Val James & Friends perform a musical tribute to the Gershwins. Half of the donations received from the concert be donated to the Bayside Housing & Services, https://www.baysidehousing.org/, whose mission is to strengthen our community though housing, advocacy, and human services supporting social and economic independence.

In the past Val James and her “Friends” performed an array of favorite Jazz Standards from the music of the ‘30s and ‘40s by a multitude of composers such as Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Antônio Carlos Jobim, along with songs made famous by such singers as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé; but for this concert, Val has chosen to sing only Gershwin tunes – her favorite composers.

Although James sang folk music during the 60’s, she didn’t start singing jazz until about 25 years ago. Her mother sang with Bing Crosby on the radio in the late 30’s early 40’s and was a “ghost singer” for the movies. James says, “I just can’t get those beautiful songs out of my head. But I was always enamored with the Gershwins and have wanted to do a whole show as a tribute to their songwriting genius.”

Val has performed in the Seattle and Port Townsend areas since the early 80’s. She was a regular for many years at The Upstage and was the producer of Jazz Gals, a jazz trio that showcased local female vocalists. She now is a frequent performer at The Cellar Door. Although she plays guitar herself, when it comes to jazz, she prefers to just focus on vocals. She and her husband Mike have two jazz CDs along with two folk and singer songwriter CDs and are featured on 4 other Nautical CD’s with other performers in Washington State.

Val is accompanied by several of her musical “friends,” all of whom are stellar musicians of their own right:

Pianist George Radebaugh received his BA in music composition from University of California Santa Barbara. Not satisfied with scribbling out twelve-tone pieces and hanging out in practice rooms he moved to the Northwest and started playing with various jazz and R&B luminaries in the area. He generally plays piano but can be tricked into playing accordion from time to time!

Bassist Bruce Cannavaro has played with dozens of different bands and in different genres; but he says the most important thing is that he just loves to make music with his friends.

Tim Sheffel has played drums with nearly every group in the area for decades and has played off and on in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tim has played with Val for over 20 years.

Jack Lambton is relatively new to the Port Townsend musical community but has played Jazz and Blues guitar in Austin and San Francisco. He has played with Val for five years at the Candlelight Concert and for their annual Holiday Concert.

Scott Sizer, the newest member of the group is a trumpeter, vocalist, and harmonica player. He has worked with the Olympic Express Big Band, the Unexpected Brass Band, the Dukes of Dabob, Kirk Kuykendall, and vocalists Val James and Tess Teel. Scott has also fronted his own trio locally, specializing in the standards from the Great American Songbook, with a bit of blues, bossa nova and bebop.