Mhondoro, a rising favorite in the Pacific Northwest jazz scene, brings its globally inspired jazz music to Linfield University in February. The quintet will perform the music off their debut album, “Heat Wave,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8 in the Richard and Lucille Ice Auditorium inside Melrose Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Mhondoro, which means “the lion spirit” in Shona, a language of Zimbabwe, formed spontaneously during the early stages of the pandemic out of a “parent pod.” Since then, the quintet has been very active, performing in jazz festivals and music venues throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The ensemble consists of John Mambira from Zimbabwe on percussion and vocals, Idit Shner from Israel on alto saxophone and bass clarinet, Torrey Newhart from Bend on keyboard and vocals, Garret Baxter from Portland on bass and Ken Mastrogiovanni from Eugene on drums.
The events are sponsored by the Lacroute Arts Series at Linfield University and the Department of Music. The Lacroute Arts Series is made possible by the generosity of arts benefactor Ronni Lacroute. Visit linfield.edu/music for more information.
For more about cultural, literary and arts events at Linfield, visit linfield.edu/arts.
