Jazz is a genre that is documented to have existed since 1917, and is continually kept alive by musicians all over the world, including those in Bellingham, Wash.
According to Western Washington University jazz professor Kevin Woods, Bellingham is a hotspot for the genre even 100 years after its inception through the talented musicians that the city and region has to offer.
“The arts community is very supportive here in Bellingham, and there's a lot of good musicians in town,” Woods said. “That's kind of unique for a town with 110,000 people to have not only deep pools of fine musicians, but fine musicians in the region that like coming to Bellingham and like performing in Bellingham.”
Woods also said that one of the reasons for the dominance of jazz over the years is due to the genre’s versatility.
“There's literally thousands and thousands of different styles that all live under that umbrella [of jazz],” Woods said. “It's a continual process of evolution. I think one of the best things that jazz does and has always done is take what's great about other styles of music or other things in the culture around it and amalgamate it into jazz..”
One of the groups keeping the spirit of jazz alive is The Problem Collective, created in 2022 by students from Western’s music department.
The Problem Collective is led by Samuel Harris, who sings and plays the keyboard for the group.
“What I've started to focus on is just making sure that everyone has a positive experience,” Harris said. “If people are having fun, the music sounds pretty good too.”
The Problem Collective consists of numerous musicians around the area. Filling out a roster that often makes each performance different as they interchange members based on availability. The roster has grown so much that for the very first time, The Problem Collective will aim to play multiple shows in multiple areas at the same time.
A constantly changing rotation of musicians may seem chaotic, but the musicians of The Problem Collective like Mckenzie Bandy find it exciting.
“When you have a person you haven't played a gig in a while with, it is kind of like seeing a friend again, and then it makes it more fun,” Bandy said.
The Problem Collective at Semiahmoo Resort in August 2023. “If people are having fun, the music sounds pretty good too,” Samuel Harris said. // Photo by Darius Trinidad
The Problem Collective has quite the understanding of the umbrella of jazz, saying that they have a plethora of songs from different sub-genres of jazz.
“An important thing to think about is catering to the audience and to the event,” said Alejandro Albright-Reveles, who plays bass and saxophone for The Problem Collective. “If something's not working, [we] figure out what will work and then build off of that.”
According to Harris, the Problem Collective started when he and Bandy decided they wanted to start their own project during their time with another band. They started recruiting fellow Bellingham musicians while booking venues as often as they could.
Their first show was at The Blue Room, operated by Martijn Wall, a Western music alumnus who met Harris through the school’s music program. As a fan of jazz himself, Wall said that he is glad to have had a part in helping The Problem Collective get their platform.
“I started the venue right around the same time [Harris] was starting that group, [so] it made sense to team up there and try to bring music to the people,” Wall said. Wall said that the Blue Room has helped build the shared goals between the venue and the performing arts community of Bellingham.
“It all starts with providing a platform that offers opportunities…that's always been our mission,” Wall said.
The centenarian genre of jazz is clearly in good hands within Bellingham’s community of musicians. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, and plenty of chances to take.
“What's nice about it is that you might not ever feel ready,” Albright-Reveles said. “You just have to go and do it.”
Logan Schreiber (he/him) is a fourth-year student going into the PR Journalism program. He enjoys writing and music, hoping to do both for his career. You can reach him at loganschreiber.thefront@gmail.com.
