Oregon Music News

It’s a beautiful day in the coffeeshop, otherwise known as The Artichoke Music Café. Next week, you know her as one of the great radio voices but do you know Marcia Hocker as a singer? She’ll be here. Sitting across from me today is trombonist/composer/teacher Adriana Wagner. What I’m wondering is how to I not ask her what it’s like to be a female trombonist without asking her what it’s like to be a female trombonist, a question I am as sick of asking as I am guessing she is of answering. We’ll see how that goes. She has a bunch of exciting gigs upcoming, mostly Jazz which is her first love. One is right here in this room on Sunday March 12 at Artichoke as part of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble’s Young Jazz Composers Alumni Concert. Meet Adriana Wagner.

I’ve got good news today. After a few years of bad news in the music industry, there have been many musicians who have lately told me that they’re gigging more than ever. Now here comes Terry Currier who runs Music Millennium with similar good news. He’ll tell us all about it. It’s always good to sit down and talk with Terry. He’s been an immensely valuable member of the Oregon music industry for decades. Coming up on Thursday, March 16 Music Millennium will celebrate it’s fifty-fourth anniversary. There’s nothing quite like browsing in a record store. Welcome back Terry Currier.

I never thank enough, the folks who made our theme music and allow us to use it. They are Derek Sims and Keith Schreiner for Ghost Jazz. Coming up in the next couple of weeks we’ll have trombonist Adriana Wagner and Mr. Music Millennium Terry Currier. I’ve been looking forward to today’s Coffeeshop Conversation. Beth Harrington is making her third appearance here, but her first since 2017. You know her from her many music documentaries including The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes & the course of Country music. She has a new project that she is immersed in. It’s called Our Mr. Matsura and we’ll find out all about it. Welcome back Beth Harrington.

This is a special edition of OMN’s Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music. At the last moment three separate guests had to cancel. A bad thing, perhaps. But perhaps not because I turned to an old box of audio cassettes, the remnants of some of my earlier years in radio, and I ran across a tape of a conversation I had with the great drummer, percussionist, composer and icon…Max Roach. I had forgotten that he was a guest on a show I did on what was then called the American Radio Network one Saturday night, March 1, 1990. Max was on the phone and I was in the studio in Baltimore Maryland. That is this week’s podcast. Max Roach! I am leaving the commercials, beeps boops, interruptions and everything else in. Just as it originally aired. Enjoy.

You may have heard that in January, The 1905, Portland’s premier Jazz club was named by Down Beat Magazine as one of the best Jazz venues in the world. In the world. Not since the demise of Jimmy Mak’s have we had anything even close to what The 1905 has going for it. The top world-class musicians in an atmosphere equal to the music. With me in the Artichoke Café today is Aaron Barnes, one of the people who made all that happen. Was that his aim when he started? How did he manage to survive the pandemic not only intact, but flourishing. He’s a born and bred Portlander and that makes it even sweeter. It’s a great story. Let’s meet Aaron Barnes.

Guess what happens on March Fourth? It’s the twentieth anniversary of March Fourth. Actually every March Fourth is an anniversary of every other March Fourth but this March Fourth is the twentieth anniversary of March Fourth the band. That’s a Saturday and there will be a lot of fun at the Crystal Ballroom that day and night. One of the founders who is also one of two remaining members of the original band John Averill is here in the Artichoke Café with me. We’ll find out how they’ve managed to keep on going despite the rigors of the road and band busses that tend to break down. He’s on his way to the recording studio where March Fourth is making an EP. At the end? The classic Space Hole from their fifth anniversary album. Welcome back John Averill.

It’s Biamp Portland Jazz Festival time of year again, and as we always love to do, we asked PDX Jazz Executive Director Chris Doss to come here to the Café at Artichoke Music and tell us who’s playing this year, from beginning to end (that’s Thursday February 16 through Saturday, February25. It’s a big musically diverse concert series in several venues. Kind of like we say at KMHD…Jazz Without Boudaries. Chris Doss has as big hand in curating the festival which features everything from the newest Jazz on the planet, to straight-ahead Jazz, ECM -type Jazz, international Jazz, Soul, Funk and Hip-hop Jazz…just about anything you can think of and some that you’ve never heard of. That’s what I like, discovery. So let’s find out right now from Chris Doss.

This time with me here is pianist/composer Greg Goebel, known for his virtuosity as well as his versatility. We’ll get into that and at the end of our conversation we’ll here one of his compositions. He’ll also talk to us about that and his work with Chris Brown and how some Jazz takes on some popular tunes fits into what he does. That synthesis is part of the history of Jazz, and it hasn’t stopped. Nor has Mr. Geobel. Nor have we. Upcoming Coffeeshop Conversations will feature John Averill, founder of March Fourth. Also coming up is Chris Doss the Executive Director of PDX Jazz to fill us in on this year’s Portland Jazz Festival. Right now, meet Greg Goebel.

We’ll be back at The Café in Artichoke Music next week. Mean ole Mr. Covid laid me up for a few weeks but things are much better now. Nevertheless, I am using an ancient arcane device known as the telephone to talk with this week’s guest Steve Swatkins, he of the keyboards and voice box, a composer and bandleader as well as a member of Allen Stone’s band. His new album Friends and Other Necessities is just out and it is both very funky and tremendously inspiring. Not religious, but just exactly what we need right now. I realize I said that about Jim Brunberg’s new album a couple of weeks ago but that just means we’re lucky to have both of them in our world. Steve lives in L.A. now with his fiancé Moorea Masa, who appears on the album. Mr. Swatkins, come here, I want you. That’s what Mr. Bell said.

Hi there. We’re not in Café Artichoke today because I have the covid. I am not in any danger but I don’t want to give it to anyone and so I am at my desk, and at her home in Portland is violist Kyleen King. She is having the time of her life, having played the Moda Center on New Year’s Eve and an appearance on Saturday Night LIve both as a member of Brandi Carlisle’s band. Matter of fact, she’s played all over the world as Brandi’s violist. How did this happen? How did she become a member of Brandi’s band? And what’s up with Swansea, another band she’s in, with Portlanders Rebecca Sanborn and Ji Tanzer. It’s a happy episode of Coffeeshop Conversations.

Thanks to Artichoke Music’s Chairman of the Board and Artistic Director Paul Ward, we have two guests in the Artichoke Café today…and Paul is at the controls, along with a mic for himself. Our guests today are singers and songwriters Bre Greg and Colin Hogan who have a double album release coming up on Saturday, January 14 at the Alberta Rose Theatre. Bre’s band Red Bird will be playing and The Colin Trio will also. Separately and together? That remains to be seen. They’re both here in the Café and have come to talk about their new releases and their musical friendship. They both live in multiple genres which, in Oregon, is a necessity as well as a love. So for the first time on OMM’s Coffeeshop Conversations…let’s meet Bre and Colin.

Jim Brunberg is back. He’s been here a lot during the pandemic because he was one of the folks who were responsible for getting federal and state money to our venues to keep them open. We’re not going to talk about that today. We’re going to talk about his new album Songs of Stupid Hope. We need this album now and you can quote me. We’ll find out why during our conversation which, if you know either one of us, goes off in fifty different directions. The great Jack Casady appears on a couple of tracks. We’ll find out about that. There’s also a story about Jim’s opening for Bruce Springsteen which may or may not have been a dream. Welcome back, Jim Brunberg.

It’s the last of a trio of inadvertent Coffeeshop Conversations with accordion players for which I have no explanation other than they all have clever, sparkling personalities. First was Darka Dusty, then Courtney von Drehle and today it’s Jetty Swart. I asked her how to pronounce her name, and since I don’t edit these things, you’ll hear her explanation in detail including her other name, Jet Black Pearl. She’s a composer, singer, accordionist and an all-around funny, singular personality who is married to the Bubble Man. She is from the Netherlands and has travelled the world performing and leaving a trail of delight wherever she goes. Including here. Meet Jetty Swart.

It’s the second installment of Why Did He Choose to talk with accordion players three episodes in a row. Last time it was Darka Dusty, next time it’ll be Jety Swart aka Jet Black Pearl and this time it’s our old friend Courtney von Drehle. Bela Balogh, his collaborator of a couple of decades in groups like Three Leg Torso was supposed to be here too but he had a gig tossed his way at the last minute. They’re working on a new holiday show called The Elves of Frostländ - The Next Generation featuring film segments directed by Bela. It’ll be at the Alberta Rose Theatre on December 17. Let’s do some catching up with the ever clever Courtney von Drehle.

We have a very interesting series beginning with this episode of Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music with very interesting people. The one thing they have in common is that they all play accordion. Now when I asked them to guest, that fact did not occur to me. Don’t ask why because I don’t know. I just like all of them. In the next two weeks Jetty Swart aka Jet Black Pearl and then our old friend Courtney von Drehle of Three Leg Torso. Right now, across from me is Darka Dusty who is also well known as a vocalist, specializing in the music of Ukraine. Lately she has put together several fund raisers to help Ukranians caught up in the war. She and her husband Miri own Mirifoto which specializes in photographs of musicians. And there’s talk of her doing her own podcast. Lots to talk about and Darka is a trip.

Welcome back to the Café at Artichoke Music. Wanted you to know that next week Darka Dusty will be here to talk about all things Ukranian (including music). Today we have light in the Café and it’s brought to us as she brings it to everywhere she goes…it’s MizEtta….Arietta Ward. If you’ve been in the Portland music scene for any length of time you saw her grow up…the daughter to our beloved Janice Scroggins. But she stepped out of her mom’s shadow a long time ago. She’s just back from Europe….and that is a story in itself. Several stories. December is Ettabration month with a birthday show at the Alberta Street Pub on Thursday the eighth. Welcome back Arietta Ward.

Coming up next week here in the Artichoke Café, MizEtta, Arietta Ward, and the following week Darka Dusty will be here to talk about Ukraine and a lot more. We’re on a great run of Coffeeshop Conversations. Last time it was Jeremy Wilson and today it’s pianist/composer Kerry Politzer who has a new album on Portland’s PJCE label. It’s called In a Heartbeat and features an all-star band which includes her husband George Colligan on drums. She’ll talk about the rest of the band why the album is called In a Heartbeat, and you can hear the title track when we’re done talking. Kerry also teaches music and we’ll get into that too. This terrific run of Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke rolls on.

Next week Miz Etta, Arietta Ward will be here in the Artichoke Café with me to tell us about her European tour. The week after, composer, pianist Kerry Politzer about her new album. You’ll like them. Today Jeremy Wilson who you know as an Oregon Music Hall of fame inductee for his long career which, of course includes the Dharma Bums. He’s also known for starting the Jeremy Wilson Foundation which gives money to people in the music industry who are in need. It’s a great service which has leant a hand to many of our finest musicians. Find out about it and the annual upcoming benefit concerts, the Next Waltz.

We’ve got some exciting Coffeeshop Conversations coming up. In the next three weeks we’ll have Jeremy Wilson, Miz Etta, Arietta Ward and also pianist Kerry Politzer in the Artichoke Café. Today James Latham is here with me. He’s the mastermind behind the Tom Waits tribute show on Sunday, November 6 at the Alberta Rose Theater. We’ll find out the lineup of Portland singers and players who are tackling the Tom Waits canon. It’s a benefit concert, too. How does something like this happen? He’ll tell us why and how. Meet James Latham.

Carly Harvey interview with Art Levine Part 3 by Oregon Music News