Jazz Under the Stars concert lineup announced

JULY 7: Casey MacGill Orchestra

The Casey MacGill Orchestra is dedicated to the swinging music of the 1930’s. We play with a dance beat; we love the harmonic color of Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and Artie Shaw; we like the fun of Fats Waller and the theatricality of Cab Calloway; and we like being a team, playing together as one with dynamics and esprit d’ corps. We are delighted to return this season and bring the rhythm of hot dance bands and the romance of music ‘under the stars’.

JULY 14: Keith Henson Octet

The Keith Henson Octet is an eight piece, five horn band featuring arrangements of jazz and popular danceable and listenable standards. Keith Henson Octet

JULY 21: Olympia Jazz Tentette

Six horns and four rhythms combine to create OJT “Olympia Jazz Tentette,” with all the energy and pizzazz of a big band with the subtlety of a small combo. Under the expert guidance of trumpeter Syd Potter, OJT offers an eclectic mix of music from great jazz composers and the Great American Songbook.

JULY 28: Wendy Gilles

Washington native and PLU alumna Wendy Gilles has spent the last ten years in New York, carving out a niche for herself in two distinct areas of its music scene. As the featured vocalist of the renowned Gil Evans Project, her “sweet, declarative voice” (ejazznews.com) and “infectious performances” (allmusic.com) on their two GRAMMY Award-nominated albums, Centennial and Lines of Color, have been roundly praised by critics. Wendy has performed as a leader or featured vocalist in NYC at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, Jazz Standard, Cornelia Street Cafe, 55 Bar, and Shapeshifter Lab, and in many fine concert venues across the country. Wendy is also an in-demand church musician and choral singer, and sings with the finest professional ensembles in the city, including the Concert Chorale of New York, Voices of Ascension, Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, Vox Vocal Ensemble, and the New York Choral Artists. The Choral Artists perform regularly with the New York Philharmonic, and with them, Wendy has performed many of the major classical masterworks under the direction of such luminaries as Alan Gilbert, Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, Michael Tilson Thomas, and shared the stage with Danny Elfman, Stephanie Blythe, Marion Cotillard, and Ingrid Michaelson.

AUGUST 4: Eugenie Jones

Eugenie Jones is described as a performer that makes audiences feel jazz. Vocally described as possessing, “A voice that covers words like pieces of silk covering precious stones,” Jones is an emotive, engaging song stylist that entertains and draws audiences into each performance.  Winner of Earshot Jazz NW Recording of the Year, Jones’ style is reminiscent of the sophistication of iconic vocalists/composers of the past.  She classically performs mainstream jazz and pulls listeners inside contemporary themes by sharing original vocal jazz tunes that have earned her international recognition as a cleverly gifted lyricist.

As a national recording artist, Jones albums have made it onto Jazz Week Review Top-50 list, been favorably reviewed by Down Beat, numerous industry critics, and have been the foundation for sold out performances from Washington, DC to Seattle, WA.