PORT ANGELES — Internationally known jazz guitarist and educator John Stowell will give a clinic and master class, next Thursday, Jan. 21, as well as a concert Saturday, Jan. 23, in Maier Performance Hall at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Stowell, now based in Portland, Ore., will come up to the campus for a jazz improvisation clinic at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, and players as well as all other music lovers are welcome.
The clinic is free to the public. But Stowell’s concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 will have an admission charge of $12 general and $5 for students, with tickets at the Maier Hall door only.
Wherever your musical interests, “I think you will find Mr. Stowell’s comments on improvisation and the creative process fascinating,” said Peninsula College Music Department head David Jones.
Stowell is a sought-after clinician, Jones noted, adding that he’s been teaching internationally for some 35 years, serving as an artist in residence in schools in Germany, the United States, Canada, Indonesia and Argentina.
The guitarist has recorded and performed with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Billy Higgins, Richie Cole, Dave Friesen, Herb Ellis and Paul Horn, and played on dozens of records including “Through the Listening Glass” (1978), which the Los Angeles Examiner named one of the 10 best jazz albums of the decade.
“In addition to being a virtuoso soloist, he has been called an inspiration to students at every level,” Jones noted.
Stowell himself said he designs his clinics to provide insights for players and serious listeners alike. He gives an informal performance, then holds an open-ended question-and-answer session, with topics to include improv and harmony along with the elements of the music business and self-promotion.
To find out more about Stowell — and listen to some audio clips — visit www.JohnStowell.com. For details about the clinic and concert, contact Jones at djones@pencol.edu or at 360-417-6405.
