From this week’s press release from The Cave:

Wednesday June 25th: NANCY KING INVITATIONAL

This week Nancy invites the great and venerable Tom Wakeling on bass and Jed Wilson on piano. Jed is a young man who has been living in Boston and New York for the last few years and has recently moved back to Portland. He’s very, very good at playing the piano. He’s very, very good at accompanying singers. These are two quite different things and Jed is brilliant at both.  Tom Wakeling of course is a rock…who makes great lines and hears everything.

Note: Next week Nancy goes to Paris to sing some concerts but “subbing” for her will be Rebecca Kilgore and Dave Frishberg!

Thursday June 26th: ALAN JONES PRESENTS…

Andrew Oliver on piano, Sam Howard on bass and Alan Jones on drums.  This trio is designed to explore some new places a “piano trio” might go in the hands of two young guys with vision and energy and one medium guy who’s eager to see the outcome.

Friday June 27th: ART RESNICK TRIO

Art Resnick is a master piano player and prolific composer who after a long hiatus from the Portland jazz scene will make a triumphant return by performing at The Cave with a new trio featuring Dan Schulte on bass, Jonas Oglesby on drums.

Art has been the sought-after pianist of choice for some of the greatest jazz musicians of our times. He has toured and recorded with James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, Nat Adderly, Benny Golson, Bobby Shew, Gary Bartz and Charles McPherson…and that’s only naming a few!

Saturday June 28th: GREG GOEBEL QUARTET

Greg has been recognized in Down Beat magazine with an award for Outstanding Original Composition.  He has consistently been given top honors at music festivals including Best Overall College Performer and three time Best Overall College Pianist at the Reno International Jazz Festival. Greg has recorded and toured with renowned bassist David Friesen, and is a current member of the David Friesen Trio. Greg also performes with Portland quintet, PDXV, which just released their second CD.  He has played with and continues to work with notable musicians such as Alan Jones, Bob Magnusson, Dick Oatts, John Handy, Gary Hobbs, Peter Epstein, Jay Thomas, John Stowell, Rebecca Kilgore, John Gross, Ron Steen and Terrell Stafford.  Joining Greg will be Tim Wilcox tenor, Dave Captein bass and Charlie Doggett drums.

The Cave is located at 636 SW Jackson underneath the Green Onion restaurant

JazzPDX.org is liveblogging from the Someday Lounge tonight during Ben Darwish’s first Sunday-night jam session.

7:35: The house rhythm section (Jason Palmer on drums, Sam Howard on bass) is setting up.  Ben gets to play a piano left here from a previous show - a nice change from the normal Someday Lounge piano.

7:45: Audience is already large for a Sunday night at the Someday.  Musicians showing up to jam include trumpeter Russ Liquid (March Fourth, Luminous Fog) and vocalist Michael Angela (Oregon Jazz Orchestra).

8:00: 8 PM and the 7:30 show looks like it’s about to begin…

8:08: NYC-transplant Sam Howard is playing a great solo on one of Ben’s original compositions from the 2006 Diatic Records release “Industrial Hero.”  Howard has only been in Portland a month or two, but I’m sure he’ll quickly become a top-call player.  Great sound on both upright and electric basses.

8:20: First two tunes are originals of Ben’s: “Dirty Harry” and “The Number Five”.  During the talk announcing the tunes, he reminds the people looking to sit in that they encourage original compositions and free improvisation over the “same old standards.”  Refreshing.

8:41: Ben’s trio finishes their opening set with his arrangement of “Killing Me Softly.”  The next set opens up the jam session portion.

9:35: Just finished sitting in with a great group of musicians.  David Irela joined in, Andrew Oliver on piano, and Russ Liquid on trumpet.  Played compositions of mine, David’s, and a tune Andrew brought in from another composer.

9:40: Vocalist Michael Angela sits in.

9:45: More musicians joining in… Chris Mosley, Willie Mathias, Matt Wong, Matt Weiers, Lilla D’Mone, and Troy Robey (new to Portland from Washington)

9:50: JazzPDX.org is taking.  Multnomah County demands that I show up for jury duty early tomorrow morning.  Look for this session happening again next Sunday (6/29), lead by Chris Mosley.

This week’s Cave update:

Wednesday May 21st: NANCY KING INVITATIONAL

 

“She is, I think, one of the best singers that ever walked the planet.”

 

-       Karrin Allyson, Jazz Vocalist

 

 –Nancy has been nominated Female Vocalist of the year by the Jazz Journalist Association!–

 

It was such a great show last week that Nancy decided to do it again and invite, Steve Christofferson and Tom Wakeling. The music produced by these long time friends is more than great…it’s astounding…it’s very beautiful…it’s SO worth spending your Wednesday night listening to it.

 

Thursday May 22nd: ALAN JONES PRESENTS…

 

his new Quartet of Portland all-stars Randy Porter, Rob Davis and Tom Wakeling. Collectively known as The Cavemen This group will be performing new original music of Alan’s along with not too common and very interesting re-workings from the modern jazz literature.

 

 

 

Best-known for his leadership of the Alan Jones Sextet, which for many listeners defines the essence of Portland jazz with its adventurous, hard-swinging original music, grounded in both jazz tradition and the rugged individualism of the Northwest.

 

 

 

Friday May 23rd: HAILEY NISWANGER QUARTET

 

Hailey is 18 years old, has a real live time feel and plays the alto saxophone with the fearlessness of a true improviser. She has already made quite a scene in the jazz world performing with the 2007 and 2008 Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Ensemble in Hollywood, California, receiving outstanding soloist awards from many festivals around the US and being selected for the MENC 2007 All Northwest Jazz Band. It looks like Hailey will go away to college next fall, possibly to Berklee on the full scholarship they’ve offered her, so come see her play and get her autograph while it might still be relatively easy. Hailey will be joined by fellow friend female phenom, Kate Davis on bass, her high school band director, world-class musician and soon to be resident of Zimbabwe Jeff Cumpston on drums and the also very young and talented Sam Hirsh on piano

 

 

Saturday May 24th: CHRIS MOSLEY’S EX-STATIC BAND

 

Chris was Born and raised in Austin, TX, lived in Denver for High School then on to Berklee in Boston before finally moving to Portland to become an exciting and unique addition to our already rich guitar culture. He has studied with some of the world’s great musicians including Joe Lovano, Mick Goodrick

 

and Dave Fiucynski and has put out two excellent CD’s of his own music “The Miraculous Aspect of Time” and “Outside Voices” which makes obvious what a talent he is both on guitar and as a composer. Also playing and fresh from NYC is bassist, band leader and composer Sam Howard, and mostly still fresh from NYC the truly inspiring drummer Russ Kleiner.

The Cave is located at 636 SW Jackson.  There is a $5 cover - music from 8-11 PM.  Minors welcome until 9:30