Jazz at Centrum

Geoffrey Keezer to Play at Wheeler Theater

2009-10-20T10:41:48-07:00

Get ready for jazz with multinational ingredients as jazz piano legend Geoffrey Keezer takes the stage for a 7:30 pm solo performance on Saturday, October 31, at Fort Worden State Park’s Joseph F. Wheeler Theater!

Tickets are $20 dollars; youth 18 and under can attend for free with advance registration. Tickets are available online here, as well as by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are also available at the box-office door beginning at 6:30 pm.

Keezer's latest musical adventure, Áurea, is a multinational Afro-Peruvian jazz recording project featuring some of today’s hottest players from New York City and Lima, Peru.

“What makes Afro-Peruvian music so intriguing to me is the unique combination of cultures found in Peru,” Keezer said. “In Peru, you've got descendants of Amerindians, Spanish, African, even Chinese and Japanese influences. Peru's cultural crossover with Africa predates America's, and many more of the African elements are retained in the music than in jazz.”

Keezer is known as one of the world’s finest jazz pianists. In 1989, at the age of 18, after completing his first year at the Berklee College of Music, he replaced Benny Green as the pianist for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He then replaced Green again as a member of the Ray Brown Trio.

“Geoffrey possesses a refreshingly open-eared sensibility in the modern manner,” noted Time magazine. “He has more than enough virtuosity and sheer musical wit and intelligence to weave all of his apparently disparate strands of influence into an original and compelling whole.”

His interest in Afro-Peruvian music is quite recent, dating back to a big-band performance at a jazz festival in Peru in 2004 and sharing the stage with a group of Peruvian musicians. Previously, he recalled, “I had only heard the music of the Andes, you know, the guys with pan flutes and drums that play on street corners in major cities. But I was totally unaware of Afro-Peruvian music, the music of coastal Peru. "

“The wow factor, in full force at the start of his show, had morphed into an I-can’t-friggin-believe-what-I’m hearing phenomenon,” said All About Jazz’s Jason West after a recent Seattle performance. “By the end of the night, a normally subdued Seattle jazz audience found itself hooting and hollering as if the Seahawks had won the Super Bowl."

Keezer’s professional career has spanned many projects and genres. In 1992, Geoffrey performed Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under the direction of John Mauceri.
In addition to his eleven solo releases and constant touring, Geoffrey has also had compositions commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Saint Joseph Ballet, Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, the Zeltsman Marimba Festival, and was a recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2007 New Works grant. He has also played bass in a rock band.

Keezer continues to work in partnership with world class musicians from all genres. His 1998 release, Turn Up The Quiet, featured Grammy winning vocalist Diana Krall along with Joshua Redman and Christian McBride. His two releases in 2003, Falling Up and Sublime: Honoring the Music of Hank Jones, were both collaborative efforts. Sublime is an ambitious set of piano duets with Kenny Barron, Chick Corea, Benny Green and Mulgrew Miller. Falling Up features several pieces where Geoffrey worked in tandem with Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Keola Beamer.

His 2005 release, Wildcrafted, captures the fire and raw energy of Keezer’s trio live in concert at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis.

Big Band Workshop Recap

2009-10-02T10:43:04-07:00

Our 2009 Big Band workshop in September was a big success! John Clayton, together with Jay Thomas and Bill Ramsay, led 18 musicians in 3 days of intensive rehearsals and discussions. The repertoire featured a number of John's compositions and arrangements, seasoned with a couple of classics from the Count Basie library.

As Basie alumni, John and Bill felt right at home, and Jay was the rock of the sax section in the first tenor chair. The weekend was capped by a sold-out concert in the Wheeler Theater, which ended with the audience leaping to its feet and shouting for more.

We'll definitely do another big band workshop in 2010, only next time with two bands! The dates will be announced soon.

Don't forget - we're hosting an amazing Jazz Improvisation workshop in a few weeks with the great Geoffrey Keezer. We have a few spaces left in this intensive workshop - sign up today - we promise you'll have a great time, and learn a lot.

John Clayton Leads Big-Band Concert September 19

2009-09-17T09:28:53-07:00

John Clayton will direct an eighteen-piece ensemble featuring soloists Jay Thomas and Bill Ramsay at 7:30 pm on Saturday, September 19, at the Joseph F. Wheeler Theater in Fort Worden State Park. Centrum’s Workshop Band will play the classic jazz tunes of Count Basie and contemporary jazz compositions by John Clayton himself.

Ticket Information. Tickets are $10 dollars; youth 18 and under can attend for free with advance registration. Tickets are available online or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are also available at the box-office door beginning at 7 pm.

"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,” said Clayton. Count Basie and others were all bands comprised of musicians who could improvise. This successful formula will be explored in our show."

In addition to the two soloists, the Workshop Big Band will feature members of Centrum’s big band workshop, brought to a fever pitch by intense playing the weekend of September 17-20. The public performance culminates the jazz workshop.

John Clayton is a world-renowned bassist, composer, and educator in both the jazz and classical fields. In addition to his role with Centrum, he is the Artistic Director of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival at the University of Idaho and is 2009 artist in residence for the Detroit International Jazz Festival. His the founder of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (with saxophonist brother Jeff and drummer Jeff Hamilton), which features his original compositions and a received a Grammy nomination for their debut recording. In addition to the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and the Clayton Brother Quarter, John has written and arranged music for Diana Krall, DeeDee Bridgewater, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Regina Cater, John Pizzareli and many others. In 2008, he received his first Grammy Award—after seven nominations—for his arrangement of "I'm Gonna' Live 'til I Die" on Queen Latifah's Verve recording. He is a past president of the International Society of Bassists.

Saxophonist Bill Ramsay is among Seattle’s most sought-after musicians, leading his own bands and recording with groups up and down the West Coast. He spent two years as a member of the Count Basie Orchestra, and is a veteran of many of the nation’s outstanding big bands, including those of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Grover Mitchell, Cab Calloway, Gene Harris, and Quincy Jones, in addition to performing with the Benny Goodman Octet. He was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997.

Jay Thomas is a versatile multi-instrumentalist (trumpet, flugelhorn, alto, tenor, soprano and flutes), who can be heard on over sixty LPs and CDs. Earshot Magazine selected Thomas as Musician of the Year for 1996 and 1998, and he was named a “top ten player” in the “Brass on Fire” search conducted by JAZZIZ. Accidentally Yours, with the Geoffrey Keezer Trio, is his ninth CD as leader. Thomas’s two latest CDs with Becca Duran are: If You Could See Me Now and Song For Rita. Thomas has worked with such artists as Jessica Williams, George Cables, Charles McPherson, Bill Mays, Ralph Penland, Diane Schuur, and Slim Gaillard.

Tickets are $10 dollars; youth 18 and under can attend for free with advance registration. Tickets are available online or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Tickets are also available at the box-office door beginning at 7 pm.

Big Band Intensive Update

2009-08-21T08:26:58-07:00

As August rolls to a close, we wanted to let you know where things stand with Centrum's Jazz Big Band Intensive with John Clayton, Jay Thomas, and Bill Ramsay, which is going to be taking over Fort Worden September 17-20.

If you play trombone, trumpet, or guitar, we want you to register asap - all other slots in the big band are taken.

We've also uploaded recordings of the tunes you'll be playing at the intensive, in this case, performed by the esteemed Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Visit the Big Band page and scroll down to the "What Will We Play?" section.

2009 JPT Photos Now Online

2009-08-19T12:04:31-07:00

If you attended the 2009 Jazz Port Townsend workshop, then you probably know Jim Levitt. The man was everywhere. Jim is a photographer who has helped us each of the past two years to document the experience. We're grateful to have someone of Jim's skill and passion working with us. Even though he has a day job, he took the week off to spend it with all of you. Thank you Jim.

We have begun placing some of Jim's photos on our Flickr site. We have created a photoset from the 2009 workshop--and we'll be adding more soon. Don't forget, you can post on Flickr too...just be sure to tag them "jazzporttownsend09." We'll post a slideshow soon. And as always, we want to see your photos, hear your tunes, and learn more at our jazz community site: http://centrumjazz.ning.com

Jazz Port Townsend Podcast: Benny Green Tribute to Oscar Peterson

2009-08-14T14:55:16-07:00

One of the major highlights of 2009 Jazz Port Townsend was The Tribute to Oscar Peterson played by the Benny Green Trio. This exciting performance brought the capacity audience to its feet.

This special concert will air Jazz Northwest, 88.5 KPLU and kplu.org on Sunday August 16 at 1 PM PDT.

This concert was one of seven Jazz Port Townsend concerts recorded by Jim Wilke exclusively for Jazz Northwest on KPLU. The program airs Sundays at 1 PM on 88.5 KPLU and is streamed to the internet at kplu.org. A podcast of the program will be available after the airdate at kplu.org.

Jazz Port Townsend Concert Podcast at KPLU 88.5FM

2009-07-31T11:17:38-07:00

(Dan Balmer, Bruce Forman and Graham Dechter tune up for a concert at Jazz Port Townsend 2009 - Jim Wilke photo)

The "22 Strings plus Skins" concert from 2009 Jazz Port Townsend will be featured on Jazz Northwest, 88.5 KPLU this Sunday afternoon, August 2, 2009, at 1 PM PDT.

Three guitarists, Bruce Forman, Dan Balmer and Graham Dechter are joined by Chuck Deardorf on bass and Greg Williamson on drums in a survey of jazz guitar styles from Charlie Christian to Wes Montgomery.

Thank You for a Great Festival

2009-07-29T08:48:43-07:00

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:

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.

Latest Info on Jazz Port Townsend Tickets

2009-07-23T08:46:06-07:00

A quick note about ticket availability for Jazz Port Townsend. Individual tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday mainstage and club shows. Additionally:

JAZZ PORT TOWNSEND TICKETS NOTE:

All Jazz discount packages are SOLD OUT.
Online and phone sales for FRIDAY and SATURDAY Jazz Port Townsend shows will continue until until Friday morning at 7am. After that, all remaining tickets will be sold at the McCurdy Pavilion Box Office, which will open for sales 90 minutes before each show. (Jazz in the Clubs tickets may also be purchased at each club door during the Festival.) If Saturday afternoon's reserved seating sells out, we will offer lawn seating at $10/person.

John Clayton Welcomes You to the Jazz Party

2009-07-22T14:09:29-07:00

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.

Seattle Times Interviews Benny Green

2009-07-22T09:59:07-07:00

Hugo Kugiya, of the Seattle Times, interviewed pianist Benny Green in advance of Green's Oscar Peterson tribute set on Saturday, July 25. Green told Kugiya, that Saturday's performance carries special meaning for him:

"I didn't want to jump on any opportunistic bandwagon in the aftermath of his passing (in 2007)," said Green. "There were many situations that I turned down, that paid well, much to my manager's frustration ... out of respect for Oscar as a friend as well as an artist."
...It was bassist John Clayton, the festival's artistic director, who persuaded Green, whom he has known for 16 years, to finally pay tribute to Peterson's artistic legacy.

Read the whole article at the Seatte Times. Tickets are still available for the afternoon show. Purchase tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets, or call 24/7 at 800-838-3006.

Learning African and Latin Rhythms in Port Townsend

2009-07-21T15:40:00-07:00

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.