Portland Jazz Jams Podshow

PJJ-TV Episode #13 Upper Left Trio

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 22:47:00 GMT

Show Notes: Video - 53minutes .m4v (300MB)
PJJ-TV Episode #13 . Upper Left Trio is Clay Giberson, Charlie Dogget and Jeff Leonard here in Portland, Oregon. Clay plays in a lot of styles, but is primarily a jazz pianist. These are his compositions. This is a great show, and we thank Moe's Sherman-Clay Pianos here in Portland for their kind donation of a Steinway Grand for this event. If you would like to hear more of the Upper Left Trio, check them out on Origin and iTunes. If you like the show, and I know you will, please pass it on and don't forget to send a couple of duckets to the donation bucket by using PayPal. Send a donation via PayPal to info@portlandjazzjams.com. You may also access the Make a Donation button from our website, portlandjazzjams.com. Thanks!

Please fill out the Listener Survey and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

click the Make a Donation button on our website, portlandjazzjams.com.

PJJ Episode #37 - Guitar Talk with Chris Woitach (No. 1)

Thu, 25 May 2006 20:42:00 GMT

Show Notes: 110minutes MP3 (101MB@192kbps)
Guitar Talk with Chris Woitach.

Christopher Woitach is a local player\composer\bandleader here in Portland, Oregon. Chris studied with Jim Hall and has a lot of experience and diversity in his approach. His new CD, Dead Men (are heavier than broken hearts) is available on CDBaby and soon will be up on iTunes. We talked about filling space, intros and endings in swing and latin tunes. This is an in depth lesson which I think you'll enjoy. Please pass it on and don't forget to send a couple of duckets to the donation bucket by using PayPal. Send a donation via PayPal to info@portlandjazzjams.com. You may also access the Make a Donation button from our website, portlandjazzjams.com. Thanks!

Please fill out the Listener Survey and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

PJJ Episode #36 - Rob Davis and John Stowell Duo

Sat, 20 May 2006 07:47:00 GMT

Show Notes: 46minutes MP3 (63MB@192kbps) Rob Davis and John Stowell Duo at Koji's on May 19th, 2006. John Stowell CDs are availabe on CDBaby and iTunes.

Please fill out the Listener Survey and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. If everyone sends $1 we'll be able to keep it going. Click here to send $1 or more to info@portlandjazzjams.com via PayPay, or click the Make a Donation button on our website, portlandjazzjams.com.

PJJ Episode #35 - Fiction Junkies

Fri, 19 May 2006 04:17:00 GMT

Show Notes: 49minutes MP3 (67MB@192kbps) Fiction Junkies - audio from the PJJ-TV taping at Portland Community Media on May 18th, 2006. The band features Matt Weiers on keys, Dan Duval on guitar and Drew Shoals on drums. Their CD is availabe on CDBaby and iTunes.

Please fill out the Listener Survey and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

PJJ-TV #9 - The Jazz Poetry of Dan Raphael w/Jason Dumars

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 23:20:00 GMT

Dan Raphael is a poet. This session is at the PCM studios, with Tim DuRoche on drums and Jason Dumars on sax. Captain Dan played bass. I think you'll dig it. The video is 300 MB, but will download nicely to your iPod or computer. iTunes Quicktime 7.x is required to view. The format is iPod Video via Quicktime compression but should play fine in VLC or other players like FireAnt.

If you have comments, please send them to info@portlandjazzjams.com. For more information on the artists, please visit the NW Jazz Player Database at http://players.portlandjazzjams.com.

Also, please support the project by making a donation via PayPal to info@portlandjazzjams.com or from our main website, http://portlandjazzjams.com. Please also put your pin in our Podshow Fan Map, because it's cool to see where the listenership is. Please also let me know if you have some materials you'd like to see up on our podshow, or if you have any other ideas.

until then.

-d
Darren Littlejohn
Portland Jazz Jams
...jazz for your (global) community

PJJ Episode #34 - Marc Fendel - Bebop and Destruction at the Old Church

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 00:04:00 GMT

Show Notes: 55minutes MP3 (74MB@192kbps) Marc Fendel - Bepop and Destruction on March 26th, 2006 at the Old Church.

Bebop and Destruction, according to Tim DuRoche "tackles the space between blues-centric bop and more modal jam-based excursions with a playful, dynamic edge"

Marc Fendel is an alto saxophonist living in Seattle. You may have heard him on the Red Raspus podcast from Seattle in a number of configurations. A Berklee Graduate from Portland, Marc has played with a lot of greats here in the NW. Be sure to check out the CDs.

This episode concludes the Sunday Jazz at the Old Church Series for 2006. Please also fill out the survey on the podshow site, and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

PJJ Episode #33 - The DePriest Project at the Old Church 3.19.06

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 19:54:00 GMT

Show Notes: 65minutes MP3 (91MB@192kbps) The DePriest Project on March 19th, 2006 at the Old Church. Akbar DePriest is a drummer who has played with Dexter Gordon, Eddie Harris and Ben Webster to name a few. Jof Lee on piano has played with Stan Getz and many greats. Bassist Ed Bennet has played with Dizzy, Joe Henderson, Richie Cole and many more. This is a great show. Let us know how you enjoy it. Please also fill out the survey on the podshow site, and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. If everyone sends $1 we'll be able to keep it going. Click here to send $1 or more to info@portlandjazzjams.com via PayPay, or click the Make a Donation button on our website, portlandjazzjams.com.

PJJ Episode #32 - Guitar Talk w/John Stowell #3

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 10:13:00 GMT

Show Notes: 50minutes MP3 (69MB@192kbps) Guitar Talk with John Stowell #3. John gave a talk relating to material from his then upcoming DVD/Book from Mel Bay. It's basically a guitar lesson, for you - the Jazz Guitar player. This is a great show. Let us know how you enjoy it. Please also fill out the Listener Survey on the podshow site, at podshow.portlandjazzjams.com and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. If everyone sends $1 we'll be able to keep it going. Click here to send $1 or more to PJJ.
Photo by LaMoreaux Photography - lamoreaux@turbonet.com

PJJ Episode #31 - Guitar Summit at the Old Church w/John Stowell

Mon, 6 Mar 2006 10:12:00 GMT

Show Notes: 68minutes MP3 (95MB@192kbps) The Annual Guitar Summit at the Old Church. This is about the 11th Annual Guitar Summit, put on by Sandy Stallcup and John Stowell. This is #5 for me. My sweetie and I have been going ever since we moved to Portland. The third player has varied, but Dan Balmer and John Stowell have been the mainstay with Dave Captein on bass. This is the 2nd year they've been joined by Mike Denny. Each year they try different arrangements, solo, duo, trio. It's always good! This is the status quo of jazz guitar in Portland and these guys are world class. We got all of the 1st set and some of the 2nd set. This is a great show. Let us know how you enjoy it. Please also fill out the survey on the podshow site, and add yourself to the Podshow Fan Map so we can see where all our fans live.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. If everyone sends $1 we'll be able to keep it going. Click here to send $1 or more to PJJ.

PJJ Episode #30 - The Business of Music: Creative Commons Licensing

Sat, 4 Mar 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Show Notes: 41minutes MP3 (57MB@192kbps) The Business of Music Series continues with Attorney Peter Vaughan Shaver. On this episode we discuss in depth the new digital uploading guidlelines called Creative Commons licensing. For more articles, be sure to see the Business of Music Section on the Worldwide Jazz Knowledge Wiki at portlandjazzjams.com.

Mixed by Jack McCreary.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. If everyone sends $1 we'll be able to keep it going. Click here to send $1 or more to PJJ.

PJJ Episode #29 - John Nastos Quartet

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 11:17:00 GMT

Show Notes: 61minutes MP3 (79MB@192kbps) John Nastos is a sax player that I met at Portland State during one of the jam sessions. Little did I know that he was actually in high school at the time. He's now in college in NYC and was back visiting Portland on 1_12_06 when I recorded his quartet, consisting of Eric Gruber on bass, Drew Shoals on drums and Dan Duval on guitar. This is the 1st set and is comprised of some of John's arrangements on standards, as well as original works. See more about these great new players on the Portland Jazz Scene at the new NW Jazz Player Database, which has all the player's links, email, and other pertinent information.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. Click here.

PJJ-TV #3 Chris Mosley Trio

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Sat, 4 Feb 2006 11:12:00 GMT

Show Notes: 28 minutes - iPod Video (167MB) PC Users: the latest Quicktime is required. Firefox is recommended over IE.

Chris Mosley is a young guitarist that spent some time at Berklee School of Music and is now here in Portland, Oregon. He brought in his trio for our first taped episode of PJJ-TV while we were still in the studio class. It came out as #3 on the broadcast schedule though. The show consists of a few minutes of interesting interview with Chris and myself, Darren Littlejohn as host. This is followed by several tunes with the trio, consisting of Chris, Drew Shoals and Damian Erskine on bass.

See more about these great new players on the Portland Jazz Scene at the new NW Jazz Player Database, which has all the player's links, email, and other pertinent information. Special thanks to Joe Ball at Portland Community Media for facilitating this production.

Please make a donation to help us keep this important cultural project going. Click here.

PJJ-TV #4 - John Stowell Solo Guitar

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 01:25:00 GMT

Our first Video podcast from PJJ-TV, the Portland Jazz Jams TV Show! We're trying this out to see how it works for iPods, so please send some feedback to info@portlandjazzjams.com and let us know what it's lookin' like on your end. See other episodes at our video blog: http://portlandjazzjams.blip.tv -d

PJJ Episode #28 - Shoehorn

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 06:59:00 GMT

Show Notes: 51 minutes@192kbps (70MB.)PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE FILE FROM AFTER 1/31/06 AS THERE WAS A FILE ERROR. The Amazing Shoehorn played as Featured Artist at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam on December 6th, 2005 with drummer Tim DuRoche, bassist Skip Elliot Bowman, Dan Gaynor on piano and later some additional great jammers. He plays killer alto, taps and tells the occasional story. Shoehorn is famous also for his highly entertaining one-man show. See more about this exceptional treasure of the Portland Jazz Scene at the new NW Jazz Player Database, which has the player's links, email, and other pertinent information.

Please make a donation to help us keep this imporant cultural project going. Click here.

PJJ Episode #27 - Rob Scheps Big Band at Towne Lounge

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 09:17:00 GMT

Show Notes: 73minutes@192kbps (100MB) Rob Scheps Big Band at Towne Lounge here in Portland, Oregon on December 28th, 2005 - This is a higher bit rate recording because I want to really do justice to the concert and that's about all the space we have left on the server for this month anyways. This is a 16 or 19 piece big band, doing some very interesting charts from Count Basie, Elvin Jones, Jim Hall and more. This will be a regular monthly gig for the band, so if you're in town, be sure to check the PJJ Calendar for dates. It's a great show, and one of the many facets of the man we interviewed in Episode #26. For more on Rob, visit his website at http://www.robscheps.8m.net/ .

Please make a donation to help us keep this imporant cultural project going. Click here.

PJJ Episode #26 - Interview with Rob Scheps

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Sun, 8 Jan 2006 20:57:00 GMT

Show Notes: 59minutes@160kbps (54MB) Interview with Rob Scheps - saxophonist, flautist, band leader, composer and one of the most colorful jazz personalities you'll ever hear about. Rob has 5 bands in 5 cities, coast to coast and travels internationally performing a wide variety of jazz forms. From Big Band to Funk, NYC to Portland, Oregon, Rob does it all, and does it well. His reputation as an outrageous jazz character is superceeded by across-the-board respect as a musician. This intervew was recorded in November, 2005 at a coffee shop in Portland where Rob and I met to discuss his various projects, including a recent recording with Steve Swallow and Carla Bley, his touring schedule, input on who the great past and present jazz players are and what is necessary to make a great jazz scene. Rob is outspoken, confident and hard to disagree with. Listen for yourself and stay tuned for the December 28th, 2005 recording of the Rob Scheps Big Band, coming up next to an iPod near you. For more on Rob, visit his website at http://www.robscheps.8m.net/

This show was edited and mastered by Jack McCreary.

Please make a donation to help us keep this imporant cultural project going. Click here.

PJJ Episode #25 - Darrell Grant, Dan Balmer at LV's Uptown

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 11:26:00 GMT

THIS EPISODE has been remixed due to a file error. If you downloaded it before 12/25, please redownload. This version is great!

Show Notes: 75minutes@160kbps (86MB) - Darrell Grant on piano, Dan Balmer on guitar, Ed Bennett on bass at LV's Uptown in Portland, Oregon. This show was recorded on Dec. 10th. This was the first time I'd heard my two best teachers play together, after 5 years of studying with them separately. It was also Darrell's son's 1 year birthday party at the LV's club, so if you hear anything in the background, it's in that spirit. This is a great show. I had Dan's Polytone mic'd with a Samson C02, as was Darrell's piano, right inside the top. Ed's bass was mic'd with an Audix D2 and you can tell. You hear his fingers on the strings. It's a rich, big recording. I had to take it down to 160kbps so I can fit more podshows up this month, but if you need a CD copy, email info@portlandjazzjams.com and we'll see what we can do. Darrell and Dan both have new CDs out. Check their sites for details.

Make a donation to help keep this project going. Click here.

PJJ Episode #24 - Esoterics in Music with David Valdez and Jason Dumars

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 07:50:00 GMT

Show Notes: 60minutes@192kbps (82MB) - Interview with David Valdez and Jason Dumars. Recorded October 17th, 2005 at Casa Valdez Studios here in Portland, Oregon. This interview consists of discussion of esoteric principles in music, spirituality and the personal philosophies of two of our most advanced players here in Portland, and in my opinion, anywhere else. Valdez and Dumars share with us their most personal feelings about the music, and do two free style alto duets. This is one of the best podshows we've done, and I think one of the most unique that you'll fine anywhere. Enjoy.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #23 - The Jimmy Bennington Duo

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 22:23:00 GMT

Show Notes: 56 minutes@192kbps (77MB) - Featured Artist - drummer Jimmy Bennington with Michael York on sax at the Bitter End Jazz Jam here in Portland, Oregon. Recorded on July 13th, 2005. This set features Jimmy and Michael in an unusual combo of drums/sax duet. The set is about 55 minutes in length. Thanks to Nick Moon at Nick Moon Productions here in Portland for mastering in his studio.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #22 - Eddie Parente at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 05:18:00 GMT

Show Notes: 67 minutes@160kbps (77MB) - Featured Artist - Outstanding Jazz Violinist Eddie Parente on September 27th at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam here in Portland, Oregon. This was our 2nd session at this location, and it was a screamer! Leah Hinchcliff on bass, Charles Guerin on piano, Andy Worley on drums, Jason Dumars, David Valdez on alto, Super Mario on trumpet, Darren Littlejohn on guitar. We had Jesse Young, a refugee from New Orleans, as guest on My Funny Valentine.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #21 - Chris Woitach at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 10:00:00 GMT

Show Notes: 67 minutes@160kbps (72MB) - Featured Artist - Chris Woitach Quartet. Chris is a SMOKIN' player, as are many others on this session. Recorded November 15th, 2005 at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam here in Portland, Oregon. Chris has a track on the recent Jazz Improv Magazine CD that you may have heard. This session features Dan Gaynor on piano, Dan Schulte on bass and Tim DuRoche on drums. Following Chris' set we offer highlights from the jam that followed, with guest singer Nicole on Summertime, followed by Black Orpheus with myself on guitar and several other cats sitting in. Another amazing jazz jam folks. Check it out.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #20 - The Jason Dumars Trio

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Wed, 9 Nov 2005 11:37:00 GMT

Show Notes: 55 minutes@192kbps (75.7MB) - Featured Artist - The Jason DuMars Trio. Recorded on July 20th, 2005 at the Bitter End Jazz Jam here in Portland, Oregon on the iRiver H320. Jason DuMars plays alto, tenor, soprano, flute, accordian and is the creator of www.saxophone.org and is currently running a horn engraving business: Dumars Engraving. Jason is an absolute genius, a fascinating individual, and probably the best musical friend I've met in my time as a jazz player. He plays from the gut, and is very prolific. This is all original material in a trio format. Let us know how you like it.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #19 - Beat Poet Dan Raphael at the Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 3 Nov 2005 12:01:00 GMT

Show Notes: 49 minutes@192kbps (56.5MB) - Mississippi Pizza Jazz Jam with Featured Artist - Beat Poet Dan Raphael. Michael Papillo (b), Tim DuRoche (d), Jason DuMars (alto), Hikaro (p), Darren Littlejohn (g), Gerard Lock (b), et al. Recorded Tuesday, October 25th, 2005 on the iRiver H320. Many more shows are in the que, ready for editing. I've been working on the PJJ TV Show, moving and starting this new session, but now we're all geared up for more Podshows, so get ready!

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #18 - David Valdez, Pere Soto, Dan Schulte - Red and Black Cafe

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Wed, 7 Sep 2005 12:27:00 GMT

Show Notes: 72 minutes@160kbps (78 MB) - September 1st, 2005. David Valdez on Alto, Pere Soto on guitar, Dan Schulte on bass. Recorded live at the Red and Black Cafe here in Portland, Oregon. These are mainly original compositions by Pere Soto, with one Lee Konitz composition. The tunes are: 1.Amazonic Vals 2.Coming in Drums 3.Another Minor Blues 4.I Remember Dolphy 5.Hi Beck (Lee Konitz) 6.Born Again 7.Sailing 8.Oasis This is a really fine show, and we hope that you love it. Be sure to check out the David Valdez Jazz Blog for deep insights, as well as the Pere Soto site for his instructional programs, videos and CDs. Pere is in the studio mixing for a movie on Gypsy Jazz which will be released next year.

PJJ Episode #17 - Guitar Talk with John Stowell (No. 2)

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Mon, 5 Sep 2005 18:05:00 GMT

Show Notes: 42 minutes@160kbps (48.5MB) - Guitar Talk with John Stowell No. 2. John Stowell visits with me at my house and discusses what he's been up to in his travels. He brought a custom guitar that's been through several renovations, and is tuned down a major third (C to C). We talk a little about some of the Berklee players and teachers past and present before John plays a Cole Porter tune. John discusses his harmonic devices, including the use Bill Evans voicings and the inner voices concepts of Jimmy Wybel and George Van Eps. Level: Advanced.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #16 - Guitar Talk with Dan Balmer #2

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 09:45:00 GMT

Show Notes: 52 minutes@160kbps (63MB) - August 22nd, 2005. Guitar Talk with Dan Balmer #2. We get into Dan's ideas on the Creative Process, Truth in Music, Composition and more. This is a very good episode, and one of many that we plan on doing with Dan and other amazing players. Dan shows us how he thinks about creating music, talks about how Wes Montgomery and John Coltrane affect his creative process, and why he doesn't try to impersonate any of his heros. We recorded this at his home studio on the new equipment. I'm going for higher sound quality for you guys, so this one is at 160, and is a little bigger file, but worth the download.

PJJ Episode #15 - Guitar Talk with Pere Soto and Ed Levy

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 09:43:00 GMT

Show Notes: 40 minutes@160kbps (46MB) - Pere Soto is at it again. This time with visiting guitarist Ed Levy, professor of jazz at the University of Toledo. They play a few tunes and talk about Django, the chromatic scale, originality and playing together. A very nice thing to be able to do when someone comes to town, and we hope to do more of this. So if you come to Portland, look us up. Bigger file, higher quality, new equipment. This is getting better and better.

PJJ Episode #14 - Fireside w/Pere Soto and Jason DuMars

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 09:48:00 GMT

Show Notes: 71 minutes@96kbps (50MB) - Fireside Jazz Jam on August 6th, 2005 with Pere Soto and Darren Littlejohn on guitar, Jason DuMars on sax, with Jack McCreary, Sam Smith, Steve Pinkston, Jesse Feinstein and other guests. It was an extremely fun night and I think people will really like the playing. Tunes include Black Orpheus, Cousin Mary, Footprints, Well You Needn't, How Insensative and more (not in that order). Check it out, shoot us an email. Thanks to the iTunes subscribers at almost 15,000 downloads since July 9th. THANKS!

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #13 - Guitar Talk with Pere Soto

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Sat, 6 Aug 2005 02:26:00 GMT

Show Notes: 22 minutes@112kbps (17MB) - Guitar Talk with Pere Soto. Pere is visiting again from Barcelona, Spain. We were hanging out doing computer stuff and decided to do a quick episode of Guitar Talk. The topic is Basslines, Harmony and Melody. Pere is a very heavy player, composer and recording artist. He can do it all, and I've seen him do it all in a variety of settings. He can and has definitely hung with the best of them. I have another show with he and John Stowell which I'll put up later. In the meantime, check it out and leave comments.

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.

PJJ Episode #12 - James Gregg at the Bitter End 07_06_05

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Wed, 3 Aug 2005 07:33:00 GMT

Show Notes: 82 minutes@112kbps (66MB) - July 6th at the Bitter End in Portland, Oregon. Featured Artist James Gregg plays trumpet with Andy Worley on drums, Dave Speranza on Bass and other guest artists from the local area. Tunes are: Beautiful Love, Have You Met Miss Jones, Alone Together, Peace, Straight - No Chaser, My Funny Valentine, All of Me (with Kathy Walker), Giant Steps and Look to the Sky (with guitarist Billy Hagen). This was a really good show with great playing, and is the first show produced on the new G4 Powerbook. More to come....

Remember to get a T-Shirt and other cool stuff for men and women to support us in this project.
http://portlandjazzjams.com/support.htm

PJJ Episode #1b - Dan Balmer Interview Part 2 of 2

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 23:17:00 GMT

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.

PJJ Episode #11 - Fireside Jazz Jam 07_09_05 - Jack McCreary Returns

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 12:05:00 GMT

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.

PJJ Episode #10 - Entertainment Law with Peter Shaver

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Fri, 8 Jul 2005 10:55:00 GMT

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.

PJJ Episode #9 - Musician's Union President Bruce Fife

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Fri, 8 Jul 2005 06:37:00 GMT

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.

PJJ Episode #2b - the World's First Jazz Jam Podshow! June 15th at The Bitter End Part 2 of 2

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 21:54:00 GMT

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.

Thanks for listening!

-d

PJJ Episode #8 Rez Abbasi Jazz/Indian Music

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:47:00 GMT

Show Notes: This interview is with NYC guitarist Rez Abbasi by phone from Toronto while on a jazz festival tour. Rez has been written up in many recent magazines, including Downbeat, Jazziz and Guitar Player. He is one of the top heavies in New York, and is working to merge the musics of India into the jazz idiom.

We discuss things jazz, his new CD, Snake Charmer, touring and performing with his wife, what jazz is and isn't, what it might become and more. Visit his website http://www.reztone.com for details, itinerary, music and all that jazz.

PJJ Episode #7 - Fireside Jazz Jam 06_25_05

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:45:00 GMT

Show Notes:
128kbps 63 minutes.

Darren Littlejohn, host and guitar. Bill Marsh (g), Steve Pinkston (b), Aaron Hayman (d), Danny Cronin (piano and bass), Jesse Schafer (g) Hall Cooper (alto), Les Grey (tenor) and several more guest players. It was a very nice evening at the Fireside. See the Web Gallery for pictures on the Fireside Session page.

This recording failed to meet the standards of our regular shows, due to some strange mic issues. After much tweaking, I decided to release this show because there is some good quality playing and it should be out there for people to hear. Youâll have to turn it up a bit and adjust your tone controls. I set this one to 128kbps, which means a larger file, but with the volume the way it was I think itâs better this way.

PJJ Episode #6 - Bitter End Jam 06_22_05

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:27:00 GMT

Show Notes: Featured Artist: Armonica One Hour, 9 minutes. Plenty of good jazz jammin' on this night. Let us know what you think.

PJJ Episode #5 - Ron Steen Interview Part 1

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:22:00 GMT

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 thatÃÂÃÂÂÃÂÂs 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.

PJJ Episode #4 - John Stowell Interview June 19th, 05.

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:17:00 GMT

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.

PJJ Episode #3 - Fireside Jazz Jam June 18th, 05

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:14:00 GMT

Show Notes: This is another of our sessions, in the low-key environment of the Fireside Coffee Lodge. The room has good sound, and the players sound great.

PJJ Episode #2 - the World's First Jazz Jam Podshow! June 15th at The Bitter End Part 1 of 2

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:10:00 GMT

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

PJJ Podshow #1 - Dan Balmer Interview Part 1

info@portlandjazzjams.com — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 08:07:00 GMT

Show Notes: Dan Balmer www.danbalmer.com is about as good as a guitarist gets. He enjoyed big success in the 80's with the Tom Grant band, and has been a Portland mainstay for 20+ years. He works as much as any musician out there, and has the respect of every guitar player in town. We sat on his deck at home up in the NW hills of Portland, and talked about a things musical. Check it out, as well as the Balmer Blog.