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Another Wonderful Night at Lucid

dsc_0310The Jason Parker Quartet had another great night at Lucid on Saturday night. I have to say, this is without a doubt my favorite room to play in. In just 6 months David has built his club into a hip, happening place. It feels like a true jazz club, and the energy is electric every time the JPQ plays there.

This time we were joined by our old friend Nate Omdal on bass and new friend Brad Gibson on drums. All who were in attendance agreed that they both sounded great and fit in real well, even though it was Brad’s first time playing with us. I asked Cynthia Mullis to join us for most of the evening. She’s been playing 2-3 songs with us at our recent shows, and she brings such great energy and playing to the band that I wanted her to play more and more! She absolutely tore it up on my tune “Bashert”. A few other guests sat in, including Katrina Wible, Jamie Baumgart and Bob Garrett, who played a double-trumpet throwdown with me on Nick Drake’s “Three Hours”.

If you haven’t been to Lucid yet you gotta check it out. We’ll be back there on June 19th, but don’t wait until then. They have great music 4 nights a week, and it’s always free.

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Another Wonderful Night at Lucid

3413507277_572593dd18_bThe JPQ had another wonderful night at Lucid last night. Josh, D’Vonne and I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with bassist Jon Hamar. This was the first time Jon played with the JPQ, and it was such a joy to have him with us. His playing is soulful, his time rock-solid, and his personality fit in great with the laid-back vibe of the band. And when I asked him if he wanted to see any of our music or hear some recordings before the gig he said, “No, it’ll be a fun surprise.” What a pro! He read our book beautifully all night long.

Once again Lucid was standing-room-only most of the night. This time there were more unfamiliar faces in the crowd, which is always cool. And I even had two people there sign up for the Micropatronage Program! The “Parker’s Mood” cocktails were flowing liberally and everyone had a great time.

We were also fortunate to be joined by some good friends throughout the evening. Saxophonist Cynthia Mullis played three tunes with us in the first set; our mash-up of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” & Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints”, Tatum Greenblatt’s “Mance’s Dance”, and Duke Pearson’s “Idle Moments”, all of which we’re going to record with Cynthia on Wednesday. Vocalist Connor Desai sang a spirited version of the classic “Since I Fell For You” in the second set. And the third set featured both saxophonist Jacob Stickney and drummer Adam Kessler playing on another Wayne Shorter composition “Adam’s Apple, and saxophonist Hal Rose guesting on “There Is No Greater Love”. Thanks to everyone for adding to the festivities.

And thanks to Ashwin Rao for coming out and getting some great shots of the band, including the one in this post. Check out his blog for some amazing photography!

We’ll be back at Lucid in ealry May. This is quickly becoming my favorite club to play and I hope you’ll come check it out.

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University District Jazz Walk

lucidinsideemailI’m excited to take part in the first University District Jazz Walk. On April 2nd, 12 different venues in the U-District will feature jazz acts all night long, and Josh Rawlings and I will be playing as a duo at Herkimer Coffee from 6-8pm.

This is the first jazz walk to be held in the U-District and is being put on by the good folks at Lucid Jazz Club as part of their celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. Every show is free (except at Galway Arms), and there’s even free parking at the University Heights Community Center.

Come on out, walk The Ave, hear some great music, and be a part of the celebration of Americ’a original art form!

And a reminder – The Jason Parker Quartet will be playing at Lucid on April 4th. Come check out the full band at Seattle’s newest jazz club and try our signature cocktail, “Parker’s Mood”.