Lisa & David and a traditional but not stuffy Jewish wedding ceremony, which gave us an opportunity to play our arrangements of “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem” and “Etz Chaim”, always a treat. And once the reception was in full swing and we busted out a rousing version of “Hava Nagila” the dance floor was packed and jubilant!

We also had the honor of being joined by our dear friend Isabella DuGraf. Bella is a vocalist extraordinaire who has been studying at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and has flown back to Seattle for the summer to join us for a few weddings. Everytime I get to play with her she gets better and better, and she fits in with the band beautifully.

Lisa was the center of attention in her gorgeous gown and huge smile all night long! However, her father’s toast was hilarious and he almost wouldn’t give up the microphone! Once he did, he hit the dance floor with reckless abandon! So nice to see a family truly enjoying the moment. We are privileged to spend these precious moments with people like Lisa, Dave and their family and friends.

Monday David sent me this nice note: “We both enjoyed you and the band very much on our big day. It couldn’t have been better.”

It was a picture-perfect night to be on the water, with clear skies, warm temperatures and a nice cool breeze once we got sailing. The ceremony itself was planned for the moment the sun set, with beautiful views of Mt. Rainier to one side and downtown Seattle to the other. I can’t remember a more magical setting for a wedding!

We had a wonderful time playing for Pam & Jon and their family and friends. We also took advantage of the beautiful setting to truly remind us what a spectacular part of the country we live in!

Yesterday I got a lovely email from Pam, who remarked, “You were fantastic at our wedding! Your quartet was perfect, just like the weather.” Now that’s what I like to hear!

View from the bandstand - not too shabby!

We had the pleasure of playing at Sarah & Gabe’s wedding in Port Gamble this past weekend. I’ve driven through Port Gamble many times on my way to Port Townsend and always loved this cute little waterfront town on the Hood Canal, but this is the first time I ever stopped there. I’m so glad I did! It’s a quaint town that has a very relaxed feel to it. And gorgeous views from just about anywhere!

Sarah & Gabe were married in the Hood Canal Vista Pavilion, which definitely lives up to its name! Josh and I played the ceremony and then Evan and Adam joined us for the reception and dinner. This was a fairly intimate wedding and all of their family and friends were very good to us. A couple guests even asked for CD’s, which is always a good sign!

Josh, Evan & Adam hard at work

We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world and I love to find new and undiscovered places to play and enjoy the scenery. Thanks to Sarah & Gabe for the excuse to finally stop in Port Gamble…I’ll definitely be back! If you’re looking for a gorgeous waterfront option for your wedding, definitely check them out!

Thanks to Lauren and all at the Academy for having us, and for making up this extra spiffy signage! Also, thanks to Matt Brown of Things That Are Brown for the nice photo of the trio above.

I met with the happy couple a few weeks before the big day to discuss the music, and it was clear that Mark was the jazz fan. He had all sorts of questions about the music, the instrumentation, my business and how I can make a living as a musician. It was great to talk to them, and in the end they basically said “just do what you do”, which I always love to hear! They had seen us perform in the clubs and knew what we were about!

Thanks to Lynda Burgan of Blue Moon Memories Photography for the beautiful photo above!

This was a small wedding in number, but big on joy! The whole day, from the setting up to the last goodbyes, was filled with laughter, joy and dancing. Erica & Brian had come to see us perform and knew that we brought some serious joy to our performances as well, and told me they just wanted us to do our thing! I love couples like that. And we did. We had a wonderful time playing our favorite jazz standards and even threw in a couple original tunes as well.

There were many small children at this wedding, and a few of them danced almost all afternoon!

Here are a few beautiful pictures from Red Fish Blue Fish Photography:

The Happy Couple

Josh & Jason

Isn't He Adorable??

Katie & Tripp were gorgeous and their family and friends all seemed to think they are the perfect couple. I have no reason to think otherwise. They seemed calm and perfectly in tune throughout our meetings beforehand and even on the big day. Their pastor was someone who had known Tripp for a while, and he performed a heart-felt and personal ceremony, telling stories and laughing the whole way through.

They hired us to provide the music for both the ceremony and reception, and Katie really wanted a violin for the ceremony. I contacted my friend Janet, who plays in the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Bellevue Philharmonic, Northwest Symphony Orchestra and substitutes with Northwest Sinfonietta. She and pianist Mack Grout played absolutely gorgeous versions of “Ave Maria”, Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” and Handel’s “Hornpipe” during the ceremony. Then the band was joined by our favorite vocalist Katrina Kope for the reception. Every time we play with Katrina I get so many compliments on her voice and her singing. She really knows how to wow a crowd!

The whole evening was wonderful and I thank Katie, Tripp and their family and friends for being so good to us and allowing us to be a part of their big day.

I hope to have pictures soon from Sarah Craig Photography to post.

“No More, No Less” is the follow-up to the JPQ’s self-titled debut album from 2007. The new CD documents the growth the band has gone through during the past two years and illustrates the cohesive, passionate playing that prompted Earshot Jazz to call them “The next generation of Seattle Jazz.” Songs include one original by Parker and fresh takes on compositions by a diverse group of songwriters, including Wayne Shorter, Cole Porter, Sam Rivers, Nick Drake, George Gershwin, Duke Pearson and Tatum Greenblatt. The addition of Mullis on three tracks adds fire and depth to the band, and she fits in perfectly with the exploratory nature of the core quartet.

The JPQ prides itself on compelling original compositions and fresh interpretations of jazz standards. With the inclusion of Nick Drake’s “Three Hours” they have signaled a commitment to playing songs from outside the traditional jazz canon. And with Tatum Greenblatt’s “Mance’s Dance” they have shown a desire to play songs written by their peers. Greenblatt is a Seattle-born, NYC-based trumpet player currently studying for a Masters’ Degree at Juilliard School of Music.

The CD Release Party at Lucid Jazz Lounge will feature songs from the new CD and other goodies as well, featuring Mullis joining the band for the evening. The CD will be available at the show for a suggested donation of $15, but will be available to all attendees on a pay-what-you-can basis. Everyone paying $15 or more will also receive a free download of “Jason Parker and Friends – Live at Lucid”, which was recorded earlier this summer.

You can stream the album for free here, or just click the “play” button in the right-hand column to listen while you continue to surf this page.

Show time for the Release Party is 9:30pm. Lucid Jazz Lounge is located at 5241 University Way NE, Seattle. There is no cover charge and the show is 21+.

Bios

Josh Rawlings – Pianist and Composer Josh Rawlings is a renaissance jazz pianist that exhibits awesome ability on his instrument and ease playing genre-to-genre – setting-to-setting. Since moving to Seattle, Rawlings has seen wide successes as a performer and musician, and has been featured on the Northwest’ most prestigious stages. Josh graduated from Seattle’s renowned Cornish College of the Arts in 2005, and has twice since been honored by Earshot Magazine’s Golden Ear Award Nominations. Having studied and performed with renowned groups & musicians Denney Goodhew and the Qhromatics, Randy Halberstadt, Jovino Santos Neto and Hadley Caliman while at Cornish, Josh developed a voice that was literally bursting out of his school doors.

Evan Flory-Barnes – Bassist Evan Flory-Barnes has distinguished himself as the first-call bassist in the Seattle area in any number of genres. He envisions and lives the creation of a community of musicians and other artists brought together by excitement, collaboration, and a spirit of well-being, known as New Seattle. The original groups Threat of Beauty, Industrial Revelation, Ciendo and The Teaching have each been born of the New Seattle spirit. Evan’s buoyant swing, cold grooves, blistering solos and inventive bow playing are fully exposed through performances with his own groups and with groups in all genres, including the Marc Seales Quintet, Jovino Santos-Neto, Correo Aereo, Choklate, and Scandalmonger. He was recently awarded the prestigious Meet the Composer grant to produce a 9-movement orchestral work with dance that will be featured in the 2009 Earshot Jazz Festival. In 2007 he was a featured artist on the Seattle Channel’s Verve Series of artist documentaries.

D’Vonne Lewis – D’Vonne Lewis is a self-taught drummer with a background in gospel, funk, and rhythm and blues. Lewis graduated from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School where he has received numerous high school jazz band awards, including outstanding soloist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival for the years of 2000, 2001, and 2002. In early 2007, he was awarded the Seattle Jazz, Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Emerging Artist of 2006. Lewis has performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Marian McPartland, guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, vocalist Dee Daniels, jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels, Larry Fuller, and out-sax titan Charles Gayle. Lewis plays in several bands around the puget sound exploring a broad range of music styles including jazz, funk, African, Brazilian, hip-hop, and r&b. In the fall of 2004, the D’Vonne Lewis Quintet was featured at the Earshot Jazz Festival. He now leads his own quartet, Industrial Revelation and his own trio Triplication. D’Vonne is a regular member of Marc Seales’ Quintet, McTuff, Seattle’s soul queen Choklate, Seattle’s Blue Scholars. and The Hadley Caliman Quartet.

Cynthia Mullis – Cynthia Mullis is a versatile, accomplished saxophonist and jazz artist. Since moving to Seattle in 2000, she has become an active member of the Pacific Northwest music scene after many years in New York and San Francisco. Cynthia leads the jazz group New York Confidential which combines the finest jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest with musical style inspired by the Big Apple. The chemistry of the band is organic, creative and exciting, and performs classic jazz and original jazz compositions. The band features top-notch northwest jazz musicians in concert, club and festival settings. New York Confidential also provides professional musical services for various events in the Seattle area. In addition to performing with other notable Northwest groups, Cynthia is a regular member of the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra. She is featured on tenor and alto saxophone on their 2007 OA2 Records release, Meeting of the Waters. Cynthia also performed with SWOJO at the Lima Jazz Festival in 2007. Cynthia lived and worked in New York City from 1993 through 2000. She moved to the Big Apple at the encouragement of Jimmy Heath, and studied saxophone, composition and jazz improvisation with the legendary saxophonist at Queens College. While completing her studies with Mr. Heath, she immersed herself in the jazz scene of New York City, hitting late night jam sessions, practicing hours a day, and meeting and performing with world-class musicians. From 1994 to 2000 she was a member of the all-women big band Diva, based in New York City. With Diva, she performed extensively across the United States, backing such artists as Diane Schuur, Joe Williams and Dave Brubeck. While with Diva, Cynthia performed at numerous prestigious venues, including the Blue Note, Birdland, and Tavern on the Green in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the SS Norway and QE2 Floating Jazz Festivals, and jazz festivals in Berlin, Montreal, Austria and Switzerland. Cynthia can be heard on two of Diva’s CDs, Leave It to Diva and I Believe in You. Cynthia Mullis earned a Master of Arts in Jazz Performance from Queens College in NYC. She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from the University of Northern Colorado. In addition she has an AAAS Degree in Graphic Design from Shoreline Community College and a Certificate in Arts Management from the UW. Cynthia is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is also a graphic designer and writer who enjoys discovering the parallels between visual art and music.

But I just couldn’t wait until then to share the new music with the world, so I’ve made the mp3′s available for download on my Bandcamp page. As of today you can stream the entire album there. If you dig it, I hope you’ll consider purchasing it. And if you really dig it, tell a friend!