Travel back in time for a while

This Sunday afternoon, Jan. 15, at the Church of the Resurrection (3925 Hilyard St.), the Oregon Bach Collegium whisks us back to the 18th century and across the ocean to Germany through music by J. S. Bach, his student Carl Friedrich Abel, Bach’s fifth son Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and one of the latter’s contemporaries, Carl Heinrich Graun. Tour guides include University of Oregon early music expert and cellist Marc Vanscheeuwijck and Eugene church organist and Bach specialist Julia Brown, who’ll play the appropriate instrument: a Viennese fortepiano that provides a more delicate sound that doesn’t overwhelm the subtle five-string cello (a specialty of Abel’s) in the elegant music of the era. 

J.C.F. Bach was naturally influenced by the emotionally expressive music of his distinguished dad, of course, as well as the simpler sounds of his own time and hints of the coming classical style. But because the count he worked for loved Italian music, you can hear some of those strains in his music too.

Back to the here and now, The Shedd offers a pair of American music concerts this month, beginning with Tierney Sutton’s show with her jazz trio (pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Kevin Act and drummer Ray Brinker) this Thursday, Jan. 12. The jazz singer’s latest album is called The Sting Variations, so don’t be surprised to see some Police action, along with the jazzified Joni Mitchell and Sinatra covers and American Songbook standards that brought her initial acclaim.