202 East Holly St.
About the Artist:
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, 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 started playing alto sax in high school and college, and after a hiatus of many years, has again taken up the sax, reflecting his lifetime love of jazz. He is a collector of vintage saxophones and a devoted family man.
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.
Official Website: https://www.drymartinimusic.com/index.php
