Confirmation: Weekly News and Notes

*From a press release: On Saturday morning, October 10, saxophonist Adam Larson spends two hours in the Blue Room teaching improvisation, composition, and the music business… He’ll demonstrate improvisation, have participants play for him and with him, and leave room for questions, so bring your instrument. Participants also receive a PDF covering the material he goes over… The workshop is open to musicians on any instrument and in any style, from middle school students to working players. Band directors and teachers are encouraged to bring their students… $20 students and educators, $35 general admission.

Gig Review: Alden Hellmuth at The 1905

Smitten with the innovative attack of Tether, the latest album by Alden Hellmuth, I purchased a $39 seat at the bar of the fifty-person capacity Portland jazz venue The 1905 to hear the New York based saxophonist’s band on Thursday, September 10. I was disappointed to subsequently learn that Hellmuth wouldn’t be accompanied by the musicians featured on Tether.

Only one selection from Tether was performed in a 65-minute set, and even it was rendered in a comparatively conventional form by Hellmuth and a Portland based ensemble of trumpeter Noah Simpson, pianist Kerry Politzer, bassist Garrett Baxter and drummer Ken Mastrogiovanni.

Aside from the single Tether track, the setlist included several unrecorded new compositions, a Coltrane cover and an appearance by vocalist Lo Steele on “Save Your Love for Me.” I may not have heard what I paid for, but I received an insightful clinic on the formidable talents of five Portland artists.

Seven Hours at the Montavilla Jazz Festival

I recently accepted a dream job in Portland, an engagement necessitating an expansion of the geographical focus of Plastic Sax. My first serious investigation of the town’s jazz scene consisted of spending $43 for a one-day pass at the three-day Montavilla Jazz Festival on Saturday, September 5.

During the seven hours I spent in the Montavilla neighborhood I heard a pleasing array of sounds. I was compelled to leave before the more popular acts performed at the biggest and most prestigious stages, but I was amid about 200 revelers and dozens of festival staff and volunteers during my abbreviated time at the event.

Portland seems capable of holding its own with Kansas City as a jazz town. Its large-scale jazz festivals and constant influx of appearances by touring jazz acts certainly put Kansas City to shame. Excluding the student bands I caught in cafés and breweries, a summary of what I heard follows in order of my personal preference.

The Collective: Curated by Dae Bryant
An emcee introduced a set by Dae Bryant’s The Collective by suggesting the ensemble would pay tribute to Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. Instead, I detected the influence of new-school improvisers like Flying Lotus, Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey. The electro-acoustic attack, spoken word proclamations and Darrell Grant’s extended gospel riffs were precisely my thing.

Four for King: The Life, Spirit, and Music of Nancy King
Longtime readers of Plastic Sax know I’m allergic to vocalese and scat. I chose to catch Sherry Alves’ homage to the late Portland vocalist Nancy King on a hunch that it just might be something special. The bet paid off. Bolstered by former King accompanists Randy Porter and Todd Strait, Alves’ passionate advocacy of a neglected artist won me over.

Wen’ipt
It’s my understanding that Oregon, much like Oklahoma, has a large Indigenous population. Orion White, the bandleader and baritone saxophonist of Wen'ipt, gave voice to his people’s struggles and hopes in a ferocious outing. Although the band played a couple Jim Pepper covers, Wen’ipt’s unique sound is entirely fresh.

W4RP Trio
W4rp Trio, the only band I heard that isn’t based in the Pacific Northwest, played a hybrid style reminiscent of Yo-Yo Ma’s collaborations with progressive bluegrass musicians such as Béla Fleck and Chris Thile. A selection fusing compositions by  Johann Sebastian Bach and Craig Taborn exemplified W4rp Trio’s approach.

Shelly Rudolph’s Orfea Rising: A Jazz Myth Suite
Greek mythology! Aerialists! The premiere of Shelly Rudolph’s ambitious new song cycle Orfea Rising was an impressive spectacle.

Concert Review: OHMA at The 1905

My return to Portland’s resurrected jazz supper club The 1905 wasn’t quite perfect on Sunday, November 2. One couple amid the capacity audience of 50 occasionally raised their voices above the cosmic future-jazz of OHMA. Aside from that blemish, the experience was copacetic.

OHMA, the duo of multi-instrumentalists Mia Garcia and Hailey Niswanger, appeared at the Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle the previous night. Supplemented by drummer Cory Limuaco, OHMA leaned more into jazz than it did at its 2022 concert at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Both The 1905 and OHMA seem to be flourishing. The club’s atmosphere was even more welcoming than on my previous visit. And Garcia and Niswanger are at the crest of a musical wave that includes fashionable acts like Carlos Niño and SML. Given the $30 cover charge, near-perfection was good enough.