Sundae and Mr. Goessl Bring Old Jazz to Valley County

The third artist in the Northeastern Arts Network Big Sky Concert Series' line-up, Sundae and Mr. Goessl, also known as Kate Voss and Jason Goessl, brought their unique vintage jazz sound to Irle Elementary and Glasgow High School on Feb. 19, and Nashua School on Feb. 20. With Sundae on vocals and Mr. Goessl on guitar, the duo brought a wide variety of arrangements from the 1920s to the 1950s to all three performances.

During their Nashua performance, Sundae and Mr. Goessl sang eight songs including "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," "Bye Bye Blue," "Crescent City Blues," and "La Vie en rose," which has recently become poplar due to Lady Gaga's rendition from the movie A Star is Born. In addition to Sundae's vocals and Mr. Goessl's guitar, Sundae also utilized a melodica, which is a musical keyboard played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument.

The performance wasn't all about showing the duo's musical talents however, as in between sets Sundae utilized her self-described "comedic chops as an amateur comedian" by telling jokes which brought laughter from the students and staff. Before each song was performed, Sundae would also provide the history of the song, how Mr. Goessl is able to produce the various sounds on his guitar while performing and the unique aspects of vintage jazz.

After the set was finished, the pair opened it up to questions, where those in attendance were able to learn more about the couple, who were married for "40 months and 60 days" on the day of the performance. "You were such a great audience. We are so fortunate to be able to go city to city and share our favorite songs," stated Sundae.

The duo has been playing music together since 2013 and became full-time musicians five years ago. They are originally from Seattle, Wash., and was recently voted Best Jazz Act of 2017 by Seattle Weekly. During their five years of being full-time musicians, they have had the opportunity to travel all over the country, however "Montana is our favorite place to be, even with the wild weather," exclaimed Sundae. The pair was very impressed with how respectful and welcoming the students were at both Irle and Nashua school. "Visiting with the schools has been amazing and fun. I was so overwhelmed by the hugs I received at Irle," said Sundae.

The next artist in the NAN Big Sky Series line-up is a cappella group Six Appeal, who will be performing at Glasgow High School on Tuesday, March 26.

The Big Sky Series is made possible in part by the Montana Performing Arts Consortium Presenter Development Program, which is supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Montana Arts Council and legislative grants from Montana's Cultural Trust and the Western States Arts Federation.