Even Craig Marquardo would hesitate to call his trio a Jazz ensemble.  It has the right recipe: an upright bass, manned by Ron Delano, Stephen Leiker on the keys, and Craig behind the mic.  Call it a brainteaser: Is it still Jazz if they cover the likes of Sting, Van Morrison, and Al Green?  If Johnny Cash proved that Nine Inch Nails could be made into country-rock, Craig has a good chance to find his niche in cool trio lounge.

You can find them in many a packed house, bending old standards and more recent chart-toppers over a mood-lit room–and it is a pity.  The ambient noise in a crowded café could never allow justice to a breathy musical number from the surprising voice of Mr. Marquardo.

Why is he surprising?  After a decade spent in the Movie Business (capitalized), you would think that an ex-executive would be as musically lifeless as the rooms in which major deals were closed.  Since then, he has pulled the posters off his Florida home walls and reattached them in Hood River, Oregon.  “I was tired of the game. I was ready to have some fun for a change.”

He spoke of his days before getting into movies when, at 15 years old, he sang backup for Sting during Amnesty International’s 1988 Human Rights Now! tour.  “It was a fluke after a fluke after a fluke,” Craig recalled over a tall cup of water (he doesn’t drink).   His tableside manner smacks of a seasoned entertainment professional–relaxed and only too proud to offer his life story.  A life story from him sounds like a rags to riches story–starting with being emancipated at age 13, experiencing homelessness, and then some modest success in movies.  A Google search of his name will offer any number of more recent controversial stories about baseball, movie deals, and unconfirmed past.

Despite all this, and whatever anyone may write about him, Craig has the satin voice to back himself.  Five minutes in his audience will capture your ears and leave you thinking, didn’t I hear that somewhere? The trio’s fresh feel is a testament to new beginnings.

Delano, based out of Portland, and Leiker, the newest member of the trio (replacing former member, Rich Garber) are both seasoned musicians whose stage goofiness is demonstrative of their comfort with the group.  Delano has his own solo guitar album available online, and Leiker is a recent transplant from Kansas City–brought in after leaving the Noah Peterson Soultet.

Before his life began to shift, Marquardo expressed his interest in tapping into the revival created by Harry Connick Jr., “I saw [him] do the Tonight Show, and he did ‘Don’t Get Around Much, Anymore’ and ‘Recipe For Love’…and I’m looking at him thinking, I can do that.” He then listened to every classic jazz album he could get his hands on, and pulled his voice out of the cobwebs at a piano bar he co-owned in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Jumping forward to today, it still needs to be seen if this trio can make it onto MTV (one of their more lofty goals).  Success beyond a crowded nightclub will rely partially on Craig’s background as a business “force of nature,” and the reception to his new upcoming film, Sway. 

Sway will feature the trio, and tell a “phoenix from the ashes” story of an ex-executive who cuts off his ties to take a break from the industry, while simultaneously finding his passion in music.  Sound familiar?  The movie will begin filming in Hood River “as soon as the weather gets better,” and is due for release later this year.  It is starred in, produced, and written by Craig Marquardo himself.

When Delano and Leiker were asked about being on film, a small flash of nervousness passed before their eyes.  “Craig did give us each a few speaking lines, the rest of the time, we just play,” Ron remarked.

Anyone interested in checking out his music should visit www.craigsjazz.com.  The group’s touring is limited to the northwest area for now.  Look for him in Seattle at the end of February, and if you miss him, he’s up here on a monthly basis.