Supported by KNKX. A noted pianist, composer and leading figure in the Northwest jazz scene, Marc Seales has shared stages with many of the great players of the last two decades. He has played with nearly every visiting jazz celebrity from Joe Henderson and Art Pepper to Benny Carter, Mark Murphy, and Bobby Hutcherson. With the late Don Lanphere he performed in such places as London, England; Kobe, Japan; The Hague in the Netherlands; and the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Two-time Grammy award winner Ernie Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players in music. It has been more than 50 years, since he first picked up a saxophone, and from age 16 on, he has been playing professionally, initially while attending school. Watts has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderly to Frank Zappa, always exhibiting his unforgettable trademark sound. In 2014, Watts received the prestigious Frankfurt music prize, given by the city of Frankfurt, Germany. It is presented to both classical and non-classical musicians. Of the 32 current winners, only six have been jazz musicians. Per the Frankfurt music prize foundation, Watts was “selected for his strikingly, melodic, saxophone style, and his original tone language,” with which he has already enriched several generations of musicians. Previous jazz honorees include Chick Corea, Paquito de Rivera, and John McLaughlin. In 2015, Watts was selected as guest of honor at the Telluride, jazz festival in Colorado, and played on the Ernie Watts main stage with his own quartet.