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2016 KNKX Holiday Jam At Tacoma's Rialto Theater

KNKX, in partnership with the Broadway Center, presented the Holiday Jam concert and live broadcast on December 4, marking a 20-year tradition of bringing holiday cheer to the Northwest and audiences worldwide.

The free concert at Tacoma's Rialto Theater featured holiday favorites performed by the Pacific Lutheran University Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. David Deacon-Joyner, and the University of Puget Sound Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Tracy Knoop.

This year’s special guest was award-winning (and knkx fave) jazz vocalist, Gail Pettis with her trio (bassist Clipper Anderson and drummer Mark Ivester).  PLU student vocalist Cassie Willock was also featured. The concert was hosted by 88.5 knkx Midday Jazz host Dick Stein.

The program included perennial favorites like "Little Drummer Boy," "Winter Wonderland," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Let it Snow," and a Count Basie-inspired version of "Jingle Bells."

Pacific Lutheran University Jazz Ensemble

The PLU Jazz Ensemble is a jazz big band, varying in instrumentation according to repertoire. The ensemble performs regularly on the PLU campus, at jazz venues in the Puget Sound area, regional high schools, and national jazz festivals. The ensemble performs jazz big band repertoire from all eras of music, from Duke Ellington to Maria Schneider, and covers all styles of jazz from early swing to jazz/rock.

University of Puget Sound Jazz Orchestra

A fully instrumented “big band,” the UPS Jazz Orchestra performs music from all eras in formal and informal settings. In addition to frequent campus concerts, the group has appeared at the Seattle Opera House Annual Kent-Meridian Jazz Festival and the Western International Band Clinic. Guest artists are featured regularly with the Jazz Orchestra and have included Ernestine Anderson, Arturo Sandoval, Stanley Turrentine and Delfeayo Marsalis.

Gail Pettis

Named 2007 and 2010 Northwest Vocalist of the Year by Earshot Jazz Society, Gail is a welcome addition to the Pacific Northwest jazz scene.  Her rich, warm vocals and understated phrasing inspire comparisons to Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae and have been described as "deliciously soulful" by Cadence magazine.

Granddaughter of Delta blues guitarist and vocalist Arthur Pettis, Gail grew up in Gary, Indiana and now resides in Seattle. She switched to music from a career as an orthodontist in 2002. Performance highlights include a residency at the 2006 Amersfoort Jazz Festival as featured artist with the New Manhattan Big Band and smaller combos on the main stage, a performance at KAVC Hall in Kobe Japan, and main-stage performance at the Gene Harris Jazz Festival in Boise, Idaho; Seattle’s Jazz Alley and Orcas Island Jazz Festival. Gail completed Russian tours in the spring of 2015, performing in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Ufa, Ivanova and Perm and returned in the summer for a tour anchored by the White Nights Jazz Festival.

Gail's debut CD, "May I Come In?" received international airplay and was nominated for Earshot's Golden Ear award for 2007 Northwest Recording of the Year. Her sophomore recording, "Here in the Moment," was released in January 2010.