Jazz guitar summit in Portland, OR.

[Don and Nan Mitchell]

Yesterday I attended the fifth annual jazz guitar summit in Portland,
Oregon. The line-up this year was: John Stowell, Dan Balmer, and Jerry Hahn
(Jerry replaces Dan Faehnle who moved his home base to Cincinnati, I think,
as his classical cellist wife got a chair with the Cincinnati symphony),
accompanied by bassist Scott Steed. They opened with "Billie's Bounce",
played at a somewhat easier pace than is sometimes done which afforded
everyone more opportunity for some interesting melodic development. Then
Jerry sat out as John and Dan played a sensitive version of one of Jobim's
more obscure tunes, "Zingaro" (AKA "Picture in Black and White"). I
particularly enjoyed two arrangements by Jerry Hahn of hymns: "What a Friend
We Have in Jesus", which he played with Dan Balmer, and Scott Steed, and
"Rock of Ages", which he did solo. Both were extensively reharmonized and
successfully used as improvisational vehicles.

I have to mention how much Dan Balmer's playing has impressed me. It just
seems that every time I see this guy he's gotten better. He can be
frighteningly incendiary, as when I saw him last year at the Port Townsend
jazz festival playing with Jerry Hahn again, and David Freisen, when both he
and Jerry each took two full choruses of Airegin--already at break-neck
tempo--in double time; or remarkably sensitive and emotional as when,
yesterday, he played his original tribute to Portland's own Art Pepper,
"Hearts of Steel", a simple yet moving tune from which he seemed to squeeze
every last drop of feeling.

On the gear front, John Stowell is now playing a Hofner thinline semihollow
body as his main axe. When I first met John many years ago he was playing a
small-bodied solid ash guitar--a guitar that I now own (you can see it on my
gear page at my web site)--and for those of you who are familiar with the
way John plays and his unusual posture, you'll know how much sense that
made. So it's a bit surprising to see him playing this larger-sized guitar.
I hope to have him over for dinner while he's here in town. If that works
out I'll ask him about it. Both Dan Balmer and Jerry Hahn were playing
brand new D'Angelicos. They looked and sounded beautiful. I'm dying to
know if they both have promotional deals with the company for them.

If any of you guys get the opportunity to hear any of these fine musicians
in your area, I would urge you to go.

--
Don Mitchell
visit my web site at http://members.dsl-only.net/~jazzman

[Ted Vieira]

What a great opportunity Don! One of the things I really miss about living
in Portland is seeing each of those players you named. They are each some of
my favorite jazz guitarists for different reasons.

Yeah, John was playing the guitar you now own when I was studying with him
back in the '80s.

Anyway, nice to hear about the cool stuff going on in Portland.

Thanks,

Ted

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Warm jazz guitar combined with latin & funk:
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[Ethan Young]

OH MAN......I missed that....I was going to go, but spaced it. Thanks for
the review.....

There's always next year, I suppose.

Ethan Young
"driving on the left side of the road of life since 1984"

"Don and Nan Mitchell" <jazzy...@dsl-only.net> wrote in message
news:a61jcl$2jk$1...@opus.pdx.net...

[Don and Nan Mitchell]

One correction on my review: Dan's song "Hearts of Steel" is a tribute to
Jim Pepper, not Art Pepper. Sorry.

--
Don Mitchell
visit my web site at http://members.dsl-only.net/~jazzman

"Ted Vieira" <con...@tedvieira.com> wrote in message
news:B8AA4D2A.492A9%con...@tedvieira.com...