If you want to get to park early, you will hear the Portland Youth Philharmonic play on the same stage, starting at 5 pm.

Here’s the program details:

Portland Youth Philharmonic Program – starts at 5 PM
David Hattner, conductor

Dmitri Shostakovich – Allegretto from Symphony No. 5 in D minor
Camille Saint-Saëns - Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Natally Okhovat, violin (Winner of the 2009/10 PYP Concerto Competition)
Gabriel Fauré - Pavane
Serge Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet, Suite No. 1
II. Scene
V. Masks
VII. The Death of Tybalt

Oregon Symphony Program – starts at 7 PM
Carlos Kalmar, conductor
*Gregory Vajda, conductor

John Stafford Smith (arr. Leyden) – The Star Spangled Banner
John Williams – The Cowboys Overture
Johann Strauss Jr. – Annen-Polka
Louis Joseph F. Herold – Overture to Zampa
Jacques Offenbach – Intermezzo and Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann
Johannes Brahms (Schmeling) – *Hungarian Dance No. 5
Camille Saint-Saëns - Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah
John Kander (arr. Tyzik) – New York, New York
(Audience sing-along! See the lyrics in the program book.)

Intermission

Hector Berlioz – Roman Carnival Overture
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Scene from Act II Sleeping Beauty
Dancers from Oregon Ballet Theatre
Choreography: Christopher Stowell after Marius Petipa
Costume Design: Peter Cazalet
Ernesto Lecuona - Gitaneria from Andalucía Suite
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture

Schubert wrote his String Quartet in G in 1826, which was two years before he died in 1828 at the age of 31. Not published until 1851, this piece was regarded by many ensembles as extreme chamber music because of its length (ASQ’s performance clocks in at just under 44 minutes) and technical difficulty.

The American String Quartet (Peter Winograd, first violin, Luarie Carney, second violin, Daniel Avshalomov, viola, and Wolfram Koessel, cello) gives Schubert’s work an outstanding performance with incisive playing that is well-balanced and emotionally engaging. The piece often has an edgy feeling, especially when Winograd etches a thread of high pitched tones that move about like someone with frayed nerves. The second movement has several passages that end with really odd, upturned, short two-note phrases as if Schubert were asking an annoying question. The fourth movement constantly shifts from major to minor as if Schubert couldn’t make up his mind.

Berg’s String Quartet Op. 3, written in 1910, is an atonal piece in two movements that combines sonata and variation forms in an innovative way that harkens back to Schubert’s last quartet. Berg’s work also seems to have no home key, which reminds some scholars of the major versus minor restlessness in Schubert’s piece. Still, it is difficult to hear the connections between Berg and Schubert’s music, even after repeated listening.

Things don’t get easier with Webern, who wrote the Fünf Sätze (Five Movements) Op. 5 in 1909. The music is very abstract and seemingly disjointed, However, Daniel Avshalomov’s liner notes point out that Webern uses some ideas from the scherzo in Brahms’s Piano Quintet Op. 34, which have a direct link to the finale in Schubert’s Quintet in C. Then, Webern’s scherzo continues with violins and violas that “play the same rhythm as the first unison gesture in the finale of the Quartet in G. In fact, the first violin’s pitches in Webern are the same as Schubert’s in all four parts! No accident.”

So Schubert’s music echoed into the Twentieth Century, and it may reverberate even further if composers continue to find inspiration from his sonic ideas.

—

Extra note, Daniel Avshalomov is the son of Jacob Avshalomov, who was the music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for many years.

Photo credit: John Rudoff

This fall marks David Hattner’s third year as the music director and conductor of the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Hattner seems to be the right fit for this orchestra, which thrives on difficult pieces that require a high level of technique and artistry. Last year, the PYP conquered a number of challenging works, including Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony and Stephen Dankner’s “Albrecht Dürer – The Apocalypse of St. John.” The 2010-2011 season is the orchestra’s 87^th year, and Hattner is only the 5^th leader that the orchestra has ever had.

I met with Hattner on Friday to talk about the orchestra’s concert schedule and his perspective on the upcoming season.

When do you start rehearsals for your upcoming season?

Hattner: We will start after we get past the Waterfront concerts on September 2^nd. That concert will features some pieces from last season. We rehearse for that concert earlier in the day and then go on stage at 5 in the afternoon.

We have our orchestra seating auditions the next week and begin regular rehearsals the following week.

So which section in the orchestra has the biggest turnover?

Hattner: We have at least one returning player in every section. So no section is completely decimated.

You had a wonderful concertmaster, Natally Okhovat, last year. Will she be back?

Hattner. Yes, but her position – like every other in the orchestra – is up for grabs. But I have confidence that she is preparing well to win it again. She’s well organized, brilliant, and very determined.

The orchestra’s first concert features Oregon Symphony concertmaster Jun Iwasaki in Bernstein’s Serenade for Violin, Harp, Percussion, and Strings.

Hattner: We are looking forward to this concert with Jun. The whole community is lucky to have someone of his caliber, working and teaching. He’s a tremendous positive influence.

I programmed the Bernstein because I needed a piece for a violin soloist that had percussion and harp in it. There aren’t all that many. The other works on the concert are Hanson’s Third Symphony, which doesn’t use percussion or harp, and Ives’s Variations on America has percussion but no harp.

The Bernstein piece works out well, because Jun has not done it as a soloist. It’s a wonderful piece that is based on Plato’s Symposium. The music is Bernstein at his most Hindemithian in terms of the harmonies and counterpoint, yet it has all of the Bernstein qualities. He captures the ideas of philosophers who are talking about love. Some look at scientifically, others have a different intellectual perspective, and then at the end of the piece a group of bacchanalian revelers crash the discussion and the music becomes raucous-like and wild.

I’ve heard this piece. It’s really difficult!

Hattner: Yes, the details in the piece are demanding. But our string section is very strong this year, partly because we have so many returning players and the younger players who auditioned to get into the orchestra are at a very high level. We have separate string rehearsals every week, and that will give us plenty of time to prepare. The Hanson symphony is not as technically challenging; so that will give the orchestra a little bit of a break.

The concert will open with the Ives’s piece, which is a lot of fun to play. But the harmonies sounded very strange in 1896 when he wrote this music. The music is very advanced for that time. Brahms had just died; Dvorak was still alive, and Ives wrote a piece that would sound normal for the 1940s. He wrote it for organ, and it was orchestrated in the 1960s by William Schuman, and it’s Schuman’s anniversary this year. He was born in 1910. I’ve conducted a couple of his pieces and would like to do his Fifth Symphony, which is a string orchestra piece, sometime in the future.

So, in every concert, you try to involve all of the members of the orchestra?

Hattner: That’s right, every concert will involve all of the orchestra, but I can’t guarantee that for each piece. Since percussionists and harp players pay tuition, they should play in every concert. If you want to do a Beethoven symphony with two horns, two trumpets, no trombones, no percussion, no harp, you have to think very hard about what the other piece on the program will be. So I have to think about all of the players; so our programming tends towards big Romantic and early Twentieth Century symphonies and ballets.

So the Hanson symphony in the first concert has classic post-Romantic orchestration with strings, timpani, no harp, but triple winds. It’s a wonderful symphony and beautifully constructed.

For your annual Concert-at-Christmas, you’ve got the alumni coming back to perform Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger.

Hattner: That piece is well-known for its soaring orchestration, but it’s also a great study in counterpoint. It has the three themes that come in one after the other, and at the end they are all going at the same time. But you don’t even notice it because it’s so smooth

Last year, we had 107 alumni performing, and I’m hoping that we will do as well again this year. We have one rehearsal, but it lasts three hours for a 10 minute piece. So, it goes remarkably well, and everyone has a great time.

We hope to have a good audience, of course. The concert will take place on Sunday this year. You get to see some of our youngest players who play in some of the other ensembles under the PYP umbrella: the Young String Ensemble, the Wind Ensemble, and our Conservatory Orchestra. These are fine young musicians who are led by Larry Johnson and Carol Sindell.

In this concert, the PYP will play a new piece by John Caughman, who plays tuba in the orchestra. I haven’t seen it yet, but he has had a piece premiered by the Oregon Symphony, because he won their 2009 Creative Kids Composition Contest. So he’s skilled and eager, and I’m looking forward to his work.

We are also doing the overture to Lalo’s opera Le roi d’Ys. The piece used to be – for the first 50 years of the Twentieth Century an absolute standard in every orchestra’s repertoire – just like Berlioz’s Roman Carnival. It’s dramatic and a little bit manic with beautiful solos for the cello and clarinet. I think that the audience will love to be reacquainted and rediscover this masterpiece.

We will also perform Chabrier’s Joyeuse Marche, which is another piece that was very popular a while ago, but does not appear on orchestral programs nowadays. It’s a wonderful French confection that bubbles.

Tell us about the Winter Concert, which takes place in early March. Your orchestra will play Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Brahm’s Tragic Overture. That’s pretty heady stuff!

Hattner: The Brahms is difficult in so many ways. The orchestra hasn’t played it since the 1960s. We’ll have to work on getting the right sound, the phrasing, and balance. It’s a great piece that demands a lot from the players.

Petrushka is difficult especially in terms of technique and rhythm. Everyone has a lot to play, and none of it is easy, but the students love these challenges.

The big challenge for me is to find the best way for us the rehearse the music so that everyone comes to the performance comfortable, knowing exactly how to play the music, knowing how to think through the music. It’s not just what the notes are and what the dynamics are. They have to think about what they are supposed to hear while they are playing, what makes them confident about their playing – all the way to the back of the orchestra. Everyone is contributing a hundred percent.

Also on that program will be a performance by the winner of our annual concerto competition that we will hold later this year. So the piece that we will play will depend on that outcome.

Your Spring Concert on May 15^th is going to be the orchestra’s first ever Sunday matinee.

Hattner: Yes, we are eager to find out how this matinee works with the public. On the program, we’ve got Suppé’s Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna Overture, which is a virtuoso work. It requires a lot of technical wherewithal to do well, and it has a wonderful cello solo.

The style of the music is so different. There’s nothing today that relates to Nineteenth Century Viennese operetta music. So, I have to get this feeling and mood to the students. The small details in rehearsal can change this concert from a student performance to an outstanding performance.

For our Spring Concert, we are also going to play Aaron Avshalomov’s Peking Hutungs. Lots of people today are looking for music that has an authentic Asian flavor on Western instruments like, for example, Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project. Avshalomav’s piece, which dates back to the 1930s, uses authentic Chinese melodies. He lived in China during much of his adult life even though he was born in Siberia. He knew the street vendors and the day-to-day tunes that were part of the life of the city of Peking – today we refer to it as Beijing. He notated these sounds as best as he could and created a tone poem that celebrated what you would hear if you walked through the Hutungs, the alleys or byways of this great city. You might hear one vendor selling food and another vendor who is mending pots and pans, and another doing something else. Then a funeral procession comes through with loud drums. It’s all orchestrated really brilliantly. In some ways, it reminds me of Respighi’s Pines of Rome.

Aaron Avshalomov was the father of Jacob Avshalomov, who was the second conductor of the PYP. It’s a fine composition that the orchestra hasn’t done for about 25 years.

We are also going play Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis on our Spring Concert. This piece is a product of his early years in the United States. He didn’t have much luck with the Nazi regime in Germany; so he came to teach at Yale, and, I think that he consciously tried to write something that was more populist, because he needed the money. He took some themes of Carl Maria von Weber and put them through a metamorphosis and turned it into an exciting orchestral showpiece.

How is the Chamber Orchestra doing?

Hattner: It’s expanding this year; so that’s very exciting. We’ve got two concerts scheduled at Weiden and Kennedy in the Pearl. One concert is on January 30^th. That’s the Sunday before the Super Bowl. We’ll be performing Mozart’s 28^th symphony, which is his happiest symphony. The Chamber Chorus of the Pacific Youth Choir will join us for Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus and the Sancta Maria. The Chamber Orchestra is also going to play a piece by Bach and Copland’s Appalachian Spring on that concert.

Then the Chamber Orchestra will return in April to do another concert at Weiden and Kennedy. The details of the program are being worked out, but one of the pieces will feature a soloist from the orchestra.

I like the space at Weiden and Kennedy, because the acoustics are pretty good and the audience can sit real close to the musicians. That helps everyone to experience the music more intensely.

This is about family music. Family. Music. I usually write about popular music, kindie music and stuff for kids and families to do. And this post will be no different. But bear with me while I paint a wider picture this time, but use events close to my life as a brush.

This is about how we as a society bring kids to music and music to kids and families.

Justin Roberts

As I was preparing a preview of the August 15 Justin Roberts concert, I was directed to check out a blurb by Jay Horton on the very same concert in Willamette Week and was rather astonished by the tenor of the writer’s attitude towards music for kids and families. The writer was generally OK with the music of that particular artist, but seemed a bit chapped that he had to spend time writing about it.

The attitude was one of “well, the music is OK, and I guess if you’ve gotta take your kid to something, this guy is alright, but why would anyone feel the need to create music for kids?” He opined that a steady diet of the Beatles and another couple of adult artists would serve the kid just as well. Well, if you’re a kid, why wouldn’t you want something of your own instead of being expected to fall in line with whatever your parents like? This guy was downright crabby about it, and worried if artists provided music that rocked for kids, that the kids would eventually feel “entitled” (his word).

And to that I say: WTF? Entitled? Entitled?! Seriously?

Do you really mean to say that if you take a kid to hear age-appropriate music that happens to be about stuff that’s relevant to your kid, makes the kid happy and maybe  – just maybe – awakens something in your kid that wouldn’t have found expression another way (like say, musical ability, dance, or I dunno, art), that that kid would actually expect you to then provide more of the same?

And that’s bad, how, exactly?

It’s like the writer didn’t want to expose kids to something of their own because then they’d like it and want more.

Nice. Way to parent, dude.

We’ll get back to this in a bit.

I read an interesting book earlier this summer that dealt with how the brain develops in human children and how early traumatic experiences during some critical points in the development of the brain can influence a kid in sweepingly dramatic ways. I’m talking about kids up to the age of about 5 years. The overall gist is that if X happens during this or that phase of brain development, Y is generally the outcome and these are the steps one takes to heal or correct the damage done.

The thing that stuck with me was the explanation of how the brain develops and that kids learn way, way more during their earliest years. We learn more during this period than in any other time in our lives.

So using that information, we can also surmise that early positive experiences can affect the kid’s development as well. It’s in all the books. This is not new information. How dramatically it affects them when experienced at the right time and in appropriate settings is what got my attention.

Which is why, Mr. Crabby Writer, we take kids to see, hear and do stuff that’s appropriate for their level of development. Once exposed, that kid learns tons of stuff we never would have thought of (because who can know the innate talents and interests of a kid unless they find an outlet?). It’s the very exposure to these experiences that we see through the kid’s eyes again and learn what makes that kid happy, sad, excited, dreamy, touched, bored or pissed.

Armed with that insight, we can guide that kid towards more of the same experiences or expression that caught hold in that moment.

My musician friend’s daughter was exposed to music from the time she was in utero. Yes, that is early, but stick with me. This kid was a challenge because she’s very bright (read: easily bored). Well, she took an interest in music, so her mom started her with piano lessons, took her to her own concerts, and to musicals and other concerts. She thought she wanted to play violin. Her parents said, “OK, we’ll give it a shot.”

That didn’t float her boat, but what did, was the musicals her folks took her to occasionally. She wanted to be the star of a show and to sing. So singing lessons it was. This kid wasn’t yet 10 years old. I remember her standing out in her yard by herself, just belting out show tunes. I mean, really belting.

So, after a couple of years, she figured out she had to know how to act and to dance and all the stuff that goes with being a musical theater artist. Turns out, she just wanted to sing.

Who knew this kid would then find, pretty much all on her own, straight-up opera was the thing for her? Certainly none of the adults in her life did (myself included). But she found it, and that was that.

From that point on, I’ve never (ever) seen a kid so determined, so self-aware, simply going for it with laser-like focus and singleness of purpose. Yes, she has a lot going for her (namely an incredible voice), and has worked hard. She is far ahead of her age group in development across the board. She won State Solo Contest 3 years in a row (never done before, btw). She competed at the national level and came in third out of 800 high school juniors in 2009, and was a finalist this year. She’s now a scholarship student at San Francisco Conservatory, having earned spots in schools back east, as well. She’s on her way, but who’s to say what would have happened had that talent, that spark and that interest not been discovered and nurtured?

Mr. Crabby Writer would probably faint if he saw the amount of work and dedication her parents put into this kid when it was clear what she wanted.

See for yourself. Check out Cara Gabrielson’s performance in the finals of the Classical Singer Magazine’s High School competition:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I had no idea how serious my 11-year-old (at the time) nephew was about music when I took him to a Portland Youth Philharmonic concert. He’d been learning the trumpet and was studying privately for about 6 months or so, and he wanted to see what kind of group his auntie Dot had played in.  As we were waiting for the concert to start, the orchestra was onstage warming up. They hadn’t even tuned yet, and my nephew leaned forward, turned to me and said very seriously, “I’m going to play in that orchestra.”

He’d never been to a classical orchestra concert and really hadn’t yet heard how they sound. But at that moment, I believed he’d do it. I didn’t shut him down and I didn’t build up any false hopes. I just said, “OK, well, listen up, then.”

And, with some guidance from me, the support of his grandmother and great-grandmother, and a lot of hard work and determination on his part (and not a little sacrifice), that kid did indeed end up playing in the PYP.

And then he went on to a scholarship and a freshman spot alongside grad students in the top trumpet studio at New England Conservatory. He’s met and played hoops with Wynton Marsalis, played as a sub in the Oregon Symphony, and now he’s taking auditions for orchestra gigs around the country and playing gigs around town.

So that one spark can lead to a life in the arts. Who was I or anyone else to deny that when we had some means to help him along the way? We all know that kids who do music tend to be more successful. What better reason than that?

Entitled? I’d say yes, he was entitled to that. Yes, it took a lot of resources, and the help of extended family. But isn’t that what it’s about? Family?

You think this kid didn’t have some family behind him?

Click here to view the embedded video.

With the uproar about school budget cuts and arts education in the lurch, it falls to the resources a family can pull together, programs like Ethos, the Right-Brain Initiative, and arts organizations focusing on arts education, to make sure the next great Clapton, or Wynton, or BB doesn’t remain undiscovered because his dad didn’t want him to feel “entitled.”

Oh, and the Justin Roberts concert last Sunday was sold out and a great show. Kids were singing every word to every song, dancing and digging the groove. So, you missed out, Crabby.

Here are the details from the PYP press release:

The Portland Youth Philharmonic’s Board President Jan Ahrens John announced on Thursday, August 19th that, following an international search, the Board of Directors unanimously selected Kevin A. Lefohn as PYP’s next Executive Director. He will officially begin on August 30, 2010. Lefohn will serve as the chief fundraising officer and work collaboratively with Conductor and Music Director David Hattner to assure successful development and implementation of PYP’s performance, education, touring and outreach programs.

Lefohn’s path was defined by an encounter with the Emerson String Quartet during his violin performance studies at the University of Oregon. Subsequent summers at the Aspen Music Festival and School and further studies with the legendary Dorothy DeLay further inspired and encouraged him to make music his life’s work. After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance, he accepted an academic university appointment in New Zealand combining both his performing and teaching talents and springboarding an international teaching and performing career. Teaching for nine years at the University of Otago, where he also founded and directed a pre-college program for 4-18 year-olds, and returning for a visiting professorship at U of O, he is passionate about music education for young people. He founded the intensive Queenstown Violin Summer School and Festival of Chamber Music and most recently held an executive management position with a three million dollar orchestra in New Zealand with an outreach program serving more than 24,000 young people.

Lefohn’s fateful Oregon encounter with the Emerson String Quartet and his fully-realized commitment to a career creating similar opportunities for the next generation, spoke volumes to PYP’s Search Committee. “Kevin’s personal appreciation for and commitment to the power of access to a quality music education for dedicated young people mirrors PYP’s mission to provide quality musical training and performances to the community,” says Jan John, PYP Board President.

Lefohn recognizes that Portland, not unlike many of the world’s communities, is in a time of economic flux and that arts organizations and school music programs, face constant pressure to demonstrate their worth but says that PYP is in a strong position because of its commitment to youth, its respect in the community, and its history. “PYP’s commitment to excellence is reflected in everything they do, from their programs to their financial stewardship,” he says.

Lefohn succeeds Diane Syrcle as Executive Director. Syrcle, PYP’s Executive Director for seven years, began her new role as the Executive Director at Oregon Ballet Theatre in May. Under her leadership, PYP saw contributed revenue grow by123% in two years and its accumulated debt completely retired. It has operated with a positive cash flow since 2005. Syrcle also secured two significant NEA grants, successfully administered a Music Director Search and oversaw the orchestra’s Carnegie Hall debut, as well as its first tour to Taiwan.

Kevin Lefohn’s experience as a performer, educator and administrator and his appointment as PYP’s next Executive Director, are signals that America’s first youth orchestra is committed to providing life-altering, empowering and moving musical experiences to the region.

“Music education presents a tremendous moral issue. Sadly, only a small number of young musicians go on to a professional career. This is the dilemma we as educators, parents, and community members live with. But we must remember that music education is much more than the notes. The instrument is a vehicle that allows students to truly learn about themselves. Through daily practice they are able to shelter themselves from the realities of the world while learning life’s most important lessons. For this reason I am committed to creating this environment for young musicians,” says Lefohn. “I am delighted to join this extraordinary community, one which places arts and education at the core of its existence.”

The Oregon Cultural Trust announces $1.47 million in FY2011 (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011) grants to humanities, heritage and arts nonprofits across Oregon.Each year, the Trust distributes 42% of the prior fiscal year’s revenues; 58% remains in the endowment.  In FY2010, Trust revenues totaled $3,781,396, an increase of 1.8% from FY2009’s $3,714,887.  Although contributions increased six percent, from $3,493,004 to $3,702,885, current low interest income resulted in a 1% increase in grantmaking this year.

The Cultural Trust experienced a marked increase in the number of submissions for its competitive Cultural Developments: 212 compared to last year’s 163.  The number of awards this year increased, from 48 to 57; of those, 13 (23%) are first time grants recipients.  FY2011 grants range from $4,000 to $25,000, and represent direct cultural investments in nonprofits in 19 communities and 15 counties.

Here’s what the OCT gave to classical music groups:

Eugene
Oregon Bach Festival, $5,000

Portland
Chamber Music Northwest, $9,000
Ethos Music Center, $25,000
Oregon Symphony Association, $20,000
Portland Baroque Orchestra, $15,000
Portland Opera Association, $10,000
Portland Youth Philharmonic Association, $5,000

Photo by Chris Leck

One of Portland’s most established record labels is North Pacific Music, which has been in business since 1991. North Pacific Music is a small, independent label owned and operated by composer and recording engineer Jack Gabel. Gabel is the resident composer of the Agnieszka Laska Dancers, and he serves on the board of Cascadia Composers, which is a non-profit organization for many composer who live in the Pacific Northwest.

I talked with Gabel on Friday to learn more about North Pacific Music.

How did North Pacific Music begin?

Gabel: I founded North Pacific Music as a way to release recordings of my works. That was the initial impetus, and we have since 1991 included music from other composers. So we are now up to 35 releases.  Every title in our catalog is also listed at Amazon.com and almost every one is available at ArkivMusic.

Back in 1991, I had just moved back to Portland from Japan where I had been living for four years. I had a recording in hand and had planned to release it, but I didn’t have the idea of making a record label. It seemed that a record label would help to protect the recording because I was going to send it out for broadcast. So our first release was Shakuhachi Banquet, and I shopped it around, and got it released on another label, but after it went out of print, I reissued it under North Pacific Music and it’s been in print ever since. The music on that CD is of composers I met in Japan, traditional Japanese pieces, plus one of my pieces “Etude for the Rainy Season.”

That recording features shakuhachi specialist Teruhisa Fukuda, who has gotten quite a following, especially in Europe. North Pacific Music also distributes a couple of other recordings by Fukuda which were released in Japan. This is music for the shakuhachi instrument with string quartet, and they are exciting pieces.

So North Pacific Music is partly a distribution service?

Gabel: That’s right. North Pacific Music is a distribution option for independent producers. Most of these producers are from the Northwest, but some are from other areas. For example, we provide U.S. distribution for “Joy as a Teardrop” by the Bulgarian artist Valeri Dimchev, who plays a traditional lute-like instrument called the tamboura.

Another recording that we distribute is the Cantores in Ecclesia “In Rome” CD that is from their award-winning trip in 1997 to the International Palestrina Competition. It went out of print a few years ago, but there has always been a lot of interest in it from people who have sent email and phone calls. So we reissued it as a release on the North Pacific Music label. It’s the exact same recording. We also distribute Cantores in Ecclesia’s recording of the Faure Requiem with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Richard Zeller.

We also distribute Gayle and Phil Newman’s De Organographia recordings, which they originally released on their Pandourion Records label. De Organographia has several titles that we distribute, including “Music of the Ancient Greeks” and “Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks” which are our two best-selling titles. There is so much demand by musicologists and people interested in ancient music, that the Newmans often get invited to perform at conferences and museums like the Getty Museum in LA and the Smithsonian.

What is the focus of North Pacific Music?

Gabel: Our main focus is new contemporary art music. Most of it is self-produced. Most record labels will not bring out contemporary art titles unless it is a big name. Our most recent release is “Late Autumn Moods and Images” by David Bernstein. This recording features top-shelf local musicians like David Buck, Nancy Ives, Joël Belgique, Inés Voglar, and Hamilton Cheifetz. I did the recording, editing, and mastering of this release.

Recording services are another aspect of North Pacific Music. I’m a recording engineering, and I enjoy doing it. I did the recording, editing, and mastering of “Spring Quartet and selected works for strings,” which features my music played by the Fear No Music ensemble.

I also did the layout for several recordings, like the one for “Late Autumn Moods and Images.” The artists author initial drafts of liner notes, and generally choose what they want to see on the cover of the CD plus the photos they want to have in the packaging. I give guidance, do the layout, and we collaborate on editing. The Silvered Lute, for example, which soprano Mei Zhong brought as a complete mastered recording that was done in Indiana at Ball State University, and I helped her with the cover and the booklet inside. It was a huge project because the booklet is 24 pages, and barely fits in the jewel case. It has some Chinese lyrics with the English translation plus a bio. and photo of each artist in the recording.

We also released many of the recordings of Thomas Svoboda. Five of these recordings are in a 5-CD set. I’ve recorded, edited, and master several of those. Some were recorded in the Czech Republic.

Where do you do these recordings?

Gabel: I only have a digital studio for editing and mastering, but I prefer recording classical musicians in performance venues. I always recommend that classical musicians do their recording in a live hall. It’s the context that they are used to performing in. While they play, they listen and react to each other like in a regular concert. Then I make pure stereo recordings with omni-directional microphones and high-end pre-amps and converters. So the recording sessions are pure stereo with no mixing at all. The omni-directional microphones give us the full-reverb of the hall.

To counter potential background noise from cars, busses, airplanes, lawnmowers, and Harleys, I try to place the microphones close to the players – closer than I would in an insulated space – within four feet rather than around 12 feet. In the remastering, I can add a little hall ambience if needed. Classical musicians in a studio with headsets usually doesn’t work for chamber music pieces.

How about licensing?

Gabel: Yes, licensing is time-consuming, business that most musicians don’t care for. For example, the “Ferdinand the Bull and Friends” recording, which features David Ogden Stiers, required a lot of licensing. The first sessions for this recording were done almost ten years ago. Pick-up sessions were done along the way, including the most recent one last fall.

We had to have licensing contracts with Penguin, which owns the Ferdinand the Bull property. We had contracts with Curtis Brown, who own Ogden Nash properties. We had contracts with the French publisher Durand, which own Ravel properties. The last track has “Sheep May Safely Graze” by Bach in an arrangement for cello and piano that is owned by Oxford University Press. So to get all of the licensing in place for this recording was a job in itself. You can really get into trouble if you don’t do the licensing correctly.

I’ve release three recordings with my music – two of them features my electro-acoustical pieces. I’ve also got some of my pieces on other recordings like Tessa Brinckman and the East West Continuo’s “Glass Sky. ”

So, we have a catalog of 35 recordings, and we continue to grow. I really enjoy the business.

The OAC announcement states:

The Oregon Arts Commission announces $1,190,000 in 114 grants to Oregon arts organizations awarded through the Commission’s Operating Support, Arts Services, and Arts Learning programs. “The Oregon Arts Commission is pleased and delighted to support vibrant arts endeavors, from Ashland to Enterprise, that strengthen our communities, bring citizens together, and help us discover who we are,” said Jean Boyer Cowling of Medford, chair of the Arts Commission. ”Stemming from the CHAMP initiative led by Governor Ted Kulongoski and supported by the legislature, these grants enable us to build capacity continuing to make Oregon a state of art.”

“The Commission is investing in the work of 99 dynamic arts organizations across the state,” said Christine D’Arcy, executive director of the Commission. “These grants will be matched with over $100 million in earned and contributed income, supporting hundreds of jobs and fueling Oregon’s creative vitality.  From Eastern Oregon to the Gorge to the Oregon Coast, more communities and civic leaders appreciate that the arts strengthen community, stimulate business and contribute to innovation. We’re delighted to make this level of investment with both state funds and federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.”

Of course, some of the money went to classical music organizations:

Ashland
Chamber Music Concerts: $5,000
Rogue Valley Symphony Association: $4,000

Bend
Sunriver Music Festival Inc.: $3,500

Corvallis
Corvallis Youth Symphony Association: $3,000

Eugene
Eugene Concert Choir: $5,000
Eugene Opera: $6,000
Eugene Symphony Association Inc.: $30,000
The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts: $15,000
Oregon Bach Festival: $13,000

Medford
Youth Symphony of Southern Oregon: $5,000

Newport
Newport Symphony Orchestra: $4,000

Portland
Cappella Romana Vocal Ensemble: $8,000
Chamber Music Northwest: $20,000
Friends of Chamber Music: $9,000
Ethos Music Center: $19,000
MetroArts Inc: $3,000
Metropolitan Youth Symphony: $4,000
Oregon Repertory Singers: $3,000
Oregon Symphony Association: $35,000
Pacific Youth Choir: $5,000
Portland Baroque Orchestra: $18,000
Portland Chamber Orchestra: $6,000
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus: $5,000
Portland Opera Association: $36,000
Portland Piano International: $9,000
Portland Symphonic Choir: $7,000
Portland Youth Philharmonic Association: $10,000
Third Angle New Music Ensemble: $3,500

Salem
Salem Chamber Orchestra: $5,000

Through an arrangement with Rumblefish Music Licensing, the City offices will now play a selection of folk, hip-hop, classical, rock, jazz, electronic and more, all recorded by local talent. The programming switch-over is a natural for an administration dedicated to  regional art and commerce, and holds promise for an interesting new promotion vehicle for Portland Musicians.

Selection of the quarterly playlist is done by a community listening panel. Participation requires responding to a small set of questions via email, and then being chosen from the (sure-to-be) thousands of applicants. Once chosen, participants are asked to vote on a pool of forty songs, pre-screened for appropriate content. Local musicians can participate by working with Rumblefish – be sure to note that you’re interested in participating in “Listen Local.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Rather than calling City Hall and asking to be put on hold, listening to the current playlist can be done at the “Listen Local” website. This quarter, the playlist includes:

• “Ghost of an Earthworm” by Loch Lomond
• “Astor in Paris” by 3 Leg Torso
• “Goodness” by Soul P.
• “Keep You Around” by Ravishers
• “Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade – Andantino Quasi Allegretto” by Portland Youth Philharmonic
• “Mouths of Young” by Tu Fawning
• “Black Hills Gold” by Dolorean
• “Giant Elephant Head” by The Fensters
• “Et Vous” by Amelia
• “Get Happy Now” by Podington Bear
• “All or Nothing” by Derby
• “Sauvie Island” by Day of Lions
• “Back in the Saddle” by James Low
• “Driver Carries No Cash” by Mike Coykendall
• “Theresa” by Nick Jaina

by Gary Houston

Suggested Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival admission: $10 (or more if you are able) plus two cans of nonperishable food per person, per day (including children). Tickets here.

Visit OMN at the Festival!

We have a booth in the Delta Music Experience Louisiana Pavillion, a Clear Wi-fi hotspot and equipped with CTL computers. It’s the official Festival meeting place.  Come say hi!

Delta Music Experience Blues Cruises

All Blues Cruises board from the seawall, SW Salmon and Naito Parkway, in front of McCall Fountain, just north of the Oregonian Front Porch Stage. SW Salmon and Naito Parkway. The Delta Music Experience cruises will head south up the Willamette River to Oregon City, and/or north past the Port of Portland docks.

Evening cruises, for those 21 and older. Evening cruises board at 10:15 p.m. and return to dock at 1:15 a.m. Afternoon cruises, open to all ages. Afternoon cruises board at 2 p.m. and return to dock at 4:30 p.m.

Photo ID is required to board the Portland Spirit for all cruises. Exception: children 12 and younger do not need photo ID.

Price and line up in schedule below.

After Hours Blues Jams

Blues Jams are non-smoking and 21 and over only. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 9:30 p.m., music begins at 10:15 p.m. Details in the listings below.

Oregon Food Bank

Oregon Food Bank operates the Waterfront Blues Festival. The festival is Oregon Food Bank’s largest fundraiser of the year. This year’s goal is to raise $600,000. 100% of your donations at the gate and your purchase of passes online benefit Oregon Food Bank.

Your donation enables OFB to move 50 pounds of food – that enough to fill an emergency food box (3-5 day supply of food for a family in need). Every month, 86,400 children eat meals from an emergency food box. Research shows hunger hurts children in many ways and can even result in irreversible long-term health problems.

The OFB Network moved 66.2-million pounds of food during the last fiscal year. 9.d. 935 agencies belong to the OFB Network. They include soup kitchens, emergency food pantries, shelters, and other helping programs.

All performer descriptions courtesy Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival.

Friday, July 2

3:00PM – 3:45PM Oregonian Stage Kicking it off:: Lloyd Allen

Lloyd Allen

Born in Lubbock, Texas on January 7th, 1937, in the ’40s, Allen moved with his family to Vanport after his father got a job with the Union Pacific Railroad. Fortunately, the Allen’s had moved out of Vanport before the devastating 1948 flood. He is one of 15 siblings, which proved to he a boon to their church. The family put together three separate quartets to sing gospel during services. Beyond Gospel, Blues and Jazz has played the largest role in Allen’s musical development. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, he performed popular songs by Charles Brown, Ray Charles and Sam Cook. He also mentions Mose Allison and Stevie Wonder as major influences.

By the age of 13, Lloyd had developed skills worthy enough to be offered an exceptional opportunity performing at one of Portland’s premier clubs in the 1950s, Paul’s Paradise on famed N. Williams Ave. He played with the Vibratones, one of Portland’s most sought after bands of the times. He continued to play with them for nine consecutive years. His professional career was sidetracked in the `60s by an eight year stint in prison where he began writing music and composing his own works. While incarcerated, he also began teaching others to play guitar. To this day, he never hesitates to help another artist by sharing his veteran skills and experience of the music industry.

Once out of prison, Lloyd didn’t hesitate to get right back into performances and he spent the next three decades sharing the stage with top artists such as B.B. King, Johnny Otis, Albert Collins, Charles Brown and Dinah Washington, to name just a few. He has played with countless talented artists and most frequently performs with Randy Monroe (Bass), Brian Foxworth (Drummer), Pete Moss (Saxophone) and Mark Steele (Keyboards.)

Along with Mr. Allen’s rich musical history and unfortunate jail time experience, he is also known for having some intriguing mascots. Many years ago Lloyd was seen walking around town escorted by his lion, a monkey for which he hand sewed costumes and even a Boa constrictor. He loves animals and personally trained his the monkey to appear on stage with him. Mr. Allen, also well-known for showing up sharply dressed, created original outfits for the monkey as well!

In August 2000, we find him at The Bite, this time with The Cannonballs, a group of veteran performers who were making their debut together as a band. Formed about a month before the gig, they were an excellent example of talented people being in the right place at the right time. When the quartet of Lloyd Allen, David Vest, Jim Miller and Marty Henninger got together they shared the common goal of participating in a collaborative effort in which each of the members would contribute material and sing, both individually and in harmony. Miller had heard Allen performing with Norman Sylvester at Good In The `Hood. Impressed with the talent of this “kid”, Miller was surprised to learn Allen wasn’t already hooked up with a band. An informal jam session held at Miller’s place lead to the band’s formation that night.

Allen continues to reside in Portland and plays Blues and Jazz throughout the Northwest. Most recently he has performed at Clydes, Halibut, John’s Tavern, The Blue Monk, The Spare Room and many other locales. He is often seen out and about supporting performances by other talented artists and you can often find him playing in spontaneous jam sessions. His genuine enthusiasm combined with extraordinary talent make his a must see performance!

He is currently working on two CD releases and will record his original works.

Listen to audio sample (.mp3 audio file)
Lloyd Allen website

3:00PM – 3:45PM Credit Union Stage – Kicking It Off: Gunnar Roads Band

Gunnar Roads has been has studying, practicing, and simply working hard at developing his talent as a guitarist, singer, and performer since the age of 9. From some of his early influences like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and the three Kings (Freddie, Albert, and BB), to some of his current influences of Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer and Derek Trucks, Gunnar continues to focus his training with an eye on some day attaining similar achievements with his music.

Over the past several years Gunnar has had the good fortune of making friends with some outstanding like-minded musicians interested in performing together as the Gunnar Roads Band. From San Francisco to Seattle, Gunnar and his band mates keep themselves busy performing at well attended venues throughout the Northwest. San Francisco’s Biscuits & Blues, Tacoma’s Jazzbones, the Bite of Seattle, Ashland’s Rogue Valley Blues Festival, and Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, are all places that have enjoyed the enthusiasm and talent Gunnar and his band mates bring to the stage.

Gunnar’s performances have attracted much attention from the media, as well as music industry professionals. One highlight for the Gunnar Roads Band was being nominated for a 2007 Cascade Blues Association Muddy Award for “Best New Act”, while a personal highlight for Gunnar Roads was being nominated for two consecutive years (2008 & 2009) for Portland Music Awards in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Blues.” This is one genuinely talented young man focused on a dream to share his music with the world.

Listen to audio sample (.mp3 audio file)

Gunnar Roads website

3:45PM – 4:30PM Miller Stage – Boogie Bone

Some blues purists may be put off by the diversity of material from this emerging powerhouse quintet, but it doesn’t seem to bother them or their fans “The Boneheads” in the least. Boogie Bone has established themselves on the cutting edge of the fertile blues scene in Portland, Oregon with two albums of all original material. Most of the time using a blues base to explore other genres, but not afraid to knock down any walls that stand in their path. Featuring the attacking guitar style of Steven Dee Williams, soulful dynamic vocals from Jake Johnson, and Oregon Music Hall Of Fame member and multi-instrumentalist Steve Snyder.

CBA Muddy Award Nominations:
Best New Act
Best Contemporary Act
Northwest Album of the Year – “Bone-A-Fied”
Best Male Vocalist – Jake Johnson

Performance of the Year

Boogie Bone website

3:45PM – 4:30PM Workshop Stage – Bridgetown Underground

Sam Low, Drums / Ian Lindsey, Guitar & Vocals /Taylor Eaton, Bass

Sam Low, drums, age 17, graduated this year from Valley Catholic High School and will attend University of Oregon next Fall. Ian Lindsey, guitar and vocals, age 16 attends Forest Grove High School. Taylor Eaton, bass, age 16, attends Wilsonville High School.

Don’t let their ages fool you, this young band sounds well beyond their years. Ian has been performing at various restaurants and bars in the Portland area as well as all along the Oregon Coast. Taylor and Sam have played together for the past three years performing at a variety of venues from Ashland to Portland. Sam and Taylor were also members of the Blues in the Schools program sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association, bringing blues education to Portland and Vancouver area youth. Music influences are BB King, Eric Clapton, Herbie Hancock, Al Green and Jimmy Hendricks just to name a few.
Listen to audio sample (.mp3 audio file)

Bridgetown Underground @ Myspace

4:00PM – 4:45PM Oregonian Stage – Bob Shoemaker Band

Bob Shoemaker

Shoemaker is a master of the slide guitar. His high energy Delta Blues communicates a power that is evident from the very first note. Bob uses razor sharp slide and a deep, resonant voice to interpret the songs of the masters with authenticity. This intensity and power are balanced with a lyricism and integrity that soothe the soul.

Shoemaker cultivated his touch on a 1936 National Steel Guitar, honed for a decade busking the streets of Seattle and Portland, along with his native Boston. Combining his virtuosic slide and finger picking technique, he delivers the essence of this classic American art form.

Also performing will be:
Heidi Shu – percussion, Steve Kerin – keyboards, Randy Monroe – bass, Jolie Clausen – drums

Bob Shoemaker @ myspace

4:30PM – 5:15PM Credit Union Stage – Lisa Mann & Her Really Good Band

Lisa Mann

The Cascade Blues Association named this woman the Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as thrice awarding her the Muddy Waters Award for Bass Player of the Year. She has been seen on stage with Sonny Hess’ NW Womens Rhythm & Blues Revue at Waterfront Festivals past, but this year she brings her own band with a set list of original blues rockers and classic songs. Joining her on stage will be guitarist Jeff Knudson, also known for his performances with the funk-laden Ken DeRouchie Band, and Michael Ballash, who also swings with Johnny Martin.

Lisa Mann website

5:00PM – 6:00PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: King Louie & Baby James

Baby James (L) King Louie (R)

Organist Louis Pain has been dubbed, “Portland’s boss of the B-3″ by The Oregonian. And soulful vocalist Sweet Baby James has been called, “A human landmark of Portland jazz,” by Willamette Week. Ever since these two joined forces as King Louie & Baby James, there’s been plenty of buzz. The Oregonian’s Marty Hughley called the band “stellar…top shelf…exemplary.” And Cascade Blues Association president Greg Johnson wrote that KL & BJ’s 2005 Waterfront Blues Festival performance “definitely falls in with the best of the festival’s celebrated history. With the line-up making up this group, how can you possibly go wrong?”

That line-up starts with Pain and Benton. As a key member of the Paul deLayBand and Mel Brown’s popular B-3 Organ Group, Louis led the local revival of the Hammond organ sound. And James has been one of the most soulful vocalists in the Northwest since the heyday of Portland’s legendary Williams Avenue scene in the ’50s. Filling out this exciting band are NW standouts Renato Caranto on sax, drummer Anthony Jones, and guitarist Peter Dammann .

Sweet Baby James is not only a wonderful singer: he’s an entertainer through and through. As a youngster, James played pro basketball with the Chicago Hottentots (a spinoff of the Harlem Globetrotters). As part of the act, James would wander to the side of the court during play and hammer away on a piano! His hoopster days behind him, James returned to Portland and ran a popular 24/7 North Portland jam session/ barbecue known simply as “The Backyard.” In those days, James was also in demand by the Hollywood set (John Wayne, Connie Stevens, et al), who frequently flew him down to Lake Tahoe to perform at their private parties. Now James is demonstrating to a new generation how you combine musicality, soul, and
charm.

King Louis & Baby James website

5:15PM – 6:00PM Miller Stage Moreland and Arbuckle

Ever since guitarist Aaron Moreland first met singer/harpist Dustin Arbuckle at an open mic jam in Wichita in 2001, Moreland & Arbuckle have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Along with Brad Horner on drums, the group features Moreland playing everything from National steel to a cigar box guitar, and Arbuckle singing and playing harmonica.

Moreland & Arbuckle are traditionalists and innovators at the same time, merging old school Chicago and Delta blues with garage rock sensibilities. While Arbuckle was mostly influenced by the Mississippi blues, traditional country music and bluegrass, Moreland grew up listening to everyone from Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to Charlie Patton and Muddy Waters.

Unconfined by convention, Moreland attributes the group’s growing popularity to their unique sound and instrumentation. He says, “Going three-piece, we have a great chemistry.”

Guitar Edge magazine wrote, “The pride of Kansas plays Hill Country stomps like his life depends on it.” The Edmonton Journal calls Moreland & Arbuckle “one of the more inspiring young acts putting a new shine on music rooted in a century-old tradition.”

Moreland & Arbuckle’s previous release, 1861 , won the Indie Acoustic Project 2008 CD of the Year Award. The band recently performed for U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. “I didn’t imagine the trip to Iraq would be so grueling,” Arbuckle says. “But it was an amazing experience to share our music with the soldiers. It really did exemplify the powerful spirituality and healing element that music possesses.”

Moreland & Arbuckle have recently completed tour dates with Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy (opening this spring at the Roseland), Robert Cray, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Johnny Winter.

Moreland and Arbuckle website

5:15PM – 6:00PM Worskshop Stage – Solo Lap-Slide Guitar: Colin Lake & Chance Hayden

Colin Lake

Colin Lake and Chance Hayden crossed paths at each other’s gigs and quickly saw great potential in a comradery to be developed. The two teamed up for a handful of performances throughout 2009, concluding with a sold out seated show at Seattle’s Tractor Tavern supporting Kelly Joe Phelps. Since then Chance has continued to perform regularly throughout the Northwest while Colin has been living in New Orleans, basking in the heritage and tradition of the music he draws from.

Influences from American roots music to R&B and soul make up the shared repertoire of Colin Lake and Chance Hayden. In addition to Lake’s mature original songs, the duo performs classics from Leadbelly and Jimmy Reed to contemporary gems from Taj Mahal and the late Chris Whitley. Hayden’s tastefully dynamic approach to the guitar is friendly to Lake’s soul-felt vocals, lap steel and six-string guitar. Together they present a full band energy to the down-home duo setting, while still keeping it nice and cozy.
Colin Lake website
Chance Hayden website

6:00PM – 7:00PM Credit Union Stage – Walter Trout

Walter Trout

Southern California guitarist Walter Trout cut his teeth playing with John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Canned Heat. Since then, Trout’s pyrotechnic blues guitar work has earned him a legion of fans here, and made him a cult hero in Europe. In a BBC radio poll, Trout was ranked #6 out of the top 20 all-time greatest guitarists (a few more votes would’ve landed him in the Top 5 amongst Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page).

With his arresting technique, relentless tour schedule and exhilarating showmanship, Trout merited the cover of Blues Revue, which commented, “Trout gets into the groove where the magic happens. But each night offers a particular set of circumstances that keep the music fresh.”

Expect him to sit in with his former boss, John Mayall, if not on the main stage, then in the after-hours jam at the Marriott Ballroom.

Walter Trout Band website

6:15PM – 7:15PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: PorterDavis

Porter Davis

The acoustic American/blues trio swept Austin’s music awards last year, winning for Best Roots Rock, Best Drums (Mike Meadows) and Best Instrument Miscellaneous (Simon Wallace, harmonica), placing in seven categories overall (Best Blues, Best Austin Band, Best Male Vocal and Best Electric Guitar). More info to come…

Porterdavis website

07:00PM – 08:00PM Miller Stage – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Every once in a blue moon along comes a young musician who can merge the forces of virtuosity and exuberance and unleash them on an unsuspecting public. The latest in this exclusive line is Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews. At 22 years old Troy has already experienced more than most musicians three times his age, and has the chops to prove it. Having traveled extensively in the United States as well as Cuba, Europe, South America & The United Arab Emerites.

Andrews plays trombone and trumpet, and is a force to be reckoned with on both. A product of New Orleans’ culturally rich Tremé neighborhood, Andrews was a bandleader by the age of 6. While Andrews was navigating New Orleans as a youngster with his band in tow, he was also absorbing lessons at the knee of his older brother James, a dynamic musical performer known as “Satchmo of the Ghetto.” By the time Andrews hit his early teens, he had a PhD in the ways of the streets, which you can hear in his music. But he has also grown into a performer emanating elegance and class, gleaned from his successful studies at the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA). As a graduate he joined the ranks of other grads like Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and Nicholas Payton.

In 2005, then only 19, Andrews was tapped by Lenny Kravitz to be a featured member of his horn section for a world tour, a tour that shared billing with acts such as Aerosmith. In London, during the summer of 2006, Andrews began working with producer Bob Ezrin and U2 at Abbey Road Studios, an association that led to Andrews performing with U2 and Green Day during the re-opening spectacular of the New Orleans Superdome.

Kicking off 2007, New Orleans’ premier music magazine, OFFBEAT, named Andrews its Performer of the Year, Best Contemporary Jazz Performer , and his band, Orleans Avenue, R&B/funk Band of the Year .

Trombone Shorty website
Short feature film on Trombone Shorty

7:00PM – 8:00PM Workshop Stage – Blues of the Delta Jukes:: Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm

Lightin' Malcolm (L) Cedric Burnside (R)

CEDRIC BURNSIDE, grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside, son of drummer great Calvin Jackson, is widely regarded as one of the finest blues drummers in the world. Growing up at his grandfather’s side, he began touring at age 13, playing drums for “Big Daddy” on stages around the globe. Born and raised near Holly Springs, Miss., Cedric has been playing music all his life, developing a relentless, rhythmic charged style with strong hip-hop and funk influences.

In addition to “Big Daddy,” Cedric has also played with, among countless others, Junior Kimbrough, Kenny Brown, North Mississippi Allstars, Burnside Exploration, Bobby Rush and Widespread Panic. In 2006 he was featured in the critically acclaimed feature film, Black Snake Moan, playing drums alongside Samuel L. Jackson. (The film is a tribute to R.L. Burnside, and gives many nods to the late bluesman.)

Bluesman LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM is one of the leading, younger generation artists on the scene today. Born in rural Missouri, Malcolm enjoyed the freedom of country life, quickly learning to entertain himself and others around him. Growing up in a little village called Burgess in a country house next to the KCS Railroad that ran from Kansas City to New Orleans, the train has always been a theme in Malcolm’s music, as well as the inspiration for the steady, insistent bass rhythms of rural dance music.

Malcolm — a reckless live performer — has lived and breathed music his whole life, traveling and playing in a slashing, rhythmic style, with deep soulful vocals. He has played with many of the Delta’s finest blues artists, including Cedell Davis, R.L. Burnside, Hubert Sumlin, Jessie Mae Hemphill, T Model Ford, Jr. Kimbrough, Robert Belfour, Big Jack Johnson, Sam Carr and Otha Turner. Skilled on guitar, bass, and drums, Malcolm is an in demand session player with a telepathic sense of how to follow the older archaic styles, and is especially noted for his old-fashioned, church “shout” style on drums.

Together, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm have been tearing blowing away audiences at major clubs and festivals all over the continent the past two years, and won the Blues Music Award for Best New Act in 2008.

Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm website

7:30PM – 8:30PM Oregonian Stage Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic

Andre Thierry, arguably THE up-and-coming young talent on the international Zydeco circuit, has been capturing the attention of musicians and music lovers since he was a toddler. Andre’s French Creole heritage is deeply rooted in Louisiana although he was born and reared in northern California. Michael Tisserand, author of The Kingdom of Zydeco, considered the definitive book on the history of that music, wrote, “Thierry is among the best of both the West Coast and the Gulf Coast, and he combines youthful vigor with a mature appreciation for his inherited tradition.”

Andre’s story begins July 9, 1979, when he was born in Richmond, California to Olivia “Tee” Guillory originally from Basile, Louisiana and Gregory Thierry, originally from Jennings, Louisiana. Andre’s childhood was deeply influenced by his maternal grandparents, the late Houston Pete Pitre (Pa-Pa as they called him) from Basile, Louisiana and his grandmother, known to all as Mama Lena Pitre from Soileau, Louisiana.

Andre grew up experiencing the French Creole dances his grandparents held at their church parish, St. Mark’s Catholic Church. The best Zydeco musicians Louisiana had to offer traveled to California to play at the dances and spent considerable time at the Pitre’s house while in the area. On one such visit, the “King of Zydeco,” the late great Clifton Chenier, grabbed three-year old Andre by the arms and deemed him a future accordion player. From then on, Andre’s Pa-Pa, Houston Pete, encouraged the young Andre to play the accordion.

He soon began playing Clifton Chenier’s music on stages all over Northern California. By age twelve, Andre formed his own band, “Zydeco Magic.” Andre’s repertoire grew by leaps and bounds as he was regularly invited to play with numerous visiting bands, such as the late John Delafose, his son, Geno Delafose, and many local Zydeco and Cajun bands.

Andre is a virtuoso on all the accordion types, single row, double row, triple row and piano key. He effortlessly moves across types to deliver an energetic two-step, traditional Creole waltz, hard-driving blues or a blend that is his own sound. Although Andre’s instrument of choice is the accordion he also displays talent on bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. Thanks to his parents and grandparents he sings traditional songs in original Creole French and his voice has matured into rich and soulful tones. He is a gifted composer and song-writer and his music and CDs feature many of his original tunes.

The San Francisco Bay Area, home to some of the best blues musicians in the world, showed its appreciation by presenting Andre Thierry and Zydeco Magic with the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame award for “Best Zydeco Group” in 2008. Andre continually raises the bar for Zydeco musicians worldwide. At only 29 years old, he is already a legend.

Andre Thierry website

8:00PM – 9:00PM Credit Union Stage – JOHN MAYALL

In his nearly 50-year career, pioneering British bluesman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall has introduced the world to a stunning succession of musicians who defined their artistic roots under his leadership. Mayall’s band, The Bluesbreakers, has functioned as a veritable finishing school for blues rockers, including Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (who left to form Cream); Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac); Andy Fraser (Free); and Mick Taylor, who left to join the Rolling Stones. More recent graduates include Harvey Mandell, Walter Trout (who will perform at Waterfront with his own band this year), Coco Montoya, and Buddy Whittington.

Mayall’s newest version of the Bluesbreakers includes his latest discovery, Texas guitar slinger Rocky Athas, a highschool buddy and bandmate of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. By age 23, Athas was honored as one of the ten best guitarists in Texas, as an inductee to Buddy Magazine’s Texas Tornadoes, an honor held by such noted guitarists as Eric Johnson, Johnny Winter, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and the Vaughan brothers (Stevie Ray was inducted two years after Athas).

John Mayall’s current touring band is rounded out with a hard-hitting blues rhythm section from Chicago: Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums; Tom Canning on organ and piano; and, of course, John Mayall on keyboards, organ, harmonica, guitar and vocals.

John Mayall website

8:45PM – 9:45PM OS Too Loose Cajun Band, with Reggie Houston, Steve Kerin & Portland All Stars

Too Loose Cajun Band

The Too Loose Cajun Band has performed traditional Cajun, Zydeco and Honky Tonk music on the streets of Portland for years. Festivals, dance halls and private parties rely on Too Loose to provide infectious Cajun rhythms and melodies, Texas Stomps, two steps and waltzes to keep the dance floor alive.

Mostly known as an electric six-piece, they are equally comfortable on porches and in barns as an acoustic combo—often found with a double fiddle sound. The band—T. Bedard Aschoff on drums, Lefty Head on fiddle, mandolin and rub board, Bobby Hartley on guitar, Robert Lee on fiddle, Tim Shaughnessy on bass and Rick Obbink on Cajun accordion—help kick off the zydeco dance on the Front Porch Stage opening night. They’ll be joined for this special set by ex-patriate New Orleans saxophonist, Reggie Houston, former Lafayette, Louisiana keyboardist Steve Kerin, and Portland All Stars Kolvane and Peter Dammann.

Official Website

9:00PM – 10:15PM Miller Stage – TAJ MAHAL

One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. But Grammy Award-winning Mahal cannot be pigeonholed. For several decades, this roots-music icon has performed and recorded everything from blues, reggae and Zydeco to gospel, calypso, jazz, African folk and the “slack-key” classics, influenced by his years living in Hawaii, that he performs with the Hula Blues Band.

Though he has dabbled in many genres, Taj has never strayed too far from his laid-back country blues foundation. Over the past decade, he has inspired a cadre of young bluesmen such as Keb’ Mo, Guy Davis and Corey Harris.

In the film industry, the multi-talented artist has won kudos for acting, as well as composing film scores. His work includes Sounder; Sounder, Part 2; Scott Joplin – King of Ragtime; and Wynton Marsalis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning epic, Rosewood. Taj Mahal also wrote the Grammy-nominated score for the Broadway production Mule Bone, based on a play by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, and worked with director Martin Scorsese on “From Mali to Mississippi,” the first in the seven-part PBS series, THE BLUES.

Taj Mahal Website

9:00PM – 10:15PM Workshop Stage – Texas dust, Mississippi mud: PorterDavis

9:30PM – 12:30PM Hotel 50 – Bott ‘n Gold

Franck Goldwasser

The all-star duoBott ‘n Gold featuresFranck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser, on guitar and vocals, and Jimi Bott on drums.

After nearly 30 years of performing with a pantheon of blues icons — the list is literally too long and continues to grow — Franck not only established himself as a peer to those he musically supported, but as a unique and original stylist and front man. His most recent collaborations have included his featured spot with the Mannish Boys, alongside Finis Tasby, Randy Chortkoff, Kirk Fletcher, and Bobby Jones.

Jimi’s long and extensive resume includes world tours with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers, and Mannish Boys…and numerous nominations for Best Drummer at the annual Blues Awards in Memphis.

Jimi Bott website
Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser website

10:00PM – 11:00PM Oregonian Stage Donna Angelle & Zydeco Posse

Donna Angelle

When Donna was just eight years of age, her parents noticed her interest in, and talent for music. While in seventh grade, Donna joined the Carver High School band in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Encouraged by her music teacher, she learned to play the clarinet, saxophone, viola, and flute. In 1970 Donna began her professional music career playing keyboard for the artist, Bobby Price. A year later she moved on to work with Cosmic Sky, one of the hottest regional groups at the time. Donna’s music was influenced by the sounds of Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight, and various artists who were making appearances on Soul Train and American Bandstand.

Donna’s musical momentum was brought to a sudden halt when she was involved in a serious car accident. The injuries Donna sustained in the accident sidelined her career, keeping her out of the music business for several years.

Equipped with a strong will and desire to continue her career, Donna met the challenge of overcoming the obstacles imposed by her injuries and in 1994 formed another band. This time Donna showcased a variety of styles such as Zydeco, Oldie Soul, and Hip-Hop. Donna Angelle is a hardworking musician who makes her presence known wherever she performs. She has had the honor of opening for blues legends such as Denise LaSalle, Chubby Carrier, Beau Jocque, Latimore, and many other nationally known artists.

10:15PM – 01:15AM BC DME Hoodoo Moon Cruise: Moreland and Arbuckle, Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks, Colin Lake & Chance Hayden, Lucky Peterson with: Michael Burks $35

10:30PM – 11:45PM Marriott Hotel After-hours Blues Jam: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

11:55PM – 01:15AM Marriott Hotel After-hours Blues Jam: Walter Trout with: JOHN MAYALL

Saturday, July 3

12:00PM – 11:00PM Oregonian Stage Zydeco Swamp Romp , presented by Cascade Zydeco Association.

12:00PM – 12:45PM Oregonian Stage Zydeco Swamp Romp: dance demonstration/class: Roland & Janine Jemerson

The Jemersons

Veteran dance instructors Roland and Janine Jemerson kick off the Zydeco Swamp Romp with a zydeco dance class and demonstration.
For the past decade Roland Jemerson and Janine Tebeau-Jemerson have been dancing their style of Zydeco across Oregon and Washington. They have taught this dance for Cascade Zydeco around Oregon and at Portland State University. They have been featured dancers at both large and small events including the Waterfront Blues Festival. Their philosophy about teaching Zydeco is based on a strong foundation that advanced through intermediate, advanced and free style steps, but foremost, Zydeco should be fun! Janine and Roland are dedicated to furthering Zydeco’s popularity and having a great time with this hot dance from Louisiana.

Viscount Dance Studio

12:00PM – 12:45PM Workshop Stage – Eric Tweed

Eric Tweed has been making waves at festivals and clubs on the West Coast since 2006. The singer and guitarist of NW favorite, Sweet City Slang, Eric is set to release his first solo album in the summer of 2010.

Hobo Soul – that is how Eric describes his unique take on blues and roots music. With a mix of extraordinary finger picking and slide guitar, Eric maintains the mood of each song while treating the audience to a fun and interactive live show. The stage gives him the opportunity to stretch out and draw you in.

Eric has been known to pull out one-of-a-kind instruments made of cigar boxes and 2×4’s, but his main instruments are acoustic guitars designed and built by Eric and his Architect brother, Mike.

Eric Tweed website
Eric at Myspace

12:00PM – 12:45PM Miller Stage – Dudley Taft

Dudley Taft

Dudley Taft grew up in a country called the Midwest, where he learned the values of friendship, roots blues, rock ‘n’ roll and a good ear of corn. Local guitar hero Rob Swaynie in Indianapolis taught Dudley the value of music theory interspersed with B.B King, Led Zeppelin and ZZ Top riffs. Taking his newfound skills with him, he founded the band Space Antelope with friend Trey Anastasio (of Phish Fame) in high school. Dudley moved to Seattle in the summer of 1990, joining the Seattle band Sweet Water. He toured the states with “Monster Magnet”, “Candlebox” and “Alice in Chains”, and recorded two albums for Atlantic Records. In 1997, he joined Second Coming, recorded an album for Capitol Records and got a taste of success thanks to the single “Vintage Eyes” which made it to #10 on the Rock Radio charts. Older and wiser, Dudley has now turned his attention back to the roots of the music that inspired him to pick up the guitar. He and his band have been playing Seattle area clubs and events since 2007 and just released their first CD, “Left For Dead”.

Dudley is also the guitarist with the popular Seattle band, Spike & the Impalers.

Dudley Taft website

12:45PM – 1:30PM Credit Union Stage The I-5 Nine: Healy, Vest, Miller, Bott…et al

Veterans of the I-5 blues circuit stretching from Vancouver BC to San Francisco head southeast on “A journey of Delta Music History from Backwater to Mussel Shoals.”

If you like a little education with top-notch entertainment then “The I-5 Nine” will knock your musical socks off! This group features players from some of the top acts in the Blues world. They put this project together because they enjoy playing Delta Blues and wanted to share their enthusiasm. All the players currently reside in the I-5 corridor and have enjoyed sharing the stage with each other on numerous occasions.

You will experience a musical sample of the Delta Blues as it takes on the flavors of different parts of the South and moves into the cities.

The I-5 Nine include: JIMI BOTT (Fabulous Thunderbirds, Rod Piazza & Mighty Flyers), on drums; DAVE KAHL (Paul deLay Band, Lloyd Jones Struggle, Duffy Bishop Band), bass; JOE MCCARTHY (early Robert Cray Band), trumpet; WARREN RAND (early Robert Cray Band), sax; PETER DAMMANN (Paul deLay Band, Linda Hornbuckel & No Delay Band), guitar; CHRIS MILLER (Dave Alvin & Guilty Men, Marcia Ball), guitar; LOUIS PAIN (Mel Brown, Paul deLay, Linda Hornbuckle) on organ; BARBARA HEALY, vocals; JERRY ZYBACH, cigar-box guitar.

Barbara Healy website

12:45PM – 1:45PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band

Corey Ledet

Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet has been setting local Zydeco and Cajun dance hall and festival stages on fire. Whether he is playing his single row or piano key accordion, Corey’s music ranges in style from old-time Creole and Zydeco to music done his own way.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Corey grew up hearing the records of Clifton Chenier, Rockin’ Dopsie, and many other great musicians. By the age of 10, Corey began playing the piano key accordion, and after graduating high school, Corey moved to south Louisiana.

In 1999, Corey formed his own Zydeco band and released his first CD entitled, “Three Years 2 Late,” produced by Dirk Powell.

Corey and his band have become local favorites in dance halls all over southwest Louisiana and Texas. They have performed at numerous festivals all over the south from Festival International in Lafayette to the Texas-Louisiana Zydeco Extravaganza in Beaumont, TX.

Whether he is performing with his band or teaches Creole accordion classes, Corey Ledet is the new game in town upon which future books which will written. Corey “Lil Pop” Ledet came to the Liberty Theater June 4, 2005, dressed like the King of Zydeco, the late Clifton Chenier, but more to the point, he played Clifton’s legendary music with both skill and soul, producing a sound that invited the audience to close their eyes and imagine the King was himself once more on the stage. Corey and his band got a standing ovation.

Corey Ledet @ myspace

1:30PM – 2:15PM Workshop Stage – Blues Guitar 101: Walter Trout

1:30PM – 2:15PM MillerStage Ty Curtis Band

Ty Curtis Band

The Salem-based Ty Curtis Band earned 2nd place in the prestigious 2009 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and offers to perform at major festivals across the US. The Challenge started with more than 2,000 bands in nine countries and 36 states. Ten made it to the Finals and The Ty Curtis Band was voted 2nd place by a panel of judges made up of industry professionals. The band so impressed panel member David Z (producer for Prince, Etta James, Jonny Lang) he offered to produce/engineer their next recording. That CD, Cross That Line, was released this spring has been garnering rave reviews and radio play throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The Ty Curtis Band has gotten much notoriety within the Blues genre: Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards for Best Regional Act, and Best Harmonica (Hank Shreve) and Rainy Day Blues Society Rooster Award for Best New Act.

Playing a mix of blues, blues-rock, funk and swing the band keeps audience’s attention with its multi-talented line-up. The band’s performances feature strong vocals and driving guitar from Ty Curtis, masterful harmonica and vocals from Hank Shreve, and three part harmonies with the added voice of bass player Milo Fultz. Milo’s tasteful bass lines coupled with Davis “Super D” Brown on drums lock in the rhythm that ties everything together.

The Ty Curtis band is a regional sensation that is working their way up the national and international ladder. The band’s music has received radio play from XM Radio to the Pacific Northwest to Germany to Argentina. And they have also appeared on the PDxposed TV show. They have opened for George Thorogood, Chris Cain, Coco Montoya, The Doobie Brothers, Roy Rogers, Paul DeLay, Curtis Salgado, Walter Trout, Big Monti and Lloyd Jones. The band has performed at Montreal Jazz Festival, St. Croix (Virgin Islands) Blues Festival, Joseph Bronze & Blues, Rogue Valley Blues Festival, Central Oregon Blues Festival, The Red, White & Blues Festival, and The Oregon State Fair.

Ty Curtis at Myspace
www.tycurtisband.com

2:00PM – 3:00PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Capt. Leroy & The Zydeco Locals

Capt. Leroy

Capt. Leroy and the Zydeco Locals have anchored the Seattle zydeco scene for the last ten years, playing their own brand of authentic Southwestern Louisiana zydeco music for audiences throughout the Northwest. The high-energy band performs traditional and modern zydeco, packing dance venues regularly in and around Seattle.

Accordionist and front-man Leroy Radford brings a lithe physicality to the music, reflecting his own background in modern dance – including several years with the Twyla Tharp Dance company in New York City. Tina Morrison, Randy Neal, Skye Wait and Cutts Peaslee bring wide-ranging professional musical backgrounds – and a shared love of zydeco – to round out the band. In small dance halls or large festivals, the ‘Locals’ can always be counted on deliver a top-notch zydeo party.

zydeco locals website

2:15PM – 3:00PM Credit Union – Terry Robb Band

Portland award-winning guitarist, singer, composer, and producer Terry Robb hits the stage with a new band, to deliver a repertoire that ranges from delta acoustic classics to strat-spanking blues-rockers.

Terry Robb website
Yellow Dog Records website

See the OMN interview with Terry with two tracks from his new album not yet released.

2:25PM – 4:30PM SOLD OUT! Blues Cruise Delta Music Experience Blue Bayou Cruise: Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Donna Angelle & Zydeco Posse, David Vest

3:00PM – 4:00PM Workshop Stage – Cigarbox guitars: Jerry Zybach

Jerry Zybach

Eugene-based Jerry Zybach brings his dynamic blues guitar styles to the Festival stages. He’ll be part of the rhythm section in the all-star I-5 Nine lineup. Jerry will also conduct a “Cigar-Box Guitar” workshop where he will demonstrate the guitars and give instructions on how to build your own.

In addition to his electric projects, Zybach has immersed himself in roots music, with an emphasis on Delta blues. He tours regularly as part of the Honeyboy Edwards Trio, as second guitar and opening act and was honored to play the 2008 San Francisco Blues Festival with them. Recent collaborations include Bay Area gigs with blues harp showman Mark Hummel, Lazy Lester and Godfather of Oregon Blues Bill Rhoades. He has shared the stage with countless headliners including Johnny Dyer, and Grammy winner Ken Emerson. Jerry’s latest CD, “Midnight Crawl” is getting lots of regional radio play.

Jerry Zybach website

3:00PM – 4:00PM Miller Stage – Northwest Women in Blues, w/ special guests Tahoe Jackson and Nicole Fournier

NW Women Rhythm & Blues is a unique production to showcase emerging female talent, boast about current area talent, and sometimes bring talent out of the cobwebs. This year’s stellar line-up consists of:

True Blue LADY KAT not to be confused with the timid feline variety is a powerhouse of a woman!!! She comes to us after the release of her new single “Takes Love.” Lady Kat carries the likes of Etta James with a little of Wynonna’s twang and the depth of a Della Reese.

Song bird, MISS TAHOE JACKSON originally from the San Francisco Bay Area has been gracing the NW area for almost a decade with her distinctive voice and passionate performances. Miss Jackson’s been compared with a plaintive Etta growl mixed with majestic grace of an Ella or a Nina.

Currently residing in Texas, touring the NW and a recent Russian tour, is blues guitarists, NICOLE FOURNIER. Nicole holds many awards over the years from the Washington Blues Society, including Best Electric Guitar, Best Female Vocals, and Blues woman of the Year.

SONNY SMOKIN’ HESS, producer of the NW WRB show, lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter. A local legend known for her soulful guitar leads that take you on an emotional train. Recognized by the Cascade Blues Assoc with nomination for Lifetime Achievement Award. Currently working on a new original project with Lady Kat, Smokin’ True Blue.

KELLY PIERCE on percussion/drums, steadies the beat, carries the show with dynamics and emotion. JANICE SCROGGINS on keyboards, a talent everyone searches for, nominated for a Grammy, a Portland veteran musician. Appears on several local artists CD’s including NW Women Rhythm & Blues as well as a couple of Sonny Hess’. Welcoming back to the scene, bass player of 25 years, LAURA PETCH, a long time favorite of the NW WRB.

NW Women in Blues website
Lady Kat website
Tahoe Jackson website
Nicole Fournier website

3:15PM – 4:15PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic

“… as the story goes, when I was a little boy, too young to remember, Clifton Chenier was staying at my grandma’s house (Ma Ma Lena). Once day, he looked down at me, grabbed my arms and announced that I would grow up to be an accordion player.” – Andre Thierry

“A master at…pumping out fast, funky rhythms on an instrument not usually associated with earthy syncopation. A versatile student of the music, Thierry can’t be lumped into Zydeco’s old-school R&B-influenced camp or its nouveau, rap-inspired one: He and his band, Zydeco Magic, lay down both soulful, traditional slow-dances and bottom-end-booming kinetic groovers.” – Washington Post

Andre Thierry, arguably THE up-and-coming young talent on the international Zydeco circuit, has been capturing the attention of musicians and music lovers since he was a toddler. Andre’s French Creole heritage is deeply rooted in Louisiana although he was born and reared in northern California. Michael Tisserand, author of The Kingdom of Zydeco, considered the definitive book on the history of that music, wrote, “Thierry is among the best of both the West Coast and the Gulf Coast, and he combines youthful vigor with a mature appreciation for his inherited tradition.”

Andre’s story begins July 9, 1979, when he was born in Richmond, California to Olivia “Tee” Guillory originally from Basile, Louisiana and Gregory Thierry, originally from Jennings, Louisiana. Andre’s childhood was deeply influenced by his maternal grandparents, the late Houston Pete Pitre (Pa-Pa as they called him) from Basile, Louisiana and his grandmother, known to all as Mama Lena Pitre from Soileau, Louisiana.

Andre grew up experiencing the French Creole dances his grandparents held at their church parish, St. Mark’s Catholic Church. The best Zydeco musicians Louisiana had to offer traveled to California to play at the dances and spent considerable time at the Pitre’s house while in the area. On one such visit, the “King of Zydeco,” the late great Clifton Chenier, grabbed three-year old Andre by the arms and deemed him a future accordion player. From then on, Andre’s Pa-Pa, Houston Pete, encouraged the young Andre to play the accordion.

He soon began playing Clifton Chenier’s music on stages all over Northern California. By age twelve, Andre formed his own band, “Zydeco Magic.” Andre’s repertoire grew by leaps and bounds as he was regularly invited to play with numerous visiting bands, such as the late John Delafose, his son, Geno Delafose, and many local Zydeco and Cajun bands.

Andre is a virtuoso on all the accordion types, single row, double row, triple row and piano key. He effortlessly moves across types to deliver an energetic two-step, traditional Creole waltz, hard-driving blues or a blend that is his own sound. Although Andre’s instrument of choice is the accordion he also displays talent on bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums. Thanks to his parents and grandparents he sings traditional songs in original Creole French and his voice has matured into rich and soulful tones. He is a gifted composer and song-writer and his music and CDs feature many of his original tunes.

The San Francisco Bay Area, home to some of the best blues musicians in the world, showed its appreciation by presenting Andre Thierry and Zydeco Magic with the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame award for “Best Zydeco Group” in 2008. Andre continually raises the bar for Zydeco musicians worldwide. At only 29 years old, he is already a legend.

Andre Thierry website
Video of Thierry and Bandin Attleboro, MA in August ‘09

4:00 – 5:00PM Credit Union Stage – Lucky Peterson with: Michael Burks

Michael Burks

Like a freight train rolling through the night, guitarist/vocalist Michael Burks plows through the blues with relentless power and a full head of steam. Boasting remarkable natural talent, deep-rooted soulfulness and driven by an intense, blue collar work ethic, Michael has earned well-deserved national recognition and become one of the blues world’s fastest-rising stars. Although he was a W.C. Handy Award nominee for Best New Artist in 2000, Michael is a seasoned veteran in every sense. His first gig came at the age of six, when, during a trip to his family’s home town in southern Arkansas, the fledgling Burks took the stage with his cousin’s band and thrilled an unsuspecting audience. Today, each live performance is a testament to Michael’s 30-plus years of playing the blues. “A master showman,” raved Blues Revue. “(Burks) may be the next Luther Allison.” His hard-driving fretwork, poignant vocals and captivating showmanship have ignited a legion of fans, as audiences from coast to coast can’t help but jump on the Michael Burks train.

Michael Burks teams up guitarist/organist LUCKY PETERSON for a set on the e Hoodoo Moon Blues Cruise July 2, and on the festival stage July 3.

Michael Burks website

4:30PM – 5:30PM OS Zydeco Swamp Romp : Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble

Curley Taylor

Born and raised in southwest Louisiana, Curley Taylor has been around music all his life. When he was 16, Curley started playing drums in his father’s band, Jude Taylor & His Burning Flames, whose repertoire included Louisiana blues and soul as well as Zydeco.

By the time he was 25, Curley had played drums for many of Louisiana’s most legendary performers, including C.C. Adcock, Steve Riley, John Hart, “Lil” Bob of the Lollipops, his guitarist-uncle, “Lil Buck” Senegal [who will be playing at the Waterfront on Sunday with Buckwheat Zydeco], C.J. Chenier, and Geno Delafose. During his several-year-stint with Delafose, Curley took up the accordion, practicing while on the road, and found time to produce his first solo project, Country Boy. That recording received raves not only from the Zydeco fans. The Japanese magazine, Blues & Soul Records, called it “the best new Zydeco recording in recent years…an amazing masterpiece and an energetic account of where Taylor is wanting to lead modern Zydeco.”

5:15PM – 6:15PM Workshop Stage – Boogie Woogie piano:: David Vest

David Vest

David Vest is an authentic, Southern-bred, boogie-woogie piano player, and he’s been rockin’ and shoutin’ the blues since 1957. As a young man, he had the opportunity to play with Big Joe Turner in his prime, and his style clearly owes something to pianists such as Pete Johnson and Van “Piano Man” Walls, both of whom figured largely in Turner’s career.

While living in Texas, David worked extensively with Jimmy T99 Nelson (another blues shouter like Big Joe) and Miss Lavelle White. He also earned the friendship and respect of Texas piano legends Floyd Dixon, Big Walter the Thunderbird, and Katie Webster (a big fan of David’s music).

Although he’s a bluesman to the bone, Vest figures prominently in a popular new biography of country legend Tammy Wynette and occupies “a significant place in her story,” according to the book’s author. Vest wrote the first songs ever recorded by Wynette, who sang in his band before achieving stardom.

Vest, who still talks and sings with a thick Southern accent, is promoting a new CD, Rock a While, his first in five years. It will be available at the festival. He’s also currently in the Living Blues charts as a guest performer on Big Rockin’ Boogie, a new CD by Becki Sue and her Big Rockin’ Daddies.

Later this summer, David will be among the headliners at the Calgary International Blues Festival, in Alberta. He says he’ll keep on rockin’ and shoutin’ the blues “as long as the flavor lasts.”

This is how Jimmy Mak’s, a Portland jazz club, described a recent David Vest show:

“Last month, we saw the first performance from David Vest at Jimmy Mak’s. We knew very little of him, except that he was an old-school boogie-woogie pianist. Well folks, that was a massive understatement. David Vest is the Original Boogie-Woogie Starchild, and has been lifting people up for half a century, bringing audiences to their feet with his unique blend of blues, boogie, gospel, jazz and old-time country — the real stuff.”

David Vest website

Read these Oregon Music News stories on Vest.

The Ultimate Interview.

Hear his new album.

5:15PM – 6:15PM Miller Stage – Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks

Super Chikan

James “Super Chikan” Johnson, nominated this year for four Blues Music Awards (Entertainer of the Year, Song of the Year, Traditional Blues Album and Traditional Blues Artist), struts and spins across the stage, riffing funkily on the whacky guitars he builds from recycled lawnmower and auto parts. He’s backed by one of the ballsiest bands in the Mississippi Delta, the Fighting Cocks—three barefoot gals who stomp the groove, and help bring Chikan’s crowd to their feet.

Super Chikan’s website
Short feature on Super Chikan’s guitars

5:45PM – 6:45PM Oregonian Stage Zydeco Swamp Romp: Capt. Leroy & The Zydeco Locals

6:15PM – 7:15PM Credit Union Stage – Juke Joint Duo: Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm

CEDRIC BURNSIDE, grandson of the legendary R.L. Burnside, son of drummer great Calvin Jackson, is widely regarded as one of the finest blues drummers in the world. Growing up at his grandfather’s side, he began touring at age 13, playing drums for “Big Daddy” on stages around the globe. Born and raised near Holly Springs, Miss., Cedric has been playing music all his life, developing a relentless, rhythmic charged style with strong hip-hop and funk influences.

In addition to “Big Daddy,” Cedric has also played with, among countless others, Junior Kimbrough, Kenny Brown, North Mississippi Allstars, Burnside Exploration, Bobby Rush and Widespread Panic. In 2006 he was featured in the critically acclaimed feature film, Black Snake Moan, playing drums alongside Samuel L. Jackson. (The film is a tribute to R.L. Burnside, and gives many nods to the late bluesman.)

Bluesman LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM is one of the leading, younger generation artists on the scene today. Born in rural Missouri, Malcolm enjoyed the freedom of country life, quickly learning to entertain himself and others around him. Growing up in a little village called Burgess in a country house next to the KCS Railroad that ran from Kansas City to New Orleans, the train has always been a theme in Malcolm’s music, as well as the inspiration for the steady, insistent bass rhythms of rural dance music.

Malcolm — a reckless live performer — has lived and breathed music his whole life, traveling and playing in a slashing, rhythmic style, with deep soulful vocals. He has played with many of the Delta’s finest blues artists, including Cedell Davis, R.L. Burnside, Hubert Sumlin, Jessie Mae Hemphill, T Model Ford, Jr. Kimbrough, Robert Belfour, Big Jack Johnson, Sam Carr and Otha Turner. Skilled on guitar, bass, and drums, Malcolm is an in demand session player with a telepathic sense of how to follow the older archaic styles, and is especially noted for his old-fashioned, church “shout” style on drums.

Together, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm have been tearing blowing away audiences at major clubs and festivals all over the continent the past two years, and won the Blues Music Award for Best New Act in 2008.

Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm website

7:00PM – 8:00PM Miller Stage – BOOKER T. , presented by FedEx.

Hammond B3 alchemist BOOKER T. JONES is one of America’s most prolific, distinguished and instantly recognizable musical forces, and the arrival of his recent, Grammy-winning Anti- album, POTATO HOLE, not only re-affirms his greatness, it also re-introduces the neglected all-instrumental format to a noisy, crowded marketplace crying out for precisely the type of soul satisfying grooves which Jones excels at. With choice accompaniment by the Southern rock visionaries Drive By Truckers and a sound often pushed into over-drive by the volcanic lead guitar of rock & roll legend Neil Young, Potato Hole captures Booker T. at the critical peak of a renewed creative phase in his storied career. “I really feel like I’ve been opened up again, I’ve got the creative muse working for me,” Jones said. “It’s like I have discovered a new method, a little road I can take to open it up, and I’m excited about playing this music.”

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Jones grew up playing and singing in gospel groups. A fascination with the Hammond B3 grew to the point where he funded his own organ lessons with newspaper route money and by his teens, Jones found himself at Stax Records, first as a hanger-on and soon as leader of the house band. Backing fabled stars like Rufus and Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Eddie Floyd both in the studio and on the road. With his Memphis Group cohorts Steve Cropper, Donald “Duck” Dunn and Al Jackson, Jones laid out the blueprint for the fabled Stax sound and reaped his own rewards with a string of hits that frequently crossed over to the pop charts. Jones post-Stax resume has been equally impressive, recording with everyone from Bobby Darin to John Lee Hooker and producing for numerous artists (including Bill Withers’ signature Ain’t No Sunshine album and Willie Nelson’s 1978 multi-platinum blockbuster Stardust). Jones and the MGs re-formed to serve as house band for the famed 1991 Bob Dylan tribute at Madison Square Garden (which led to a sustained alliance between Neil Young and Jones). Along the way, he’s also scored numerous films and enjoyed induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

Potato Hole demonstrates that not only is Jones’ talent and power undiminished, it also reveals how much there is to his music that we’ve never heard before. Jones has a remarkable knack for telling a story with his melodies, compositions so thoughtfully constructed that one can almost visualize narrative events, as the self-explanatory “Pound it Out”, the room-to-room filial warmth of “Family Reunion”, the illimitable intimacy and affection of “Nan” (Jones’ wife), and, in the case of title track (the term is a 19th century Afro-American colloquialism for the spot where smuggled food items were stashed beneath slave quarters), a cinematic, almost epic recounting of the struggles and spiritual resilience slavery imposed. This quality is so seductive that you may find yourself singing along, as if Jones was telegraphing lyrics that exist only within the listener. Even the three songs here that did not originate with Jones (Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” Tom Waits’ “Get Behind the Mule” and the Drive By Truckers’ own “Space City”) are transformed into vintage Booker T. jams, shimmering with relaxed, after-hours atmosphere and full of the fiery, taut organ work for which he is rightfully prized.

Whether laying down a meditative ramble or hard-charging rocker, Jones’ sense of artistic liberation and depth of involvement on every track here is breath taking–with Potato Hole, the cat is going into orbit. “The Hammond B3 and me have this thing goin’ on. It’s always there inside me. I’ve heard whole pieces in my head that I’ll never even remember–and now I’m finally getting them out.” he explained. “It gives me a freedom that I didn’t have . . . I sort of had it with the MG’s in the 60s, but even then it was more murky. This is lot more clear. I don’t know how to put it, except it’s like I can see again.”

7:00PM – 8:00PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Donna Angelle & Zydeco Posse

7:15PM – 8:15PM Workshop Stage – Super Chikan’s Chiktars and Diddly Bows: Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks

8:15PM – 9:15PM Credit Union Stage – Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound

Paul Cebar

PAUL CEBAR has steadfastly pursued a musical concatenation that is one part early R&B, another Pan-African Lilt, Afro-Cuban by way of New Orleans Slither, qualified by Mid-Western Soul and further distinguished by a gargantuan regard for spoken English.

Tomorrow Sound Now for Yes Music People, the newest addition to the Cebar catalog, boasts both the open-hearted spontaneous soulfulness we’ve come to expect from this dedicated musician and wild-headed, crazyquilt conjuring that feels like a bold contemporary invigoration of the inviting verities he has always explored.

The years since the release of the last studio album have been spent touring continually and intensifying the fervor with which Cebar has always infused his music. The guitar tones have taken on an edgier, more distinctive concision. Longtime cohort Bob Jennings comes to the fore on organ and horns in his sneakily apt and piquant less-is-more-ism. Drummer Reggie Bordeaux is simply a stone joy throughout lifting all and sundry to new heights of funk and drive. Bassist Patrick Patterson lays it low and mean in a thoroughly righteous display of bone-deep musicality. Percussionist Romero Beverly insinuates, articulates and pitches a veritable storm.

From the Hot Chocolate meets Latin Playboys skank of How’d You Get Like That? to the stately Muscle Shoals balladry of I’m Qualified, featuring Nick Lowe’s brotherly back-up vocals, TOMMOROW SOUND NOW FOR YES MUSIC PEOPLE is the best batch yet of of an endangered strain of fortified, intensified,fully jacked-up, roaring and exceedingly personal music-making from a singular Midwestern master. It may be time for all sorts of things, but it is high time for Paul Cebar. He has been, is, and will be the real doggone deal.

8:15PM – 9:15PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band

9:00PM – 10:15PM Workshop Stage – Electric Blues Guitar 102 and 103: Michael Burks with: Lucky Peterson

9:15PM – 10:15PM Miller Stage – Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush — winner of Soul-blues Artist of the Year, Best Acoustic Artist and Best Acoustic Recording at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis two years ago—returns to Waterfront Blues Festival. Rush will bring his raucus band and dancers to the main stage for an adult soul-blues set Saturday night, followed by an after-hours set at the Marriott Ballroom.

Bobby Rush website

9:30PM – 11:00PM Oregonian Stage – Zydeco Swamp Romp: Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble

10:15PM – 1:15AM Blues Cruise Delta Music Experience – “Rock the Boat” dance cruise: Bridgetown Sextet, with special guest Marilyn Keller, Alan Hager & Albert Reda, PorterDavis. $35

10:30PM – 11:45PM Marriott Hotel After-hours Blues Jam: BOOKER T.

11:55PM – 1:15AM Marriott Hotel After-hours Blues Jam: Bobby Rush

Sunday, July 4

12:00PM – 3:00PM Oregonian Stage – Cascade Blues Association: International Blues Challenge Winners/Finalists

On July 4, the festival teams up with the Memphis-based Blues Foundation to present this year’s winners of the annual International Blues Challenge [IBC].

In its 26 years, the IBC has become a premier showcase for new, young blues talent. Past competitors have included Grammy nominee SUSAN TEDESCHI, and Handy nominees SEAN COSTELLO, MICHAEL BURKS, Michelle Wilson, and Richard Johnston.

The Cascade Blues Association will host, on the Front Porch Stage, finals for the JOURNEY TO MEMPHIS competition, the winner of which will compete in the 2011 International Blues Challenge.

The IBC has both band and solo/duo competitions, which attract more than 190 acts. Blues organizations affiliated with the Foundation stage regional competitions around the world (such as the Cascade Blues Association’s “Journey to Memphis” competition at the Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival on July 4). They then send the top unsigned artists from their area to Memphis to compete in the IBC finals. The winner receives cash and prizes, including studio time; Web site development; CD production; appearances at clubs and festivals around the country; and the title of “Best Unsigned Blues Band.”

The Karen Lovely Band from Ashland, Oregon, took second place, and will be featured on the Front Porch Stage the afternoon of July 4. The previous year’s runner-up, The Ty Curtis Band, was also from Oregon (Salem) and will be featured on the main stage July 3.

The Blues Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of blues music. It is the umbrella organization for a worldwide network of nearly 100 affiliated blues societies and has individual memberships in 24 countries. In addition to International Blues Challenge, the foundation produces the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Blues Hall of Fame Induction.

The foundation also presents the Keeping the Blues Alive Award, which the Waterfront Blues Festival and its talent coordinator, Peter Dammann, won in 2001.

Blues Foundation info on International Blues Challenge

12:00PM – 12:45PM Credit Union Stage – Billy D and the Hoodoos

Billy D

In the few months since Billy Desmond, AKA Billy D, relocated to Portland from Santa Fe, he’s already built a credible band and created a buzz on this scene, his recent CD garnering rave reviews and airplay here. Desmond’s soulful approach to music has been praised by Albert King, Junior Wells, Humbert Sumlin, & Shawn Colvin among the many who have heard & appreciated his songwriting & guitar talent.

Born on the south side of Chicago in the ’50s, Billy grew up surrounded by R&B and the Blues, but as a child of his first love is Rock n’ Roll. He started his professional career at 14, playing guitar at teen dances and private parties. By the age of 18 he was sneaking into the blues clubs of Chicago to hear such greats as Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and James Cotton. Over the next 10 years he would work as a guitarist for JUNIOR WELLS, BIG-TIME SARAH, and DETROIT JUNIOR (Howlin’ Wolf’s piano player for 20 years). He would also garner a good deal of session work as a slide guitarist.

In the early 1980’s he formed his first band, SKID CITY BLUES BAND, which featured Billy as lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter. After 7 years touring the Midwest, Desmond moved to Los Angeles where he spent a year studying and working with blues great TONY MATTHEWS, guitarist for Little Richard and Ray Charles. Between 1989 and 1990 Desmond also worked with the late blues violin legend, Don “SUGARCANE” HARRIS. In 1990 Desmond began concentrating exclusively on developing his original material. In 1998 he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and began playing his original material in local clubs to great acclaim. Within a few years, The HOODOOS were formed and in August of 2002, with the help of the best studio musicians in New Mexico, Billy released his first CD, Tales From Hollywood (Real and Imagined). In 2003, “She’s the One” from this CD was the #1 requested song by a regional artist at KTAO, the largest solar-powered radio station in the world. KTAO produces the annual SolarFest in Taos, New Mexico, where Billy and the HOODOOS appeared that year with Robert Cray, Los Lonely Boys, and Shawn Colvin. In 2004 The HOODOOS released their equally popular second CD, Rokdalbu!

Billy D website

12:10PM – 12:40PM Oregonian Stage – Journey to Memphis Finals: The Catillacs , presented by Cascade Blues Association.

12:45PM – 1:30PM Miller Stage – Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers

Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers

Information to come.

12:45PM – 01:30PM Workshop Stage = Dale LeRoy Perry

Dale Leroy Perry

I was born and raised in a Midwest steel town. After a couple of weeks “working in the mill”, I met a harp player named Malcolm Gibson and that was that. Right after I started college I met these old “beats” who filled my head with life “on the road”. Off I went with my axe and 20 bucks, bound for everywhere.

In Chicago, Brownie McGhee told me, “you got a right to sing the blues ’cause you ain’t never goin’ home”. That was in 1969. Man was he right. Claiming neither place nor stone, I have traveled and worked and played all across the U.S. of A. Back then a few of us decided that the country blues tradition should be preserved. I was enthralled with the cats being “rediscovered”, like John Hurt and Lightning, and the renaissance of old country blues.

While the “original” songs started coming and the guitar developed, I lived in the mountains and on the prairie and all along the gulf coast, always absorbing the music of the heartland. I lived and performed in Chicago and Denver and Breckenridge and Detroit and Cincinnati and Dayton and Dallas and Houston and NYC. The only roots I had were in the blues. With time my style developed. I was taking those traditional country blues roots and writing my own tunes. I call it contemporary country blues. You got to sing about what you know, or it ain’t the blues.

I first came to Austin in the back of a Winnebago with Kenneth Threadgill in the passenger seat. After opening for him at the Rubiat in Dallas he gave me a lift for my gig at Saxon Pub, the original one, opening for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in Austin.

In the back room Sonny and I were pickin’ around when Brownie walked in. Sonny said, “ Listen to this boy, that’s the way I want you to play this song.” I could have crawled under the table. Those guys were always taking jabs at each other. Brownie was gracious though and had me come up to play the tune on stage with Sonny. My most special memory.

Later, after becoming a seismic observer for 12 years (the earth was my guitar and dynamite my pick), I came back to Austin on breaks and played at Chicago House. I met a lot of good folks like Jimmie Lafave, and Guy Forsythe. Jimmie called me “a legend in his spare time.” Funny. He told me I should move here.

When the oilfield crashed, I landed in Austin to drive a cab and play music (just like Harry Chapin). I played the Saxon Pub (the current one) regularly, the Mance Lipscomb tribute at Antones’, every week at the Dam Café with Rex Whitton, and other local clubs. I played with Frumholz, Rusty Weir, Tim Henderson (he told me I should quit my day job), and Leann Atherton. Larry Nye produced my first album, “Good & Ready’.

Four years and an album later it was off to Nashville, again to drive cab and pitch songs. I made all the songwriters nights, met a lot of songwriters, and learned about the “craft“ of songwriting. After a couple of years and modicum of success, I succumbed to the perils of the street and became very ill.

Upon release from hospital, I went back to the oilfield for a couple of years, but then it crashed again as it is want to do. So I came back to Austin and got a job (not in a cab). Soon, I started playing Ego’s once a week for a year and a half, with Larry Eisenberg on stand up bass and Jimi Lee on harp. During that time we opened mostly for Bobby Doyle.

Time gets away as you age seems like, just trying to survive. I had to slow down some and just do my day job. It happens like that as we get older. I played open mics once in a while, rode out to Luckenbach and picked sometimes. I finally recorded “Moan My Name,” a second album. I did two benefits for the Stroke Foundation in San Antonio. The second one with Vince Bell and Steve Fromholz. Talk about inspirational people. Steve and I first met forty years ago. It felt like a full circle.

Now I am free at last to devote full time to writing, recording and performing. Always said I’d do it. Now is the time. In June, 2009, “Live @ Hyde Park Bar and Grill” was recorded, with Jimi Lee. Now, new tunes are coming and old never before recorded songs are surfacing…..and some fun gigs are coming up. That’s my story, so far.

12:50PM – 1:20PM Oregonian Stage = Journey to Memphis Finals: David Brothers Band

1:30PM – 2:00PM Oregonian Stage – Journey to Memphis Finals: Vicki Stevens Band

1:30PM – 2:15PM Credit Union Stage – Gretchen Mitchell Band

Gretchen Mitchell

When Gretchen sings, she doesn’t just entertain—she transports. This Portland vocalist brings a signature warmth, intelligence and humor to her performances; hers is a unique Neo/Pop sound inspired by soul, blues and R&B music, backed by some of the city’s finest musicians.

Gretchen @ myspace

2:10PM – 2:40PM Oregonian Stage – Journey to Memphis Finals: Lisa Mann & Her Really Good Band

Lisa Mann

The Cascade Blues Association named this woman the Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as thrice awarding her the Muddy Waters Award for Bass Player of the Year. She has been seen on stage with Sonny Hess’ NW Womens Rhythm & Blues Revue at Waterfront Festivals past, but this year she brings her own band with a set list of original blues rockers and classic songs. Joining her on stage will be guitarist Jeff Knudson, also known for his performances with the funk-laden Ken DeRouchie Band, and Michael Ballash, who also swings with Johnny Martin.

Lisa Mann website

2:15PM – 3:00PM Miller Stage – Sultans of Slide: Amundson, Cooper & Goldwasser

Monti Amundsen

The Sultans of Slide began as the brainchild of Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser, a consummate veteran blues guitarist and vocalist. After nearly 30 years of performing with a pantheon of blues icons — the list is literally too long and continues to grow — Franck not only established himself as a peer to those he musically supported, but as a unique and original stylist and front man. His most recent collaborations have included his featured spot with the Mannish Boys, alongside Finis Tasby, Randy Chortkoff, Kirk Fletcher, and Bobby Jones. Franck wanted to bring the same depth and diversity to the realm of slide guitar, an instrument that is too often presented for novelty and not for the range of its voice. With this, he sought out others with a unique, varied, and complimentary approach to the instrument.

Known for his powerful performances on guitar and vocals, “Big Monti” Amundson was brought on board. As a mainstay of the Northwest blues scene and commonly recognized as leader of the Blubinos, Monti has garnered a following that brings him to Europe on an annual basis. Although compared to Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Monti has demonstrated that he is beyond simple references and labels.

Henry Cooper, having honed his skills on both slide and harp, is another acknowledged Northwest presence, whose career has had him working as both leader and side man, from the Terraplanes to Duffy Bishop and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. His stage presence, as well as his style, is best described as the epitome of “cool”. Whether it’s Elmore James or Slim Harpo, Henry pays homage to the original, but makes the tune his own.

Boyd Small was a local hero in the Portland area as singer/drummer of the Terraplanes for 11 years. He drummed with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, Guitar Shorty and Pinetop Perkins to name a few. After touring Europe in 1997 he moved to Amsterdam and co-founded Amsterdam based alternative roots and modern blues label “Cool Buzz”. While working with Cool Buzz he co- produced several CDs for American and Dutch artists including Monti Amundson, Jim Wallace, Drippin’ Honey and The Cuban Heels. Besides doing shows with his band throughout Europe in the last few years Boyd Small has worked with Black and Tan recording artists such as Byther Smith (Chicago, Ill.), Big George Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) and Billy Jones (Arks.) doing what he does best playing drums and singing.

David Kahl has been bassist for a who’s who of blues acts for well over 30 years. He has garnered numerous nominations and awards for his contributions. Paul deLay, Lloyd Jones, Duffy Bishop, Fiona Boyes, Rod Price, Bill Rhoades, Jim Mesi, and Curtis Salgado are just a few that he has supported on the low notes.

Monti Amundson website
Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser website

2:15PM – 3:00PM WorkshopStage – Blues history/photo presentation: Dick Waterman

Dick Waterman

Dick Waterman—the only person in The Blues Hall of Fame who is not a musician or a record-company executive—has worn many hats during his 40-year career in the blues business: folklorist, manager (Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy), agent, estate guardian, promoter, photographer, writer. Based in Oxford, Mississippi, Waterman has been active in the blues since the mid-1960s, when he helped rediscover Muddy Waters’ mentor, the great Delta blues singer Son House. With his own Avalon Productions, Waterman worked as manager and agent for such now legendary bluesmen such as Skip James, Bukka White, Mance Lipscomb, Arthur Crudup, “Mississippi” John Hurt, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Luther Allison, Magic Sam and Otis Rush. Waterman was Bonnie Raitt’s manager for almost two decades, and recently came out of retirement to manage the career of new blues sensation, Precious Bryant, (nominated recently for W.C. Handy Award for “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” and “Best New Artist Debut”). He formerly served on the Executive Board of the Blues Foundation. An active photographer, Waterman works festivals across the country, and has been a regular at the Waterfront for the past five years.

In a presentation on the Workshop stage, Waterman will discuss photos he’s taken over the years in his work with blues legends.

Dick Waterman Web Site

2:30PM – 4:30PM SOLD OUT! Blues Cruise Delta Music Experience Driftin’ Blues Cruise: Gary Farmer & the Troublemakers, Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen, Norton Buffalo’s Knockouts, Janiva Magness, Dale LeRoy Perry

3:15PM – 4:15PM Credit Union Stage – Linda Hornbuckle & Janice Scroggins Old Time Gospel Hour, w/ special guest Lucky Peterson

Linda Hornbuckle

Portland soul diva, Linda Hornbuckle, teams up with the phenomenal gospel-blues pianist, Janice Scroggins, for a rousing set of old school gospel. The duo gets help from a rousing rhythm section, backup choir, and special guest Lucky Peterson on organ.

Linda Hornbuckle website
Janice Scroggins info at Cascade Blues Assn.
Lucky Peterson @ myspace

3:15PM – 4:00PM Oregonian Stage – Journey to Memphis 2009 Winner, solo-duo: Son Jack Jr. & Michael Wilde

If you like your blues raunchy, authentic and wildly entertaining then look no further than this fast rising duo from Seattle. They have been together since mid-2008 and in that time have appeared all over the Northwest, including WBF last year where they won the coveted 1st place for blues duo in the CBA’s 2009 “Journey to Memphis” competition, and a slot to compete at the 2010 International Blues Challenge.

They have been honored to share the stage with Candye Kane, Magic Slim, Sonny Landreth, Coco Montoya and Delta Highway to name a few. Their hard work was rewarded with “Best Blues Duo” and “Best Traditional Blues Band” awards from the WA Blues Society in 2010 and 2009.

The duo will be releasing a new album later this year that will feature original new material spanning acoustic blues, electric roadhouse blues.

Listen to audio sample (.mp3 audio file)
Son Jack Jr. website

4:00PM – 4:45PM Workshop Stage – Slide guitar workshop: Sultans of Slide: Amundson, Cooper & Goldwasser

4:00PM – 4:45PM Miller Stage Mingo Fishtrap

Mingo Fishtrap

With a sound dancing between gutbucket soul, N’awlins grit-down funk and horn-fueled Motown pop, Mingo Fishtrap is an anomaly in the contemporary music scene. With each album, the group gravitates closer to the classic sounds that inspired them to learn their craft. What’s old is new again; with young audiences flocking to see a live show that lays its musical roots more in 1967 than 2007. And that’s just fine with bandleader Roger Blevins, Jr.

“Blues, soul and R&B is the common denominator of pop music. People around the world know that sound- Chess, Stax, Motown, Muscle Shoals – as part of the soundtrack to their lives. I grew up listening to Pops (Blevins’ father and Mingo’s bassist, Roger, Sr.) play those tunes to every age, race, color and creed. And from what we see, at least, people still need it.”

Mingo Fishtrap traces its beginnings to the mid 90s when Blevins and another five of the group’s eight members were attending the University of North Texas’ Jazz Studies program. Originally derived as a loose, after-class jam, Mingo covered songs from Otis Redding, Tower of Power, the Neville Brothers and other soul and funk masters with no particular professional ambition.

And it’s that same soul food that Mingo cooks up today. With an inspired, high-energy live show, they engage the audience – persuade them to, sometimes literally, join the band inside the music. With a new live concert DVD, Mingo Fishtrap, Live at the Granada, adding to their catalog of CD releases, Mingo captures a musical conversation, which speaks with reverence about the past and with hope about the future.

Through their time together on the road, Mingo Fishtrap has performed on bills with a wide range of artists: Sting, Blues Traveler, Ozomatli, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Little Feat and Jonny Lang among others.

At Waterfront, expect to see the Fishtrap Horns add their firepower to other acts’ sets as well.

Mingo Fishtrap website

4:15PM – 5:15PM Oregonian Stage – Jim Mesi Band

4:45PM – 5:30PM CU The Twisters

The Twisters

The Twisters go beyond paying dues to the blues tradition. The Twisters swing with two inspired vocalists, tightly woven harp and guitar lines, upright slap bass and a relentless driving rhythm section forging smooth tight grooves. They’re recent recording “Come Out Swingin” has received outstanding reviews, the highlight is that presenters say their live performances are outstanding with great stage presence and total audience engagement. These guys give it everything thy have every time they’re on stage.

2003 Juno Nominees and Canadian Independent Music Award winners for Best Blues Album of the Year, The Twisters are considered one of Canada’s Blues Treasures.

Last summer The Twisters released their 5th recording “Come Out Swingin” it’s the groups’ second NorthernBlues international release.

The Twisters’ website

5:30PM – 6:30PM Miller Stage Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen

Commander Cody

Ever since his wild early days as a front man for the Lost Planet Airmen, Commander Cody has plowed his own path through the fields of the American music scene as one of its few truly unique and iconoclastic figures. His special blend of old-time rock ‘n’ roll, redneck country, boogie woogie and swing has virtually defined American roots music.

Cody’s first studio release in nearly twenty years, Dopers, Drunks, and Everyday Losers on Blind Pig records, has enjoyed recent national coverage in such publications as Goldmine, Relix, Elmore, and Hittin’ the Note, as well as airplay on over 300 radio stations, hitting the #2 spot on the “Roots Country Chart” of the Roots Music Report. Commander Cody was the subject of an hour-long feature on NPR’s nationally-syndicated “American Routes” radio show.

Look in any book on the History of Rock and Roll and you will find Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. The band’s founder, leader, pianist and vocalist, George Frayne, took the stage name Commander Cody from the 1950s Sci-Fi film serials. The band’s album Deep in the Heart of Texas made Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the “top 100 albums of all time.”

The current version of the Commander Cody Band features Mark Emerick on guitar, Steve Barbuto on drums, Chris Olsen on pedal steel, Randy Bramwell on bass, and Cody, still pounding his piano into submission. Cody and his group continue to wow crowds at festivals, biker conventions and college concerts in the U.S. and Europe, as well as sleazy, down home, uptown and/or very posh roadhouses and bars. Cody has recently been artist in residence and boogie woogie pianist on The Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises.

the Commander’s website

5:30PM – 6:30PM Oregonian Stage – Journey to Memphis 2009 Winner, Band: Karen Lovely

Karen Lovely

In just one year, Karen Lovely has shot onto the blues scene like Stack O’ Lee’s Forty-Four. Backed by a stellar band, driven by Lovely’s powerful, expressive voice, her shows are a blistering mix of contemporary & old school blues originals. Karen’s debut record “Lucky Girl” was a #1 Pick to Click on XM Radio’s BB King’s Bluesville.

Karen & her band (which for the Waterfront set will include Kevin Selfe on guitar) consistently deliver outstanding performances that have earned them awards, critical acclaim and standing ovations at venues such as the New Daisy & Orpheum Theatres, Memphis TN (International Blues Challenge), Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival, the Britt Festival and the Klamath Blues Festival.

Karen’s recent award and honors include:
• 2010 WINNER – 2nd Place Band, IBC
• 2009 WINNER – Muddy Award – BEST NEW ACT
• 2009 WINNER – Muddy Award – BEST PERFORMANCE
• 2009 WINNER – “Journey to Memphis” Cascade Blues Assoc.
• 2009 WINNER – Waterfront Prize Best Performance

Her recently released second album, Still the Rain, is generating airplay and buzz nationwide.

Karen Lovely website

Read the OMN interview with Karen just after she returned from Memphis.

5:40PM – 6:30PM Workshop Stage – 21st Century Blues: Chris Thomas King

Chris Thomas King, son of Baton Rouge bluesman Tabby Thomas (who played the Festival with the late Eddie Bo and Raful Neal as the Hoodoo Kings in 2001), makes his Waterfront debut Monday, July 5.

The multi-tasking King, an actor as well as musician, has won “Album of the Year” for both Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards, but is most widely known for his roles as bluesman Tommy Johnson in the film Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and as bluesman Lowell Fulsom in Ray.

Chris Thomas King website
Morgan Freeman introducing Chris

6:30PM – 7:15PM Credit Union Stage – Norton Buffalo’s Knockouts

For over 30 years members of the Knockouts, when not busy with their many other projects, had the pleasure of performing and recording with legendary harmonica wizard, amazing singer, prolific songwriter, and extremely soulful gentleman Norton Buffalo, providing the perfect combo for Norton’s eclectic electric music. Now, as a tribute to their old friend Norton, to keep his memory alive and to keep on rocking in the Buffalo tradition, they have decided to continue performing as a band, Norton’s Knockouts.

The band is comprised of singers, songwriters, bandleaders, sidemen, guitarists, drummers, bassmen, and keyboardists who have been rocking over two millennia.

Austin de Lone is a killer keyboardist, guitarist, and soulful singer whose credits include Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Boz Scaggs, Nick Lowe, Lightening Hopkins, Howard Tate, Carla Thomas, Paul Carrack, Commander Cody, Wayne Bennett, Jimmy McCracklin, Bill Kirchen, Loudon Wainwright, and many others known and unknown, seen and unseen.

Guitarist Johnny “V” Vernazza has been big part of the San Francisco scene since ’68, palling around with Janis Joplin and appearing on the Sonny & Cher show in ’70. His credits include playing guitar on Elvin Bishop’s hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love,” which earned him a Gold record. He also worked with the Marshall Tucker Band and blues greats Luther Tucker and Sunnyland Slim. One of Johnny’s tunes appeared on NBC’s “My Name is Earl”.

Bassist David Brown has been in demand since the mid 60’s, recording with the great Wilson Pickett, Betty Wright, Martin Mull, and Kitty Wells to name a few. He was a band mate of Boz Scaggs, Greg & Duane Allman, Michael Bloomfield, and Commander Cody, and also wrote songs for Boz, Greg and Duane, Rita Coolidge, and many others. David was a member of the seminal southern rock band Cowboy and SF bay area’s legendary rockers Mistress.

Drummer Paul Revelli has shared the stage and shredded in the studio with many great performers including Boz Scaggs, Jimmie Vaughan, Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton, Tracy Nelson, Marcia Ball, Bonnie Hayes, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop, Bo Diddley, and Pinetop Perkins.

Norton Buffalo’s Knockouts

6:45PM – 7:00PM Oregonian Stage – Franco Paletta: : Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

On Sunday evening, July 4, the Oregonian Front Porch Stage hosts Bill Rhoade’s Tenth Annual WBF Harmonica Blow-Off. Rhoades, a former KBOO-fm blues DJ and harmonica ace, presents another stellar lineup of blow-hards: DAVE HOERL from Canada, STAN STREET from Clarksdale, Mississippi; KIM FIELD, from Seattle; and FRANCO PALETTA from Portland; and native-American actor/harmonica ace Gary Farmer.

They’ll be backed by an all-star Portland rhythm section that includes Mannish Boys’ guitarist Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser; Rick Welter also on guitar; Albert Reda on bass; DK Stewart on keyboard; and Jimi Bott on drums.

7:10PM – 7:30PM Oregonian Stage – Harmonica Blow-off: Stan Street

Stan Street

Clarksdale, Mississippi-based musician/artist Stan Street has performed and/or exhibited at major blues venues all over the world.

Born in Rochester, NY and raised by a musical family—his father and uncle were both percussionists for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra—Street studied percussion as a youngster but gravitated to harmonica and saxophone after discovering blues and early jazz. He still plays drums and some piano, but his primary instrument is the harmonica, and has performed throughout the South as well as at major festivals in Canada, Europe and Australia.

A self-taught visual artist, Street was inspired in 1995 by a visit to New Orleans to create his first serious work on a sheet of discarded plywood. Then based in Florida, he exhibited and sold his first paintings out of a local blues bar. Since then he has created poster art for major festivals from Canada to Norway, including the images used the past two years in the poster for the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival.

Street and his wife/drummer, Dixie, relocated several years ago to Clarksdale, MS, where they converted a former downtown shoe store into a loft apartment and exhibit space. Their Hambone Art Gallery and workshop, located two doors down from actor Morgan Freeman’s gourmet restaurant, Madidi, hosts live music every Tuesday night.

Stan Street website

7:15PM – 8:15PM Workshop Stage – Music of Louisiana’s Bayous: Atomic Gumbo: Steve Kerin & Friends

Steve Kerin

In the spring of 2005 Steve Kerin got in his car in Lafayette, Louisiana and pointed it west. After camping and gigging his way through deserts, truckstops, bars, and nightclubs he decided to park it in Portland Oregon. Born and raised in the Heart of Cajun Country, Steve discovered piano at the age of four. While studying classical music in college, he discovered such New Orleans piano greats as Dr. John, Professor Longhair, and James Booker. Steve soon found himself playing regularly with such Louisiana greats as “Big Daddy” Harry Hypolite, former guitarist for Zydeco great Clifton Chenier, as well as Grammy nominated songwriter David Egan. He is a true student of the New Orleans style, and his playing is complex and dense. His voice has the gruff quality needed to ’sound’ like New Orleans. Steve’s piano performances have been with groups as varied as his musical talents -from jazz to rock to blues to classical, to wherever his talent and soul take him.

WORKSHOP: Exploring the Music of New Orleans and the Bayous
Have you ever wondered what a New Orleans jazz funeral is like? Or what the “second line” means in second line music? Cajun born-and-raised Steve Kerin will explore the tasty jazz culture of authentic Louisiana-style music in a concert featuring a gumbo of guest musicians, including a jambalaya of deep-south musical genres. During the course of the presentation, Kerin will cover the styles of Mardi Gras Music, Cajun, Zydeco, Jazz Funerals, Second Line, New Orleans funk, blues, and jazz.

Also performing with Steve Kerin will be Jim Miller (bass), Fred Ingram (drums), Heidi Shuler (percussion), Kolvane (guitar/vocals), and other special guests.

Steve Kerin website at Myspace

7:15PM – 8:15PM Miller Stage Janiva Magness

Janiva Magness

The story of award-winning vocalist Janiva Magness’ rise to the top of the blues world and beyond is a testament to the redemptive power of music and the human spirit. Possessing a rich, soulful voice and absolute command over her material, Magness is an incredibly gifted performer who can lead her audience through a range of emotions, from the deepest sorrow to overwhelming joy. A survivor of an impossibly rough childhood, Magness’ life experience informs her music in a way that is brutally honest, emotionally moving and, above all, spiritually healing. Winner of the 2006 and 2007 Blues Music Awards for Best Contemporary Female Artist Of The Year, Magness has seven solo recordings to her credit and has made guest appearances on CDs by R.L. Burnside and many others. Her presence on stage is legendary, as she performs 200 nights a year at clubs, festivals, and concert halls all over the world. And, in April 2008, she traveled to Iraq and Kuwait co-headlining Bluzapalooza, the first-ever blues concert tour to perform for American troops.

Janiva Magness website

7:35PM – 7:55PM Oregonian Stage – Franck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser: Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

8:00PM – 8:20PM Oregonian Stage – Bill Rhoades: Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

8:15PM – 9:00PM CU Kara Grainger

Kara Grainger

“Equal parts Bonnie Raitt and Rickie Lee Jones, Aussie songstress Kara Grainger…. delivers a mature collection of blues and roots music on her full-length solo debut, Grand and Green River. Grainger’s soulful voice and emotive guitar work soar above her band’s tight accompaniment. The joyous combination of the two makes her sometimes depressing lyrics palatable – even jaunty.” – AUSTIN MONTHLY

“One of the best new voices on the Americana scene this year belongs not to an American, but an Aussie, Kara Grainger. She brings the whole trifecta of singing, playing and writing… ” – www.americanaroots.com

http://www.karagrainger.com/

8:25PM – 8:45PM Oregonian Stage – Kim Field: Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

8:50PM – 9:10PM Oregonian Stage – Dave Hoerl: : Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

9:00PM – 01:00AM Hotel 50 Bob Shoemaker & Heidi Shu /: Kara Grainger

9:00PM – 10:00PM Miller Stage – Curtis Salgado

Curtis

MALE SOUL-BLUES ARTIST OF THE YEAR – BLUES MUSIC AWARDS

Curtis Salgado, who has endured a roller-coaster of life crisis in the last few years, is getting a second chance. Optimistic that his medical issues may be behind him, Curtis is excited about the prospect of a healthy and prosperous 2010.

In early 2006, the singer-songwriter and harmonica idol was diagnosed with liver cancer, which resulted in a life-saving liver transplant in September of that year. In October 2007, he underwent another surgery when a spot was discovered on his lung. The cancerous tumor was removed and doctors were surprised to find the cancer had not spread to any other part of the lung. Salgado received great news recently when test results gave him a clean bill of health.

While Curtis has been a Northwest-music legend from his Portland base ever since his six-year stint in Robert Cray’s band, it’s only been in the past few years that national audiences have seen what all the fuss is about as Curtis and his band deliver one of the most powerful live shows you’ll see anywhere—a rare commodity these days. Salgado started his own band in the burgeoning Northwest blues scene in the early ’70s, then was a key part of Cray’s formative years, leaving to front the respected Roomful of Blues from 1984-1986. Along the way, he inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers when Belushi was in Eugene, Oregon to film Animal House and caught Curtis’s act. Belushi dedicated the first Blues Brothers album to Curtis. Curtis even did a stint as lead vocalist with Santana in 1995.

Curtis kicked off his own recording career with Curtis Salgado & the Stilettos in 1991, following it up with More Than You Can Chew in 1995. While both albums generated substantial rock and blues airplay, unfortunately both labels went out of business before he could break through nationally. The more acoustic Hit It and Quit It scored him a spot with Steve Miller on Late Night With Conan O’Brien. His three most recent albums for Shanachie Entertainment (Wiggle Outta This, Soul Activated and Strong Suspicion) featured guest appearances by Jimmie Vaughan, Lou Ann Barton, The Memphis Horns, Bekka Bramlett, Sonny Landreth and Duke Robillard. Soul Activated was received with critical acclaim and even garnered a WC Handy Blues Award nomination in the category of Soul Blues Album of the Year.

For the first time, all the pieces are in place for an artist who has paid his dues, made his mistakes and had his share of bad breaks but has persevered. “Thousands of friends, family and fans came to my aide, raising the needed funds to save my life,” says Curtis Salgado. “I owe each and everyone of them the best I have to give in an effort to show my gratitude for the love and support that they have given me.”

Curtis Salgado official website
Video clip of Curtis Salgado

Read the OMN interview with Curtis.

9:00PM – 10:00PM Workshop Stage – Outside the Box: Miriam’s Well

Miriam

The songs of Miriam’s Well with throw you inside rattlesnake country armed with rock n’ roll until you find love lost in a ditch by the side of the road. The music flows between bluesy rock, soulful country – and back again. The band’s name is a biblical reference, but also a clue to the deep reserves of emotion and charisma that Miriam brings to her moments onstage. Backed by some mighty reputable players that breathe life into and enhance every song, the sum becomes greater than any individual part. This roots rock-based, original music is best given its moment to speak in a live setting, allowing the audience to personally experience the songs.

With a musical career that spans from the East Coast to the West, Miriam, a Portland local, is a kindred spirit – the real deal. She’s sensuous, she’s raucous, and she’ll move you. Miriam lives and breathes her art with a unique layering of emotions and musical imagery that comes straight from her heart.

Miriam’s Well website

9:30PM – 10:00PM Oregonian Stage – Blowhards’ Jam: Bill Rhoades’ Harmonica Blow-off

10:00PM – 10:30PM Tom McCall Waterfront Park FIREWORKS!

10:00PM – 10:00PM MS National Anthem: Alonzo Chadwick

10:30PM – 11:45PM MH After-hours Blues Jam: Mingo Fishtrap

11:55PM – 01:15AM MH After-hours Blues Jam: JJ GREY and MOFRO

“Rich, funky swamp grooves…celebrates life’s most fundamental joys with unforced talent and deep feeling.” – New York Times

JJ Grey

Emerging from that eloquent tradition of Southern storytellers, JJ Grey and his band MOFRO deliver some serious rocking funk fueled by brilliant musicianship. The result is music that is thought provoking, rhythmically dynamic and texturally mesmerizing. “I listen to people who tell the story,” he says, naming Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, Tony Joe White, Jerry Reed, Otis Redding, Dr. John, Sly and the Family Stone, Van Morrison, Bill Withers and Dan Penn as influences. What these writers and performers have in common is a love for simplicity, evoking complex emotions with a minimal number of words.

Grey teamed early on with Dan Prothero and Fog City Records, hitting it off instantly. After a stint in the UK, Grey returned stateside and with Prothero produced and recorded “Blackwater” in 2001 (released on Fog City and named by Amazon.com as one of the best CDs of the decade). JJ Grey & MOFRO’s rabid following, through hard work, touring and undeniable musical prowess, grew quickly. From gritty funk to juke-joint romps to contemplative country soul to blistering rockers, Grey and company occupy a distinctive space in the music world.

Monday, July 5

12:00PM – 12:45PM Credit Union Stage – Gary Burfor Band

12:00PM – 12:45PM Oregonian Stage – Steve Cheseborouh

Steve Cheeseborough

Delta acoustic guitar ace Steve Cheseborogh, who relocated to Portland from Mississippi a couple of years ago, leads a lecture/performance, “Blues From Way Back,” giving history, stories, and live performance of 1920s-30s blues by Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Memphis Minnie, Bo Carter et al.

Steve Cheseborough website

12:45PM – 1:30PM Miller Stage – Dani Paige Band

Dani Paige

With so many big, impressive voices being heard in music these days, it takes something more to stand out. Monterey, California vocalist Dani Paige offers an example of what “something more” sounds like. Besides having a rich, supple, powerful voice, her gift for songwriting unquestionably distinguishes her from her peers.

Ms. Paige and songwriting partner/guitarist Jesse DeCarlo have created something that fans of the rock-soul-R&B tradition have been craving for years: songs that are catchy but not disposable, and show genuine musicianship without sounding clinical. Like the great music of days past, the choruses grab your ear and don’t let go, while the rhythm pulls you out of your seat and makes you want to dance. But unlike a retro act, the Dani Paige Band focuses these influences through a lens of individual passion and experience to create something fresh and exciting.

The Dani Paige Band has been gathering buzz and critical acclaim since the release of their debut CD in 2008. They have performed at venues and festivals up and down the West Coast, and have opened for Los Lobos, Jonny Lang, Leon Russell, and George Thorogood. Dani Paige Band has received considerable press coverage, including the May 2009 cover story in the Monterey Bay Area’s Live en Vivo Magazine.

Dani Paige Band website

12:45PM – 1:30PM Workshop Stage – Blues from Down Under: Hutch Hutchinson w/: Kara Grainger

1:00PM – 1:45PM Oregonian Stage John-Alex Mason

John-Alex Mason

After winning the Telluride Acoustic Blues Competition in 2001, Mason was hired back to teach slide guitar at the festival’s guitar camp where he came under the influence of contemporary luminaries Taj Mahal, John Cephas, Phil Wiggins, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Richard Johnston. In 2004 he won the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival’s “Most Promising Emerging Artist.” Mason has shared the stage with many Greats including BB King, James Cotton, John Mayall, Jimmie Vaughn, John Hammond, Robben Ford, Bob Margolin, and the man Mason calls “the King,” Robert Belfour. Mason has recorded five full-length albums, the latest, Town and Country, released in, 2008.

John-Alex Mason website

1:30PM – 2:15PM Credit Union Stage Kolvane

Kolvane

Kolvane is a lifetime musician/artist who founded Portland’s Rose City Kings in 2002. In 4 short years, Kolvane moved the band from obscurity to notoriety: Releasing three critically acclaimed albums; touring with Chicago Blues legend Jody Williams as his personal band; breaking into the Top 50 Roots Music Report in the Roots Blues category and continuing as the highest ranked self-released album on the RootsMusicReport.com chart for several weeks.

Kolvane website

2:00PM – 3:00PM Oregonian Stage – North Mississippi by Northwest: McMurrian, Lemhouse, Shoemaker & Bott

An allstar lineup of Northwest roots guitar aces—Joe McMurrian, Mark Lemhouse (pictured) and Bob Shoemaker— team up with drummer Jimi Bott to put a NW spin on North Mississippi’s Hill Country groove.

More info to come….

Jimi Bott website
Joe McMurrian website
Mark Lemhouse website
Bob Shoemaker website

2:15PM – 3:00PM Miller Stage – Robbie Laws Bigger Blues Band, featuring Mz. Dee

Robbie Laws has been thrilling Northwest Blues Fans for over a decade. He is the winner of 12 Cascade Blues Associations Muddy Awards ranging from Best Blues Band to Best Blues Recording and is a member of the Muddy Hall of Fame for 6 Best Electric Guitar awards.

Laws has assembled some of the Northwest’s finest musicians for the return of his seven-piece, horn-powered Bigger Blues Band. This band can swing, jump and funk it up. The band recently won the Washington Blues Society BB Award for Band of the Year. In addition to Laws on guitar and vocals, it includes Frank “Hot Rod” Holman on keyboards; Charlene Grant on bass; Steve Sarkowsky on drums; Mike West on tenor saxophone; Greg Lyons, trumpet; and Mike Tooley on trombone.

The band, playing an early mainstage set and a later Front Porch Stage set Monday July 5, will be joined by San Francisco vocalist Mz. Dee, a fabulous belter who cut her teeth with the legendary Johnny Otis Revue. Mz Dee has shared the stage with such bluesmen as James Cotton, Joe Louis Walker, and Chris Cain. She’s opened for such legends as James Brown, Gladys Knight, Koko Taylor and the Neville Brothers.

Robbie Laws Bigger Blues Band website

2:30PM – 4:30PM Blues Cruise Delta Music Experience Sail on Sister! Cruise: Baskery, Kara Grainger, Divas of Soul (Linda Hornbuckle, LaRhonda Steele, Juliane Johnson, Janice Scroggins), Ellen Whyte Quartet. $20

3:00PM – 4:00PM Credit Union Stage Chris Thomas King

Chris Thomas King

Chris Thomas King, son of Baton Rouge bluesman Tabby Thomas (who played the Festival with the late Eddie Bo and Raful Neal as the Hoodoo Kings in 2001), makes his Waterfront debut Monday, July 5.

The multi-tasking King, an actor as well as musician, has won “Album of the Year” for both Grammy Awards and Country Music Awards, but is most widely known for his roles as bluesman Tommy Johnson in the film Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and as bluesman Lowell Fulsom in Ray.

…more info to come…

Chris Thomas King website
Morgan Freeman introducing Chris

3:15PM – 4:15PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: Devin Phillips Black & Blue

Black and Blue

Saxophonist Devin Phillips, a crescent city native who relocated to Portland in 2005 following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, carries the torch of New Orleans music with vigor and bright spirit. Black & Blue is a new project and collaboration between Phillips and Portland guitarist Chance Hayden, founded to perform a thorough repertoire of early New Orleans jazz. Their authentic sound is featured through a street corner instrumentation of sax, trumpet, trombone, acoustic guitar and upright bass. The tradition is ever present and the history is strongly reinstated with rhythm steeped in early swing, vibrant multi-horn polyphony and a deep connection to the blues.

Devin Phillips website

4:00PM – 5:15PM Workshop Stage – From Burnside to Bourbon Street: Mac Potts & Lloyd Jones

19-year-old multi-instrumentalist Mac Potts is already a veteran of stages from the Northwest to New Orleans. Mac first learned his blues chops from D.K. Stewart, and has been a long time member of the Ben Rice Blues Band. He is also a member of Manimalhouse, a funk/soul/New Orleans group.

This is his sixth year playing at Waterfront, where he has performed as part of various acts, and has sat in with D.K., Reggie Houston, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Lady A. White, Bonerama, Ty Curtis and others.

The Ben Rice Band has been honored by the Cascade Blues Association with Muddy Award nominations and traveled to Memphis in 2007 as the CBA band representative for the International Blues Challenge. Mac also was featured at the Cincinnati Blues Festival Boogie Woogie stage in 2007.

Mac has travelled to New Orleans each of the last five years for Jazz Fest. He enjoys the culture, atmosphere, and the “minors allowed” nightclub policy in the Crescent City, and likes to jam in clubs until dawn. He has met and played with Charmaine Neville, Marcia Ball, Dr. John, Henry Butler, Mitch Woods, the Storyville Stompers and Harry Connick Jr. plus many young upcoming musicians, including traditional New Orleans brass bands.

Mac’s influences include all of the above plus many jazz and soul artists, and he brings his mixture of blues, funk, boogie woogie and soul music to the Waterfront Festival.

Mac will be joined by Portland’s funkiest blues man, LLOYD JONES, on guitar.

Mac Potts’ website

4:00PM – 5:15PM Miller Stage JJ GREY and MOFRO

“Rich, funky swamp grooves…celebrates life’s most fundamental joys with unforced talent and deep feeling.” – New York Times

Emerging from that eloquent tradition of Southern storytellers, JJ Grey and his band MOFRO deliver some serious rocking funk fueled by brilliant musicianship. The result is music that is thought provoking, rhythmically dynamic and texturally mesmerizing. “I listen to people who tell the story,” he says, naming Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, Tony Joe White, Jerry Reed, Otis Redding, Dr. John, Sly and the Family Stone, Van Morrison, Bill Withers and Dan Penn as influences. What these writers and performers have in common is a love for simplicity, evoking complex emotions with a minimal number of words.

Grey teamed early on with Dan Prothero and Fog City Records, hitting it off instantly. After a stint in the UK, Grey returned stateside and with Prothero produced and recorded “Blackwater” in 2001 (released on Fog City and named by Amazon.com as one of the best CDs of the decade). JJ Grey & MOFRO’s rabid following, through hard work, touring and undeniable musical prowess, grew quickly. From gritty funk to juke-joint romps to contemplative country soul to blistering rockers, Grey and company occupy a distinctive space in the music world.

Mofro website

4:30PM – 5:30PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: Kevin Selfe & the Tornadoes w/ Jim Wallace

Kevin Selfe

In three short years, Kevin Selfe and The Tornadoes have quickly risen to the forefront of the Northwest blues scene. Since moving to Portland from Roanoke Virginia in 2007, he and the band have been nominated for 10 Cascade Blues Association Muddy Awards, and are the reigning Contemporary Blues Act of the Year. The band is known for captivating audiences with their high energy shows, as well as their dynamic mix of styles and approaches, all the while staying true to the blues.

In October 2009, they released their second CD, Playing The Game to rave reviews. Blues Revue says “Selfe plays with rare thoughtfulness and taste…his clean tone and deep well of approaches keep things fresh.”

Kevin Selfe & the Tornadoes will be joined by harmonica ace Jim Wallace on the Front Porch Stage for the “Swingin’ to the Blues” dance late Monday afternoon July 5.

band website

5:15PM – 6:00PM Credit Union Stage – Baskery

Baskery

“Flaxen haired trio’s frenzied banjo-punk drew as much excitement as the bigger acts, leaving audiences clamoring for more.” – Roots & Blues Review (British Columbia)

The Bondesson sisters—Greta, Stella and Sunniva—describe their genre as “killbilly,” “banjopunk” and “blues-grass” and evoke a rebellious attitude that is more punk than most of their roots-music contemporaries. Their incendiary sound is ignited by Greta’s six-string distorted slide-banjo playing, while providing the stomping groove with her feet on kick and snare, Sunniva’s twangy vocals and frenetic rhythm-guitar work, and Stella’s hard-driving, slap-driven upright bass, all richly overlayed by the trio’s tight vocal harmonies. Their debut album, Fall Among Thieves, was recorded the way albums used to be recorded at Sun Studios and Muscle Shoals, where getting the perfect live take in the studio was essential to capturing the emotional essence of a song—No overdubs.

Baskery’s hard-driving honky-tonk has won over crowds on major festival stages in 14 countries. Their Waterfront appearance Monday, July 5 will be their Northwest debut.

Baskery website

5:45PM – 6:45PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: Robbie Laws Bigger Blues Band, featuring Mz. Dee

6:00PM – 7:15PM Workshop Stage – North Mississippi by Northwest: McMurrian, Lemhouse, Shoemaker & Bott

6:00PM – 7:15PM Miller Stage Little Feat

Little Feat

Transcending traditional musical boundaries, Little Feat’s inimitable fusion of rock and Louisiana-inflected swamp-boogie has made them a favorite among rock and pop music fans since 1969. With a free-wheeling style that cooks in elements of folk, blues, rockabilly, country and jazz, Little Feat’s repertoire delivers an infectious sound and top-drawer musicianship wrapped around a memorable collection of classic songs.

One can’t write about Little Feat without acknowledging its co-founder, the legendary late slide-guitarist Lowell George. This direction-setting musician/writer/arranger set the course for the band and its sound. But since George’s untimely death in 1979, Little Feat has remained largely intact and at the top of their game, making great music and great records, and touring relentlessly, followed by their legions of fans. Some of those biggest fans have been other musicians: Feat’s fabled collaborators have included Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Beck, Brian Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Lang, and Leftover Salmon (for whom Feat co-founder and keyboardist Bill Payne recently produced an album).

Little Feat website

7:00PM – 8:00PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: The Twisters

7:15PM – 8:00PM Credit Union stage – Reggie Houston’s Crescent City Connection

Reggie Houston

From his first professional gig at age 12 with The Gladiators, one of the preeminent and pioneering bands of funk, to his 22 years spent playing saxophone in Fats Domino’s band, to his time on the road with Charles & Charmaine Neville, and Harry Connick Jr. in The Survivors, to his extensive recording credits with luminaries such as Peter Gabriel, Dr. John and The Neville Brothers, New Orleans musician Reggie Houston has earned recognition as one of the country’s finest saxophone players.

Reggie Houston’s Crescent City Connection features many of the musicians that he put together to record his upcoming CD, Homage 1, due to be released later this year. Grammy-nominated pianist, Janice Scroggins is featured prominently on Homage 1, and contributes arranging and one of her own original compositions, along with her impeccable piano playing. Also featured on every track of the new CD and here on stage, is Reinhardt Melz. One of the Pacific Northwest’s most sought-after drummers, Reinhardt has spent years keeping the beat for musicians like Gino Vannelli, Curtis Salgado, Buddy Guy, Ernestine Anderson, Bobby Torres and more. Playing electric bass for the Crescent City Connection is Ben Jones whose versatile and accomplished playing has accompanied artists the likes of The Neville Brothers, Grammy winning jazz violinist Noel Pointer, BB King, Robert Cray and Delbert McClinton. Muddy Award winner and soulful guitarist Peter Dammann grew up playing blues on Chicago’s Southside before moving to the Pacific Northwest where he’s gigged with Robert Cray and backed Paul DeLay for two decades of amazing music. Also joining Reggie Houston’s Crescent City Connection are other guest musicians who appear on Homage 1: Paul Brainard on 6-string banjo & electric pedal steel guitar, and at least one very special surprise guest musician!

Reggie Houston website

8:00PM – 8:05PM Miller Stage Oregon Food Bank Presentation

8:00PM – 9:15PM Miller Stage – Galactic with Cyril Neville and Corey Henry (from Rebirth)

New Orleans’ heaviest young funksters close the festival with legendary Crescent City vocalist/percussionist, Cyril Neville.

It’s shaping up to be a stellar year for celebrated New Orleans outfit GALACTIC. In February the band released their groundbreaking new album YA-KA-MAY a visionary mix, intertwining New Orleans sounds from jazz to brass band to funk and far beyond. With this release, the five-man group—drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonist/harmonica player Ben Ellman, keyboardist Richard Vogel, and guitarist Jeff Raines—reaffirms their status as the quintessential modern day New Orleans band and one of the funkiest outfits in the known universe.

Ya-Ka-May features all-new material generated by the band in collaboration with a stellar series of New Orleans guests, who range from iconic figures of the 1960s to the younger veterans to the underground. The album features established legends such as the Rebirth Brass Band, Irma Thomas, Big Chief Bo Dollis, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty and Corey Henry, John Boutté, Josh Cohen and Scully, Glen David Andrews, and Walter “Wolfman” Washington alongside groundbreaking new “Bounce” artists like Cheeky Blakk, Big Freedia, Katey Red, and Sissy Nobby. The end result is New Orleans like it’s meant to be heard, and pure GALACTIC.

8:00PM – 9:15PM Workshop Stage Alan Hager &: Mary Flower

Mary Flower

“A world-class fingerstyle and lap-slide guitarist.”
- Downbeat

“Transcends classification… an amazing talent.”
- FolkWax

“Flower glides effortlessly through the variegated byways and backwaters of American roots music…” – Big City Blues

Mary Flower, a 2008 Blues Music Award Nominee for “Acoustic Artist of the Year,” is renowned for a uniquely personal vision of roots music that blends ragtime, acoustic blues, and folk styles. Technically dazzling yet grounded in the down-to-earth simplicity of early 20th century American music, Mary boasts more stylistic diversity than just about any other artist currently performing under the “acoustic blues” banner.

Flower has earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike for her natural, unassuming vocals, but it’s her instrumental skill — a mastery of the difficult Piedmont blues guitar style that takes most players a lifetime to hone — for which Flower is most celebrated. Her fingerpicking forms the basis of a heavily syncopated, ragtime-based style wherein the thumb plucks a strong rhythmic base as the fingers etch out the melody. Mary also excels at lap slide guitar, allowing her to infuse her songs with a supremely delicate, plaintive sound that’s hers alone while recalling the blues giants of the past.

Having finished in the top three at the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship and appeared on radio programs such as A Prairie Home Companion and played at numerous folk and blues festivals including the Kerrville Folk Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, and Merlefest, Flower is in demand for festivals, concerts and guitar workshops on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mary’s latest album, Bridges (Yellow Dog Records), is a love letter of sorts to her adoptive home town of Portland — the “bridges” of the title allude to the many crossings of the Willamette River that give the city its unique character, as well as metaphorically referencing the connections to many different musical genres that give Mary’s distinctive sound its own unique character. In recruiting a dozen Portland musicians to play on the sessions—piano, tuba, accordion, clarinet, mandolin, and saxophone are just a few of the instruments that color Flower’s arrangements —the album indeed served as a “bridge” for members of Portland’s thriving music scene.

Mary Flower website

8:15PM – 9:30PM Oregonian Stage – Swingin’ to the Blues: Duffy Bishop

Duffy Bishop

The Duffy Bishop Band is without a doubt one of Portland’s greatest treasures. With scores of awards and four of the finest CDs ever to come out of the Rose City, Duffy Bishop and her guitarist/ songwriter husband, Chris Carlson, have become one of the most popular Northwest acts at festivals and nightclubs around the nation. There are countless reasons for their success, but The Oregonian’s John Foyston summed it up nicely, “Some blueswomen never get past big, bold and brassy, but Bishop knows well the uses of subtlety in songs. [Her] sly knowing humor is one of Bishop’s many charms.”

Duffy Bishop websit

9:00PM – 12:00PM Hotel 50 Bott ‘n Gold

Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser

The all-star duoBott ‘n Gold featuresFranck “Paris Slim” Goldwasser, on guitar and vocals, and Jimi Bott on drums.

After nearly 30 years of performing with a pantheon of blues icons — the list is literally too long and continues to grow — Franck not only established himself as a peer to those he musically supported, but as a unique and original stylist and front man. His most recent collaborations have included his featured spot with the Mannish Boys, alongside Finis Tasby, Randy Chortkoff, Kirk Fletcher, and Bobby Jones.

Jimi’s long and extensive resume includes world tours with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers, and Mannish Boys…and numerous nominations for Best Drummer at the annual Blues Awards in Memphis.

9:00PM – 01:00AM Marriott Hotel – After-hours Blues Jam

Oregon Music News is happy to be a sponsor of the 2010 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival

Following Bunch’s set, a local band Jawbone Flats will play, and then Bunch will join his bluegrass band from NY, called Citigrass, for the last set of the evening.

Bunch grew up in Portland, playing for the Portland Youth Philharmonic. He then played and studied composition Juilliard in New York City, which is now his home. Bunch has written pieces for orchestra and other ensembles. He and his wife, pianist Monica Ohuchi, are playing at the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival, which opened on June 18th and runs through the 27th in Corvallis.

Molitor, Olson, Palmedo

They are pianist Ted Case and trumpeter Noah Hocker from Thara Memory’s American Music Program, trombonist Kyle Molitor from Tigard High School, alto saxophonist Andrew Olson from Tualatin High School and trumpeter Tree Palmedo from Oregon Episcopal School.

The MJF takes the Orchestra on a national or international tour each year, and features them on Sunday afternoon in the Arena at the Festival. They will also perform on September 19 on the Arena Stage with vocalist Dianne Reeves, the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Artist-in-Residence for 2010.

The Next Generation Orchestra selects the top high school players in the nation, and in the 39 years the group has been in existence, it has featured such jazz stars such as Joshua Redman, Patrice Rushen, Larry Grenadier, Dave Koz, and Benny Green.

Here is all the information on the Orchestra.

These are the profiles, as provided by the Festival:

Noah Hocker

Trumpeter Noah Hocker, 17, is a graduate of Tigard High School, in Tigard, Oregon. Noah regularly performs in the Portland area with the American Music Program’s Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra under the direction of local trumpet legend, Thara Memory; with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz Band 1, under the direction of Derek Sims; and with the Alan Jones Academy of Music, led by renowned drummer, composer, and educator, Alan Jones. He has performed around the United States with Pacific Crest at the Next Generation Jazz Festival and Monterey Jazz Festival in California; Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition in New York City; the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho; The North Texas Jazz Festival; the Clark College Jazz Festival in Vancouver, Washington; the Berklee High School Jazz Festival in Boston; the Northwest Jazz Band Festival in Oregon, and the Savannah Music Festival’s Swing Central in Georgia. He has won many soloist awards from a number of festivals he’s attended, and has been a member of All-Star bands throughout his high-school career, including the 2008 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra; Music For All’s 2009 Jazz Band of America; and the 2009 GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble, in which he performed on January 31, 2010 at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Ceremony with the Dave Matthews Band. Noah plans on attending Temple University’s Boyer School of Music in Philadelphia in the fall of 2010. This is Noah’s second year in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Kyle Molitor

Trombonist Kyle Molitor, 16, will be a senior at Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon, where he plays tenor and bass trombone in their jazz band and tuba in their wind ensemble. Playing since the age of 12, Kyle also performs with Portland’s Metropolitan Youth Symphony Jazz 1, and is an originating member of PDX Jazz Project directed by Farnell Newton. Kyle also plays lead tenor ‘bone with “Afincando,” a professional Latin dance band in Portland. In 2010, Kyle was selected as a member of the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles under the direction of Dr. Justin DiCioccio, and performed with GRAMMY artists, including that year’s jazz honoree, Kenny Burrell. Kyle is a returning member of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and appeared with Wynton Marsalis at the 52nd Monterey Jazz Festival in 2009. He was a two-year member of American Music Program/Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra and a three-year member of Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra, and has performed at the 2009 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, where he was a featured soloist; and has put in winning performances with AMP at the 2008 North Texas Jazz Festival in Denton; the 2007 and 2008 Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition in New York City; the 2008 Next Generation Festival in Monterey; and the 2009 Swing Central competition in Savannah, Georgia. He has worked with Wycliffe Gordon, members of the Marcus Roberts Trio and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, among others.

Andrew Olson

Saxophonist Andrew Olson, 18, is a graduate of Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Oregon, and will attend New York City’s Juilliard School in the fall of 2010. Studying under Scott Hall and David Valdez, Andrew has been lead alto in several local jazz bands, most notably the American Music Program’s Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra (2007-2010) under the direction of Thara Memory. Andrew has performed in many competitions and jazz festivals throughout the country, including the Next Generation, Monterey, North Texas and Lionel Hampton Jazz Festivals; Jazz at the Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition; and the Savannah Music Festival’s Swing Central Competition in Georgia. In 2008, he received a full scholarship to the University of Oregon Summer Jazz Camp and was awarded their MVP prize. In 2009, Andrew received several soloist awards and participated in the PDX Jazz Project under the direction of Farnell Newton. In 2010, Andrew was a GRAMMY High School Jazz Ensemble finalist, and was selected as lead alto for Music For All’s Jazz Band of America. This will be Andrew’s second year in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Tree Palmedo

Trumpeter Tree Palmedo, 16, will be a senior at the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, where he plays in their Big Band, Combo, and Brass Ensemble. He also plays in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Metropolitan Youth Jazz Band. He has studied with Terell Stafford, Terri Lyne Carrington, Brian Lynch, Nicholas Payton, Tiger Okoshi, Bart Marantz, Randy Porter, Alan Jones, Paul Mazzio, and Derek Sims. He has won three consecutive Outstanding Soloist awards in the years 2008-2010 from DownBeat Magazine, with additional awards from the Reno, Lionel Hampton and Northwest Jazz Festivals. A three-time GRAMMY Band finalist, Tree also made the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Oregon All State Jazz Bands. In 2008, he was accepted into the Berklee Summer and Vail Jazz Workshops; and in 2009, Tree was named to the Reno Jazz All-Stars, the Stanford Jazz Residency and the Brubeck Institute’s Summer Jazz Colony. In 2010, he was accepted into Music for All’s Jazz Band of America, the Brubeck Institute’s Summer Jazz Colony, and the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. He has additionally performed with Wayne Bergeron, Shelly Berg, Ambrose Akinmusire, Bernard Purdie, and Terell Stafford.

Pianist Ted Case, 18, is a graduate of the Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon, and will attend the Thornton School of Music at USC on a full merit scholarship in the fall of 2010. Ted began studying classical music with Janet Mittelstaedt in second grade, and began playing jazz in high school. He studies privately with Randy Porter, with Alan Jones at Alan’s Academy of Music, and with Thara Memory as part of the American Music Program’s Pacific Crest Jazz Orchestra. Ted has played in Pacific Crest for two years, performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and the Swing Central competition in Savannah, Georgia, where the band won first place in 2009. That same year, Ted was awarded the Outstanding Musician Award at the Mount Hood Jazz Festival. Ted cites Oscar Peterson, Tommy Flanagan, Vince Guaraldi and Hank Jones among his favorite pianists. This will be Ted’s first year in the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.
Here is some contact information:

Clarinetist David Shifrin, who marks his 30th year in 2010 as the artistic director of Chamber Music Northwest, wants to kick off the organization’s 40th Anniversary Summer Festival early by offering a pair of special pre-season concerts on Friday June 4 at 7:30 pm and Saturday June 5 at 2:00 pm called “Clarinet Kaleidoscope,” at The Woods (6637 SE Milwaukie).  Joining him in this program of unique works and arrangements for clarinet, piano and bassoon, are pianist Elizabeth Harcombe (CMNW’s program and operations director), clarinetist David Hattner (music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic), and bassoonist Keith Buncke (CMNW’s 2008-09 Young Artist Fellow, former principal bassoon of PYP, now completing his high school sophomore year at Interlochen Arts Academy).

The program ranges widely (even wildly) from well-known clarinet works by Mozart (Divertimento for Clarinets and Bassoon), Debussy (Premiere Rapsodie) and Rossini (Introduction, Theme and Variations), to pieces and arrangements by Bach, Benny Goodman and the Beatles.  A Texas fiddle tune and a rag arranged by Bolcom are offered, and arrangements of three Italian opera arias by Verdi and Rossini for two clarinets and bassoon will add virtuosic, campy fun to the concert.

As the location for “Clarinet Kaleidoscope,” Shifrin chose The Woods, the new alternative venue in SE Portland near Reed College in the heart of Sellwood.  Performing there also draws attention to the fact that CMNW is using The Woods this July for two of its new “Protégé Project” concerts.

June 4 Concert Sold Out:  Because The Woods is an intimate setting, seating just 150, the tickets to the announced concert on Friday June 4 recently sold out. To accommodate requests from others wishing to attend, CMNW has added a repeat concert on Saturday June 5, at 2:00 pm in the afternoon, in the same location.  Those under 21 can attend this concert, in addition, as the 21-over policy at The Woods for the Friday night concert will be waived.  Tickets for general admission seating are $20 for adults, and $10 for students (ages 7-up).

PROGRAM:

Mozart Divertimento for Two Clarinets and Bassoon (Shifrin, Hattner, Buncke)

Bach Aria from Cantata #156, arr. for Clarinet and Piano (Shifrin, Harcombe)

Lennon/McCartney “Hey Jude” (Shifrin, Harcombe)

Benny Goodman “A Smooth One” (Shifrin, Harcombe)

Benny Goodman “Rachel’s Song” (Shifrin, Harcombe)

Traditional Texas Fiddle Tune “Midnight on the Water” (Shifrin, Harcombe)

(arr. Rob Moose)

Joseph Lamb “Frog Legs Rag” (Shifrin, Harcombe)

(arr. William Bolcom)

Debussy Premiere Rhapsodie

Verdi Sempre libera from La Traviata (Shifrin, Hattner, Buncke)

Puccini E lucevan le stelle from Tosca (Shifrin, Hattner, Buncke)

Rossini Una voce poco fa from Barber of Seville (Shifrin, Hattner, Buncke)

Rossini Introduction, Theme and Variations for Clarinet and Piano (Shifrin, Harcombe)

This year’s recipients are:

Cara Gabrielson

Cara Gabrielson Beaverton High School Voice

Performed with: Portland Youth Philharmonic-David Hattner, Oregon Ballet Theatre/ ACDA Regional Convention, Oregon Symphony-Niel Deponte, Carol Rich, Pacific Youth Choir, Beaverton Chamber Symphony-Dr. Charles Encell, Trinity Episcopal Music, Oregon Bach Festival.

Awards: National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts—National Silver Award 2010, Classical Singer Magazine High School Voice Competition—1st Place Regional 2009, Classical Singer Magazine High School Voice Competition—3rd Place National 2009, Music Teachers National Association Sr. Perf. Competition—1st Place Soprano 2009, OSAA Solo Competition Soprano (District)—1st 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, OSAA Solo Competition Soprano (State)—1st 2008, 2009; 4th 2007, Oregon Eagles Youth Talent Scholarship Competition—1st 2008.

Cara is undecided as to which college she will be attending, but plans to continue to study music in college. She is the recipient of The Oregon Eagles Talent Scholarship, the Classical Singer Magazine Scholarship, the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Scholarship, and the OMHOF Scholarship. Cara would like to continue her career in classical voice, concentrating in opera.

Julie Asparro Lake Oswego High School Viola

Performed with: Portland Youth Philharmonic-David Hattner (co-principal violist 2008-present), Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra (principal violist), All-Northwest Honors Orchestras-Bridget Reischl/Gerard Schwarz, All-State Honors Orchestras-Jeff Edmonds/ Donald Schleicher, Lake Oswego High School Orchestra-Nina van Pelt, Oregon Symphony Orchestra

Awards: Portland Youth Philharmonic—Principal Violist 2008-present, Oregon State Solo Championship—1st Place 2009, District Solo Music Competition—1st Place 2009, 2010, District Solo Competition—rated “1+” 2005 –present, Metro Arts Young Artists Debut Concerto Competition—Finalist, All-Northwest Honors Orchestra—2007, 2009, Three Rivers League Solo Competition—1st Place 2008-2010

Principal Violist of Portland Youth Conservatory Orchestra—2006-2007, OMEA All-State Honors Orchestra—2005-2008; Principal viola 2009

Julie has not yet decided on a college, but rates St. Olaf College, U of O Honors College, and Williams College as her first three choices. She will continue her musical career in college. She currently teaches beginning/intermediate viola and is co-founder of J&J’s Afternoon Music Camp which is an interactive musical day camp for children which educates and raises enthusiasm about classical music history, composers and instruments.

Jenny Asparro Lake Oswego High School Violin and Piano

Performed with: Portland Youth Philharmonic-David Hattner, Lake Oswego High School Orchestra-Nina Van Pelt, Oregon Music Educators Association High School All-State Honor Orchestra-Donald Schleicher, Music Educators National Conference All-Northwest Orchestra-Gerard Schwarz, OMEA All-State Orchestra-Jeff Edmons, MENC All-Northwest Orchestra-Bridget Reischl, OMEA All-State Orchestra, OMEA All-State Middle School Orchestra-Jeffrey Bishop.

Awards: Violin—OSAA District 14 Solo Contest—1st Place 2009, 2010, OMTA Honors Recital 2009, Three Rivers League Solo Competition—1st Place 2009, 4th Place 2008, Ratings of “1” for 4 consecutive years at OSAA District Solo Competition, Piano—OMTA Piano Syllabus evaluation—Honors graduating “with distinction”, OSAA District 14 Solo Contest—Qualified for State competition 2010, OMTA Romantic Festival—Winner 2007, 2008, 2009, OMTA Classical Festival—Winner 2007

Jenny has not yet decided on a college, but ranks St. Olaf College as her first choice. She plans to continue her musical career in college. She currently teaches violin through the PYP Peer Mentor Program and is co-founder of J&J’s Afternoon Music Camp which is an interactive musical day camp for children which educates and raises enthusiasm about classical music history, composers and instruments.

Jenny and Julie Asparro are twin sisters. The OMHOF Scholarship Selection Committee selected both Asparro sisters as scholarship winners before realizing that they were related. Even more interesting is that in the selection rating process, both sisters earned the exact same point total.

Rebecca Lomnicky Corvallis High School Scottish Fiddle, Piano, Voice

Performed with: Corvallis Camerata Orchestra, Oregon All-State Orchestra, All-Northwest Orchestra, Oregon State String Orchestra Champions, Concertato Orchestra, Willamette Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Folklife Festival, Oregon Scottish Society, Eugene Scottish Festival, Portland Highland Games.

Awards: Fiddle—International Glenfiddich Scottish Fiddle Champion–2009, US National Scottish Fiddle Junior Champion—2005. Dirty Linen Magazine—Honorable Mention for self produced solo CD, The Call, Corvallis Folk Music Award—2007, 2008, Classical Violin—Oregon All-State Orchestra—(1st Violin) 2009, All-Northwest Orchestra—(1st Violin) 2009. Piano—Goldie Rodgers Composition award for piano—2007-2009

Rebecca lists Stanford, Gonzaga, Brown, and Cornell as her top college choices. She plans to continue her musical education in college and wants to pursue music as a career. Rebecca has appeared on several CDs, both as a soloist and as a guest artist. She regularly performs at folk music festivals and at public and private house concerts. She is also a fiddle teacher and workshop instructor.

Dankner completed Albrecht Dürer – The Apocalypse of St. John in 2006 for the 60^th anniversary of the Nürnberg Symphoniker. This work was inspired by three of Dürer’s 15 woodcuts scenes from the Book of Revelation. They were published in 1498 and made Dürer famous throughout Europe.

The orchestra tackled Dankner’s challenging work with gusto. The ensemble didn’t flinch from the many passages that were dominated by a strident tone, of which several were interlaced by interjections from the celesta and xylophone. The orchestra also accented close-knit chords to create a sense of struggle and turmoil. In one impressive section of music, the ensemble successfully built up a tremendous amount of tension and then released it like a balloon so that it effortlessly vanished.

Many members of the orchestra deserved kudos for their exceptional contributions to the overall effect of this piece. Superb playing came from the trumpets (especially during a plaintive passage) the principals of the string sections (including a big solo by principal cellist Jinn Shin), the horns, and the woodwinds. Overall, it was a genuine team effort that made this piece understandable and emotionally rewarding.

After the intermission, the orchestra performed two French works with the Pacific Youth Choir. The first was Gabriel Fauré’s Pavane (Opus 50), in which the chorus and orchestra evoked a mood of melancholy and grace with slow turning and elegant phrases. A highlight of the piece was an exceptional solo by principal flutist Emma Davis.

After the Pavane, the orchestra and chorus performed Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, which is a setting of the Roman Catholic Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory be to God on high) text. The combined forces found the charm and joy of this music, but didn’t back away from its angular sounds and mystic qualities.

Cara Gabrielson, an 18-year-old soprano from Beaverton High School, sang the solos with a smooth, gorgeous tone and excellent diction.  The chorus, prepared by Mia Hall Savage, also sang outstandingly with power and fine pronunciation.

The concert opened with George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 in D major (Opus 11). The lush and large sound from the violins at the beginning of the piece established a stately tone, which gradually transitioned to the atmosphere of a happy-go-lucky folk-dance at the end. Accenting the overall performance with fine playing were Riley Crabtree, principal oboe, Kelsey Johnson, English horn, and Gabe Seymour, principal percussion (for his playing of the timpani).

–

Additional note: Executive director of the PYP, Diane Syrcle received a couple rounds of applause for her leadership. Syrcle is leaving the PYP to become the executive director at Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Composer Stehen Dankner

For its last concert of the season, the Portland Youth Philharmonic is pulling out all the stops to perform three challenging works, including a piece by contemporary composer Stephen Dankner. The concert, which will take place on at Saturday (May 1) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, will feature the Romanian Rhapsody No. 2 by George Enescu, the Dankner’s Apocalypse of St. John by Dankner, and Francis Poulenc’s Gloria, which will be performed with the Pacific Youth Choir. All of the works on the program willl be led by the ochestra’s music director David Hattner.

Enescu is considered one of Romania’s greatest composers, and has been held is such high regard there that an orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, and an internationally prominent music festival, the George Enescu Festival, bear his name, . Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody Nos. 1 and 2 are among his most popular works and have been recorded numerous times by many orchestras.

Dankner was commissioned to write the Apocalypse of St. John  by the Nürnberg Symphoniker for their 60th anniversary season in 2006. The Apocalypse of St. John is a tone poem that was inspired by a series of fifteen woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer of scenes from the Book of Revelation. They were published in 1498 and brought fame to Dürer throughout Europe.

Dankner’s tone poem focuses on three of the Dürer pieces: The first is “St John and the twenty-four Elders”. The second is “St. Michael Slays the Dragon”, and the final work is “St. John Devours the Book.” According to Dankner, these grandiose, yet horrifying woodcuts tell the story of the destruction of the world, and of the coming of the Kingdom of God.

“It’s a technically difficult work,” said Dankner over the phone from his home in Massachusetts. “This will be the first time that it has been played by a youth orchestra. David Hattner is familiar with the piece because of some work he did a few years ago with the Kansas City Symphony. I’m looking forward to coming to Portland to hear the Portland Youth Philharmonic play this piece. I’m sure that it will be a challenge.”

Poulenc’s Gloria is a six-movement work that is scored for soprano solo, large orchestra, and chorus, is a setting of the Roman Catholic Gloria in excelsis Deo text. Commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation, the Gloria was premiered in 1961 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has been a popular work for chorus and orchestra ever since. The Pacific Youth Choir, directed by Mia Hall Savage, consists of eight choirs, with children and students ranging in age from 5 to 19.

For more information about this concert, contact the Portland Youth Philharmonic.

The meal ticket in this concert was Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony, and the orchestra launched into it with a robust sound. In the first movement, the muffled, angry horns and demonstrative piano impressively built up tension that was wonderfully compounded by a blaring brass section before it all died away. A playful exchange between the concertmaster Natally Okhovat and principal flutist Jasmine Lee highlighted the second movement. In the third movement, the strings created a pensive atmosphere before ceding the field to the plaintive call of principal oboist Riley Crabtree and the liquid-smooth sound of principal clarinetist Justin Jeemin Kim. The orchestra concluded the piece with an affirmative, resounding forte that resonated well with the listeners, who responded with cheers and bravos.

During the first half of the program, Okhovat took center stage as soloist to play Saint-Saëns “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.” Okhovat received this opportunity because she won the orchestra’s annual concerto competition. She made the most of it, giving the Saint-Saëns’ piece a scintillating performance and igniting a blaze of applause from the audience.

The first half of the concert also featured two premieres for this orchestra. The ensemble played Bunch’s “For Our Children’s Children,” which was a sonic reflection on the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Even though it evoked Copland, it tilted in a new direction with a tremolo from the xylophone and a lyrical theme played by principal violist Julie Asparro. The ensuing variations on the main theme gradually expanded and gained in speed until the entire ensemble got caught up in the warmth of the music and brought it home at the very end of the piece.

The concert opened with a festive performance of the “Commando March,” which Barber wrote for band and later arranged for the orchestra. The Portland Youth Philharmonic really caught the stirring spirit of this piece – with kudos to the spot-on accents from the bass drummer. Hattner’s stick work showed a lot of military precision, and the music reached out with a festive, albeit ramrod-straight, liveliness.

Piano
First Place     $1,000 Scholarship      Fred Lu                 Vancouver, WA
Second Place    $   750 Scholarship     Christine Wang                  Vancouver, WA
Third Place     $   250 Scholarship     Ruta Kuzmickas          Portland, OR

Strings
First Place     $1,000 Scholarship      Natally Okhovat, violin         West Linn, OR
Second Place    $   750 Scholarship     Jean Choi, cello                Portland, OR
Third Place     $   250 Scholarship     Victor Williams, viola          Camas, WA

Brass/Woodwinds/Percussion
First Place     $1,000 Scholarship      Daniel Vasey, alto sax          Vancouver, WA
Second Place    $   750 Scholarship     Midori Samson, bassoon          Portland, OR
Third Place     $   250 Scholarship     Maria Elena Covarrubias, flute   Lake Oswego, OR

Forty-four entries were submitted on CD’s in January and were judged by a blue ribbon panel of three local artists/instructors.  Three finalists were picked in each of the three categories to perform at a live performance on March 7 in front of an audience that included five judges from the Portland/Vancouver area.  The three first place winners  received the top amount of $1,000 as a scholarship and will perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at our April 17 & 18, 2010 concerts.

Now one of Bunch’s latest works, “For Our Children’s Children,” will be performed in an upcoming concert by the Portland Youth Philharmonic. The performance should be a homecoming for Bunch, who grew up in Portland, attended Wilson High School, and played viola with the PYP for five years. After graduating from Wilson, Bunch went to Juilliard where he received a bachelor’s degree  in viola performance and a master’s degree in viola and composition.

You’ve had a lot of success as a composer, but you still keep your viola chops?

Bunch: Yes, but it’s always been a balancing act. I’ve never really thought that I had to give up one or the other. Both careers are important to me, and as a composer, I want to keep a connection to performing an instrument. Playing helps to inform my writing, and, vice versa, composing helps to inform my playing.

Have you always been drawn to composing?

Bunch: Yes, even as a kid, I thought that composing music would be the neatest thing. Of course, I admired the great performers and have always enjoyed listening to them. But in terms of leaving a legacy, composers create music that might be played longer after they are gone, and that’s really special, and something that I wanted to do. I didn’t become active as a composer until I got to Juilliard, and that was because I didn’t have the theory training that I needed in order to be a writer. Juilliard had a great theory teacher who could tell that I was interested in composing, gave me help, and encouraged me a lot.

I feel that I’ve been very fortunate, because I was around supportive people early in my career. They helped to get me jump-started with my writing.

Besides composing, you teach viola and composition at the Juilliard School Pre-College. Do you live in Manhattan?

Bunch: I lived in Manhattan for about ten years – from the time that I started at Juilliard. But for the past eight years, I’ve lived in Brooklyn and I love it. Coming from Portland, I really missed the outdoors and the trees when I lived in Manhattan. Brooklyn is a pretty good compromise. It’s just a half-hour subway ride to get to Lincoln Center where Juilliard is. Brooklyn has more of a community feeling and a better pace for me. But my wife, Monica Ohuchi, is from Seattle and we would like to return to the West Coast some day.

Is she a musician also?

Bunch: Yes, she is a pianist. I’m writing a piano concerto for her, and she will perform next season with the Colorado Symphony. Jeffrey Kahane will conduct it. He premiered my First Symphony, and I really enjoy working with him.

When did you write For Our Children’s Children?

Bunch: I wrote it in 2008. It was a commission from the Kalamazoo Symphony in Michigan. The idea for the commission came from the Michigan State Senate, which wanted to commission a piece for the Lincoln Bicentennial. The Kalamazoo Symphony was selected because Lincoln gave his only speech in Michigan in Kalamazoo.

How did they come to select you as the composer?

Bunch: I had a theory teacher at Juilliard, Eric Ewazen, who is also a well-known composer. He had done some work for the Kalamazoo Symphony and he recommended me. They looked me up and it seemed like the right fit; so everything worked out. So, I feel very fortunate to know people who support my efforts.

What is the piece like?

Bunch: When I first got this project; I thought to myself that I’d better not write something that sounds like Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait.” But when I first began writing, everything I thought of came out exactly like the “Lincoln Portrait.” Then I thought that rather than fight it, I’d just go with it. Even though I didn’t want to make a political statement, I began to think that there was some connection between Lincoln and the way the national election was going in the fall of 2008 when I was writing this piece. So the piece reflects on how we are still reaping the benefits of this legacy from Lincoln – from his life’s work. I came up with an optimistic, opening theme that recalls Copland, and, in a way, this piece is a tribute to him as well. But the music moves away from that theme to a new sound. It’s for a full orchestra and is about ten minutes in length.

What does the title, For Our Children’s Children refer to?

Bunch: It comes from a speech that Lincoln gave when he said that the struggle for liberty is not just for us; it’s for our children and our children’s children.

Have you met the PYP music director David Hattner?

Bunch: Yes, I met him last year. He looked at some of my scores and chose this work. I’ve really enjoyed talking with him, and I’m looking forward to working with him and reconnecting with the orchestra. There’s even a chance that I might sit in the back of the viola section to play the Shostakovich in the second half of the concert. They are playing his Fifth Symphony, which is one of my all-time favorites. I don’t get many chances to play in an orchestra, and there’s nothing quite like it. I just love being on stage in the middle of the action.

Then, in the summer, you will be in Corvallis?

Bunch: Yes, I’ll be back with Monica to play in the Chintimini Chamber Music Festival. They have also commissioned a piece from me, because this is their tenth anniversary. The piece is a chamber concerto for violin and viola.

Any recording up ahead?

Bunch: I’ve written some etudes for Monica, and she plans to record them in the fall.

That’s great! You’re a busy fellow!

Bunch: I love being busy and having a lot of work.

“This season marks the 45th anniversary of the Eugene Symphony,” commented music director, Danail Rachev, “and we have created a season where every concert is an event. This next concert season is big! We have many major works, audience favorites, prominent guest artists, new works by American composers and a special 45th Anniversary celebration with Itzhak Perlman. We have such an exciting year ahead of us. The orchestra and I are looking forward to a season of wonderful performances.”

One of the trademarks of the Eugene Symphony is a celebration of music by American composers.  The 2010-11 season will feature composer John Harbison who is among America’s most prominent artistic figures. He has received numerous awards and distinctions, including three of the most prestigious: the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius” award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities. This year we will feature two major works by celebrated composer John Harbison: “The Most Often Used Chords” and his Flute Concerto featuring Eugene Symphony flutist, Kristen Halay.

Other highlights of the season include an all-Beethoven performance December 2, 2010, a homecoming performance with Eugene Symphony conductor laureate Marin Alsop (November 18, 2010), Sarah Chang performing Brahms’s Violin Concerto (March 17, 2011) and special evening violin maestro with Itzhak Perlman (January 29, 2011).

Here’s a complete list of the season with a few additional notes:

Pictures at an Exhibition
Thursday, September 23, 2010 | 8PM
Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from On The Town
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition

“Pictures at an Exhibition” is Mussorgsky’s ten movement imaginary tour of an art collection, and the Ravel transcription is the most popular version for the orchestra.

Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto
Thursday, October 21, 2010 | 8PM
Borodin: In the Steppes of Central Asia
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Stravinsky: Petrushka

Marin Alsop Returns
Thursday, November 18, 2010 | 8PM
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture
Bernstein: Serenade
Brahms: Symphony No. 2

Marin Alsop directed the Eugene Symphony for seven years beginning in 1989. She has since made guest appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2007, Alsop made history by becoming the first woman to conduct a major orchestra when she was appointed as the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Thursday, December 2, 2010 | 8PM
Beethoven: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Beethoven: Elegaic Song
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9

The Eugene Symphony performs arguably the most beloved classical work of all time in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Dvořák’s Cello Concerto
Thursday, January 20, 2011 | 8PM
Barber: Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance
Schumann: Symphony No. 3, Rhenish
Dvořák: Cello Concerto

Scheherazade
Thursday, February 17, 2011 | 8PM
Mei-Ann Chen, guest conductor
Dvořák: Carnival Overture
Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor
Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade

Mei-Ann Chen is a promising young conductor who became the first woman to win the Malko International Conductors Competition in 2005. She was the music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic for five years and has recently been appointed the music director of the Memphis Symphony.

Sarah Chang Plays Brahms
Thursday, March 17, 2011 | 8PM
Mendelssohn: The Hebrides
Debussy: La Mer
Brahms: Violin Concerto

Violin prodigy Sarah Chang, who first played with a major orchestra when she was 8 years old, has toured the world, showcasing her marvelous talent and passion for music. One of the most recognized figures in modern classical music, her presence in Eugene is a rare gift for music-lovers.

Tchaikovsky’s Winter Dreams
Thursday, April 18, 2011 | 8PM
Harbison: The Most Often Used Chords
Harbison: Flute Concerto
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1, Winter Dreams

Mozart’s 40th Symphony
Thursday, May 19, 2011 | 8PM
Mozart: Symphony No. 40
Liszt: Orpheus
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration

AN EVENING WITH ITZHAK PERLMAN.
Saturday, January 29, 2011 | 5PM
Danail Rachev, conductor
Beethoven: Symphony No. 1
Strauss: Emperors Waltz
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto

Itzhak Perlman, for many, is the most talented and celebrated violinists in the world. A fifteen-time Grammy award-winning, Mr. Perlman has played for Dukes, Queens and Presidents. In January, he will play for Eugene.

The Chambers Family Foundation Yuletide Celebration
Saturday, December 11, 2010 | 7:30 PM
Sunday, December 12, 2010 | 2:30 PM

CIRQUE DE LA SYMPHONIE
Sunday, February 20, 2011 | 2:30 PM

Cirque de la Symphonie is a new production formed to bring the magic of Cirque du Solei to the concert hall. It is an exciting adaptation of artistic performances widely seen in Cirque du Solei. Artists include favorite  Cirque du Solei veterans such as world- aerial flyers, acrobats, dancers, jugglers, balancers, and strongmen. These artists are among the best in the business and some of the most original talent seen anywhere. Their performances are uniquely adapted to stage accommodations shared by symphonies, and each artist’s performance is professionally choreographed to classical masterpieces and popular contemporary works.

Subscriptions for the 2010-11 Symphony season are available for purchase in February. Packages start at $140 for nine concerts. For information visit eugenesymphony.org or call 541-687-9487 x106

Denali Porter

You may never have heard of the Monday Musical Club, but it has played a major role in Portland’s music life since 1904. Begun by women who wanted to promote music with educational programs and events, the Monday Musical Club played a hand in raising money to build the Civic Auditorium (now Keller Auditorium) by selling ornamental buttons at street corners for the hefty sum of $5. The Monday Musical Club also purchased musical instruments and provided free music lesson for children from low-income families.

In more recent years, the Monday Musical Club has awarded a lot of money as scholarship to young musicians and singers from the Portland metro area. Over the years the money given away has grown to over $10,000. Some of the prominent winners (with the winning year in parenthesis) are Douglas Feller (1974), Janet Groh (1976), Scott Tuomi (1977), Susan Smith (1979), Lisa Moffit (1979), Charlotte Pistor (1980), David Franzen (1984), George Shiolas (1984), Thomas Lauderdale (1988), Marty Jennings (1988), Julie Coleman (1989) and (1992), Chad Heltzel (1996), Robin Yu (1997), Ariana Falk (1998), Jacqueline Metz (2000), Audrey Luna (2001), Michelle Leipzig (2008), Natalie Yu (2009).

I spoke with Denali Porter, a longtime member of the Monday Musical Club who has served as its president and is currently recording secretary. Her husband, Dick Porter, has been a member of the club since the 1990s and serves as its treasurer.

The club started in a very different era than today.

Denali: Yes; it was founded by women back in the days when women were listed by their husband’s names. So the club’s membership only had women for a long time. That was during a time when husbands brought home the bacon. Nowadays, women work regular jobs and aren’t home as much.

How many members does the club have?

Denali: It’s around 130. It has men and women.

How does someone join?

Denali: You need to be sponsored by someone in the club. This is easy enough to do. We have a web site and people can contact us. I can’t remember us ever turning anyone away.

The initiation fee for new members is $10, and the dues are just $30 a year. That’s all. We meet on the first Monday of every month in the penthouse of Holladay Park Plaza at one o’clock in the afternoon. We offer a program and that has entertainment. We often hire professional musicians from all over Portland. Sometimes they come from Portland Opera or the Oregon Symphony. Sometime we feature a talented youth group. We have soloists as well as ensembles. We usually have a business meeting and refreshments of coffee, tea and dessert afterwards.

But $30 isn’t very much. How do you get the money to give away $10,000 for scholarships?

Denali: We have fundraising events like a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon, which is our biggest fundraiser this year. We also have a Fall Music Sampler that is a major fundraiser, and we have a number of other events to raise money. It varies from year to year.

Dick: I think that we plan to give away $12,000 this year. We also donate money to Portland Opera, the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Youth Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and the Community Music Center. We are looking at adding another organization this year.

Tell us about the competition.

Denali: The competition is open to young artists from 16 to 22 years old in three categories: voice, strings, and piano. The contestants have to play in front of a jury. They have until March 12 to get their application in. The auditions will take place on April 10th at Holladay Park Plaza.

The ongoing debate among club members is whether we give $5,000 or more as a top prize. But most of us feel that we should spread it around. We usually give away around a $1,000 or more to the top winners and less to other. But we also have introduced some encouragement awards that are $200 or more. We need to encourage those who won’t go to music conservatories. They are musicians who help to educate and perform on a local level.

What else does the club offer?

Denali: The club has a choir, which meets every Tuesday morning and gives concerts. The club also has several members who practice pieces for two pianos. I’m one of the pianists.

Years ago, we used to have a 10-piano group and a group that presented plays. They did Shakespeare with the women playing men’s parts. During its heyday, the club gave seven musicals a year, and, once in a while, we still put together a big program. When I talk about giving seven musicales a year, I am referring to a time when we also met each month in the morning at private homes and entertained each other.

The club has played an interesting part in Portland’s history, and you can read it, because the notebooks from past presidents are given to the Multnomah County Library. You can read through a lot of hand-written minutes.

How did you get the name Denali?

Denali: My parents were in Alaska in 1927 as Methodist missionaries and they named me after the mountain. For the longest time, people didn’t know how to pronounce my name, but ever since that truck came out with that name, everyone knows how to say it correctly. What a relief!

Voglar has an engaging personality and recently talked with me about her background and the Fear No Music performance.

Can you tell us a little more about how you came to Portland?

Voglar: Before I came here, I was in Pittsburgh. I received a fellowship to attend Duquesne University, which is in Pittsburgh. I got my bachelors from Duquesne and a masters from Carnegie Mellon. I was a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra and twice got one-year contracts as an extra-musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. That was a lot of fun. We toured a lot and got to play with some great conductors like Mariss Jansons, who was the music director at that time.

How did you become involved with Fear No Music?

Voglar: I’ve been interested in new music for many years. At Duquesne I played with the school’s new music group and later joined the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, which was started by the composer David Stock. I played with that group for a few years and a couple of summers. So, when I came to Portland, I looked into the new music scene and got to play a couple of concerts with the Fear No Music ensemble.

Phil Hansen, the previous artistic director of Fear No Music moved to Canada to become the principal cellist of the Calgary Philharmonic. So, the Fear No Music’s board needed a new artistic director, and I told them that I could do it, even though I had no experience as an artistic director. They said yes!

Wow! You’re crazy!

Voglar: Yes! I know! The first year was so hard. Oh my! I almost quit the group, but fortunately help started to show up. I got help with the programs, with the web site, and many other things. We got a lot of support, and without it, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I started as the artistic director in 2005; so I’m now in my fifth season.

How do you decided on a concert program?

Voglar: I usually compare pieces that I have played or heard with pieces that others in our group have played and heard. Everyone has music that they want to play some day. For example, we wanted to play the Dutilleux quartet, “Ainsi la nuit” which means “Thus the Night,” and I did some research on it. I thought, ‘wow,’ this is a great piece. It’s one of the great quartets of the Twentieth Century. So we decided to put it in the program of the concert that we will play at the end of January.

How did you choose Lou Harrison’s “Grand Duo” for violin and piano?

Voglar: I had heard only the last movement of this piece, the polka, and I really liked it. And Jeff Payne, our pianist and the co-founder of our group, got to see the Mark Morris dance interpretation of this music. He said that the music was amazing. After I got the music and started playing it, I agreed that this was a great piece. It’s very beautiful with some really energetic movements. Jeff and I will play it in the concert.

You also have Osvaldo Golijov’s “Mariel” for Marimba and cello on the program.

Voglar: I’ve always loved Golijov’s music, and I thought that this would be a fantastic piece for us. Golijov wrote the piece in 1999 for in memory of his friend Mariel Stubrin. I love what Golijov said about this piece. Golijov said, and I’m quoting him here: ‘I attempted to capture that short instant before grief, in which one learns of the sudden death of a friend who was full of life: a single moment frozen forever in one’s memory, and which reverberates through the piece, among the waves and echoes of the Brazilian music that Mariel loved.’ So the music is sad, but filled with good memories as well.

So, this program is called Memoirs, because each piece was written in memory of someone who was a friend to the composer. Dutilleux wrote Ainsi la nuit in 1976 in memory of his friend, Ernest Sussman.

Elvis Costello wrote “The Juliet Letters” after being inspired by a newspaper account of a professor in Verona, Italy, who answered letters written to Shakespeare’s Juliet.

Costello wrote this music in collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet. He had heard the Brodsky Quartet play a Shostakovich quartet and was totally wowed, so he went backstage to meet them. Little did he know that the “Brodskies” were Costello fans. By late 1991 Elvis was keen to work with the Brodskies. Different songs were written by one or various members of the group. This Friday, we have two guest singers, Timothy Nishimoto and Stephen Marc Beaudoin, who have the perfect voices for these songs.

Which pieces are you playing?

Voglar: I’ll be playing in every piece except the Golijov.

Do you sleep? Or do you just work all the time? Right now you have a heavy Oregon Symphony schedule.

Voglar: I somehow always manage to schedule our Fear No Music concerts during the busy time of the orchestra’s season. I don’t do that on purpose!

Do the pieces in a Fear No Music program usually require much rehearsal?

Voglar: Yes! We have to rehearse quite a bit especially for the quartet pieces and any larger ensemble. The music is very difficult and complex.

When you were growing up in Venezuela, did you participate in El Sistema?

Voglar: I was in an earlier version of it. It’s been a real blessing for Venezuela. There are so many talented kids. You’ve heard of the youth symphony. They tour around. We worked very hard, very long hours.

What would it take to get Dudamel to Portland?

Voglar: I don’t know. I asked about him a while ago, and they said that he is big, too famous already. We went to summer camp together many years ago when he was probably twelve or thirteen years old.

What is your advice for to someone who would like to be an artistic director of a music ensemble.

Voglar: If they have it in their heart and really believe that what they are doing will make a difference, then they should do it. Otherwise, you’ll never make it. You have to work extremely hard. It’s best to be real organized, too. But the rewards are tremendous, especially when you are involved with a great ensemble like Fear No Music.

When: December 26 at 7:30 pm
Where: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Here’s the complete program:

ALUMNI ORCHESTRA
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI Overture to William Tell

YOUNG STRING ENSEMBLE
GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from “Solomon”
Arranged by Gerald R. Doan

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Quartet No. 4 in C Major, K. 157, III. Presto

PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY March from The Nutcracker
Arranged by Donald Fraser

WIND ENSEMBLE
MORTEN LAURIDSEN O Magnum Mysterium
Transcribed by H. Robert Reynolds

CHRISTOPHER C. CHAPMAN Chimes for the Peninsulam Amoenam

CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA
MIKHAIL GLINKA Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla

PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
CARLOS SURINACH Feria Magica

GEORGES BIZET Carmen, Suite # 1 Prelude
Suite # 2 Toreador Song
Richard Zeller, baritone

RICHARD RODGERS & OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II Soliloquy from Carousel
Orchestrated by Don Walker
Richard Zeller, baritone

RICHARD RODGERS The Carousel Waltz
Orchestrated by Don Walker

One of the highlights of the concert was the performance by Kai Talim, who won the orchestra’s piano competition last year, of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (Opus 58). Talim, a 16-year-old junior at Sunset High School, demonstrated a fine sense of lyricism in his playing. The orchestra never overplayed its hand and complimented Talim skillfully. Some of the pacing was too relaxed and that reduced the drama of the music. Yet, overall, the collaboration between Talim and the orchestra was very satisfying.

The pieces that really grabbed my attention were two interludes from “Macbeth,” an opera that Bloch wrote when he was only 22 years old. The robust beginning of the first interlude held sway with heroic calls from the trumpets, evocative playing by the strings, and graceful tone from the woodwinds. The mood completely changed in the second interlude, which was dominated by sounds that were twisted, tormented, and full of struggle. The piece ended in a blur of angst with the tuba and lower strings pronouncing the last chord.

Another intriguing work on the program was the ballet music from Verdi’s “Otello” with its swaying melodies and rousing finale. The wiggle-waggle sound from the flutes gave the sense of dancers in motion, and that was enhanced by a silky tone from the violins and a solid and blended sound from the brass.

Also impressive was the all too brief fanfare from Debussy’s “Le Roi Lear.” The horns, trumpets, snare drum, and harps created an atmosphere of majesty and splendor in their playing of this piece. All we needed was an actor to come out on stage and recite a passage from the play.

The concert concluded with a number of suites from Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Hattner noted in his remarks to the audience that this was the first time in its 86 years that the PYP has performed any selection from this work, and the orchestra tackled this piece with gusto. The mood of these suites was mostly light, playful, congenial, and well-balanced. The principals in the woodwind section deserved kudos for their contributions, but principal bassoonist Midori Samson really stood out with her impeccable playing. Still, the wild frenzy evoked by the violin section in the“The Death of Tybalt” suite was a high point, and they were wonderfully enhanced by the soaring horn section and wailing trumpets in the final measures. I’m looking forward to hearing the orchestra play the whole work someday soon.

The orchestra’s first concert is coming up soon on November 14^th. So, I thought that it would be a good time to catch up with Hattner and the orchestra.

JB: How are rehearsals going?

Hattner: Things are coming together really quickly for the orchestra members this year. Part of it is their familiarity with me, at least for those who are returning from last season. But much of the advances we’ve made are due to a lot of focus on the part of the musicians. It started with the preparations for their seating auditions. The main thing is that they came ready to work. These are motivated musicians.

For some of the kids, this orchestra experience is their oasis from everything else that they go through. Even though I’m demanding and tough to please they love it even more. It’s really exciting when they produce.

JB: How many people are in the orchestra and how often to they rehearse together?

Hattner: We have 94 players. Rehearsals for the wind, brass, percussion, and harp sections take place on Monday evenings from 4:45 to 6:10, and the full orchestra rehearses from 6:30 to 9. The strings have their own rehearsal from 4:45 to 7 pm on Wednesdays.

JB: I remember a year ago that the orchestra had a big turnover in the woodwind section because of graduations. Did that settle down for this season?

Hattner: Not totally. This year we have all new clarinets. Two out of three bassoons are new. The flutes and oboes have lightly less turnover, but there are a lot of new players overall.

The woodwinds have a harder job than most of the other sections of the orchestra because their instruments are so different from one another. String instruments have a similar method of sound production. So do the brass instruments, but the woodwinds are very, very different. It takes some work to get them to be at the same time when they attack a note. Each instrument requires a different technique to get that response, and each one has different intonation characteristics. So the players have to work very hard to be a section. And it’s tough for them to project their sound. In an orchestra you have to make more sound than when you are in a private lesson or when there are 30 of you in the school band. So there’s a big learning curve for the woodwinds. As you know I’m a clarinetist, so I try to help them as much as I can. And they are doing very well.

JB: Has your conducting style changed?

Hattner: My style is mostly the same. The areas of adjustment for me have been in my approach to rehearsing younger players: the kinds of things to ask for in rehearsals, and the ways to keep them engaged. That’s not a big problem, but you have to figure out what works better.

JB: In your first concert of the season on November 14^th, the orchestra is playing works by Verdi, Bloch, Beethoven, Debussy, and Prokofiev. How did you decide on which pieces to choose?

Hattner: I wanted to acknowledge the 50^th anniversary of the death of Ernest Bloch, an internationally acclaimed composer who lived in Oregon for the last 20 of his life. Because I want to find just the right piece, I looked at a lot of his works. His music is very demanding of the musicians. I discovered that early in his career he had written one opera, “Macbeth.” When I heard the music, I was struck by how stormy and deep it is. As I got to know it I realized that the essence is very French, especially the chords and orchestration, but the structure is Wagnerian. In this work, Bloch uses the leitmotif technique, similar to how Wagner uses it. Every character, every idea in the Shakespeare drama has its own musical signature whether it’s the curse of the witches or the knife or fate or Macbeth or his ambitions. Each has its own motif.

Bloch’s “Macbeth” is starting to come back as an opera. It has been done in Europe several times and has been recorded. It’s a very ambitious work and it shows off Bloch’s mastery of orchestration. People will get to hear another side of Bloch’s work.

So I started with that piece and decided that the program would have a Shakespeare theme with music that’s a little different. So, I found out that the PYP had never played any of Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s some of the most delightful music you can ever image.

JB: How did you decide on Verdi’s Ballet Music from “Otello” and Debussy’s Fanfare from “Le Roi Lear?”

Hattner: I have a recording of Toscanini conducting the ballet music from Verdi’s “Otello,” but this piece was not part of the originally opera. It’s a composition that Verdi wrote for the Paris premiere of “Otello” about ten years after the opera was premiered. It’s the last piece of music that Verdi wrote for the stage, because it came after “Falstaff.” It’s absolutely beautiful and very dramatic as well, and it’s never been played by the orchestra. So that piece is the perfect opener to this concert.

I found the Debussy completely by accident. I was looking for a different Debussy piece and this fanfare was on the same album. It’s only a minute and a half, but it fits the theme of the concert. It’s for percussion, horns, trumpets and harps, interesting orchestration and it’ll open the second half of the program.

JB: How does the Beethoven Piano Concerto Nol. 4 fit in?

Hattner: Every year, we present a concert that features the winner of the orchestra’s piano concerto competition. Kai Talim, a student at Sunset High School, won the competition last season. He’s very musical and poetic. By the way, Kai also won a young artist’s fellowship with Chamber Music Northwest for this season.

JB: Then your next concert is your annual Concert at Christmas on December 26^th.

Hattner: Yes, we’ll play “Feria Magica,” which was written by  Carlos Surinach, a Spanish composer who spent a lot of time in the US. It’s a rousing, flamenco-inspired overture that was premiered by the Louisville Orchestra.

We’ll also play the Prelude and Toreador Song from Bizet’s “Carmen,” which is well-known and loved and follow that with the “Soliloquy” from the Broadway musical “Carousel” by  Rodgers and Hammerstein and the also the “Carousel Waltz.”

At one time, the “Carousel Waltz” was a regular feature on classical symphonic programs. On Broadway the orchestra ensembles are small in number, so Don Walker, arranged a version for a large orchestra with triple woodwinds, large brass section and harp, and a large percussion ensemble. It was recorded by Fritz Reiner with the Pittsburgh Symphony and other conductors and ensembles have recorded it as well.

JB: Those two concerts sound promising.

Hattner: I’d like to point out that three out of the four programs that we are doing this year have some American music. That’s high on my priority.

Also, on November 9^th Oregon Public Broadcasting will present a half-hour show on its “Oregon Experience” series about the PYP. It’ll be called Sagebrush Symphony, and it’s mostly about the pre-history of the orchestra from 1910 to 1924 and Mary Dodge, the lady who founded the PYP. It’ll be a great show. They did all kinds of research, and you’ll see some great photos plus a little bit of one of our rehearsals from last spring.

JB: Sounds terrific! Good luck with the season.

Hattner: Thanks! We hope to see you in November.