During 2020, North City Jazz Walk featured four local musicians—two long-time favorites and two new-to-the-Walk—all performing online to ensure the safety of our community during COVID-19.
North City Jazz Walk Online Musicians in 2020
Greta Matassa
7:01 pm – 7:39 pm
Greta Matassa – Vocals
Clipper Anderson – bass
Darin Clendenin – piano
Website: gretamatassa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/greta.matassa
YouTube: youtube.com/Greta.Matassa
Tip Jar: paypal.com/paypalme/gretamatassa
Voted “Northwest Vocalist of the Year” by Earshot Jazz 7 times in 15 years, and inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014, Greta has been a mainstay on Seattle’s jazz stages for years. Jim Wilke, the Seattle jazz maven and host of the syndicated “Jazz After Hours” radio program, praises her versatility: “She has a fearlessness in approaching material that makes her like an instrumentalist in a jam session.” Her 40 year career has been a whirlwind of exciting opportunities and experiences. Over the last 20 years she has become established as one of the greatest jazz singers of her time, working with top jazz musicians in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. She has recorded 11 CDs, including her latest release “Portrait” on Origin Records.
Jensen Findlay Tate Trio
7:39 pm – 8:16 pm
Brent Jensen – alto saxophone
Jamie Findlay – guitar
Steven Jay Tate – percussion
Website: allaboutjazz.com/brentjensen
Facebook: facebook.com/bjensenjazz
YouTube: youtube.com/user/bjensenjazz
Tip Jar: paypal.com/paypalme/bjensenjazz
Brent Jensen has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz artists including Gene Harris, Bobby Shew, Bill Anschell, Jeff Johnson, John Bishop, John Stowell, Jamie Findlay and others. His recording, “The Sound of a Dry Martini: Remembering Paul Desmond” charted at the #1 position on jazz radio stations across the country and was featured on JazzWeek’s Top 100 and NPR’s JazzWorks’ Top 25 lists.
Jamie Findlay is one of the masters of contemporary acoustic guitar with two CDs under his own name, “Wings of Light” and “Amigos del Corazon”. As a founding member of the Acoustic Jazz Quartet, he released CDs on the Naxos Jazz & Origin Records labels. Jamie contributes to several guitar magazines throughout the world, has taught jazz guitar at the University of Southern California and the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and has traveled and performed throughout the United States, Asia, Central America, Brazil and on eight tours of Europe.
Steve Tate has been playing music all his life. He’s a singer/songwriter, drummer, percussionist, guitarist, bassist, and educator. As a musician, he’s travelled extensively around North America. He’s worked at Breedlove Guitars in Bend OR, and now makes his home in Whatcom County where he’s an expert, and much sought after, instrument repair technician, luthier and percussionist.
The New Triumph
8:17 pm – 9:00 pm
Danny Godinez – guitar
Adam Kessler – drums
Camilo Estrada – bass
Sidney Hauser – saxophones
Ricardo Guity – percussion
Mack Grout – keyboards
Website: thenewtriumphmusic.com
Facebook: facebook.com/thenewtriumph
YouTube: youtube.com/thenewtriumphmusic
Tip Jar: paypal.com/paypalme/thenewtriumph
Comprised of some of the best players from Seattle’s World/Jazz/Funk scenes, The New Triumph plays an energetic, eclectic and original mix of funk, African, Latin and electro jazz, led by bassist Camilo Estrada. Says Andrew Luthringer of Earshot Jazz Magazine, “their warm throwback vibe with a breakbeat-ready, forward look that can ably represent Seattle in a venerable pantheon of laid-back, eclectic West coast funk.” Their album ‘Starship Estrada’ can be streamed, downloaded, and bought at www.thenewtriumph.bandcamp.com
Pearl Django
9:02 pm – 9:47 pm
Michael Gray – Violin
Rick Leppanen – Double Bass and composer
David Lange – Accordion
Jim Char – Guitar
Tim Lerch – Guitar
Website: pearldjango.com
Facebook: facebook.com/Pearl-Django
YouTube: youtube.com/Pearl-Django
Tip Jar: paypal.com/paypalme/PearlDjango
One of the most highly regarded Hot Club style groups working today, Pearl Django’s signature style is marked by pristine and dexterous string work, the colors of Bal Musette, the steady pulse of rhythm guitar, and an unmistakable swing. Established in 1994 in Tacoma, Washington by guitarists Neil Andersson and Dudley Hill and bassist David “Pope” Firman, they have changed and added members over the years and are now a quintet. Based in Seattle, they have played all around the United States, including the Juan de Fuca Festival in Washington state, the prestigious Festival Django Reinhardt in Samois-sur-Seine, France, and the first Django festival in Iceland in 2001.
North City Jazz Walk in Shoreline 