Singing at Centrum

[Sachal Vasandani onstage]

Jazz singer Sachal Vasandani will perform as part of Jazz Port Townsend this year, joining singer Kim Nazarian in an evening "Jazz in the Clubs" performance Friday, July 25, at the Key City Playhouse in uptown Port Townsend.

On Saturday, July 26, at 7:30 pm he will give a widely anticipated mainstage performance at McCurdy Pavilion, between Paquito d'Rivera and the Matt Wilson Quartet. Reserved seating for the mainstage show is $26/$22; youth 18 and under are free with advance reservations. Tickets are available by following this link, as well as by calling the Centrum ticket office at 360.385.3102, x117.

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.

Cornbread Nation: The Bluegrass/Americana World of Tim O'Brien

"People ask me what my hobby is, and I tell them, well, I like to cook and hang out at home or read history, but really it's music," says Tim O'Brien with a smile.

So what if that's what he's done for a living for going on three decades? And what if he became regarded as a pre-eminent Americana and bluegrass musician by doing so? "It's my hobby. And everything the hobby does feeds the repertoire," O'Brien, who will be at this year's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, says.

At this point in his career, nearly thirty years after moving to Colorado where he would form his landmark band Hot Rize, repertoire is a major part of the Tim O'Brien story. For in addition to his own prolific and successful songwriting, this child of West Virginia and the WWVA Jamboree has never stopped mining the American music canon for great material. He's a song sponge.

Songs collect and abide in Tim O'Brien's world as comfortably as family heirlooms. They come from around the world, particularly the American South and Ireland. They morph into new ideas and new songs that update old truths about the human condition. They find expression in O'Brien's clear-as-ice voice on stages, in recording studios and at home with circles of gifted musical friends. O'Brien's relationship with songs embodies the very essence of the folk music tradition, always aware that the branches of the musical tree need sap from the roots.

O'Brien was so full of songs when he approached his latest phase of recording that they overwhelmed one album and became two. And yet with Fiddler's Green and Cornbread Nation, his original intent has remained intact.

WANTED: Bloggers

When we redesigned this site last year, we had a vision that at some point, we could invite community members to post/write for the site, sharing their passion with other members of the Centrum community.

That time is NOW!

If you are passionate about singing, and would like to share your knowledge and a sense of discovery with others, we want YOU. Please contact Keven Elliff at keven at centrum dot org for more information.

Registration Opens for 2008 Workshops

Registration has opened for Centrum's 2008 workshops. Follow the links in the top right column to learn more, or bookmark http://www.centrum.org/admin/register.html, which is our new launch page for registrations.

New in 2008, we've upgraded the software we use to handle registrations, which will give you more information, more quickly than ever before. As always, your feedback will help us improve how we serve you.

New Food
Also new in 2008, we are excited to announce a new food partner at Fort Worden. Bon Appétit Management Company is bringing their passion for great food inspired by a deep commitment to sustainability and locally grown and produced fare. They share our own belief that food serves a much larger purpose for the community. Breaking bread together helps create a sense of community and comfort. We can't wait for you to come to Fort Worden to experience a new era in excellent cuisine. Learn more at http://www.cafebonappetit.com/fortworden/.

We look forward to seeing you at Fort Worden in 2008.

Upcoming Singing Events

We have a full spate of Centrum singing events lined up for 2008! First, the May 8-11 Swing Intensive will  feature, in a long weekend, a focus on “vintage swing”: classics from the nineteen-thirties and -forties, with vocals as well as instrumentals being highlighted. Morning sessions will be devoted to technique; afternoons will include a faculty-led band lab that will demonstrate how to put it all together.

The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, June 29-July 6, will feature a full lineup of contemporary old-time singers, sharing their craft in total-immersion workshops presenting regional styles of fiddle music. The program’s spectrum includes workshop classes, band lab classes, tutorials, dances, concerts, open jams, parties, and informal and spontaneous gatherings. The emphasis at the workshop is on the oral tradition of close observation and listening followed by personal experimentation. Evenings feature unamplified showcase concerts and social dancing.

The summer fun will be rounded out by the July 20–27 Jazz Port Townsend workshops, featuring singers Dee Daniels and Sachal Vasandani, and the July 27-August 3 Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, with a full lineup of blue guitarists, pianists, and singers on hand, including Shirley Smith. 

Jazz Port Townsend, the Pacific Northwest’s premier jazz destination, is led by Artistic Director John Clayton. The week-long workshop gives ardent jazz students that chance to live, learn, and jam with such jazz artists as Wycliffe Gordon, Monty Alexander, Paquito D’Rivera, Eric Alexander, Ingrid Jensen, and dozens more. The workshop is for playing professionals, aspiring professionals, and committed avocational players, as well as talented high school and college students.

The Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, the largest gathering of country blues west of the Mississippi, is led by Artistic Director Phil Wiggins and features John Cephas, Phil Wiggins, Warner Williams, Daryl Davis, Louisiana Red, Terry “Harmonica” Bean, and dozens more. The festival is a week-long, total-immersion experience that passes down the skills, sounds, stories, laughter, and pain of the authentic bearers of the blues tradition.

Every Sound Below

[Old-time singer Tim Eriksen playing "Every Sound Below"]

Tim Eriksen, along with Riley Baugus and Fiddle Tunes Artistic Director Dirk Powell, leads a full-immersion workshop in the songs of the southern Appalachian mountains November 16-18. For workshop registration, follow this link to our secure online server or call 360.385.3102, x114.

For tickets to the November 17 concert and dance in Fort Worden's USO building, visit our secure online server or call us at 360.385.3102, x117.