Jazz Fest 24 – Oliver Groenewald NewNet
August 31 @ 7:00 pm
| $28 – $63Orcas Center Presents on Center Stage
Orcas Island Jazz Festival:
Oliver Groenewald NewNet
Sunday, August 25th at 5pm – Duende Libre Quintet (Free on the Village Green)
Friday, August 30th 7pm – Edmar Castañeda & Andrea Tierra
Saturday, August 31st at 7pm – Oliver Groenewald NewNet
Sunday, September 1st at 7pm – Martin Lund & The Off-Island All-Stars
Tiered Ticket Pricing: $63, $43, $28
There is an additional $2 ticketing fee
The Orcas Island Jazz Festival (OIJF), Orcas Island’s premier jazz event, lights up Orcas Center for three days every Labor Day weekend. OIJF is dedicated to celebrating and sharing the music of jazz with the Orcas Island community and visitors, to introducing this quintessential American art form to new young audiences through education and performance, and to raising appreciation for the art of jazz in all audiences. 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.
Partial funding for Orcas Island Jazz Festival is provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce and administered by Washington Festivals and Events Association in collaboration with the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA).
Oliver Groenewald NewNet
Saturday, August 31st
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.In 1992, Murphy commissioned Oliver to arrange and produce an album together. The fruit of their collaboration, “Very Early,” was released in 1993 and received critical acclaim, earning the title of Vocal CD of the Year from the New Yorker Cadence magazine.
Building on this success, two more albums were recorded in 2001 and 2006 for the German labels, Laika and Jazz n’ Arts, respectively. These albums further solidified the NewNet’s reputation as one of the premier ensembles in the European jazz scene.
In 2013, Oliver relocated to the United States, specifically to Orcas Island, bringing his music with him. With the help of Jay Thomas, Oliver assembled a new lineup comprising some of the finest musicians from the vibrant Seattle jazz scene. By the year’s end, the newly formed band received an invitation to perform at the prestigious Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle, marking the beginning of a new chapter. Following their successful debut, the band embarked on a series of performances, where audiences enjoyed their dynamic sound. In 2018, they recorded their album under the Seattle-based label, Origin Records, where they maintained a spot of the Jazz Weekly charts for 20 weeks.
In 2014. the band, featuring Willie Thomas, sold out their first Orcas Island performance at the Orcas Center. In 2016 they performed at Martin Lund’s Jazz Festival, 2017 Doe Bay Festival and in 2019, the band came together to perform at Willie Thomas memorial concert.
You will hear music in the likes of Gil Evans, Ellington, Brookmeyer and of course Oliver’s own style. The characteristic of this band is based on the individual strength of each musician, who all have their own incredible projects, careers and musical history. The fact that they are considered the best and busiest players in the Seattle area and beyond, turns every live performance into a rare occasion of special moments.
More at https://olivergroenewald.com/