musicians

We are thrilled to be welcoming some of Seattle and Portland’s top jazz musicians to the first Harmony Jazz & Wine Festival at Mayfield Lake! We are grateful that they are sharing their talents and enthusiasm and hope that all attending will be as impressed as we are with these fabulous performers! Please check out their websites to learn more about them, hear song samples, and watch videos. You can even buy their CDs to enjoy before the festival!

One man, one violin. Doesn't sound like much does it? It doesn't that is until you've heard one in the hands of electric violinist Geoffrey Castle! A unique voice on an unusual instrument, Castle's career includes time spent as a street musician in New York City, performing in the Broadway production of the Tony Award-winning M. Butterfly with Tony Randall, playing with rock greats like Blues Traveler, Jimmy Buffet, Alan White, Buddy Miles, Roger Fisher, Mike Derosier, Ann & Nancy Wilson, and lots more.

Comfortable in a huge diversity of styles, Castle has been in demand as a session violinist both in New York, Los Angeles, and in the Seattle area, with credits as diverse as Bob River's Twisted Christmas, The Children of the Revolution (flamenco rock), the soundtracks to The Gift (Paramount Pictures), Wooly Boys (with Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson), and an Italian music CD with Grammy winning guitarist Eric Tingstad—just to name a few.

As a solo performer, however, Castle truly stands out. Combining state of the art technology and the stage presence of a magician at work, Castle creates the sound and the power of a full band, all live in front of amazed audiences from Alaska to Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Castle moved through the audience like a master magician,
casting a spell on all he passed. It was an evening of pure magic.
--Rick Epting, Northwest Arts and Entertainment

Michael Powers

Click for website &
to watch live videos

Sat., Sept. 6, 7-8:30 pm
Click to purchase tickets!

Michael was born in New York City, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. His musical career began as therapy, when at the age of 15 he took up strumming the guitar to strengthen his wrist after a skateboard accident. Following his graduation from Berkeley High School when he was 15½, he moved to Seattle and frequented local jam sessions, keeping his fingers on the guitar strings and his mind on making his music reach a wider audience. Says Powers, “I learned how to play by sitting in at as many places as I could, developing eclectic tastes by playing with all types of bands: Jazz, Rock, Blues, R&B, and Top 40. I wanted to learn how to play any kind of music that featured a guitar as a solo voice.”

On stage, Michael has performed with, recorded with, or shared billings with piano giant Herbie Hancock, classic Jazz saxophonist Eddie “Clean Head” Vinson, B3 master Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ronnie Cuber, Gil Scott Heron, Keiko Matsui, Nancy Wilson, Les McCann, Najee, Tommy Davidson, Dr. Cornel West, the legendary Ray Charles, Afro-pop star King Sunny Ade, Grammy award-winning vocalist Diane Schuur, R&B greats Gladys Knight and the Pips and Atlantic Starr, contemporary Jazz artists Ronny Jordan, Tom Grant, David Benoit, sax great Ernie Watts, the Yellowjackets, and the duo of Tuck & Patti.

Michael Powers has established himself among a new breed of guitarists and composers who, with each album and every performance, continually redefines the guitars' role in the jazz context. -- The Tacoma News Tribune

A native of Seattle, jazz pianist Deems Tsutakawa is the second son of world famous artist, George Tsutakawa. He began playing piano at the age of five and won the annual Washington State Music Teachers Association Award at the age of nine. Deems originally played classical music but in high school turned his attention to jazz.

During Deems' formative years, music was pure and artists performed with great conviction. Artists expressed their inner souls, never worrying about what recording executives wanted to hear. He grew up on a diet of Verve, CTI, Motown and Atlantic, inspired by the musicians who were most able to express their artistic freedom. It was this foundation that Deems was able to develop his own unique style in which he can play any groove and you'd instantly know it was him. His passion to perform and write continued to grow from his early days at nightclubs in Central Seattle and the International District to worldwide concert halls and clubs, from Tokyo, Japan to London, England. He has had the pleasure of working with recording stars Kenny G, Roy Ayers, Tony Gable, Julian Priester as well as opening concerts for Spyro Gyra, Hiroshima and Maynard Ferguson.

Deems' music defines a sound that is both immediately accessible as well as distinctively defined. There's a groove underlying the music that speaks in syncopation with groups like War, Tower of Power and Earth, Wind and Fire, yet leaves ample room for improvisation and layering with the riffs and runs that are uniquely Deems. -- John Pai, International Examiner

Shelly Rudolph is a maker of soul music, as a fine and sultry singer and songwriter with a sense of adventure and a desire for emotional truth. That much is plainly true. But, while soul music guides her, the stylistic plot keeps thickening, as she demonstrates on her ambitious new album, Water In My Hand. R&B, in its many guises, may be the foundation of Rudolph’s new project, but she also takes her voice into areas where you can’t deny the touch of hypnotic gospel, African concepts, New Orleans barbecue sauce, tango, jazz phrasing, and visitations from her recurring Caribbean muse. The album's diversity of tracks and styles, and rhythmic landscapes from different global corners, makes for a diverse creative journey. But it’s also one with a clear and coherent musical identity.

Call her a "world soul" artist. Rudolph's naturally curious musical tendencies put her in the heart of a time when musical hybrids come easily, and sticking to a purist attitude can limit artistic potential. An experienced vocalist, in jazz, pop, and soul, Rudolph is all about exploring new levels of potential. If an Oregonian at heart, she has lived and performed in New York City, Los Angeles (where she recorded her debut album project), and has traveled to and performed in the Caribbean, the free spirit and swaying musical vibe of which is one of the stronger impulses in her musical concept. With her new body of work and multi-directional sound, Rudolph is poised to take her place among the movement of creative voices in the loose genre of New Soul. She abides by the importance of soulful expression, in whatever global garb suits the moment.

Every so often an artist comes along that literally has it all... great songwriting, a beautiful seductive voice and a passion for music... Shelly Rudolph is that special artist and Water in My Hand is that special CD. Shelly possesses that natural, earthy tone that can't be taught in a music class. Her voice caresses your ears and her sassy attitude keeps you coming back for more. If you want to fall in love again look no further... - Calvin Walker, Director, KMHD Radio, 89.1

John Nastos was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. There, he studied with local jazz luminaries like Warren Rand, Renato Caranto, and Thara Memory. Before he was out of high school, John was enrolled at Portland State University, studying under Darrell Grant, Alan Jones, Charles Gray, and Rob Scheps. After Portland State, John went on to get his Bachelor's degree in jazz at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he finished the four-year undergraduate degree in just three years. While there, he had the opportunity to study composition and saxophone with Bob Mintzer, Dick Oatts, Steve Wilson, and Michael Abene.

John has performed around the Northwest and in New York City with groups and artists such as the Mel Brown Septet and B3 Quartet, Gordon Lee's Big Band, Auditory Sculpture, Rob Scheps, Ben Darwish, Drew Shoals, Dan Schulte, and more. He has played at many major festivals, including the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, Portland Jazz Festival, and Ellensburg Jazz Festival, with his own bands (E4, John Nastos Acoustic Band) and as a sideman. In 2008, John was the featured young artist of the Portland Jazz Festival. In addition to performing and teaching in Portland, John runs JazzPDX.org - a website about the Portland jazz scene.

If young man with a horn John Nastos and drummer Drew Shoals are any indication, then Portland’s jazz future is bright, shiny and swinging nicely. Barely into his 20s, saxophonist Nastos began filling in with Mel Brown when he was a mere sweet 16, immersing himself in the rhythm-rich thickets of hard bop. Similarly, young rhythm ace Shoals’ fluid ease and in-the-pocket pulse have quickly made him one of the most ubiquitous talents on the jazz scene. And their combined youthful fire is on the four-alarm level. Add the agile, elastic bottom of bassist Damian Erskine and incendiary keyboardist Clay Giberson; sit back and wait for the sirens to show up. -- Tim Duroche, Willamette Week