BLUE HAWAIIAN: Vintage & International Jazz… with a Tropical Twist!

Versatile, multilingual, Hawaiian jazz vocalist Nikki Dee will “knock your Aloha shirt off” with a seamless blend of styles and languages that will transport you around the world, from Brazil to Hawaii to the French Caribbean and beyond.

In a single evening you’ll travel back in time to the boisterous speakeasy’s of 1920s New York; sip cocktails in a small café in 1950′s Paris or Rome; samba the night away in present-day Rio de Janeiro; and feel a lovely hula girl (or beach boy!) slip a lei around your neck in old Waikiki.

Featuring:

• Nikki Dee on vocals, ukulele & percussion
• Matt Wexler on upright bass
• Tim Tacket Brown on drums & percussion
• Rotating guest musicians on piano, guitar, accordion, vocals & more!

http://nikkideemusic.com/blue_hawaiian

No charge, open to the public

Suzie Bradford’s sultry pop vocals are like a smooth sip of nectar. She’s been influenced by such artists as Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan & Aimee Mann, but more often, this Washington-born singer/songwriter draws inspiration from those close to her—a community of fantastic friends and musicians. In 2003 she joined with guitarist/backup vocalist (and now husband) Ben Bradford to start the musical group known as “The Side Project.” They quickly began doing what they love best, playing crowd-pleasing adult contemporary music as often as they could. In 2010, they released their third album, “Wake Up Call.” The Side Projects’ music also has been played in Starbucks across the country and radio stations around the world.

http://www.tspband.com/

No charge, open to the public

Rochelle House grew up in California. Rochelle studied jazz, commercial music, and studio singing in Southern California, at Golden West College. While learning how to work in a recording studio, Rochelle discovered a passion for studio time that remains to this day.

In her twenties, she changed her artistic focus from music to child development, raising “four very beautiful human beings.” During this period she wrote “a bunch of folk songs” during nap time. When her youngest child started school Rochelle returned to music: going to jam sessions, studying with the free jazz vocalist Jay Clayton, and attending the Centrum jazz workshops. She took courses at the University of Washington and “mixed them up” with classes at Antioch University to get her BA, in Music/Jazz.

With so much the time spent in the recording studio as a youth, Rochelle had come to think of the recording process as an art form. Her first recording “Dreams of love” was well received by the jazz community. It earned her a nomination for Vocalist of the Year by Seattle’s Earshot Jazz organization.

Rochelle’s sophomore cd “Water” 2009 is an interesting mix of her own compositions and unusual pieces played by a world-class group of Seattle-based jazz musicians. The album is meant to encourage people to become familiar with the decisions that are being made about water ownership and the availability of clean water, with the hope that people will be inspired to help to make our world as good as it can be, for everybody.

Rochelle House performs music in many configurations, duo to orchestra, from straight ahead classic jazz groups, to her latest adventure the “New House Orchestra” which blends the sensibilities of Jazz, Hip Hop, Latin Music, Rock, and Country Music.

http://www.rochellehouse.net

No charge, open to the public.

Overton Berry began his musical career over fifty years ago at the age of 16, when he played USO shows at military bases on the west coast with the first Overton Berry Trio. Since those early beginnings the music has never stopped. He is described in the Pacific Northwest as “a living legend”, and his wealth of experience and generations of fans bear witness to this affectionate accolade.

http://overtonberry.com/

No charge, open to the public

Seattle singer-songwriter Kristin Chambers is an extraordinary musical force. With an infectious passion for live performance, her exceptionally trained voice shifts through a wide musical spectrum with ease. Her sound is both fierce and angelic, endearing her to audiences across all age groups and genres.

http://www.kristinchambers.com/

No charge, open to the public

Kelley Johnson is an international award winning jazz vocalist who is known and respected as an arranger, poet and lyricist with a personal body of recordings. Kelley’s lithe velvety voice mixes with a dynamic delivery and tricky colorful arrangements to showcase her interpretive finesse and inspired soloists. An organic groovy singer with a direct approach, Kelley reaches her audience with storytelling, subtlety, soulfulness and swing.
http://kelleyjohnson.com/

No charge, open to the public

Best known for his stint as the drummer in the Screaming Trees, a rock group, and having a few jam sessions with Nirvana friends Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain, Mark now plays solo, upholding the most unique sound in Seattle. Classified as Country, Melodramatic Pop Song, New Wave, you will never experience another sound quite like it. He will have you coming back for more.

Mark Pickerel

No charge, open to the public

Brazil Novo recreates the era of classic Bossa Nova for fans of Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Caetano Veloso, and Stan Getz. Led by Puerto Rican trumpeter Michel Navedo singing in Portuguese and improvising with his mellow, soulful tone, the group strives to stay true to the roots of Brazilian urban music. Featuring instrumentation reflective of the time, the Classical guitar and upright bass offer a sublime acoustic atmosphere, while subtle; samba infused percussion recreates the seductive groove that made Bossa Nova famous. Relive the exotic ambience of the “New Sound” of Brazil with Brazil Novo.

No charge, open to the public.

Described by Michael Kieran Harvey (concert pianist and composer) as ‘a true talent…she will be a great hit wherever she goes’, Van-Anh Nguyen is a passionate 24 year old Vietnamese-Australian pianist and producer. Van-Anh started learning the piano at the tender and astounding age of 15 months with both of her parents (of whom are both professional musicians). By the age of 4, she was accepted into the Young Artists Program for gifted & talented musicians at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. By the age of 9, she had obtained her Associate Diploma in Music (Australia), and at aged 12, received her Licentiate Diploma in Music (Australia), making history as one of the youngest in her generation. She has given numerous media performances including on Channel 9’s Kerry Anne Kennedy Show and Channel 7’s The Witness Program. Her bubbly personality and emotive playing has graced the stages of Sydney. Van-Anh continues to give extensive concerts around Sydney as well as along the east coast of Australia at events such as the Mostly Mozart Series, World Youth Day 2008, the Chinese Chamber Music Festival and various charity events. She has also performed overseas in such countries as Germany, Austria, USA and Taiwan. In November 2005, she made her solo debut in Vietnam with the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra. Van-Anh has continued giving concerts in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in collaboration with the Australian Embassy. Van-Anh Nguyen has been described as a versatile performer, having a strong passion for classical chamber music as well as a pop sensibility to collaborate with pop bands and acts such as The Seen, Thanh Bui, Sally Cooper, Adam Katz and various others. Other than performing, Van-Anh’s passion extends into writing, having graduated with a Bachelor of Media (Writing) degree. She has written for ABC Limelight Magazine and continues her writing for 2MBS-FM’s Fine Music Magazine. However through her passion and love for spreading music to youths and audiences, Van-Anh dropped her second Bachelor Degree in Law to return to music and obtain a Graduate Diploma at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Her goal as a pianist is to ensure that the classical genre continues to be appreciated by the younger generation of today by making it more accessible not only as a genre but also revolutionise the concert experience by creating an interaction between herself and her audience.

http://www.myspace.com/vananhnguyenmusic

No charge, open to the public

BLUE HAWAIIAN: Vintage & International Jazz… with a Tropical Twist!

Versatile, multilingual, Hawaiian jazz vocalist Nikki Dee will “knock your Aloha shirt off” with a seamless blend of styles and languages that will transport you around the world, from Brazil to Hawaii to the French Caribbean and beyond.

In a single evening you’ll travel back in time to the boisterous speakeasy’s of 1920s New York; sip cocktails in a small café in 1950′s Paris or Rome; samba the night away in present-day Rio de Janeiro; and feel a lovely hula girl (or beach boy!) slip a lei around your neck in old Waikiki.

Featuring:

• Nikki Dee on vocals, ukulele & percussion
• Matt Wexler on upright bass
• Tim Tacket Brown on drums & percussion
• Rotating guest musicians on piano, guitar, accordion, vocals & more!

http://nikkideemusic.com/blue_hawaiian

No charge, open to the public