Jazz quartet to play at Bigfork Inn

Catch live music at the Bigfork Inn when the Bill Anschell Quartet plays March 22.

The quartet will be at the inn from 7 to 10 p.m.

The Bill Anschell Quartet is in the Flathead Valley to complement the talents of legendary songbird and Grammy winner Schuur, who performs at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center March 23.

Band leader Anschell, a pianist, served as jazz coordinator for the Southern Arts Federation, the regional arts agency of the South. Anschell was Nnenna Freelon’s music director and pianist in the 1990s. He has been Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year several times and has played with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Lionel Hampton and Russell Malone.

Tenor saxophone player John Nastos studied saxophone and composition at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He performs regularly with the Mel Brown Septet and keeps a busy schedule composing, arranging and performing around the world with Schuur.

Bassist Chuck Kistler, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, appears regularly with many leading Northwest groups. He has accompanied Eartha Kitt, Petula Clark, Ernie Watts and Kurt Elling.

Drummer D’Vonne Lewis rounds out the quartet.

KPLU disc jockey sums up Lewis this way: “He has incredible touch and he knows the history of the music — not just jazz, but most popular music. He can convincingly play just about anything you put in front of him. He is also an attentive listener, both reacting to and propelling the other members of the band ... he’s like a kid who’s just discovered the drums, and that passion and joy comes through the music.”

That spirit of listening and discovering the joy of music is a hallmark of this entire foursome. All four hail from the Northwest; Anschell, Kistler and Lewis live in Seattle, and Nastos makes his home in Portland.

Call the Bigfork Inn 837-6680 for reservations to the Bill Anschell Quartet performance. For additional information about this or the Schuur performance, call (406) 730-2817.

The concerts are sponsored by Don “K” Subaru and brought to the valley by Singer & Simpson Productions.