Submitted by PLU Department of Music.
The Pacific Lutheran University School of Arts and Communication and Department of Music announces a full return to the free summer concert series Jazz Under the Stars. Concerts will be held on Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. starting July 7 and running through August 11, 2022. Now in its 23rd year, jazz artists from around the Pacific Northwest will play diverse jazz styles in the outdoor amphitheater at the Mary Baker Russell Music Center on PLU’s campus. Original compositions and new arrangements of classic jazz standards will delight listeners throughout the summer.
Attendees are recommended to bring a camping chair, pillow, or blanket to enjoy the music. Picnics encouraged! Concerts are never canceled due to weather, and will instead be moved inside to Lagerquist Concert Hall. Paid concessions and free coffee will be available at concerts. Parking on campus is free in the evenings. At select performances, audiences will be invited to walk a short distance to PLU’s W. M. Keck Observatory to look at the stars after the concert has ended.
Thursday, July 7: David Joyner Quintet
David Joyner, Ph.D., previously served as the Director of Jazz Studies at Pacific Lutheran University from 2000-2018. He opens the season with a quintet playing original compositions from his album “All I Have” in addition to jazz standards. The quintet includes Alexey Nickolaev (sax), Brian Monroney (guitar), David Joyner (piano and vocals), Clipper Anderson (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums).
dljmusicservices.com
Thursday, July 14: Mark Lewis Quartet
Saxophonist and flutist Mark Lewis has enlivened jazz scenes from Seattle and San Francisco to Rotterdam and Paris, and has created a vast and intensely stimulating body of music over the past four decades, including more than 1,700 compositions. He brings his inspired, original jazz to PLU with his combo including John Hansen (piano), Phil Sparks (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums).
marklewismusic.com
Thursday, July 21: Sherry Alves Brazilian Quartet
Sherry Alves is Professor of Jazz Voice at Portland State University. Her clear tone and improvisatory vocal approach create fresh and nuanced musical experiences. We welcome Sherry (vocals) back to campus for an immersion in Brazilian jazz along with Cassio Vianna (piano), Wagner Trindade (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums).
pdx.edu/arts/profile/sherry-alves
Thursday, July 28: Kareem Kandi World Orchestra
A prolific PNW performer, we are excited to host the Kareem Kandi World Orchestra at PLU to play contemporary and modern jazz. Kandi works to create and sustain cultural exchanges by collaborating, educating, and performing jazz music. He has been performing and leading bands since 1996 at concert halls, festivals, and clubs.
kkworldorchestra.org
Thursday, August 4: Jenny Davis Jazz Quintet
Jenny Davis is a composer, band leader, jazz vocalist, and Seattle native who uses her compositions to advocate for social change. Her concert features jazz tracks with vocal flair and feel-good classics. At this performance, catch Jenny Davis (vocals), Kate Olson (sax), Bill Anschell (piano), Phil Sparks (bass) and Mark Ivester (drums).
jennydavisjazz.com
Thursday, August 11: PLU Jazz Faculty
The faculty of the PLU Jazz Studies program will end the season of Jazz Under the Stars with dynamic jazz arrangements and original compositions. Faculty performers include Kate Olson (sax), Director of Jazz Studies Cassio Vianna (piano), Clipper Anderson (bass), Stephen Howland (guitar) and Mark Ivester (drums).
plu.edu/jazz
For additional information, call the Department of Music at 253.535.7602 or email music@plu.edu.
