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  • Live Music: Jazz

Madeleine Peyroux - March 12-15

  • Live Music: Jazz

Madeleine Peyroux - March 12-15

Supported by KNKX. For over three decades, jazz virtuoso Peyroux has travelled the world and graced the grandest concert halls to do just that - “share the magic of music with audiences, connect with people and uplift their spirits.” From entertaining passersby as a busker on the streets of Paris, to captivating thousands on sold out world tours - singular Peyroux has channeled the power of music to bring people together, dialogue with audiences and build a community.

When she was 12 her parents divorced and Peyroux moved to Paris with her mother - it was a turbulent time but that is how she found music to be her calling. The rebellious teen skipped school to play guitar in the city’s Latin Quarters, breathing in the colorful life and discovering the magic of Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith and other jazz greats from listening to other buskers. At 15, The fearless teenager joined The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band with whom she toured Europe. Here, young Peyroux “witnessed the power of music to stop people in their tracks”, learned the art of connecting with the audience, understood that music is a shared experience, and that “a great song can wield powerful magic and inspire the best in any type of crowd.”

Peyroux was spotted by Atlantic’s A&R man Yves Beauvais, and in 1996 her debut album Dreamland was born. The striking vocalist gained instant recognition as a classic talent with an unmistakable staying power, and her smokey-crooning voice was likened to Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald. Dreamland delivered sweeping renditions of Fats Waller’s “I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,” Bessie Smith’s “Lovesick Blues”, Billie Holiday’s “Gettin' Some Fun Out of Life”, Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight”, and Piaf’s “Romantic La Vie En Rose“, all delivered by some of the finest musicians around including Cyrus Chestnut, Greg Cohen, Vernon Reid, James Carter and Leon Parker to name but a few.

But it was Careless Love released eight years later that propelled her to jazz superstardom. Careless Love, which was certified gold in the US, included songs by Bob Dylan, Hank Williams and Elliott Smith as well as Peyroux’s iconic, desert-Island-disc-worthy rendition of “Dance Me To The End of Love” by Leonard Cohen.

The captivating mix of blues, refined vintage jazz, songs and charming French chanson proved irresistible - the singular songbird has struck a resounding chord with the public and industry alike.

Her trio now finds itself preparing for the 2026 “We Are America” tour. “When we first began working with the trio” said guitarist and vocalist Herington “the expected limitations of a radically smaller, quieter group were quickly shattered – this ‘reduced’ format revealed a special, quiet chemistry among the three of us, it magically allowed a kind of liberating genre-bending, immediately enriched us with a much wider repertoire, and forced a new depth of intimacy and vulnerability to surface in our live performances, I’m thrilled to be doing it again.”

Dimitriou's Jazz Alley
$92.50
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM, every day through Mar 15, 2026.
Dimitriou's Jazz Alley
6500 6th Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98101
206-441-9729
rachael@jazzalley.com