'Jammin for Germanna'

Jennifer Kirkland thinks about the Beatles and Joni Mitchell.

Singer Kirkland, guitarist Bert Carlsen and their quartet can even turn bluegrass into jazz.

Her band, which plays at Germanna Community College’s Joseph R. Daniel Technology Center at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, could probably jazz up Barney the Dinosaur’s musical repertoire.

Because of their ability to magically concoct jazz arrangements of pop music, the Virginia Commission for the Arts has selected Jennifer and Bert touring artists every year from 2006 to 2010. Their imaginative approach allows them to hook even those who think they could never learn to appreciate jazz on the genre.

Kirkland says people are surprised at music the band fuses with jazz.

“We are very eclectic,” she says. “We realize audiences today are incredibly diverse in their styles and ages. We really try and draw from all different kinds of raw material and give it a different kind of arrangement and sound.”

GCC Dean for Business and Workforce Russell James and a Kirkland fan, says he likes her “sultry jazz vocals.” The Sept. 11 show is a fundraiser, and the fact that Kirkland and Carlsen make different genres work together will help Germanna’s Center for Workforce help area people find work by providing scholarships that will allow them to sharpen their skills or change careers.

The number of tickets available is limited to keep the show intimate. Tickets are $50 and available by calling 540/937-2900 or 540/891-3012.

In his belly, Carlsen knew the fusion concept would work when he was a kid, all the way back in 1964.

“I remember seeing the Beatles when they first came on “The Ed Sullivan Show” when I was a little kid. I’d have a great time watching the Beatles on Sunday night, and then on Monday night, I’d have a great time watching Louis Armstrong. In my mind, there was no delineation. It was all music and I loved it all.”

So why shouldn’t they work together?