Bands
Blackstick
Sometimes things skip a generation. That is definitely the case with Blackstick; the union of a grandfather-grandson team of clarinet players. Evan Arntzen, the leader of the band, has been playing hot music for dancers for the past few years on the west coast. His grandfather, Lloyd, taught him the clarinet and a love for New Orleans Jazz, and has been a mainstay on the Western Canadian Jazz scene since the 50’s.
Blackstick
Lloyd Arntzen, Evan Arntzen - cl/ss; Ben Polcer - trpt; John Reynolds - gtr;
Jason Jurzak - bass; Benji Bohannon - drums & cymbals
John Reynolds and his Hotel Laguna Orchestra
John Reynolds : www.reynoldsbrothers.net
“John Reynolds has played guitar and banjo with his brother Ralf Reynolds, Paul Woltz and the cream of Southern California traditional jazz musicians since the late 60’s. He worked at Disneyland for years with Westy Westenhofer and Banu Gibson in a musical review, played in Mood Indigo, the Palm Springs Yacht Club, Dean Mora, Janet Klien, the Reynolds Brothers, and more.” -Casey MacGill
John Reynolds and his Hotel Laguna Orchestra
John Reynolds - gtr; Paul Woltz - bass sax;
Evan Arntzen - cl/sax; Robin Cady - bass; Michael Faltesek - gtr
the Wolverines
Since first playing Seattle with the Loose Marbles at the 2008 lindy exchange, Ben Polcer, Jason Jurzak, and Meschiya Lake have been making yearly returns. They bring a musical connection from New Orleans to Seattle with a spark of joy and intensity for the music and the dancing.
Ben Polcer : www.sidewalksaints.com; babysoda.org; Ben co-leads the Loose Marbles Jass Band, playing gigs weekly at all the hot spots in New Orleans. A former resident of New York City, Ben and others began a street jazz band, Baby Soda, which has taken off as a great addition to NYC busking, bringing hot jazz to the streets and subways.
Jason Jurzak : Jason Jurzak is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and dedicated member of the rhythm section. As a bassist/sousaphonist in New Orleans he is a regular on the vibrant Frenchman Street music scene and in traditional jazz clubs around the city. As a composer and songwriter, his work has been heard on PBS, NPR, Sirius/XM and numerous radio stations throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
Meschiya Lake : www.sidewalksaints.com; Meschiya, once a member of the Loose Marbles, now fronts her own eclectic band of jazz folk, the Little Big Horns. She sings often on Royal St. during the day and Frenchman St. in the evening, and has a hot new album out.
the Wolverines
Ben Polcer - trpt/piano, Craig Flory - reeds, Dave Loomis - tbone, Dave Brown - bass, Benji Bohannon - drums & cymbals, Jason Jurzak - gtr, Meschiya Lake - vocal melody
Crytzer’s Blue Rhythm Band
video by David Soltysik
Cryzter’s Blue Rhythm Band has been one of Seattle’s favorite big bands since their formation in 2008 for Seattle’s Killer Diller Ball. They brought the house down at the 2009 Seattle Lindy Exchange and we’re excited to have them back! This 13 piece line up is comprised of some of the finest jazz musicians in the Pacific Northwest. Cryzter’s Blue Rhythm band plays charts from the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, and many more including of course their namesake, the Mills Blue Rhythm Band. The band also pioneers new arrangements of classic tunes written in the 1930’s style by bandleader Glenn Crytzer. www.syncopators.net
This year the Blue Rhythm Band will be sharing the stage with the savory sounds of Meschiya Lake, up from New Orleans.
Crytzer’s Blue Rhythm Band
Lance Buller, Steve Mostovoy - trpt; Dave Loomis - tbone; Steve Tresler, Craig Flory, Paul Woltz, Galen Green - reeds; Glenn Crytzer - gtr; Dave Brown - bs; Solomon Douglas - p; Benji Bohannon - dr; Meschiya Lake - v; Glenn Cryzter - arr.
DJs
Swing DJs
Seattle’s finest swing DJs will be playing music each and every night!
Blues DJs
Blues DJs will be playing at After Hours each night!