For the past several summers, the Woodland Park Zoo has hosted some of the best outdoor music the region has to offer.
The lawn is bathed in afternoon sunshine, and it’s a great place for family picnics.
The season starts with a combination of musical geniuses.
Leo Kottke, 66, plays an acoustic guitar like no one else. He combines rock ‘n’ roll with a bit of blues and jazz. His finger picking style is legendary, as is his vast repertoire of songs.
He’s also known for delivering vast, sprawling monologues on topics both odd and relevant.
Kottke is sharing the bill with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.
Shimabukuro’s instrument may be smaller than Kottke’s, but he make sounds just as big.
At home playing Hawaiian folk songs, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” he is thrilling to watch.
Shimabukuro has made frequent stops at the Edmonds Center for the Arts in recent years, so this presents a great opportunity for his fans to see him under the stars.
Catch the concert at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater, 750 N. 50th St., Seattle.
Tickets are $24 at zoo.org/zootunes.
The southern California indie funk dance rock sensation Foster The People swoops into WaMu Theatre on Tuesday.
Made up of Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink and Mark Ponitus, the trio continues to score successes.
They were nominated for Grammys and won a Billboard award last year.
Their hit “Pumped Up Kicks” brought them fame and fans. It’s vibrant, fresh and makes you want to move.
They’ll be playing with Mayer Hawthorne &The County and Kimbra.
Catch the music at 8 p.m. Tuesday at WaMu Theatre, 800 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle.
Tickets are $28 at www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000
Diane “Deedles” Schuur, one of the most prominent names in jazz, checks in Thursday for a string of gigs at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley.
Schuur, who like Stevie Wonder was born blind, has a rich voice and sings from a vast songbook of American tunes.
At 58, she is going strong, having sung alongside many stage legends.
Born in Seattle, her first paid job reportedly was at a Holiday Inn in Tacoma.
She sprang to the stage in the late ’70s when the great Stan Getz recognized her extraordinary talent.
Since then, she’s earned two Grammys and become a mainstay of American song, taking after her childhood heroines, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington.
On her 2011 album, “The Gathering,” Schuur delivers renditions of some of the most beloved country tunes, including songs by Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Hank Cochran and Kris Kristofferson.
Hear Schuur’s wonderful voice beginning Thursday with sets through July 1 at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle.
Tickets are $26.50 at www.jazzalley.com or 206-441-9729.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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