"You might say that we are classic elegant swing meets surf guitar," says Jessica Blinn, vocalist and violinist for The Jessica Blinn Quintet that will play Olympia's Urban Onion Friday. The event kicks off a new jazz series for the venue. "We are excited to be playing at a new jazz venue in Olympia where there is good food to eat, beer to drink and room to dance," says Blinn. "There's something magical about live jazz because so much of it is improvised." Blinn is also vocalist for the band Erav Rav Klezmer Orchestra, which was voted best band in Thurston County in the Weekly Volcano's 2013 Best of Olympia issue. Blinn is known for her soulful singing and her passionate violin playing. "If you come Friday night you'll be hearing a lot of the great American songbook classics - incredible songs that singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughn made famous," she adds. "I just don't think songs get better than that."

THE JESSICA BLINN QUINTET, 7:30 p.m., The Urban Onion, 116 Legion Way SE, Olympia, $5, 360.943.9242