Winter Jazz Orchestra concert features Maggie Laird
The Seattle Central Jazz Orchestra will be performing with special guest Maggie Laird at the Broadway Performance Hall this Friday, December 16, at 7:30 p.m. under the direction of Lonnie Mardis.
Laird, a Wisconsin native, is a songwriter/vocalist who has been living in the Pacific Northwest since 1980. Though she has a heavy background in theatre and acting, Laird has always dreamed of playing in a band since she began playing the piano at 4 years old. Her first music group, Blackwood/Laird, made their mark in the Seattle music industry in the 1980s. Laird has performed at the Full House Cabaret Series in Philadelphia and has a traveling show featuring Kurt Weill music. In 2015, Laird recorded her first solo EP, One More Manhattan, which came out earlier this year.
The Seattle Central Jazz Orchestra, which started out as a community based jazz organization under the direction of Brian Kirk, began performing at Tula’s, a Seattle stalwart jazz club. Kirk handed the band to Mardis 15 years ago. The band has provided an opportunity for high school and Seattle Central students as well as local community musicians.