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Jazz Pianist Randy Weston:
“African-ist”

Learn more about Portland Jazz Fest’s first big guest.

Posted by: Aaron Scott and Anne Adams on Feb 17, 2011 at 10:00AM Speech Bubble1 Comments

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“‘African-ist’ is not a word!” insisted our editing staff when I recently submitted some text about prestigious jazz pianist Randy Weston. They softened when I explained that I was quoting Weston’s biographer, Willard Jenkins, who views Weston as a pioneer in a field of, essentially, African Studies. Weston is an “Africanist,” in the same way that another scholar is an “Egyptologist.” The word is snappier than saying “African Culture Expert,” and sidesteps the exclusivity of “Afro-centric.” I say we roll with it.

Learn more about Weston in this video, and try to catch his panel discussion or his show:



Feb 18
Jazz Conversation: Randy Weston with Marty Hughley
2:00 PM | LOCATION: The Art Bar | FREE

Motema Music Presents Randy Weston
7:30 PM | LOCATION: Winningstad Theatre | $25 / $40 | ARTIST PROFILES: Randy Weston

The Portland Jazz Festival begins this weekend. For more upcoming arts events, visit PoMo’s Arts & Entertainment Calendar, stream content with an RSS feed, or sign up for our weekly On The Town Newsletter!

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Tags: music, jazz, festival

music

JazzFest Gal Wins Grammy

Next week brings plenty of chances to see Esperanza Spalding, Portland’s own Best New Artist who beat out Bieber.

Posted by: Anne Adams on Feb 14, 2011 at 12:30PM Speech Bubble0 Comments

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Jnr-musicfest-2008-esperanza-spalding-1

BEST NEW ARTIST:
ESPERANZA SPALDING
In case you haven’t heard already, Culturephile feels compelled to tell you that Esperanza Spalding, a Portland native and Portland Jazz Festival Ambassador, has won the Best New Artist Grammy. Esperanza, 26 and already a superstar by Portland standards, is still a virtual unknown on the world stage, especially compared to her competitor in the category, Canadian pop golden-boy Justin Bieber.

The Grammy committee’s decision to honor her seems a rare deviation from deeply entrenched “industry” status quo. In fact, many of this year’s nominees—Kenny G? STP? Soundgarden? Korn?—are so established that the list as a whole reads more like a table of contents from a 1994 copy of Rolling Stone, than a 2011 music “who’s who.” So extra congratulations, Esperanza (and commendations to Bieber too), for putting a twinkle in Grammy’s eye while you’re still young and happening.

ESPERANZA IN PORTLAND

Feb 23
Black History Month reception honoring Portland’s local jazz heritage through music, words and images.
4:30 PM | LOCATION: Portland City Hall (1221 SW 4th Avenue) | FREE

Feb 24
Jazz Conversation: Esperanza Spalding with Tim DuRoche
6:00 PM | LOCATION: The Art Bar | FREE

Feb 25
Jazz Roundtable: Bridges & Boundaries – Jewish & African Americans Playing Jazz / Esperanza Spalding, Anat Cohen, Don Byron, Yuval Cohen & Oran Etkin; Moderated by Darrell Grant
2:00 PM | LOCATION: The Art Bar | FREE

Feb 25
KMHD PRESENTS
Esperanza Spalding
7:30 PM | LOCATION: Newmark Theater | SOLD OUT! | ARTIST PROFILES: Esperanza Spalding

The Portland Jazz Festival begins this weekend. For more upcoming arts events, visit PoMo’s Arts & Entertainment Calendar, stream content with an RSS feed, or sign up for our weekly On The Town Newsletter!

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Tags: music, Live, jazz, jazz festival, Esperanza Spalding

phile under: music

Local Music Videos!

The forestation, meadow-larking, and jazz standards edition.

Posted by: Anne Adams on Sep 27, 2010 at 12:00PM Speech Bubble0 Comments

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The Brothers Young
Fresh from a west-coast tour in support of their new EP, Good People , the Young brothers submit this psychedelic kaleidoscope of—REforestation? As interestingly conceived and carefully constructed as their riffs:

Y La Bamba
The band is still on the west-coast warpath in promotion of their new Tender Loving Empire release Lupon , but meanwhile, here’s a little taste of live magic:

The Sarcastic Dharma Society
The word “bromance” was recently added to the Oxford Dictionary, but not before prolific local indie-rocker Mat Vuksinich and bandmate Trey Young (no relation to the Brothers, but très young, indeed) demonstrated their flowering phileo with a Hoagy Carmichael cover and this blurry summer tableau. Culturephile suggests you check out Dharma’s newest self-released EP, Sanyassa: Songs Of Love, and use this as inspiration for your own afternoon park-frolicking:

Dory Hylton
And finally, a birthday shoutout to this local torch-singing luminary, who celebrated her 70th yesterday at The Woods. “I’m a septuagenarian!” she exclaimed. “When it’s about me, it’s really about me! [Exaggerated stage-wink].” Unsurprisingly, Ms. Hylton doesn’t have a huge online video repertoire, but even a basic point-and-shoot reveals her sultry live stylings:

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Tags: music, Live, jazz, portland, TLE, northwest, monday fun, folk, leviethan

phile under: jazz notes

Esperanza Spalding
Releases New Album

Chamber Music Society delivers breezy, nuanced summer jazz.

Posted by: Anne Adams on Aug 11, 2010 at 12:30PM Speech Bubble0 Comments

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Espalding

Esperanza Spalding’s new album, Chamber Music Society, is what I think they mean whenever they say, “tempest in a teapot.” It’s dynamic and unpredictable, yet so delicately contained and elegantly presented, that it seems perfectly safe to imbibe. Between Spalding’s facile acoustic bass grooves and wafting, soaring scat-vox, there’s a rumble of complexity full of hurricane thunders, rainstick rattles, swoons of strings, sudden bumps and small upsets, imbued throughout with a sensual summer warmth and lightheartedness. The wind has caught hold of the tablecloth. Oh my.

Culturephile first laid eyes on Ms. Spalding eight or so years ago at Portland’s old Meow Meow club, as the pivotal member of indie band Noise For Pretend. (That night, in addition to delivering a standout performance, she was tasked with outshining the keyboardist’s distractingly unseasonal stocking cap.) Quickly thereafter, Spalding ditched the local indiepop scene to make noise for real, obtaining a degree from Berklee College of Music and releasing self-titled debut album Esperanza, that captivated, among others, Mr. David Letterman—who in the clip below dubs her “the coolest person we’ve ever had on our show.”

Portland Jazz Festival recently chimed in its own endorsement, naming Spalding its Artistic & Community Ambassador. On August 17, when Chamber Music Society hits stores, you too can see what all the hubbub is about.


For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, visit the Arts & Entertainment Calendar!

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Tags: music, jazz, jazz festival, album, Esperanza Spalding

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Sign up for Portland Monthly’s weekly Culturephile newsletter to keep up with the latest happenings from Portland’s varied and vivid arts & culture community.

Arts and Culture Editor Aaron Scott has reported for Radiolab, This American Life, OPB, and others. He loves getting lost and finding his way out again.

Events Editor Anne Adams has spent 12 years in Portland and roughly 2 at Portland Monthly magazine. An avid arts appreciator who can zero in on a detail of gesture or craft, she’s also a major softie for music, humor, and philosophy. Email the editor »

Culturephile chronicles the vibrant world of Portland arts & culture, along with its movers and makers.

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