PORT TOWNSEND — Jazz in both big and intimate venues is featured this weekend during Jazz Port Townsend, Washington’s largest summer jazz festival.
Headliners this year are internationally renowned musicians Taylor Eigsti, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Alexander and Paquito d’Rivera.
The festival continues this year under the leadership of artistic director John Clayton, a prominent Grammy-winning performer, composer, and arranger.
Clayton played in Count Basie’s orchestra and currently conducts, composes and co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
Jazz Port Townsend’s mainstage shows will take place at Fort Worden State Park’s McCurdy Pavilion, the 1,200-seat performance hall inside a World War I-era dirigible hangar.
Smaller, more intimate shows take place in Port Townsend’s downtown restaurants and clubs.Â
The lineup of mainstage and club performers also includes Clarence Acox, Clipper Anderson, Dan Balmer, Alex Brown, George Cables, Gilbert Castellanos, Steve Christofferson, Jeff Clayton, Dee Daniels, Chuck Deardorf, Bruce Forman, Benny Green, Randy Halberstadt, John Hansen, Andre Hayward, Tamir Hendleman, Gary Hobbs, Matt Jorgensen, Rickey Kelly, Steve Korn, D’vonne Lewis, Christoph Luty, Doug Miller, Kim Nazarian, Gary Smulyan, Phil Sparks, Terell Stafford, Nancy King, Bill Ramsay, Kim Richmond, Dave Speranza, Chris Spencer, Jay Thomas, Sachal Vasandani, Eric Verlinde, Gary Versace, Byron Vannoy, Matt Wilson, Laura Welland, Jiggs Whigham, Greg Williamson, Martin Wind and Jon Wikan.Â
To order tickets, visit www.centrum.org; phone Centrum at 360-385-3102, Ext. 117; or visit the Centrum office in Fort Worden.
In Port Townsend, tickets are also for sale at the Food Co-op, 414 Kearney St.
Tickets will remain available at outlets until two hours before each performance. The Food Co-op can accept cash or checks only.
In Port Townsend, concert-goers can ride the Jazz Club Bus at the close of the Friday and Saturday night shows at McCurdy Pavilion to get from Fort Worden to all the clubs in downtown Port Townsend.
The bus will make regular circuits every 30 minutes of the Haines Place Park-and-Ride near the Safeway store, The Public House, the Uptown Pub and Fort Worden State Park.
The bus finishes its run at Fort Worden at around 1:30 a.m.
Reserved-seating tickets are available online at www.centrum.org, by phoning the Centrum office at Fort Worden.
The schedule of performances:
Today, July 25
