Swing Intensive
Workshop:
May 8-11, 2008
Fort Worden State Park
Port Townsend, WA
Public Swing Dance:
7:30pm, May 10, 2008
JFK Building
Fort Worden State Park
Port Townsend, WA
$10; tickets at the door
Register for the Swing Intensive workshop.
The world of swing is a big one, but with this intensive long weekend the focus will be on "vintage swing", classics from the 30's and 40's that will include jump blues, and western swing, instrumentals as well as vocals. Morning sessions will be devoted to technique, while afternoons will include a faculty-led band lab that will demonstrate how to "put it all together". In small groups and big, the extra emphasis will be on band interaction and communication. Topics addressed will include arranging "on the fly," supporting a vocalist, the essential rhythm section, stagecraft, and effective rehearsals. Vocalists will learn how to communicate with and lead the band.
This workshop is geared towards guitar, fiddle, acoustic bass, and voice students at an intermediate and above level who have had some experience playing or singing swing-style. Students will hone their skills, add to their repertoires, and broaden their ensemble horizons all while having a boatload of fun.
Cost: $550, includes tuition, housing, and some seriously good food.
This intensive will be workshop limited to 30 participants.
Faculty
Paul Anastasio studied jazz violin with the great Joe Venuti. His first job on the road was with Merle Haggard’s backup band, the Strangers. He has also toured with western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. In 1992, a chance encounter with Mexican violinist Juan Reynoso turned his life upside down. He began to travel to southwestern Mexico to study Reynoso’s remarkable regional fiddling style. He has recorded nearly two-thousand hours of Mexican traditional music, and transcribed over five-hundred pieces.
Before embarking on a solo career, Mike Dowling worked and recorded with jazz great Joe Venuti, mandolinist Jethro Burns, and Nashville swing fiddler Buddy Spicher. Mike, who is a Grammy winner, is a popular swing instructor throughout the country. He has been called by Vassar Clements "one of the finest guitarists there is, anywhere."
Jennifer Scott is a Vancouver-born vocalist and jazz pianist specializing in jazz, blues, and world music. From sold-out concerts in San Francisco to exclusive local club performances, Scott’s performance experiences have been varied. Jennifer has appeared at Jazz Festivals all across Canada and in several of the United States.
Cary Black, a bassist, teacher, vocalist, and producer from Olympia, Washington, taught music theory and improvisation for six years at the Evergreen State College. His performance and recording credits include work with Ernestine Anderson, Dan Hicks, Laurie Lewis, Rose Maddox, Mollie O'Brien, Eddie Pennington, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, and Claude Williams, among many others. He has made numerous radio appearances including the Grand Ole Opry and A Prairie Home Companion; and he has performed on the PBS, ABC, FOX, and TNN television networks. He’s an excellent and experienced teacher.
