The KNKX Travel Club recently visited the birthplace of jazz and blues for the French Quarter Festival. The annual celebration highlighting local New Orleans musicians included a number of players with deep connections to the Seattle area.
With nearly 100 jazz clubs, plus a number of hotel bars, and an array of live music in the streets, New Orleans has countless talented musicians with whom to collaborate. The skills of a musician, especially prior to the development of jazz education, are best honed by playing with others.
Legends of jazz and blues have always, and still do, populate New Orleans. Eager developing artists can easily find mentors to help guide their musical evolution.
A member of Earshot’s Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, saxophonist Skerik has long made New Orleans his part-time home. After a gig of entirely improvised funk, with a band including Ivan Neville on keyboards and Tony Hall on bass, Skerik told KNKX about his split regional alliances.
“It’s so flat here,” he joked. “I do miss the mountains, but I come here for the culture.”
Skerik’s musical partnerships in New Orleans include drummer Stanton Moore, his longtime partner in Garage A Trois. Last year’s Compersion Quartet album was formed during Sauce Fest, the mini-festival Skerik curates during the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with the Big Easy rhythm section of Brian Haas, James Singleton and Simon Lott.
Frequently back in Seattle, Skerik was just in town for shows with McTuff and with his band Crack Sabbath. He'll be leading an acoustic quintet at the Jazz Center of Bellingham May 28.
Marina Albero, the Barcelona pianist who spent the last 10 years in Seattle before settling into the New Orleans scene this winter, is still finding her way.
Albero told KNKX that she’s learning some of New Orleans’ standards, including “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” Albero is a member of popular trombonist George Brown’s band and was recently called in to play a guest spot with star trombonist Corey Henry.
She hasn’t formed her own band yet, but the crowd reaction to Albero's work on piano, organ and keytar suggest her star is definitely on the rise.
Albero will be back in KNKX's Seattle studios soon enough, though, appearing in sessions with singer Jacqueline Tabor in May and saxophonist Peter Daniel in June. She’s also performing concerts with a diverse collection of Northwest musicians and leading her own groups as well.
Pianist and singer Monty Banks is a thoroughly New Orleans entertainer. An expert at audience engagement, his shows are always packed with fun. The Tacoma native moved south about 10 years ago, honing his repertoire of early jazz and R&B – from Louis Armstrong to Fats Domino.
Banks said that New Orleans’ summer heat drives him back to the Northwest every year, and the Pacific Northwest jazz scene is all the better for it. You’ll find Monty Banks in his first gig back on June 12 at Tim’s Tavern in West Seattle. He'll be at the Pink Door in Seattle every other Friday this summer starting June 20, as well as shows at the Owl & Thistle and the Swedish Club.
An iconic multi-instrumentalist from the 1990’s Seattle jazz scene, Craig Flory has been living in New Orleans for more than a decade. After working in modern jazz and rock in Seattle — from Wayne Horvitz and Skerik to Mudhoney — Flory now plays clarinet with the New Orleans vintage jazz band Tuba Skinny.
Also spotted in New Orleans: Saxophonist Rex Gregory and trumpeter Raph Zee, playing a high-flying Brecker Brothers tribute show across town from the French Quarter.
Texas-native Gregory got a jazz education in New York City before moving to New Orleans in the early 2000s. He relocated to Seattle in 2017 and in his brief three years here, Gregory became a key member of the Northwest jazz scene. He played often with Seattle jazz icon Jay Thomas, as well as Albero, and the young Seattle-via-Bay Area hot shots pianist Dylan Hayes and drummer Xavier Lecouturier.
“I’d love to get back to Seattle,” Gregory said with a smile, adding that the connection between the two cities’ artists is a real phenomenon.
Zee visited the KNKX studios in 2017 to perform with a jazz ensemble from Lake Stevens High School and dazzled our audience on trumpet and flugelhorn.
After a few years at Loyola University of New Orleans, Zee is now a member of the city’s acclaimed Trumpet Mafia and gigs around the city with the area’s top players. Zee also leads a more pop-oriented group as a guitarist and singer.
Zee explained to KNKX that their plan is to incorporate all their skills across genres, a unique blend that encapsulates the very idea of jazz – be yourself.
We also encountered another KNKX School of Jazz alum after a show at the Pontchartrain Hotel. Liam Escame, a School of Jazz guest DJ in 2022, is studying at Loyola University since graduating from Fife High School.
Escame said he’s been playing (mostly) alto saxophone around town, too. Escame was mentored by sax great Ted Dortch in the Tacoma area, and Dortch would be thrilled to find the young musician's passion for jazz is still burning.
A trip to New Orleans should be a goal of everyone who loves jazz and blues, as well as great food and friendly people. Thanks to musicians like Skerik, Marina Albero, Monty Banks and others, the cultural connection between our two cities is strong and our own Northwest community is all the better for it.
