Dry Martini was formed in 2019 after Mike Knutson and J. Michael Newlight met over coffee at the Rustic Café in Fairhaven, and first performed together publicly at the grand opening of its successor, Café Blue. Since then, Steve Webber-Plank, and most recently Jack Williams, joined the group, and there have been numerous performances at both private events and public venues.
The name
Dry Martini is an homage to the alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, who famously remarked that he wanted to sound like a dry martini. It also acknowledges our friends and mentors, saxophonist
Brent Jensen and guitarist
Jamie Findlay, whose 2001 and 2021 CDs are titled
"The Sound of A Dry Martini" and
"More Sounds of A Dry Martini", respectively.
Mike Knutson began playing the clarinet in elementary school and moved on to alto saxophone in high school and college. He was in the Ballard High Stage Band during his junior and senior high school years. For many years Mike was an admirer of jazz performances, particularly by The Modern Jazz Quartet at The Village Gate in New York City when he was in the US Army. He was a regular in the audience at Seattle's legendary Jazz Alley. After moving to Fairhaven in 2016, Mike took up the alto sax again: taking lessons, performing in the Skagit Community Band and forming Dry Martini with J. Michael Newlight in 2019. Mike is a devoted family man, dog lover and collector of vintage saxophones.
J. Michael Newlight started on guitar in high school. In the ‘70s, he performed throughout the Northwest as half of the folk duo
Judith & Michael. Later, he and his nasty black Les Paul Custom guitar fronted the short-lived Bellingham rock band
Secret Lives. Then came solo performances here and there as blues musician
Mike Leo. At last, following this restless many-decade journey through folk, blues and rock, he has arrived at relaxed domesticity, bossa nova and cool jazz.
Steve Webber-Plank joined the group in early 2023. He began his initial percussion journey in 1956 at a So Cal music store with weekly lessons and he worked his way thru high school playing Saturday night Two Step & Polka gigs in a country Italian pizzeria and road house. His real love was Afro-Cuban Caribbean rhythms popular at the time and he bonded with the Bossa Nova tunes introduced in the late ‘50’s. Big Band greats like Benny Goodman and his Carnegie Hall performance played a role in his love for rhythm, along with the early Be-bop and later smooth jazz era of the mid-century music scene. He is pleased to partner with Bellingham’s Dry Martini and share the Love.
Jack Williams is the newest member of Dry Martini, joining in August, 2025. Jack's musical background is deeply rooted in classical music and music of a variety of Southern traditions. As a child and young adult, he sang in church choirs and as a soloist and played French horn. During his lifetime, he has been influenced by blues, jazz, bluegrass, and "soul music," while living near Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and in Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee. In the late 1990s, Jack began shifting his musical interests from classical music, experimenting with harmonica and banjo. He settled into the double bass in 2008 while living in Nashville. Since moving to Washington in 2020, Jack has shifted his creative focus on the bass from bluegrass and folk music to jazz, playing with friends and a local Dixieland jazz group.
Gone
2025 Performance Schedule
Saturday, October 25th
7:00-9:00pm
MELLOW JAZZ AT THE 'LARK
Reservations:
Skylarks Hidden Cafe
1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
Monday, September 29th
3:30-5:00pm
HAPPY HOUR MUSIC MONDAY
No Charge At The Door
Donations Will Be Contributed To The Firehouse
Firehouse Arts & Events Center
1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Wednesday, July 16th
Private Event
MELLOW JAZZ AND ANNUAL SALMON BBQ
The Innis Arden Club
Shoreline, Washington
5:30-8:30pm
Saturday, June 28th
6:00-8:00pm
Jazz, Prize-Winning Wines & Tasty Bites
Welcome Road Winery
300 W. Champion Street
In The Heart Of The Bellingham Arts District
Friday, May 16th
AN EVENING OF MUSIC BY HENRY MANCINI
Featuring Guest Saxophonist
BRENT JENSEN
Firehouse Arts & Events Center
1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
6:30-8:30pm
no admission charge for this event
cash donations will be contributed
to the Firehouse in support of their many programs
reservations not required
but recommended to ensure seating
Saturday, April 5th
BOSSA NOVA NIGHT!
Skylarks Hidden Cafe
1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
7:30-9:30pm
Saturday, February 1st
BOSSA NOVA NIGHT!
Skylarks Hidden Cafe
1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
7:30-9:30pm
Friday, January 3rd
7:00-9:00pm
Mellow Jazz In An Upscale Bistro
Sugar & Co.
1210 11th Street
Fairhaven
Dinner Reservation Recommended
Call (360) 392-8738 To Reserve a Table
2024 Performance Schedule
Friday, November 22nd
7:00-9:00pm
Corner Taphouse
1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
Thursday, November 21st
6:00-8:00pm
Mellow Jazz In An Upscale Bistro
Sugar & Co.
1210 11th Street
Fairhaven
Reservation Recommended
Call (360) 392-8738 To Reserve a Table
Saturday, October 19th
6:00-8:00pm
Jazz, Prize-Winning Wines & Tasty Bites
Welcome Road Winery
300 W. Champion Street
In The Heart Of The Bellingham Arts District
Saturday, September 21st
7:00-9:00pm
An Evening of Music by Wayne Shorter
click here for program
admission $20
tickets available online at
Jansen Art Center
321 Front Street
Lynden, WA
Monday, September 9th
3:30-5:00pm
JAZZ IN THE OUTDOOR GARDEN
Happy Hour Music Monday
Firehouse Arts & Events Center
1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Friday, August 2nd
6:00-8:00pm
Jazz, Prize-Winning Wines & Tasty Bites
Welcome Road Winery
300 W. Champion Street
In The Heart Of The Bellingham Arts District
Saturday, July 27th
1:00-3:00pm
Front Street Arts Festival
Jansen Art Center
321 Front Street
Lynden, WA
Sunday July 7th
4:30-7:00pm
featuring guest percussionist Steve Tate
Lighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham
Dinner reservations are strongly recommended:
www.hotelbellwether.com/restaurant
Or by phone: (360)-392-3100
Sunday June 9th
4:30-7:00pm
Lighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
1 Bellwether Way, Bellingham
Dinner reservations are strongly recommended:
www.hotelbellwether.com/restaurant
Or by phone: (360)-392-3100
Friday, May 24th
An Evening of Music by Wayne Shorter
Firehouse Arts & Events Center
1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
6:30-8:30pm
Friday, April 26th
JAZZ
Prize-Winning Wines & Tasty Bites
Welcome Road Winery
300 W. Champion Street
In The Heart Of The Bellingham Arts District
6:00-8:00pm
Friday, April 5thCorner Taphouse
1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
BOSSA NOVA NIGHT!
7:00-9:00pm
Monday, March 18thPrivate Event (Dynasty Winery)
2:00-4:00pm
Saturday, February 17thPrivate Event (Jansen Art Center)
5:30-8:30pm
Friday, February 2ndSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
BOSSA NOVA NIGHT!
8:00-10:00pm
2023 Performance Schedule
Friday, December 22ndSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
More Jazz!
8:00-10:00pm
Friday, December 8thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
Jazz!
7:00-9:00pm
Saturday, November 18thSycamore Square Atrium
1200 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
4:00-6:00pm
Friday, November 10thSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
8:00-10:00pm
Monday, November 6thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Happy Hour Music Monday
3:30-5:00pm
Wednesday, October 18thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
Jazz!
6:00-8:00pm
Monday, September 18thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Happy Hour Music Monday
3:30-5:00pm
Wednesday, September 6thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
Jazz!
6:00-8:00pm
Thursday, August 10thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
Jazz!
6:00-8:00pm
Monday, July 31stFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Happy Hour Music Monday
3:30-5:00pm
Wednesday, June 7thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
6:00-8:00pm
Friday, June 2ndSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
In the Outdoor Beer Garden
5:00-8:00pm
Monday, May 29thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
Happy Hour Music Monday
Thursday, May 11thCorner Taphouse1125 Finnegan Way, #103, in Fairhaven
6:00-8:00pm
Friday, April 7thSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
8:00-10:00pm
Bossa Nova Night!
Monday, March 20thThe Blue Room202 East Holly Street #401 in Bellingham
7:00-9:00pm
Doors open at 6:30
Saturday, March 18thPrivate Event (Shuksan Golf Club)
12:30-2:30pm
Friday, February 17thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
6:30-8:30pm
Doors open at 6:00
Monday, January 23rdThe Blue Room202 East Holly Street #401 in Bellingham
7:00-9:00pm
Doors open at 6:30
2022 Performance Schedule
Saturday, December 31stSkylarks Hidden Cafe1308 11th Street in Fairhaven
8:00-10:00pm
Jazz To Welcome The New Year
Saturday, December 10thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
5:00-7:00pm
Music To Enliven The Holiday Pop-up Market
Monday, November 7thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
3:30-5:30pm
Performing with bassist Sarah Yates
Friday, August 12thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
7:00-9:00pm
Doors open at 6:30
Tuesday, June 21stPrivate Solstice Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
4:00-6:00pm
Friday, June 3rdPrivate Event (Old Fairhaven Parkway)
4:00-5:00pm
Monday, May 23rdFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
3:30-5:30pm
Saturday, May 14thPrivate Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
1:00-3:00pm
Monday, April 11thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
3:30-5:30pm
2021 Performance Schedule
Monday, September 13thFirehouse Arts & Events Center1314 Harris Avenue in Fairhaven
3:00-5:00pm
Saturday, September 4thPrivate Event (Samish Island)
5:00-8:00pm
Friday, August 27thPrivate Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
4:00-6:00pm
Friday, July 23rdPrivate Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
4:00-6:00pm
Monday, June 21stPrivate Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
4:30-6:30pm
Friday June 18thLighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
5-7:00pm
Friday, June 11thPrivate Event (Chuckanut Shore Road)
4:00-6:00pm
Saturday May 22ndLighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
5-7:00pm
Friday May 7thLighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
5-7:00pm
2020 Performance Schedule
Sunday March 15th
Cafe Blue in Fairhaven
2-4:00pmPOSTPONED -- COVID-19
Sunday March 8thCafe Blue in Fairhaven
2-4:00pm
Saturday March 7thLighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
6-9:00pm
Friday March 6thLighthouse Bar & Grill (Bellwether Hotel)
6-9:00pm
Current Favs
Afro Blue – 1959 Mongo Santamaria
Black Nile – 1964 Wayne Shorter
Ceora – 1965 Lee Morgan
Easy Living – 1937 Leo Robin & Ralph Rainger
Footprints – 1967 Wayne Shorter
House of Jade – 1964 Wayne Shorter
O Morro Nam Tem Vez – 1963 Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes
Once I Loved – 1963 Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes
Samba Triste – 1960 Baden Powell & Billy Blanco
Speak No Evil – 1965 Wayne Shorter
Stolen Moments – 1962 Oliver Nelson
Watermelone Man – 1962 Herbie Hancock
Whisper Not – 1956 Benny Golson
Representative Repertoire
A Felicidade – 1958 Antonio Carlos Jobim & Vinicius de Moraes
A Foggy Day In London Town – 1937 George & Ira Gershwin
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square – 1939 Manning Sherwin, lyrics Eric Maschwitz
A Taste of Honey – 1960 Bobby Scott & Ric Marlow
Agua De Beber – 1965 Antonio Carlos Jobim
Ain't Misbehavin' – 1929 Fats Waller, Harry Brooks & Andy Razaf
All Blues – 1959 Miles Davis
All of Me – 1931 Gerald Marks & Seymour Simons
All of You – 1954 Cole Porter
All Or Nothing At All – 1939 Arthur Altman & Jack Lawrence
All The Things You Are – 1939 Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein
Along Came Betty – 1958 Benny Golson
Angel Eyes – 1946 Matt Dennis, Earl Brent
Antigua – 1957 Antonio Carlos Jobim
April In Paris – 1957 Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg
As Time Goes By – 1931 Herman Hupfeld
Autumn In New York – 1934 Vernon Duke
Autumn Leaves – 1946 Joseph Kosma, French lyrics by Jacques Prevert, English by Johnny Mercer
Bahia – 1938 Ary Barroso
Besame Mucho – 1940 Consuelo Velazquez
Black Coffee – 1948 Paul Francis Webster, Sonny Burke
Black Orpheus (Manhā de Carnaval -- Carnival Morning)– 1959 Luiz Bonfá
Blue Bossa – 1963 Written by Kenny Dorham, introduced by Joe Henderson
Blue In Green – 1959 Miles Davis (Bill Evans)
Body & Soul – 1930 Johnny Green, lyrics Edward Heyman, Robert Sour & Frank Eyton
Boplicity – 1949 Miles Davis & Gil Evans
Born To Be Blue – 1946 Mel Torme & Robert Wells
Bossa Antigua – 1964 Paul Desmond
Brazil – 1942 Ary Barroso & S.K. Russell
Bye-Bye Blackbird – 1924 Ray Henderson & Mort Dixon
Chega De Saudade – 1957 Antonio Carlos Jobim, lyrics Vincius De Moraes
Chelsea Bridge – 1941 Billy Strayhorn
Con Alma – 1956 Dizzy Gillespie
Desafinado – 1959 (Portuguese “Out of Tune”) Antonio Carlos Jobim
Dindi – 1959 Antonio Carlos Jobim & Aloysio De Oliveira
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore – 1940 Duke Ellington
Dreamsville – 1958 Henry Mancini
Fly Me To The Moon – 1954 Bart Howard
Footprints – 1967 Wayne Shorter
For All We Know – 1934 J. Fred Coots, lyrics Sam M. Lewis
Four – 1954 Miles Davis
Freddie Freeloader – 1959 Miles Davis
Ginza Samba – 1955 Vince Guaraldi
Gravy Waltz – 1963 Ray Brown, lyrics Steve Allen
Harlem Nocturne – 1940 Earle Hagen & Dick Rogers
How Insensitive – 1963 Antonio Carlos Jobim, English lyrics Norman Gimbel
I Don’t Stand A Ghost of a Chance – 1932 Victor Young, Ned Washington & Bing Crosby
I Left My Heart In San Francisco – 1953 George Cory & Douglass Cross
It Had To Be You – 1924 Isham Jones, lyrics Gus Kahn
Joanna – 1959 Henry Mancini
Let’s Get Lost – 1943 Jimmy McHugh & Frank Loesser
Like Someone In Love – 1941 Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burk
Like Young – 1950 Paul Webster & Andre Previn
Line For Lyons – 1952 Gerry Mulligan
Little Boat – 1961 Roberto Menescal
Look To The Sky – 1967 Antonio Carlos Jobim
Love For Sale – 1930 Cole Porter
Lullaby of The Leaves – 1932 Bernice Petkere & Joe Young
Lush Life – 1948 Billy Strayhorn
Manhattan – 1925 Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart
Mas Que Nada – 1963 Jorge Ben
Mean To Me – 1929 Fred E. Ahlert & Roy Turk
Meditation – 1960 Antonio Carlos Jobim, lyrics Norman Gimbel
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy – 1966 Joe Zawinul (for Cannonball Adderly)
Michelle – 1965 Lennon & McCartney – Rubber Soul
Misty – 1954 Errol Garner, lyrics by Johnny Burke
Mood Indigo – 1930 Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard & Irving Mills
Moonglow – 1933 Will Hudson, Irving Mills & Eddie DeLange
Mooonlight In Vermont – 1944 John Blackburn & Karl Suessdorf
More – 1962 Riz Ortolani & Nino Oliviero
Mr. Lucky – 1959 Henry Mancini
My Funny Valentine – 1937 Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart
Nancy With The Laughing Face – 1942 Jimmy Van Heusen & Phil Silvers
Nardis – 1959 Miles Davis
Night And Day – 1932 Cole Porter
Night Train – 1951 Jimmy Forrest based on earlier Duke Ellington composition
Nuages – 1940 Django Reinhardt, Jacques LaRue
Oleo – 1963 Sonny Rollins
On A Slow Boat To China – 1948 Frank Loesser
On Green Dolphin Street – 1947 Bronislaw Kaper & Ned Washington
One Note Samba – 1960 Antonio Carlos Jobim
Our Love Is Here To Stay – 1938 George Gershwin, lyrics Ira Gershwin
Out of Nowhere – 1931 Johnny Green, lyrics Edward Heyman, first recorded by Bing Crosby
Pennies From Heaven – 1936 Arthur Johnston & Johnny Burke
Petite Fleur – 1952 Sidney Bechet
Poinciana – 1936 Nat Simon, Buddy Bernier
Quiet Nights – 1960 (“Corcovado”) Antonio Carlos Jobim
Rockin’ Chair – 1929 Hoagy Carmichael
Round Midnight – 1944 Thelonius Monk
Samba Cantina – 1964 Paul Desmond
Samba de Orfeo – 1959 Luis Bonfa, Lyrics Antonio Maria
Satin Doll – 1953 Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn, J Mercer
Scotch And Soda – 1959 Dave Guard
Silver Anniversary – 1997 Tim Koss
Since I Fell For You – 1945 Buddy Johnson
Skylark – 1942 Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – 1933 Jerome Kern & Otto Harbach
So Danco Samba – 1962 Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vincius de Moraes
So Nice (Summer Samba) – 1964 Marcos Valle & Norman Gimbel
So What – 1959 Miles Davis (Gil Evans & Paul Chambers)
Song for My Father – 1964 Horace Silver
Song of the Jet – 1962 Antonio Carlos Jobim
St. Louis Blues – 1914 W.C. Handy
Stardust – 1927 Hoagy Carmichael, lyrics Mitchell Parish
Stella By Starlight – 1944 Victor Young, lyrics Ned Washington
Stormy Weather – 1933 Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler
Summer Leaves – 1997 Tim Koss
Summer Samba – 1964 Brazilian composer Marcos Valle
Summertime – 1934 George Gershwin
Sweet And Lovely – 1931 Gus Arnheim, Charles N. Daniels & Harry Tobias
Take Five – 1959 Paul Desmond
Take Ten – 1963 Paul Desmond
Take The A Train – 1939 Billy Strayhorn (for Duke Ellington)
Tangerine – 1941 Victor Schertzinger, lyrics J. Mercer
Tenderly – 1946 Walter Lloyd Gross & Jack Lawrence
The Gift – 1959 Djalma Ferreira & Luiz Antonio & Paul Francis Webster
The Girl from Ipanema – 1962 Antonio Carlos Jobim
The Lady Is A Tramp – 1937 Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
The Look of Love – 1967 Burt Bacharach & Hal David
The Nearness of You – 1938 Hoagy Carmichael & Ned Washington
There Will Never Be Another You – 1942 Harry Warren, lyrics Mack Gordon
These Foolish Things – 1935 Eric Maschwitz (aka Holt Marvell) & Jack Strachey
Things Ain’t What They Used To Be – 1942 Mercer Ellington & Ted Persons
This Masquerade – 1972 Leon Russell
Till There Was You – 1957 Meredith Wilson
Topsy – 1939 Edgar Battle & Eddie Durham
Triste – 1966 Antonio Carlos Jobim
Watch What Happens – 1964 Michel LeGrand
Wave – 1967 Antonio Carlos Jobim
Wendy – 1976 (first release) Paul Desmond
When Sunny Gets Blue – 1956 Marvin Fisher & Jack Segal
You Took Advantage of Me – 1928 Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart
