Zazou's Entertainment Guide

 Check out these great acts and be glad you live in Seattle...

pyramid of freaks

 

Circus Contraption - A real live circus right here in Seattle and not the kind with elephants and dancing dogs, this is the real kind with spooky people and strangely attractive oddities that make you question your sanity!  It IS a circus but if you have Barnum and Bailey's in mind, then you're in for quite a surprise!   This circus is more of a dark and motley carnival accompanied by a cacophony of spooky music, fire-eaters, jugglers, acrobatics and lord knows what else!  What's more, you might just find Zazou's Hugh Sutton lingering around the bandstand... www.circuscontraption.com .

 

Pearl Django - Seattle's classic and most popular Gypsy Jazz band!  These cats are full of suavetude galore and what's more, you might even find Zazou's own Ryan Hoffman lingering around the bandstand...  www.pearldjango.com .

 

Los Flacos - Mexican tunes that will fill you with gladness that you have ears to hear.  Check them out at:  www.myspace.com/losflacos

The Supersones - Groovy son tunes that will make you sing in Spanish even if you don't know how to speak a lick of that lovely language.   You'll dance the night away!  Check them out at www.supersones.com

Hot Club Sandwich -  These guys give that Django stuff a pretty good turn!  Their sweet blend of stringed instruments and their solid feel make them a pleasure to behear.  Check them out at www.hotclubsandwich.com for information about shows and the band, etc. 

Greta Matassa - Voted #1 Jazz singer in Seattle by Ms. Jessica of Zazou.  Check her out at:  www.gretamatassa.com

Michael Horowitz - Wanna learn to play those lickety-split gypsy licks?  Do you sit at home, a perplexed finger contortionist?  Then check out www.djangobooks.com Michael is producing some excellent books for those interested in learning to play in the Gypsy jazz style.  He also plays a lot around Seattle and you can go see him at the various performances listed on his website. 

The Jelly Rollers - down home country blues electric and acoustic.  The group features electric and acoustic finger-style delta blues guitar, harmonica, soulful vocals often accompanied by a solid bass and drums rhythm section.  The Jelly Rollers play both as an acoustic duo and as a four piece electric blues ensemble that is innovative and energetic.  Aside from being one of the best local bands around, these guys rock!  You can check them out at: www.jellyrollers.com .

Baby Gramps - A Northwest legend! Don't miss seeing him!  Baby Gramps is unforgettable.  Gramps' untraditional, eclectic and innovative playing brings new life to vintage traditional ragtime, blues and jazz.  To describe him is difficult, as anyone will know who has heard him.  He plays with words with the spirit of a poet while he pulls old tunes from his guitar like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat.   With the  delight of a mischievous child, his resonator guitar becomes more than a musical instrument.   He doesn't appear often around these parts so if you have the chance to see him...don't miss him!  Amazingly enough, you can also find him on the internet at www.babygramps.com .    You might even find a couple members of Zazou by his side!

Mangoson - a seven piece band devoted to two goals:  tapping into the spirit of Africa in Latin America and having fun in the process.  Mangoson says, "we want to recreate the sound you might have heard in the street corners and market places of coastal cities in the Caribbean before the onslaught of keyboards and electric guitars -- the beat carried to the New World in the chanting of African slaves, in the sad verses of Spanish peasants and in the homesick squeeze boxes of English sailors."  Mangoson is creates a wonderful sound yet don't play as often as one would like them to, so don't miss a chance to catch them. You can also catch them in cyberspace at www.mangoson.com .

Kultur ShockSerbo-Croatian rock (often changing personnel but always featuring the fabulous Gino), Kultur Shock's music is a concoction of blues, folk from afar, rock, punk, funk and a bit of jazz. You can also check them out at www.kulturshock.com  

Ensemble Sub Masa - An acoustic quartet (Accordion, violin, upright bass and Hungarian Chromatic Hammer Dulcimer) specializing in the music of South Eastern Europe, including Jewish party tunes, Romanian and Hungarian cafe and village suites, and Turkish dance jams.  You can find them cyberhaunting at:  www.speakeasy.org/~costi/ 

The Black Cat Orchestra- (featuring cello, horns, strings...the whole works) plays chic urban melodies from around the globe, always with an artistic flair for the dramatic.  Check them out at www.blackcatorchestra.com  .

Vira Lata - Brazilian group that plays "Chorro" music which is a beautiful mixture of Samba and African rhythms with European classical.  

Na Hilahila Boys -Neo-retro Hawaiian musical fetishist and ma'i songs (which the band describes as songs composed in celebration of the genitals of ancient Hawaiian kings and queens) and other other favorites of the Hawaiian repertoire.  Set complete with steel guitar, ukulele, fretless bass and three part harmonies including male falsetto.

Don Goodwin Trio - suggested to us by very reliable sources as one of the finest local jazz combos around town. 

3 Leg Torso - Actually they are a 6 Leg Torso now.  This sextet is a fantastic musical adventure featuring accordion, cello, upright bass, violin, vibraphone,  percussion and trap set.  A subtle blend of whirling tangos and romantic musette mixed up with a good sense of humor and an excellent artistic sensibility.  You can visit 3 Leg Torso at www.3legtorso.com .

And what's more...

Vivaleap - Have you invented a car that runs on orange peels?   Wanna climb Mount Ararat in a bathrobe?  Vivaleap will help you spring into your new future.  Megan Haas, Cosmic Problem Solver and Consultant, is there for you at www.vivaleap.com 

Wanna learn how to sing like a bird?  Why not check out Ms. Jessica's vocal coach, the lovely and talented Melyssa Rice, at www.seattlesinger.net !   

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