-nominated Quinteto has become one of the most important creative music ensembles of the West Coast. Performing Jovino’s original arrangements and compositions, its members excel in near-telepathic musical interactions, modern harmonic journeys, deep lyricism and high energy Brazilian grooves that never fail to excite audiences. Voted several times as Best Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the year by readers of Earshot Jazz Magazine.

With Ben Thomas on vibraphone and bandoneon, Chuck Deardorf on acoustic and electric basses, Mark Ivester on drums and Jeff Busch on percussion, plus Jovino on piano, flute and melodica.

Casey is a seasoned performer with credits including opening the Broadway Musical Swing, appearing in the movie “Frances” starring Jessica Lange. In his earlier years he was a well known Hollywood entertainer with his Trio ‘Mood Indigo’, entertaining some of the greats like Fred Astaire, Burt Reynolds’s, Steve Lawrence. He appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show as well as “The Gong Show”. After years of local and international performing of swing music and standards, Casey has decided to share his original music in his upcoming 2 volume set “Love Letter”. This collection features a variety of styles, from jazz and funk to pop ballads; from old style pop tunes to swing orchestra pieces. Come enjoy Casey and the group play some of these new tunes along with some old standards.

Duo Violão Plus One Roots Choro and Samba! Duo Violão plus 1 started with two […]

“Jim's been writing great topical songs for as long as I can remember, bringing his acute wit and wry humor to a host of subjects that can really use both. In the tradition of  Woody and Dylan, he cuts right to the heart with music you actually enjoy listening to. I'm a longtime admirer."       Bonnie Raitt

Enjoy a night of uplifting Brazilian music with the wonderful, spirited vocals […]

“Northwest Jazz vocalist of the year 2021! Award-winning, Hall of Fame Jazz […]

Bio for Student showcase the 20th 7-9:30 Greta Matassa’s Student Performance Award-winning […]

“If silk were a sound, it’d be Darelle Holden singing”. –Jonathan Shipley […]

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

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

Classical guitarist Hilary Field, jazz guitarist Ron Peters, and flamenco fusion
guitarist Andre Feriante join forces in an evening of great guitar music from
around the world. Playing separately and together, they bring nylon and steel
strings to life with music that spans centuries, styles, and genres.
International performing and recording artist, Hilary Field, has garnered praise for
her dynamic virtuosity, her sensitive musicianship, and for the emotional depth she
brings to the heart of classical guitar music. She has released several awardwinning CDs, including her debut recording, Music of Spain and Latin America,
which was an award winner for Classical Album of the Year by the National
Association of Independent Record Distributors. Hilary has been a featured
performer in international guitar festivals throughout the world, and has received
grants for composing and performing new music by the Seattle Office of Arts and
Culture, 4Culture, and Artist Trust. “Hilary Field, is a dynamic player. She doesn’t
just recite what can often be complex work, but imbues it with fire and grace.” -
Seattle Times
Seattle-based jazz guitarist, Ron Peters, is in high demand as a performer and
educator with his gift for melodic improvisation, sense of imaginative interplay,
and intimate connection to the instrument. An alumnus of Berklee College of
Music, Ron also studied privately with guitar legends Joe Pass and Mick Goodrick.
Ron cut his teeth in the studios and bandstands of New York City and Los Angeles
before settling in Seattle. In his decades-long career, Ron has performed with The
Manhattan Transfer, Chevy Chase, The Don Ellis Orchestra, and Pearl Django,
among others. “A great jazz guitarist who has the ability to play sensitive and
melodic solos, and is wonderful at developing a high level of intimacy and
creativity in his playing, with unrestrained imagination.” – Just Jazz Guitar
With 4 decades of performing and recording, award-winning virtuoso guitarist
Andre Feriante has left his mark on the classical, neo-flamenco, world music and
fusion scenes. A cross-over artist in the vein of Yo Yo Ma or Sting, his performance
program represents a bold by fluid music fusion, featuring music from Bach to
Leonard Cohen, flamenco improvisation to jazz standards, Americana to World
Music, and even poetry by Frederico Garcia Lorca, Rumi, and Feriante himself. A
true artist in every sense, Andre is a composer offering his own musical art.“With
artistic versatility and seductive creativity, Feriante is the Picasso of the
guitar.” - Citysearch

Son Cubano is one of the most popular musical styles in Cuba and Kiki Valera is one of its foremost exponents. Cuban son is the music that made the Buena Vista Social Club worldwide stars in the late 1990s but Kiki Valera comes from a family of musicians whose involvement with Cuban son pre-dates the BVSC by decades. A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, sound engineer and producer, Kiki is best known as one of the world’s greatest players of the Cuban cuatro, a mid-size guitar with 8 strings grouped in sets of 2.

Kiki will be joined this evening by an all star lineup including Carlos Cascante and Victor Castillo on vocals, Pedro Vargas on congas, Steve Guasch on bongos, Javier Marú on guitar & Alex Dyring on bass.

Penney and Pinetree team up for night of swinging jazz, sultry blues, […]

"A folk-pop trio from Seattle, performs funny original songs whose exquisite musical detail and subtle needling wit attain a level of craft not often seen in pop" - NY Times

Imagine what might happen if Tim Burton and Edward Gorey hijacked the Andrews Sisters en route to a Stephen Sondheim festival with The Beatles and Tom Lehrer in the sidecar; you'd get Seattle super-harmonizers Uncle Bonsai. With just three voices and an acoustic guitar, Uncle Bonsai presents an often dizzying vocal array of intricate harmony. Their songs, dark and hilarious at times, just as often delight with moments of great insight and beauty. The trio aligns itself with the under-achiever, the dejected, the outsider, the black sheep. Densely-packed lyrics fly by in a whir at times, and take a skewed stance on topics such as first-world problems, the creation of the universe, the afterlife, and, of course, holidays with the family. Uncle Bonsai's acoustic folk-pop songs are almost one-act plays or short stories, resisting strict pop, folk, or singer-songwriter categories. Their songs focus on the passing of time, the passing of genes, and the passing of pets - the truth of everything seemingly buried somewhere under the family tree.

The group has eight recordings, a reversible/hard cover book for parents (and their kids), and is currently preparing an all new show, “Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs,” a 25-song song cycle which will premiere in March 2023.

Come out and help the group celebrate its 41st anniversary in this wonderful, very intimate, setting. This is a chance to hear songs from four decades of performing/recording, including the most recent releases “The Family Feast: The Study of the Human Condition, First World Problems, and the Lasting Physiological and Psychological Effects of Eating Our Young” and “The Grim Parade,” but that’s not all; Uncle Bonsai will be performing a few songs from the aforementioned “Seven Sins, Seven Wonders, Seven Dwarfs” song cycle including perhaps — shhh, it’s a secret — a world premiere or two!

"Singers Ratshin, O'Neill and Adler are pitch-perfect in their delivery of often complex harmonic arrangements. And if there were an Ella Fitzgerald Award for Exquisite Elocution in Song, they would surely get it. The trio officially bills itself as a "folk" outfit, but has none of the naiveté that label might suggest. These are nicely edgy, sour-sweet songs, written for grown-ups." - The Seattle Times