Comments From The Musicians And The Audience
January 25, 2007
For Immediate Release
Music Performance - Jazz
Contact: Rhonda Stewart Rhonda@marklewismusic.com www.marklewismusic.com (360) 692-2540
If you think you need to go to Seattle to hear high-quality jazz, you haven't been to the Ponderay Café and Lounge in Bremerton on Thursday night recently. The Ponderay is starting its fifth month of jazz with alto sax and flute virtuoso Mark Lewis. Each week Lewis performs with a different pianist, and they are some of the best around.
Where: Ponderay Cafe & Lounge, 610 N. Callow, Bremerton, (360) 479-4487
When: Thursdays, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
"It's rare that you can look forward to a gig every week with a different person and still retain the quality in a unique way. And every performance is unique, you never know what to expect, because each one of them is a creative genius in their own right," said Lewis.
The line-up starts with Bud Schultz on piano February 1, who says. "Mark is the most creative musician I know. Sometimes we just compose the stuff as we go. There's a lot of counterpoint that happens, and it just happens because we seem to anticipate what the other is going to do. It's uncanny. I've never known why that works, but it does. I'm in about five different bands, and of all things I do, this is the most fun."
February 8 pianist Norm Bellas says, "Occasionally, when its my turn to solo, Mark will play the djembe, a sort of hourglass shaped, African drum. Much of the rhythms and shape of my solo will be influenced by the rhythms of Mark's djembe playing. But, as a saxophonist or flutist, Mark's brilliance really comes to the forefront. Mark will play something, I will respond on the spot, and Mark will respond to my response and so on, creating one of the most interactive, flowing jazz sounds in the Northwest. This occurs regardless of who is soloing. Mark says: "you know Norm, "those people we grew up idolizing, we have become them." When playing with Mark, I believe him."
February 15 pianist Ray Ohls says, "This is going to be a great venue for creative music in Kitsap County. I think everybody that's even remotely interested in that should check it out and become part of the following here. If we can just keep it happening, it's going to be a great scene."
February 22 pianist Overton Berry says, "It's the gathering. Music is the thing that binds everybody together in the whole thing. It's the celebration - it's the joy. When the musicians love playing together, they share that love with the audience and the audience loves seeing them. And they may not realize it, but they're part of the music. Everybody is part of the music - Everybody. The kind of interaction we have here is rare. And people need it. You can see it. You can feel it. It's real. To have something so abstract as music affect people so strongly is a beautiful thing. When people are giving their hearts out, like the guys are giving their hearts out here, that's real."
Some comments from the January 25 audience:
"The jazz night is fantastic. It's the best thing that's happened here for a very, very long time. To have this caliber of musicians right here locally is phenomenal. These guys could step on the stage with anybody. They're the real deal." Jim Bluhm, Bremerton
"Jazz is not dead. It is alive and well and doing better than ever in the hands of Mark Lewis and his soulful sax, that he has always performed with such grace and heart that it has brought me to tears. The accompaniment is so first class that people don't know what they're missing. These are moments that are treasured by the whole audience. The house was packed and it stayed packed until the very end. It's a night to remember. Mark is a pure musician. All he needs is one instrument and himself and the world." Suzanne Griffin, daughter of jazz singer Vonne Griffin, Olympia
"I have followed these musicians for years and they constantly amaze me. They enrich my soul." Amy Burnett, artist, Bremerton
"Listening to Mark and friends at the Ponderay is a great opportunity to meet with others, unwind, and forget about the troubles in the world. There's no better deal in town." Laurel Spitzer, Made in Bremerton Store
"It's an extreme pleasure to come a few blocks from my house and hear professional musicians that improvise and play off each other. The passion that they feel is awesome and inspiring. The Ponderay is a down-home atmosphere. The people are friendly and you don't have to get all dressed up. Mark is a virtuoso on the sax. I love the guest pianists." Alex, Bremerton
Mark Lewis is a Kitsap County native who graduated from the South Kitsap school district, then went to Seattle to further his music education. Seattle jazz veterans told Mark that Holland is the place to play jazz, so he left for Europe with his alto sax and $500. Rotterdam, Holland became Mark's home base for many years. He toured and played in most of the better clubs throughout Europe, and taught jazz theory and improvised music classes in several music conservatories. Although he performed predominantly original music in Europe, he is also master of a vast repertoire of jazz standards.
Mark returned to the US and performed up and down the West Coast, with extended stays in the San Francisco and Victoria, BC areas. Mark's CD "In The Spirit," recorded at Music Annex in Menlo Park, CA, made the Top 40 on Billboard Magazine's Jazz Albums chart.
Now back in Kitsap County to be near family, Mark Lewis divides his time between teaching private lessons, performing, and recording the unsung heroes of jazz at his Audio Daddio studio.
Bud Schultz holds a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Puget Sound. Bud plays both piano and vibraphone, and combined with the rich acoustics in the Ponderay, Bud's vibraphone is not to be missed. Bud is the former accompanist for Patti Suzuki, and has accompanied such jazz notables as Mel Torme, Johnny Desmond, Dorothy Dandridge, and Helen O'Connell. "I spent more time studying classical music than I did studying jazz, and at UPS I was a pipe organ major, and I think it affects everything I do musically."
Norm Bellas holds a Master of Music degree in composition. He won the Washington State Blues Society "BB" for Best Keyboard and was nominated for best songwriter. Norm's eclectic style is a synthesis of jazz and blues with bursts of funk, R&B, Latin and country. He might be said to play bluesy jazz or jazzy blues. Norm's CD of original jazz compositions "Out of the Norm" was played on heavy rotation for six months on the Seattle jazz station, KPLU. Norm has played with jazz artists such as Tutti Heath, Don Lanphere, Jessica Williams, Frank Wess, and Art Lande, and has played and/or recorded with many blues and R&B legends including Big Momma Thorton, Buddy Miles, Carlos Santana, and the Temptations. Norm started out professionally as a drummer. His top two drummer idols were Shelly Manne and Max Roach. In listening to the groups that these drummers lead, Norm discovered other musicians that influenced him, including pianist Russ Freeman, trumpet player Clifford Brown, tenor sax player Sonny Rollins, and pianist Richie Powell.
Ray Ohls teaches jazz piano at Olympic college and performs extensively in the Northwest. He recently retired from the US Navy band where he served as Chief Protocol piano player for Navy Band Washington DC and was first-call pianist for US Vice Presidents under two administrations. His early musical influences included Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans, and many non-piano players like Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderly.
Overton Berry is widely regarded as a Northwest jazz legend, and has played piano extensively in venues around the world including Japan, China, Viet Nam, Thailand, and Egypt. Overton is a voting member for the Grammy's, music director for the TOBE School of Music, and regular performer at major Northwest jazz festivals. Overton worked with such jazz greats as Carmen McRae, Joe Pass, Dave Brubeck, Vonne Griffin, and Peggy Lee.