Jazz at Centrum

Making the Waves and Wild Water Come Alive

"Watching [Ingrid] Jensen lead all-star bands at Port Townsend, I've been impressed with her centered, athletic grace and Milesian strength," writes jazz critic Joseph Blake.

Ingrid will be teaching and performing at Jazz Port Townsend, July 22-29. She sat down with us for a recent interview about her music, discussing her development in jazz, how jazz can move from the artist to the listener in the post-CD era, and what the future could hold for the next generation of jazz musicians.   

Centrum: You grew up in Nanaimo, Canada, you've played in the subways of New York City, and you now teach and play at internationally renowned conservatories and workshops. What was your development in jazz like?

Ingrid Jensen: I got started in the public school system. There were a lot of good players and a good jazz scene in Nanaimo, and there was a local big band called the NMA (the Nanaimo Musicians Association). I was mentored by a lot of great people in that band that really loved the music. A big step for me was when I went to [Jazz] Port Townsend after my second year of college. It was a big epiphany for me, to play with such a high level of musicians.

They encouraged me to go east, which was something that I had no thought of doing up to that point. I had a bunch of scholarship money that I’d accumulated over the years, as well as grants (I would later receive) from the Canada Council, and went to Berklee for three years. When I graduated from Berklee I moved to Europe for while, first Denmark (to practice and think) and then to Austria where I taught and played. It was great time for me in both places as I played a great deal with a variety of musicians and in a wide variety of styles.

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Joe Locke, "Tulipa"

Vibist Joe Locke will appear at Jazz Port Townsend on Saturday, July 28, 2007.

The Banda Brothers

Ramon and Tony Banda are brothers from a musical family. They are best known to audiences worldwide for their more than twenty years of solid, uncompromising work in the celebrated music ensemble, the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band—Tony on bass and Ramon on drums and timbales.

Ramon, born in 1954, and Tony, born in 1955, were raised in Norwalk, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. They were surrounded by music in their home and in the neighborhood. By 1961 the brothers were performing regularly all across Southern California. During these formative years, the brother's love and appreciation for a wide variety of musical styles developed—especially Jazz, Latin, and Rhythm & Blues.

The Bandas have participated in countless tours, played every major music festival around the globe, and recorded with artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Celia Cruz, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Smith, Woody Herman, Ray Charles, Carmen McRae, Mongo Santamaria, Al Jarreau, Chick Correa, Bette Midler, Dianne Reeves, Joey DeFrancesco, Al McKibbon, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Pesci, Francisco Aguabella, the Jazz Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Arturo O’Farrill, and Terence Blanchard.

The Banda Brothers Sextet plays with an energy and conviction that is soulful, relaxed, and intensely swinging. Formed in 1996, the group puts a powerful emphasis on straight-ahead Jazz, as well as drawing from the rich Afro-Caribbean traditions.

The Bandas have assembled some of the most talented, young musicians working today, including Javier Vergara (tenor sax), Chris Barron (piano), Francisco Torres (trombone), and Joey De Leon (percussion). The group has a unique talent for bringing insight and imagination to original material as well as covered classics, providing the perfect balance of accessibility and invention. Their 2004 debut release Acting Up! is on the WJ3 Label.

Visit their website.

Roberta Gambarini and Roy Hargrove

Italian jazz sensation Roberta Gambarini, with Roy Hargrove (trumpet), and Hank Jones (piano). On Saturday afternoon, July 28, at Fort Worden's McCurdy Pavilion, Gambarini performs with John Clayton (bass), Joe LaBarbera (drums), and Tamir Hendelman (piano).

It's a Vibe I Got

Legendary vibraphonist Joe Locke performing in Italy. On Saturday, July 28, at Fort Worden's McCurdy Pavilion, Locke will perform with Chuck Deardorf (bass), Jon Wikan (drums), and Bruce Forman (guitar).