Jennie Mayer

Jennie Mayer is a Seattle-based rhythm guitarist. She studied Jazz Manouche
with Ryan Hoffman at Jazz Night School in 2016-2018 and has sought
private lessons, homestays, and jazz camps in Portland, Boston, Montreal,
Italy, and the Netherlands, where she had the opportunity to work with
world-class musicians. 

She is a co-founder of the all-female Lulu Swing Band
(https://luluswingband.com/) which specializes in 1930s hot club swing as
well as French chansons and Latin rhythms. She also performs often with
Whidbey-based ensemble Cafe Impromptu led by bassist Kristi O'Donnell.
These two ensembles highlight the contributions of women (also female
BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ musicians) in swing music. She has also performed
with other Django Reinhardt-inspired groups, including Ranger and the
Rearrangers, Nuages, the Lone Fir Hot Club, and the Hot Club of Port
Townsend.

Jennie has performed in many venues in Seattle, including the Smith Tower,
Virginia V, Hotel Sorrento, Cornish College, and the NW Folklife Festival. She
plays regularly with the Lulu Swing Band biweekly at S/T Hooligans in
Ballard. In 2023, Jennie performed with the Lone Fir Hot Club as the
supporting band for Duved Dunayevsky on the mainstage for DjangoFest
Northwest in Langley, WA. In 2024, Lulu Swing Band was invited to play at
the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse for the annual Django Reinhardt Birthday
Celebration in Berkeley, California, where they shared the ticket with the Hot
Club of San Francisco and opened for Pasquale Grasso.

Jennie also performs regularly with the 15-piece big band Cascade Swing
Orchestra led by Andrew Fox. She also leads her own swing band, the
Jumpin’ Jennies, who perform regularly at Swing It Seattle and other dance
venues in the Pacific Northwest.

Jennie attributes the success of her musical career as a rhythm guitarist and
bandleader to her beginnings at Jazz Night School and the tremendous
support offered by Erik, Ryan, and the staff. When she is not playing music,
she teaches chemistry at Bellevue College, where she has been employed
since 2005.