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THIS WEEK AT THE
CLUBS:
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Alejandro
Escovedo
After more than 25 years of recording, Escovedo has released his seventh solo project,
and first studio album in nearly six years. A Man Under the Influence has
strong melodies, but storytelling is the album's main objective. MONDAY, JOHN HENRY'S. |
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Smokin'
Joe Kubek
Blues Revue describes Kubek as "the best living guitar player working
in the blues field." The Texas blues man comes to town this week along with
jazz and blues singer, B'nois King. The Vipers will open the show. TUESDAY, HOLLYWOOD TAXI. |
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Ty Conner
The talented Mr. Connor shows off his creative typing skills
this week at Sam Bond's as part of the bar's infamous Anniversary Party. Also helping
Sam Bond's celebrate six years of existence are Tom Heinl, Thong, Mini Bings, the
Pass Out Kings and Dan Jones. FRIDAY,
SAM BOND'S GARAGE. |
CLICK
HERE FOR CLUBS LISTINGS
Bach
to Bloch to Mbira
Summer festivals offer
diverse sounds.
By Brett
Cox
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Peter Gabriel performs at Womad
in Redmond, Washington next weekend.
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After the excitement of last year's international choirs extravaganza,
this year's Oregon Bach Festival offered more sedate, even, morbid -- thanks to the
presence of four requiems -- pleasures. Two divergent trends emerged: a questionable
turn away from its Baroque roots and toward tired 19th century repertoire (Mendelssohn,
Brahms, Verdi) in the Hult Center concerts; and, at Beall Hall, a more salutary and
refreshing move toward what's long been the cutting edge of Baroque music -- historically
informed performances on period instruments.
The Beall Hall concerts I saw showed why practically every other
important Baroque music institution has signed on to the period instrument movement.
A concert of Baroque oboe concertos on modern instruments was pleasant enough, distinguished
by the esteemed soloist Ingo Goritzki and the less well-known but exceptionally talented
Yeon-Hee Kwak. But the modern instruments seemed to blur the distinct musical lines.
By contrast, the two concerts by the period instrument forces of
the Festival Baroque Ensemble -- just as much of a pickup band as the other group,
yet much tighter in ensemble -- sounded fresh, full of the energy of discovery, and
marvelously revelatory in its distinct lines and textures. The repertoire could have
been more varied -- all those dance numbers in a row got a little tedious -- but
it was encouraging to see the audience respond so well to these relatively unfamiliar
expressions of familiar sounds.
The scaled-down nonet that played J.S. Bach's first orchestral
suite offered powerful insights into that masterpiece in a way not heard in previous
performances here. Special plaudits to Christopher Krueger, whose wooden Baroque
flute produced a round and mellifluous sonority, notably in Bach's solo partita.
Besides the dryer, clearer (though not anemic) sounds of the instruments themselves,
the use of authentic tunings made a world of difference, showing just why composers
chose particular keys to express certain emotions and characteristics that the modern,
equal temperaments intentionally disallow.
The Festival Orchestra's fabulous performance of Mozart's two-piano
concerto proved, however, that modern instruments can still make a magnificent sound.
Despite the brisk tempos, stellar soloists Jeffrey Kahane and Robert Levin struck
a perfect balance between precision and spontaneity, demonstrating real teamwork
and split-second timing. After the pair encored with a Poulenc two-piano bauble,
the orchestra turned in an equally lively and crisp performance of Mendelssohn's
Italian symphony.
More nearby summer music festivals offer a chance to combine easy
travel with classical music. The Oregon Coast Music Festival, July 14-28 in
Coos Bay, offers a chamber music concert this Thursday and Friday, orchestral concerts
on the 24th (Verdi, Strauss, Brahms) and 31st (Weber, Ravel, Rachmaninoff); performances
by the explosive Portland Taiko this Saturday, and sultry chamber jazz by
Portland pianist Darrell Grant and Bay Area flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny
on the 27th.
Further up the coast, Newport's annual Ernest Bloch Music Festival,
July 18-25, offers duo pianists Jill Timmons and Judith Cohen in music
by Bach, Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Bloch and Lutoslawski this Saturday; a world music
performance on Monday, July 23 by Lauren Pelon Musique Company; three concerts
presided over by one of America's leading composers, Joan Tower; a concert
on July 25 by one of America's great chamber ensembles, Portland's Florestan Trio,
in music of Haydn, Bloch and Mendelssohn; and, on the 28th, a chamber orchestra concert
featuring 20th century chamber music by Tower, Bloch, and Shostakovich .
For world music fans, of course, the big festival is WOMAD
July 27th -- 29th in Redmond Washington's Marymoor Park, featuring Pato Banton,
Steel Pulse (UK) The Neville Brothers, Yungchen Lhamo, Youssou
N'Dour, Peter Gabriel and Afro Celt Sound System. Closer to home,
on Saturday, July 21, in the wonderfully intimate performance space at Tsunami Books,
you can see legendary mbira players Cosmas Magaya, Beauler Dyoko, and
Musekiwa Chingodza in mbira music and songs from Zimbabwe. This looks like
one of the summer's best local concerts.
Grange
Rock
Zao, Cutean, Escovado
highlight eclectic week.
By Vanessa
Salvia
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Brian Cutean releases a two-sond
CD this Saturday at Cafe Paradiso.
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It's only a short ride to Irvington Road, where you'll find the Irving
Grange and a six-band lineup today. Headlining this dark-metal fest will be the ever
prolific Zao, whose latest release entitled self-titled, just might
be their most well-defined work to date. At least on recordings, vocalist Corey Darst
uses many effects, so not having seen this band before, it will be interesting to
see how that translates into a live setting.
Zao has perfected a particularly vicious cross-breeding of death
metal and hard core, but unlike most metal bands I know of, Zao is a Christian band,
as unlikely as that may seem. Also appearing will be Darkest Hour, Denote
the Apex, Ninja Death Clan, Outreach and at least one local band,
Yob.
Yob is reminiscent of Black Sabbath. Bathed in sludgy, heavy riffs
and wailing vocals, the effect is menacing. Doors open for this show at 6 pm.
On Friday, supremely jazzy, danceable funksters Lazoo begins
the first of a two-night stand at Joe Fed's. In one of your last chances to see her
before she leaves town, Eugene's folk rock queen Mare Wakefield and her band
appear Saturday on the Sam Bond's stage. Tsunami Books offers a special mbira performance
by Cosma Magaya and Beauler Dyoko Chbingodza. An mbira is a traditional
African instrument -- also known as a thumb piano -- creating sunny, rippling, interlocking
melodies. The same artists will also be performing Monday evening at Café
Paradiso.
Local resident entertainer Brian Cutean enjoys the release
of two newly recorded songs this Saturday at Café Paradiso. One tune, "Food-Who-Can
Budge-It Blues" (backed with The Mess Age) is a popular favorite.
Tuesday's WOW Hall show features Calvin Johnson, Yumi
Bitsu and Mark Robinson. Johnson is familiar with the lo-fi, DIY credo
as founder of Olympia's K records and as a member of Beat Happening, The Halo Benders
(with Built to Spill's Doug Martsch) and Dub Narcotic Sound System. K records built
a big Olympia scene and made a mighty splash in the world of indie-rock, some may
say too big. But like him or not, Johnson does know how to manipulate simple beats,
rough rhythms and his strutting baritone, resulting in too-cool-for-school, bare-bones
rebel rock. Johnson promises to deliver new material he's been working on as well
as Halo Benders stuff in this solo, acoustic show.
Mark Robinson has been in too many indie bands to list, including
Unrest and Air Miami. Now, Johnson has finally struck out on his own with a collection
of instrumental pop sprinkled with electronic bits. Yumi Bitsu (translated as "dream
beats" from Japanese) is an apt description for its atmospheric and expansive
pillowy pop.
Alejandro Escovedo started off his musical career way back
in 1979 after he co-founded the cowpunk band Rank and File, long before "cowpunk"
was a common musical adjective. Escovedo has been releasing solo albums ever since
1992, his latest on Bloodshot Records entitled A Man Under the Influence.
Escovedo excels at illuminating the darker aspects of life in his songs and his latest
release is no exception. Influence roams from the raw rock of his cover of punk anthem
"I Wanna Be Your Dog" to hauntingly beautiful and soulful tunes brimming
with weeping cello and rough country/blues. Escovedo just keeps getting better and |