[Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer onstage in Tokyo]

Joe Locke, voted the number one vibist in both Downbeat Magazine’s Critic’s Poll and Brazil’s International Jazz Poll, will be at Jazz Port Townsend this month, giving two mainstage performances. He’ll lead off the Saturday, July 28 afternoon performance, playing with Bruce Forman (guitar), Chuck Deardorf (bass), and Jon Wikan (drums). That evening, he closes the 7:30 performance by playing with the Alma College Percussion Ensemble as Special Guest.

The evening performance brings Locke together with the group that left John Clayton with his "jaw on the floor." "The ensemble’s not just precise, it’s passionate," Clayton says. "It’s not just synched, it’s soulful. They’re exciting, their music’s beautiful, and they give experiences no one in the audience will soon forget."

Tickets to the afternoon and evening shows are available by calling Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117 or online at our secure Acteva site.