Ben Smith, drummer Heart, is back from tour and playing a two-show gig with his band Ben Smith and Friends at the Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle, December 9 starting at 8:30 PM. The all-star line-up includes, Marc Seales on Keys, Chuck Deardorf on Bass, Darrius Willrich on Vocals and Jon Goforth on Saxophone.
In addition to original music, they will be playing music by Weather Report, Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, Airto, Marvine Gaye, Stevie Wonder and many more.
First show starts at 8:30 followed by another at 10:30. Tickets are $18, or $28 for VIP seating and available online at www.highway99blues.com/calendar .
Ben Smith and Friends is a collaboration between five prolific Seattle musicians who love to get together and play their favorite music. This will be a fun night of great friends and even better music.
About the Venue
The Highway 99 Blues Club offers the flavor of a southern “Juke Joint” and provides an up close intimate setting between the artists and the audience, as well as a full bar and Louisiana influenced menu. www.Highway99blues.com
About the Artists
Ben Smith:
Ben Smith is best known as the drummer for the rock band Heart, led by legendary performers Ann and Nancy Wilson. He has performed live and in studio with them since 1994. In 2015 Ben joined The Ann Wilson Thing!, (TAWT!) Based in Seattle, Washington, Ben is one of the world’s most respected and talented musicians. In addition to his work with Heart and TAWT!, Ben’s talent has given him the opportunity to play with music legends over the years including, Lovemongers, Pete Droge, Don Gilmore, Tracy Nelson, BoyMeetsGirl, Deniece Williams, Peter Frampton, P.F. Sloan, Cornelius Bumpus, Danny O’Keefe, Sugar Pie de Santos, and with Jazz and Blues, legends such as Nancy Wilson, Ernestine Anderson and Glenn Alexander, Phoebe Snow, The Songcatchers, Kenny G, banjo prodigy Danny Barnes, and countless other gifted artists live and in the studio. You can also hear his drumming in major motion pictures such as “Almost Famous” , “Vanilla Sky”, and “Elizabethtown.”
Marc Seales
A noted pianist, composer and leading figure in the Northwest jazz scene, Marc Seales has shared stages with many of the great players of the last two decades. He has played with nearly every visiting jazz celebrity from Joe Henderson and Art Pepper to Benny Carter, Mark Murphy, and Bobby Hutcherson. With the late Don Lanphere he performed in such places as London, England; Kobe, Japan; The Hague in the Netherlands; and the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Darrius Willrich
International soul-singer-songwriter Darrius Willrich drips a sensuous interplay of soul, jazz, and inner city longings. Sure to engage your all your senses, with the look, sound and feel of yesterday’s soul-today. The spirit of Stevie Wonder, D’Angelo, and Herbie Hancock, season the musical stew that is Darrius…Sweet Urban Soul. Being a trained jazz pianist, a soulful singer, and an intelligent songwriter, with love for hip-hop, Darrius Willrich delivers feel good music drawn from a wide skill spectrum.
Jon Goforth
Jon Goforth is known as a captivating musical storyteller with many voices. His music career spans thirty years during which he has performed live and been recorded many thousands of times. Yet every time Jon picks up an instrument he creates a new listening experience; his technical proficiency and incredible feel for the music crosses genres from classical to funk, jazz to soul, R&B to pop.
Chuck Deardorf
Chuck Deardorf has been an integral member of the Northwest jazz scene for over two decades. A respected acoustic and electric bassist, his dynamic performances have been a part of countless festivals, nightclubs, and recording sessions, touring the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Australia with such jazz greats as saxophonists Bud Shank and Don Lanphere; pianists George Cables, Bill Mays, and Kenny Barron; and guitarists Larry Coryell and Bruce Forman.
