Seattle's Premier Wedding & Event Jazz Band
Carrie and Chris got married on Bastille Day, but there were no battles. It was a glorious event at The Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland. We were there to provide music for the cocktail hour only, so we were in and out pretty quickly. But it was beautiful playing while looking across Lake Washington back toward Seattle.
I also got to meet Blair DeLaubenfels from Postitive Light Photograhy, who is also one of the principals at Junebug Weddings. It’s always cool to put a face to a name.
For the third year in a row it was our pleasure to play for Farestart’s Guest Chef on the Waterfront. They bring the finest chefs, bakers, wine makers and the like together for a great tasting event at Pier 66. Josh, Nate, Dono and I provided the music and once again had a great time. The only scary moment was when Nate’s Raspberry Frappuccino blew over and landed on Dono’s drumset! Luckily, it was his pants that bore the brunt, and the drums survived with only a minor caffeine buzz!
The Edgewater Hotel is famous for a lot of things…it’s proximity to the Seattle Waterfront and Pike Place Market, it’s stunning views, and it’s history with The Beatles, who stayed there during their 1964 tour of America. It is now also famous for hosting the JPQ at Stephanie and Jeffrey’s wedding!
We played to a background of the Puget Sound, and after dinner it really became a party! The toasts, however, were the highpoint of the evening. Both fathers made great speaches that were at once touching and hilarious. The bridesmaids cried through theirs, and the best man gave us all sorts of juicy tidbits from Jeffrey’s life. But it was Jeffrey’s own speach that had everyone in stitches. I don’t remember a groom actually toasting at his own wedding before, but he did a fantastic job.
We were joined by the wonderful Ty Bailie on piano, who is one of the funkiest and friendliest guys I know. It’s always a treat to play with Ty!
And as a special bonus, my good friend Jeff LaPlante was the photographer for the evening. I met Jeff at a wedding show last year and we became fast friends. He is an amazing photographer and a super nice guy, and it was cool to run into him again. Check his blog for some gorgeous photos of the event.
The whole crowd was appreciative all night, and I got this from Jeff the day after: “Everyone has been commenting about what a wonderful job you and your band did. Thank you very much for the wonderful performance. If you ever need a reference or anything, please do not hesitate to contact us. Great work!!”
Somehow I had never been to Kiana Lodge near Poulsbo before, but I’m sure glad I had the chance! Blair & Casey’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Aside from the location, the best thing about this wedding was that even though everyone was dressed to the nine’s and looked fabulous, there was a very informal air to the proceedings. We were set up too far away from the ceremony to hear what was going on, but there was a lot of laughing and joking and carrying on. It truly had the air of a fun celebration.
I had the pleasure of playing with guitarist George Stone, who I don’t get to play with enough these days. George is a wonderful 7-string guitarist and a super nice guy. We got caught up on the ride over. Also joining us was the legendary Frank Clayton on bass, who has played with everyone from Jay Clayton to Charles Mingus to Barry Harris and Jovino Santos Neto. It was a thrill to have such a Jazz veteran on the gig with us.
Blair was kind enough to send me this note after the big day: “Thanks for your kind note and for your great music on Saturday. People said wonderful things about your music. Too bad we were off doing pictures and couldn’t enjoy – so we’ll just have to come see you perform another time. Thanks again – and best wishes.”
Emily & Jeremy were married earlier this year in a very small ceremony, but decided to throw a bit ol’ party for their friends and family at Laurel Creek Manor in Sumner.
It was a beautiful night, and I was joined by my partner-in-music Josh Rawlings on piano, Nate Omdal on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums. Sumner turns out to be a long drive from Seattle, but once we got there it was all worth it. The Manor is beautiful, and Al, Lauren and their crew were great hosts all night long. We played out on the terrace and got the people dancing under the stars.
Perhaps the funniest part of the day was stopping at a gas station in Sumner to get some water and lunch. We walked in in our black suits and ties and got the strangest stares! I don’t think the city of Sumner was expecting a recreate of Reservoir Dogs on a Saturday morning!
The following day I got this nice note from Diane Ridgeway, the wedding coordinator: ” I wanted to thank you and your men for your professionalism – you were great to work with Love the music and your talent! I have your card and will refer you, if you don’t mind! It would be great to work together again.”