Oregon Music News

That there will be jams at the Portland Jazz Festival is a given. But this year’s jams have been given to pianist/composer Darrell Grant to run and he’s running very fast…and in an exciting new direction.

He’s calling this year’s jams Rendezvous Sessions. They’re scheduled for Friday, February 26th & Saturday February 27th at The Grieg Lodge (Norse Hall) 111 N.E. 11th & (Couch) from 11:30 pm until 2 am.

The always interesting, always thoughtful Grant writes:

As you know, jam sessions can be iffy propositions. I have my own pet peeves: people standing around trying to decide what tune to play; endless choruses lacking inspiration; players practicing rather than making music in the moment. I want to find a way to make these sessions different.

At their best jam sessions are a meeting place of ideas, voices and inspiration. They can be the musician’s equivalent of breaking bread, where we let our hair down, take risks, and cheer each other on as we explore the boundaries of what we hear and play.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how these jazz fest sessions can provide a fertile meeting ground for the great musicians who live here and those who are coming to Portland from other cities & countries. How can I set up an environment that welcomes different ideas and expressions of jazz might be? How can they inspire creativity, deep listening, real improvising, good feelings, and a sense of community?

I’m trying to think outside the box a bit here. Rather than booking a house trio. I am enlisting several musicians to be “house players” for the sessions. Portland is blessed with a number of creative players willing to take risks and go at this a different way.

I have also created a blog (assisted by the web skills of saxophonist John Nastos) for the sessions, which I hope will generate ideas and discussion, as well as serve as a place to share music, thoughts, influences and scope out material that we will use on the sessions.

Here is that site. Note: John Nastos is OMN’s Webmaster.

It includes an outline of some themes for the two nights, and some questions to start the discussion. People can post comments and even upload YouTube videos and links.

Rendezvous Sessions–Where Music meets the Moment

Friday – Feburary 26th – “Influences”

THE PLAN

As musicians we are the sum of our influences. We are influenced by many things– mentors, musicians, sounds, places, experiences…

Friday’s session will revolve around this idea of influences.

The goal is to come up with 10-12 vehicles to explore over the course of the night. What do I mean by a vehicle? A vehicle could be a song, a melody, a groove, a set of changes, or just a concept to make music around.

Grant includes this video of  Oregon saxophonist/composer Jim Pepper as an example:

From the documentary on Jim Pepper, “Pepper’s Pow Wow” Available here: http://www.oyate.org/catalo… and here: Upstream Productions Phone: 206-526-7122 Fax: 206-524-8879 uproduct@aol.com

Saturday – February 27th – “Elemental Forces”

THE PLAN

In this session we will deal with 4 elements of music–Rhythm. Harmony. Melody & Tone

As on Friday, the plan is to come up with 10-12 vehicles to play on over the course of the night. They could be tunes, sketches or just concepts. The vehicles are just frameworks around which to organize our explorations of these elements.

We might play free, improvise over spontaneous changes, or play on melodies or songs. Kind of a high-risk approach, but could be unforgettable, with people sliding in and out of the music as they hear things, and the music evolving organically as it is played.

The starting lineup:

John Nastos

John Nastos is a freelance saxophone and woodwinds player in Portland, Oregon. He can currently be seen with groups such as the Bobby Torres Ensemble, the Art Abrams Swing Machine Big Band, and as a sub with the Mel Brown Septet. He is also running a year-long project called Duo Chronicles in which he and Clay Giberson present a new song in video each week.

Ben Darwish

Ben Darwish-piano

Portland native Ben Darwish has played with Kevin Mahogany, Rich Perry, Ron Miles, Devin Phillips, Esperanza Spalding, Alan Jones, Reggie Watts, Bill Summers (of The Headhunters), Stephanie Schneiderman and Ohmega Watts. His latest Trio album is entitled “Ode To Consumerism”

Alan Jones-drums

Sam Howard-bass

David Ornette Cherry-piano, melodica

“In my world, the piano, the keyboard, sounds of nature and numerous instruments of traditional peoples and those who reside in urban society, touch and effect each other with a calming and symbiotic fervor. I compose with the idea that all exist in a world of harmonies which mirror life evolving away from the chaotic (to the positive). There’s not just a co-existence but a melding of forms to produce a single musical expression.”

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