Local group Jazz Train opens the festival on Tuesday at the Mazama Public House, joined by Nancy Zahn.
Six days of instrumental and vocal jazz featuring an expansive range of styles — jazz standards, Brazilian jazz, contemporary compositions, and rock-influenced vibes — are coming to venues throughout the Methow Valley from Tuesday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 30.
The Methow Valley Jazz Festival features top talents from the Pacific Northwest and beyond in concerts, workshops and informal jazz sessions, many of them free, thanks to generous support from the community. All events are free for students.
The ambitious festival is organized by local jazz flutist George Schneider, who publishes the Methow Music Monthly, and vocalist Nancy Zahn, a former valley resident.
Jazz is not a homogeneous sound — it encompasses many styles and influences from many cultures, and audiences will get to experience the full variety over the course of the week, Schneider said.
The festival launches with the valley’s resident jazz quartet Jazz Train, with Schneider on flute, Marcus Duke on piano, Dave Nolet on upright bass and Kirk Schumacher on drums. Zahn will join Jazz Train for the evening of rhythmic, rock-inflected music.
The Will Lone Quartet appears at the Winthrop library on Wednesday.
Long-time Methow singer Laura Love characterized Zahn’s voice as “like drawn butter… always deeply satisfying, smooth, expressive and brimming with nuance.”
The Greta Matassa Quintet, an acclaimed ensemble from Seattle featuring Matassaon vocals, will dish up jazz standards on Saturday, Aug. 29. Matassa is accompanied by Brian Monroney on guitar, Clipper Anderson on bass, Mark Ivester on drums, and Hans Tueber on sax.
Matassa is hailed as the queen of the Pacific Northwest jazz vocal scene, with an impressive 40-year career as a singer and teacher. She’s been voted — eight times — as the best jazz vocalist in the northwest and is honored with a spot in the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame.
Matassa has been praised as “a consummate jazz singer who has it all — a great sound and sense of swing,” who’s gifted at connecting with audiences. The Seattle Times called her “a powerful, distinctive vocalist. Seemingly limitless as to what jazz form she can master.”
The electrifying Seattle-based band EntreMundos Quarteto is making its debut in the valley on Friday, Aug. 28, at the TwispWorks pavilion. EntreMundos delivers an uplifting, kinetic and danceable mix of deep Brazilian roots flavored with world rhythms and inspired vocals.
Brazilian pianist Jovino Santos Neto is featured on Thursday, Aug. 27, along with the virtuosic Jenny Xu/Ben Feldman Duo on piano and bass. That show is already sold out, but people can catch Xu and Feldman in a quartet with percussionist Will Lone at the Winthrop Public Library on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Valley native Lone and his quartet will perform contemporary music and original compositions.
Nancy Zahn is a co-organizer.
In addition to being a consummate musician, Jovino is a scholar of music, history and science, which he’ll share in a lecture before the Will Lone Quartet at the library on Wednesday.
Long-time valley composer and pianist Lynette Westendorf returns with her latest work, “One World,”“a project of spirit and peace, founded on the belief that the common language of music and art unites all people everywhere,” Westendorf said.
The work, which Westendorf has been developing for several years, pays homage to rhythms and modes from around the world. It was performed in the valley two years ago, featuring poets Cindy Williams Gutiérrez and Greg Wright.
At the jazz festival, “One World”will be performed in trio form with Nolet on bass and Schumacher on drums. There are plans to record the entire composition, with both the trio and the poets, later this year.
Local talents will be featured in a showcase on Sunday night (Aug. 30), followed by a jam session with Duke on piano, Nolet and Schumacher.
There are other opportunities for people to learn about jazz. Musicians can get high-level instruction in improv and music theory from Westendorf, Xu and Feldman on Saturday morning (Aug. 29).
