Nick Jaina

“Maryanne” by Nick Jaina from Wool (Hush Records):

Nick Jaina sings ornate folk songs with a French Quarter flair, evoking a modern-day Moulin Rouge in a style similar to Beirut and Devotchka. The former New Orleans resident once had the cojones to pen an entire jazz opera about the town’s legendary funeral parades.

Nowadays, he surrounds himself with the cream of the Portland, Oregon, crop, composing elegant cabaret music with piano, acoustic guitar and all the fixings (bass clarinet, accordion, trombone, etc.).

Now signed to Mush Records and touring in support of a new album titled Wool, Jaina brings his ensemble to the area for a two-night stand in Lawrence and Kansas City.