PORT ANGELES — Internationally known jazz musician Mark Lewis will bring two events to Peninsula College this month: a clinic on jazz improvisation and a full-on concert of his original music.
Both will take place at Maier Performance Hall, the intimate venue on campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Lewis’ clinic and demonstration are set for Thursday, and all music lovers are invited.
Admission is free, and the event will run from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with members of the Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble joining Lewis on stage.
A little over a week later, Lewis will return for a concert Saturday, Feb. 28, with the David Jones Jazz Trio: pianist David P. Jones, bass man Ted Enderle and drummer Terry Smith.
Admission to the 7 p.m. show will be $12 or $5 for any student — at the door only with no reservations.
These are rare appearances by one of the Northwest’s jazz heroes, Jones said.
A player of the alto sax, baritone sax, flute and piano, Lewis is an artist who combines supreme virtuosity with unsurpassed integrity and personal expression, noted Jones, who is also a Peninsula College professor and head of the music department.
A native of Tacoma, Lewis has recorded and produced more than 20 albums and performed or recorded with Randy Brecker, Bobby Hutcherson, Johnny Griffin, Chuck Metcalf, Larry Grenadier, David Friesen and many other players throughout Europe.
He’s lived and worked in Seattle, Rotterdam, Victoria and San Francisco.
During his time in California, Lewis opened for jazz singer Carmen McRae and often filled in for icons Stan Getz and John Handy.
His CD “In the Spirit,” on the Quartet label, made the Top 40 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.
Lewis is now living and working in Bremerton near his family, so “we in this area are fortunate to have him home,” Jones said.
“Mark Lewis is a Northwest treasure . . . a catalyst who makes things happen on stage, inspiring everyone who plays with him,” added Jim Wilke, host of “Jazz After Hours” and “Jazz NW” on KPLU-FM.
To hear Lewis’ music, visit www.marklewismusic.com/press_kit1, and to find out more about his appearances in Port Angeles, contact Jones at 360-417-6405 or djones@pencol.edu.