Will Downing, Marion Meadows & Alex Bugnon - Champagne Jazz at Thornton Winery

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Some voices are built for a stadium; this one is built for a room where you can hear the ice settle in your glass. They have called Will Downing the Prince of Sophisticated Soul for so long that it stopped being marketing and became simple fact -- a baritone so smooth it feels like it is doing you a personal favor. He anchors the mid-October bill alongside saxophonist Marion Meadows and pianist Alex Bugnon, three artists who have spent careers making Saturday nights feel expensive in the best way. Thornton frames it the way it frames everything: vineyard terrace, estate sparkling wine, dinner as the light goes down over the rows. This deep into the series the crowd knows the drill and the evening runs like silk. It is a short drive up the valley for a night that feels a great deal farther from ordinary than the mileage suggests.