Current Projects
The Rebecca Kilgore Trio
with Randy Porter and Tom Wakeling
"Ms. Kilgore infuses everything she performs with a sense of lighthearted
enjoyment....” - the New York Times
West by Northwest
with Jason Carder, Angelo Versace, Tom Wakeling, & Dom Moio
We'll be recording a new album in April, 2024!
West by Northwest brings together four highly acclaimed artists who have performed worldwide with a who’s who of jazz. The band's live performances embrace jazz’ past, present, and future, with a great chemistry and an adventurous, hard-swinging style.
Trumpet master Jason Carder (Yanni, Maria Schneider, Ray Charles, Woody Herman), Tucson, AZ pianist Angelo Versace (Take 6, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton), and the swinging rhythm team of bassist Tom Wakeling (Lee Konitz, James Moody, Mel Torme), and drummer Dom Moio (Clark Terry, Herb Ellis, Ahmad Jamal) join forces only a handful of times each year to perform as West by Northwest. Their time together on the bandstand is always a musical highlight of the year, both for them and for their audiences!
West by Northwest’s compositional maturity, musicality, humor, energy, and crushing groove always leave audiences wanting more!
Tom Wakeling & Steve Christofferson
"Original soul, jazz and blues instrumentals, with a piano, a bass, a storm, a train, and sometimes a striptease..."
Look for us at festivals and concert series around the Pacific Northwest!
Tom Wakeling's & Steve Christofferson's musical partnership goes back almost 40 years.
Over the years, they toured extensively together throughout Europe and North America with renowned jazz vocalist, Nancy King and also played in a quartet with Nancy and the great drummer Lawrence Williams. Tom and Steve held a long-standing gig with their trio at Portland's Riverplace Hotel and along the way, they recorded an acoustic trio CD, “Harmonic Tremors” (with William Thomas on drums), and two CDs of Steve’s original music, “To the Last Holdouts” and “Skol Brothers”. They can also be heard together on Nancy King's CD entitled, "Perennial".
During their five-year residency at Portland's Camellia Lounge and subsequent residency at Portland's premiere jazz venue The 1905, this distinctive group developed a loyal following, becoming known for their joyful spontaneity and their unique repertoire filled with surprise, beauty, and creativity.
Steve can be heard on recordings with the Metropole Orchestra and Nancy King, and he has performed with Kurt Elling, Karrin Allyson, Joe Williams, and many others.
Steve's website: https://stevechristofferson.com/
Tom and Steve on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tom-Wakeling-Steve-Christofferson-178672182202271
The Alan Jones Quartet:
with Alan Jones, Dan Faehnle, Randy Porter, and Tom Wakeling
Dynamic drummer-composer Alan Jones leads this hard-swinging all-star aggregation featuring Pink Martini guitarist Dan Faehnle, the awesome Randy Porter on piano, and yours truly holding down the bottom.
The Strings Band (aka “Strings and Things”)
Brazilian Choro meets down-home Blues and Jazz
with
Howard Alden, 7-String Guitar
Todd Johnson, 6-String Bass Guitar
Tom Wakeling 4-String Bass Violin
and always a special guest artist!
"Strings and Things" embraces the vibrant rhythms of Brazil along with an elegant, hard-swinging style. From exciting Brazilian Choro rhythms to down-home Blues and Jazz, their unique sound is filled with excitement, surprise, and beauty.
Virtuoso guitarist Howard Alden, acknowledged as “...the best of his generation” by JazzTimes, can be heard on the soundtrack to the Woody Allen movie "Sweet and Lowdown”, starring Sean Penn. Howard not only played all the guitar solos, but also coached Mr. Penn on playing the guitar for his role in the film.
“A modern maestro...an original virtuoso...one of the 75 Great Guitarists of all time”, is how Downbeat, the world's leading jazz magazine, describes Alden.
Todd Johnson is recognized as a pioneer of the six-string electric bass. Todd has developed an innovative technique where he plays chord changes and bass lines simultaneously. A unique musician with a unique instrument, Johnson stretches the limits in creating new sounds and directions with the electric bass guitar.
"Johnson's sophisticated chord melodies are unrivaled amongst his contemporaries…his innovative bass playing style is anything but traditional"." - bassically.net
And yours truly puts the bottom on it!