In Jeff Hamilton and Clint Baker, we’ve got two of the key trad jazz instrumentalists on the West Coast. Jeff is widely known as an impeccably swinging drummer, and we love him madly as a pianist. Clint wears plenty of hats — a fantastic trumpet player, a fabulous bassist, a charming vocalist, a musicologist with vast stores of knowledge, a KCSM disc jockey, the list goes on! A jazz guru, he’s been called…

Born and raised in Southern California, Dan Barrett began playing the trombone at the age of eleven, and the cornet shortly thereafter. In high school he formed his first group, the Back Bay Jazz Band, a sextet focused on the music of King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and other early jazz greats. During this time, Dan played many jobs around the area with the great New Orleans musicians Ed “Montudie” Garland, Alton Purnell, Mike DeLay, Joe Darensbourg, Nappy Lamare, and Barney Bigard, and heard a lot about the “old days” first-hand. He’s been an international star in the swing jazz constellation, recording prolifically under his own name and with numerous jazz artists of legendary status along the way, including Doc Cheatham; Scott Hamilton; Bob Haggart; Ralph Sutton; Rosemary Clooney; Ruby Braff; Joe Bushkin; Jay McShann; Dave Frishberg; Benny Carter; Buck Clayton; and Benny Goodman. He is especially proud of his associations with Clayton and Goodman, for each of whom he played lead trombone and was a featured soloist.

John S. Wilson, reviewing one of Dan’s cds for the New York Times, wrote, “He is one of the delights here, a melodist, a colorist who knows how to use a plunger mute with taste and, in total, a player Duke Ellington would have loved.”

Jessica King has quickly become a favorite among Bay Area swing and trad jazz devotees, well known for her work with The Hot Baked Goods and any number of aggregations digging into the rich vein that is hot music! A superb vocalist and instrumentalist, she discovered her passion for jazz through an introduction to Lindy Hop swing dancing in 2010 in Philadelphia. Dance has taken her to places she never dreamed, but always hoped, including the stage. Co-creator of The Hot Baked Goods, she sings and plays rhythm—washboard, guitar, and banjo—with multiple bands in the Bay and beyond. Since she was a girl, blues, jazz, and R&B have been ever-present in her musical tastes. Growing up, she found vocal inspiration listening to Nat Cole, Patsy Cline, Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and Robert Plant, and in more recent years, Una Mae Carlisle, Peggy Lee, Bessie Smith, Anita O’Day, and local great Barbara Dane. Experienced as a lead vocalist, Jessica also loves to collaborate on harmonies with other singers and as a backup vocalist. When she’s not on stage, you can find her developing recipes in her kitchen, teaching Lindy Hop, working as a postpartum doula, and on the social dance floor.