Musician Julia Keefe brings the rich history of Indigenous big bands to Maine
Indigenous Jazz Takes Center Stage in Portland
Portland, Ore. – The State Theatre will open its doors at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, to a performance by the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, a 16‑musician ensemble that brings together Indigenous jazz talent from across the Americas. The show, presented by Portland Ovations, offers tickets at $35–$55 and is billed as a celebration of “the diversity and vitality of Indigenous people in jazz.”
Julia Keefe, a Nez Perce vocalist and the band’s director, grew up in Kamiah, Idaho, before moving to Spokane, Washington. Her lifelong love of jazz began when she was four, listening to Billie Holiday’s “No More” as her mother cleaned the living room. In high school she discovered the pioneering Coeur d’Alene singer Mildred Bailey, a moment that helped Keefe see a reflection of herself in the genre. “By being able to tie Indigeneity back to a historical and influential jazz figure, it sort of allowed me to exist in this space,” she said. “I remember thinking in high school, it’s important that I talk about being Native because there might just be another Native person who loves jazz and wants to pursue this music, and they won’t, and they’ll feel very isolated without that outspokenness of my cultural identity.”
The band was born of a chance conversation with Delbert Anderson, a Diné (Navajo) trumpet player who co‑founded the ensemble. Anderson encouraged Keefe to apply for the South Arts Creative Residency Grant, which awarded her $40,000 to fund the project. In May 2022 the Indigenous Big Band premiered at the Washington Center for Performing Arts during a four‑day residency. “Immediately it felt like a big group of cousins getting together and making music,” Keefe recalled.
The 16 musicians represent Indigenous peoples from the United States, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Their repertoire mixes traditional Indigenous melodies with contemporary arrangements, many of which are composed and arranged by the band’s own members. Keefe explained, “For a lot of these more contemporary songs, it’s sort of the reimagining and reframing of Indigenous melodies into this big‑band soundscape, and it works so beautifully.”
The group’s debut album, Incarnadine, was released in May 2026 and features songs from both historic and modern Indigenous jazz pioneers. Keefe noted that while the program will highlight works by figures such as Mildred Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Louis Armstrong, the bulk of the set will be original material. “The band is one part celebration, one part protest, but all parts love,” she said.
Keefe’s vision for the ensemble goes beyond performance. She points to the often‑overlooked history of Indigenous jazz that flourished on reservations and in boarding schools during the early twentieth century. “There were marching bands and choirs at these boarding schools,” she explained. “And for those fortunate enough to survive that education, they went back to their homelands with this knowledge of Western music and instruments.” By drawing on that legacy, Keefe hopes to reconnect Indigenous audiences with a musical heritage that has long been sidelined.
In the four years since the band’s inception, Keefe has expanded her network from two contemporary Indigenous musicians—Anderson and Mali Obomsawin, an Odanak Abenaki bassist and vocalist—to more than 80 performers. “Hopefully, one day we can all get together for an Indigenous jazz summit and just learn from each other, build community, and collaborate,” she said.
The October 15 concert promises to be both a cultural celebration and a call to action. “I hope people leave feeling uplifted by the music and empowered to support Indigenous artists,” Keefe told the press. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the State Theatre on 609 Congress St., Portland, and tickets are available through the Portland Ovations website.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit portlandovations.org.
