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Uncommon
Jazz When last we spotted Erik Friedlander, the intrepid New York cellist was exploring the boundaries of his instrument in a moody, even spooky solo interpretation of surrealist French poetry at The Shedd. It was an amazing show, though not for the timid. On Wednesday, March 30, Friedlander returns to The Shedd with his quartet Topaz to play original jazz and other improvised chamber music in a show that's hardly conventional — quick, think of another jazz cellist — but should appeal to music lovers from your average Pat Metheny fan to denizens of the downtown NYC clubs Friedlander frequents.
Friedlander has worked with musicians as diverse as Laurie Anderson, Dar Williams and Joe Lovano, and played Broadway shows and PBS specials. His accessible yet adventurous Topaz music has seamlessly incorporated Indian, Persian, klezmer and other world music influences while maintaining his jazz and funk base. Although the quartet (which includes sax/reedman Andy Laster, fretless bass master Stomu Takeishi, and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi) can reach the outer limits, this is one of those rare concerts of exploratory improvised music where you can sample something deliciously different without being assaulted by burp-shriek free jazz cliches. One of Friedlander's New York co-conspirators is the expatriate Brazilian singer/ songwriter/ guitarist/ percussionist Vinicius Cantuária, who plays The Shedd on Saturday, March 19. I discovered Cantuária's atmospheric lyricism in Bill Frisell's sublime Intercontinentals. But long before that, he was writing songs with David Byrne and Caetano Veloso (and playing in the latter's band), working with Brian Eno, DJ Spooky, Laurie Anderson and many other forward- thinking musicians, and leading the electronica-tinged resurgence of Brazilian pop. If you like the classic bossa nova of his idols Antonio Carlos Jobim and Gilberto Gil (whom he covers often), you'll groove to Cantuária's updated 21st century Brazilian cool. If jazz cello isn't odd enough for you, how about jazz harp or flute? On Tuesday, March 29, Park Stickney and Rüdiger Oppermann will play originals and covers of music by Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Sting and more at the UO's Beall Concert Hall. And on Thursday, March 31, flute innovator Mattias Ziegler plays Beall in a program that flits back and forth across the increasingly ephemeral boundary between jazz and contemporary classical music. Although he plays the traditional repertoire in his day job as principal flutist in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Ziegler's electro-acoustically amplified contrabass flute can produce a startling range of sounds and textures in contemporary compositions. More avant-improv music appears at DIVA, where on March 30, you can hear California's Adrian Rollini Trio, featuring vibraphonist Nathan Hubbard, bassist Justin Grinell, and drummer James Burton. On March 29, DIVA hosts a trio of out-there sound and noise artists from Los Angeles: Cal Arts performance artist Adam Overton, a former jazz drummer who specializes in computer-assisted sound performance and installation that "explores the body, the mind and the medium … through the use of biometric sensors and interactive sound software"; Bob Bellerue, who uses feedback and other electronic and computer trickery, along with metal, bamboo, radios and other sources to produce strange soundscapes; and Albert Ortega, "sound situationist" who builds instruments and creates sound environments, such as (I'm not making this up) a goat playing a percussion-enhanced slinky. And you can hear contemporary Asian-influenced music by non-Asian composers at DIVA on Sunday, March 27, when guitarist Stefan Gaelens joins classical soprano Yu-Cheng Lu in works by Wisconsin composer/ percussionist Brandon McIntosh, influenced by Hindustani and Korean music. Jazz heads might recognize some of the sounds at the Eugene Symphony concert on March 17, featuring one of the great 20th century guitar showcases, Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, which Miles Davis and Gil Evans memorably transformed on Sketches of Spain. Lyrically evoking Baroque influences and Spanish scenes, it's one of most deservedly popular of 20th century classical compositions, and it'll be played by a master of contemporary guitar music, David Tanenbaum. The show also features one of the most popular Romantic symphonies, Dvorak's ninth ("From the New World"), and his Carnival Overture. Looks like we're going to have to head out of town to hear anything approaching contemporary opera this year, but Kurt Weill's landmark 1947 Street Scene is well worth the drive up the 5 to hear Portland Opera's production of this American classic on March 26 and 31 and April 2. Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Elmer Rice, it boasts lyrics by Langston Hughes and paints a vivid portrait of immigrants in New York.
Heart
on the Line No doubt Ferron has the ability to pull from the depths of the human soul and through the core of the heart to create music which is quintessential poetry. Her artful crafting of lyrics is second to none.
This brilliant Canadian singer/songwriter had her beginnings as one of seven children of a working class family in the outskirts of Vancouver, B.C. After leaving home at the age of 15, her search to understand the human spirit led her along many paths: cab driving, waiting tables, working in coffee factories and fish canneries. She draws on those experiences in soaring songs and her autobiographical lyrics strike a universal chord. Ferron's body of work reflects the introspective, searching nature of someone who has lived with depth and intention. Of her own work she says, "I feel this responsibility to say something and have it be true for me. The fit to me is finding that my work somehow resonates on a deep level with other people and they find that it is also true for them." With flawless precision, Ferron nails it on the head every time. Her lyrics are incisive and insightful. If you are human, you have experienced love, loneliness, questioning, kindness and loss. Ferron translates the essence of these feelings into her songs, and conveys a reverence for the most basic of human emotions. With 11 recordings to her credit over the past 27 years, Ferron has danced in and out of view, but always reappears to find an ever-faithful following of fans. With her first two albums recorded in 1977 and 1978 respectively, her next recordings, Testimony (1980) and Shadows on a Dime (1984) catapulted her into the spotlight. But it was six more years before she released Phantom Center followed by a live recording, In a Still Life, and her only instrumental recording, Resting With the Question (both in 1992). In 1994, Diver made it to second place on The New York Times' top 10 albums list. Like other unique and stellar musicians, her deal with a major label (1995 to 1997) didn't last. You can't dilute this woman. And lucky for us, she remained true to herself and struck back out on her own once again. In 1999, she released a light, fun album of cover tunes, Inside Out: The IMA Sessions, followed in 2000 by the retrospective Impressionistic. In March, she'll release her newest album, Songs From A Goat Path, on her own label Fair and Loving Music. Ferron helps us perfect the art of listening, forcing us to stop in our tracks and take heed of that inner voice. She encourages us to shout an emphatic "Yes!" to life in all its raw, gritty pain and joy and sorrow and exuberance. Her image-filled lyrics will stretch and expand the confines of your heart. Guaranteed.
Unfadeable
Style Oxblood red paint and gold-framed mirrors canvas every inch of wall space as star shaped disco lights dart between the floor and ceiling. The shiny black bar stretches seductively across a background of multi-colored glass bottles illuminated by a gigantic, gold-framed plasma screen television.
Stowed away in the far corner of the room, dressed in a velour, navy blue Lacoste sweater, a pair of pure white Adidas shell toes, and colorful striped golf slacks, DJ Dan-O-Mite's wiry 6-foot frame blends in perfectly with the posh decor of the McDonald Theatre Lounge. His style is unfadeable. At 37, Dan Lococo, continues to rock with the best as well as the youngest DJs Eugene has to offer. This Los Angeles native moved to Eugene 10 years ago, trading in the bustle of the big city for a relaxed family-friendly environment. "I wanted a simpler life," he says. "I want fresh water. I want fresh air. I don't want a busy town. I was pretty much over the nightlife scene because I had been doing it for so long." In his laid back Southern California surfer vocal inflection, Lococo explains how over the past 20 years, his approach to DJ-ing morphed from a dizzying social affair to a more relaxed hobby focused on creating moods. Although he admits his love of playing to ravenous, beat-hungry partiers, Lococo says he knows his days in front of hundreds at packed clubs is over. "My ego wants that again," he says. "I want to be able to play the right stuff and make the people dance and have everybody like what I'm doing. But it really is like more of a hobby now. It's kind of like I'm retiring." With grace and wisdom, Lococo weaves an intimate, mature atmosphere from a smooth pulse of deep, soulful house, upbeat dancehall and old school hip hop. "I'm not really trying to make people dance," he says. "I'm just trying to create a good environment for people to chill, have a drink, and socialize." Hip hop's enlistment of the DJ as a musician, or someone who creates new sounds from old records, has slightly skewed the public's perception of the role of the DJ. Whereas some DJs scratch and cut-up beats and samples with their records and turntables, Lococo's focus is more on the record itself, the original song in its entirety and the mood it creates. Instead of scratching or beat juggling, he seamlessly blends songs of varying rhythms and tempos to energize or mellow the mood of the audience. "I gotta give those guys (turntablists) respect," he says. "The skills they have as far as manipulating one sound with the cross fader and their hand is an art. The other spectrum of that is the beat mixing and playing songs the crowd wants to hear." Although he incorporates a small amount of scratching over his selection of classic tunes, Lococo says his strength as far as DJ-ing is in the depth and variety of his crate, or record collection. He can flawlessly move from the joyful, innocent bump of Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie" to a sophisticated deep house groove. He'll mix in a little bit of A Tribe Called Quest with The Brand New Heavies. He credits this style of DJ-ing to an older crew of DJs who mix hard-to-find, rare-groove, funk and soul tracks with newer, underground hip hop, dancehall and acid jazz. The always affable and generous Lococo often splits his sets with other old school local DJs including Tim Stubson, Hanif, Tekneek, Jeff Ray, and Eugene Chism. Once in a while, you can catch Lococo sharing a set with the Brothers of Beat at Café Lucky Noodle on Saturdays. The Lounge at the McDonald Theatre also showcases DJ Dan-O-Mite several Fridays a month. You can always check the theater's online calendar for Dan-O-Mite's next appearance.
Gypsy
Renaissance Some musical forms are like bell-bottoms and day-glo. They're popular. Then they're not. And decades later they enjoy a renaissance. But the people who still have a pair of embroidered, hip-hugger jeans with flared bottoms stashed away in the attic have moved on to more comfortable elastic waistbands. To the fresh-faced fashionistas, the style is new and cutting edge. Django jazz is like that. On the heels of WWI and the roaring '20s, caught up in the whirlwind of Paris in the 1930s, a legend emerged from the cacophony of automobiles, airplanes and machines. Django Reinhardt cut a swath through the new world and carved an indelible place for himself at the top of guitar history. Playing with Stéphane Grappelli in the Quintette du Hot Club de France, his music continues to influence guitarists today, particularly musicians who improvise. Both Trey Anastasio (Phish) and Beck list Reinhardt as one of their major influences. Born in Belgium and a member of the Sinti tribe of gypsies, Reinhardt was a rising star when his left hand was badly injured in a fire. The perceived loss of one of the most promising guitarists to emerge from the gypsy culture was devastating to many — legend has it that people cried when they heard of the accident. But Reinhardt rehabilitated his partially paralyzed hand enough to continue playing. Forced to develop a new style that accommodated his disability, Reinhardt is now considered the grandfather of django jazz — an upbeat, swingy, jazz-based style now enjoying a surge in popularity, both in Europe and in urban U.S. communities with strong jazz followings. It's especially popular in the Northwest, with a big scene in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Seattle-based Pearl Django is one of bands leading the resurgence of django jazz. Listening to the lyrical melodies of "Nuages" (off their newest album Under Paris Skies), or the cascading, lightning-fast notes in "Zingarelli," or the lilting beat in "La Rive Gauche" it's easy to see why. The very style weeds out amateurs — the fast-paced tunes with zippy melodies and complex harmonies require a certain level of proficiency, skill and sophistication. It's hot music — funky and fun, both old and new at the same time. "I'm an improvising violinist," said band member Michael Gray. "It allows me more room than bluegrass or old-time or rock. In its essence it is improvised music and harmonically, it's got a lot going on." — Melissa Bearns Pearl Django Luna, 8 pm, Saturday 3/19. $14.
AX BILLY GRILL & SPORTS BAR BLACK FOREST
CAFE PARADISO CLUB TSUNAMI COFFEE GROVE COOPERATIVE COUNTRY SIDE RESTAURANT COUNTRYSIDE COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All Ages DA HOUZE DOWNTOWN LOUNGE DUCK INN EMBERS SUPPER CLUB EUGENE WINE CELLARS GAME DAY SPORTS BAR GOOD TIMES JO FEDERIGO'S JOE'S BAR & GRILLE
JOGGER'S BAR & GRILL
JOHN HENRY'S THE JUNGLE THE KEG LATITUDE 10 CAFE All Ages LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LION'S DEN LOUNGE LONE STAR BAR & GRILL LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S MCSHANE'S BAR & GRILLE
MONROE STREET CAFE THE O BAR & GRILL OVERTIME GRILL PEABODY'S PERUGINO QUACKER'S RAMADA INN SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAM'S PLACE SAMURAI DUCK STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S TAYLOR'S BAR AND GRILL TINY TAVERN WETLANDS
WOW HALL All Ages YUKON JACK'S
CORVALLIS AJ'S BOMBS AWAY CAFE IOVINO'S MURPHY'S PLATINUM NIGHT CLUB SQUIRREL'S TOMMY'S PEACOCK
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