PORT TOWNSEND — Beleza — Brazilian slang for “it’s a deal” — is the name of the duo bringing jazz to the Cellar Door this Friday night.
Flugelhorn player Dmitri Matheny and guitarist John Stowell, two who formed an alliance based on their passion for bossa nova, samba and Antônio Carlos Jobim, will play from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the downstairs venue at 940 Water St.
Stowell has spent much of his life touring, recording and teaching around the world. One of his recordings, “Through the Listening Glass” with David Friesen, was named one of the “Ten Best Jazz Albums of the Decade” by the Los Angeles Examiner.
Matheny, a magna cum laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, was first introduced to jazz audiences in the 1990s as the protégé of Art Farmer.
He went on to perform with Motown and popular acts including the Temptations, the Four Tops, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and the O’Jays, along with collaborating on numerous jazz records.
He’s released 11 albums as a leader; his next one, “Cascadia,” is in production for a June release.
For information about this and other events at the Cellar Door, see cellardoorPT.com or phone 360-385-6959.