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| The Musicians: |
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Nancy King has been called everything from a “Cult
figure” and an “uncompromising artist,” (Earshot Jazz) to “the greatest
living jazz singer,” (Herb Ellis). As one of the few improvisers in
vocal jazz to master the vocabulary, Nancy King has “indefatigable scat
chops and a remarkably elastic range.” (The Oregonian)
Nancy came to the San Francisco jazz
scene of the early 1960’s from Springfield, Oregon. It was at the
legendary Jazz Workshop that she met Sonny King, her future mate, and
joined his band. They headlined Monday nights at the Workshop for two
years. Others she worked with in San Francisco included Vince Guaraldi,
John Handy, Sonny Donaldson, and Flip Nunez. Another major influence was
meeting and studying with Jon Hendricks.
In ‘66
and ‘67, Nancy did the Playboy Club circuit and was a production singer
in Las Vegas, then joined C. Smalls and Company, led by Charlie Smalls,
who later wrote the music for “The Wiz”.
In the early 1970’s she took a break
from touring, settling in Eugene, Oregon to raise her three sons. On
weekends she sang in the lounge of the Benson Hotel in Portland with
future jazz luminaries Ralph Towner, David Friesen and Tom Grant.
In 2001 Nancy was inducted into the
Oregon Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame. Selections from “Dream Lands”
were featured on the Jazz Riffs Sampler played on NPR stations
throughout the US. Nancy and Steve performed at jazz festivals across
western Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Medicine Hat), were on the
faculty of Bud Shank’s Centrum Jazz Workshop, and Nancy toured England
and Holland with “The Fire at Keaton’s Bar & Grill”.
website
Glen Moore
is a jazz bassist with early classical training in piano until age 13.
He played bass in the school orchestra, experimenting with jazz and free
improvisation on his own. His performing career began at age 14 with the
Young Oregonians in Portland, Oregon where he met and played with
American Indian saxophonist, Jim Pepper. He graduated with a degree in
History and Literature from the University of Oregon where he also
studied the cello. His formal bass instruction started after college
with Jerome Magil in Portland, James Harnett in Seattle, Gary Karr in
New York, Plough Christenson in Copenhagen, Ludwig Streicher in Vienna
and Francois Rabbath in Hawaii. For the past 30 years, Glen has played a
Klotz bass fiddle crafted in the Tyrol circa 1715 on which he has made
extensive use of a unique tuning with both a low and high C string.
Moore has worked with many great jazz artists including pianists Paul
Bley, Larry Karush, Jan Hammer, Bill Evans and John Taylor;
saxophonists, Zoot Sims, Benny Wallace, Lew Tabakin, Sonny Fortune, Nick
Brignola, Rob Scheps, Charlie Mariano and Michael Brecker; flutist
Jeremy Steig; violinists Stuff Smith, Zbigniew Seifert, Rob Thomas,
Hollis Taylor and Jim Nolet; vibraphonists Gary Burton and Michael
Mainieri; drummers Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Beaver Harris, Peter
LaRoca and Jimmy Cobb, Barrie Altschul, Elliot Zigmund; bassists Anthony
Cox, Charlie Haden, Gary Peacock, Dave Holland, Jamie Faunt, Steve
Swallow, David Friesen, Mark Dresser and Barre Phillips; and tap dancer
Peg Leg Bates.
A native of Portland, pianist Dan
Gaynor studied at Mt. Hood Community College and Portland State
University with teachers including Randy Porter, Dave Barduhn, Darrell
Grant and Glen Moore. He has been playing and recording professionally
since the age of 17 with musicians including Nancy King, Kelly Joe
Phelps, Alan Jones, Glen Moore, Bob Mover, Lawrence Williams, Esperanza
Spalding, Rob Scheps, Robert Moore, John Stowell, Ingrid Jensen, David
Friesen, Ron Steen, Mel Brown, "Sweet Baby" James Benton, Chris Conrade
and many others. As an accompanist, Dan has performed with performers
including poets, painters, clowns, actors and singers of every level. He
appears on Oasis by David Valdez & Pere Soto, both releases by Barbara
Lusch (alongside Bobby Torres, Reinhardt Melz, Rob Thomas, Essiet Essiet,
Scott Steed and others) and on Saffron Robe by Chopslaughter. |
Nancy King --
Vocals
Glen Moore --
Bass
Dan Gaynor --
Piano


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TOM GRANT, master instrumentalist, talented singer
and natural entertainer nimbly walks the line between jazz tradition and
modern pop. This soft-spoken Oregon native's inspired songwriting
produces propulsive R&B grooves, infectious melodic hooks, and stylish
ballads with equal ease. He plays jazz piano with the harmonic
sophistication and deep sense of swing that only comes from more than
three decades on the bandstand. At the same time, his recordings have
consistently landed at the top of the Smooth Jazz charts, a genre of
music Tom helped pioneer in the mid-80s.
As the Pacific Northwest's most renowned musical
artist, Tom Grant's career achievements reflect his unique ability to
embrace the full spectrum of contemporary music.
Born to show business parents, Tom was at home with
many musical instruments, but always returned to the piano. At a tender
age, he was taught to play piano and drums by his tap dancer father.
Later, he learned about music styles listening to music at his father's
record store in Portland, Oregon. His brother, an avant-garde jazz
pianist, who would later go on to found the worldwide Hare Krishna
movement, introduced him to the many different facets of jazz music.
After graduating from the University of Oregon and a short stint as a
high school teacher, Tom answered his musical calling. Native American
saxophonist Jim Pepper took Tom to New York in 1970 to record the chant
classic Witchi-tai-to. After that, he toured and recorded with such jazz
greats as Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Charles Lloyd and Tony Williams.
Since 1983, Tom’s records have repeatedly topped the
Smooth Jazz charts. Several, including the popular Mango Tango, Night
Charade, In My Wildest Dreams, and The View from Here, enjoyed lengthy
stays at Number One.
His recent tours of Japan and Indonesia attest to his
popularity in Asia. He has been featured on CNN and has been a guest on
the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
His compositions are also used in TV and Films
worldwide. Recently, Tom has delved more deeply into the world of music
for film. Working primarily on documentaries and independent films,
Tom’s touch can add magic to a soundtrack.
In his hometown of Portland OR, Tom is well known for
his work with charitable organizations with numerous appearances through
the years at charity events and on charity compilation CD’s.
In 2001, Tom started recording on his own record
label, Nu-Wrinkle Records. After nearly 35 years of recording on various
labels (Windham Hill, Verve, Shanachie, PAUSA, Gaia, WMOT, Timeless
International, Chase Music) he felt it was time to explore the world of
self-produced music. He currently has seven releases on this label
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Tom Grant
Trio
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Peter Piazza,
Gut Feelings
featuring:
Eddie Parente,
Danny Seidenberg,
Guy Tyler,
Renato Caranto,
Dan Balmer,
Kerry McCoy,
Al Criado,
Carlton Jackson and
Bobby Torres.






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Born and raised in Portland, Peter Piazza
began his long, illustrious career at Mt. Hood Community College like
many other well known local musicians.
He went on to play with the Portland Opera Orchestra alongside
his father, Salvatore “Sammy” Piazza and is still a tenured member
today. During the
intervening years, Peter played with a wide variety of local, national
and international performers, in both classical and modern genres.
Among those are Palante, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company,
Barrio Latino, Bobby Torres Ensemble, La Major Salsa, Conjunto Allegre,
and The Krebsic Orkestar, as well as George Benson, Tom Jones, Dionne
Warwick, Smokey Robinson, Lou Rawls, Kenny G, Wayne Newton, Regis
Philbin, Red Skelton, Luciano Pavarotti, Manheim Steamroller, Dennis
DeYoung, Il Divo and Robert Goulet.
In
the summer of 2008, with world class musicians and unique compositions,
Peter released his debut CD, “Gut Feelings.”
Drawing together the best jazz musicians in town and the best
classical string players, Peter created a dynamic, synergistic sound
unlike anything that’s come before it.
Influenced by Jean Luc Ponty, Stuff Smith and Stephane Grappelli,
and years playing classical music, Peter saw the possibility of
combining the best of both worlds.
Peter’s tunes are unique in style and sentimental, just like the
composer. Peter isn’t
satisfied with, nor does he feel bound by any particular, limited music
genre. When his mind offers
up a calypso riff, he composes a calypso tune.
Latin jazz, reggae, Nigerian high life, classic jazz waltz,
whatever comes, Peter’s up for it.
That’s one of the things about his compositions that are so
exciting; each tune offers its own unique sound.
Peter has written tunes for his grandfather(Pins and Noodles),
his grandmother(Dot’s Love), his long time friend(Essiet Okon Essiet)
and his wife(Leila’s Dance).
He is a deeply sentimental man, who gathers inspiration from the people
he loves. Peter brings his
ten piece ensemble, Gut Feelings, to Silverton, featuring
Eddie Parente, Danny Seidenberg, Guy Tyler, Renato
Caranto, Dan Balmer, George Mitchell, Al Criado, Carlton Jackson and
Bobby Torres.
Originally from Jersey City, N.J.,
Eddie Parente studied violin and 4 part harmony at Jersey City State
College with Edward Raditz, playing in String Orchestra as well as
studying Jazz with Saxophonist Emile DeCosmo. Eddie also studied with
violinist Julie Lyonn Lieberman in NYC, but credits trumpeter Ted Curson
(Mingus alumni), as a major influence, who held Jam sessions in Hoboken
and encouraged Eddie to play Jazz in those formative years.
Upon moving to Portland in 1985 Eddie would religiously go to hear The
Mel Brown Quintet and participate in Ron Steen's Jam sessions, Eddie has
played in Big Band under the direction of Thara Memory and studied Jazz
arranging and Composition with saxophonist Clif Waits, at Portland
Community College.
Eddie has performed at Mt. Hood, Portland, Newport Jazz Festivals, and
also travels frequently to Russia collaborating and performing at
Festivals, intimate Jazz Clubs and Concert Halls, with many great
musicians there.
A member of the Turtle Island String
Quartet from 1992 to 2003, Danny Seidenberg, has enjoyed a varied and
eclectic musical life. He made his solo viola debut at age 16 with the
Pittsburgh Symphony as part of their Young People’s Concert series,
then went to on the Juilliard School and a professional tenure in New
York. Among the groups he performed with there are the American Ballet
Theater, New York City Opera, American Symphony Orchestra, American
Composers Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra of St. Lukes, New
York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Philharmonia
Virtuosi, Solisti New York, Dance Theater of Harlem, Soviet Emigre
Orchestra, New York Virtuosi, Radio City Music Hall, many Broadway
shows and multifarious chamber music.
Renato Caranto is a
saxophone player who performs on the Tenor, Alto, and
Soprano saxophone, Renato Caranto guides his
instruments through a variety of playing styles, including
Jazz, Blues, Funk, R & B, and even a little Country. He has
gained much experience in over 20 years as a professional
musician as he traveled from his home in the Philippines to
entertain in several countries before coming to the U. S. in
1981.
From 1981 to 1992, Renato
joined various Top 40 groups playing in the lounges of major
hotel chains. January, 1992, is notable for his transition
out of Top 40 and into a local Blues/R&B group. Since that
time, Renato has firmly established himself in the local
Portland music scene. He has performed at all the major
festivals in the area including the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival,
Waterfront Blues Festival, and Jazz on the Water in Newport,
OR. He has recorded as a soloist on many local recording
projects and is frequently recommended by studio personnel
to their clients in need of sax solo work.
1994 proved to be a big year for Renato as he recorded his
debut record, Blues For Alma, and was also the recipient of
the Cascade Blues Association's "Muddy Award" for best
saxophone player. Renato garnered the "Muddy Award" again in
1995, 1997, and 1998 while playing for various groups like
the Norman Sylvester band, DK Stewart, and Ellen Whyte. He
managed to find enough time in 1999 to record Generations,
his self-produced "smooth jazz" CD.
Dan Balmer, a native of
Portland
Oregon,
was voted “Portland’s
Best Guitarist” by the Portland Music Association in 1993. Balmer has
collaborated and toured with an impressive number of talented musicians
and is best known for his 10 year collaboration with keyboardist Tom
Grant. He composed some of Grant’s most popular songs and his
compositions have appeared in movies, on television and as choreograph
music. Jazziz Magazine proclaimed Balmer’s first solo recording
“Becoming Became” to be “one of the best recordings of 1989” and his
ground breaking record “If We Never Meet Again” which appeared in 1998,
has received universal praise and critical reviews. The Oregonian states
that this latest release is “hot...reaching new peaks...real jazz that
achieves the clarity and emotional directness of the best pop music...a
terrific record.” The Houston Chronicle states, “If We Never Meet
Again” is what contemporary jazz should be”
Pianist, vocalist, and composer/arranger
Kerry McCoy has performed around the world in a variety of
musical settings ranging from work as music director and conductor as
well as pianist with Broadway shows in New York; Performed as music
director, pianist or arranger for performers such as The Lettermen,
Frankie Valli, Sheena Easton, Sally Struthers, Joe Piscopo, Buddy Miles,
and Nu Shooz. As a jazz artist he has worked with the legendary Leroy
Vinegar, Jim Pepper and many others. His recording Present Moment,
Present Place received critical acclaim. He has appeared as guest
conductor with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, guest pianist and
conductor with the Woodland Hills Symphony Orchestra, and guest pianist
with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. As a composer and arranger he has
written music for television and "jingles", and his orchestrations have
been performed by major American orchestras.
" Intensely musical". This
description aptly describes Carlton Jackson during a long and
varied musical career.
A native of Portland Oregon, Carlton has been associated with many areas
of the musical world, and continues to be a first call musician in the
performance and recording industry. His flowing, incisive style, melded
with a firm respect for the inherent tradition within different musical
genres has made him the choice for local and national, and international
projects.
website
Bobby Torres --From
Woodstock with Joe Cocker, through ten years of touring with Tom Jones,
to forming his Latin Jazz band, the Bobby Torres Ensemble, Bobby's been
on the music scene for over 35 years. Visit www.bobbytorres.com to learn
more. Bobby Torres is a record producer, songwriter, percussion
instructor, session musician and band leader based in Portland, Oregon.
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Retta Christie Trio
Retta Christie-vocals
Dave Frishberg-piano
John Moak-trombone


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Retta Christie has staked a claim to a fabulously rich
but oft-overlooked vein of Americana, a musical mother lode located at the
dusty crossroads where the American Songbook and the country-western
canon converge
website
David Frishberg is
held in high esteem around the world as composer, lyricist,
pianist and singer. Happily for Retta, and for us, he also
enjoys the less conspicuous role of piano-playing sideman
and accompanist. His star-studded gig history includes Al
Cohn, Bobby Hackett, Ben Webster, Irene Kral, Anita O'Day
and Jimmy Rushing. You won't hear Dave sing here, but you
will hear Frishberg the songster at work in the sensitive
touches he employs to back Retta's vocal work.
website
Portland based jazz
trombonist John Moak has performed with many notable jazz artists
including: Ella Fitzgerald, Doc Severinsen, Jack Sheldon, Dave
Brubeck, Nat Adderly, Randy Brecker, Diane Schurr, Branford
Marsalis, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Pete Christlieb,
Herbie Mann, Rosemary Clooney, Ken Peplowski and James Moody. website
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Dan Balmer Duo
Dan Balmer --
Guitar
Scott Steed --
Bass
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Dan Balmer,
a native of
Portland
Oregon,
was voted “Portland’s
Best Guitarist” by the Portland Music Association in 1993. Balmer has
collaborated and toured with an impressive number of talented musicians
and is best known for his 10 year collaboration with keyboardist Tom
Grant. He composed some of Grant’s most popular songs and his
compositions have appeared in movies, on television and as choreograph
music. Jazziz Magazine proclaimed Balmer’s first solo recording
“Becoming Became” to be “one of the best recordings of 1989” and his
ground breaking record “If We Never Meet Again” which appeared in 1998,
has received universal praise and critical reviews. The Oregonian states
that this latest release is “hot...reaching new peaks...real jazz that
achieves the clarity and emotional directness of the best pop music...a
terrific record.” The Houston Chronicle states, “If We Never Meet
Again” is what contemporary jazz should be”
Scott Steed has been playing bass professionally since he was
only 12! A native of Michigan who grew up in San Francisco, Steed has
been a first –call bassist on the west coast for such jazz luminaries as
Horace Silver, Joe Williams, Joe Pass and Joe Henderson; he’s
particularly supported numerous vocalists including the great Mark
Murphy (with whom he recorded the Grammy nominated September Ballads),
Karrin Allyson, Rebecca Parrish, Rebecca Kilgore Nancy King, Sara
Gazarek, and Diane Schuur, for whom he also serves as Musical Director.
With Laura Caviani, he toured with the 2004 and 2005 Concord Jazz
Festival. |
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Portland based jazz
trombonist John Moak has performed with many notable jazz artists
including: Ella Fitzgerald, Doc Severinsen, Jack Sheldon, Dave
Brubeck, Nat Adderly, Randy Brecker, Diane Schurr, Branford
Marsalis, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Louie Bellson, Pete Christlieb,
Herbie Mann, Rosemary Clooney, Ken Peplowski and James Moody. website
Bassist Dan Schulte teaches
electric and acoustic bass at Portland State University. He has appeared
and/or recorded with Andrew Hill, Jim Pepper, Roswell Rudd, Jerry Hahn,
Mel Brown, Ralph Black and Ronnie Steen, Violinist Rob Thomas, Dick Berk,
John Handy, Phil Dwyer, Eddie Weid, Nancy King, Randy Porter, Chuck
Marohnic, Chris Lee and Colleen O'Brien, Rob Schepps, John Stowell, Dan
Balmer, Darrell Grant, Gary Versace, Kelly Joe Phelps, Suzy Stern,
Lawrence Williams, Rebecca Kilgore, Warren Rand, Western Rebellion,
Gordon Lee, Shirley Nannette, Gary Hobbs, Graham Lear, Alan Jones
Sextet, Kate Power, Dave Evans, Dave Valdez, Matt Lemmler, Christopher
Woitach, Cheryl Alex,Bert Wilson, Jay Collins.
He has appeared at the Monterey Jazz
festivals, Audi Jazz Festival, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Mt.Hood
festival of Jazz, Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Earshot, Portland Jazz
festival and Vancouver Wine and Jazz festivals. He has also performed
with the Portland Opera and Portland Chamber Orchestra,and Portland
Youth Philharmonic.
Christopher Woitach is a jazz guitarist and composer living in
Portland, Oregon. He performs a wide range of jazz styles, from
Dixieland to Free jazz, Ragtime to Bebop. His compositions reflect his
diverse musical tastes and abilities, and combine the intricacies of
Baroque counterpoint with the freedom of modern jazz.
Christopher Woitach has played with many nationally and
internationally known artists, including Bernadette Peters, Rich Little,
Hank Roberts, Bob Mover, Tony Monaco, Mel Brown, and John Stowell. He
regularly performs throughout the Pacific Northwest, and at jazz
festivals in the U.S. and Canada.
website |
John Moak Trio
John Moak -- Trombone
Dan Schulte -- Bass
Chris Woitach -- Guitar


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The Art Resnick Trio is original,
swinging, and has a cohesiveness that listeners hear and appreciate
immediately.
Art Resnick, a prolific composer and pianist, along
with his great bassist and drummer performs mostly original pieces and
is known for his lyrical style and unusual but accessible compositions.
He has toured and recorded with many jazz luminaries such as James
Moody, Freddie Hubbard, Papa John Creach, Nat Adderly, Benny Golson,
Bobby Shew, Gary Bartz and Charles McPherson to name a few. He has also
recorded albums featuring his own music in trio and quartet formats
including the recording of "Jungleopolis" which earned 5 stars in
"Downbeat" magazine. Art moved to Portland in 1990 from Paris after
spending two years touring Europe.
Brian Casey, well known for his versatility being at
home playing in a symphony orchestra, the jazz gig, the salsa band, or
in the Frank Zappa tribute band! He has played around the Northwest and
northern California area for over 20 years with such groups as Pink
Martini, Conjunto Alegre, Mel Brown, Akbar DePriest, Don Lanphere,
Robert "Rude" Brown, Andre Kitaev, Bazuka Jazz, Barrio Latino, George
Mitchell,
Higher Ground, Bazuka Jazz, The Music Population Orchestra, JB Butler,
Donny Osborne, Willamette Falls Symphony, Opera Theater Oregon, and the
list goes on.
An exciting young drummer named Jonas Oglesbee rounds
out the trio. His sensitivity is equaled only by his ability to swing.
After completing a degree in Jazz Studies at Indiana University, he has
returned to Portland OR where he grew up. Jonas has performed and/or
recorded with Frank Glover, Rob Dixon, Melvin Rhyne, The Buselli Walarab
Jazz Orchestra, Pat Harbison, David Baker, Jeremy Allen, David Valdez,
The Marcus Reynolds/Farnell Newton Quintet among others. |
The Art Resnick Trio
Art Resnick
-- Piano
Brian
Casey --
Bass
Jonas
Oglesbee --
Drums
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The Outside Music
Ensemble was formed in 1999 to perform creative music in interesting
outdoor settings. Since
then, the group has performed annual walk-in concerts on top of the
butte in
Powell
Butte
Nature
Park
at the east edge of
Portland,
Oregon.
With an instrumentation of four horns and two percussionists, the
Outside Music Ensemble is based around rhythm and the harmonic/melodic
explorations of the horns.
OME can perform outdoors in places where there is no electricity or
stage.
Rich Halley is a
Portland
based saxophonist and composer who leads several groups including the
Outside Music Ensemble. He
has released ten critically acclaimed recordings as a leader.
Michael Vlatkovich is
an internationally known trombonist based in
Los Angeles.
He is an extraordinary composer and trombonist who performs in
many different groups.
His most recent recording, “Three 3”, was picked
as one of the top
recordings of 2009 by Cadence magazine.
Michael and Rich Halley have performed together for over 15
years.
Jim Knodle is a
Seattle
based trumpeter who plays in a wide variety of creative music settings
including Anansi, the Distract Band and Andrew Oliver’s Kora Band.
Troy Grugett is a
Seattle
based alto and baritone saxophonist who also plays
percussion.
Troy
performs with a number of groups in the
Seattle
area.
Dave Storrs is a
drummer and percussionist based in
Corvallis,
Oregon
where he teaches music. He
leads several groups and is the proprietor of Louie records.
Dave and Rich Halley have performed together for over 30 years.
Carson Halley is a
drummer based in
Portland.
Carson
has performed with a variety of jazz and alternative groups including
the Rich Halley Trio/Quartet, Shakespeak, The Wayward Trio, Ruby
Starfruit, and Forcefields.
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Rich
Halley’s Outside Music
Ensemble
Rich Halley- Saxophones
Michael Vlatkovich- Trombone
Jim Knodle-- Trumpet
Troy Grugett -- Saxophones
Dave Storrs --
percussion
Carson Halley -- percussion
 |
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Hank Hirsh - Saxophone
Ed Bennett - Bass


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Hank Hirsh
studied saxophone technique and improvisation with prominent Chicago
saxophonists Edward Petersen, Peter Grenier, Tommy Ponce, Rich
Corpolongo and Lin Halliday. Studied music theory with Lionel Bordelon
and James Mack of Loop College, Chicago. He has as led bands in various
configurations since 1978. Has worked in many of Chicago’s big bands;
Loop College Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Society Swing Band, Lionel Bordelon’s
Jazz Attack Big Band, The Lee Rowland Orchestra. Hank Hirsh/Merle Boley
Quintet performed in Chicago throughout the 1980’s in clubs, festivals,
prisons and radio broadcasts. Hank worked and played with Tommy Ponce,
Ira Sullivan, Clifford Jordan, Von Freeman, Roy Haynes, Tyler Mitchell,
Hamid Drake, Anne Pringle, Julie Ponce, Robert Barry, Brienn Perry,
Sunnyland Slim, Erwin Helfer, Barcelona Red, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells,
Bob Dogan, Gary Moran, Jim Cooper, and Carl Leukauffe, as well as many
others in Chicago.
Ed Bennett has long been considered one of the West
Coast's premiere string bass players. Currently living in Portland,
Oregon since 1990, Ed's work has taken him virtually everywhere in the
world. He has worked with, toured internationally, or recorded with many
legendary jazz figures, including: Dizzy Gillespie, Terell Stafford, Joe
Henderson, Sonny Stitt, Frank Morgan, Richie Cole, Pete Christlieb, Bud
Shank, Charles McPherson, Pete Jolly, Joe Albany, James Williams, Mike
Wofford, Pete Malinverni, Bill Mays, Dick Berk, Larance Marable, Joey
Baron, Bill Henderson, Anita O'Day, Ernestine Anderson, Marlena Shaw,
Nancy King, Karrin Allyson, Mary Stallings, Dee Daniels, The Modernaires,
and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra In 1974, Ed toured with Jimmy
Witherspoon. From 1976 to 1979 he backed Carmen McRae, making his
recording debut on "Carmen McRae at the Great American Music Hall" in
San Francisco which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1977. In 1981,
he worked with the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, recording the
Grammy- nominated "Tanuki's Night Out." |
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Turkish pianist and composer
Sila Cevikce Shaman has written and performed eclectic
styles of music from classical art songs, film scores and musicals to
free improvisation since her move to
America
in 1993 to study jazz. In addition to leading her own ensembles, she has
also performed with many jazz greats including Pacquito D’Rivera, Clay
Jenkins, John Lamb, Tim Hagans,
Billy
Drummond, Rich Perry and Ari Hoenig.
In 2004, her debut album as a
bandleader, "A New Abode", was released on SteepleChase Records.
Selected as an Album of the Week pick by NPR's Jazz with Bob Parlocha,
this recording had extensive airplay in the
US
and Europe.
With wide-ranging influences from Wayne Shorter to Bartok and Messiaen,
her music bridges post bop traditions with modern music of all genres.
In addition to various piano pieces and chamber works, her composition
credits include music scores for "Catskill Chainsaw Redemption” and the
musical “Spin” which premiered in 2008 starring David Ogden Stiers.
Since her move to
Corvallis
from
New York City
in 2005, she has been teaching composition and improvisation at
Oregon
State
University
as well in her private studio.
Dick Berk
is the epitome of an accomplished jazz musician who has done everything
except receive the widespread recognition he richly deserves. In a
career spanning a half-century, Berk has played in the groups of
legendary figures Billie Holiday and Charles Mingus, as well as with
high profile musicians like Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Cal Tjader,
Ted Curson, Blue Mitchell, George Duke. Berk studied at the Berklee
College of Music and played in the Boston area early in the 1960s. He
eventually became a part of the New York City jazz scene and worked with
Nick Brignola, Ted Curson-Bill Barron, Charles Mingus, Walter Bishop,Jr,
Freddie Hubbard, Mose Allison, and Monty Alexander. Moved to Los Angeles
in 1968 and began do some gigs with Gabor Szabo and George Duke, and
record with Milt Jackson. He played regularly with Cal Tjader from 1969
through 1975 and toured Japan with Georgie Auld. Movie buffs should note
he played drums on the soundtrack of New York, New York, and also
participated as an actor. In the latter capacity his credits also
include the films: "Raging Bull" and "Scarface" and on TV he appeared in
"Hogan's Heroes", "Emergency" and "It takes a Thief" along with the Tic
Code. He formed a group called "The Jazz Adoption Agency" and recorded a
series of albums under this name.
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Sila Cevikce Shaman - Piano
Dick Berk -
Drums

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Ray Rom Quintet
Ray Rom - Saxophone
Roger Webster - Bass
Paul LaFreniere - Trumpet
Tom Hallman - Drums
Bill Hughes - Guitar

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Ray Rom was born in
Roundup, Montana.
Started learning saxophone (my dad's), in seventh grade. Began playing
dances as a freshman in high school with a trio of saxophone, piano and
drums. Later it became a quartet and then a quintet.
After graduating I attended a Jazz School in Minneapolis and joined a
territory band after completing the course. Traveled on the road until
being drafted in 1951. Spent 17 months in Korea on a 90 mm anti-
aircraft gun.
After discharge in 1953 I Attended the U. of Montana and received a BM
degree in theory and composition. Attended The U. of Iowa and
received an M.A. in woodwind performance.
Played in many jazz groups in Portland, Salem, and Eugene over the
years. Played with or backed many performers such as Les Elgart, Bill
Watrous, Doc Severinsen, Aretha Franklin, Manhattan Transfer, Supremes
Maralyn McCoo, Diane Shure, Bucky Pizzarelli, Toshiko, Dick Hyman, Ken
Peplowski, Frank Strozer and others.
Currently playing with The Art Abrams Swing Machine in Portland, and My
Big Band, Octet and smaller groups using many of my own arrangements and
compositions. |
|
A Portland native, Ben Darwish has been playing piano
since the age of six. He also plays drums, guitar, and sings. At age
sixteen, he won Portland Battle Of The Bands at the Roseland Theater
with his rock group, Chill Factor. At the age of eighteen, Ben studied
for two years with Randy Porter, pianist for Charles McPherson and
Madeline Eastman. He since has played in the Mt. Hood Jazz Band and
recorded their 2003 release "I'm New Here" on the Seabreeze label. After
attending Mt. Hood for two years, he attended University of Oregon and
received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. Upon graduation, he was
awarded "Outstanding Undergraduate Performer in Jazz Studies". He
currently performs frequently and teaches piano at Ethos Music Center, a
non-profit dedicated to the promotion of music and music-based education
for youth in underserved communities.
In the jazz setting, Ben has played with many artists
including: Kevin Mohagany, Rich Perry, Ron Miles, Devin Phillips,
Esperanza Spalding, and Alan Jones. In others genres, he’s performed
with Reggie Watts, Bill Summers (of The Headhunters), Stephanie
Schneiderman, Ohmega Watts, and Ryan Dolliver, just to name a few.
In 2003, he won the Jazz Society of Oregon Young Musician
scholarship. Most recently, he was the winner of the 2008 downbeat award
for Outstanding Big Band Performance.
He was nominated for “Outstanding Achievement In Jazz” by the
2009 Portland Music Awards and released his second Trio album in
February 2009, entitled “Ode To Consumerism”.
The Ben Darwish Group was recently invited to audition at Jazz At
Lincoln Center for the Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad program.
Although they weren’t chosen as finalists, Darwish used this
experience to develop an educational presentation on the history of Jazz
that he will be presenting in several schools in the Portland area
|
Ben Darwish Quartet
Ben Darwish --
Piano
 |
John Gilmore -- Vocals and Piano
 |
John Gilmore is a
vocalist-pianist whose musical career spans 35 years. Originally from
Southern California, John comes from a musical family, his father having
been a record producer and his mother a big band vocalist. While
majoring in music at UCLA, John won First Prize in the Frank Sinatra
Awards, Pop Vocal category. John worked in the Los Angeles area from
1974 through 1991 as an entertainer and band leader. His clients
included Merv Griffin, Billy Crystal and Kenny Rogers, to name a few. As
a solo act, he appeared at the world-renowned Jimmy's Restaurant in
Beverly Hills, a six-year engagement where he performed regularly for
such notable customers as Frank Sinatra, Bob Newhart, Natalie Cole,
Stevie Wonder and many others. Also an accomplished voice-over artist,
John has been heard on many commercials and was the spokesperson for the
Oldsmobile Dealers of Southern California. From 1991 through 1995 John
starred in a television commercial for Henry Weinhard beer, playing the
character "Tex Velvet." Since moving to Portland in 1992, John has
performed solo and in group settings at such venues as the Heathman
Hotel, the Benson Hotel, Portland City Grill, Wilf's Restaurant and Bar
(from 1996 to present) and at numerous social events and corporate
functions throughout the Portland area. John's debut CD, "For My Father
& Frank," is a tribute to Frank Sinatra and John's dad, Voyle Gilmore,
who was Sinatra's record producer from 1953 to 1958.
Please visit John's website at www.gilmoremusic.com for more information
and to contact John. |
|
Mark Simon couples jazz experience with
a myriad of jazz influences to create a style of playing
and writing that offers a mature outlook while pushing
his work out to the edge.
As a youngster, Mark studied the works of pianists
Hampton Hawes (“His honesty and integrity appeal to me”)
and Wynton Kelly, Thelonious Monk, Vince Guaraldi and
his brother, Fred Simon, an accomplished jazz pianist
and recording artist whom Mark refers to as “my earliest
influence”.
Growing up in jazz, Mark Simon has gained experience
from playing extensively with
Leroy Vinnegar and Hadley
Caliman, performing in concert with Bud Shank,
Jeff Clayton, Joshua Breakstone and singer Julie Kelly
and playing jam sessions with several notable jazz
artists, including Teddy Edwards, Red Holloway and Herb
Ellis.
Mark has been a Portland resident
since 1978, when he came west from Chicago to study jazz
at Mount Hood Community College. He’s been a featured
performer with the MHCC alumni band at several Mt. Hood
Festival of Jazz events. Since then, he’s played with
most of the jazz stalwarts in the Portland area,
including Mel Brown, Glen Moore, Nancy King and Ron
Steen.
His Libra Moon, PORTLAND NIGHTS
recording debut (featuring eight Simon originals)
includes first-call jazz artists
Paul Mazzio, trumpet and flugelhorn; Gary Hobbs,
drums: Dave Captein, bass
and Michael Bard sax. Michael co-produced the CD with
Mark.
Mark continues to compose music
and work around the Portland area playing solo piano
gigs, accompanying vocalists, playing with jazz groups
(including his newly-formed Mark Simon trio), as well as
teaching piano and providing services for vocalists.
|
Mark Simon
-- Piano
 |
Kirsten Rian
trio
Kirsten Rian
Greg Goebel -- Piano
Fred Hard
-- Bass


 |
The Kirsten
Rian Quintet recently released My Mother’s Songs in early 2010.
Recorded live and intuitively, the project features regional luminaries
George Mitchell, Dan Schulte, Charlie Doggett, and John Nastos.
Returning to her roots as a jazz vocalist going back 25 years, Kirsten
released There Are Such Things in 2008. A stripped down, evocative duo
album, the well-received record features 10 tracks. Rian plays out
regularly throughout the Pacific Northwest at venues like Wilf’s,
Riverplace, Heathman, Allison Inn, and others.
For 12 years Rian was co-owner of Rust Records, an independent record
label, and lead singer and co-founder, producer, and songwriter for the
award-winning and nationally-recognized alternative rock band, In June.
The band produced four full-length albums, and a vinyl release, secured
national airplay on commercial radio specialty shows, and college radio
across the country, charting on CMJ top 20 lists at hundreds of
stations, and earning luminous press from such revered publications as
Virtually Alternative, Album Network, Alternative Press, and CMJ. She
has also won numerous songwriting awards and recognized in publications
such as Musician Magazine, and has been the featured artist on countless
nationally-distributed compilation CDs through SXSW, CMJ, and Album
Network, among others.
Greg Goebel was born in Oregon and began playing and composing
music from an early age. Upon graduation from the University of Oregon,
the school said of his achievements, “Greg has personally done more to
elevate the performance level of our jazz students than any other
person, graduate or undergraduate, who has attended the U of O in at
least the last fifteen years.” While at the University of Oregon,
Goebel received numerous awards including and award in Downbeat Magazine
for Outstanding Original Composition. Goebel then moved to Portland,
OR where he has quickly become one of the most in demand pianists in the
area. His musical style, rich with subtle complexities and harmonic
surprises make him a distinct voice among jazz pianists today.
Goebel has recorded and toured in the United States, Canada and
Europe with renowned bassist David Friesen and is a current member of
the David Friesen Trio. His work with the trio can be heard on
Friesen’s 2009 CD, Five and Three, and on the upcoming 2010 CD, Circle
of Three. Goebel has recorded and currently tours with singer Gino
Vannelli. His contributions can be heard on the upcoming CD, The Best
and Beyond. In addition to keeping a busy schedule in Portland,
Goebel has had the pleasure of performing with notable musicians such as
John Handy, Dick Oatts, Bob Magnusson, John Mosca, Terrell Stafford,
Alan Jones, Rebecca Kilgore, Gary Hobbs, Ron Steen and John Gross.
Born in New Orleans in 1935, Fred Hard is known in the
Northwest as a highly accomplished jazz bass player. Trained as a
classical cellist when young, he shifted to bass in his midteens. While
in graduate school studying English Literature at Indiana University, he
played in numerous jazz groups, including tours with the Tommy Dorsey
band, then led by Warren Covington. His fondest memory of that period is
a gig with Hoagy Carmichael. Diverted to an eight-year career as an
English professor at Reed College in the 1960’s, Fred soon returned to
his first love and continued to play steady gigs in Portland’s
nightclubs throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. In the '90s he traveled to
Japan several times to play in jazz festivals there. For a period of
eleven years he also owned with his wife Amelia one of Portland’s finest
restaurants, Genoa. Fred has been a member for 20 years of the Portland
band Border
Crossing |
Bill Hughes was a physician in
private practice in Salem for 23 years. In 2003 he quit his day job for
the joy and magic of playing jazz guitar. Bill plays clubs, restaurants
and casuals in Western Oregon. For the past five years, he has played
over 250 dates a year.
Randy
Porter is well known for his fine
jazz piano performance. Porter credits Dr. Frank Marks at Humboldt State
University for his classical training and musical inspiration. His jazz
teachers at New England Conservatory, Fred Hersch and Jaki Baird, along
with Art Lande and Butch Lacey, also enhanced his musical scope. As a
Steinway Artist, Randy draws from a rich palette of sonorities found
within his imagination and the depths of the piano. As a jazz musician,
Porter has a refined understanding of improvisation and the spontaneous
communication between musicians. Lynn Darroch of The Oregonian states,
"Porter has built a reputation as a musician's musician, a
knowledgeable, inventive, and sophisticated player with a remarkable
sense of time and gorgeous keyboard facility.
Bassist Ken Anoe was a US Air
Force Musician for over 20 years. He played in the Airmen of Note and
later in a select jazz combo in Washington D.C. He has played at the
White House and for heads of state from around the world. Ken currently
maintains a busy gigging schedule in Portland.
|
Bill Hughes
Trio
Bill
Hughes -- Guitar
Randy
Porter -- Piano
Ken Anoe -- Bass

|
If it were not for Roy Rogers,
Frank Tribble may have never picked up a guitar. But it was the
sound of Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery that really inspired the young
guitarist from Cincinatti, Ohio.
After arriving in Des Moines to attend Drake University in 1968, Tribble
began playing with Dartanyan Brown in a band called Star Theatre
Company. When that group disbanded, Tribble began a 30 year playing
tradition with organist Sam Salomone. |
Frank Tribble --
Guitar
Andre St. James --
Bass
|
|
Kilde, Fleetwood & La
Freniere  |
Kilde, Fleetwood & La Freniere
A unique blend of light jazz, standards and classic instrumentals
bringing three lifetimes of great musical experience into one enticing
soundWe’d like to introduce you
to the music of
Ron Kilde, Larry Fleetwood & Paul La Freniere.
A Trio of seasoned performers, with
histories associated with names such as Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, and
Henry Mancini, this ensemble presents a unique combination of
instruments and a distinctive, infectious sound that appeals to
audiences of all ages.
Equipped with a large repertoire that reflects their extensive
background, the Trio offers interpretations of light jazz, standards and
classic instrumentals presented with a delightful, “conversational”
interplay on stage and with the audience.
Check out our latest CD at
http://cdbaby.com/cd/kflf
website |
John Stowell - Guitar
 |
John Stowell began his successful career in the early
1970’s with private study with guitarist Linc Chamberland and pianist
John Mehegan. Both men were valuable mentors to John, allowing him to
play with them as he progressed in his development. Several years later
he met bassist David Friesen in New York City, and they formed a duo
that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances
in the United States,Canada, Europe and Australia. The duo continues to
perform thirty years after their first meeting. In 1983, John and David
joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul’s son Robin Horn (on drums) for a
historic tour of the Soviet Union. This was the first time in forty
years that an American jazz group had been invited to play public
performances in Russia. In 1993, 1995, and 1998 John returned to Russia,
playing in numerous cities. His two sold-out performances in Kursk may
have been the first appearances there by an American jazz musician. John
continues to tour, record and teach internationally. He has been
Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, and in
the United States and Canada. He served as assistant director and
performer in Oregon Public Broadcasting’s PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and
since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines,
including “Downbeat”, “Guitar Player”, Canadian Musician”, “Soundcheck”
(Germany), and “Guitar Club” (Italy).
website |
UnBande
Danny Seidenberg
-- viola
Daryl Silberman -- viola
Noah Seitz -- cello
Christopher Woitach -- guitar


 |
A member of the Turtle Island String
Quartet from 1992 to 2003, Danny Seidenberg, has enjoyed a varied and
eclectic musical life. He made his solo viola debut at age 16 with the
Pittsburgh Symphony as part of their Young People’s Concert series,
then went to on the Juilliard School and a professional tenure in New
York. Among the groups he performed with there are the American Ballet
Theater, New York City Opera, American Symphony Orchestra, American
Composers Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Orchestra of St. Lukes, New
York City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Philharmonia
Virtuosi, Solisti New York, Dance Theater of Harlem, Soviet Emigre
Orchestra, New York Virtuosi, Radio City Music Hall, many Broadway
shows and multifarious chamber music.
Daryl Silberman studied viola
at the University of Colorado at Boulder (BM), San Francisco
Conservatory of Music, and U.S.C. Currently, she is the director of
orchestras at West Salem High School. Daryl plays many contemporary
styles on both her traditional instruments and a 5-stringed electric
violin. She co-founded the acoustic folk rock band "Naked to the World"
and the instrumental group "littlworld." She has played and/or recorded
with Guns and Roses, Depeche Mode, Al Stewart, Michael Sherwood, Larisa
Stow, Darryl Purpose, Robert Morgan Fisher, E.B. Fraley, and many other
singer-songwriters and bands. For over 14 years Daryl has toured
nationally as a clinician for Knilling performing in the schools on her
traditional, classical violin and her 5-stringed acoustic-electric
violin. Her clinics, entitled "Connections: Inspiring String Students by
Connecting Classical and Contemporary Music" have resulted in her
performing in over 35 states addressing audiences of all ages.
Joining UnBande just this past year, she is thrilled to be playing with
violist husband Danny Seidenberg in this eclectic and avantgarde group.
website
Christopher Woitach is a jazz guitarist and composer, currently
residing in Portland, OR. He plays and composes in a fresh, innovative
style that pushes the boundaries of modern jazz while embracing
everything from swing to avant-garde.
website |
Mike
Horsfall has enjoyed a successful musical career for over 30 years.
He studied music at Central Washington University, and earned a
Bachelors in Piano degree from Marylhurst University in Portland,
Oregon. He developed an interest in jazz in the 70’s and studied with
Gary Burton, Joe Locke, Bill Cunliff, and Mal Waldron.
Mike’s professional career started in the summer of ‘73, playing
baritone horn in Disneyland’s All American College Marching Band. He
spent the next decade touring the country playing keyboards and vibes in
a R & B dance band before settling down in Portland and concentrating on
building a solid music career. In 1989 he co-founded a successful vibes-bassdrums
trio named Tall Jazz (www.talljazz.com), a widely acclaimed ensemble
with 8 CD’s to their name. He has appeared with a number of world class
musicians including Bud Shank, Bobby Shew, Chuck Redd, Carl Saunders,
Leroy Vinegar, and Rebecca Kilgore. Mike is currently in
demand as a composer, arranger, recording artist and concert soloist,
and as an educator, teaching at Mt. Hood Community College and Oregon
Episcopal School.
Craig Snazelle's jazz education
includes lessons/study with SF Bay Area bassist Chuck Sher, (John
Hendricks), Los Angeles bassist and former Portlander Jamie Faunt (Chick
Corea, John Klemmer), and since moving to Oregon, with bassists Glen
Moore (Oregon), Tom Wakeling and Larry Zgonc, (Principal Bass, Portland
Opera Company).
Notable Portland players Craig has worked with include; Pianists Gordon
Lee, Bill Beach, Phil Goldberg, and George Mitchell. Singers Shirley
Nannette, Karla Harris, and Victoria Corrigan. Saxophonists Bob
Hernandez, Lee Wuthenow, and Pete Peterson. He works frequently with
vibes player/pianist Mike Horsfall. He has performed locally at the Mt.
Hood Jazz Festival, Newport Coast Jazz Festival, and Cathedral Park Jazz
Festival.
|
Horsfall /Snazelle Duo
Mike Horsfall -
Vibes
Craig Snazelle - Bass


|
|
Blue Gardenia Jazztet
 
  |
The Blue Gardenia Jazztet
celebrates New York City, San Francisco, & Las Vegas Club-Styled
American & Brazilian Jazz with Blue Gardenia Vocalist Joanna Rios--and
featuring the music & styles of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Sammy
Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Sara
Vaughn, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Judy Garland, Brazil '66,
Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, and others.
Blue Gardenia Band members include pianist Charles
Guerin, Latin and straight jazz percussionist Raymond Rios,
and bassist Tom Ruttan.
For additional information,
please log on to our
website.
|
Clay Giberson -- Keyboards
John Nastos -- Saxophone

 |
Clay Giberson: Well traveled geographically and
musically, keyboardist/composer Clay Giberson’s artistic talent and
musicianship are coming to the forefront, A Southwest Washington native,
he studied in Coral Gables, Florida, University of Miami (B.M. Cum
Laude, Studio Music and Jazz) and New York City, New York University
(M.M. Magna Cum Laude, Music Technology) where he studied with Jim
McNeely and Fred Hersch. Clay has released four recordings on Seattle
based, Origin Records. His
latest recording “Spaceton’s
Approach” a piano trio project, received national airplay and
favorable reviews. He has performed throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the
Mediterranean, the South Pacific and Caribbean and Japan. Having been
influenced by all types of music, Clay draws from these idioms in his
own compositions and in the interpretation of others. Currently he is a
member of cooperative groups Upper
Left Trio and Go By Train.
He is on faculty at Clackamas and Mt. Hood Community Colleges where he
teaches piano and electronic music.
John Nastos, a Portland native, is an active
performer and educator in the Portland jazz scene. After spending time
in New York studying at the Manhattan School of Music with Bob Mintzer,
Dick Oatts, and Mike Abene, John returned to Portland where he has
become on of the most in-demand woodwind players on the scene. He can
be found sharing the stage with the likes of Mel Brown, Bobby Torres,
Damian Erskine, and Darrell Grant on a regular basis. In 2009, Nastos
and pianist Clay Giberson started a project called "Duo Chronicles" in
which the duo releases a new video each week of a performance of one of
their compositions or arrangements. More information at
duochronicles.com and
johnnastos.com |
Pianist/vocalist Bill Beach
has performed with many jazz legends including Joe Henderson, Bobby
Hutcherson, Eddie Harris, Nat Adderley, Mark Murphy and Howard Roberts.
He has studied with Marian McPartland, Jack DeJohnette and Warren
Bernhardt. Bill has performed in Japan, Mexico, and many European
countries.
In 2002 Bill began serious study of Brazilian music and the Portuguese
language. His well received 2004 release “Letting Go” included 5 vocal
interpretations of Brazilian classics as well as 5 of his original
instrumental compositions. He made his first trip to Brazil in 2006
where he met and performed with many Brazilian musicians. In 2008 he
began writing his own lyrics in Portuguese. His latest CD is all
original music and lyrics in Portuguese. It is called "Brasil Beat" and
is scheduled for release in April of 2010.
Dennis Caiazza has been
a full-time professional musician for over 25 years. Before moving to
Atlanta in 1992, Dennis played and sang regularly with the Gap Mangione
Jazz Trio and Big Band, and also performed and recorded with jazz greats
Clark Terry, Eddie Daniels and Marian McPartland.
In 1998 Dennis formed "Swing Factory," an eight piece swing band that
played in and around the Southeast, recorded two internationally
acclaimed CD's, and remained a popular force on the jazz and swing scene
for over three years. Since moving to the Northwest in 2002, Dennis has
had the privilege to work with some of its great musicians and world
class entertainers, including Don Rickles, Regis Philbin, Ramsey Embick
, Ron Steen, John Stowell, Mel Brown, Tony Pacini, Dave Frishberg, Tom
Grant, Gary Hobbs, Dan Balmer, Rob Davis, Kenny Hing, Bill Beach, Nu
Shooz Orchestra and The Woody Hite Big Band to name a few.
Charlie Doggett began playing
drums when his parents gave him a snare drum and a set of hi-hats for
his 10th birthday. He fashioned a bass drum out of a hassock and a
lampshade served as his ride cymbal. When he was 14 he saved enough
money to buy his first real set of drums and landed his first real gig
with a top 40 cover band one year later.
Doggett was entirely self-taught until
enrolling in Lane Community College where he began formal instruction
with Alan Keown, and Randal Larson. He would later earn a Bachelor of
Music from the University of Oregon where he studied with Gary Versace,
Chris Lee, and Alan Jones. He now resides in Portland Oregon.
|
Bill Beach and
Brazil Beat
Bill Beach --
Piano/ Vocals
Dennis Caiazza -- Bass
Charlie Doggett -- Drums


 |
Paul Unger - Bass
Steve Christoferson
 |
Paul Unger is the Asst. Principal Bass of the Fort Worth
Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Unger has appeared as a featured
soloist with the Dallas Ballet, Fort Worth Chamber
Orchestra, Mount Vernon Chamber Music and at the Mimir
Chamber Music Festival and has performed with such
diverse artists as Andrea Bocelli, Bobby Shew,
Bernadette Peters and Jay Clayton.
Paul was the Instructor of Double Bass at TCU from
2005-2007 and is also a member of the jazz group
Flipside and the international tango ensemble, Montango.
He also wrote and directed the award winning film, “The
Last Supper”, which appeared at the Tribeca Film Fest
and composed music for the feature film
“Seventy-Eight”.
Paul is one of a small, but growing, number of bassists
who tune their bass in Fifths, who, coincidentally grew
up in Silverton.
|
|
CHANCE HAYDEN is a diverse,
performing guitarist with fluency in an array of genres from jazz and
American roots, to rock and rhythm & blues. Throughout his musical
studies he received numerous awards and scholarships, graduating from
Portland State University in 2008 with a Bachelor's of Music Performance
in Jazz. Currently, Chance is active as a private guitar instructor,
composer/arranger and bandleader to a variety of his own projects.
He also performs often with Northwest luminaries Shelly Rudolph, Darrell
Grant, Devin Phillips and he has appeared with internationally
acclaimed jazz artists such as Diane Schurr, Bill Watrous and Terrell
Stafford. |
Chance Hayden -
Guitar |
Jass
Two Plus One
Steve Boden --Vocals, Guitar
Dick Saunders -- Clarinet, Saxophone
John Walling -- Bass

|
STEVE BODEN
Leader, Vocals, Guitar, sings in a smooth, jazzy crooner’s
style. His vintage arch top guitar drives the infectious rhythms of
early Jazz. ‘20’s Jazz guitar pioneer Eddie Lang influences him. Steve
knows the music, the times, the characters, and the events that make the
Roaring Twenties Roar. Steve’s vocal talent was discovered at an early
age, and he’s performed several styles. At Portland's KBOO-FM, he
discovered the romance and adventure of early Jazz music and hosted the
"Ragtime" show. A decade of tours with the show duo "Boden & Zanetto"
also yielded a tape album. Steve co-founded the original Jass Two duo
with reed legend Teddy Deane.
DICK SAUNDERS Dick’s virtuoso command of the clarinet
and sax shows. the hand of a master of vintage Jazz. He began his career
singing on New York radio at age 4. He has played the famed Borscht
circuit, directed band and choral units in the US Air Force. He played
in the Phoenix Symphony, and top show room orchestras of Las Vegas, Reno
and Lake Tahoe. He was called to Los Angeles for studio sessions in the
Radio,TV and Film industries. His mastery of the woodwind instruments
brought him work with such stars as Tony Bennett, George Burns, Sammy
Davis Jr., Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra. Dick has relocated to Portland.
He has regularly appeared as soloist with Norman Leyden's Oregon
Symphony Pops Concerts.
JOHN WALLING John’s poppin’, jumpin’ bass line gives
Jass Two Plus One distinctive depth and drive. It’s no wonder. John is
also featured bassist with Portland’s legendary Stumptown Jazz. He’s
played the Hollywood Bowl, and with the Coconut Grove Orchestra. A
graduate of Univ. of California at Santa Cruz, he’s a master of both
upright string bass and the tuba. His influences include Fats Waller,
Louis Armstrong and Mozart. John’s extraordinary talent extends to the
classical music world as founder of the Portland Brass Quintet. He’s
played with the Santa Cruz Symphony, the Burbank Symphony, and the Rose
City Chamber Orchestra. John passes the torch to students as a teacher
with Portland’s MUSE Band Performance program. |
Susanna Branch (formerly known as
Sue Miller)
Ms. Branch began playing piano at age of two and began performing with
father at age of four.
She was recipient of the Pi Kappa Lamda award her freshman year of
college and was member of a student jazz quintet.
Ms. Branch (Miller) has performed professionally in jazz and musical
theatre for over 30 years, most recently as Aya d’Zubedayah in Seattle’s
Fifth Avenue Theatre production of Kismet. While living in Colorado
previous to her moving the Northwest, Ms. Branch performed in Soft
Touch, a jazz duo and played guitar in a Greek band featuring a belly
dancer.
Ms Branch was cantorial soloist for High Holy Days for nine years at
Temple de Hirsch Sinai in Seattle and also for High Holy Days with
Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 1986 and for Founders’ Day at the
Cincinnati campus in 1987.
Later Ms. Branch was vocalist with the San Juan Jazz Quartet in Friday
Harbor, with the Olympic Trombone Orchestra, a big band featuring
retired members of the great Dorsey and Kenton bands, and she was house
vocalist at Pete’s Place in Port Townsend and a member of the Pete Toyne
Ensemble. She also performed with her own trio in the Puget Sound area.
Most recently she has been performing with Jonathan Swanson at various
venues in Oregon. Her favorite activity outside of music is training and
showing her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Summer.
Jonathan Swanson began his musical training at a very young age.
By age 13 Jonathan was an accomplished classical pianist and performed
frequent public recitals. In high school, he was recruited to the Sunset
jazz band and began studying jazz piano. Jonathan attended Seattle
Pacific University where he earned a degree in Chemistry and achieved
all American status in both soccer and track. While at SPU, Jonathan
formed a duo with Bassist Leo Raymundo. This duo performed regular gigs
at the Sorrento Hotel and Serafina in Seattle. In 2000 Jonathan moved to
Portland where he began a recording business called Instepmusic. The web
site is www.instepmusic.com. Jonathan is currently producing a gypsy
jazz record that features world renowned Spanish guitarist Pere Soto and
solos by saxophonist David Evans. In addition Jonathan recently produced
a record called Portland Rain featuring vocalist Michal Angela. On his
spare time, Jonathan enjoys windsurfing, practicing classical music, and
running. |
Susanna Branch
Jonathan Swanson


|
Randy Byrnes
 |
I was born in
Detroit Michigan, seems like yesterday, into a “Ford” neighborhood on
the west side (the west “thing” kept growing). Lots of Tiger games, many
alone by way of the bus. We had a piano in the house, and we weren’t
Polish Catholic like every other family, so the accordion was the
official instrument of the neighborhood. My next door neighbor played
honky tonk piano (Lil Jaroh, my first music hero). I still don’t play as
good as her or any of my heroes but somehow I’ve learned to cope and
play anyway. My dad Russ liked Dixieland Jazz, so I didn’t. Too many
guys soloing all at the same time. One of his best friends played
trumpet in a Dixie band at the Tiger games and sure did have fun.... I
feel like I owe something big to New Orleans....Hum...
My youth overflowed with ethnic culture; lines in the sand were
everywhere and the edges sometimes cut deep into my growing soul. I
moved to Orange County California, and this I can be quoted on, “If
there were only these two places on earth to pick from, I’d pick
Detroit”. Thank you Detroit!
|
|
Perfect Zero, from Portland, OR. has been igniting the
Northwest since the summer of 2008 with an exciting
and new instrumental sound. Inspired by the creative electronica scene, the band utilizes live-looping
technology and an array of different instruments to
blend drum n' bass, funk, jazz, rock and everything in
between. All hailing from different corners of the
country, the three members bring a diverse set of
knowledge and ability to the project, creating a unique
new sound for listeners everywhere. In just a short
while the band has traveled throughout the NW, including
tours which have brought them through much of
California, Oregon, Washington, Montana + Idaho. In
that time they've shared the bill with such great acts
as: Garaj Mahal, Arturo Sandoval, KJ Sawka and many
others. Perfect Zero has also recorded and released
three live albums, with many more to come!
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Perfect Zero
Rob Sipsky - Guitar, Synth,
Looping
Evan Malfer - Bass, Low-end effects
Mike Apodaca - Drums
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Young Lions
The up and coming young musicians
Brett McConnell --
Bass

Kyle Owen -
Drums

Hailey Niswanger --
Saxophone

Tree Palmedo --
Trumpet

Ryan Wolfe
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Brett McConnell is a 21 year old bassist and composer
from Boise, Idaho. Having been in the school orchestra throughout
junior high and high school, Brett decided to move to Portland to
become a jazz bass player. Under the direction of Glen Moore, Dan
Schulte, Charley Gray and Darrell Grant, Brett has become a wondrous jazz
performer ever since arriving at Portland State University in 2007.
He has performed with the Portland Jazz Orchestra and is currently in
the Kung Fu Quartet, along with other up-and-coming projects.
Kyle Owen has been playing drums
since the age of 10 and has always had a passion for the sound spectrum
the drums can provide in an ensemble or solo. He has been playing
professionally for about 6 years now and is continuing his education at
Portland State University where he is working on his Bachelors of Music
in Jazz studies on the drum set. He is working on writing and networking
to create a solid foundation to make a splash in the music world. He has
studied/performed/worked with artists such as Alan Jones, Darrell Grant,
Ken Ollis, John Nastos, Farnell Newton, and Dan Shulte; and is currently
playing in various groups ( Club 7 Jazz Band, Orjazzum, Stimulus
Package, and leads his own group The KOrtet).
Hailey Niswanger (pronounced
"NICE-wonger"), currently studying jazz performance on a full
scholarship at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, has
an impressive list of accomplishments that reach far beyond the borders
of her home in Portland, Oregon, and well beyond her years. She has
shared the stage with DeeDee Bridgewater, George Duke, George Garzone,
Red Holloway, Terell Stafford, Phil Woods, James Moody, Steve Nelson,
Christian McBride, McCoy Tyner, Maceo Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Mark
Whitfield and other jazz greats and leads her own quartet. In September
of 2009 Hailey was selected as the new alto saxophonist in the
internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the
chair previously held by Miguel Zenon and Jaleel Shaw, among others.
In May 2009, Hailey hit the road running after completing her first year
at Berklee. That month she was a featured artist at the Mary Lou
Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington,
D.C. (she won the festival's saxophone competition in 2008) and her
concert was broadcast on NPR's "JazzSet With Dee Dee Bridgewater" in
October 2009.
website
Tree Palmedo started
playing bugle at age three
and was booked to play
weddings as a novelty.
When his mother was told
he was too young for lessons e took to the piano.
Tree started trumpet in 4th
Grade in the Oregon Episcopal
Lower School band. His teacher
Ronnye Harrison had Tree sitting in with the ACMA jazz band and gigging
with a trumpet trio by the time he was in 5th Grade.
Tree spent his 7th and 8th Grade years as a member of the Pacific Crest
Jazz Orchestra, playing in NYC, at Monterey and at many other festivals
where he won several soloist awards. By the end of his Freshman year in
High School he had been invited on full scholarship to Berklee's Summer
Jazz Workshop, to the Vail Jazz Festival Workshop, had received a
DownBeat Award (2008) for Outstanding Performance, had placed 3rd in the
National Trumpet Competition's 28 and Under Jazz Division, had been
named a Grammy Band Finalist and served as Principal trumpet for the
Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra.
As a 10th Grader, Tree performed at the Reno Jazz Festival as a Reno
Jazz All-Star, where he also won the Outstanding High School Trumpeter
Award. He was re-invited to Berklee's Summer Jazz workshop, renamed a
Grammy Band Finalist and won his second DownBeat Award (2009) for
Outstanding Performance. He studied Jazz at Portland State University
after school and enjoyed playing in PSU's Big Band and Combo as well as
his studies with Randy Porter. He was ecstatic to be named a 2009
Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colonist.
As a Current 11th Grader, Tree plays in the Portland Youth Philharmonic
and loves giving trumpet lessons through PYP's Peer Mentor Program. He
also enjoys playing in Andrew Oliver's Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble,
Derek Sim's MYS Jazz Band, Farnell Newton's PDX Jazz Project and the PSU
Jazz Combo. Tree recently started writing charts for combos. He has been
mentored in this by Alan Jones at the Alan Jones Academy of Music. His
last two tunes "Cool Whip!" (2009) and "Pandemonium" (2009) have been
played at several local gigs and can be seen by searching for them on
youtube. They were played at the VIP opening party for the 2010 PDX Jazz
Festival and were well received. Tree was also recently named 2nd
trumpet for the Jazz Band of America.
Ryan Wolfe is a senior at Wilson High School, in Portland Oregon. He
participates in the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz 1, the PDX Jazz
Project, and the Alan Jones Academy of Music. He has been a Grammy Band
Finalist, and was selected to play in the Oregon All-State Jazz Band and
the Jazz Band of America. He currently studies with Randy Porter and
Alan Jones in Portland.
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Silverton High School
Jazz Band under direction of Tim Duffy
PSU Big Band under
the directorship of Charley Gray
Western Oregon Big Band under the direction of Keller Coker
Sherwood
High Jazz Band under
the direction of Frank Petrik |
This page last updated:
May 05, 2010 |