COMMENCEMENT BAY JAZZ FESTIVAL
EVENING
PERFORMANCES
TICKETS $10 AT THE DOOR or
Vocal Performance
PDX Collective
The PSU Vocal Collective is a small vocal ensemble performing a wide range of contemporary repertoire, including jazz, pop, rock, gospel and more. Composed of 8 to 14 voices and a rhythm section, the Collective focuses on music that features rich harmonies and intricate vocal textures, offering captivating performances that showcase the ensemble’s versatility and artistry.
Instrumental Performance
Thomas Marriott
Trumpeter, composer, and producer Thomas Marriott is a force for jazz on the west coast. He’s paid dues beside jazz elders such as Maynard Ferguson, Roy McCurdy, Julian Priester, Ernie Watts, Roger Humphries, Mike Clark and Stix Hooper, and has been called on by contemporary standard-bearers like Joe Locke, Orrin Evans, Steve Wilson, and Charlie Hunter.
​
A chameleon of musical styles, Marriott’s horn has been in-demand with bands like the Grammy-Award winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Captain Black Big Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstafunk, hip-hop pioneer Deltron 3030 , and vocalists Kurt Elling, Ernestine Anderson, Michael Feinstein and Rosemary Clooney.
​
His own albums, 15 in all, have reached number one on the jazz radio airplay charts, earned 4 1/2 stars in Downbeat, and have been featured on NPR. Thomas Marriott has been featured in the New York Times, has won 9 Golden Ear Awards, the Carmine Caruso Trumpet Competition, is the youngest inductee into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, spent more than 20 seasons as a soloist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra and is founder of Seattle Jazz Fellowship, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting jazz music and jazz culture in Seattle. In 2024 he was named a “Jazz Hero” by the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2026, he was named one of Seattle’s “Most Influential People” by Seattle Magazine.
