Recap: Pharoah Sanders & The Portland Jazz Festival

What a fest. This year was stellar on all fronts. Despite the economy, several sold out shows proved Portland's dedication to jazz and PDX Jazz.

I attended a conversation hosted by Barry Johnson with Pharoah Sanders at PCPA's Art Bar. Sound was a little rough. The bar area was filled with rowdy, Saturday-going quaffers, and the volume was very timid on the PA. So my notes from that are a little scattered but as you can see from my previous post of pictures, it was still exciting. Walking away with an autograph on my 1971 LP of Village of the Pharoahs left me with a giant grin for the rest of the evening. I did hear Pharoah talking about his days in Oakland, meeting Nancy King, originaly wanting to be a painter and deciding to become a tenor player at the end of high school, and even how he hitched a ride across country while his sax at the time was held together by rubber bands. Little stories like that may not make it into the jazz history books, so thank you Portland Jazz Festival for allowing these educational programs to be available. It's just one of many reasons why this fest is so unique from others.

Pharoah talked a bit about Sun Ra, mainly what I heard most was when he worked in a kitchen in New York. Sun Ra would play above the little coffee shop and John Gilmore invited Pharoah to accept admissions for shows. This grew into a relationship with Sun Ra and the rest is history. Of course he talked a great deal about Coltrane, what it was like in the group, recording, and Coltrane as a leader. Of course he talked about "The Creator Has A Master Plan" -- and of course those were the two key discussions I couldn't hear well. What I did hear him say was that Coltrane wanted to go down two paths at once, and Pharoah was that other path.

Leaving the performance at Newmark Theater left me with an even bigger grin. Pharoah was in great spirits, happy to be in Portland and happy to to be performing. You could tell he was there for the joy of playing and not just for the paycheck. I intended on taking some notes at the show, just some feelings that popped into mind, but I was just so overwhelmed and hyptnotized with glory that I couldn't remove my eyes from the bandstand. Portland's Devin Phillips introduced the band and shared some feelings about his idol. He expressed that Pharoah Sanders wasn't just about technical playing, nor cerebral, but ultimately about spirituality. And the rich, expressionistic tone that separates him from any other tenor player. Then history was made when Phillips expanded his (already impressive) resume by sharing the bandstand with Pharoah. Soloing on almost half the compositions from the set.

Pharoah's band was top notch. Most exciting was his drummer, Justin Faulkner. An amalgamation of rhythm over a four piece set. Not unlike Elvin Jones, often sounding like two or three percussionists as the audience was surrounded with polyrhythms and uptempos. With solos that were melodic as they were explosive.

Ultimately, this was an utmost spiritual event. In fact, at the end of the opening composition of "My Favorite Things," which lasted for nearly a half hour, my girlfriend was left in tears. This was then followed by "Say It (Over And Over Again)," a classic, and one of my favorite ballads. I can't help but think this may have been what it was like to see Coltrane's classic quartet in the 60s -- and I think this is as close as anyone in my generation is going to get. Thank you Pharaoh Sanders for playing music, and thank you Portland Jazz Festival for bringing musicians like Pharoah to Portland.

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Photo Credits: All images by Fran Kaufman [with the exception of the PCPA marquee taken by myself]. Check out the PDX Jazz Fest's own Photostream.

Photos from Pharoah Sanders Conversation

"Trane was the Father, Pharoah was the Son, I am the Holy Ghost," Albert Ayler













...enough said.


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Photo Credit: All images by Matthew DiTullo & Katie Burns.

Portland Jazz Festival Itinerary

I love doing this each year. Planning the few events in advance to partake in. And then I get all anxious about it. Here's my list of events to attend. Related Post.

1. Rogue Ales Public House is hosting a handful of

local acts this year. I can't remember if they've done

this in the past, but I know they are a good sponsor and support the fest with their Jazz Guy Ale each year -- this year showcasing PDX Jazz's Artistic Director, Bill Royston. I'll be catching Devin Phillips there on Thursday, 2/25 at 9pm. I had seen him almost three years ago at the Bite Festival. He was playing with a vocalist (which I don't remember her name -- and that was the second time I had seen her). Needless to say, Phillips was exciting, the vocalist not so much.

2. Next up, I'm going to run home after work, get changed, grab one of my Impulse Pharoah Sanders LPs (in hopes of a handshake and signature) and bask in the wonderful conversation going on at the Art Bar. That's Saturday, 2/27 at 6:30pm.

3. And Closing out the Fest on Sunday, 2/28 at 3pm, I will be there to see Mr. Sanders perform with his quartet. Which features Justin Faulkner on drums, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and William Henderson on piano. As far as I know, tickets are still available, but this is the last leg here.

Check out the full PDX Jazz Fest Schedule on their website. The festival kicks off this Sunday the 21st.

Upcoming PDX Jazz Festival Events

The last weekend of February -- and the last of the Alaskan Airlines/Horizon Air PDX Jazz -- looks like it's going to be an epic one. February 27 and 28 offer a slew of conversations, jams, and performances worth checking out. I'm overall pretty bad with posting about upcoming events on this blog, so pardon if these listings often seem sporadic. The festival hosts dozens of workshops, discussions, and performances that should cater to any breed of jazz fan. Catch their whole schedule of both free and ticketed events here.

• February 27 offers a Conversation with Dave Holland at 12pm, and a Conversation with Pharoah Sanders at 6:30pm. Both of those take place at PCPA's Art Bar.
  
• Also on the 27th, the Dave Holland Quintet performs at 7:30pm at the Newmark Theater.
  
• An event that I guess takes place on both Saturday and Sunday is a PDX Jazz Jam hosted by Darrel Grant. This starts Saturday at 11:59pm on the ground floor of Norse Hall.


• On Sunday the 28th catch a performance by the great Pharoah Sanders at 3pm. Also at the Newmark Theater.

I always try to catch a handful of educational talks and conversations each year, unfortunately my work situation has changed drastically since last and not sure if I'll be able to make any of the events. Financially I can only probably make it one performance this year, so it's still a toss up between Holland and Sanders. It's a rough choice, Holland is legendary with his early ECM recordings, the Circle Band, his work with Anthony Braxton on Arista Records, and even contributions to Miles Davis sessions. But how can I pass up the opportunity to see someone who has performed with Coltrane, on such ground breaking records as Meditations & Ascension, and has developed outstanding recordings on labels like Esp-Disk and Impulse.

Also, a recent newsletter by the Festival organizations mentioned that the discounted package deals are running out fast with a handful remaining, and if you purchase tickets at the PDX Jazz office, not only will you received cheaper rates for fees, but you'll also receive a free jazz CD -- while supplies last of course. Please check their website for office hours and ticketing information.

PDX Jazz Fest 2010 Lineup

Received a notice in my inbox yesterday about the lineup for the Alaskan Airlines/Horizon Air PDX Jazz Festival. WOW! Every year they always get a handful of headliners that blow me away.

I'm looking forward to Pharoah Sanders and the Dave Holland Quintet for the upcoming festivities. Both heavy hitters in the avant-garde scene. I'll try to report more news and updates of the PDX Jazz Festival as they come to me.

Other headliners are the Mingus Big Band under the artistic direction of Sue Mingus, Grammy nominated Dave Douglas' ensemble Brass Ecstasy, as well as a focus or Norwegian artists Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli, the Christian Wallumrod Ensemble, and In The Country. In the theme of British jazz writer Stuart Nichcolson's book, Is Jazz Dead (Or Has It Moved to a New Address)? - New Music from Norway.

"The showcase features three North American premieres that exemplify what Nicholson calls the "Nordic Tone", as a counterpoint to contemporary American jazz masters who push the boundaries of jazz."

Tickets are available on October 27th and are currently available to PDX Jazz Members now.

"Pharoah's First" - Pharoah Sanders

I think these recordings were created during an interesting transition in jazz, and it's definitely heard well in this session. By the mid 60s, Hard Bop was reaching it's peak and the Avant-Garde has been making a firm plant in jazz. With the exception of Stan Foster's playing, the Quintet's rhythm section showcases straight ahead, bop. The affects of Coltrane's playing is certainly heard through Sanders' licks, melodies, and improvising. It's interesting to hear how his progressive sense challenges the rest of the band, and Foster keeps up at times. This album is a must have.
1965 - ESP Disk'.

Pharoah Sanders - Sax (Tenor); Stan Foster - Trumpet; Jane Getz - Piano; William Bennett - Bass; Marvin Pattillo - Drums.