Jazz at Centrum

Registration Open for 2011 Jazz Port Townsend

2011 is going to be a big year for Jazz Port Townsend. 

Whether you are a jazz instrumentalist, a jazz vocalist, or a jazz composer, Artistic Director John Clayton has worked with Centrum to put together a truly special jazz experience that will challenge, excite and inspire you.

We'll be spending the next few months going into greater detail about the faculty you'll work with, but let's get some business out of the way!

You can register online right now for Jazz Port Townsend. The week-long workshop will run July 24-31, 2011. If you like, you can also download and mail your registration to us. 

Now, what's in store for you. You might call it the "Year of the Composer":

• Bill Holman. An NEA Jazz Master, Bill is THE elder statesman of big band composition/arranging. Centrum has received a special NEA grant to commission Bill to write a piece dedicated to Paquito D'Rivera, which will be premiered in Port Townsend during the week. 
• John Clayton is writing a new big band piece in honor of Centrum's founding director Joseph Wheeler, which will be premiered in Port Townsend during the week.

That's a pretty great start, but it's only the beginning. 

Stefon Harris, will be spending the week with us teaching vibes and marimba. Walter Smith is an exciting tenor sax player you'll get to know. Trombone legend Jiggs Whigham is returning - and he'll be bringing an entire student big band he conducts (age 18 - 24) from Germany!

Jeff Hamilton will spend the week with you, as will the other members of his trio--Tamir Hendelman and Christoph Luty. And drummer Matt Wilson. And bari sax star Gary Smulyan. And many, many more. 

So get started now. Register online - reserve your dorm space - and get working on those audition materials. We look forward to seeing you in Port Townsend in July - and stay tuned for more information on our 2011 faculty!

Thank You for a Great Festival

We'd like to take a moment to thank all of the passionate workshop participants, as well as the avid jazz fans who helped transform Port Townsend into a mecca for jazz during 2009 Jazz Port Townsend. Between the artists, the music, the weather, and the town - it was quite a party.

Hugo Kugiya and the The Seattle Times ran a series of reviews during the festival:

• Jazz Port Townsend underway with intimate shows in clubs
• Jazz Port Townsend showcases a new generation of jazz
• Oscar Peterson tribute highlights Jazz Port Townsend

Did you attend the workshop, or attend a jazz show? Please share your photos and videos with us. A great place to do that is on our Jazz Community Site. Join the site today (it's free), and connect with your fellow jazzoids. We've already got some videos from the week online, with more to come.

If you use Flickr and or YouTube, simply tag your photos and videos with "jazzporttownsend09" and we'll showcase them here.

John Clayton Welcomes You to the Jazz Party

Artistic Director John Clayton takes a few minutes out of the workshop week to welcome you to Jazz Port Townsend 2009. Highlights of the video: a) John compares Port Townsend's Festival club scene to New York's 52nd Street in 1940s and 1950s; b) John talks about some of the new voices featured this year, and welcomes familiar faces; c) John talks about the crumbling borders in jazz.

Watch the whole thing!

Thursday night club shows are sold out, and packages are also sold out. Individual tickets to everything else is still available, however. Call our fair-trade ticket partners at Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at 800-838-3006, or purchase tickets online.

Learning African and Latin Rhythms in Port Townsend

Alvester Garnett (drums), Chuck Deardorf (bass), and Randy Porter (piano) lead a 2009 Jazz Port Townsend workshop session on African and Latin rhythms.

At the 2:00 minute mark, they break into music. Check it out.

To purchase tickets to the public performance component of Jazz Port Townsend, visit our performance page - we look forward to seeing you at the shows.

Friday at Jazz Port Townsend: A Jazz "Blowout"

Curious what it was like to be one of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers? Want to discover the art of the Jazz Duo?

Centrum is opening up it's entire Friday workshop schedule to the general public on July 24 for what we call the "Friday Jazz Blowout."

It's your chance to listen to our jazz faculty discussing and demonstrating their instrument, their technique, and their tradition.

There are ten sessions in all, and there is no admission charge. To learn more, visit our Jazz Blowout page.

A Taste of Jazz

Jazz everywhere!  Walking around Fort Worden this afternoon, it seemed like there was music coming out of every building.  More than 30 combos playing at the same time.  In the schoolhouse building I felt like Alice through the looking glass - I never knew what I would find when I opened a door.  Anything from melodic and mellow to totally hot!

Check out my photos of some of the players.

Kristina Whipple