May 18-21
Multiple Venues
$169
Photo of Lake Chelan Wine and Jazz Festival courtesy of the Lake Chelan Wine and Jazz Festival Foundation
BY JOSH HOU
The annual Lake Chelan Wine and Jazz Festival is happening again this spring, from May 18th through the 21st. This fifth year of the festival features performances at thirteen wineries and venues around the Lake Chelan area, showcasing a diverse lineup of jazz and jazz-adjacent genres, including funk, R&B, Latin, and trad styles. The flat $169 festival pass grants entry to all fifty shows over the four-day period, with most performers playing multiple sets so if two of your favorites are playing at the same time, you’ll get another chance to catch the one you missed. It wouldn’t be a “wine and jazz festival” without the wine, so yes, there will be wine (and food) available at all venues except for the Riverwalk Pavilion on Sunday.
Kicking off the long weekend on Thursday is singer Danny Quintero, a crooner with a penchant for the Great American Songbook and a mainstay on the Seattle jazz scene. Also taking the stage that day is flugelhorn player Dmitri Matheny, former protégé of Art Farmer and Earshot’s 2016 Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year. His latest record, Cascadia, is available from Seattle’s Origin Records and demonstrates his warm sound and lyrical sensibilities. Rounding out Thursday is The New Triumph, a six-piece ensemble featuring some of Seattle’s top instrumentalists, who bring high-energy funk and Afro-Latin grooves to fuel the evening.
On Friday, Seattle Jazz Hall of Famer and Origin Records artist Greta Matassa takes the stage. A highly acclaimed vocalist and Earshot’s Northwest Jazz Vocalist of 2021, with a roster of eleven albums, you won’t want to miss her performances. Pacific Northwest favorite Pearl Django returns this year with their hot jazz stylings, replete with lyrical melodies from violinist Michael Gray, lush fullness from accordionist David Lange, and an irresistible rhythmic pulse from guitarists Jim Char, Tim Lerch, and bassist Rick Leppanen. Jazz singer/songwriter Eugenie Jones brings her group to Vin du Lac in the afternoon. Her acclaimed 2022 release, Players, is a double disc set recorded over four years with a wide variety of musicians and a breadth of styles.
Saturday sees the Swizzle Chicks, a Portland-based vocal trio who perform a selection of straight-ahead standards with tight harmonies. Playing together since 1995, DoctorfunK is a ten-piece, horn-heavy funk band with a hard-hitting oomph that recalls Tower of Power and that “Bay Area Sound”. Fans of smooth jazz will dig Darren Motamedy, a prolific saxophonist with eleven albums to his name.
Sunday wraps the weekend at the Riverwalk Pavilion with local stars Lake Chelan Jazz Band, helmed by singer and harmonica player Susan House. Finishing out the festival will be the Ellensburg Big Band, an 18-piece performing classic ‘40s and ‘50s big band swing with numbers out of the Count Basie and Glen Miller songbook, as well as a variety of standards and modern tunes.
All ages are welcome at all venues and children under 12 can attend for free. Visit chelanwinejazz.com for the full lineup, schedule, and tickets.
