close
Jump to content

Patrick Lamb (musician)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patrick Lamb
Lamb in 2024
Lamb in 2024
Background information
Born
Jackson, Mississippi, United States
OriginPortland, Oregon, United States
GenresSmooth jazz, contemporary jazz, soul
Occupations
  • Saxophonist
  • vocalist
  • record producer
  • bandleader
  • entrepreneur
Instruments
  • Saxophone
  • vocals
Websitepatricklamb.com

Patrick Lamb is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and vocalist. He fronts his own band as both saxophonist and lead vocalist, a combined role that is unusual among contemporary smooth jazz bandleaders. He is also a record producer, bandleader, and the founder of the ticketing company Ticket Tomato. He has placed five singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, three of them in the Top 5,[1] and his music receives regular rotation on SiriusXM Watercolors.[2] Lamb is an inductee of the Oregon Music Hall of Fame and a three-time recipient of the Muddy Award from the Cascade Blues Association.[3] He performed at the White House during the holiday Congressional VIP Tours in 1996 and 1997, during the Clinton Administration.[4][5]

Early life and education

[edit]

Lamb was born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Portland, Oregon.[3] He attended Oregon Episcopal School in Portland.[6][7] In his sophomore year there, in May 1986, he was scheduled to take part in the school's annual Basecamp Mount Hood climb. He twisted his ankle in an indoor soccer match the night before and did not go.[6] The climb, on May 12, 1986, ended in the 1986 Mount Hood disaster, one of the deadliest mountaineering accidents in North American history. Seven students and two teachers from Oregon Episcopal died on the mountain in a blizzard.[6][7][8] On June 12, 1999, the thirteenth anniversary of the disaster, Lamb climbed Mount Hood with a group from Portland Mountain Rescue. He left Tibetan prayer flags at the summit and read a memorial prayer naming each of the nine Oregon Episcopal victims.[6][7]

Lamb's early saxophone influences include Stan Getz and Wayne Shorter.[3] He won Best Soloist at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, which led to a performance with Lionel Hampton.[3]

Career

[edit]

Touring sideman work

[edit]

After college, Lamb began his touring career as a member of the band of two-time Grammy-winning vocalist Diane Schuur, with whom he toured internationally for an extended period.[3] He has since toured or recorded with Smokey Robinson, Bobby Caldwell, Gino Vannelli, Esperanza Spalding, the Jeff Lorber Fusion, Bobby Kimball of Toto, Tommy Thayer of Kiss, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Sebastian Bach, Danny Seraphine of Chicago, and Alice Cooper, among others.[9][3]

Solo recording and performance career

[edit]

Lamb fronts his own band as both saxophonist and lead vocalist, a combined role that is unusual among contemporary smooth-jazz bandleaders. He has performed at jazz festivals and concert venues including the Java Jazz Festival, Blues Alley, Berks Jazz Fest, Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, the Funky Biscuit, Goldcoast Jazz, and the Vanport Jazz Festival.[3]

In 2005, Lamb produced and led an all-star "A Tribute to Ray Charles" debut performance at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland. An album recorded from the program was released the following year.[10][11]

Billboard charting and SiriusXM Watercolors

[edit]

Lamb has placed five singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart, three of which reached the Top 5:[1]

YearSinglePeak positionWeeks on chart
2011"Sweet Tea"520
2013"Maceo!"218
2014"Savoir Faire"518
2012"Get Wid It"1516
2019"Homebrew"159

His 2025 single "Mint Condition", introduced to SiriusXM Watercolors on-air by Dave Koz, became part of the SiriusXM Watercolors rotation and charted on industry smooth-jazz trade charts.[12][13] Its follow-up, "Tailgate!", was a "Most Added" at smooth-jazz radio and was added to SiriusXM Watercolors on release.[citation needed] His 2026 single "Horizon Line" reached No. 20 on the RadioWave Monitor Smooth Jazz 100 chart and No. 26 on the SmoothJazz.com Top 100.[citation needed]

Critical reception

[edit]

NEA Jazz Master Todd Barkan has described Lamb as "one of the most uplifting and deeply expressive saxophonists in the world today."[14] Dave Koz has said of Lamb, "His time has come."[14]

Notable performances

[edit]

White House (1996 and 1997)

[edit]

Lamb performed at the White House during the holiday Congressional VIP Tours in 1996 and 1997, during the Clinton Administration.[4][5] The 1996 performance is recorded in the official Clinton White House holiday artists list, which lists him under Oregon with a December 5, 1996 performance at 1:30 p.m.[4] A contemporaneous report in The Rocket confirms the 1996 invitation, naming pianist Ed Bisquera as Lamb's accompanist on the trip.[15] Lamb returned to the White House for a second appearance during the 1997 holiday season. The 1997 performance is referenced in All About Jazz.[5] The broader 1997 White House holiday context, including Christopher Radko's mantel decorations in the Green and Red Rooms, was extensively documented at the time by The New York Times[16] and The Christian Science Monitor.[17] According to Lamb, the invitations came through his acquaintance with Radko. He was accompanied by pianist Ed Bisquera in 1996 and by Thomas Lauderdale (founder of Pink Martini) in 1997.[a][15]

Business ventures

[edit]

In addition to his music career, Lamb is the founder of Ticket Tomato, an American online ticketing company. The business grew out of Patrick Lamb Productions, Lamb's production and record label company, which he had established in 1997.[18] Ticket Tomato was founded in 2007 and co-founded with Amy Maxwell, who serves as the company's president and chief executive officer.[19] An early breakthrough came when Waterfront Blues Festival producer Peter Dammann engaged the company to handle festival ticketing.[18] Lamb stepped away from day-to-day involvement with the company in 2016.[18]

Discography

[edit]

Selected singles (Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart peaks):

  • "Sweet Tea" (2011, No. 5)
  • "Maceo!" (2013, No. 2)
  • "Savoir Faire" (2014, No. 5)
  • "Get Wid It" (2012, No. 15)
  • "Homebrew" (2019, No. 15)
  • "Mint Condition" (2025, SiriusXM Watercolors rotation)
  • "Tailgate!" (current rotation)
  • "Horizon Line" (2026, trade chart No. 20)

A complete discography may be reconstructed from Lamb's MusicBrainz and Apple Music profiles once entered by the editor.

Awards and honors

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ The Bisquera companion detail for 1996 is corroborated by The Rocket. Lamb's recollection of Lauderdale as his 1997 companion is not independently corroborated in published sources reviewed during research for this draft (April 2026); editors are encouraged to seek additional sourcing.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Patrick Lamb". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Watercolors – Recently Played". xmplaylist. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Patrick Lamb". All About Jazz. July 31, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Holidays at the White House 1996 – Artists". Clinton White House Archives, National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 25, 2026. Patrick Lamb – Portland – December 5, 1:30 pm (Oregon)
  5. 1 2 3 Slawecki, Chris M. (July 31, 2012). "Patrick Lamb to be Inducted Into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Dunn, Steve (May 7, 2016). "A twist of fate leaves musician Patrick Lamb wondering why he was spared Mt. Hood tragedy". KATU News. Sinclair Broadcast Group. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 Toutonghi, Pauls (November 2, 2018). "Mount Hood's Deadliest Disaster". Outside. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ Conrad, Ric; Conrad, Sheri (2019). Code 1244: The 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy. Kahuna Books.
  9. ↑ "Patrick Lamb – Artist Listing". GigRoster. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 "Patrick Lamb". Silverstein Works. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Tribute to Ray Charles". Patrick Lamb Productions. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Patrick Lamb and Michael Thompson combine for Positive Vibe". Smooth Jazz Network. September 10, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Mint Condition – Watercolors". xmplaylist. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Press". Patrick Lamb official site. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  15. 1 2 "[Notice of Patrick Lamb and Ed Bisquera White House command performance]". The Rocket. No. 244. December 18, 1996. p. 8 – via Washington Digital Newspapers Archive.
  16. ↑ Burros, Marian (December 11, 1997). "Tree Trimming With: Christopher Radko; The Czar Of Christmas Present". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ Thurman, Skip (December 22, 1997). "Party Talk (or What to Say to the President)". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 "Entrepreneurship". Patrick Lamb official site. Retrieved April 21, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)[permanent dead link]
  19. ↑ "Amy Maxwell – Founder, President & CEO at Ticket Tomato". TheOrg. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Patrick_Lamb_(musician)&oldid=1363155949"