As a part of Marine View Church’s spring and summer Jazz Live program, many established jazz musicians and bands have been invited to come play in a beautiful setting in Northeast Tacoma. This month, the Scott Lindenmuth Quartet of Seattle comes to bring their brand of jazz to eager locals.

Jazz Live Series creator Jim Foster of Marine View Church affirms this program is a win-win situation for all parties involved.

“I created this concert series last March and the communities of Northeast Tacoma, Browns Point, Dash Point, Federal Way and well beyond have enjoyed 11 fabulous concerts featuring the finest jazz musicians in the Puget Sound region,” he said. Admission is free to all ages; but Foster explained the church holds a donation collection to cover the cost of the musicians.

“I guarantee these musicians a very fair compensation and audiences have responded very generously to cover the expenses,” he said.

Marine View Church hosts the concerts in its 300-seat, water-view sanctuary. The sound system and acoustics are ideal for jazz shows. The featured group of each month plays a 50-minute set, which is then followed by a 10-minute intermission with complimentary refreshments, and then a 30-40 minute final set.

The Scott Lindenmuth Quartet kicks off the month of March for the series, and includes members Andy Roben on keyboards, Robert Puff on saxaphone, Don Dieterich on drums and Scott Lindenmuth as guitarist.

The band plays instrumental music that Lindenmuth himself describes as multi-genre influenced contemporary jazz.

Members of the band have played with Lindenmuth individually over a period of about 30 years, and he met Puff at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in the ‘70s. Roben played with him in a fusion band in the ‘80s and they have recorded three albums together and Dieterich is a recent addition to the group. The band is based in Seattle, but has played a few gigs here in Tacoma including the Taste of Tacoma, Woody’s on the Water and will be playing here again in July at the “Jazz Under the Stars” series for Pacific Lutheran University.

Each of the band members grew up in the ‘70s and played in and listened to a lot of rock bands and progressive music and over time their sound evolved toward jazz. The band has listed Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, progressive fusion sounds as well as more contemporary jazz groups such as Bossanova as influences on their brand of music.

“We also play a few swing tunes, ballads and try to mix it up quite a bit and keep the show interesting. There’s lots of variety from one song to the next,” Lindenmuth said.  Their sound truly varies depending upon the song they’re playing, and can go from a reggae version of “Summertime,” to progressive fusion style of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” and more.

The Scott Lindenmuth Quartet plays a mix of original songs and covers that have their own unique stamp on them, and that never sound the same twice.

“Even with covers, our arrangements are pretty unique,” Lindenmuth said. “We aren’t straight-laced and go into group improv where it goes off in a different direction.”

It seems to work well because people like to hear things they’re familiar with, Lindenmuth explained.

“We never play the songs the same way twice. If you hear us one night and one way, the next night might go into a different direction.”

The band has released four CDs since 1986, and has gone from buying time in a recording studio to laying down tracks in Lindenmuth’s home studio. Lindenmuth is currently working on a few different projects now, including putting together a new group album and a solo CD.

“We’ve got basic tracks done on their next CD, which will include more of cover tunes we’ve been playing. I play classical guitar so I have been working on some recording of original pieces and baroque guitar,” Lindenmuth stated. The band is set to release their next CD in six months.

The group definitely has time, immense talent and dedication to their art on their side, and these elements combined provide the basis for a musically enthralling, solid show fit for any contemporary jazz fan.

“We have great communication. We’re all good listeners and play things people have never heard which makes for a pretty exciting show,” Lindenmuth said.

The Scott Lindenmuth Quartet plays as a part of Marine View Church’s Jazz Live series on March 28 at 5 p.m. Marine View Church is located at 8469 Eastside Dr. N.E. For more information about Jazz Live, call Marine View Church at (253) 927-0557 or visit www.marineviewpc.org. For more information about the Scott Lindenmuth Quartet, visit www.scottlindenmuth.com.