Jazz at Centrum

Jazz Port Townsend Faculty Member Gary Smulyan Named Top Baritone Saxophonist

2012-01-10T08:16:20-08:00

Gary Smulyan at Jazz Port Townsend - Photo by Jim Levitt

Congratulations to Jazz Port Townsend faculty member, Gary Smulyan, for being awarded Baritone Saxophonist of the year in JazzTimes’ 2011 Readers’ Poll!

JazzTimes Magazine asked their readers to consider artists who were notably active in the last year and to vote for their favorites in a number of categories. Among the winners are many friends and faculty of Jazz Port Townsend, present and past. Some highlights include trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire as Best New Artist, Regina Carter as Best Violinist, and Kurt Elling as Best Male Vocalist.

Also placing in the poll were Centrum friends Sachal Vasandani (new artist and male vocalist), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Jaleel Shaw (alto saxophone), Gary Versace (organ), Stefon Harris (vibraphone), Matt Wilson (drums), Gretchen Parlato (female vocalist), Gerald Wilson (arranger) and Jazz Port Townsend Artistic Director, John Clayton (arranger).

Centrum is thrilled to be able to count so many of the artists recognized among our Jazz Port Townsend Faculty and feels privileged to see so many members of our family honored. Congratulations!

You too can be a part of the Centrum Family. Join JazzTimes Readers’ Poll honorees Wycliffe Gordon, Gary Smulyan, Matt Wilson, and John Clayton at Jazz Port Townsend 2012. Learn more about the Jazz Port Townsend workshop.

Jazz Port Townsend 2012 - Registration is OPEN!

2011-12-08T08:48:47-08:00

(John Clayton works with a young bassist at Jazz Port Townsend 2011. Photo by Jim Levitt)

July 22-29, 2012
Jazz Port Townsend
John Clayton, Artistic Director

REGISTER TODAY!
Call: 800.733.3608

Registration is now OPEN for Jazz Port Townsend 2012!

Returning Artistic Director John Clayton has assembled a stellar lineup of established and emerging jazz artists for a week of playing, jamming, listening, and learning at beautiful Fort Worden State Park.

Daily workshops offer coaching in small combo playing, improvisation, big band performance, advanced jazz theory, and more. Evenings will feature faculty performances, intimate showcase concerts, and plenty of jamming opportunities with faculty and festival participants, often lasting deep into the night.

And, Jazz Port Townsend is proud to continue its commitment to offering master coaching in composition and arrangement - The 2012 faculty includes NEA Jazz Master and five-time Grammy winner Johnny Mandel!

Click HERE for info about the 2012 Jazz Port Townsend faculty/artists!

Tuition: $785 or Audit: $535
Scholarships may be available for this program. Apply early.

To sign up for a dormitory room and/or a meal plan please contact Fort Worden State Park. Click HERE to access their online reservation system.

JPT Alumni: 2012 Grammy Nominations

2011-12-02T12:26:50-08:00

(The Gerald Clayton Trio with Joel Frahm at Jazz Port Townsend 2011. Photo by Jim Levitt)

Congratulations and best of luck to Jazz Port Townsend alumni Kurt Elling, Gerald Clayton, Joe Lovano, and Christian McBride on their 2012 Grammy nominations!

Kurt Elling was nominated for “Best Vocal Jazz Album,” for his release, The Gate (Concord Records). Joe Lovano and Gerald Clayton were both nominated for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album” – Lovano and Us Five for, Bird Songs (Blue Note), and the Gerald Clayton Trio for, Bond: The Paris Sessions (Emarcy/Decca). The Christian McBride Big Band was nominated for “Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album” for, The Good Feeling (Mack Avenue Records).

The recording industry's most prestigious award, the Grammy, is presented annually by The Recording Academy, and awarded by The Recording Academy's voting membership to honor excellence in the recording arts and sciences. It is truly a peer honor, awarded by and to artists and technical professionals for artistic or technical achievement, not sales or chart positions. Learn more about the Academy voting process HERE.

Jazz Port Townsend is one of the nation’s longest running and most respected jazz festivals. Each year, established and emerging artists – including numerous Grammy award winners – descend on Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA, to share their vision and artistry with a new generation of musicians.

The faculty lineup and schedule for Jazz Port Townsend 2012 – taking place July 22-29 – will be posted soon. Check www.centrum.org/jazz for updates and more, and we’ll see you in July 2012!

Jazz Port Townsend on 88.5 KPLU, Sunday, 9/25 at 1 PM

2011-09-21T14:06:48-07:00

(The Jeff Hamilton Trio from Jazz Port Townsend 2011, photo by Kay Harper)

The Friday night performance from the Jeff Hamilton Trio during Centrum's Jazz Port Townsend will be broadcast on KPLU’s Jazz Northwest (88.5 FM), and streaming at kplu.org on Sunday, September 25 at 1 PM PDT.

Drummer Jeff Hamilton has played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Woody Herman, Count Basie, Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson, and is co-leader (with Jazz Port Townsend Artistic Director John Clayton) of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Hamilton is joined by Tamir Hendelman on piano and Christoph Luty on bass, who are popular in-demand sidemen with other groups as well.

All three musicians were also members of the faculty at the week-long workshop, which took place from July 24 to July 31 of 2011.

Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced exclusively for KPLU by Jim Wilke. A podcast of the show is available at kplu.org after the broadcast date. For more information, visit KPLU’s Jazz Northwest online.

Save the Date: Jazz Port Townsend 2012

2011-08-24T14:33:58-07:00

(pictured: Jeff Clayton leads his combo at Jazz Port Townsend 2011. Photo by Jim Levitt)

Make plans now to attend Jazz Port Townsend 2012, taking place from July 22 to July 29 at Fort Worden State Park.

Led by Artistic Director John Clayton, the 2012 festival will feature master class instruction, combo instruction and performance opportunities, as well as mainstage performances at McCurdy Pavilion. The 2012 festival will also see a return of the popular, "Jazz in the Clubs," series, featuring intimate performances from festival artists and participants at venues throughout Port Townsend.

Stay tuned to the Centrum website, Facebook, and Twitter pages for news and information about the 2012 festival, as well as the announcement about the 2012 faculty lineup. In the meantime, save the date, and we'll see you in July at Centrum!

Seattle Times Review of 2011 Jazz Port Townsend

2011-08-01T13:23:09-07:00

Seattle Times jazz critic Paul de Barros wrote an informative review of Centrum's 2011 Jazz Port Townsend performances. He particularly liked the "8-Piece Sextet:"

"A bebopper's delight, the program featured an ad hoc group of musicians who had been teaching all week at a workshop that preceded the festival. Jokingly called an "8-Piece Sextet" (that ultimately had seven players — go figure), it fell effortlessly into a deep, toe-tapping groove.

The bespectacled, suit-clad drummer Matt Wilson had a lot to do with that, as he set a swingin' pace on Herbie Hancock's soulful shot, "Driftin'." [Paquito] D'Rivera, whose irresistibly silly humor fell somewhere between Dizzy Gillespie and Ricky Ricardo, pulled the crowd to its feet with a sparkling solo on "Corcovado." Trumpeter Terrell Stafford tore the lid off Gillespie's "Tour de Force" and Wilson answered with a solo that cleverly cast his bass drum against fields of silence. Pianist Benny Green rumbled over the edge of the earth into of the ether of pure sound."

Head over the SeattleTimes.com for the full write-up.

Enjoy Young Big Bands at Jazz Port Townsend

2011-07-28T08:00:00-07:00

Centrum is proud to welcome the Monterey Jazz Festival's 2011 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and the BuJazzO Youth Orchestra to Jazz in the Clubs at Jazz Port Townsend.

The Monerey Jazz Festival’s 2011 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra was created in 1971 as a part of the Monterey Jazz Festival's continuing commitment to jazz education. Former members of the Orchestra include pianists Benny Green and Patrice Rushen, bassist Larry Grenadier, drummer Chad Wackerman, saxophonists Joshua Redman, Donny McCaslin, Eric Marienthal, Dave Koz, trombonist Andy Martin, trumpeters Gilbert Castellanos, Ambrose Akinmusire, and big band leader Gordon Goodwin to name a few.

In the past, the band has been under the leadership of Ladd McIntosh, Don Schamber, Benny Golson, Bill Berry, and many more. Now under the tutelage of Paul Contos, the renowned saxophonist and flautist who serves as the director of the Orchestra, the ensemble is dedicated to the study and performance of the most challenging big band literature available.

The award-winning Bundesjazzorchester (BuJazzO), Germany's Youth Jazz Orchestra, is led by Jiggs Whigham, and sponsors qualified and talented young jazz musicians in Germany. As an institution involved in the musical training of young people, it is unique in its kind worldwide. Young instrumentalists and singers can apply to join the BuJazzO, the musicians selected are then invited to audition. Successful candidates have the opportunity to develop their talent for a further period of two years up to a maximum age of 24.

The BuJazzO, winner of the 1997 German Music Prize, 2009 Jazz Prize of West German Broadcasting Service, has given over 400 concerts, undertaken twenty international tours and produced numerous broadcast recordings.