Ingrid Jensen photo by Daniel Sheehan

Those looking for a reason to head to the coast this month need look no further than Jazz Port Townsend. The weeklong workshop and performance festival, July 20–27, for the past forty years, has brought some of the biggest names in jazz together with students committed to its future.

At the heart of it all is the Centrum Foundation and Jazz Port Townsend Artistic Director John Clayton – bassist, arranger/orchestrator, and admitted born multi-tasker who co-leads the renowned Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, a Grammy-nominated quintet, and writes, arranges, and plays for some of the most recognized artists and ensembles in jazz (and classical music) today.

This year, the workshop will draw around 230 participants – about half of them high school students – to Fort Worden State Park, an 1890s Army fort turned state park that overlooks the Puget Sound. The remainder of the participants range from professional musicians to committed amateurs of all ages who’ve passed the audition and proven themselves capable of taking whatever the workshops dish out. Jazz Port Townsend also offers an “Educator’s Track” designed to help practicing and aspiring teachers enhance their ability to teach jazz in educational settings.

The students will be in good hands. Recent faculty have included such prominent artists as Anat Cohen, Anthony Wilson, Stefon Harris, Gerald Clayton, and Sachal Vasandani. This year will see the return of some familiar faces, along with some new talent as well. (Full roster available online at http://centrum.org/jazz-port-townsend-artist-faculty/.)

“We shoot for about one-third new people [each year] – either new people or people who haven’t been with us for a few years,” Jazz Port Townsend’s Program Director Gregg Miller says. “We like to make sure that there’s a healthy dose of fresh faces and fresh ideas.” 

Jazz Port Townsend also tries to strike a balance geographically, so a decent chunk of their faculty comprises artists of the Northwest: Clarence Acox, Dawn Clement, Julian MacDonough, and Dan Balmer are among the locals on the roster.

One might assume that a jazz festival taking place within a state park in a small, sleepy sea-side community might be, well, a bit small and sleepy. Such assumptions would be shortsighted. In his review of 2013’s Saturday afternoon triple bill at Fort Worden’s McCurdy Pavilion, Paul de Barros of the Seattle Times wrote that the performances “fired on all cylinders,” and, despite lasting six hours, left its audience wanting more. “Port Townsend fans come to gorge, not nibble,” he wrote. The on-site performances regularly fill to capacity and booking a hotel or B&B available during the week can be challenging, as the event draws people from around the region and beyond.

Fortunately, what happens at Fort Worden doesn’t stay at Fort Worden. The festival’s popular Jazz in the Clubs series presents ensembles culled from the faculty’s ranks at venues throughout Port Townsend. Jazz in the Clubs runs Thursday July 24 through Saturday July 26 at various establishments throughout the area. There’s a listing of venues on Centrum’s website, but no specific club-date lineups are currently available – true to jazz’s nature, the element of surprise is part of the allure. “John [Clayton] really likes to mix it up and get people playing with people that they haven’t played with before,” Miller noted.

So, what can you expect? Primarily hard swing and bebop, according to Miller. “That’s right in John’s wheelhouse and that’s reflected, I think, in the [faculty] that we have here.”

With Centrum’s long-standing success in supporting the arts, a stellar program of scheduled performances, and an outstanding faculty roster, jazz-hungry attendees should come away feeling amply nourished. Tickets and more info available at http://centrum.org/jazz-port-townsend-performances/.

Jazz Port Townsend Featured Performances
Fort Worden’s McCurdy Pavilion

Friday, July 25, 7:30pm
The Jensen Sisters and Wycliff Gordon and friends
The Jensen Sisters are Ingrid Jensen, trumpet; Christine Jensen, alto; Geoffrey Keezer, piano; Martin Wind, bass; Jon Wikan, drums. Wycliffe Gordon and Friends are Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Terell Stafford, trumpet; Jeff Clayton, alto; Benny Green, piano; John Clayton, bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums.

Saturday, July 26, 1:30pm
George Cables, Sachal Vasandani and the Centrum All-Star Big Band with Bill Holman
A tribute to George Cables, with Geoffrey Keezer, piano; Benny Green, piano; Dawn Clement, piano; Anthony Wilson, guitar; George Cables, piano; Sing, Sing, Sing! with Sachal Vasandani, voice; Johnaye Kendrick, voice; Dena DeRose, voice and piano; Eric Verlinde, piano; Jon Hamar, bass; Julian MacDonough, drums; and finally, an all-star big band, directed by NEA Jazz Master Bill Holman.

Saturday, July 26, 7:30pm
Benny Green Trio and Matt Wilson’s Arts & Crafts Ensemble
Benny Green Trio is Benny Green, piano; David Wong, bass; Rodney Green, drums. Matt Wilson’s Arts and Crafts Ensemble is Terell Stafford, trumpet; Taylor Eigsti, piano; Martin Wind, bass; Matt Wilson, drums.