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A
Long Ride OFAM's Jazz Advisor Dick Hyman has seen a lot of changes in the music biz over the last five decades. His name is a household commodity for certain generations. But some of the biggest changes this multi-genre great has seen have occurred recently, the result of mp3s and the iPod. One of the hottest jazz cats and composers back in the day, he's still hip to what's happening in music and he hasn't slowed down one bit.
"I'm old enough that I can say my very first recordings were issued on 78s," he said. "Then that died out and pop records started coming out on 45 rpms and finally on LPs. Now the iPod has changed everything. In the past when it was just 78s, you would have the hit song on one side, and the lucky composer on the other side could go along for the ride." At 79, Hyman has had quite a ride, starting with a gig at Wells Music Bar in Harlem when he was fresh out of college at Columbia University and had just gotten married. The music business was a different world in the '50s and '60s, when radio and TV stations hired staff bands and big Hollywood studios kept in-house musicians. "I was a busy piano player and then an organ player in the sessions in New York City," he said. "The session business was booming and it was still a time when a musician could be hired by the networks." Hyman landed a spot as the musical director for the incredibly popular Godfrey Show. "Arthur Godfrey ranks as one of the important on-air stars of the first decade of American television," reads the history section on the Museum of Broadcast Communications website. "Indeed prior to 1959 there was no bigger TV luminary than this freckled faced, ukulele-playing, host/pitchman." It was a big gig, a big deal, and it led to even bigger things, such as a European tour with Benny Goodman, and a collaboration with film director Woody Allen that continues to this day. Hyman wrote the music for Radio Days, Broadway Danny Rose, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Zelig, among others. Over the course of his career he also orchestrated the Broadway musical Sugar Babies, and you can hear his piano playing on the soundtracks of The Godfather and his compositions on the score of Moonstruck. The list goes on and on. Hyman's reputation was that of the guy who could play anything. Famous for his ability to perfectly replicate the playing styles of great pianists throughout the decades, Hyman can switch from the styles of more recent players like Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea to 1920s George Gershwin and turn-of-the-century Scott Joplin as easily as flipping a light switch. These days he's focusing less on creating works for other people and concentrating more on his own compositions and concerts. He's also working with Toni Pimble of Eugene Ballet Company scoring a new ballet called The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. And while he once focused on jazz, he said now he's writing mostly classical music. In an article published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1995, the writer went to see a series of Hyman's concerts and commented that, "his programs were always sold out. They also had an element of fun: Hyman organized them around some theme that amused him, often a historical link between American popular music and American popular culture." More than a decade later Hyman is still bridging that gap, and regardless of whether you're 95 of 19, Dick Hyman's music has something for you. From the Beastie Boys song "Root Down," check out this line: "I'm electric like Dick Hyman, I guess you'd expect to catch the crew rhymin'," a reference to Hyman's groundbreaking work on electric synthesizers, especially the Moog, in the 1960s. Or Busta Rhymes sampling that same CD (Moog — The Electric Eclectics of Dick Hyman) in his song "Where We Are About to Take It." "I'm credited there as one of the co-writers and co-publishers, and that is, as they say, going along for the ride."
Eugene
Flavored Extracts From the opening notes strummed on a guitar and an intro that's spoken word poetry with roots deep in the blues, Eugene-based hip hoppers Genus Pro break the mold right from the start with their second release, Extracts. Pulling from soul, R&B and old-school blues then mixing it up with bumpin' rhythms and tight rhymes, Extracts is unique in its depth and breadth, with a little something for everyone. A collaborative project that showcases some of Eugene's best musicians and some big names in the hip hop scene, guest appearances include the Pharcyde's Tre Hardson, Michael K of NorthWest Beat, local reggaeton artist Lafa Taylor, Aesop of the Living Legends, Papa of Papa's Soul Food Kitchen and DJ Free of Eugene's Raging Family. In every track you'll find references to Eugene and the Northwest, turns of phrase and lyrical twists that evoke the essence of this town and area. No song illustrates that better than "Summer Nights," a sultry, hot groove that invokes the feel of long warm days. Close your eyes and you'll taste the tequila, hear the low murmured conversations under the stars and feel the warm breeze. "Summer Nights" is their radio song, with a vibe that will appeal to a broad range of musical tastes. But it's also one of the group's favorite tracks (it's the featured song on their website, www.genuspro.com),and when Genus Pro first approached Hardson, the song they gave him was "Summer Nights." "We want to represent where we're from," said MCs MarvEllis, Metric, Elea'zar and DJ C4. "This is a cool place because of the openmindedness and wide variety of people. We have a different culture here." Another song with that same smooth groove is "Condition." But for every down-tempo track, you'll find another one that bangs with funky beats and heavy rhythms. The transitions, harmonies and hand-offs between MarvEllis, Metric and Elea'zar are seamless and polished. And throughout Extracts, you can hear the amazing harmonica of RB Lindsay the Third, a layer of harmony adding some grit and earthiness with a light, subtle touch. This CD has been floating around our office, and Eugene, for awhile. Here's what some of the other members of the EW staff and a few Eugene locals have to say about it: Mark Frisbee, Eugene Weekly: In an age where everyone and their sister's cousin's uncle is putting out hip hop CDs, Genus Pro has raised the bar to a new level with the release of Extracts. It incorporates a wide variety of styles and different forms of music and is a must-own for all fans of good music. Norma Fraser, local reggae musician: I think it's very conscious music and it really grabs you. There's a positive consciousness, a spiritual edge. It's a fusion — they've drawn on all musical mediums and made it their own and to me that's revolutionary musically. Big up Genus Pro! Todd Cooper, Eugene Weekly: GP made some serious music to bang with. Hot tracks aside from "Summer Nights" - "Coolout," "Worldwide," "In the East," "Hey," "Let It Go" and "I Feel the Rhythm." Still holding it down for the Northwest. Genus Pro ... yeeain'tknow? Jesse Baravilala, local musician and manager of Big City Gamin': I see it as a step in the right direction in terms of broadening their repertoire as artists. While the core of their sound (which made Grow such a hot album) is still there, Extracts fuses elements of different genres with their style. The result is a sound true hip hop heads will immediately put on heavy rotation and everyday fans of music will enjoy for the 'outside the box' quality. Bill Shreve, Eugene Weekly: Genus Pro, we journeyed through genres together, I got the blues, had to dance, laugh, feel and think. Souls of Mischief, Genus Pro, Three Blind Mics, Awol-One. 9:30 pm • Fri. 2/17. John Henry's. $12 adv/$14 dos.
Harsh
to Hush Every summer, Los Angeles composer Morten Lauridsen leaves behind his red sports car and his long-time teaching job at USC for a remote, ramshackle cabin on an island in Puget Sound, where, on a battered old piano, he composes some of the most performed music of our time. Those annual summer trips are actually a return to Lauridsen's Pacific Northwest roots; he grew up in the Portland area and spent many childhood days on his grandfather's island property near that old cabin. "Maybe the serenity of the breathtaking beauty that is found up there is somehow translated into this music," he told me when I profiled him for another publication a couple of years ago. On Feb. 25, the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform Lauridsen's Six Fire Madrigals (based on Italian Renaissance poetry) and other contemporary sounds at the Hult Center's Soreng Theatre.
Although Lauridsen's sheet music sells more copies than that of almost anyone alive, you don't hear his name mentioned along with the Adamses or Golijovs in the modern pantheon. That's because contemporary choral music, though sung by millions, flies under the critical radar, and tends to be more conservative and accessible than much better-known postclassical music. The concert also features "Cloudburst" by Eric Whitacre. With a hairstyle and website any rock star would envy, the 30-something Whitacre is the closest thing to a superstar in choral music. The group will also sing music by the great 20th century American composer Samuel Barber, "Fire" by Canada's leading composer, Murray Schafer, and arrangements of Manhattan Transfer hits. You'll also hear a quartet of numbers that some guy named McCartney wrote for that band he was in before Wings, as arranged by the Swingle Singers. That same evening, you can hear more contemporary sounds written by your friends and neighbors when the Eugene Composers Collective presents its latest showcase of new sounds (some of which will accompany dancers) at DIVA. These shows, which feature electronic and acoustic chamber music and more, are a wonderful way to experience the cutting-edge creativity of our own region's emerging composers and musicians. More Northwest avant-gardians will honor the still-vibrant spirit of one of the last century's most adventurous and influential musical minds. The John Cage Tribute at Sam Bond's on Feb. 19 features Eugene's Cryptic Weevil, Warning Broken Machine, INRI and I Died teaming up to perform Cage's "Variations IV," featuring its original 1965 instrumentation: records, tapes, shortwave radios, police scanners and ambient sounds from throughout the club. Portland's View will play Cage's "Variations II" for prepared organ and ancillary instruments, possibly including medical equipment, vacuum tubes and other relics of the industrial age. Eugene noise artist O.N. Allen will mix various audio tracks (spoken samples, guitar, turntables, music and more) in Cagey ways involving chance methods to select pitch, rhythm and/or other components. Many of Cage's out-there ideas have found their way into today's experimental music, and here's a chance to re-connect contemporary musicians with the source of some of their methods. There's more music by 20th century innovators at the UO. On Feb. 16, tuba titan Sam Pilafian will lead a nonet that will recreate some of jazz's landmark works: the beautifully crafted "Birth of the Cool" compositions that Miles Davis, Gil Evans, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan and others teamed up to create in the late 1940s in reaction to bebop. The original recordings, the first of Davis's many musical innovations, inspired a whole school of West Coast jazz and led to the great Davis-Evans jazz-orchestral recordings a decade or so later — Sketches of Spain, Porgy and Bess and Miles Ahead. On Feb. 23, UO faculty artist Nancy Andrew leads a program of flute music by Milhaud, Messiaen, and lesser-known French composers, as well as UO Prof. Robert Kyr's iridescent "Pure Silver" for five flutists. And on Feb. 26, the UO brings France's acclaimed Debussy Quartet for an afternoon of yet more délicieux French sounds by Debussy (his dramatically dreamy string quartet) and Milhaud, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich's ninth quartet.
Reinventing
the Pop Sound
To try and place Craig Wedren in any one style of music over the years would be a waste of time — he isn't defined by any single sound or instrument; rather, his voice and composing have carried him across spectrums of the music universe. He fronted Shudder to Think, playing everything from punk to glam, and even electronica. He composed the themes for Reno 911! and Stella and put together bits and pieces of the score to School of Rock. He leads a disco-pop group called BABY, amusingly. His latest solo offering, Lapland can be found on Amazon as part of a two-pack purchase with Sufjan Stevens' Illinois. This album proves that versatility is the name of Wedren's game, and that's how he likes it. "In some ways it is a reaction to the style-over-substance, instant-access-to-everything, forgotten-by-Tuesday, guilt-free and craft-less disposability of so much pop," says Wedren on his myspace.com profile. "I believe it is a collection of outstanding songs, with nary a clunker in the batch." Indeed, he has crafted pop this time around, but like everything he does, Wedren takes it and warps it into something you won't hear from an American Idol contestant or the latest crooner on MTV. Songs like "Fifteen Minutes Late" have a trance-inducing melody combined with Wedren's signature soaring vocals, while "Born Curious" gives a shout out to the Rolling Stones with its old-school, driving blues/rock rhythm. The album does have its fair share of points where he sounds a bit too bittersweet, like the over-harmonic "She Don't Sleep." Wedren isn't trying to be a sap, however, and neither is he trying to convey an edge that his previous works had. Lapland is something that you have to listen to with a completely open mind and appreciate for what it is: a collection of Wedren's latest passions.
Get Your Dose of Yee Haw
Recently a friend asked me, "Who are The Koozies?" and had I heard their music. "Well, my friend," I replied, reaching into the CD visor above my head as we drove along the highway, "Here's their new album." Less than halfway through the first kick-ass, speaker-destroying song, he summed up the very essence of The Koozies: "This is pretty good," he said, tapping his hand on his knee. "But I bet they kick ass live." The Koozies may well be Eugene's best live band, provided of course that you like their particular brand of redneck punk country. Over the last few years their music has transformed from a sloppy, drunken, hoorah of a party to a well-rehearsed and tight — albeit still drunken — explosion of energy. Lately they've been playing out a lot and apparently developing quite a name for themselves. This weekend they'll be inciting bar brawls at the Wetlands in the long-awaited release of their most recent release, Powderkeg. To read EW's glowing review of that CD, check the online archive from the Dec. 29, 2005 issue. And since I said it best there, I'll just quote myself: "The gritty howling is still there, along with the crooning, the country twang and enough yee haw to make you feel like you've got some mud on your shoes. But even during the fastest, amped-up tracks, these songs have melody. Who knew Jacob Koozie and Tuan Bui (who goes by the moniker the Vietnamese Cowboy) could really sing? We're talking in-tune harmonies and lyrics as tasty as a shot of Jack — good for a party and way too much fun." The Koozies play at 10 pm Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Wetlands. $3. — Melissa Bearns
One Conceited Somanabish Jim Infantino, the webpage designer, guitarist, songwriter and vocalist behind the Boston-based band Jim's Big Ego, has taken time off from international and inter-dimensional issues to focus more time on his "unpop" music. You see, Jim has been focusing on performing up and down the East Coast while getting together the band's first Left Coast tour ever … in the history of their existence in the world. But before music dominated his everyday activities, Jim was busy with humdrum activities like apologizing to China, forcing fans to sign a lifetime "Loyalty Oath" and engaging in a brutal fight with the Dark Lord himself — Satan. All of this took place in 2003 and 2004, according to the band's website (under the vague heading "Fake News"). EW usually triple-sources all information it intends to print, but in this case we believed Jim's website and all content therein, mainly because we were distracted by the webpage's moving graphics and bright colors. When asked about China's reaction to his band's apology, Jim said, "I'm not sure China cares." The controversial lifetime "Loyalty Oath" fans must sign has been talked about in at least two chat rooms, so EW asked Jim how this phenomenon has affected fan/band relations. "It's part of an ongoing investigation. I'm not allowed to talk about anything in an ongoing investigation," he said. "But wire taps are definitely involved." And finally, with the public pining for answers about Jim's Big Ego's classic good-versus-evil struggle with Satan himself, Jim spoke of the unforeseen consequences of waging war with the devil. "One of the problems we had with our fight with Satan was that we may have lost some rock 'n' roll. How can you pit yourself against the Dark Lord and be a rock 'n' roll band?" he said. So what does the music sound like anyway? Poppy rock with some notable influences from jam scene bands like Phish. Anyway, for now, Jim's Big Ego is back to concentrating on music. Fans may think this is a tough transition after such an interesting two years, but Jim says not to worry: "We've been globally obscure for a long time." Come stroke your ego with JBE with Laura Kemp at 9 pm Friday, Feb. 17 at Sam Bond's Garage. $7. —Tim O'Rourke
New Beets
Five years after their spectacular Sweet Ride Home and too late for the holidays, the Sugar Beets have released their newest CD, Secret to Happiness. The Sugar Beets' songs aren't much of a secret, though, as they're consistently voted one of Eugene's favorite bands. A few of the 13 original songs may be new to those who aren't the most diehard beet-niks, and may be a pleasant surprise to those of us that thought Sweet Ride Home couldn't be "beet." Secret to Happiness doesn't quite flow like Sweet Ride Home, but the performances, the songwriting and the melodies are solid throughout. From the first note on autoharp, the Sugar Beets expand their variety of instruments to enrich their unique blend of lovefest music. John Shenon continues to astound with his seamless phrasing and beautiful imagery on standouts like "If the Heat Don't Go," "The Beaudie's Song," and "Once Flew a Feather." The Sugar Beets have clearly gelled: Their eight longtime performing members are in sync, but not so tight that raw emotion doesn't come through. Beautifully captured by local sound engineer Bill Barnett, the new Sugar Beets CD allows each member to shine. The Beets are a serendipitous combination of Jeremy Wegner's adventurous instrumentation, Marty Chilla's tasteful strumming with fervent vocals, Scotty Perey's bouncy, creative song creation, David Burham's violin virtuosity, Brian West and Matt Keanon's backbone rhythm and beets and Megan and Brianna Bassett's harmonic convergence. Secret to Happiness has it all and is a must for those who appreciate homegrown, communal, celebrational song creation with touches of magic. The Sugar Beets play at 9 pm Saturday, Feb. 19 at the WOW Hall for the official CD release of Secret To Happiness. $8 adv/$10 dos. —Mike Meyer
Pink is the New Rowdy
Secretly, all those hairy, tattooed, thrift store chic cyclists have always been dying to grind each other like a bunch of mini-skirted Jungle patrons. Show Me the Pink just gave them the opportunity. "Beach Cruising Crew," the last track on the band's Chainsaw Records debut, Velocipedomania, features a sassy, group yelling, call and response chorus of "What what!" reminiscent of Run-DMC on "It's Tricky." That might sound ironic, but when EW caught up with group founder Noelle Archibald, she, while breastfeeding her infant daughter Starlet, insisted, "It's not a parody. That's really us. That's exactly what we're like." Formed three years ago in Richmond, Va., SMTP now resides in Portland and performs as a sextet, consisting of bass, Casios, a three-piece drum kit and everyone singing at once — including the audience. "People [in the audience] seem to enjoy that side," says singer/keyboardist Emilina Dissette of the group vocals approach. "They shout along. It's an interactive band." Indeed, SMTP excels at putting on a sweaty, almost overwhelmingly rowdy live show. Their last hometown show at Porky's, a small, stageless bar in North Portland, exceeded capacity and people were crowd surfing — on a surfboard ripped down from the wall of the bar. Connections to cyclist and activist groups across the country made booking a national spring tour easy for SMTP (yes, Starlet is coming too). On the road, Velocipedomania will be like a strange artifact left by mysterious and charismatic travelers. It doesn't do the band justice, but at least fans will have something to prove the show they saw was real. Show Me the Pink plays with Pinchers of Peril at 8 pm Sunday, Feb. 19 at Interzone Café' in Corvallis and Monday, Feb. 20 at Stonehenge. — Jason Simms
Truck Jams Most of us grow out of the random hobbies that we pick up as 9-year-olds. Derek Trucks, of The Derek Trucks Band, snagged a used guitar from a yard sale and hasn't stopped playing it since that fateful day in 1988. I guess when you travel the country for nearly 10 years spreading the jam band gospel you don't need to second guess yourself. The Derek Trucks Band specializes in the impromptu style sound of Trucks on the guitar with backing keyboard, flute and random percussion. The aim is a relaxing, original sound fit for kicking back at the beach or enjoying your favorite pint. Certain songs sound more like elevator music than anything you might relate to, but there's a cleanliness about it that can't be ignored. Trucks was asked to join the Allman Brothers Band in 1999 and took over duty on one of the coolest instruments ever – the slide guitar. Since he wouldn't quit his own band, he professes to have played more than 365 gigs during 2000 and 2001. While that sounds a little exaggerated, the thought of it alone is a testament to this dude's dedication (and possibly a lack of other interests). DTB's newest release, Songlines (in stores Feb. 21), is the band's first album in almost four years and is named after an Aboriginal tradition of mapping one's world through song. The Derek Trucks Band plays with Jon Nicholson at 9 pm Sunday, Feb. 19 at Taboo. $19 adv/$22 dos. — Danny Cross
Blind Gospel Gospel music is all about finding the spirit to abide and endure, and perhaps no better personification of that idea can be found than in The Blind Boys of Alabama. Formed in 1939 by Clarence Fountain, Jimmy Carter and George Scott, the Blind Boys have survived and thrived as a music group, and since 2001 they have been enjoying some of their greatest success, both financially and creatively. Even though Scott died in March 2005, shortly following the release of the group's latest album, Atom Bomb, the other Boys, now in their 70s, continue to bring their rousing, feel-good gospel hour authenticity to audiences around the world. The Jaqua Concert Hall, formerly a Baptist church, should be the ideal place for a Boys concert. Prepare to be roused and lifted right out of those pews. Hallelujah and amen! Having spent the majority of their career on the gospel circuit, the Boys signed with Peter Gabriel's Real World Records in 2001. Their first four records for Real World have all earned Grammy Awards while the Boys have stretched and pushed gospel in new and exciting ways. While holding on to their traditional roots, they have been working with or covering an increasingly diverse range of pop songs and artists, including Gabriel, who made them his opening act on his 2002 arena tour. Atom Bomb finds the Boys at their most adventurous yet, playfully toying with elements of rap. That they should do so isn't really all that surprising. They remain, as always, true to their roots, and one of the key elements of abiding and enduring is realizing that all things are transitory. The Boys have seen many musical styles come and go in their career, remaining all the while a steady and enduring presence. The Blind Boys of Alabama perform at 7:30 pm Sunday, Feb. 19, Jaqua Concert Hall. $32/$36/$42. — John Ginn
Bringing Chamber Musicto the Valley Hailing from Lyon, France, the internationally recognized Debussy Quartet will make two stops in the Willamette Valley on its current American tour. Formed in 1990, The Debussy Quartet has toured the globe, winning prestigious awards such as the Grand Prize at the Evian International String Quartet Competition and Best Chamber Music Ensemble at Victoires de la Musique. In 1998, the Quartet signed a 10-year recording contract with the French label Arion. Their release of Webern string quartets for Harmonia Mundi won the "Choc" of Le Monde de la Musique. Their Corvallis concert features an entirely French program including Milhaud String Quartet No. 4, Op.46; D'Indy String Quartet No. 2; and Debussy String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10. The concert in Eugene replaces the D'Indy Quartet with Shostakovich's Quartet No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 117. The Debussy Quartet plays at 7:30 pm Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the LaSells Stewart Center in Corvallis ($22) and 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 26 at Beall Hall. $12/$18/$23. — John Ginn
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