Jazz in the Valley

A kind and generous buddy of mine gave me two all access passes to the Jazz in the Valley event in Ellensburg, WA. (Thanks, Dean) So I called up another buddy of mine and off we went Saturday to see what it was all about.

What a cool and fun event! We managed to find parking less than two blocks away from the main stage (of course, that always happens to me.) We also found two seats about six rows back, smack dead center. It was a gorgeous day, a little windy, but that just kept us from baking in the 80 plus degree heat.

I loved the intimacy of the main stage area, as I was able to wander up and stand near the back of the stage to record this video. I was literally standing 3 feet away from Mel Brown and I went right up to the front of the stage to record Hot Club Sandwich. I didn’t get any video of Greta Matassa with her band, as I was so enthralled with her performance that I couldn’t possibly think of doing anything else but sit there and give her my full attention. She was a definite crowd pleaser with a show stopping voice and mad scat skills to match.

There were six bands performing on the main stage between noon and 7pm; then the fun continued as bands played at various restaurants, bars, theatres and museums within walking distance around town. The same format had ensued the night before, but alas, I was unable to attend on Friday night. Which is too bad as Scott Cossu had performed at the Rodeo City BBQ. He is an incredible pianist who used to record for Windham Hill.

We went to the Dakota Cafe just down the street for lunch. I had a bowl of spicy peanut chicken soup and a glass of Stonecap Syrah, both quite good.

A little later in the day I wandered over to the beer garden and indulged in a glass of the local brew, appropriately named Irish Death from Iron Horse Brewery. Really tasty stuff!

After the music ended on the main stage, we walked down to Rodeo City BBQ for dinner, and were planning to stay to see Kelley Johnson. Unfortunately it was a small room and totally packed, so we made our way over to Lilly’s Cantina for a reprise of Hot Club Sandwich.

It turned out to be a great move as we scored a nice table in the bar before the band started and were joined by two lovely belly dancers, Jamilla and Karena, from Troupe du Soleil. (Of course, that always happens to me).

So all in all it turned out to be a great time with great music, good food and drink, and above all, incredibly talented, kind and generous people. What more could you ask for? I am definitely putting this event on my calendar for next year!

Sunday I spent a delightful afternoon tasting wine and chatting with Gordan Taylor and his wife Joan Davenport at their winery in the hills just west of Prosser. They are a very small, relatively new winery, producing only 150 cases in 2005, 500 cases last year, with a goal of 750 cases this year. They […]

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Yesterday evening I went to the Prosser Gallery Walk & Wine Gala. It was a fun event, with 20 wineries participating and as many artists. My friend Tom McClelland was the featured artist and showed a number of his bronzes, including the official unveiling of his new piece “It’s all relative.” I […]

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