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Thanks to Keanna Faircloth and WPFW Melissa and I performed live on the air today and got a chance to talk about the opening night show for the Washington Women in Jazz Festival! Thanks to WPFW’s/CapitalBop’s/Bassist Luke Stewart for the photos.

cheesing for Melissa
attempting to set up my camera…

Make sure to buy your passes now through paypal on my blog. Ind. tickets are sold through www.twinsjazz.com.

Excerpt from the CityPaper:

Last week I told you about the First Annual Washington Women in Jazz Festival, organized by local pianist Amy K. Bormet. It begins this week at Twins. The evening’s first set belongs to Melissa Gardiner, a Julliard-educated trombonist whose sound is, put bluntly, badass. It’s a lyrical phrasing and pacing that could fairly be called “classical,” perhaps even “old school,” delivered with a swagger that all but grins at you and just the hint of a growl. The second set is by Lena Seikaly–one of the contenders for D.C.’s best singer, with a rich voice and precise articulation that belies her enormous creativity on the vocal. There’s a crossover element, too: Seikaly will be in Gardiner’s band, and Gardiner in Seikaly’s. They perform at 8 and 10 p.m. at Twins, 1344 U St. NW. $15. —Mike West

I’m thrilled to have Melissa opening the Washington Women in Jazz Festival! She is simultaneously running a kickstarter campaign to finish the production of her album. Pre-order it for just $10 and you will be ahead of the game. We met at University of Michigan, and she just graduated from Juillard’s highly selective Graduate Jazz program.
What a talented and beautiful woman! Please support her in this project, and at Twins on March 2nd!