Mammoth Lakes JAZZFEST 25

 Mel has been a professional singer for the past 20 years. This past year, you would have heard her voice on many commercials. 

When not leading her Jazz quartets, Mel can be heard and seen as a background vocalist for many artists, including Michael Bublé.

Mel loves Jazz! She grew up singing to the greats, Ella, Nat King Cole, 

and Old Blue Eyes, to name a few. 

Although she began her career in musical theatre, jazz never left her heart, and for the past twelve years, she has had the privilege to travel the country singing jazz as her chosen profession. 

In 2010, Mel became the official vocalist of the Sid Street Strutters, a jazz ensemble. Weekly, she performs with her group, Standard Mel Quartet, at the exclusive Club 33 lounge at Disneyland.

Mel participates in two Jazz Festivals that are close to her heart, Mammoth JazzFest and Sun Valley Jazz Festival. 

In 2013, Mel teamed up with Composer/Arranger Duane Benjamin to create jazz albums, as well as albums in other genres of music.

Not only is her voice over the top fabulous, but she also has a stage presence that will leave you in awe. Gracing the Mammoth JazzFest stage on Saturday night 

Imagine the excitement you feel when you remember the fabulous music from the great showrooms back in the day at the famous Las Vegas Strip. Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand, the Flamingo, and so many more. The greatest songs from America's Song Book, the great singing legends from the '60s. Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and present-day artists like Buble and Gaga. Now imagine you hear all this beautiful entertainment not in the middle of Las Vegas Blvd, but... Mammoth Lakes, CA, @ the Village at Mammoth.

Mammoth JazzFest and Singingforbonez Inc. are teaming up to bring you 

"A Night In Vegas" on July 12th, 2025, featuring vocalist Jim Graft, 

Patrick Barnitt, Meloney Collins, Michael Washington, and the

 D.Jamin Big Band.

You can place your bet that you won't want to miss this event! 

Patrick Barnitt is a popular LA based crooner/actor who appears in venues all over the southland and most recently appeared in Cocktail Hour: Songs of the Rat Pack at the California Center for the Arts in San Diego. His new big band record SWAY features the Paul McDonald Big Band and trombonist/musical director Duane Benjamin Patrick Barnitt

and can be heard on KJAZZ and jazz stations around the country. He has appeared at Herb Albert’s Vibrato, Rava Winery in Paso Robles, Frankie’s Back Room in Palm Springs and is a frequent guest at the famed Hollywood Rat Pack lounge, The Dresden Room, with legends, Marty and Elayne Roberts. He appeared at Tiki Oasis in San Diego as the Crooner in the acclaimed show, Shag With A Twist. As an actor, he has appeared in Star Trek:First Contact, Las Vegas, Eleventh Hour and starred in the indie thriller, Coffin with Bruce Davison. His most recent film is The Lost Day with Danny Trejo and Billy Baldwin. Patrick is thrilled to be making his debut at the Mammoth Jazz Festival and to be swinging with these gents again in “A Evening In Vegas From Sinatra To Ella”. 

Michael Washington is an accomplished singer/songwriter/actor who has a passion for sharing his gift of music with the world. Born and raised in Southern California, Michael has had the pleasure of performing with many amazing artists such as Michael Buble, Judith Hill, Kirk Franklin, Roz Ryan, Yolanda Adams, Eden Espinosa and Peaches and Herb. He has toured with Josh Groban and The Alley Cats. Michael has performed with artists on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno and appeared on MTV's "The Cut," The WB "Popstars," BET's "Sunday Best" (Season 4 top 10 finalist) and General Hospital's "Night Shift" with Billie D. Williams. Michael has performed in many stage shows for Disney and Universal. His universal appeal has led him to stages across the U.S. and Japan. He has appeared in the movie "20 Feet from Stardom," "Gigli" and "The Fighting Temptations." He also directed "Hairspray" the musical (The Orpheum Theatre) and "The Wiz" (The Saban Theatre) in Los Angeles. Michael Washington calls Las Vegas home and is happy to be appearing in VEGAS! THE SHOW! His dream is to reach people in song, and bring love, quality, and purpose back to music 

With a background in musical theater, Jim Graft has performed leading roles in Broadway shows such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Evita, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Annie, Cabaret and many more. He can currently be seen in The Dapper Dans of Disneyland where he sings bass for the quartet. Singing standards with a big band has always been a favorite as his parents snuck him into nightclubs and open mics from the age of 15 where he honed his talents singing the songs of Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin and the rest! He couldn't be happier to join Duane BenJamin once again for his first time at the Mammoth Jazz Fest! 

The Rat Pack Members:

Peter Buck drums, Rick Zahariades guitar,Trevor Ware bass,Adam Ledbetter keys, Jon Papenbrook & Don Clark trumpets,Abdullah Ebrahim trobone, Adam Schroeder bari sax, Duane Benjamin, Director