Oregon Music News

Nearly ten years ago we got the news that Ben Darwish, composer, producer and keyboardist was moving from his Portland birthplace to Los Angeles. He had been a part of a flowering of young Jazz musicians, coming out of college in the early two thousands. The other part of the news was that he was going to be playing with a Pop band. He is with me now at the Artichoke Café because he’s going to have his first Portland gig in eight years on Tuesday, November 21 at Mississippi Studios for an evening of what he calls “High energy Jazz.” Great news. We’ve got some story to fill in here.

There are various signposts by which we mark the beginning of the holiday season. My favorite is John Waters’ return to Portland for his annual “A John Waters Christmas” show at the Aladdin Theater. It always sells out, and has again this year. Nevertheless, it’s a chance to talk with John about the show and all of the exciting things he’s been up to over the past year. We know each other from my Baltimore days. I was born there and spent far too many decades there before I escaped to Portland. Mine was his final interview of the day about the show. Lucky us. Welcome back John Waters.

Arietta Ward: Looking forward to another 400 episodes of Coffeeshop Conversations @ Artichoke Music by Oregon Music News

This is the four hundredth episode of Coffeeshop Conversations. Next week will be four hundred and one. There are times in our lives that call for courage and inspiration. Our guest today, pianist Dave Fleschner is fresh out of rehab. His story is full of both. Our guest next week is Arietta Ward who is known and loved for bringing the light of inspiration even though deep down she’s a shy person. I just had back surgery which brought me over a hundred good wishes. So it’s a special time around the coffeeshop at the Café in Artichoke. Here’s episode number four hundred with Dave Fleschner.

One of my favorite Coffeeshop Conversations guests is here again. She’s Sarah Tiedemann, Third Angle New Music’s Artistic Director, and also a flutist. Third Angle’s exciting new season is already underway and Sarah will tell us all about it. Our next two episodes are special…this one is too, but we’re marking episodes 400 and 401 with a very personal story from Dave Fleschner about recovery...that’s 400 and an inspiring look to the future from MizEtta, Arietta Ward. But first, let’s welcome back Sarah Tiedemann.

It has been three years since composer/pianist/educator Darrell Grant visited the Café at Artichoke Music. He’s so busy and prolific it seems like we could have him on once a month. Of course he is still a tenured professor of Jazz Studies and Associate Director of the School of Music at Portland State University, but I also like to think of him in the true New Orleans use of the word “professor,” when it comes to pianists, one of great respect. He released a new album this week called Our Mr. Jackson, honoring not only the Modern Jazz Quartet and Milt Jackson but beloved Portland drummer, the late Carlton Jackson who plays on the album along with Marcus Shelby and Mike Horsfall. The album release concert takes place at Hallowed Halls on Thursday October 12. It’s a beautiful album. Let’s find out all about it. Listen to Versailles from the album at the end of our conversation.

We’re not in the Artichoke Café this time because although our guest Doug MacLeod will be performing there on Saturday, October 7, he’s not rolling into town until the day of the gig. Such is life on the road. So instead, when we talked, he was in Memphis and I was right here in Portland. Doug is a legendary Blues singer, guitar picker and storyteller. He’s been out there doing all three for several decades and he just seems to get better every year. He’s got great stories and not only about himself. Doug has seven Blues Music Awards and about a million nominations for others. Listen to “Unmarked Road” at the end of our conversation. You’re gonna like Doug MacLeod.

I was doing a bit of rummaging and in one of those boxes were audio cassettes of a show I used to do on the American Radio Network. In the past I have found one show with Max Roach and one with Leon Redbone. Today the tape that somewhat magically appeared in my hand was the time I spent on the air with composer/pianst Carla Bley. It aired live on March 31st 1990 as part of a series I was doing which I thought of as…”Who Haven’t I interviewed that I’ve always wanted to talk to. I’m pretty tenacious when it come to landing interviews especially with people who have never heard of me. Even in the days before podcasts, and this is really proto-podcast stuff, she had no idea who I was. Yet I persisted. Here it is, complete with station breaks and commercials.

Regular Coffeeshop Conversations followers know that every once in a while we like to bring in one of the folks who help bring you OMN. Today photographer Anthony Pidgeon is in the Artichoke Café with me. Performance photos are a major part of OMN’s coverage of Oregon’s music makers. We have several excellent photographers who brave photo pits to capture unforgettable moments in music. Not long ago, Anthony had EIGHT photo galleries from this month’s Pickathon. That’s a lot! Let’s meet Anthony Pidgeon.

There’s a new addition to Coffeeshop Conversations this time. I asked Saxophonist/Tap Dancer Shoehorn aka Michael Conley to sit in my chair and lead the conversation with someone he wanted to talk to. He’s an entertaining guy and I wanted to hear what he did with one of these things. He chose Blues singer/guitarist Tevis Hodge, Jr. who in the past few years has made quite a name for himself in the Blues World. They have played together many times and it’s interesting to hear them talk musician to musician without being too technical. That’s what I have liked about the stories Shoehorn has written for OMN. Let’s listen to him and Tevis Hodge. Jr.

It’s ironic that even though in order to make a living at playing music in Oregon, you have to be able to play in diverse styles, there are many loyal groups of people who are fans of strictly one particular genre or another. There are Metal heads, Blues fans and Tango lovers to name a few. One of those groups is the folks who love Swing Dancing. Therefore, there are musicians who provide them with something to dance to. With me in the Artichoke Café today is Eddie Montejo who’s Rhythm Wrecker Dance Band is a favorite of our Swing Dancers. He’s the leader and the drummer. He also helped organize the Portland Lindy Society. So here’s everything you always wanted to know about Swing Dancing and Eddie Montejo.

Cellist Skip vonKuske is in the Artichoke Music Café, not his first time here but it’s a special occasion. Skip is moving out of Oregon after a long run as one of the founders of the Portland Cello Project, a solo performer and member of many other bands and ensembles playing all kinds of music over the past few decades. He’s staging a farewell show on Sunday, July 23 at the Star Theater with a vast array of musicians and bands Skip has played with. It’s called Cello Goodbye. Skip is one of the people responsible for cellos turning up in so many bands and ensembles over the past 30 years or so. Find out where he’s going and why and why the huge rise in the popularity cellos have found. We’ll miss him.

First of all, don’t miss the next Coffeeshop Conversation. It’s with Skip VonKuske Oregon’s beloved cellist who will be moving to Massachusetts in a couple of weeks. But this weekend is the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, under that magnificent bridge in St. Johns. It’s the forty-third annual and it’s presented by the Jazz Society of Oregon. From the Jazz Society is Rita Rega who has been in on the planning and execution. I love that festival. There are hardly any spots in Portland that are as beautiful and although the festival has had it’s ups and downs over the years. It sure has been extremely up in the past few years. Meet Rita Rega.

If you thought Soul singer Andy Stokes has been missing since the clubs and concerts returned, you’re right. We’re going to find out why. Andy, no stranger to Coffeeshop Conversations is back with us and in the midst of a flurry of concerts. He’ll be singing with Soul Vaccination at the Waterfront Blues Festival on Tuesday July 4 on the South Stage. He will be singing some Tower of Power and a few of his originals. It’s always a treat to hear Andy’s big voice but especially so since he has just come out the other side of some health problems. He has as new album on the way, too. Welcome back Andy Stokes!

It’s a special edition of OMN’s Coffeeshop Conversations this time. At the other end of the Skype box is Jack Heyrman, an ex-label owner and producer and an old friend of mine. His label was called Clean Cuts and it is most famous for Dr. John’s first solo album called Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, recorded in1981. Jack also produced the follow-up The Brightest Smile In Town which was also solo. The two remain the only studio-recorded solo albums of Dr. John’s career. The Sundazed label is re-releasing the first one In August. Jack is with me to tell the story of how it happened. Welcome Jack Heyrman.

It’s not every day that we have a new music venue open up. Especially one like SoundsTruck Northwest, a brand new mobile stage, complete with concerts, begins its inaugural season on Sunday, June 18 at Cathedral Park. Other offerings in their Summer Series include concerts at the Japanese Garden, Mt. Tabor and Lewis and Clark College. More details here. There are many other concerts already scheduled for the summer. With me today is Amelia Lukas who is also a flutist and is involved in curating the Summer Series as well as working comms for them. So let’s welcome her and a big Portland welcome to our newest and most unique venue…SoundsTruck NW.

A couple of weeks ago composer/guitarist Ryan Meagher was here to talk about his latest recording, AftEarth a collaboration with artist Tina Granzo. If you heard it you realize that it had a profound impact on me. It is such a close collaboration that I felt we had to hear from the other half of the creators. So with me in the Café at Artichoke Music is Tina Granzo who’s drawings along with Ryan’s music have made this such an evocative work. Whether you think it’s about climate change or a document evoking those years we were quarantined, it is a remarkable work. So closing the circle, meet Tina Granzo.

Ever wonder what a music publicist does all day? Or even what one is? With me in the Artichoke Music Café is Nicole Lane who has much experience doing that. I know publicists. I get a hundred emails a day from them. I chose Nicole because she’s so good at it, as you will see. She works for Chamber Music Northwest but she’s done work for multiple genres of music. The job stays the same no matter what. And what is the job? Meet Nicole Lane.

Ryan Meagher is in the Artichoke Café with me today. He is a very busy man. Besides his career as guitarist and composer, he is also the Artistic Director of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble where he also runs their PJCE label. He also programs the Montavilla Jazz Festival, does a lot of teaching and I will run out of intro time if I continued to list what else he does. He’s here to talk about his latest project, a combination of his music and Tina Granzo’s art called AftEarth. It was written and recorded during the Covid lockdown. It’s one of the most unusual, compelling documents of that time. And something you should hear. Let’s talk with Ryan Meagher.

This is the three hundred and eighty-fifth episode of Coffeeshop Conversations. That’s a lot of talking and not all of it by me. Next week KMHD’s head honcho Matt Fleeger will be here and the following week Nicole Lane, ace publicist will visit the Café. Today writer Larry Colton is sitting across from me. He has authored six books, was the founder of Wordstock, now known as the Portland Book Festival. He was also a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies and the beloved Portland Mavericks. What? No music? What me worry? By the time we’re finished that will not be an issue. Welcome back Larry Colton.