Jazz at Centrum

Benny Green & Oscar Peterson: A Special Bond

Our Saturday, July 25 afternoon mainstage show at Jazz Port Townsend will feature a special tribute to the great Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, presented by his protégé (and festival favorite), Benny Green.

Peterson (who passed away shortly before Christmas in 2007) was one jazz's most influential pianists.

His studio and live partners comprised a roll call of legends, including Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole and Stan Getz.

But his musical journey with Benny Green is special.

Benny describes how he first met Oscar in a touching tribute to Oscar at Jazztimes.com:

"I was blessed to be befriended by Oscar in the fall of 1992, when he came to hear the trio led by the late, great master of the bass, Ray Brown, in Toronto. At the time, I was playing piano in Ray’s trio and Jeff Hamilton was the drummer. Oscar was quite supportive of me after hearing us play, and he encouraged a friendship, inviting me to telephone or write him."

In 1993, Peterson won the prestigious Glenn Gould prize - an international award given every three years to an individual in recognition of their contributions to music and communication. At that time took the unusual step of publicly announcing his choice for protégé. He chose Benny Green.

The two pianists first performed together in 1996 at a gala Town Hall concert in honor of Peterson. The New York Times said of that first musical meeting, “The bejeweled blues sensibility of the 71-year old pianist was evident in the younger as they traded sections of melody lines and choruses...”

The two went on to record Oscar and Benny in 1998. For these sessions, Peterson and Green selected a number of standards, exploring a wide variety of moods and styles. In addition, in the final number, “Barbara’s Blues, the rhythm section sits out while Peterson and Green present a dazzling two-piano tapestry. Oscar and Benny features the two pianists celebrating their mutual admiration and musical bond with eloquence and infectious joy.

We hope you can join us on Saturday afternoon, for what we are sure will be an amazing tribute to Oscar Peterson.

John Clayton Talks Wycliffe

Artistic Director John Clayton was kind enough to take a few moments and share his thoughts about a few of our Festival performers and teachers. Many of you have been viewing these on the faculty bio pages. However, as we get closer to the Festival performances, we'll be posting these here on the main page, as well.

First up - Wycliffe Gordon...

Jeff Clayton featured on American Idol

For those of you who enjoy American Idol, be sure to watch on Wednesday, 5/13 to see Jeff Clayton featured in a solo with contestant Danny Gokey.  Jeff has been a faculty member many times at Jazz Port Townsend, and will join us again this year on our mainstage with Ernie Andrews and the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Come and join us July 24 and 25 to see him live!

Announcing The Jazz Big Band Intensive

When we talked to Artistic Director John Clayton about adding two intensive workshops to our jazz education programs, he immediately named Big Band and Advanced Improvisation as the two topics he wanted to address first. Along with our larger summer program, Jazz Port Townsend, these two new workshops round out our 2009 offerings, all of which center on a common theme—improvisation.  Improvisation, after all, is what makes jazz so special, challenging and rewarding for the player.

We'll be announcing the Advanced Improvisation session very soon, but let's talk Big Band!

John has rounded up two of the best - Jay Thomas, and the legendary Bill Ramsay to join him in leading a Jazz Big Band Intensive, September 17-20. It will run concurrently with "Jazz and the Word" a new literary gathering led by Quincy Troupe.

In describing his vision for this program John said, "

Using the model that has been established by the classic, historic big bands, the Workshop Big Band will be comprised of soloists whose voices are honed to collectively produce a unique sound.  Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis et al, were all bands comprised of musicians who could improvise.  This successful formula will be explored in our workshop."

Visit our Jazz Big Band Intensive page for more information.

Preview of great things to come

I recently attended the excellent Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, where our own John Clayton is also Artistic Director.  John did a great job of assembling outstanding educators and performers, just as he does for us.  I was particularly eager to hear some people who will be new to Centrum this summer, including vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Graham Dechter, and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.  All three were fabulous, which was no less than I expected!

It was also great to see our good friend Benny Green, who talked effusively about how much he's looking forward to being at Centrum again this summer.  His playing on the mainstage was predictably fantastic.

John likes to talk of the jazz world as a family, and it was nice to see several other members of that family there who have been on Centrum's faculty or mainstage.  These included Byron Stripling, Claudio Roditi, Kenny Barron, Anne Drummond, Romero Lubambo, Jeff Hamilton, Paul Keller and Joe Locke.  All told, it was a great four days of music and education in the midst of winter.  I hope you're able to hear some inspiring performances where you are as well.

A Jazz Apprenticeship

Trumpeter and Jazz Port Townsend participant Steve Alboucq vacations on Orcas Island—where, when local islanders would find out he played the trumpet, they’d say: “There’s this old guy on the island, Willie Thomas, who plays trumpet pretty good. You should meet him.” 

Learning that Thomas’s daughter owned a small French café on the island, Alboucq went to meet her. “I understand your father plays trumpet,” he said.

The woman laughed. “Oh yeah, he plays the trumpet, all right,” she said.

Within ten minutes, a man with a thick mane of white beard and bucket cap squashed on his head walked in.

Kim Nazarian: Inspiring Life Through Music

Vocalist, teacher, lyricist, Grammy-nominated arranger, and Grammy Award-winning ensemble singer...try and fit a ball of positive energy into a category and you will break the box!

Kim Nazarian, who will be teaching voice at the 2008 Jazz Port Townsend workshop, is the soprano of the New York Voices, the only vocal group to win two Grammys for live concert recordings (including one of Brazilian music with Paquito D'Rivera, who will also be in residence in Port Townsend this summer.)

Always passionate about Latin music, Nazarian performs and records with the Boston-based band El Eco, whose CD "Two Worlds" was recently featured on NPR's JazzSet. Other collaborations include her work performing and recording with Mark Shilansky. Her vocals are featured extensively on his most recent recording: "Join The Club". She also is featured on Bobby McFerrin's upcoming 2009 release.

Nazarian has worked with and conducted choirs around the world, including the New York State Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Arizona All-State Jazz Choir. She is known as one of the most popular voice teachers in the nation, and is eagerly anticipated at this year's Festival.

Entertaining Spirit: The Music of Drummer Matt Wilson

Drummer, composer, producer, and bandleader Matt Wilson is considered one of the most creative, talented, and entertaining spirits in jazz today. He has won multiple awards for his work, has appeared on more than 170 recordings and has performed throughout the world.

[Matt Wilson onstage]

His most recent CD, "The Scenic Route", was released in February, 2007, and was recognized as one of the top jazz recordings of that year.

Wilson will be in residence at the 2008 Jazz Port Townsend festival, teaching, jamming, and giving performances. His mainstage performance will be dedicated to the memory of Dennis Irwin, who passed away March 10, 2008.

Jamming With Wycliffe Gordon

[Wycliffe Gordon onstage]

Trombone legend Wycliffe Gordon will be in residence at Jazz Port Townsend in 2008, teaching, jamming, and giving a mainstage performance with his Quartet.

Gordon has enjoyed an extraordinary career as a performer, conductor, composer, arranger, and educator. He tours the world, performing hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz with his trombone.

In addition to a thriving solo career, he tours regularly leading the Wycliffe Gordon Quartet, headlining at legendary jazz venues throughout the world. Gordon is a former veteran member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and The Gully Low Jazz Band, and has been a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor's "Jazz at The Kennedy Center" Series. Gordon’s extensive performance experience includes work with many of the most renowned jazz performers of the past and present.

The Music of Benny Green

Jazz pianist Benny Green, one of the most popular performers and teachers in the country, will be returning to Jazz Port Townsend in 2008!

Born in New York in 1963, Benny Green grew up in Berkeley, California, and began classical piano studies at the age of seven. His attention, however, soon turned into jazz.

"I began trying to improvise on the piano, imitating the records I'd been hearing from my father's collection, which included a lot of Monk and Bird… it was a gradual process of teaching myself," Green says. He played in school bands before hooking up with singer Fay Carroll, saying, "That was good training for me in terms of accompaniment and learning about the blues, and she also gave me a chance to play trio, opening for her every night."

As a teenager, Green worked with Eddie Henderson, and got some big band experience with a twelve-piece group led by Chuck Israels. Back in the Big Apple, he met veteran pianist Walter Bishop Jr. "I began studying with him and he helped point me in the direction of developing my own sound," Green says. "He also encouraged me to check out and study the whole scope of jazz piano history, so I could get a sense of how I was to fit in".

After a short stint with Bobby Watson, Green worked with Betty Carter between 1983 and 1987, the year he joined Art Blakey's band. He later worked with Freddie Hubbard's quintet.

[Benny Green on piano]