Duende Libre, an award-winning jazz trio whose original music combines jazz virtuosity with roots rhythms from Cuba, Brazil, and West Africa, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, at Vashon Center for the Arts.

Duende Libre’s recordings have earned two consecutive Earshot Jazz awards for “Recording of the Year” in 2018 and 2020, as well as having just been awarded a third Earshot Golden Ear award for “Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year” in March of this year.

On Vashon, the trio will be joined by acclaimed singers Chava Mirel and Frank Anderson.

Island jazzman and Jam in the Atrium host Bruce Phares interviewed pianist, composer and Duende Libre founder Alex Chadsey in advance of the concert — which Phares predicts will get islanders up and dancing in the aisles.

Their talk, below has been edited for brevity.

Phares: Two of the most admired musicians in the Northwest are your core bandmates — bassist Farko Dosumov and percussionist Jeff Busch. And on top of that, with vocalists Chava Mirel and Frank Anderson joining you, your upcoming show on the island promises to be “one for the books,” as they say!

Chadsey: Thank you, Bruce! April 18 will be our debut performance at Vashon Center for the Arts and we are super excited to have the opportunity to share our music with folks on the island.

Tell us about your musical journey — what initially inspired you to pursue music?

My earliest memories involve music. There’s a picture of me sitting at my great-grandmother’s piano when I was probably around three years old. Music has always played an important role in my life, but I think the “point of no return” for me was in middle and high school when I started playing in bands, both in and out of school. I joined my first band. (I think we were called “Wet Centipede” — don’t ask) when I was in the sixth grade. We mostly played Hendrix covers because my best friend was a super talented guitarist. Prior to that, most of my musical experiences as a pianist had been playing recitals, which can be lonely. Getting a chance to play and music with my peers and perform for my peers at school talent shows and assemblies was probably what got me really hooked on music. That and the Northwest Folklife Festival, which I attended every year growing up. There was one performance in particular by the legendary Zimbabwe mbira master Dumisani “Dumi” Maraire that changed my life.

Who have been your biggest musical influences?

I have so many it’s hard to know where to start. Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul, for the way they embraced music and rhythms from around the world and connected them with American jazz. I’ve also been very fortunate to have apprenticed with many great mentors including the late Joe “Timba” Santiago, Quetzal Flores and Martha Gonzalez, of the band Quetzal, Clinton Fearon, Marc Seales, and Steve Rodby. These folks helped me to make music from the heart, not just the head, and showed me all the different ways you can make a contribution through music onstage and off.

What do you most enjoy about performing?

Art Blakey said “Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life,” and I feel the same is true for performing in general. It’s an opportunity to tap into something bigger than ourselves, to step outside the more mundane aspects of daily life and connect with the band and the audience and share what can sometimes approach a transcendental experience.

How do you like to describe your compositional style?

Anton Chekhov said “The aim of fiction is absolute and honest truth.” As a composer, my aim is to express something meaningful, at least from my perspective. I also seek to find a balance between writing music that’s accessible enough to draw people in but that also stretches them in some way. I think the rhythmic element in our music helps make it more accessible because rhythm tends to be a very visceral experience. The older I get, the more I find myself appreciating space and silence and these are qualities I try to cultivate as well.

The amazing Farko Dosumov and Jeff Busch are in your trio. How do you describe their individual talents and what they bring to your compositions?

I’ve been playing with these guys for more than a decade and I feel so lucky that we’ve had the opportunity to cultivate a musical connection over the years that continues to grow. Jeff and Farko each bring many unique musical gifts to the table, but one thing that I really admire about both of them as musicians is their ability to express their music in a very natural and unpretentious way. They both play their hearts out and that’s something I really admire.

What will you focus on for this performance?

We’ll play quite a few of our West African-inspired arrangements from “The Dance She Spoke.” We’ll also perform a new — for us — arrangement of a beautiful Hermeto Pascoal two-part suite called “Música das Nuvens e do Chão” that Jeff hipped us to recently. The April 18 concert will be a mix of originals with a few surprise arrangements of songs that I think many folks in the audience will recognize.

What is it about music that makes you feel most passionate?

Victor Hugo said “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” Music allows us to tap into parts of our psyche, individually and collectively, that too often become neglected in what poet and philosopher John O’Donohue calls the “neon light of modern consciousness.” As human beings, we need to recognize and celebrate the fact that our experience is multifaceted. Our survival may indeed depend on it. Music, at once intimately familiar and yet infinitely mysterious, can play a vital role in helping us navigate the challenges ahead.

Find out more about Duende Libre and get tickets at vashoncenterforthearts.org.

Bruce Phares is an island bassist and jazz ambassador.