Kurt RosenwinkelCaipi

CD Reviews by Alex W. RodriguezVenue Spotlightand more...

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3 From the President’s DeskA Letter from the JSO President, Dale Dobbins

5 Kurt Rosenwinkel - CaipiBy Ryan Meagher

9 May 2017 Jazz Calendar Get Out and See Some Live Music

16 Fresh TracksCD ReviewsBy Alex W. Rodriguez

24 Venue Spotlight: Corkscrew Wine Bar By Lauren Smith

25 Previews The 39th Annual Northwest Jazz Band Festival by Dan DaveyBilly Childs by Kerry Politzer

27 News and Notes Letter from the Editor, Ryan Meagher

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Well it has been some time since I have had the chance to write this column. I am glad to have this opportunity and to relay what is going on at

the Jazz Society of Oregon. A while back, the Board of Di-rectors at JSO wanted you to hear from other folks on the Board, thus you got columns from other mem-bers. I hope you enjoyed hearing from them.

At the moment the JSO is working overtime to get funding for our biggest event of the year, The Cathedral Park Jazz Festival,

which will occur July 14th-16th. Getting the funds together for this FREE-to-the-public event has not been easy, al-though I guess it has not ever been easy. We need to find a person who would be willing to volunteer time applying for grants. This is how others find the money to do a proj-ect and we are no different. If anyone reading this column would like to volunteer to spend a short amount of time do-ing this work please contact me or any other of the Board members.

On Saturday, April 21st the JSO sponsored a fund-raiser concert featuring the Ezra Weiss Big Band with special guest artist, Dayna Stephens from the Big Apple. I attended and I am sure you could not hear any better jazz played

Friend ($100)Judie Dunken

Rebecca HardimanJerry & Barbara Leveton

George & Marilou WaldmannIgo & Cookie Jurgens

Marianne Keddington-LangMary Bunn

Linda LehmannRich Malloy

Stephen AgritelleyStephen ForresterKimberly ProsserWilliam RamirezChuck CarpenterMarjorie Smith

Sideman ($250)Ron Saxton

Ron KloepferJoe RohrbeckerJames Anderson

David & Susdan Gurock

Soloist ($500)Kirby & Amy Allen

Robert & Helen Ladarre

Band Leader ($1000)

Jazz Society Patrons

Web site: www.jazzoregon.com/Jazzscene is published monthly & distributed to

JSO members.

President: Dale DobbinsJazzscene Editor: Ryan Meagher

Jazzscene email: editor@jazzoregon.comCalendar Coordinator: Chris Hochstatter

Calendar email: calendar@jazzoregon.com

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SOCIETY

OF OREGON

P.O. Box 19882Portland OR 97280

503-709-3366 - General Inquiries503-888-2781 - Billing Questions

Dale DobbinsMargie Smith

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JSO Board of Directors

From the President’s Desk

Board Meeting(Public Welcome)

May 10th7:00 pm

15760 SW Peachtree DrTigard, OR 97224

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anywhere. All of the musicians were very accomplished. The Ezra Weiss Big Band will be playing at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival. If you like to listen to great jazz artists you do not want to miss this group.

One of the fun things I like to do is attend various jazz artists playing at a location in the area, listen to their music, and meet them to find out how they are doing. Re-cently I had the chance to listen to the romantic songs sung by Heather Keizur. She is a local artist however she grew up in Vancouver, Canada where she learned to speak French and later obtained a degree in French. As you can guess, she sings many songs in French, which I think is a beautiful language. I suppose just about any tune sung in French adds a smooth romantic flavor to the piece.

Well, that is all for now. Please watch the Jazzscene for opportunities to volunteer for various fun opportunities at the JSO.

You Are Invited to the 2017

Jazz Society of Oregon’s

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Please join us for the Annual JSO General Membership Meeting.

Bring a Guest!

When: Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Where: Vintners Cellar 1111 NW 16th Ave, Portland, 97209

Time: 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Purpose: Elections of the JSO Board of Directors

Bonus: Come listen to live Jazz Music! Meet your fellow JSO members, get the latest news on Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and more!

No Host Bar (Wine and Beer) for Members 21 and over.

Ezra Weiss

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During the latter years of my undergraduate studies at San Diego State University I was obsessed with Kurt Rosenwinkel. A hipper jazz student than

myself turned me onto him after hearing me play around with some effects during a solo in big band. Once I heard Rosenwinkel’s liquid lines spilling out of his semi-hollow body guitar on Mark Turner’s Yam Yam, I became an ad-dict. I was enthralled by his sound that had touches of sub-tle delay. Sometimes he wielded an edgy, almost growly overdrive tone that sounded to me like a violin. I gobbled up every recording I could find. And these were the days when you actually had to buy music. Napster was around campus but there was decidedly little jazz music on the music sharing (read: music stealing) site. Tower Records and the various local music stores benefitted greatly from my little Kurt habit.

My jazz nerd friends and I would geek out in the car and sing every note of The Enemies of Energy, belting out the obligatory jazz bro, “Oooohhhhhh!!!” everytime Mark Turner took his second, bluesier solo on “Number Ten.” Then The Next Step dropped about a year later. The tour for that Verve release did not come through San Di-ego, so we had to figure out how we could see as much of the Mark Turner/Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet we could see at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City (about an hour and half drive north of San Diego). I could not get enough of that music. Those were very formative years and those car rides and concerts really had a profound impact on me.

Then there was the period from 2003 until maybe, 2010 where every guitar player in New York and Europe sounded like a Rosenwinkel clone. I got sick of it. It is not like it is his fault that he was so influential. But if a gui-tar player even had a whiff of Rosenwinkel-ness in their sound I would turn the other way. I know I am not alone in this. Kerry Politzer and I were talking about this very thing recently. I think it is somewhat like what Keith Jar-rett recently said in an interview with Nate Chinen. Jarrett declares, “It bothers me when people are trying to emulate other people. What happened to tenor saxophonists after Coltrane died was a sin, really.” Likewise, my dad used to get enraged whenever he heard rock bands that had a trace of Led Zeppelin in their sound, bellowing, “I’ve already heard this!”

Kurt Rosenwinkel - CaipiBy Ryan Meagher

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Rosenwinkel’s newest re-lease, Caipi, makes me

harken back to those days when my fingers would get caked in the dust

that layered the spines of used CDs while I scoured for any record that had

Rosenwinkel on it. On the surface, Caipi has a beau-tiful sheen of dense har-

mony, simple but powerful rhythms, and a well-craft-

ed artistic vision.

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Join the Jazz Society of Oregon

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If you’d like to express your love for jazz music and meet like-minded enthusiasts, just send mail to volunteer@jazzoregon.com. Please indicate what areas you would like to work in. Questions: info@jazzoregon.com, 503-427-1676

“What’s with all the backstory, Dude?” you ask? Well, Rosenwinkel’s newest release, Caipi, makes me har-ken back to those days when my fingers would get caked in the dust that layered the spines of used CDs while I scoured for any record that had Rosenwinkel on it. On the surface, Caipi has a beautiful sheen of dense harmony, simple but powerful rhythms, and a well-crafted artistic vision. It resembles my three favorite albums of his all wrapped up into one with more singing and slightly less high-flying displays of virtuosity. The post-production heavy nature of the album resembles 2003’s Heartcore. The right-leaning pop-ish-ness on most of the tracks smacks of Enemies of Energy. The air of the free-wheeling solos on The Next Step pop-up in just the right places. But, to be honest, not a lot of the record sounds like jazz like most of us want to understand it.

I put the record on in the background of a meet-ing recently and the knowledgeable audience was genu-inely interested, but very confused when I said that it was Rosenwinkel’s newest disc. One listener even remarked, “It doesn’t sound like what that guy usually does. It sounds like an indie rock record.” The second tune on the record is one of the clearest examples of this approach. In the intro to “Kama”, the timbres of the instruments resemble 1980’s

continued on next page

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docudrama theme music. Think Twin Peaks’ theme mixed with Robert Smith from The Cure, but with indiscernible lyrics. There is no face-melting other-worldly guitar solo. There is no improvisation at all. Just a tune, written by the space alien that is Kurt Rosenwinkel. And even though it may not sound like it in my description, I really like it and I think it works.

That is how most of this album hits me. From tune to tune I go, “Hmm. Wait, what? Why? Hmmm. That’s kind of cool. Yea!” From my perspective, my favorite parts are when he burns. The solo after the chant-like weirdness of “Casino Vanguard,” arrives at a perfect time. The listen-er has been teased for five minutes and then Rosenwinkel unleashes his vintage homespun vocabulary with a hint of that dirty Kurt tone. The tune fades off into the horizon as if he is heading back to his home planet.

“Casino Escher,” is a mesmerizing tune that takes its time as a long-form melody meanders through fields of simple guitar patterns, Brazilian drum sounds, and recalls some of the timbres of the previously mentioned Rosen-winkel records. Since it falls farther towards the end of the album’s programming it serves as a reminder that the

...Rosenwinkel unleashes his vintage homespun vo-cabulary with a hint of

that dirty Kurt tone. The tune fades off into the ho-rizon as if he is heading back to his home planet.

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musical theme of this record seems to be that Kurt is go-ing to be deliberate in how this unfolds, and you should go with him. Mark Turner shows up on a few tunes, including “Casino Escher,” but instead of the tune acting like a con-certo for tenor saxophone, Turner emerges from the tune organically and the whole appearence sounds more like a colorful thread in the tapestry of sound that Kurt weaves on each tune.

More than ever before, this album has had me ask-ing myself about where jazz currently is and where it is going. One of the modern heroes of the music has unapol-ogetically crafted a record that has very little of the jazz tradition in it... and it works… it works as jazz. Rosenwin-kel is a guy that knows a million standards, has performed with and recorded with household jazz names of differing aesthetics, and will undoubtedly appear on the cover of many magazines in the industry for years to come. And as much as I want to say that this album is not jazz, I have no idea what else to call it. It is jazz. I actually believe it is more jazz than it is Brazilian, which it professes to be. It is modern jazz from a master of his craft, but it is also song-writing, and singing, and heavily produced, and decidedly not jazz. Damn it. I am as confused by this record as I was leaving his Brooklyn apartment after a lesson in 2003. “What the hell just happened? That was cool.”

(Caipi) is modern jazz from a master of his craft, but it is also song-writing,

and singing, and heav-ily produced, and decid-edly not jazz. Damn it. I am as confused by this

record as I was leaving his Brooklyn apartment after a lesson in 2003. “What the hell just happened?

That was cool.”

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May 2017

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Monday, May 1st7:00 pm; Newport Nightingales; Corkscrew Wine Bar.7:00 pm; Pepe Raphael And 3 Leg Torso... Together At Last!;

Lake Theater and Cafe.7:30 pm; Ron Steen Monday Night Jam with Ray Hardiman

& Ed Bennett and special guest appearance by Rebecca Hardiman; The 1905.

Tuesday, May 2nd6:00 pm-9:00 pm; Jazz Night with the Milneberg Trio; Trou-

tini.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Jazz Jam at Pizzario; Pizzario.7:30 pm; Brett Higgins & Atlas Revolt; The Jazz Station;

$12.8:00 pm; Norman Sylvester Revue: The Journey of American

Music; Alberta Rose Theatre.

Wednesday, May 3rd7:00 pm; Anson Wright & Tim Gilson; Justa Pasta.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Ron Steen Vocal Jazz Showcase: “1st

Wednesday with Tom Grant” featuring Laura Griffiths’ birthday performance with Dave Captein; Wilfs Restau-rant; $10.

7:00 pm; Christopher Brown Quartet; The 1905.7:30 pm; PDX Jazz presents Gerald Clayton Trio; The Old

Church; $25 - $30.

Thursday, May 4th2:00 pm; Darrell Grant’s MJ New Quartet A Tribute to the

Modern Jazz Quartet; Mary’s Woods; $10-$25.5:00 pm-8:00 pm; Matt Schiff Solo Jazz Guitar; Riverview

Restaurant.6:00 pm-8:00 pm; Jazz in the Tasting Room; Aurora Colony

Vineyards & Winery.6:30 pm; David Friesen Quartet; No Ho’s Hawaiian Cafe.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; The 3 Trumpet Band; The 1905.7:00 pm; Adlai Alexander; Wilfs Restaurant.7:30 pm; PDX Jazz presents Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro;

The Old Church; $30 - $35.7:30 pm; Bazooka Picnic; The Jazz Station; $12.8:00 pm; Anandi and John Stowell; Corkscrew Wine Bar. Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our

slick new website

Wednesday, May 3rd, 7 pmAnson Wright Duo with Tim Gilson

Justa Pasta

Darrell Grant’s MJ New QuartetA West-Coast Tribute to the Modern Jazz

Quartet

Thursday, May 4thMary’s Woods

Tuesday, May 9thLincoln City Cultural Center

Thursday, May 11thThe Jazz Station

Friday, May 12thWilf ’s Restaurant

Saturday, May 13thClatsop Community College Performing Arts

Center

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Friday, May 5th5:00 pm; 1st Friday Art Walk: Jack Radsliff; The Jazz Sta-

tion.6:00 pm-8:30 pm; Rebecca Hardiman & Friends @ Lang-

don Farms; Langdon Farms.7:00 pm; Farnell Newton’s “The Soul of Jazz”; The 1905.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Paula Byrne Duo; Salishan Resort.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Picante!;

Loosewig House Concert.7:45 pm; King Louie & LaRhonda Steele: SouthFork Grand

Opening; SouthFork.8:00 pm; Dmitri Matheny Group with Holly Pyle; The Jazz

Station; $12.8:00 pm; Heather Keizur and Steve Christofferson; Birch

Street Uptown Lounge.

Saturday, May 6th9:00 am; Norman Sylvester Band; Blue Diamond.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Noah Simpson Band; The 1905.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Paula Byrne Duo; Salishan Resort.8:00 pm; Nancy King and Steve Christofferson; Mt. Hood

Community College; $15.8:00 pm; Michael Winkle and Craig Snazelle; Birch Street

Uptown Lounge.8:00 pm; A Night of Vocal Jazz: Nancy King and Emily

Braden; Mt. Hood Community College.8:00 pm; Adlai Alexander and Dan Faehnle; Corkscrew

Wine Bar.

Sunday, May 7th5:00 pm; Happy Hour w/ Rebecca Hardiman Duo; Hotel

Monaco Portland.6:00 pm-7:30 pm; Augustana Jazz Quartet with Marilyn

Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz & Ron Steen; Augus-tana Lutheran Church.

6:30 pm-9:30 pm; Tom Grant’s Sunday Night Jam at Tom-my O’s; Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro.

7:00 pm; Kate Morrison & Gavin Bondi; Corkscrew Wine.7:oo pm; Ryan Meagher Trio; Jo Bar and Rotisserie.8:30 pm; Ron Steen Jam w/ Phil Goldberg & Phil Baker;

Clyde’s Prime Rib.

Monday, May 8th5:30 pm; “Minds Matter Jazz Soiree” feat. Graham Coving-

ton Trio w/ Dennis Caiazza & Ron Steen; MAC Club.7:00 pm; Jonathan Smith Trio; Corkscrew Wine Bar.7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Claude Bourbon & Adlai Alexander;

Lake Theater and Cafe.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Ron Steen Monday Night Jam with

Tom Grant & Dave Captein; The 1905.continued on next page

The 1905, 830 N Shaver StAlberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta StArrivederci! Wine Bar, 17023 SE McLough-

lin Blvd, Milwaukie 503-659-1143Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway, Bijou Cafe, 132 SW 3rd Ave, 503-222-3187Birch St. Lounge, 311 NE Birch St, Camas Cinetopia, 11700 SE 7th St., VancouverClyde’s Prime Rib, 5474 NE SandyDickey Doo’s Pub and Grub, 6618 SE PowellDuff’s Garage, 2530 NE 82nd Ave.East Glisan Pizza Lounge, 8001 NE GlisanEaT, 3808 N. WilliamsFat Moose, 1382 Lewis River Rd. WoodlandForge Taste, 2525 NE AlbertaHalf Penny, 3743 Commercial St SE, SalemHeathman Hotel, 1001 SW BroadwayJo Bar and Rotisserie, 715 NW 23rd AveJusta Pasta, 1336 NW 19thLaurelthirst Public House, 30th & NE GlisanLechon, 113 SW Naito ParkwayLiving Room Theaters, 341 SW 10thLooseWig House Concerts, 5332 SE Morri-

son StMazza’s 3728 NE Sandy BoulevardO’Connor’s, Multnomah 7850 SW Capitol

HwyOrenco Station Grill, 6195 NE Cornell Rd.

HillsboroHotel Rose, 50 SW MorrisonRose Room Bar & Grill, 8102 NE Killing-

sworthSalty’s on the Columbia, 3839 NE Marine Dr. Shirley’s Tippy Canoe Bar & Grill, 28242 E

Historic Columbia River Hwy, TroutdaleTommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro, 801 Wash-

ington St, VancouverTony Starlight Showroom, 1125 SE MadisonTurn, Turn, Turn, 8 NE Killingsworth StWilf’s at Union Station, 800 NW 6th

Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our slick new website

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Tuesday, May 9th6:00 pm; Jazz Night with the Milneberg Trio; Troutini.7:00 pm; Darrell Grant’s MJ New Quartet A Tribute to the

Modern Jazz Quartet; Lincoln City Cultural Center; $22.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Jazz Jam at Pizzario; Pizzario.7:30 pm; PDX Jazz presents Eliane Elias Quartet; Winnings-

tad Theater; $35-45.7:30 pm-9:30 pm; Heavy Sugar; The 1905.

Wednesday, May 10th7:00 pm; Anson Wright & Jasnam Daya Singh; Justa Pasta.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Ron Steen Vocal Jazz Showcase with

Cory Joint, Jonathan Lakey & Ed Bennett; Wilfs; $10.7:00 pm; Christopher Brown Quartet; The 1905.8:00 pm; Ralph Carney & Joe Baker; Corkscrew Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 11th5:00 pm; Matt Schiff Solo Jazz Guitar; Riverview Restau-

rant.5:00 pm-6:30 pm; Nicole McCabe Trio; The 1905.6:00 pm; Jazz in the Tasting Room; Aurora Colony Vine-

yards.6:30 pm; David Friesen Circle 3 Trio; NoHo’s Hawaiian

Cafe.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Graham Covington Trio featuring Den-

nis Caiazza & Ron Steen; Arrivederci Wine Bar; $5.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; George Colligan; The 1905.7:30 pm; Darrell Grant’s MJ New Quartet A Tribute to the

Modern Jazz Quartet; The Jazz Station; $11-15.8:00 pm; Rachel Brashear Trio; Corkscrew Wine Bar.

Friday, May 12th6:00 pm-8:30 pm; Rebecca Hardiman & Friends @ Lang-

don Farms; Langdon Farms.7:00 pm; Darrell Grant’s MJ New Quartet A West-Coast

Tribute to the Modern Jazz Quartet; Wilfs Restaurant; $15.

7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Graham Covington Trio featuring Den-nis Caiazza & Ron Steen; Bijou Cafe; $10.

7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Idle Poets; The 1905.8:00 pm; Zenda Torrey and Mike Doolin; Birch Street Up-

town Lounge.

Saturday, May 13th7:00 pm; Darrell Grant’s MJ New Quartet A Tribute to the

Modern Jazz Quartet; Clatsop Community College Per-forming Arts Center; $15.

7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Chance Hayden; The 1905.

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Radio Jazz and Blues KMHD 89.1 FM — all jazz 24/7 (blues on Friday nights); on the web at kmhd.org KBOO 90.7 FMMondays -“Noontime Jamboree”- host Retta Christie, noon-2 pmWednesdays – “Jazz Lives,” host Nick Gefroh, noon-2:00 pm; “A Jazz World,” Rita Rega - alternates with “Jazz in the Afternoon,” host Bob Riddle or Rita Rega, 2:00-4:00 pmSaturdays - “The Motif,” host Yugen Rashad, 4-7 pm

KLCC - Eugene, 89.7 FM, Cottage Grove/Oakridge, 91.5, Riddle, 103.1, Sisters, 90.3 KLBR - Bend 88.1fm KLFO - Florence 88.1 FM KLCO - Newport, 90.5 FM KLFR - Reedspoprt, 89.1 FM KMPQ - Roseburg, 88.1 FM

Every Sunday, 6-7:30 pmJazz Service - Augustana Jazz Quartet

Marilyn Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz, Ron Steen

Augustana Church

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7:30 pm; Adlai Alexander Solo; Wine:30.8:00 pm; Angela Davise; Birch Street Uptown Lounge.8:00 pm; Lloyd Jones Band; Arrivederci Wine Bar.8:30 pm-11:00 pm; Mel Brown Septet; Christo’s Pizzeria.

Sunday, May 14th4:00 pm; Jonathan Smith Trio; The Hoppy Brewer.5:00 pm; Rebecca Hardiman Duo; Hotel Monaco.6:00 pm-7:30 pm; Augustana Jazz Quartet with Marilyn

Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz & Ron Steen; Augus-tana Lutheran Church.

6:00 pm-9:00 pm; Galen Clark Trio; The 1905.6:30 pm-9:30 pm; Tom Grant’s Sunday Night Jam at Tom-

my O’s; Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro.7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Rebecca Kilgore with Christopher Woit-

ach & John Moak; Jo Bar and Rotisserie.8:30 pm-11:30 pm; Ron Steen Jam with Gordon Lee &

Kevin Dietz; Clyde’s Prime Rib Restaurant & Bar.

Monday, May 15th7:00 pm; Swing & Standards Jazz Band; Produce Row.7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Pete Krebs And The Portland Playboys;

Lake Theater and Cafe.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Ron Steen Monday Night Jam with

George Colligan & Dennis Caiazza; The 1905.

Tuesday, May 16th6:00 pm; Bill Coones Daniel Noland Duo; Catfish Lou’s.6:00 pm; Jazz Night w/ the Milneberg Trio; Troutini.6:00 pm; Jonathan Smith Trio; O’Connor’s Bar & Grill.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Jazz Jam at Pizzario; Pizzario.7:00 pm-9:00 pm; Dancehall Days; The 1905.

Wednesday, May 17th5:30 pm; Sunset High School Jazz Program; The 1905.7:00 pm; Anson Wright & Tim Gilson; Justa Pasta.7:00 pm; Ron Steen Vocal Jazz Showcase with Seattle vocalist

Chip Parker, Tom Grant & Dave Captein; Wilfs; $10.7:00 pm; Christopher Brown Quartet; The 1905.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; John Nastos Quartet; The 1905.7:30 pm; Larry Fuller Trio; Classic Pianos.8:00 pm; Laura Cunard; Corkscrew Wine Bar.

Thursday, May 18th5:00 pm-8:00 pm; Matt Schiff Solo Jazz Guitar; Riverview

Restaurant.6:00 pm; Jazz in the Tasting Room; Aurora Colony Vine-

yards.

Every Sunday, 6:30-9:30 pmTom Grant Band Concert & Jam SessionTommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro, Vancouver

Every Thursday, 7:00-10:00 pmLaura Cunard JamPizzario, Hillsboro

Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our slick new website

Sunday, May 14th, 4 pmMetropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz

Benson High School

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7:00 pm; Adlai Alexander w/ Mike Horsfall & Phil Baker; Arrivederci Wine Bar.

7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Greg Goebel Quartet; The 1905.8:00 pm; Andre St. James Quartet; Corkscrew Wine Bar.

Friday, May 19th6:00 pm-8:30 pm; Rebecca Hardiman & Friends @ Lang-

don Farms; Langdon Farms.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Trio Subtonic; The 1905.8:00 pm; The Bylines; Birch Street Uptown Lounge.9:00 pm; Under The Lake; Mock Crest Tavern.9:00 pm; Norman Sylvester Band; Clyde’s Prime Rib.

Saturday, May 20th11 am; Under The Lake; Portland Farmer’s Market @ PSU.7:00 pm; Graham Covington Trio; Wilfs Restaurant; $10.8:00 pm; Zenda Torrey & Mike Doolin; Birch Street Up-

town Lounge.8:00 pm; Lloyd Jones Band; Old Stone Performing Arts.8:00 pm; Adlai Alexander & Phil Baker; Corkscrew Wine.

Sunday, May 21st5:00 pm; Rebecca Hardiman Duo; Hotel Monaco.6:00 pm-7:30 pm; Augustana Jazz Quartet with Marilyn

Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz & Ron Steen; Augus-tana Lutheran Church.

6:00 pm-9:00 pm; Andre St. James Quartet; The 1905.6:30 pm-9:30 pm; Tom Grant’s Sunday Night Jam at Tom-

my O’s; Tommy O’s Pacific Rim Bistro.8:30 pm-11:30 pm; Ron Steen Jam with Bill Beach & Phil

Baker; Clyde’s Prime Rib Restaurant & Bar.9:00 pm; Norman Sylvester Band; Rogue Brew Pub.

Monday, May 22nd4:00 pm; CBA 30th Anniversary; Crystal Ballroom.7:00 pm; Kevin Karrick; Corkscrew Wine Bar.7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Duffy Bishop Returns!; Lake Theater.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Ron Steen Monday Night Jam with

Greg Goebel & Dave Captein; The 1905.

Tuesday, May 23rd6:00 pm; Jazz Night with the Milneberg Trio; Troutini.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Jazz Jam at Pizzario; Pizzario.7:30 pm-9:30 pm; Heavy Sugar; The 1905.

Wednesday, May 24th7:00 pm-9:00 pm; Anson Wright & Jasnam Daya Singh;

Justa Pasta.

Every Sunday, 8:30 pmRon Steen Trio and Jam Session

Clyde’s Prime Rib

Every Monday, 7 pmRon Steen Monday Night Jam

The 1905

Every Wednesday, 7 pmChristopher Brown Quartet

The 1905

Every Wednesday, 8 pmAlan Jones

Fremont Theater

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7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Ron Steen Vocal Jazz Showcase with Marita Aguas, Vince Frates, & Jonathan Lakey; Wilfs Res-taurant; $10.

7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Christopher Brown Quartet; The 1905.7:30 pm; PDX Jazz presents Billy Childs Quartet; The Old

Church; $25-30.8 pm; Adlai Alexander & John Stowell; Corkscrew Wine.

Thursday, May 25th5:00 pm; Matt Schiff Solo Guitar; Riverview Restaurant.6:00 pm; Bill Coones Daniel Noland Quartet; Catfish Lou’s6:00 pm-8:00 pm; Jazz in the Tasting Room; Aurora Colony

Vineyards & Winery.7:00 pm; True North; O’Connor’s Bar & Grill; $7.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Michael Raynor Quartet; The 1905.7:30 pm; Norman Sylvester Band; Christo’s Pizzeria and

Lounge.8 pm; Mike Winkle & Craig Snazelle; Corkscrew Wine Bar.

Friday, May 26th6:00 pm-8:30 pm; Rebecca Hardiman & Friends @ Langdon

Farms; Langdon Farms.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Just Friends; The 1905.8:00 pm; Zenda Torrey and Mike Doolin; Birch Street Up-

town Lounge.

Saturday, May 27th11:00 am; Jonathan Smith Trio; PSU Farmer’s Market.6:00 pm; Norman Sylvester Band @ Nehalem Bay Blues Fes-

tival; Nehalem Bay Winery.7:00 pm; Under The Lake; The Growler House.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Matt Sazima’s Jazz Frat; The 1905.7:30 pm; Adlai Alexander Solo; Wine:30.8:00 pm; Laura Griffiths w/ Mark Simon; Birch Street Up-

town Lounge.8:00 pm; Gordon Lee Trio with Mel Brown & Ed Bennett;

Arrivederci Wine Bar.

Sunday, May 28th4:00 pm; Jonathan Smith Trio; The Hoppy Brewer.5:00 pm-6:00 pm; Hotel Monaco Happy Hour w/ Rebecca

Hardiman Duo; Hotel Monaco Portland.6:00 pm-7:30 pm; Augustana Jazz Quartet with Marilyn

Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz & Ron Steen; Augus-tana Lutheran Church.

6:00 pm-9:00 pm; Scenes CD Release, featuring John Stow-ell, Jeff Johnson and John Bishop; The 1905.

7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Rebecca Kilgore with Christopher Woit-ach & John Moak; Jo Bar and Rotisserie. Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our

slick new website

Tuesday, April 9th, 7:30 pmAN EVENING WITH ELIANE ELIAS

Winningstad Theatre

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Thursday, May 11th, 6:30 pmDavid Friesen’s Circle 3 Trio

NoHo’s Hawaiian Cafe

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7:00 pm; The Bylines; Corkscrew Wine Bar.8:30 pm-11:30 pm; Ron Steen Jam with Steve Christofferson

& Dennis Caiazza; Clyde’s Prime Rib Restaurant & Bar.

Monday, May 29th7:00 pm-9:30 pm; Julie Amici Yellow Roses EP Release Party

+ Timberbound; Lake Theater and Cafe; $15.7:30 pm-10:30 pm; Ron Steen Monday Night Jam with

George Mitchell & Kevin Dietz; The 1905.

Tuesday, May 30th6:00 pm-9:00 pm; Jazz Night with the Milneberg Trio; Trou-

tini; Free.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Jazz Jam at Pizzario; Pizzario.7:00 pm-9:00 pm; Tee Simpson Jazz Project; The 1905.

Wednesday, May 31st7:00 pm; Anson Wright & Bill Athens; Justa Pasta.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Ron Steen Vocal Jazz Showcase with

Margie Gibson, Vince Frates & Nate Francis; Wilfs; $10.7:00 pm-10:00 pm; Christopher Brown Quartet; The 1905.8:00 pm; Portland Gypsy Jazz Project; Corkscrew Wine

Bar.

Thursday, June 1st5:00 pm-8:00 pm; Matt Schiff Solo Jazz Guitar; Riverview

Restaurant.6:00 pm-8:00 pm; Jazz in the Tasting Room; Aurora Colony

Vineyards & Winery.

Friday, June 2nd6:00 pm-8:30 pm; Rebecca Hardiman & Friends @ Langdon

Farms; Langdon Farms.

Saturday, June 3rd8:00 pm-11:00 pm; Paula Byrne & Mike Horsfall; Birch

Street Uptown Lounge.

Sunday, June 4th5:00 pm-6:00 pm; Hotel Monaco Happy Hour w/ Rebecca

Hardiman Duo; Hotel Monaco Portland.6:00 pm-7:30 pm; Augustana Jazz Quartet with Marilyn

Keller, George Mitchell, Kevin Deitz & Ron Steen; Augus-tana Lutheran Church.

Monday, April 29th, 7:00 pmJulie Amici CD ReleaseLake Theater and Cafe

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Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our slick new websitecontinued on next page

Dayna Stephens, “Gratitude”Tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens’s latest recording,

his eighth as a leader, is both poignantly melodic and rest-lessly creative. His warm tone carries a collection of wistful pieces, some composed by friends and collaborators such as Aaron Parks, others by established masters such as Pat Metheny and Billy Strayhorn. These songs are buoyed by his strong rapport with bassist Larry Grenadier and drum-mer Eric Harland, who offer propulsive resonance through-out. Pianist Brad Mehldau, who joins them on a few of the tracks, is in top form here—his solo on “Amber Is Falling,” for example, brings an exciting angularity that offers an ener-getic contrast to Stephens’s more pensive approach.

This album’s unique combination of playfulness and soulfulness is on full display on the gospel-tinged “Woodside Waltz,” which features Mehldau on tack piano and Julian Lage on guitar. The harmonic inventiveness with which Ste-phens improvises is one of this album’s most striking fea-tures, even when he switches to EWI on “We Had a Sister” or baritone saxophone on “Isfahan.”

Taken together, this album showcases some of today’s finest musicians at the height of their craft, anchored by Ste-phens’s humble magnetism. The musicians exude a patient, persistent quality in their collective exploration, with the melodies unfolding into searching improvisations through-out. By the end of “Clouds,” the introspective closing num-ber, it is clear that Stephens has plenty to be grateful for—and so do his listeners.

Anne Mette Iversen, “Round Trip”A tour de force of tightly arranged, well-executed

contemporary jazz, Anne Mette Iversen’s “Round Trip” is full of inventive approaches to the quintet format. Iversen is an agile bassist and composer, weaving her own sound into conversation with pianist Danny Grissett, trombonist Peter Dahlgren and tenor saxophonist John Ellis throughout com-posed and improvised episodes. Otis Brown III, meanwhile, is a highly interactive drummer, accentuating the rhythmic foundation.

Iversen’s arrangements highlight different configura-tions of the group, such as the hard-swinging trombone-and-drums duet at the beginning of “Segue,” which builds into a full-group improvisation. On the ballad “Winstedt’s View,” Ellis offers thoughtful contrast with a searching rubato tenor

Fresh Tracks CD Reviews By Alex W. Rodriguez

...this album showcases some of today’s finest mu-

sicians at the height of their craft, anchored by

Stephens’s humble magne-tism.

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Click here for the Jazz Calendar on our slick new website

saxophone introduction. As the title seems to suggest, the sense of “going places” permeates the album—in particular, the sections that feature Grissett’s deft pianism, such as his solo on “Scala.”

The quintet plays comfortably in various groove con-texts, from uptempo swing to the rhythmic unpredictability of “The Ballad That Would Not Be.” Brown’s solid straight-eighth feel, however, anchors the group. The quintet explores everything from a pulseless open improvisation to inter-locking groove and counterpoint on the closing piece, “Red Hairpins,” delving deeply into the group’s various approaches in a single track. This serves to encapsulate what the quintet achieves throughout the album: turning Iversen’s impeccable and creative arrangements into exciting improvised music.

Romero Lubambo, “Sampa”The latest from guitarist Romero Lubambo, this al-

bum features him in trio with two musicians from Sao Paolo, drummer Thiago Rabello and bassist Sidiel Vieira. (“Sampa” is a diminutive name that locals call their city.) Lubambo displays unique combination of upbeat classical-guitar virtu-osity and electric blues; Rabello and Vieira blend effortlessly into this context, creating a buoyant groove throughout. Ra-bello’s drum work is especially impressive in this regard—he drives the trio, but subtly enough for Lubambo’s guitar to stay in the spotlight.

The trio’s take on the blues, featured on “New Slash Blues” and “Dipper Mouth,” is an interesting mix of funk, swing, and shuffle that Rabello and Vieira navigate seam-lessly. And Lubambo is clearly comfortable in the space they hold, ripping through his riffs with playful joy. The rest of the songs alternate between breezy, upbeat samba, as with “Estamos Aí”, and relaxing guitar odes, such as “Paquito In Bremen.” This contrast works well, highlighting Lubambo’s relaxed virtuosity throughout. Vieira also shines as a soloist on a handful of tracks, such as “P’Ro Flavio” and “Song for Kaya.”

Lubambo has brought together a stellar trio for this recording session, creating an album with unmistakably Bra-zilian flair that is conversant with many other Afro-diasporic styles. Rabello’s drumming is crucial to his success; his unas-suming virtuosity is consistent throughout the album. Com-bined with Vieira’s complimentary musicality and Lubambo’s relaxed approach to the guitar, this makes for an enjoyable document of the trio’s skill and taste.

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This serves to encapsulate what the quintet achieves

throughout the album: turning Iversen’s impecca-ble and creative arrange-

ments into exciting impro-vised music.

Lubambo has brought to-gether a stellar trio for this recording session, creating an album with unmistak-ably Brazilian flair that is conversant with many

other Afro-diasporic styles.

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Elvind Opsvik, “Overseas V”Right out of the gate, Norwegian bassist Elvind Ops-

vik’s latest recording holds no punches. With a stuttering rock groove and gritty saxophone melody that dissolves into spacious skronk, the opening track “I’m Up This Step” is both ambitious and succinct. What follows is a purposeful, exploratory suite of short pieces—the longest clocks in at a mere 5:49, and most last just over three minutes. The band manages to pack a lot of music into that space, though, and the result is both fascinating and original.

This is no surprise, given that the quintet includes four of New York’s most talented proponents of avant-jazz: saxophonist Tony Malaby, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, key-boardist Jacob Sacks, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. All are also steeped in the genre-blurring stew of influences that has characterized this scene since the 1980s, so they understand how productive the space between jazz, rock, and noise is the perfect place to live in the improvised moment.

Take “Brraps!”, for example, which has Wollesen holding down a fast, Shaft-like groove on the hi-hat while Seabrook rocks a 70s funk riff; Opsvik, Sacks, and Malaby go nuts on top of it. The album takes a darker, abstract turn on “Cozy Little Nightmare,” but wakes right back up again on the anthemic “First Challenge On the Road.” Sacks push-es against the groove constantly, and the band phases in and out of time with one another while Wollesen and Opsvik hold down the groove. Despite their concision, each piece is packed full of creative group interactions like these—and that creativity may be the only constant on this powerfully unpredictable album.

Alexey Kruglov and Krugly Band with Yury Markin, “On A Large Scale”

With song titles like “Concerto for Trumpet: Part One, Allegro Moderato,” one might be surprised to hear a jazz big band opening this recording with a swinging contra-fact of “A Night In Tunisia.” And yet, that is exactly how this record opens, with Salman Abuev and Rost Kochetov taking turns in the Dizzy Gillespie chair. This big band, made up of some of Russia’s finest jazzmen, is part of saxophonist and ringleader Alexey Kruglov’s “Krugly Band” project. “Krugly” is the Russian word for “circular,” and the band manifests in several ways, from this Woody Herman-inspired jazz orches-tra to a free jazz and poetry collective.

On this record, they gather in big band form to showcase the music of prolific Russian jazz pianist and com-poser Yury Markin. The recording includes four suites: con-certos for trumpet, French horn, saxophone, and piano, as well as his “Symphony Number Four.” The other concertos

Despite their concision, each piece is packed full of creative group interac-tions like these—and that creativity may be the only constant on this powerfully

unpredictable album.

continued on next page

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feature legendary Russian jazz French hornist Arkady Shilk-loper, tenor saxophonist Oleg Grymov, and a piano dialogue between Markin and Alexey Nadzharov. The recording is worth it all on its own for Shilkloper’s swinging French horn virtuosity—in case you have forgotten what that sounds like!

Of course, these compositions do, in many ways, draw from modernist classical music. The Symphony and Piano Concerto stand out in this regard, bringing the music into a sort of Russian third stream space. The second move-ment, for example, is both a poignant jazz waltz and a ve-hicle for the pianists to engage in some inspired stretching of tonality. These pieces are a grand testament to Markin’s life-long dedication to the jazz idiom; now, even Oregonians can hear what a Russian jazz life sounds like.

Dan Tepfer, “Eleven Cages”This recording is the pianist’s first record in the trio

format in seven years, but there is nothing conventional about Tepfer’s approach. Tepfer’s young career has been char-acterized by its relentlessly exploratory nature, which has led him to reinterpret Bach’s Goldberg Variations and, more re-cently, to duo work with saxophonists Ben Wendel and Lee Konitz. Bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Nate Wood fit seamlessly into this project; both are similarly ambitious contemporaries of his.

Tepfer’s compositions usually feature complex metric irregularity alongside a consistent drive, propelled especially by Morgan’s precise bass hits. They also tend towards min-iatures, the shortest of which are two freely improvised epi-sodes entitled “Cage Free.” Tepfer’s clean touch on the piano and sophisticated harmonic sensibility lead him towards ex-pressive gestures that often consist of long, sweeping figures strung together across phrases. He also finds interesting tim-bres in the piano, as at the beginning of “Hindi Hex,” where his rapid percussive attacks evoke so much music out of a single note.

This approach comes alive on the album’s two covers, Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” and George Gershwin’s “I Loves You Porgy.” The attention to timbre allows him to enter Be-yoncé’s sound-world through his trio arrangement, which launches him into an inspired, crunchy solo over the form. Gershwin’s wistful ballad is the album’s final number, featur-ing Wood’s uplifted brush work and Morgan’s bass counter-lines against Tepfer’s spacious interpretation of the tune. This is the closest they come to a “traditional” jazz trio number, and it proves their deep debt to the lineage. And still, as they do throughout the album, they manage to expand together into their own sound.

Oregonians can hear what a Russian jazz life sounds

like.

Tepfer’s compositions usu-ally feature complex met-ric irregularity alongside a consistent drive, propelled especially by Morgan’s pre-

cise bass hits.

continued on next page

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Linda May Han Oh, “Walk Against Wind”On her fourth album as a leader, Malaysian-born

bassist Linda May Han Oh expands upon her unique com-positional vision. Her bass playing is the key to this ap-proach, in which she finds new ways to bring the low end to the front of the piece while still playing to her instrument’s strengths.

She is complimented beautifully by tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel, guitarist Matthew Stevens, and drummer Justin Brown, all of whom have a keen grasp of her style. Pianist Fabian Almazan joins on a couple of tracks to offer further accompaniment; the group are fantastic listeners who create an egalitarian musical dynamic between them. On “Fire-dance,” for example, Almazan’s left hand usually traces Oh’s lines, and his right-hand comping fills in the spaces left by Stevens. Oh also adds wordless vocals to some of her melo-dies, which are ornamented with dissonant harmonies on “Perpluzzle.”

Oh’s pieces are less determined by long melodies than by interlocking cycles shared by the full group. These cycles then serve as springboards for melodic improvisation and unison phrases, and the band always manages to switch things up before these cycles sink into monotony. The track “Walking Against Wind” is an example of how this approach can lead to riveting collective composition.

There are some lovely solo flights on the album, as well—most often by Oh herself on bass, and Wendel on ten-or saxophone. Another guest, Minji Park, joins the group on “Mantis” playing traditional Korean the percussion instru-ments janggu and kkwaenggwari. But this is no individual effort—although Oh’s incredible bass playing and expansive musical creativity leads this group, their strongest achieve-ment lies in how they manifest together.

Chris Potter - The Dreamer is the DreamOne of his generation’s most formidable tenor saxo-

phonists, Chris Potter brings us his third album as a leader on the ECM label. His massive sound and unmatched com-mand of the instrument are supported by three New York-based ECM mainstays: drummer Marcus Gilmore, pianist David Virelles, and bassist Joe Martin. Not one to rest on his prodigious talent, Potter can be felt reaching for new sounds and ideas throughout—whether that is switching to bass clarinet on the title track, or building a piece around thumb-piano riffs on another, or using ambient percussion and celeste on “Memory and Desire.” Inevitably, though, these twists return to Potter’s mind-bending tenor solos, as is the case with his assertive chorus on “Ilimba” that leads into wild altissimo passages.

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...this is no individual ef-fort—although Oh’s in-credible bass playing and expansive musical creativ-ity leads this group, their strongest achievement lies in how they manifest to-

gether.

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Potter’s sidemen are no slouches, of course, and they also shine when they have their turn in the spotlight—Vire-lles seems especially spurred on by Potter’s focused intensity, for example, on “Yosadhara.” The band had rehearsed and performed this material on tour before the recording; their rapport is impressive.

Together, they strike a good balance of excitement and spaciousness—informed, to be sure, by producer Man-fried Eicher’s keen ear. The result is yet another testament to Potter’s tremendous command of the saxophone and the jazz lineage, pushing both in new directions as only he can.

Marc Copland - Better by FarProlific pianist Marc Copland has brought his hard-

swinging quartet back into the recording studio for an album of original music that features the group in top form. It is such a pleasure to hear Copland lock into a straight-ahead swing groove with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Barron, both masters of the form—Baron’s unparalleled swing feel enlivens the proceedings considerably all on its own. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi rounds out the quartet; his warm tone and penchant for unpredictable elaborations am-plifies the group’s energy.

Many of the pieces—Copland originals as well as a bold exploration of Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence”—take advantage of Gress and Baron’s top-notch swing groove. The group stretches this flow into far beyond 4/4 time, and lock in especially well on “Gone Now,” one of the album’s two original waltzes.

The group does not limit itself to spang-spang-a-lang, though. For example, Baron’s crisp straight-eighth feel animates “MR DJ” to great effect, with Copland and Alessi bouncing punctuated interjections off one another while Gress holds down a quirky bass groove. Throughout the al-bum, Alessi’s brooding angularity works well with Copland’s assertive comping. The pair also display a tight connection in unison melody statements, as with Copland’s ballad “Room Enough for Stars.” The album documents persistent listen-ing, tasteful interpretation, and challenging improvised interaction. Even the ending of the final track, “Who Said Swing?” comes as a delightful surprise.

Common Quartet - The HiveThe first recording from this Brooklyn-based quartet,

this album showcases four up-and-coming improvisers on the New York scene in a fresh statement of collective effort. The group consists of Israeli pianist Nitzan Gavrieli, Chilean bassist Pablo Menares, and Americans Seth Trachy on saxo-

Together, they strike a good balance of excitement

and spaciousness—in-formed, to be sure, by pro-ducer Manfried Eicher’s

keen ear.

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The album documents per-sistent listening, tasteful interpretation, and chal-lenging improvised inter-

action.

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phone and Alex Wyatt on drums. The four met at a Bed-Stuy jam session, to which they began bringing original music after attending playing sessions together. This album consists of a balance of original pieces by the four members, plus a pair of standards by two of their heroes, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.

Most of the original pieces are spacious and melodic, reflecting some themes common to the younger generation of jazz improvisers working in today’s New York scene. Most of all, they are vehicles for improvised solos and group inter-action—both of which this group does very well. Gavrieli’s “Traffic Song,” which features lovely solo interludes from each player, stands in contrast to the others for its more di-rect nods to bebop; the group navigates its twisting angular-ity with aplomb. Menares’s “En Otro Lugar” stands out in another way: its plaintive melody is striking, especially in contrast to the preceding romp; Gavrieli elaborates it beauti-fully with a lush piano solo.

The band’s arrangements of Coltrane’s “Lazy Bird” and Parker’s “Big Foot” keep this from being a routine ex-ercise in hero-worship; the quartet’s interactive creativity breathes life into both standards. All told, Common Quar-tet’s first album suggests that they have already developed an uncommon rapport and collective sound.

Most of the original pieces are spacious and melodic,

reflecting some themes common to the younger

generation of jazz impro-visers working in today’s

New York scene.

Pablo MenaresSeth Trachy

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Adlai Alexander

Venue SpotlightCorkscrew Wine BarBy Lauren Smith

Corkscrew Wine Bar was built in 2010 as a neigh-borhood gathering in the Sellwood/Moreland neighborhood of SE Portland. A first-class music

program has developed over the past seven years thanks to Adlai Alexander, local jazz musician and curator of the program. The reclaimed wood walls, mezzanine level overlooking the main floor, and the low, intimate lighting make this space an ideal spot for live performance. The sound is great, the audience is attentive, and the musicians love to play in the space. Exceptional wine, beer, and ci-der, as well as small plates and friendly staff make this 45-seat spot a gem.

Portland is home to many incredible musicians who have devoted their lives to developing their craft and at-taining high levels of artistry. Corkscrew Wine Bar has built a neighborhood resource that connects the commu-nity with some of Portland’s highest-caliber musical talent. Four nights a week, fans, friends, and neighbors gather in the relaxed, intimate two-level space to hear dedicated pro-fessionals perform.

Jazz is featured every Thursday, and ranges from bebop to bossa nova, early swing and gypsy jazz to avant garde. There is more jazz on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday nights—as well as blues, bluegrass, classi-cal, showtunes, soul, and other genres—always with an emphasis on musicianship and originality. According to Alexander, the common theme is quality and virtuosity. He remarks, “I want people to know that any night they walk in here, they can expect to find top-notch music, and artists taking an interesting approach to whatever it is they do.”

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Saturday, May 6thMt. Hood Community College

Gresham Campus

Dominick Farinacci

The 39th Northwest Jazz Band FestivalBy Dan Davey

Mt. Hood Community College will host the 39th Annual Northwest Jazz Band Festival on Sat-urday, May 6th 2017. This year’s festival will

welcome nearly 50 high school and middle school big bands and combos to the Gresham campus to compete in six different divisions. Performances will be held every half hour in four different venues.

All performing bands will work with some of the top jazz educators and performers in the Pacific North-west including Gary Hobbs, John Nastos, James Miley, Paul Krueger, Joseph Jefferson, Derek Sims, Tim Gilson, and Collin Wilson. Hourly workshops will be held around campus, helping students and educators with various as-pects of jazz performance. These will be presented by Dan Balmer, Clay Giberson, Tim Gilson, Collin Wilson, Ryan Meagher, and Ben Medler.

Each year, this festival has welcomed a guest artist to perform and give clinics throughout the day. Previous artists have included Wycliffe Gordon, Jamey Aebersold, Chris Vadala, Byron Stripling, Ali Jackson, and Christian Fabian. This year, the festival will welcome New York trumpeter Dominick Farinacci. Farinacci is the Global Am-bassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center and a graduate of Jul-liard. He is a leading advocate in music education develop-ment and his recent recording Short Stories is a collabora-tion between Farinacci and Tommy LiPuma that brings together popular songs from around the globe and some of the greatest artists in music.

The festival is free and open to the public and is proudly sponsored by Beacock Music, Wally’s Music Shop, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra, and Classic Pianos. The final performance will be at 5:45pm and will feature students and faculty from the Mt. Hood Music Department.

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“(Rebirth)’s punctilious and unpredictably power-ful all at once. Believe it or not, you can have both ways. At least, that is, if

you’re Billy Childs.”

Wednesday, May 24thBilly Childs Quartet

The Old Church

Billy ChildsBy Kerry Politzer

It is difficult to imagine a more flexible musician than Billy Childs. The New York Times speaks of his ability to combine “jazz flexibility and improvisation with the

refinement and drama of classical chamber music.” Childs, an accomplished pianist, composer, and arranger, has won the most prestigious awards in the music industry: a Gug-genheim fellowship, the Doris Duke Artist Award, and multiple Grammys.

The pianist first cut his teeth in trombonist J.J. Johnson’s quintet as a teenager, then proceeded to work with Chris Botti, Sting, The Kronos Quartet, Wynton Mar-salis, and Yo-Yo Ma, among many other household names.

His works range from a star-studded Laura Nyro tribute album to an orchestral tone poem commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also composed nu-merous choral and chamber pieces.

Currently, Childs is touring in support of his newest album, Rebirth (Mack Avenue Records). Says All About Jazz of his latest release: “It’s punctilious and unpredict-ably powerful all at once. Believe it or not, you can have both ways. At least, that is, if you’re Billy Childs.” In contrast to some of his earlier albums, Rebirth features a pared-down incarnation of the pianist’s vision; the core group is a quartet.

Childs will sustain this vision for Portland visit, performing with the impressive young saxophonist Dayna Stephens, the wonderful Hans Glawischnig on acoustic bass, and the fiery Ari Hoenig on drums. The evening promises many satisfying musical surprises.

Ari Hoenig

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Notes & NewsLetter from the EditorBy Ryan Meagher

We start this month’s letter from the editor with a correction. In April’s issue the gifted pianist, Tamir Hendelman had his name mis-

spelled in a couple spots, and I wanted to issue an apol-ogy to Tamir. It was my fault I did not catch that. It is not the first time I have had to issue a correction on the spell-ing of an artist’s name. Perhaps this is why I am being fired...

I am just joking. I am not being fired, per se. There is no pleasant way to put this, but the JSO does not have the capital to continue to pay the Jazzscene at this time. If you know me at all, you know that I am not in this for the bread. I am doing everything I can to bolster the Portland jazz scene every day. I am going to continue to be the Editor of the Jazzscene for the foresee-able future, but the capacity at which I am going to be able to provide my service will be limited. The Jazzscene will continue, but it will be scaled back for a bit. This is all the more reason you need to tell everyone you know about this magazine and this organization.

On to more pleasant topics... Resonance Records has released another gem! They have unearthed a live recording from Seattle in 1966 of The Wynton Kelly Trio fronted by Wes Montgomery. When I got the advance copy of this record I was freaking out! I was running around my house just yelling, “Ohmygodohmygodohmy-godohmygod!” It is basically a mini Smokin’ at the Half Note that focuses more on the trio than that seminal re-cord. I do not think I can oversell this album enough. I will fight you if you disagree with me that the Wynton Kelly Trio is the swingingest rhythm section of all-time, and Wes Montgomery is my hero. So, if you do not like this album, we are not friends. There. I said it.

As you probably gathered from the extensive cal-endar this month, there is a lot of great stuff happening around town in May. One thing you should make sure to check out is the new Anat Cohen project. I happen to know that Portland is bonkers for Anat Cohen. In this project she fronts Trio Brasileiro, a group of widening international attention. Click the picture to the right for a link to some of the new music.

Here is to a swingin’ summer in the sun. Heaven knows that we in PDX need it.

Thursday, May 4thAnat Cohen + Trio Brasileiro

The Old Church

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“In The Groove” M i t z i Z i l k a Tony Pacini @ Wilfs

with Andre St. James and Dave AverreFriday, May 5 from 7 to 11pm