The Players
A Long Tradition of Excellence
Established in 1984, the Route 66 Big Band is one of Greater Seattle's most successful, longest-running bands, featuring a large stable of the region's most talented and versatile players.
Featured Artists
Amanda Marquis, Trumpet
Hailing from Lincoln, ME, Amanda has been an award-winning freelance musician for over 30 years. She has performed throughout the US and worldwide with the US Navy program, as well as with a huge range of civilian groups, including rock bands, wind ensembles, brass quintets, big bands, and New Orleans style brass bands, such as the Maine Jazz Composers Big Band, Kings of Swing, Frank Foster's Big Bad Big Band, Monday Night Big Band, Adrian Duke Project, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra (SWOJO), Jazz Police, and the Rece Jay Band. She is featured on recordings with Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Kings of Swing, and Peter Supreme Band. Amanda has also been an active coach for SWOJO’s Girls Jazz Band program, and a featured guest artist for the MPMEA All Girls Jazz program and Newport High School jazz programs, as well as an adjudicator for local jazz, solo, and ensemble competitions. Amanda and her husband Rob settled in the Seattle area after retiring as Navy Musicians. Amanda attended the University of Maine at Augusta as a Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance major and is a graduate of Renton Technical College with a certificate in Band Instrument Repair with Guitar. In addition to her busy performance schedule, she is a Brass Repair Technician at The Mighty Quinn Brass and Winds, teaches a small studio of private students, and enjoys spending time with her husband and pets. 
Pete Bellomo, Trumpet Emeritus
With an extensive resume of play with such notable bands as Woody Hermann, Harry James, Henry Mancini, and Buddy Morrow, Pete also worked in Las Vegas with a wide variety of performers, from Liberace to Judy Garland and Buddy Rich to Bobby Shew. His play shows remarkable technique, discipline, and versatility. With Route 66, Pete honors the best of the classic Big Band repertoire and serves as a role model for his bandmates and friends on- and off-stage. |
Cindy Arasim, Vocals
A long time vocalist for many of the area Big Bands, and student of renowned artist Greta Matassa, Cindy joined Route 66 in 2004. Winning the Microsoft Idol Competition in front of 16,000 at Safeco Field in 2006, Cindy has been a local favorite for over the past decade. "Music does amazing things to my soul and spirit, and when I see the twinkle in the eyes of the dancers in front of me, the joy I feel is incredible." 
Ingrid DeHaan, Vocals
Ingrid is a vocalist, vocal arranger, and voice-over artist with over 20 years of experience as a studio vocalist, demo vocalist, vocal arranger/producer, and vocalist/emcee for various local jazz and swing bands. Ingrid has had the opportunity to sing on a number of albums and demos over the years in a variety of genres, including pop, jazz/swing, R&B, country, children's music and gospel/worship. 
Dick Valentine,
Tenor Saxophone Dick Valentine is a composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist, known for his eclectic approach and blending of genres. He has supported a wide array of diverse musical projects, comprising everything from straight-ahead jazz to the avant-garde and beyond. Dick led Seattle's beloved avant-jazz quartet Far Corner for about ten years, shaping the group's distinctive sound with idiosyncratic compositions, sparse instrumentation and an emphasis on post-bop stylings and freely improvised interactions. Far Corner's aesthetic, in turn, grew organically out of Dick's experiences in the '80's with Al Hood's Berkeley-based free-jazz quintet Shadow. Nowadays, Dick's artistry extends well beyond the traditional boundaries of the music we call jazz. He is proficient with several instruments, including saxophones, flutes (keyed and otherwise), electronica, and a variety of percussion. His compositions and arrangements don't merely combine features of rock, blues, jazz and so-called classical music: They reflect an understanding of Western styles supplemented by detailed studies of a number of distinct musical theories and traditions. Dick is conversant with practices of Javanese gamelan, Ottoman sacred music, and the music of Harry Partch. This broad musical vocabulary affords a basis for collaboration in diverse cultural settings, whether supporting a big band, recording in the studio, or leading his own projects. |
Band Administration
Alan Weinstein, Director / Band Manager
Rachel Mayer, Band Manager
Paul Nelson, Creative Director
Kathie Flood, Booking Director
Rachel Mayer, Band Manager
Paul Nelson, Creative Director
Kathie Flood, Booking Director
