Summer in Portland – THIS summer in Portland – has been glorious. And there’s nothing like a summer night, is there? In Mosaique, we love seasonal tunes, and I especially love breaking out our arrangements of Summertime and Summer In The City, both of which recall the sultry, heavy warmth of a summer’s eve. Yet jazz is the epitome of cool, yes? So it’s a perfect yin / yang – the warm summer nights and the cool, cool tunes. Come join us, dip your toe in it. Delightful.

It may still be winter on the calendar, but these Pacfic Northwest sunny days have the trees in bloom, the crocuses and daffodils and tulips popping up, and everyone out basking in the rare sunlight. Joining the celebration is Mosaique, with new tunes and new shows. Can’t wait to see you!

For me, Christmas is like going to Disneyland. As it approaches, I’m filled with excitement and anticipation, but often once I’m there, it’s so rushed and busy I forget to stop and take in the magic, and then it’s over. I realized this the last time I visited Disneyland and thus built in time where I just sat outside Cinderella’s castle and soaked in the surroundings, the amazing detail, the beauty of it all.

Do you ever feel that way about Christmas? This year, let’s all decide to slow down at least once, and soak in the joy and warmth of the season surrounded by faithful friends and family who are dear to us.

Mosaique invites you to join us as we soak up the spirit of the holidays at Arrivederci on Saturday, December 22. We’ll be filling the evening with Christmas tunes and our favorite jazz gems. All you have to do is slow down, drink it in, and be merry.

We hope to see you there!

Photo credit: Disneyland Winter Castle from http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201011/2185/

Summer in Portland is legendary (once it finally starts!). Mild temps, gorgeous sunshine, and this year, thunder and lightning storms! Mosaique’s celebrating the best of summer with our concert series, including cooling down the house at Arrivederci and burning up the Columbia Gorge at Maryhill Winery! Check out our shows page for all the details and come celebrate summer with Mosaique!

While it’s true that here in the Pacific Northwest we have had snow all the way up to the threshold of the vernal equinox, this weekend’s sunny weather confirms it: we love spring! And while one of my favorite jazz tunes may croon that Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year, I am happy to say that it appears to have arrived right on time with crocuses, daffodils, and blooming trees.

Joining in the blossoming festivities is Mosaique, right on time, on April 14th at the always full-of-life Arrivederci. 7:30 till we stop, you know the drill. And yes, you can count on a new tune or two… We hope to see you there!

For so many, autumn is the favorite season. It’s no wonder; no matter where you are in the U.S., the fall colors warm and decorate the otherwise chilling, darkening canvas as we head toward winter. And this fall, along with the return of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, we get to enjoy the return of Mosaique!

That’s right – after months off the main grid (having done a couple private events), Mosaique is making our public re-appearance at Arrivederci in just a few short weeks on December 3rd! Our last public event was in June, and we are very excited to be back. But in addition to that, we’re still available for your holiday parties and events. Drop us a line - we’d love to be part of your celebration of the most wonderful time of the year!

And mark your calendars now to join us at Arrivederci on December 3rd!

So there I was, sitting in Jardines, Kansas City, MO’s second hottest jazz club, listening to live jazz and pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. And this music was HAWT. Like the June midwest weather, it was sultry and warm and enveloping, and I knew I was seeing something special.

And then I thought back on the musicians in Portland and I realized how good we have it. There’s no doubt about it – the jazz in KC is fantastic and everywhere!! And yet, we Portlanders don’t have to go far to find the same kind of fantastic jazz, fantastic players, and fantastic venues. Thanks to folks like you who come out and support live music, we get the privilege of playing – and hearing – amazing music right in our front and back yards!

And the good tunes continue! If you’ve heard Mosaique lately, you know that we’ve added some cool new versions of Summer in the City, Just One of Those Things, ‘Deed I Do, and Well You Needn’t (including Thea’s original lyrics!), and next on June 18 we’ll be featuring an Argentinian twist on yet another fabulous standard. And each new tune gets us closer to a new album… (did I just put that in print??) So come on down – this will be our last public performance for a few months while Thea welcomes a new life into the world. And it’s the day after her birthday! It’ll be a hot, hot night without the humidity of KCMO – we hope to see you!

One of my favorite melancholy jazz tunes is “Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year,” but not because of its climate predictions, so thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Yes, it has rained and rained, but that’s spring in the lovely northwest, isn’t it?

To celebrate the arrival of the crocuses, daffodils, and birdsong, Mosaique is excited to be together again – and with new tunes! You can catch us twice this week – first, on the radio and online in a live interview with artist/author Lynn Darroch on his jazz show, Bright Moments; then in person at Arrivederci!

As always, you can also catch us joining other fabulous musicians to make other fabulous music all around town. Check out our shows page for details on our upcoming events, and thank you for your support of live music in Portland!

On my way home a couple of weeks ago I heard a song on the radio that I’d heard a zillion times before, but this time it struck me in a new way and I thought, what if we slowed it down into a bit of a groove, a little more r&b…?

The next night I took it to the fellas at rehearsal and we played around with it for a while.  The following week, Stevie B says, “I woke up with this bass line in my head for that song,” and suddenly the tune came alive.

In the same way that our arrangements of “All or Nothing at All” and “Sway” came about, it starts with an idea for something different, someone says, “What if we …?” then we play, play, play until it’s right – when it grooves, melts, gives me goose bumps…

So what’s our new tune that I’m so excited about?  You’ll have to come to our gig this Saturday to hear it – we think you’ll love it!