PJCE is proud to sponsor this workshop with Fish Martinez and Carlos Calica, who will teach composers and musicians of the PJCE and other students traditional singing and drumming from the Native American pow wow tradition. The event is free and open to the public. Participants should be ready to sing, and to take a turn playing the drum.
This event begins a collaboration that will culminate in our May 18th concert, “Water Spirit: A tribute to Jim Pepper” at the Old Church in Portland. One or more songs that PJCE composers learn in this workshop will be arranged for the PJCE’s 12-member jazz ensemble and performed in concert on May 18th, and at a noon event at Oregon Historical Society on May 10th.
Jim Pepper (Kaw, Creek) was an Oregon-born jazz saxophonist and composer who pioneered the blending of traditional Native American music—songs and dances from the inter-tribal pow wows he attended as a youth—and jazz. Our goal is to create the opportunity for a deep collaboration between these Native artists and PJCE musicians so that together we can do what Jim Pepper did, create a musical meeting of cultures. The workshop will begin a deep collaborative process that incorporates both contemporary and traditional Native music.
Funding for this workshop is generously provided by Multnomah County Cultural Coalition and the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, with additional sponsorship from Portland State University School of Music.
Carlos Calica
2 8 Tha Native (Fish Martinez)
