Orcas Island Jazz Festival at Orcas Center

||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER |||

The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF) lights up Orcas Center every Labor Day weekend to celebrate and share the music of jazz. As a program of Orcas Center under the artistic direction of Martin Lund, OIJF consistently showcases superb jazz. Each year at this Festival, audiences enjoy some of the most highly regarded jazz artists working today.

This year, audiences will enjoy highly regarded jazz artists on the following dates:

Monday, August 25: Duende Libre
Free Concert on the Village Green at 5pm
Duende Libre is an award-winning jazz ensemble which combines jazz virtuosity with roots rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, and West Africa into a “strikingly authentic blend.” Each having apprenticed with direct descendants and master musicians of these traditions; they consider themselves disciples of their teachers. The result: A euphoric new jazz that honors its historical roots, pushing open the boundaries of genre to invoke a powerful sonic freedom.

Friday, August 30: Edmar Castañeda & Andrea Tierra
Orcas Center Main Stage – Concert at 7pm
Edmar Castañeda nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category “Best Latin Jazz Album” with his album Family. In fall 2021, Castañeda’s performance will be heard in Disney’s latest film, Encanto (Release date: November 24, 2021), which features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Castañeda acts on the soundtrack and serves as music consultant on Encanto; Hailing from Medellín, Colombia, singer-songwriter Andrea Tierra crafts an innovative fusion of popular Latin-American rhythms, seamlessly blending them with the poignant essence of her own poetry. Each performance becomes a stage for her lyrical creations. While her songs often carry progressive themes and political stances against global injustices, Andrea’s contralto voice equally resonates in contemporary love ballads and new-age compositions.

Saturday, August 31: Oliver Groenewald’s NewNet
Orcas Center Main Stage – Concert at 7pm
The roots of the “NewNet” stretch back to the early 1990s in Austria when band leader, Oliver Groenewald, assembled a unique lineup consisting of two trumpets, a trombone, three saxophones, and a rhythm section to give life to his musical vision. Groenewald’s intricate compositions and the band’s ability to evoke the volume of a Big Band while maintaining the intimacy of a smaller ensemble quickly drew attention, including that of the legendary American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy.

Sunday, September 1: Martin Lund and the Off-Island All-Stars
Orcas Center Main Stage – Concert at 7pm
Martin Lund, one of the most diverse musicians in the universe, lives and breathes music in many different colors and cultures. He has played with some of the great blues artists of our time and worked in the studios of LA as a composer, arranger, and musician. He is well known for bringing great artists to this island and providing some of the best shows at Orcas Center. This
year’s line-up includes Murl Allen Sanders on accordion, Michael Miller on guitar, Michael Glynn on upright and acoustic bass, Jeff “Bongo” Busch on drums/percussion and Jaz Lund on vocals.

Ticket prices range from $28 – $63, with $2 per ticket fee. Call 360-376-2281 ext. 100, or visit www.OrcasCenter.org for tickets and more information.