Honoring the legendary indigenous saxophone player and composer Jim Pepper (Kaw/Creek), Water Spirit was a concert program blending jazz with hip-hop and traditional powwow dance and music. The project was supported by the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the Oregon Historical Society.

project components

  • Commissions of new music
  • Arrangements songs for large ensemble
  • Concert at The Old Church in Portland, OR

douglas detrick’s role in the project

  • Creative director, music director
  • Grant writer

about the project

Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble (PJCE) honors the music and creative process of Oregon-born saxophonist Jim Pepper (Kaw/Creek) with a concert of new music on Saturday, May 18th, 2018 at 8 pm at The Old Church. Going far beyond Pepper’s chart-topping hit “Witchi Tai To,” PJCE showcases how Native artists have been and are a vital part of to Portland’s creative music scene in new Pepper-inspired compositions by Gordon Lee and Clay Giberson and arrangements by Farnell Newton and Stephanie Kitson of songs by guest hip hop artist 2 8 Tha Native. Hip hop artist Kunu will be a special guest.

In an additional free event at the Oregon Historical Society on Friday, May 10th from noon to 1 pm, jazz writer Rick Mitchell, author of Jazz in the New Millennium: Live and Well, will give an introduction of Pepper’s work in the context of jazz’s broader story. His introduction will be followed by a discussion about Pepper’s legacy and contemporary Native artists in Portland and a performance by Gordon Lee and 2 8 Tha Native.

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Gordon Lee, a Pepper bandmate for many years and mainstay of the Portland scene, offers an arrangement of Pepper’s “Remembrance” and a new work commissioned by PJCE in a tribute to his friend and colleague. Guest 2 8 Tha Native (Fish Martinez), a hip hop artist and traditional singer and dancer, will collaborate on his songs arranged for PJCE’s 12-member jazz ensemble by Farnell Newton and Stephanie Kitson and on an original piece by Clay Giberson. The concert will also include Gordon Lee accompanying 2 8 Tha Native as he performs a traditionally-inspired song dedicated to his son.

Many concerts have been staged in honor of Pepper’s contributions to American music. PJCE’s will feature some music by Pepper but will focus more on Pepper’s creative process itself, fusing jazz with other forms of music that express the world of indigenous people. Hip hop has emerged as a contemporary idiom of particular importance for Native artists across the country, and — in the spirit of Jim Pepper — PJCE’s concert brings representatives of that movement into contact with its large jazz ensemble, letting jazz composers and improvisers add their creative energy to the impact of the lyrics.

Gordon Lee and 2 8 Tha Native also perform and speak about Pepper’s legacy and contemporary Native artists in Portland at a free event at the Oregon Historical Society on Friday, May 10th from noon to 1 pm.

Gordon Lee, a Pepper bandmate for many years and mainstay of the Portland scene, offers an arrangement of Pepper’s “Remembrance” and a new work commissioned by PJCE in a tribute to his friend and colleague. Guest 2 8 Tha Native (Fish Martinez), a hip hop artist and traditional singer and dancer, will collaborate on his songs arranged for our 12-member jazz ensemble by Farnell Newton and Stephanie Kitson, and on an original piece by Clay Giberson. In addition, Gordon Lee will accompany 2 8 Tha Native as he performs a traditionally inspired song dedicated to his son, in an intimate duo performance that will offer a contrast to the full ensemble material.

Many concerts have been staged in honor of Pepper’s contributions to American music. Ours will feature some music by Pepper, as others have done, but will focus more on Pepper’s creative process itself. Hip hop has emerged as a contemporary idiom of particular importance for Native artists across the country, and — in the spirit of Jim Pepper — our concert brings representatives of that movement into contact with our large jazz ensemble, letting jazz composers and improvisers add their creative energy to the impact of the lyrics.

Photo by Lynn Darroch.

Water Spirit: A tribute to Jim Pepper, trailer

Produced by Kunu Bearchum.

Performance videos featuring 2 8 Tha Native and Kunu with Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble

Produced Tim Keenan Burgess.