Show Notes: 21min@96kbps. Dan Balmer Interview, Part 2 of 2.This is the last part of my interview with Dan Balmer, local Portland guitar hero. Since it was our first actual Podshow I wasn't sure how to split it up. In the future we'll try to keep things in single epidodes for simplicity's sake. We conclude the interview with a cut off of Dan's CD, "Change of Heart" entitled, "The Finisher". All Rights Reserved. You can find out more about Dan, including his CDs and playing schedule, at his website: www.danbalmer.com. He also has a blog: danbalmer.blogspot.com. Let us know how you like the show in the comments section.

Show Notes: 52min@96kbps. Fireside Jazz Jam July 09, 2005. Our friend alto player Jack McCreary returns from his 2 month hiatus. Welcome back Jack! We played for 3 hours and these are the highlights: I Hear a Rhapsody, Days of Wine and Roses, Groovin' High, So What and What is This Thing Called Love. The players are Darren Littlejohn (guitar and host), Jack McCreary (alto), Hal Cooper (alto), Jesse Feinsetein (p) Matt B. (g), Joe Hoyt (d), Steve Pinkston (b), and Michael Paul (tr) who is on the last couple of tunes. See player bios for most of the players at the main site: players.portlandjazzjams.com.
Check out pictures of the session, as well as all the sessions, at photos.portlandjazzjams.com.

Show Notes: 44min@64kpbs. This is the first installment in the Business of Music series with Attorney Peter Vaughan Shaver here in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Shaver specializes in issues involving the arts. He did the non-profit filing for the Portland Jazz Festival and writes articles for the Music Liberation Project. He's on several boards for music projects, such as the Northwest Music Festival. Check our Business of Music section regularly for very useful articles, and look forward to more podshows with Peter on a variety of interesting topics. He is available via email and is more than happy to respond to inquiries from anywhere, so no matter where you live, please feel free to contact him with your questions: pvshaver@aol.com or at 503-295-2787.

Show Notes: 65 min@96kbps. I interviewed Bruce Fife, President of Portland's Local 99 Chapter of the American Federation of Musicians. The purpose was to find out about the union, what it is and what it ain't. Why should jazz players join? Why have many lifetime members stopped renewing their memberships? What is the future of the union? Join us as we explore these questions in some detail for just over an hour. This is very informative. As Bruce says, "this ain't your daddy's union". Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Show Notes:
Here is the 2nd half of the World's First Jazz Jam Podshow, live from the Bitter End in Portland, OR on June 15th, 2005. Some of the players were Darren Littlejohn (guitar and hosting) Dave Speranza (b), Mike Montgomery (d), James M. Gregg (tr), Ward Baxter (bari sax), Joy Sen (vocals). This show was edited by Chris Smart. Thanks Chris!

Don't forget our Support Us section. We need your support to keep this going.

-d

Ron Steen is literally the Godfather of Jazz Jams in Portland, Oregon, and one of the most successful musicians in the area. He has had an ongoing jam session since 1980, and has been hosting Produce Row for about 13 years. Any New York pros who come through town stop in to Produce Row to jam on Monday nights. In addition to hosting at present FIVE jam sessions in town, including the new Vocalist Session at Wilfs . Ron sits on the board of the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival and plays very regular casual and club dates.

I found him to be very intelligent, knowledgable and easy to talk to. As we were sitting in his kitchen, I noticed that he had no less than a hundred DVD movies on a shelf, all with library tags. Now that�s a movie fan! The interview went well. Listen to the whole thing if you can, it is very good. See what Ron is up to at his Blog: Ron Steen Jazz and stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview.

Show Notes: John Stowell is the quintessential guitar player, and a total gentleman. We met at his house during one of his brief visits home from the road. John travels constantly, teaching and playing everywhere. We discuss various aspects of the jazz idiom, including how to interpret a melody. Stay tuned for more episodes featuring this true jazz master. See his Blog, Confessions of a Traveling Minstrel.

Show Notes:

Well, we did it! To my knowledge, this is the world's first Jazz Jam Podshow, and I'm quite proud! So leave us some comments on it, from near or afar. Check portlandjazzjams.com for data on the players, venue and more.

We need your support to keep this going! The bandwidth to bring these programs to you is not free, so please consider a donation or purchase of a fine T-Shirt, Coffee Mug, etc. on our Support Us page.

Darren Littlejohn, Director
Portland Jazz Jams
...jazz for your community