Three venues throughout downtown Edmonds will feature jazz performances by regional and national award-winning student big bands, trios and choirs, as well as an afternoon jam session uniting student and professional musicians for an extraordinary concert. All venues are open to the public and are free, although donations are appreciated to support the event and school music programs.

For more than a decade, Edmonds Jazz Connection has kicked off Memorial Day weekend by bringing together talented students, professional musicians and a music-loving community to showcase the best of local jazz while raising funds to support student music programs.  After a long academic year of practices, performances and touring, the student musicians enjoy the opportunity for a local non-competitive encore performance for their family, friends and neighbors as way to cap off another successful year.

This year, the 22 participating groups are bringing with them numerous national and regional awards. Topping the list are Edmonds-Woodway, Mountlake Terrace and Mead high schools, each selected in past or current years as Essentially Ellington finalists – the top national honor in high school big-band jazz.

The following groups will be performing:

Jazz Bands
Arlington High School Jazz Bands*
College Place Middle School
Edmonds Community College
Edmonds-Woodway High School*
Everett High School
Lynnwood High School
Mead High School (Spokane)
Meadowdale High School
Meadowdale Middle School
Mountlake Terrace High School

Jazz Choirs
Cascade High School
Edmonds Community College Soundsation
Edmonds-Woodway High School*
Kings Middle School
Mariner High School*
Meadowdale High School*
Shorewood High School

* Schools with more than one group performing


In addition to being a wonderful community event showcasing the talents of student musicians, Edmonds Jazz Connection raises funds to support school music programs and students pursing music and education at colleges and trade schools. Corporate and personal sponsorships, as well as donations to the event, are appreciated and can be made by contacting Ron Keimer at 425-774 – 2466.

The "Museum" cast

Saturday is closing night at the “Museum,” a comedy performed by the Meadowdale High Players under direction of Senior Drew Petriello.

The last two years of the drama program have been “tumultuous times,” according to Petriello, which makes the weekend run more meaningful than just another high school show. This group of student actors took on all jobs, from set decoration to direction, with only the help of an advisor, English teacher Alison Ersfeld.

If you enjoy over-the-top characters, this is your show. “Museum” plays at 7 p.m. at the Meadowdale High School Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $7.

Appearing at Demetri's Thursday night: Kermet Apio

Local comedian CJ Alexander says the Edmonds nightlife scene is no joke — and to prove it, he has teamed up with Demetri’s Woodstone Taverna on the waterfront to produce a monthly live comedy show, complementing the Downtown Edmonds Art Walk every Third Thursday night.

Tickets are still available for the first show this Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m., starring Seattle International Comedy Competition winner Kermet Apio. A nationally touring crowd favorite, Kermet is also a local resident and produces an annual comedy fundraiser for the Edmonds School District.

“We believe that Edmonds will support more high-quality live entertainment, and we’ve booked some amazingly high-caliber comic talent for this show,” Alexander said. “This isn’t open mic at a bar, or a showcase of comedy amateurs — these are nationally-touring professionals, like you’ve seen on Comedy Central or the late night talk shows.”

“Edmonds deserves a high-quality show, so we’re guaranteeing 90 minutes of wall-to-wall laughter, headlined by the type of pure comedy pros who could get laughs out of Mt. Rushmore.”

As the former the General Manager of Snap Fitness 24/7 of Edmonds, a local gym, Alexander has seen the city’s demographics gradually change. “Lots of young professionals and first-time homebuyers have been moving to Edmonds,” he said. “It wasn’t very long ago that downtown Edmonds had three bars and ten antique stores; now it’s the other way around. We believe that Edmonds will amply support another high-quality live entertainment option — and that we can finally put a rest to all the jokes about Deadmonds. Although.. I’ll probably still make a couple, at the show.”

Matson on Music columnist Andrew Matson has also included his pick for the best song, which you can download using this link.

Loss, more loss, regret…and resilience.

Northwest favorites Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin played to a sold-out crowd Friday night at Edmonds Center for the Arts. The enthusiastic audience of 700 from Edmonds and beyond heard the friends of over 25 years sing about a faded shirt, leaving town, and not being the fairest girl in school.

A musical highlight was Carpenter’s “Chasing What’s Already Gone.” Colvin seemed astonished by the lyrics and asked, “How did that come to you? “

“My father passed away last October,” said Carpenter. “The more personal you are in a song, the more universal it is.”

Between songs, Carpenter’s guitar tuning kept Colvin at the mic doing stand-up. The women mentioned ex-husbands who weren’t wild about the Beatles and didn’t want to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert. At one point, Colvin channeled celebrity interviewer James Lipton. “What’s your least favorite word?” she asked Carpenter, who seemed to build up courage before giving a two-word response, “Rush Limbaugh.”

Colvin’s song, “Polaroids,” showed off her voice and led to a good-natured tour of other people’s use of the same two-chord structure in  “Put a Little Love in Your Heart,” “Ebony and Ivory,” “Beast of Burden,” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.”

The tour ends Saturday in Tacoma. Carpenter will get back on the road with her band and, at some point return to her five dogs and four cats, or as she calls them, “my people.” Colvin will return to her 13-year-old daughter, who needs attention. “Need I say more?” said Colvin.

Both women said their songs were about “loss” and the audience had been warned not to expect an upbeat show. But after the encore of Carpenter’s “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” the crowd was in a joyful state.

Each singer has an album coming out in June, and Colvin also has a memoir being released.

Michael Scott Thomas

Perrinville’s Corner Coffee Bar & Cafe is featuring blues performer Michael Scott Thomas from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 11.

You’re invited to join them for great music, beer, wine and appetizers.  The cafe is located at 18401 76th Ave. W. in Edmonds. For more information, call 425-776-3616.

"Hormonal Imbalance" comes to the ECA Saturday. (Photo by Terry Jordan)

Four Bitchin’ Babes bring their show, “Hormonal Imbalance…A Mood Swinging Musical Revue,” to Edmonds Center for the Arts this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The hot night promises comedy and harmony, featuring highlights from their twenty-two year party. One of the founding “Mothers” of the group, Sally Fingerett, is known for her song, “Home is Where the Heart Is,” recorded by Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, and folk legends, Peter, Paul, and Mary. But some say it’s her background as a radio/TV jingles performer for Butterfinger, Hallmark, and Sears that gives her the gift to charm audiences with fellow babes, Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint and Nancy Moran.

A few bits from the Babes’ bios:

Debi Smith: When off-road, Smith is known for her “handy-woman” skills, wielding a powerless drill and installing vertical blinds and electrical lighting. As a professional musician, Smith has performed on “A Prairie Home Companion” and at the Kennedy Center.

Deirdre Flint: Playing guitar, bass, and piano, Deirdre hangs out at the intersection where folk music and stand-up comedy collide. She’s been lauded by The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor, and Billboard Magazine says “Flint is a crack-you-up lady who knows how to deliver underdog messages with panache.”

Nancy Moran: The Richmond-Times Dispatch called her “nothing short of a [modern-day] Joni Mitchell” and “a force to be reckoned with.”

Get your tickets before they’re gone in a hot flash. http://edmondscenterforthearts.org/master_calendar

Bottom row actors are Ashley Pickard, Sean Morrone as Cyrano, Patrick Hogan, Sarah Pickard; standing are Terrence Boyd, Ted Jaquith, Lauren Pearsall. (Photo by Michael Bury Photography)

By Janette Turner

“Let me die, steel in my heart and laughter on my lips!”

Laughter, fencing and love unite on the Wade James Theatre stage this weekend as Cyrano de Bergerac woos Roxane and Edmonds audiences. My Edmonds News got behind the scenes with an interview of “Cyrano de Bergerac” director Greg LoProto, who adapted this big-nosed classic for the Edmonds-based Driftwood Players Alternative Stages program.

My Edmonds News: What is your goal as director?

LoProto: We had two big goals when approaching this piece: the first was to tell it in 90 minutes. The original play is a massive, five-act powerhouse and to fit that into and hour or less before and after intermission (while still telling the entirety of the story) took a lot of finesse and imagination. We decided to use a “minimalist” style of staging to match the trimmed-down script to sort of encourage the audience fill in the gaps with their imagination. The other goal was to capture that certain something about Cyrano that makes this 100-plus-year-old play still accessible. There’s a certain life and energy to the characters that never really goes out of style, and we’ve done our best to grab hold of that and let it carry the production.

My Edmonds News: What was your audition process like? Any cast stories?

LoProto: I’m sorry to say, but there’s been little to no backstage drama to tell of! This has been one the most professional, driven and enthusiastic casts I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. From the moment each showed up at auditions to these final rehearsals, everyone has been ready, willing and able to take on whatever insane request I have next of them. This is not the easiest show to put together and a lot of the staging could be described as “unorthodox,” but they’ve been ready for it all, each and every one!

My Edmonds News: What are your favorite parts of the current play?

LoProto: Well, the duel at the beginning is always a crowd pleaser, and the famous balcony scene always gets me. But for this particular production, it’s been the group scenes – the crowd at the play in the first act, the soldiers on the battlefield in the fourth. We were lucky enough to get a wonderful group of performers to build the ensemble for the show, who fill in two, three, four roles throughout the play (often switching mid-scene!). The few times we get to see all of them together are wonderful; they bring great energy and life to the stage.

My Edmonds News: What quotes from the play do you feel are key?

LoProto: I have my favorites (“…let me die, steel in my heart and laughter on my lips!” or “…for you do tremble, like a blossom among leaves” always stick to me), but I hesitate to label any single one as “key.” The poetry will resonate differently for everyone, different pieces will stick out and stay with each who comes to hear it. Rather than tell anyone what to listen for, I’d love to hear what touched people the most, after the fact.

And Producer Carissa Meisner Smit joined the discussion:

I am always on the lookout for directors/ designers who feel passionate about my goal with the Alternative Stages program here at The Driftwood Players, which is to present great stories simply. Those plays range from the great classics like “Cyrano de Bergerac” to the contemporary like “Lonely Planet” by Steven Dietz. I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing visionaries who can entice us into the world of a play and leave us touched and breathless. This production of “Cyrano” does just that. Next year we are changing the name from Alternative Stages to Theatre of Intriguing Possibilities or TIPs, which makes it more clear that once you enter our world, anything can happen!

Cyrano and his nose appear on stage at 8 p.m. on May 10, 11, 12, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 13.

Cascade Symphony’s 50th “Golden Jubilee” season will come to a dramatic conclusion with a collaboration between the symphony and the Sno-King Chorale in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in D minor. The concert will take place Monday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m., at the Edmonds Center for the Arts at 410 4th Ave. N.  It will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by a lecture by KUOW’s Dave Beck.

Performances to date during this 50th anniversary season have been sold out, so advance purchase of tickets is recommended.  Some tickets may also be available at the door on the night of the concert.

Selections from Delibes’ ballet, Coppelia, will begin the program. Soloists Melanie Hingson (soprano), Linda Cornell (alto), Marcus Shelton (tenor), and Thomas Hingson (bass) will then be featured in Beethoven’s Ninth (Choral) Symphony.

The Sno-King Community Chorale is directed by Frank DeMiero and has as its mission “Singers united to uplift the public spirit through inspired choral performance.” DeMiero earned a bachelor of arts in education from Eastern Washington University and a masters in conducting from Central Washington University. His choral groups have received consistent international acclaim, and the Frank DeMiero Jazz Camp has served over 6,000 students during its 25 years.

DeMiero is recognized internationally for his innovations in all areas of music education and is in demand as a guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician and motivational speaker.

Tickets are available through the Edmonds Center for the Arts at 425-275-9595 or at www.ec4arts.org. For more information, see the Cascade Symphony website.

On, Friday May 11, longtime friends Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin will come together for a special evening of music and song, blending their exquisite voices and expert guitar stylings.

And Saturday, May 12 will feature the Four Bitchin’ Babes, who celebrate sisterhood with sorority sister chemistry, performing original songs and stories offering poignant views and unbridled comedic commentary on the joys and dilemmas of everyday life.

Call the ECA box office at 425-275-9595 for details and tickets to all ECA performances.