PORT TOWNSEND — Tickets are on sale for Centrum’s benefit concert and gala dinner on Fort Worden on May 27.
The gala will feature a screening of the silent film “Louis” with musical accompaniment from a jazz orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis.
John Clayton will host a post-screening conversation with Marsalis.
There are a limited number of seats available for the post-gala dinner.
Tickets range from $50 to $150 for the concert, $300 for the concert and the gala dinner, and they are available at www.centrum.org.
Marsalis, an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader and educator, is the first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full spectrum of the artform, from its New Orleans roots to bebop and modern jazz.
During the concert, the 13-piece jazz orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis and featuring classical pianist Cecile Licad will perform to the 2010 silent film “Louis.”
The film, a modern re-imagining of early silent film, is set in 1907 New Orleans where 6-year-old Louis Armstrong navigates the colorful intricacies of life in the city and acquires his first cornet.
“The idea of writing music to a silent film telling the tale of a young Louis Armstrong really appealed to me,” Marsalis said. “Of course, calling it a silent film is a misnomer — there is plenty of music, and jazz is like a conversation between the players so there’s no shortage of dialogue. The score moves between my music and the music of Louis Moreau Gottschalk. The contrast between Gottschalk’s music and jazz can be a revelation to those unfamiliar with either, or both.”
Following the film, Marsalis will be joined on stage by jazz composer and bassist John Clayton for a conversation about Marsalis’ career, lifelong dedication to arts education and the multi-generational legacies their two families share.
The post-concert dinner, catered by Planted, will feature a dessert auction and fund-a-dream paddle raise with auctioneer Matt Lorch.
