Portland — Day Two - The PDX Jazz Festival Begins

Friday, February 13, 2009 - Morning

Justin and I slept very well, and awoke with great anticipation for the actual beginning of the 2009 Portland Jazz Festival. First, we savored some Peet's coffee and a light breakfast, then headed to the 1st event, a Jazz Conversation — an interview with Terence Blanchard moderated by the Oregonian's Luciana Lopez, in a wonderful light-filled space at the Jazz Bar at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. The event was only about one block away, so we walked, with my trusty R2O2 alongside.




We managed to snag front row seats for what turned out to be a very informative and interesting session with a most creative, sensitive and insightful musician ... Terence Blanchard. Luciana Lopez proved to be a very capable interviewer, asking meaty and interesting questions, which both Blanchard and the audience appreciated. Terence talked at length about the impetus for the impressive work we were about to hear later that evening, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina) ... in its entirety. He told a very profound, personal story of visiting his Mother's house (where he grew up and learned to play trumpet) for the 1st time after hurricane Katrina struck and not hearing a sound. No birds — nothing but wind! It was beyond eery to him. He also provided a glimpse into his early life as a musician, recounting piano lessons, and the moment at which he was awestruck by the sound of a trumpet for the first time. Terence also introduced the man who designed and custom-built the trumpet he's been playing for the past 18 years or so ... a Portland resident, David Monette. Monette's trumpets are played by some of the world's leading trumpeters and command a very high price. Not only that, but the wait time is considerable ... a minimum of six months, and usually over a year. Dave appeared to be a very modest, unpretentious man, and was very friendly and approachable.


After her interview with Blanchard, Lopez opened the Jazz Conversation to questions from the audience, which included one from me — a question about the importance of breath and breathing as a musician — and not only for musicians who play wind instruments. I also asked if yoga was ever a part of his routine.

I told Terence that I was a drummer, and he was already aware of my breathing difficulties, having seen R2O2 with me on a couple of occasions. He told us of his connection with a yogi while with Art Blakey many years ago, and of his use of boxing for developing and maintaining his focus, breathing and stamina for the past 14 years or so. Meditation has also been part of his breathing regimen.

After this Jazz Conversation was concluded, I had a nice exchange with Luciana Lopez, who thanked me for my question and said we'd probably cross paths again during the festival. She was right.


At the point when just about everyone had cleared the room I was unexpectedly approached by a lady who extended her hand to me with what appeared to be a large business card. The card depicted several very small representations of wonderful paintings of musicians ... blues and jazz artists. She introduced herself — Diane Russell, a Portland artist. We had a nice chat,and I told her that I wanted to check out her website and see more of her work. She was very modest, to say the least. As far as I'm concerned, Diane's work is much like a category of some jazz artists ... Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition. We soon became friends, and had enjoyable conversations about art & jazz on several occasions.

Portland — Day One (Membership Has Its Privileges)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The very congenial doorman at Nordstrom called us a cab for our fairly short (3 block) ride to The Heathman Hotel. I was tired from the trip and not yet in shape for a slightly uphill 3 block walk, so a taxi seemed like a good call. Justin helped me load R2O₂ into the taxi for our :30 sec. or so trip up the street. Our Radio Cab driver refused any payment, smiled and wished us a nice stay in Portland. He was the first of many in "The City of Roses" who treated us in such a kind, welcoming way. Needless to say, we utilized Radio Cab for the remainder of our stay.

We were greeted at the front door of The Heathman by a doorman in his signature Beefeater attire, then headed for registration which was handled in mere seconds. We arrived a few hours ahead of check in time, but that posed no problem whatsoever, allowing us relaxing, early enjoyment of our room. A bellman loaded our luggage onto his cart, held the elevator for us, and we headed for our upgraded room on the 9th floor. Let's just say that we were very pleased with every aspect of our room, including the smallest details, such as freshly-ground Peet's coffee/loose-leaf tea service and a Bodum French Press being provided, in addition to The Heathman exclusive “Art of Sleep Menu” where we could choose a TempurPedic, European Pillow-top or European Feather-top bed. We chose the latter. Fantastic!

Our room wasn't over-the-top or pretentious in any way, but was considerably larger than expected and sumptuous in its furnishings and appointments. Justin and I were clearly going to be properly spoiled by this 4-night stay at the venerable Heathman Hotel.






Membership Has Its Privileges!

We ordered a light meal from room service to tide us over until after we attended the VIP-Only rehearsal for Terence Blanchard's world premiere of a live performance of his new work A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina), also the title of his current CD.

Justin ordered Croque Monsieur with Spinach Salad & Balsamic Vinaigrette, and I opted for Crab Cakes with Red Curry Fondue and Parsnip Crisps. Both were absolutely perfect, as expected from a kitchen with Culinary Director Phillipe Boulot at its helm.

Justin and I were very excited to be extended the opportunity to witness the rehearsal of Terence Blanchard and the 27-piece Portland Jazz Orchestra as the result of my membership in the Portland Jazz Festival. I joined for several reasons; to give some modest financial support to this young festival, save a few bucks on ticket fees, and enjoy some special perks such as the VIP-Only rehearsal.

Our information indicated that the evening rehearsal was being held "a short drive across the (Wilamette) river" from Portland at SEI (Self Enhancement, Inc.) who had donated rehearsal space at their facility to the PDX Jazz Festival.

We had our doorman call a cab and gave the driver that basic information, which proved to be woefully inadequate. He wasn't familiar with SEI so called his dispatcher for an address and we were on our way. Or so we thought. I asked our driver his name and he responded Jamal, my 2nd friendly encounter with a young man from Ethiopia. Remember Ahmad in Seattle earlier? Now it was all making sense. I was on a "jazz mission", and I'd just met Ahmad/Jamal. What are the chances of this happening? I couldn't help noting this and wondering if it was mere coincidence.

The problem was that SEI had two locations, one in an industrial park (our 1st dropoff) which also featured Dalo's Kitchen, an Ethiopian restaurant and not much else ... at least at night. It became painfully obvious that this was the wrong location and that no music was being rehearsed in this building, so I called the festival office on my cellular phone for clarification. They were mortified that we'd been on a wild goose chase, so dispatched a 2nd taxi to pick us up right away and whisk us a few blocks away to the proper location. Success at last!

As soon as Justin opened the door at SEI #2 we heard music, a really welcome sound, though we also knew we had missed some precious moments of the rehearsal. We immediately rode the elevator to the 2nd floor and found seats in the mezzanine overlooking a sizeable stage area for our bird's eye view.

What a unique thrill it was to watch and listen to something as complex as this 13-part work come together in such a short span of time. Terence and his quintet were obviously intimately familiar with the music, but the hand-picked orchestra had been going over their parts without the benefit of the composer and his ensemble — until now.

I got goose bumps several times listening to the melodic themes, harmonic voicings and dynamics of various sections of Blanchard's very passionate work.

Before taking a break, drummer Kendrick Scott energized us with some amazing drum set gymnastics which appeared to be a form of technical "reaching" for some very difficult passages he may have anticipated. Justin managed to get a few cool shots of Kendrick in action before we headed downstairs to meet Terence Blanchard.


A Nightcap —

A few months before planning my trip to Portland I discovered that Eric, a friend I had worked with at dB Music in Anchorage, was living in Portland. After arranging the trip to the PDX Jazz Festival we exchanged messages on Facebook with the hope of connecting.

I called Eric from our hotel and set up a meeting with him and his wife Carrie after the Terence Blanchard rehearsal. They had a fencing class which was getting over about the same time as our rehearsal so they said they would pick up Justin and me at our venue. It had been 15 years since we'd seen one another, and he was still working at a music store — Portland Music.

Eric and Carrie arrived at SEI, and after some warm hugs we headed for a drink and a late night dinner. After striking out at several restaurants which were closing early, we finally found a winner ... The Rose and Thistle Pub. We ordered some beer and wine along with some simple comfort food and enjoyed it while catching up on many years apart. There were some fun, spirited conversations, but our time together was far too limited. Our server was an unexpected bonus, a bright, friendly, efficient young lady ... one of those rare ones you hope for but rarely find.

This was a perfect ending to a very fine day.


Justin and I definitely felt privileged, and it was only Day One in Portland.