Brandonlee Cierley & Reggie Goings Double Bill at Seattle Jazz Fellowship

Portland based tenor saxophonist BrandonLee Cierley continues the strong connection between the Seattle and Rose City jazz scenes. Cierley who has authored a self-produced album and has performed frequently around Seattle, arrives with the perfect Seattle/Portland split in his band. Portland drummer Machado Mijiga, fresh off his weekend residency at SJF, represents the Rip City portion of the deuce. First-call bassist Michael Glynn and pianist Dylan Hayes are the hometeam cats. Cierley’s playing is in the early stages of his evolution, as is always the case with new generation players. What is impressive is as a bandleader, he is doing exactly what he should be doing as a young leader and musician– he is hiring musicians that will challenge him in every way, and in Glynn, a veteran presence who has performed with many of the genre’s greats. As is the case in Seattle with young talent that includes Hayes, it is super fun to watch the next generation of talented, serious jazz musicians come of age....

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Portland based tenor saxophonist BrandonLee Cierley continues the strong connection between the Seattle and Rose City jazz scenes. Cierley who has authored a self-produced album and has performed frequently around Seattle, arrives with the perfect Seattle/Portland split in his band. Portland drummer Machado Mijiga, fresh off his weekend residency at SJF, represents the Rip City portion of the deuce. First-call bassist Michael Glynn and pianist Dylan Hayes are the hometeam cats. Cierley’s playing is in the early stages of his evolution, as is always the case with new generation players. What is impressive is as a bandleader, he is doing exactly what he should be doing as a young leader and musician– he is hiring musicians that will challenge him in every way, and in Glynn, a veteran presence who has performed with many of the genre’s greats. As is the case in Seattle with young talent that includes Hayes, it is super fun to watch the next generation of talented, serious jazz musicians come of age.

The second half of this double bill is the diametric opposite of Cierley’s set. Veteran vocalist Reggie Goings has performed infrequently in recent years, making his presence at the new room in Pioneer Square a welcome sight. A soulful baritone in the tradition of Lou Rawls, Nat King Cole and Billy Eckstine, the Texas born, longtime Seattleite is well remembered for his own gigs over the years, but also his presence at the legendary jam session at the now shuttered (well, actually obliterated) Tula’s Jazz Club. Goings teams up with Seattle Hall of Fame bassist Phil Sparks, elegant pianist Eric Verlinde and fourth generation Seattle musician, drummer D'Vonne Lewis, a trio worth seeing under any circumstances. https://seattlejazzfellowship.org/events

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