Parker Gambino

Bill Thorness – Greenwood Senior Center  –  October 21, 2025

Author Thorness was promoting his book, “All Roads Lead to Rome”, in which he visits Italy to retrace his father’s steps during World War 2.  It alternately recounts his father’s war experiences during a campaign on the Italian peninsula (his unit did not actually advance as far as Rome), and modern day impressions travelling along the same route, as far as an entrance to the eternal city.  Although Thorness had book in hand, he hardly read at all, as he instead described experiences and impressions while narrating the slide show.

Sustainable Ballard Festival  – Loyal Heights Community Center, Seattle  –   September 27, 2025
The title says it all, and music was only one facet of the overall festivities.  Mimosa String Quartet played a lot of arrangements of modern pop songs.  Since I am not fluent in what’s happening in that world, I recognized them only as well-arranged string quartet works, to my ear, indistinguishable from legit classical pieces.  Rosevar’s set list was varied, and included a few numbers of his own composition, that were created for some of the environmental programs that he participates in.  He also played Paul Simon’s “April Come She Will”, also on my own set list, leading to a “gotcha” moment regarding the album on which it appears.  Deaver, who is also a luthier, was uncharacteristically solo, as he usually performs as part of the group Old Coast.

Mimosa String Quartet

Asher Deaver

Sheldon Rosevar

Indigifolk Music Festival  –  Victor Steinbrueck Park, Seattle  –  August 29, 2025

This event, MC-ed by local radio personality DJ Big Rez, was a showcase for Indigenous performers.  A number had travelled many hours to get here, so I was generous in the tip jars, hopefully to at least pay for gas money.  Both Luesofire and Tonasket played in modernized genre that nonetheless seemed infused with deep awareness of Native tradition, as well as the persistent existential challenges.  Ali came prepared with an arsenal of flutes which he played solo, seemingly with a different one for each musical piece, broadcasting serenity and reflection.

Isaac Tonasket

Peter Ali

Luesofire

Jose “Juicy” Gonzalez Trio  – Washington Park Arboretum, Seattle  –  August 20, 2025

Gonzales splits his mental real estate between being a musician and working as a gardener at the Arboretum’s Japanese Garden.  Every now and then the metaphorical parallels between these domains synergize when fused, manifesting as a concert at the Arboretum’s visitor center (with complimentary free popsicles!).  The outdoor setting is spectacular, surrounded by plantings befitting the institution.  Gonzalez’s endearing between-song patter expounded a life philosophy that celebrates those metaphors.  Music of the classic piano-bass-drums trio is self-described as “rooted in jazz, fueled by the blues, marinated in funk”.  Gonzalez handles vocals as needed.  Quite a few Beatles tunes received the treatment.

Jose Gonzalez

Matt Jorgensen

Michael Marcus

Americana Sax Quartet – Chittenden Locks, Seattle  –  August 17, 2025

Much to my surprise/displeasure, there was a second unadvertised combo on the bill, following the headliners.  So the slot for ASQ was cut short; sketch time unexpectedly truncated.  Oh well.  Apparently this was the final performance by the group using the “American Sax Quartet” name (corroborated on a subsequent Facebook announcement that the ASQ name was being “sunsetted”).  Opening the concert, spokesperson Jim Glass announced that the group would heretofore be known as “World Saxophone Quartet”, a title that did not seem to be in use by anyone else.   I guess that’s technically true, since the groundbreaking original combo by that name called it quits in 2016.   Good luck with getting found via Google (or any other) search.

American Sax Quartet

Kahil El’Zabar Ethnic Heritage Ensemble – 1200 Broadway, Seattle  –  July 30, 2025

The venue is an outdoor plaza at what was formerly known as the IBM Building.  Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is a trio, with leader El’Zabar rotating through cajon (depicted), a trap set, and kalimba.  Harding spent most of his time on baritone sax, but also played a small whistle at a propos strategic junctures, and a few tiny jingly things that were on hand; cellist Ali stuck to his singular instrument.  El’Zabar contributes vocalizations, not exactly singing, perhaps closer to a grunt/moan hybrid and not subtle at all, at times in unison with Harding’s bari riffs.  Among the tunes, some dinosaur-scream Love Supreme, smooth All Blues, and Gershwin’s Summertime, sultry and languorous, led by EL’Zabar’s simple, patient kalimba figure, to close.  Harding had some down time while the band was setting up and El’Zabar went out to grab a bite, so he consented to posing for the up-close portrait while we chatted.  I later realized that there was an earlier portrayal of him as a member of Abdullah Ibrahim’s combo back in 2014 (https://parkergambino.com/?p=2154).  El’Zabar had also been a subject, even earlier, as one-third of the group Trifactor about 20 years ago, prior to my archiving events in this blog, thus unlinkable.

Kahil El’Zabar’s
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble

Shaina Shepherd – Seattle Center  –  July 25, 2025

Music took place as part of the weekend-long “Bite of Seattle” food festival at Settle Center.  The layout of SC continues to baffle my navigational mojo.  Does a sign, “Fisher Pavillion”, prominent on a building, indicate that the pavillion event is indoors or outdoors?  In keeping with my not-with-it (or is it curmudgeon?) theme, I now walk away from punishingly loud bass that discombobulates my insides, a disturbing modern trend; so I won’t even mention the first band that I was there to see.  Likewise with the alternative that I gravitated to, more moderately audio-ized, but for about 20 subsequent minutes of web searching cannot find any trace of identification of individuals in the band.  Redemption of the day was the sublime Shaina Shepherd with her astonishing range of vocal palette, here as a solo accompanying herself on keys.  Sorry to say, the out-of-his-league PA arrangement continued the sabotage mission.

Shaina Shepherd

Phinney Ridge Steel Band  –  Ballard Seafood Fest  –  July 13, 2025

It was a tossup whether I was going to stick around for the PRSB after my Sunday farmer’s market shopping.  But the timing was good – no waiting around, so what the hey, plus the emanating lilting joy from the orchestral camaraderie made it easy.  Players rotated between instruments and stage positions, which I had not anticipated, adding to the challenge of nailing details of portrayal.  At least I needn’t have worried about getting the hands right.  Jansen Leggett served as amiable MC, introducing tunes, at least half of which were by Lord Kitchener.

Busking Seattle (Jared Elmore) – Ballard Farmers Market  –  July 13, 2025

Elmore, a newly-arrived busker in town, was tucked inside the entrance of a closed-for-the-day storefront.  Instead of a tip jar he used a cowboy boot.

Jared Elmore

Tutti Flutti  –  Chittenden Locks  –  July 12  2025

Making a commitment to sketch in watercolor is always a tricky choice.  For Chittenden Locks, I at least can be assured of spacious seating for my chair environs, and that the paint will quickly dry under full summer sunlight.  But I was anticipating a quartet, so when there turned out to be six players I was resigned to accepting the most fleeting flickers of flutist captures.  Then to make it more challenging, several of the players switched instruments (there was a bass flute or two) for different selections.  Ringleader Parmley MC-ed us through interpretive introductions to the various works, ranging from a Bach fugue to a charming medley of TV-cartoon theme songs (about 10 in all), from Looney Tunes (This Is It) to Flintstones to Simpsons..