Smooth Groove Productions Special Event: Seattle Magazine Top Doctors Awards Party, June 26, 2013

On June 26, 2013 we had the opportunity to perform for the Top Doctors Awards Party presented by Seattle Magazine.  This is an excerpt from Seattle Magazine's website:

With over 15,000 submissions to our voting process this year we were humbled to fill a room with over 200 of the best in the medical field, voted on by their peers.  The area's top physicians, friends and family mingled with one another while listening to live jazz music and sipping cocktails through the evening.

Every year Seattle Magazine conducts a vote among local doctors with the question: To whom would you send a loved one for medical care?  This special event was held at AXIS Pioneer Square, which is a brand new special events venue, and was the former home to Elliott Bay Book Company.  The party was a celebration for the winners of the best local doctors in their fields.  

It was an atypical early summer day in Seattle that was warm and muggy with intermittent downpour of rain that is more familiar in a tropical setting like Hawaii or Mexico instead of the usual chilly steady drizzle that is characteristic of Pacific Northwest weather.  By the time the party started at 6pm in the early evening, the sun broke out and the refreshing beverages and cocktails were a welcome introduction to the program at hand.  

I had my jazz trio with a couple of the best musicians on their respective instruments with me that night; jazz pianist John Hansen and tenor saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev.  We were situated on an elevated loft that provided a vantage point overseeing the whole venue space, and allowed our live jazz music performance to provide that classy ambient touch to this festive celebration.  

Here is a video of the first song of the evening to get things started that features the new AXIS space.  

Emmanuel del Casal Trio at AXIS

The Top Doctors Awards Party was a very fun event that celebrated Seattle's best doctors, and showcased the new special events space AXIS Pioneer Square.  We had a great time playing a part in this prestigious party.  

Stay tuned for the AXIS grand opening in August!

Web links:

Seattle Magazine

AXIS Pioneer Square

Smooth Groove Productions

Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles

Follow us on:

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, June 22, 2013

My good friend jazz pianist John Hansen was on hand Saturday night, June 22 at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel for another groovy spirited session of hearty jazz music.  Playing with John is an earnest no-nonsense approach in playing straight ahead jazz music.  This night was no exception.  We had another enjoyable time playing many tunes and standards.  Here are a couple videos from the gig.

Here is a classic Duke Ellington ballad called Prelude To A Kiss.

Prelude To A Kiss

We played a blues tune called Billie's Bounce by the legendary alto saxophonist genius and pioneer of bebop Charlie Parker.  The way we played the rendition of this tune is what is called a second line feel.  Second line is a distinctly funky syncopated New Orleans style rhythm that emanates from the French Quarter district of this historic city where jazz was birthed.  Check out John getting down on this funky southern style jam. 

Billie's Bounce

John Hansen will be back again for Jazz in The Georgian on Friday, July 12 at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Don't miss out on some great jazz music and wonderful cuisine at The Georgian.

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on:

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, June 21, 2013

On Friday, June 21, 2013 we had the awesome tenor saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev back at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel for Jazz in The Georgian.  For those familiar with Alexey, he is a fiercely aggressive powerhouse sax player and musician.  It is a special treat to see and hear him at The Georgian as he reigns in the volume of his playing, yet retaining that same aggressiveness and intensity.  I marvel as I witness his virtuosic improvised lines and melodic runs up and down his instrument at a fraction of his normal playing volume.  When Alexey first played in The Georgian he was and is very enthusiastic about the challenge of playing at a pianissimo level as well as the challenge of performing in an instrumentally sparse setting as a sax and bass duet.  It's been a great revelation and privilege for me to play with such a master musician as well as such a great person.  I think that this night was probably our best gig together yet.  We played lots of great tunes and had some great moments.

Here are some videos that capture a very fun evening.

This first video is of a classic Wayne Shorter song in 3/4 called Footprints.

Footprints

This next video is a blues song by John Coltrane.  Unfortunately, we couldn't remember the name of this tune!  Perhaps someone will recognize it and let us know!  We'll call it Coltrane Blues in F for now.

Coltrane Blues in F

The last video is an old wonderful Duke Ellington ballad called In A Sentimental Mood.  We don't play it as a ballad though.  This is our funkified rendition of this great standard.

In A Sentimental Mood

I hope you enjoyed these videos of Alexey Nikolaev and me.  Alexey will be back for more great saxophone and bass music next month on Friday, July 19.  Come on out and see some great live jazz music at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in The Georgian.  Jazz in The Georgian, every Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm-10pm.

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on:

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, June 15, 2013

On Saturday, June 15, we had guitarist Paul Sawyer in the house for Jazz in The Georgian inside The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, Washington.  Paul and I have known each other for over twenty years.  We would be on gigs together since the early 1990's playing all over Seattle whether at a club in Pioneer Square or at a private event.  Paul is one of the established musicians in Seattle who is rock solid and versatile playing many styles of music.  As an accomplished jazz guitarist, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year.  Paul currently teaches at North Seattle Community College and has a stable of private guitar students.  He can be seen the first weekend of every month with drummer Andre Thomas' group Quiet Fire at Grazie Ristorante in Bothell, which includes saxman/flutist Bernie Jacobs and electric bassist Dean Schmidt.  Paul is a fine musician who has decades of professional experience, and a good friend with whom I always enjoy working.

Here is a video of a song we did called Alone Together.

Alone Together

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on:

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, June 8, 2013

Jazz harmonicist extraordinaire Jay Mabin was back again at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel for Jazz in The Georgian on Saturday, June 8, 2013.  The second Saturday of each month is Jay's regular appearance at this great French inspired Northwest cuisine restaurant The Georgian.  As usual we had another great night of playing many fun tunes.  We had some good takes captured on video.  Here are some highlights from the gig.

We started off the evening playing a well know standard called On Green Dolphin Street by Bronislau Kaper.  

On Green Dolphin Street

We eased back a little and played a laid back Summertime.

Summertime

We went back to the 1970's and pulled out Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay.

Red Clay

For our last song of the evening we closed out with a pretty brisk funky version of Joe Zawinal's Mercy Mercy Mercy.

Mercy Mercy Mercy

Jay Mabin will be back again for Jazz in Georgian next month on Saturday, July 27.  Come on out!

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on:

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Smooth Groove Productions Special Event: Chopard Opening at Neiman Marcus Bellevue

On Thursday, June 6, 2013 we had the pleasure of performing for the Chopard shop opening inside Neiman Marcus Bellevue.  My jazz trio provided live music for this grand opening celebration of this longtime jeweler and watchmaker.  Inside Neiman Marcus Bellevue is the newly constructed Chopard shop that features high end jewelry and Swiss luxury watches for women and men.  

Seattle Magazine and Neiman Marcus Bellevue produced this festive grand opening event with signature crafted cocktails by Grey Goose.  In my jazz trio I had a couple of some of the best musicians in the Northwest on their respective instruments.  Tenor saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev and guitarist Frank Seeberger were on hand with me for this event.  We played a lot of great jazz music to accentuate the atmosphere and ambiance of the scene.  Here are some videos of our performance from that evening.  These videos demonstrate various examples of songs we did that helped liven and elevate the upbeat mood for this sterling occasion.  

This first video is a good old blues standard called Tenor Madness to get things started and to get the event off the ground.

Tenor Madness

This video is of a song from the classic 1937 Disney animated movie Snow White called Someday My Prince Will Come.  This is an appropriate song for such an occasion.  Jewelry and the enduring fantasy of waiting for a girl's prince to arrive go hand in hand do they not?

Someday My Prince Will Come

In this video we turned the energy up a few notches and played a funky jazz tune by the late great tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris called Cold Duck Time.  Listen for my "drum" solo.

Cold Duck Time

This last video is an upbeat jazz standard called You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.

You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

I would like to thank the folks at Seattle Magazine who brought us into this event.  Much thanks to Alexandria Akhavan of Neiman Marcus and Lauren Madeja of Seattle Magazine for their onsite help and support.  We really enjoyed playing for all the nice people who attended this fun grand opening event!  

Web links:

Seattle Magazine

Neiman Marcus

Chopard

Smooth Groove Productions

Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles

Follow us on:

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, June 1, 2013

On Saturday, June 1, jazz guitarist Milo Petersen was back at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel for Jazz in The Georgian.  We had another great time playing lots of jazz standards.  It's always an excellent "workout" when playing with Milo.  Similar to working out at the gym, playing with Milo is an exercise in recalling many standards and jazz tunes as well as reading tunes that aren't familiar.  When I get done playing a gig with Milo, I feel that tired feeling (a good tired feeling) like after just working and putting in some serious time on the weights or cardio machines.

Playing jazz is a never ending process of learning new songs and retaining those that you learned and making sure to keep playing so as to always remain sharp technically and artistically.  The art of improvisation, which is the center of what the art of jazz is about, requires a constant vigilance of maintaining one's chops on a technical level, as well as finding ways to constantly expand one's repertoire of music and jazz vocabulary.  Like going to the gym to work out one's muscles, playing jazz is no different in the sense of working out the "musical" muscles that are our brain, fingers, mouth, or voice.

We had some moments captured on video.  Here are a couple tunes we played.

This first tune is a nice old standard by Jerome Kern called Yesterdays.

Yesterdays

This one is a Miles Davis tune called Four.

Four

Visit Milo's website to see where you can catch him playing with his group.  Come out to Jazz in The Georgian to see Milo Petersen the next time here.

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on:

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Smooth Groove Productions Special Event: NW Trend Show 2013

On Monday, June 3, we had the pleasure of performing for the NW Trend Show at the Pacific Market Center south of downtown Seattle in the Georgetown industrial district.  This event is presented by the Pacific Northwest Apparel Association, which has been operating for 70 years.  It is the longest running West Coast women's wear show representing over 1000 lines from women's apparel, accessories and jewelry, to children's, men's, shoes and gift items.  Over 100-150 reps are on hand to present their lines and advise on the latest trends and seasonal colors.  

Tenor saxophonist Alexey Nikolaev and I provided live jazz music in the late afternoon for the listening pleasure and relaxation of the attendees as the second day of this three day event wound down.  Here is a video take of a blues tune called Sonny Moon For Two.

Emmanuel del Casal and Alexey Nikolaev

We had a lot of fun playing music for all of the nice folks and attendees of this popular apparel trade show.  Much thanks to Amanda Swope for bringing us into this event, and the very nice staff at Pacific Market Place for all their support and help.

Web links: 

Pacific Market Center

NW Trend Show

Smooth Groove Productions

Follow us on:

For booking inquiries of Emmanuel del Casal Jazz Ensembles,

please write to emman@smoothgroove.net

Or, call us at 1-866-771-2500.

Elevate your event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!

Jazz in The Georgian, May 31, 2013

Guitarist Frank Seeberger was back at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel for Jazz in Georgian on Friday, May 31.  Frank is one of the great contemporary guitarists in the Pacific Northwest.  His versatility and formal music background makes him the prototypical modern guitarist able to play in many different styles and genres at the highest professional level.  He is like the ideal studio guitarist because of his versatility and high skill level with access to myriad of sounds and production for a given project.  This skill translates of course in live performance as well.

Here are a couple video takes from the evening.  The first video is a beautiful waltz called A Child Is Born.

A Child Is Born

This video showcases my fretless bass playing on a stirring ballad called I Remember Clifford by the great jazz composer Benny Golson.  This song was a tribute to the late great trumpet player Clifford Brown who passed away at the way too young age of 25 from a car accident in 1956.  

I Remember Clifford

Please visit our YouTube channel to see and hear highlights of Jazz in The Georgian, and Smooth Groove Productions special events.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Jazz in The Georgian every Friday and Saturday nights, 6pm-10pm at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, 411 University Street, Seattle, Washington 98101, 206-621-7889.

Please visit www.smoothgroove.net

Elevate your special event with live music.  We don't miss a beat!