2009 rings in the 4^th year of making great music with the Mood Swings! 2008 was another banner year, with several great performances and lots of new songs learned.

We finished our second CD recording, a set of standard jazz vocals with the lovely Chantal Ambroise, the talented Beth Waters, and the amazing John Cusano. This CD is now available to purchase at any of our public events (listed at left), and will soon be available on our web site.

Chantal has since moved to Boston where she is tearing up the scene with her wonderful voice. We miss her a lot!
The summer of 2008 was filled with sunny days and many great public events, including two at Alki Beach, two in Edmonds, and many more throughout the Puget Sound. We were also featured on the front page of the Edmonds Beacon!

We've gained some new band members, including director Marissa Tanimura. She directed high school bands in Hawaii before moving to Seattle. She has braved the wet, cold weather well, and really knows how to get us in to shape! Expect great things as she molds us into a lean, mean, jazz making machine!

Here's to a swinging 2009!

Song Spotlight

Moon River was written in 1961 by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini.

You may know this tune from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. It was written to fit Audrey Hepburn's range and the plot of the film.

There was a bit of an upset when Paramount tried to nix the song, and Ms. Hepburn is reported as saying "over my dead body!" Since then, this song has been recorded by many artists, and is currently in the Mood Swings repertoire.

Member Profile

Karen Matheson plays bass trombone with the Mood Swings. Bass trombone, baritone sax and bass make up the low end of our sound.

Outside of the Mood Swings, Karen works full time as a research and analysis manager. As if that weren't enough, she's also studying for a Master's degree in Policy Analysis at the University of Washington. Stop by and say "hi" to Karen at our next show!