David Friesen story via YouTube



Fantastic video of bassist David Friesen from Tom D’Antoni’s old ArtBeat archives. You can visit D’Antoni’s YouTube channel as well as his blog to find more interesting jazz/blues material. Also, be sure to check out his radio show at 10 PM on Saturday’s on KMHD.

On August 4th, the Christian McBride band will play in Portland as part of the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. McBride’s band features some fantastic musicians, including Terreon Gully, Ron Blake, and Geoffry Keezer. They play a mix of jazz, fusion, and, funk featuring McBride on both electric and acoustic basses. Below, you can take a look at some videos of McBride with his band and a duo with Niels Pederson via youtube.

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Jim Pepper, the native American saxophonist born in Oregon, is one of the most famous jazz musicians to come out of Portland. In May, the OPB art show Art Beat did a feature on him, and the Jim Pepper Remembrance Band. The video features clips of other Portland musicians like Glen Moore, Renato Caranto, Carlton Jackson, Gordon Lee, Ron Steen, David Friesen, etc. playing Pepper’s music, as well as stock footage of Pepper himself. Below, you can watch the feature via youtube.

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One of the most well-known jazz musicians to ever call Portland his home was Leroy Vinnegar - master of the walking bass line. Vinnegar recorded over 600 albums during his career, ranging from “My Fair Lady” with Andre Previn and Shelly Mann, to “Saint Dominic’s Preview” with Van Morrison.

Vinnegar moved to Portland in 1986 where he lived until his death in August of 1999. July 13th, 2007 would have been his 79th birthday.

While in Portland, he played regular gigs all around town, including twelve years of work with pianist Jof Lee. Jof has created a tribute page that has some great quotes from Vinnegar.

Another great page about Vinnegar is the Portland State University Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Institute. At the Institute’s page, you can find an extensive biography of Vinnegar, as well as information on the PSU-hosted Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Week in May.

Vinnegar’s legacy lives on in many ways - from the players that shared the stage with him to the stage named after him (LV’s Uptown). His presence is etched in Portland’s jazz history.

See and hear Vinnegar below.
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Patrick Lamb is one of the busiest musicians in the Portland area. Every month, his schedule is a mixture of leading his own bands around the Northwest, and touring with international acts like Diane Schuur, Bobby Caldwell, or Gino Vannelli.

“Soul of a Free Man” is Lamb’s newest CD, featuring a blend of soul, R&B, and jazz. The sold-out CD release party at the Aladdin Theater was covered by the local television show PDXposed for their 60th episode. Below, you can check out the PDXposed clip as well as a television appearance with Diane Schuur.

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Dan Balmer and Clay Giberson’s jazz fusion project “Go By Train” has been performing regularly around the Northwest for the past four years. GBT has two albums out - the appropriately named debut album “Go By Train” from 2004, and “Transportation,” the band’s second effort that was released earlier this year.  Dan and Clay have been with the project since the beginning while Micah Kassell (who appears on both albums) and Drew Shoals have each spent time holding down the drum chair.

Go By Train shows up one or two Mondays a month at Jimmy Mak’s, where Dan hosts his weekly series. Below, you can find live videos taken at the club, with the band playing material from both albums.

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International trumpet star Terence Blanchard will appear at Jimmy Mak’s, on Tuesday, June 19th, taking the Mel Brown Septet’s usual weekly slot for one night. Blanchard is known for always playing cutting-edge music with a group of first-string New York players backing him up. JazzPDX.org brings you a couple of videos and links to get you prepped for the event.

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