EyeShotJazz | Jazz Photography

The 6th annual  Bellevue Jazz Festival started on Weds May 29th, and I began covering it on Thursday night at Bakes Place. Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao is a six-piece Latin Jazz band that plays a variety of rhythms from Boleros to Timba and Joropo to Danzón. This exhilarating group is comprised of some of the Puget Sound area’s hottest musicians who hail from all over the world.Tumbao is comprised of Carlos Cascante (vocal), Jeff Busch (drums), Julio Jáuregui (piano, musical director), Dean Schmidt (bass) and Pedro Vargas (congas). Known for keeping a firm foundation in Jazz but also exploring the realms of Caribbean and Latin genres, Tumbao keeps audiences moving and living in the music from the first note to the last.

The Bellevue Jazz Festival continues through the weekend. Come tonight and see at Kendrick Scott Oracle, opening by Evan Flory-Barnes at 7:30PM at the  Theatre at Meydenbauer Center.

The Earshot Jazz 2013 Spring Series continues and last night presented the Refuge Trio. John Hollenbeck, above, played at the Chapel Performance Space  with Theo Bleckmann on voice and Gary Versace on piano & keyboard in an amazing performance of various originals and covers.

Refuge Trio takes its name from the Joni Mitchell song “Refuge of the Roads”. The collaborative trio was formed to play at the 2002 Wall-to-Wall Joni Mitchell Marathon Concert at Symphony Space in NYC. Since then, they have continued to explore delicate and playful music with mystery and exuberance. Their unique voices also play an essential role in the ensembles of Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk, Bob Brookmeyer, John Scofield and Maria Schneider. As the Refuge trio, they fashion a transformative experience for the audience with their music and spirit.

The internationally acknowledged Dutch jazz saxophonist Tineke Postma played at Earshot Jazz Art of Jazz series at SAM last night. She played a wonderful set and will play again on Saturday opening for Grace Kelly at the Kirkland Performance Center. She is in the US for a series of concerts throughout the country, including Portland, Washington DC, and New York City.