Wine & Food Pairings plus Jazz in the Lobby

Smith Dobson Quartet

When: Friday Afternoon, June 6
Where: Partake by K-J, 241 Healdsburg Ave.
Time: 5 – 7:00 pm
Reservations recommended: (707) 433-6000, partakebykj.com

In Bay Area Jazz circles, the name Smith Dobson is quite a pedigree. Smith Dobson IV was a brilliant pianist and educator who worked with Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Bobby Hutcherson before his life was cut short in a car crash in 2001. Various family members are proudly bearing the torch, including Smith Dobson V.  He’s very focused on swinging, but always with an ear open to what’s new. With Dobson on saxophone, pianist Keith Saunders, bassist Doug Stuart and drummer Tony Johnson, this quartet will deliver a hard-driving set that balances past, present and future. The venue is Partake by K-J, Kendall-Jackson’s dining and tasting room in the center of Healdsburg just off the Healdsburg Plaza, for a Friday afternoon “Happy Hour” of food, wine and jazz – the way we like it.

Walter Savage’s Bucket List

When: Friday Evening, June 6
Where: Hotel Healdsburg Lobby, 25 Matheson St.
Time: 9 pm – Midnight
No Cover.
Winery sponsor Chalk Hill Winery

A Bay Area bass mainstay for many years, Walter Savage always brings something extra thanks to his desire to get his instrument front and center without ever losing the groove. Now living in Arkansas, the bassist has always wanted to play the Healdsburg Jazz Festival – it‘s on his “bucket list,” hence the band name. It’s going to be a Healdsburg reunion for Walter and some of the cream of Bay Area jazz artists: pianist Glen Pearson, saxophonist Dave Ellis and drummer Deszon Claiborne.  And since it’s after-hours for the Raven Theater crowd, who knows who will show up in the audience – or on the bandstand?