Welcome to George Schneider's
Methow Music Monthly
​
Festival Questions?: email MethowMusicMonthly@gmail.com
Welcome to the Methow Valley Jazz Festival, a production of the Methow Music Monthly. We are a young festival, and growing fast. This year we are honored to present some of the top jazz artists of the Pacific Northwest, as well as bringing in some amazing young talent from New York City. We also are celebrating the artists and music lovers of our own little mountain valley. Thanks to our supporters, most events are free for everyone, and all events are free for students. Enjoy listening to jazz in many styles and venues, from intimate pubs and theaters, to lovely outdoor spaces and auditoriums. We really hope you come to our festival, and partake in all the Methow Valley has to offer in summer.
The performance schedule and ticket info:
​
-
Tuesday Aug 25, 5:30pm at the Mazama Public House - Jazz Train with Nancy Zahn. Jazz Train is David Nolet, upright bass; Kirk Schumacher, drums; George Schneider, flute; Marcus Duke, piano. Kicking off the festival with the valley's premier resident jazz quartet with special guest vocalist Nancy Zahn. Free.
​
-
Wednesday Aug 26, 6pm at the Winthrop Public Library - The Will Lone Quartet, with Jenny Xu (piano), Jun Iida (trumpet), Ben Feldman (bass), and Will Lone (drums). Some of the finest players and composers of the new generation of jazz musicians. Pre-concert discussion at 6pm featuring the amazing musician and educator Jovino Santos Neto on the topic: "The Power of Groove: how our articulations shape the beat." Generous support from F.O.W.L. (Friends of the Winthrop Library). Free.
​
-
ALMOST SOLD OUT! Thurs Aug 27, 7pm (doors open 6:30) at The Merc Playhouse - Jovino Santos Neto (solo piano); plus Jenny Xu/Ben Feldman Duo (piano and bass). Jovino is one of the greatest Brazilian musicians on the scene today. Husband and wife jazz power couple Jenny and Ben are back for their third visit to the valley. Tickets $30, limited seating requires advance ticket sales ONLY - send email request to MethowMusicMonthly@gmail.com. No tickets at the door. Students Free.
​
-
Friday Aug 28, 7pm at the Twispworks Pavilion - EntreMundos. an electrifying Seattle-based band who bring to the stage an uplifting and kinetic mix of deep Brazilian roots flavored with world rhythms. A collaboration with Twispworks and their Fourth Friday series. Free
​
-
Saturday Aug 29, 10am Methow Valley Community Center - Jazz School Workshops - intimate classes with instructors Jenny Xu, Ben Feldman, Lynette Westendorf and others). A great opportunity to learn more about the music you love from truly great instructors. Students/youth free. Others $20. No signup needed.
​
-
Saturday Aug 29, 7pm (doors open 6) at the Methow Valley Community Center - Greta Matassa Quintet. Greta on vocals; with Brian Monroney, guitar; Clipper Anderson, bass; Mark Ivester, drums; and Hans Tueber, sax. Greta is the Queen of the Pacific NW jazz vocal scene. The band she brings to the valley are absolutely top A-listers from Seattle. Tickets $25, Premium Seating at tables (4 seaters) up close are $35, can be reserved by sending an email to MethowMusicMonthly@gmail.com. Tickets ONLY at the door (large room with plenty of seats). No credit cards. Cash, check, or Venmo welcomed at door and bar. Students free.
​
-
Sunday Aug 30, 11:30 am (doors at 11) at the Methow Valley Community Center - Lynette Westendorf Trio performing One World. David Nolet (upright bass), Kirk Schumacher (drums) and Lynette on piano. Lynette made the Methow home for many years, and returns with her trio and her original and stunning extended work One World. Free, donations accepted. Followed by...
​
-
Sunday Aug 30, 1pm at the Methow Valley Community Center - Jazz Brunch - immediately following One World performance. By donation
​
-
Sunday Aug 30, 5pm (doors at 4:30) at the Methow Valley Community Center - Local's Showcase - Jam Session to cap off the festival! Celebrate our musical friends and neighbors with groups performing, followed by a jam session for the ages! Free, donations accepted.
Thank You to our Sponsors!
Festival Patrons:
Cascadia Music
Ray and Mary Johnston
Peter Morgan and Raleigh Bowden
Bill Pope and Teresa Castner
Judith and David Hardmeyer-Wright
​
Festival Partners:
​
​
​​Prentice-Balance-Wickline Architects
Phil and Cathy Davis
Friends of the Winthrop Library (FOWL)
Rick and Katie Swanson
Jo Wallace and Bruce Nitsche
​
Friends of the Festival:
Marcus and Chris Duke
Wayne and Linda Mendro
Dwight and Annie Filer
Janice Kasala
Lynette Westendorf and Richard Hart​​
Kirk Schumacher
Meg Fox
​
Meet our Artists
(in order of appearance)
JAZZ TRAIN - The Methow's long-running jazz quartet features Marcus Duke on piano, George Schneider on flute, David Nolet on upright bass, and Kirk Schumacher on drums. Their repertoire features originals by Marcus, and a broad spectrum of music from great composers such as Ellington, Coltrane, Jobim, Corea, Shorter, and many others. Their music is rhythm heavy and exciting.
DAVID NOLET (LYNETTE WESTENDORF TRIO AND JAZZ TRAIN) - This wonderful bassist and guitarist splits his time between Seattle and the Methow, and has performed jazz throughout the NW with The Jazz Train, Terry Hunt, Lynette Westendorf, Steve Tressler, Nancy Zahn, and Curtis Fowlkes. Formerly a member of the Brazilian music group "Arco Voz" with Jim Nolet and Marcia Lopez, performed throughout the East coast and NYC including the Knitting Factory.
MARCUS DUKE (JAZZ TRAIN) - Marcus Duke has been playing piano his entire life. He attended Performing Arts High School (the "Fame" school) and Juilliard Preparatory School. In the 70s, he worked as a recording session player in LA and formed an instrumental group, Nothin' Sirius, which played original instrumental tunes drawing from diverse genres. He recorded 3 albums with his band and on 9-10 other albums for Baby Grand Records. His live performances included a brief stint with Lou Rawls. In 1979, Marcus moved to the Seattle area, ultimately moving to the Methow in 2017. He’s played for various events through Cascadia Music, in the house band for the Merc’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. And he’s played with all the local musicians. Marcus has always been amazed at the depth and diversity of talented musicians in the Methow and is doing his best to play with as many of them as possible before the lights go out!
GEORGE SCHNEIDER (JAZZ TRAIN) - George has been a Methow resident since 2010, and has been a mainstay on the music scene ever since. He currently performs with the quartet Jazz Train, and also frequently duets with Marcus Duke, David Weidig, Ben Wheeler, Terry Hunt, David Nolet, and others. He is largely self taught on the flute, but did have some significant study experiences with James Newton and Jim Grantham. George started the Methow Music Monthly back in 2022, wanting to promote the local live music and dance scene. The MMM now has over 800 subscribers, and is the proud producer of the Methow Valley Jazz Festival.
NANCY ZAHN is a jazz and Broadway style vocalist, performing regularly on the Pacific Northwest Music scene. Her clear mezzo vocal stylings have been entrancing audiences since the age of nineteen. Her passionate vocals exude joy and heartbreak in the midst of a song. Audiences lean into her pin-drop ballads and swinging big band renditions of the old classics.
Nancy is as comfortable in a duo as she is with a twenty-one piece band. In the same set you might hear a big Broadway style voice, or an intimate breathy ballad. Her influences are Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, as well as the more contemporary Melody Gardot, and Karrin Allyson.
WILL LONE - a Seattle-based (and Methow raised) drummer and improvising artist who has cultivated a multi-dimensional and melodic style of drumset playing. He holds a BA in music from Cornish College of the Arts (2018) where he majored in jazz performance as well as studying African and South American rhythm, and has studied various musical traditions abroad (Tabla and Carnatic rhythm in India, 2010; Gamelan music in Indonesia 2019-2020). Will has performed in Seattle and around the world with numerous groups and artists of different styles, including with Gamelan Pacifica, one of America's premeir Javanese Gamelan ensembles.
JUN IIDA (WILL LONE QUARTET) Interview at KNKX - Jun will be performing on trumpet with the Will Lone Quartet. Award winning trumpeter, composer, and educator Jun is known for his dynamic and versatile contributions to the jazz and contemporary music scenes. As a bandleader, Iida leads the Jun Iida Group (Los Angeles/NYC), and has been a part of successful ensembles such as FADE Quintet (Seattle), Salt Petal (Los Angeles) and Todo Mundo/WITHIN (San Diego). He has performed at renowned festivals including SXSW, PDX Jazz Fest, and Earshot Jazz Festival. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a range of acclaimed musicians, including Deltron 3030, Mike Phillips, Takuya Kuroda, Anat Cohen, and Skerik.
JENNY XU - currently based in New York City, she is an alumna of the Manhattan School of Music, Berklee College of Music, as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music. In addition to regular appearances as both a leader and sideman on the NYC jazz scene, she presently serves on the faculties of several distinguished institutions including the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Best known for her work with her brain-child trio: FRIENDSHIP, Jenny’s group boasts three critically acclaimed tours and three albums of her original music: Project Sock Retrieval (October 2020), Ghost Stories (February 2021), and Reasons Why You Won't Find FRIENDSHIP on Dating Apps (June 2025). ​​​​​​
BEN FELDMAN - Hailed as one of the most versatile and dynamic up-and-coming instrumentalists on the scene, Ben Feldman (b. 1999) is a multi-award winning bassist, composer, and educator currently based in New York City. Born and raised in Seattle, he graduated from the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with legends such as Ron Carter and Buster Williams. He has performed with such artists as Stefon Harris, Geoffrey Keezer, Jane Monheit, Gerald Clayton, Matt Wilson, Sullivan Fortner, and many others. His own projects include the piano/bass duo series 4+88 as well as co-leading the NYC-based bands FRIENDSHIP and Meridian Odyssey, which have released five critically acclaimed albums.
​​​​​​​​​​JOVINO SANTOS NETO - Three-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto, a master pianist, composer and arranger, is one of the most important Brazilian musicians working today. Currently based in Seattle, Washington, he has throughout his career been closely affiliated with the Brazilian master Hermeto Pascoal. He was an integral part of Pascoal's group from 1977 to 1992, where he fine-tuned his artistry, performing around the world and co-producing several legendary records. Jovino’s personal style is a creative blend of energetic grooves, deep harmonies, telepathic improvisation, lyrical melodies and great ensemble playing, always inspired and informed by the colorful richness of Brazilian music. His compositions include samba, choro, baião, xote, forró, marcha and many more styles, rooted in centuries-old musical tradition while pointing to new and adventurous harmonic languages.
ENTREMUNDOS QUARTETO is an electrifying Seattle-based band who bring to the stage an uplifting and kinetic mix of deep Brazilian roots flavored with world rhythms—a deft blending of funk, jazz and soul melding with the classic sounds of samba and bossa nova. EntreMundos means “between worlds,” and the group’s mélange of seductive sounds embodies their name, stirring a personal and uncommon blend into a sound with universal appeal.​ With the elegant and lilting vocals of Adriana Giordano, the superbly versatile Eric Verlinde on piano, and the locked-in rhythm section of Jeff Busch on drums and percussion and Dean Schmidt on bass, EntreMundos Quarteto deliver the goods!
GRETA MATASSA - one of the most talented singers working in jazz today. She has been voted “Northwest Vocalist of the Year” by Earshot Jazz eight times in 15 years! She was voted again, Vocalist of the Year in 2021 and honored with a lifetime achievement award and inducted into the Earshot Jazz Hall of Fame in 2014.​​​​​​​​​​
CLIPPER ANDERSON (GRETA MATASSA QUINTET) - Clipper Anderson is one of the Northwest's leading Bassists. Playing all styles on acoustic and electric bass, Clipper is a composer, studio musician, vocalist and educator. A native of Polson, Montana, Clipper was educated at the University of Montana. The list of recordings on which Clipper appears is both long and impressive, including five with award winning Seattle jazz vocalist, Greta Matassa. He has recently performed with jazz artists, Micheal Brecker, Dave Samuels, Peter Erskine, Bruce Forman, Tamir Hendelman, Bob Mintzer, Lew Soloff, Bucky Pizzarelli, Benny Golson, Paquito D’Rivera, Phil Woods and Buddy DeFranco.
HANS TEUBER (GRETA MATASSA QUINTET) - Hans Teuber has been a top-call saxophonist and woodwind doubler, composer, arranger, and keyboardist in the Pacific Northwest for over thirty years, with extensive experience recording and touring alongside many influential artists. He has traveled North America, Europe, Japan, and Brazil, performing with jazz luminaries such as George Cables, Julient Priester, Bill Frisell, Chano Domingues, Michael White, and Wayne Horvitz. Hans also toured and performed with folk singer Ani DiFranco and recorded with notable Seattle rock bands Brad and Mudhoney.
MARK IVESTER (GRETA MATASSA QUINTET) - Mark Ivester is a versatile drummer and percussionist with extensive experience playing a variety of musical genres from rock to jazz to orchestral music. Mark has performed with numerous jazz artists of international stature including Larry Coryell, Freddie Hubbard, Diane Schuur, Mose Allison, Charlie Byrd and Eartha Kitt. He currently performs and records with the Jovino Santos Neto Quartet, Greta Matassa and Susan Pascal. Ivester has also performed with the Honolulu, Spokane and Walla Walla symphony orchestras. Ivester is a founding member of the professional percussion ensemble Happy Hammers, a group that performs a broad cross-section of percussion music of various ethnic origins including the steel drums from Trinidad, African drumming of the Ewe and Yoruba tribes, Afro-Cuban drumming, Brazilian sambas, and jazz for mallet keyboard instruments.
BRIAN MONRONEY (GRETA MATASSA QUINTET) - During over three decades as a busy sideman and session musician, guitarist Brian Monroney has performed or recorded with artists including Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole, Barry Manilow and Tom Jones (Brian toured as Sir Tom’s guitarist and Musical Director for nearly 18 years). In addition to performing and session work, Brian works as an arranger, music copyist, and guitar teacher. Currently a resident of Tacoma, Brian has performed with a number of notable PNW artists and bands including Lee Oskar, Nearly Dan, Greta Matassa, Bill Anschell, Teatro ZinZanni and his own quartet.
LYNETTE WESTENDORF - Methow Valley folks still call Lynette one of our own, though she moved to Wenatchee a couple of years ago. She is a gifted composer, pianist, and band leader, and has several recordings under her name. Recently she completed her Preludes and Fugues project, and for this years festival is presenting her world rhythm inspired One World with her trio.