Bake's Place Newsletter
Summer 2009

Homage to Summer!

Summertime in the Northwest is truly magical. Our local lakes are dotted with sailboats and kayakers. Communities large and small celebrate the season with street fairs and festivals. We are blessed with a lovely climate and stunning natural beauty which begins at the Puget Sound and extends well beyond the Cascade Mountains. The long daylight hours give people more of an opportunity to relax, enjoy each other and have fun. Summer is a time of renewal. We at Bake’s pay homage to this great season and have plenty on tap for the months ahead.

Summer BBQ Parties!

For the summer months, we are offering a special BBQ dinner for our guests. Diners will be able to choose from such delicacies as BBQ baby back ribs, chicken, prawns or tri-tips and will also enjoy all the fixings of a traditional BBQ including bakes beans, potato salad, watermelon, strawberry shortcake and berry cobbler. (Menu offerings vary slightly depending on the date of the performance. Please check our menu page for specific offerings on the date you will be visiting us.) We’re even including vegetarian options for those who enjoy a summer barbeque but don’t eat meat. In addition, we are opening up our wraparound patio, where guests may take the scenic vista, while enjoying dinner. After dinner service, we’ll move the party back inside and get the music going. We think this is a fabulous way to spend a summer evening and look forward to having you join us.

The Visiting Songbird Series

Our very popular Visiting Songbird Series continues throughout the summer, and we have some excellent vocalists coming up. Starting on July 18th, we welcome easy swinging New Orleans vocalist Cindy Scott. San Francisco vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Lee takes the stage in early August. We are also pleased to be welcoming Connie Evingson, who will be joined by the ever-popular Hot Club band Pearl Django. They will be appearing on the first weekend of September. Also in September, Portland vocalist Shelly Rudolph takes the stage. As always, this series is an opportunity for vocal jazz fans to see and hear outstanding vocal talent that they might previously have been unaware of. All of these vocalists are well respected in their own communities, and we are happy to introduce them to Bake’s audiences.

Wine Tastings with Bake & Friends

Come out and join us for a relaxed evening of exceptional wine and great music with the house band Bake & Friends. We will continue to partner with the best regional wineries and vineyards and to offer exquisite tastings of some truly outstanding local wines. The Bake and Friends band features some of the best musicians on the scene: Hans Brehmer on piano and vocals, Trish Hatley on vocals, Larry Holloway on bass, Ken French on drums and of course, our host Craig Baker on vocals. With three-part harmonies and a fun-loving spirit, the band puts their own spin on jazz standards and pop favorites as well as some more obscure compositions. This is always a very fun event. We hope to see you there.

Greta Matassa CD Release Party: I Wanna Be Loved

Greta Matassa is a much beloved figure on the Northwest jazz scene and has long been a favorite performer on the Bake’s stage. We are happy to join Greta in celebrating the release of her new CD I Wanna Be Loved. This new recording is Greta’s first with the Resonance record label. The esteemed Los Angeles pianist Tamir Hendleman is featured on many of the songs and also lent a hand on several of the arrangements. The recording also includes performances by Bruce Foreman, Bob Leatherbarrow, Darin Clendenin and Clipper Anderson, as well as several outstanding Los Angeles musicians. I Wanna Be Loved is Greta’s first recording with string arrangements and includes songs by Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dorough, Al Jarreau, Marilyn and Alan Bergman and Henry Mancini. This new CD is an exciting addition to what is already an impressive career. We are thrilled to celebrate with our dear friend. We expect the room will be packed for this performance. Please make your reservations early!

New at Bake's

For September, we’re trying something new: Stand-up comedy! On September 11th, Seattle funnyman Rob Long takes the stage and the mic. Rod has been making ‘em laugh since childhood and has risen to prominence as one of the top comics on the west coast. He’s been awarded the title as “Emerald City’s Funniest Person” and was the 1987 winner of the Seattle International Comedy competition. He’s worked clubs in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. He’s opened for great comics such as Jerry Seinfeld as well as some of music’s brightest stars including Ray Charles and The Temptations. Locally, he has lent his talents to many high-end charitable organizations and fundraisers and has also performed for big corporate clients such as Boeing and Microsoft. Rod’s tickled the funny bones of thousands, and he’s sure to tickle yours. Come out, kick back and get ready to laugh!

Also new this summer, we are proud to present the up and coming acoustic trio The Senate. The Senate featuring Nick Drummond and Oliver Franklin on guitars and Andrew Pullrabek on acoustic bass weave a musical tapestry of 3-part harmonies and polyrhythmic grooves. Their sound represents their diverse musical backgrounds and is a fresh and innovative voice on the Northwest music scene. The Senate takes the stage on August 14th.

Northwest Favorites

Of course, the summer would not be complete without a line-up of our favorite artists. Seattle vocalists Kelley Johnson and Stephanie Porter will be appearing with their bands on August 8th and September 12th respectively. Hot Club swingers Pearl Django take the stage on July 25th. We are always pleased to welcome the musically eclectic duo of Tingstad and Rumbel, who will be appearing August 15th. New Age pianist David Lanz is back on August 22nd , and Primo Kim will be back to play and sing on September 18th. We round out the month with the Northwest blues masters Little Bill & The Bluenotes on September 19th. As always, it is a good idea to check our website for schedule additions and updates.

About Us

Bake’s Place is the Northwest’s premiere jazz supper club. Nestled into the serene, hillside setting of Providence Point in Issaquah, this elegant establishment is home to several of the regions top jazz performers and is also a frequent stop for national, touring artists. With careful intention and painstaking attention to detail, owners Craig and Laura Baker have created the ultimate listening and dining destination. The lush interiors, state of the art sound, outstanding cuisine, excellent wine list and warm hospitality allow guests to enjoy performances by world-class musicians in a uniquely intimate setting. Bake’s was named as one of the “top 100 jazz clubs in the world” by Downbeat magazine, and it readily lives up to the honor. As always, we encourage you to spend some time on our user-friendly website: http://www.bakesplace.org/. Here you may read about upcoming artists, listen to audio clips, peruse the latest calendar updates, make reservations and menu selections all at the click of a mouse!

We look forward to welcoming all of you to our living room: Bake’s Place! We will see you soon!