Zsofia Tardy presents, the Hunglish Project! Hung-lish refers to the band's roots: Zsofia and her husband Attila are from Budapest, Hungary ("Hung-), Craig and Kurt were born here, thus the "lish" (Eng-lish). The name also refers to their musical repertoire, playing not only American jazz standards, but also Hungarian jazz tunes, Balkan influenced music, originals, Monk, Silver and other bebop tunes. The band features Attila Csikos on guitar, Bill Athens on bass and Adam Carlson on drums. Zsofia started teaching voice 25 years ago, and soon became a sought-after voice teacher and vocal coach in Hungary. She often held summer clinics all over the country. She moved from Budapest to Portland in August 2015 with her husband, the jazz guitarist Attila Csikos and three almost-adult kids. She maintains a thriving home studio where she teaches both voice and piano. Soon after her arrival, she started gigging out with her voice-guitar jazz duo “2-in-1” and jazz quartet “Zsofia Tardy’s Hung-lish Project.” Soon she gained recognition in the Portland jazz music scene as ‘a deeply passionate and skilled’ jazz singer. Nowadays she regularly plays with local musicians like Mike Horsfall, John Moak, Ron Steen, Steve Christofferson, Perry Thorsell, Laura Cunard, Christopher Woitach, Kevin Dietz, Dennis Caiazza, Dave and Annie Averre, Randy Porter, David Watson, Kerry McCoy, Mike Snyder, Gordon Lee, Tom Grant, and many others. 

David "Doc" Watson is bringing back the Cool for a semi annual engagement at Christo's, after his big move to Kansas City. So let's give him a proper Christo's return, you dig? David "The Doctor Of Bebop" Watson, has always championed swinging jazz. Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Jon Hendricks, Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, Betty Carter, King Pleasure, Joe Carolle, Joe Williams, and others. David has always had his own sound and fresh approach to singing the music he loves, whether it's bebop, blues, or jazz ballads. Born in Fort Myers Florida May 30;1937, David Started singing when he was in the third or fourth grade, his first song in front of the school assembley was "Three Blind Mice" which he sung in a jazzy rhythm. He listened to Ella Fitzgerald who was his first love. Others he listened to was Cab Calloway, The Mills Brothers and The Ink Spots. After hearing what Ella Fitzgerald was doing, he knew that was the musical direction that he was born to follow. When David was around nine years old his family moved to Philadelphia PA. David began singing in neighborhood talent shows and school concerts, he was particularly inspired at that time by Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks and King Pleasure. David also became a very skilled scat-singer, learning from the recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, Dizzy Gillespie, Betty Carter, and King Pleasure. Stating "I would sing along with the records learning their every phrase and style. That is how I learned to sing jazz.” At the age of eighteen David went into the Army for four years. Returning to Philadelphia he scored the job that changed his life, bartending for four years at the world famous Showboat Jazz Theater. Meeting and becoming friends with the world class musicians that played there, he was consistently encouraged to pursue his love of singing. David learned from many of these jazz immortals while working at The Showboat, Miles Davis, Tony Williams, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Aurthur Prysock, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Hartman and Walter Booker. During his period at the Showboat, David also taught himself to play drums plus mastered the difficult task of playing and singing at the same time. David moved to California January 3rd in 1971, and started playing around the SF Bay Area with Herb Gibson, Mark Zannini, Sam Peoples, Earl's Vann Big Band and many other Bay Area musicians. In 1974 he went to Alaska as part of the Herb Gibson Trio, staying for 11 months. Returning to the Bay Area David attended the College of the Marin, also playing gigs at night with Michele Hendricks in a band they called Chelsea. On a couple of their gigs, Michele's father Jon Hendricks sat in with the group, as did the members of the Manhattan Transfer who were traveling together at that time. Later as a professional singer and drummer, David had the opportunities to play or sing with such greats as John Handy, Eddie Henderson, Milt Jackson, Woody Shaw, Buddy Montgomery, Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Bob Cranshaw, Mike LeDonne, Joe Henderson, Eddie Moore, Eddie Marshall, Pony Poindexter, Mike White, Mel Martin, Sam Dockery among others. David performed at a countless number of clubs, wineries, concerts also traveling and singing in Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo. Re-Birthing The Cool, Bebop N Beyond has evolved into a very impressive group, one that not only plays the West Coast cool jazz reflected in the first half of their name but other areas of music including New Orleans R&B, blues, hard bop and ballads. The lineup features of some of the very best jazz musicians based in Portland: baritonist Pete Petersen, Mary-Sue Tobin on alto & soprano, tenor-saxophonist Brian Myers, trumpeter Paul Mazzio, trombonists Chris Shuttleworth & Shayna Waldman, Mark Vehrencamp on tuba, pianist David Kim, bassist Perry Thoorsell and drummer Ed Pierce. The incredible sight and sound of his 10 piece band is an experience like no other, especially when in the context of our intimate lounge! 

We are thrilled to welcome the Berkley Choro Ensemble to Christo's Lounge for the first time! Featuring Jane Lenoir on flute, Harvey Wainapel on clarinet, Ricardo Peixoto on acoustic 7 string guitar and Brian Rice on percussion. Choro, the first uniquely Brazilian popular music and the root of samba and bossa nova, has its origins in the late 1800s. The genre, a captivating blend of European salon and chamber music with Afro-Brazilian rhythmic energy and a touch of jazz, is still being renewed and updated, and is spreading internationally at a very healthy pace. The combination of virtuosity, lyricism, nostalgic tenderness, and spontaneous improvisation makes this music attractive to listeners whether or not they are familiar with Brazilian music. The Berkeley Choro Ensemble, formed in 2010, has dedicated itself to the performance of modern choro compositions and collaborations with renowned Brazilian performers and composers. Their CD “The View From Here” is a reflection of what is happening today in the world of choro. The Ensemble has been actively promoting the advancement of this great genre via performances, workshops, and the annual Berkeley Festival of Choro. Each Ensemble member has performed and/or recorded (in both the USA and Brazil) with many of Brazil’s most highly respected musical artists, including Airto Moreira, Alessandro Penezzi, Amilton Godoy, Danilo Brito, Dori Caymmi, Flora Purim, Guinga, Jovino Santos Neto, Léa Freire, Paulo Bellinati, Paulo Sergio Santos, Proveta, and Rogério Souza, among many others. “The Berkeley Choro Ensemble is one of the few groups playing outside Brazil that has the deepest understanding of what it means to play a ‘chorinho.’ Proof of this is all over their disc, with ten astounding pieces.” — World Music Report, April, 2018 

Trumpeter Josh Deutsch and guitarist Nico Soffiato have been playing together as a duo since 2006, when they met in Boston. Over the years, the musical relationship born through this collaboration has resulted in a set of music composed specifically for this ensemble, including many co-written originals and reinvented arrangements of music from jazz, classical and popular worlds. The music ranges from electronic loops to entirely acoustic pieces, balancing carefully crafted compositions with space for exciting improvisations and interaction. Their third album Redshift was released in 2020 on the label nusica.org and features two great drummers of the New York scene: Allison Miller and Dan Weiss. The new album Cloud Forest out in April 2025 features drummers Dave King, Rudy Royston and Bram Kincheloe. Deutsch and Soffiato perform regularly in the New York City area and have toured extensively in the US and Italy. The have also given master classes and workshops in music schools and universities in the US and Italy. "...There's a comfort level in their exchanges that makes this music a pleasure to behold, regardless of complexity or intensity." – D. Bilawsky, All About Jazz Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Josh Deutsch is a unique voice on New York City’s contemporary music scene, where he performs regularly as a leader and sideman. He is also known nationally and internationally through performances around the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Asia. Deutsch plays regularly and has recorded with Argentinian singer/composer Sofia Rei, Grammy-winning Mexican singer Lila Downs, the Grammy-winning Dafnis Prieto Big Band, Pedro Giraudo’s Expansions Big Band, Miho Hazama’s M-Unit, Venezuelan guitarist/singer Juancho Herrera, Hungarian singer Nikolett Pankovits, Israeli singer/pianist Noa Fort, Australian soul/funk band The Hipstones, and Colombian folkloric band Grupo Rebolu. He has performed with Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and the Duke Ellington Big Band directed by Victor Goines. He has presented his own projects at Dave Douglas’s Festival of New Trumpet Music, as well as at the Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle and the Outpost Summer Music Festival in Albuquerque and appeared at such leading venues in the U.S. as Carnegie Hall, The Jazz Standard, Birdland, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, The Jazz Gallery and The Stone in New York City and SF Jazz and Yoshi’s in California. Nico Soffiato is an Italian guitarist, composer and educator. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2007, he made his home in Brooklyn. A versatile player, Nico finds himself playing in various jazz and experimental groups such as his duo with Grammy-winning trumpet player Josh Deutsch, Paradigm Refrain with Anti Label recording artist Marco Buccelli, and Dogwood. As a member of the New York music scene for over a decade, Nico has been part of the collective Out Of your Head Brooklyn, whose members included Gerald Cleaver, Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, Kirk Knuffke, and many others. He also plays in Innocent When You Dream, Aaron Schragge’s ensemble that reimagines the music of Tom Waits. He had played nationally and internationally, presenting his music at renowned festivals like Dave Douglas’s FONT Festival, Sile Jazz Festival, Padova Jazz Festival and more. Nico is also music for media composer and producer. He’s a staff composer for the international music house Overcoast and has worked on movies and commercials. 

Powerhouse drummer & bandleader Machado Mijiga gets between pianist Todd Marston and bassist Todd Sickafoose for a special one night only presentation! Machado Mijiga, drums Multi-instrumentalist and Portland native Machado Mijiga wears many hats, both literally and metaphorically. Classically trained, jazz-weathered, and eclectically inclined, Mijiga left the proverbial creative “box” at a very early age, with access to many instruments and a diverse musical background brought about by an intercultural heritage. Mijiga is a musical polymath; composer, producer, bandleader, educator, gear fanatic, and audio engineer, to name a few. Authenticity and uniquity assume the locus of Mijiga’s artistic identity. Self-expression is the prime directive and the medium of choice changes like the weather. Todd Marston, keys Todd Marston has pursued a diverse musical career from an early age, playing in punk bands, jazz combos and classical piano recitals as a teenager. His love of music guided him to receive a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Berklee College of Music and a master’s degree in jazz studies (with a focus in wellness for musicians) from Portland State University. While at Berklee, Todd’s original jazz group won “Best Berklee Jazz Quartet” at a performance competition sponsored by Bacardi. He has toured nationally and internationally with Sonya Kitchell, The Grownup Noise, The Sam Hooper Band, Mike Null’s Soulcasters, Jimmie Herrod and Edna Vazquez. As a composer/songwriter, Todd has released multiple albums of original music over the past twenty years. His composition, Above Water (2012) was a finalist in both the Indie International Songwriting Contest (2013) and The Great American Song Contest (2021). Todd currently teaches Wellness For Musicians at PSU, as well as his own composition & songwriting workshop, The Marston Composition Collective. He is the recipient of the Oregon Music Teachers Association 2023 Composer of the Year award. Todd Sickafoose, bass Todd Sickafoose is a Tony and Grammy award-winning composer, producer, arranger, orchestrator, bandleader and double bassist. He makes richly moving, imaginative music which has been called "thoroughly original, endlessly creative” by Jazz Times and "stunningly brilliant” by Bassplayer. He has performed on hundreds of recordings, toured internationally, appeared at music venues and festivals from Carnegie Hall to New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and played on national television and radio programs including the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with Conan O’Brien, The Artists Den, and NPR’s Mountain Stage. Known as a musical cross-breeder who stretches across genres, Sickafoose has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a captivating improviser, imaginative composer, and master of collaboration”. 

Jazz guitar, Spanish flamenco, Brazilian bossa nova and West African polyrhythms cross paths in Portland-based trio Caminhos Cruzados, which means “cross roads” or “paths crossed” in Portuguese. Caminhos Cruzados is a collective that brings together Balmer’s electric guitar with flamenco guitarist Nat Hulskamp and master Ghanaian drummer/percussionist Israel Annoh. While each member brings a host of experiences and interests to the table, the sound they’ve developed has mainly coalesced around Brazilian music. “Between a flamenco guitarist, a jazz guitarist, and a West African drummer, it kind of makes sense, with the techniques that we use on nylon string guitar, Dan’s improvisations and really expressive melodies, and Israel’s deep polyrhythms,” Hulskamp says. “We all like each other a lot, and respect what’s different about each other’s approach to this music.” Dan Balmer, jazz guitar Dan has long been considered one of the finest guitarists, composers, and educators in the Northwest. In 2009 Dan became one of only five Oregonians to be honored with membership in both The Oregon Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Society of Oregon Hall of Fame. He is the youngest person to be included in both Halls, and is hailed by the Los Angeles Times as, “the model of what a contemporary guitarist should be.” From 2005-2009 Dan toured and recorded with two time Grammy Winner Diane Schuur playing in over 15 countries and 60 cities. When not on the road with Ms. Schuur he leads his own groups and continues his long standing gigs with drummer Mel Brown, David Friesen, and others. Dan has performed with a long list of jazz greats including Joey DeFrancesco, Benny Green, Steve Smith. Airto, Bruce Forman, Houston Person, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Mays, Gerald Wilson, Eric Alexander, and Pat Martino among others. Dan’s playing and composing have won rave reviews from critics around the country. The Palm Beach Post wrote…”guitarist Dan Balmer’s fast fingered runs and twisting figures were arresting.” The Seattle Times proclaimed, “Balmer’s top fuel solos and tasty octave work…were most satisfying.” The Anchorage Daily News stated, “Balmer turned in a top notch unstinting performance.” Nat Hulskamp, flamenco guitar Nat was born in Portland, OR. He began studying guitar with guitarist/composer Paul Chasman at age seventeen. He was soon introduced to flamenco guitar by José Solano. His interest in the influence of Arabic music on flamenco led him to study oud in Morocco. After returning to the US, he moved to Seattle to study ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. There he worked with the groups Carmona Flamenco, The Rez Quartet and others ranging in style from Hungarian Csardas and Gypsy swing to flamenco. In 2000 he co-founded the Vancouver, BC based Arabic/ flamenco group Aire with ney player and singer Emad Armoush. He now resides in Portland, composing and performing with Shabava, the Nat Hulskamp Trio and Seffarine. Israel Annoh, percussion Israel is a renowned master percussionist originally from Ghana. He currently performs with Portland bands Caminhos Cruzados Border Crossing, Michael Allan Harrison and Thara Memory. His style has its roots in Ghanaian and other West African music as well as jazz greats such as Max Roach, Cosy Cole, & Elvin Jones. He's played at the BBC studios in London, traveled through Africa, Europe, and the US. He's played with Highlife pioneer E.T. Mensah, Obo Addy, and the Ghana Broadcasting Orchestra.