Sometimes you just need to take trusted advice. When Reinhardt Melz and Mike Prigodich both told us to make sure that we see George Colligan's Quartet featuring David Valdez at Ivories on Friday night, May 11, 2012 we took their recommendation and we are glad we did.

George Colligan had sat in on a couple of numbers with the Mike Prigodich Group earlier in the week and he was great fun to watch as he sight-read Chaos Theory, as very difficult original composition by Prigodich. He had also sat in on a song for Reinhardt Melz on the drums.

George had started his musical studies on drums and then switched to piano early on. He then studied classical trumpet at the Peabody Institute before becoming a faculty member at the Julliard School of Music. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Portland State University and is also a member of Jack DeJohnette's Quintet.

Ivories Jazz Lounge and Restaurant is a great place to experience jazz and it was the perfect seeting to enjoy this Quartet. We sat up close and were prepared to be impressed based on Mike and Reinhardt's recommendations. As things worked out, Mike and Reinhardt were soon in attendance. So was Paul Blow and a newcomer named Jordan Piper.

The opening number was Blue State, dedicated to the state of Oregon, an original composition by George Colligan. The song and the evening began with David Valdez on alto sax and out front. On bass, Eric Gruber kept up flowing lines that supported the piece very well. On drums, Todd Strait is the classic jazz drummer and nothing dergoatory is meant by that. George himself is eneregtic and free-wheeling. It became clear within the first three minutes that it was going to be a good night watching the interplay of these musicians. The balance between them was extraordinary and their support for each other exemplary.

The second piece, also an original, was entitled What Are You Looking At? Obviously, this is a refrain probably heard often in George's native New Jersey or nearby New York City. The song, like the usual intonation of the song's question itself, is loaded with attitude. Even the band members have the look of guys spoiling for a fight. With Eric maintaining a rather menacing bass approach, Todd has flippant hold on the sticks--almost backhanding the ride cymbal.

Todd's first solo of the night comes off with a cool swagger that just seals the impression of the piece. George and David are matching note-for-note and George finishes off the piece with a defiant fist-roll on the piano. This was not Miles Davis cool; it was Marlon Brando cool.

Then just that quickly, the mood switches to sweet and melancholy in the ballad called Missing. It was almost reminiscent of John Coltrane's Naima. The smooth solos continued the melancholy in such graceful ways. David Valdez' easy sax solo can only be described as haunting. Todd had no drum solo but the graceful slight swing added tremendously to the complete portrait of the piece.

Introducing the next piece, George explained that he usually preferred one-word titles. He recalled that Charles Mingus always had a propensity for longer titles. My personal favorite, a title loaded with bitter irony, was The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife is Some JiveAss Slippers.

He explaned that the next song's title was based on one actresses' claim that she could imitate the various English dialects. Her New York accent was apparently found wanting, thus the title Miriam Edwards' New York Accent. The sound begins with Todd's hollow-sounding drum introduction which is joined by Eric's bass. The result is an aggressive, almost haughty, sound to the percussion. Introduced by big piano chords, David's smooth sax runs across the percussiveness coming from the piano-bass-drum combination. George switches back to playing alongside David. The piano becomes the pendulum in a cool back and forth that must be representative of Ms. Edwards' fluctuating accent.

The second set opened with Joe Jackson's 1982 hit Steppin' Out. George explained that there was no arrangement because of the original's  "already jazzy character." David's alto sax took over the vocal part of the original. George translates the song so very well. His intuition is impeccable. Perhaps the most interesting element was watching Todd's responsive drumming. He listens and appropriately replies. Having toured with Eldar and Karrin Allison, Todd has mastered the measuring of shifting patterns and he is never caught behind.

Liam's Lament was an original piece dedicated to George's two year old son. George moves from piano to pianica for this. The introductory bass and drums supported the pianica and give way to its child-like quality. When the sax assumed the melody, George moved offstage to continue the chords. Eric's sweet solo was accompanied by Todd's very light brushwork. The ensemble resumed en masse to carry the piece to its conclusion.

Below is the link to the song's performance by George Colligan and Boris Kazlov. It does not have the movement of the quartet's rendition but it does relay the melody and the impact of the pianica.

The third set began with a young pianist from Bellingham, Washington sitting in at the piano while George retained the pianica. Jordan graduated from William Paterson University's renowned jazz department in 2009. He happened to be in Portland visiting his girlfriend and introduced himself to George during the second break. George invited him to sit in for the final set. Everyone was curious...

The first song of the last set was But Not for Me; a standard offering a broad chance for young Jordan Piper not to embarrass himself. He did not. The young man has impressive skills. He looks so young and this was underscored by his tongue sticking out during the solo. The seasoned players encircled him and he responded admirably.

So admirably, in fact, that he stayed on for a second number. George knocked Todd off of the drums for this number. He supported Jordan with the sensitivity of the pianist and Jordan's confidence began to show. At one point, Jordan briefly assumed musical direction and the audience approved. Jordan Piper--a name you might want to remember.

David Valdez sat out the next number, leaving the stage to George on piano, Eric on bass, and Todd back on drums. The delightfully surprising penultimate piece of the night was the Bealtes' Come Together by John Lennon. Being a Lennon fanatic, I almost leapt from my seat at the opening chords. It was here that Eric turned in his most impressive bass solo of the evening. It was sweeping and energetic and completely captivating. He has been favorably compared to Christian McBride and this was his moment to prove it. Impressive.

The final piece was based on the old jazz standard Lush Life and was entitled Enjoy It While It Lasts. It was a fitting reminder as the evening was coming to a close.

George Colligan has picked a fine alliance of musicians for the performance of his music. There is not a weak member in the whole quartet. Todd Strait is so well-suited to George's music and is entirely entertaining. Eric Gruber is a skilled and energetic bassist and often catches the listener by surprise. He ambushes the listener. There is a reason that David Valdez is a featured artist in George's quartet. He is cool and powerful, smooth and aggressive. In any list of Portland's best, all of these guys have to be ranked high.

Holding them all in his gravitational pull is George Colligan. He is light-hearted but dedicated, classic but innovative, skilled but inspired. Having moved to Portland in September of 2011, he is a remarkable addition to the city's musical tradition.

This must be one of the joys of performing in Portland; a vast array of up-and-comers alongside world-class musicians. Onstage or in the audience, performing or listening, musicians surround us. Seated next to Reinhardt Melz and Mike Prigodich while listening to George Colligan... lucky, lucky Portland.

My wife and I have been wanting to go to Ivories Jazz Lounge and Restaurant for some time now. The chance to see the Mike Progodich Group on Wednesday night, May 9, 2012 was the perfect opportunity. Seeing drummer Reinhardt Melz in yet another musical setting was reason enough but finally getting to see Mike Prigodich and Damian Erskine and John Nastos all together with Reinhardt made the trip to Ivories a temptation not to be missed.

I have rarely been more surprised or satisfied. I went in with high expectations only to realize that, even then, I had set the bar far too low. These cats can play! Again, I expected that because of the supreme quality of the musicians.

The surprise element was the unmitigated brilliance of the compositions. My expectations of hearing Chick Corea covers were foiled by the realization that all of the evening's performed pieces were original compositions by Mike Prigodich himself. My wife and I were amazed at the tightness and precision of these pieces. Our sentiments camped around the thought of "Why have we not seen these guys until now?"

The truth is, I had met Mike at the Victor Little and Friends concert in April of 2012 where he told me about his group which included Reinhardt and Damian and John. He invited my wife and I to his group's performance at Ivories Jazz Lounge and Restaurant on May 9, 2012 and we happily accepted. Again, the chance to see Reinhardt in another genre's setting was enough but Mike is such an engaging man that we wanted to hear him, too.

So, we arrived at Ivories just as the first number Mexican Mocha was taking off. But first, a word about the venue itself.

Jim Templeton opened the place just last year, 2011. It is located at 1435 NW Flanders in Portland, on the corner of Flanders and 15th. It is a beautiful venue for jazz. The tables are nicely arranged for listening pleasure and the menu is excellent. Happily, the serving staff is music sensitive which is a great feature that we appreciate entirely. In other words, nothing about Ivories detracts from the experience of the music.

So, seated and comfortable with tea and cheesecake on the way, we eagerly awaited what was to come.

When the opening piece concluded, Mike took the microphone and introduced the band: "On bass, Damian Erskine... on tenor sax, John Nastos...on drums, Reinhardt Melz." This was a Who's Who of Portland musicians. Meaning no offense to anyone else, these guys are simply the Golden Glove winners at their positions.

The first set continued with At 6's and 7's which highlighted furious runs and coolly weird time switches. Reinhardt thundered forth with a demanding drum solo as Damian accompanied with repeated glissandi on his Skjold "Erskine Model" 6-stringed bass.

I have heard Damian on many CDs and have watched numerous YouTube videos of his performances but nothing quite prepares a person for the sight of him live and in action. There is plenty of justification for his reputation as Portland's premiere bassist. He is subtle then energetic, melodic then harmonic, lyrical then percussive. Damian Erskine is a superior musician.

Play Structure was the third composition heard on this evening. This was a cool piece with great structure. This was the piece that make me take special notice of John Nastos on tenor sax. He played tight and aggressive solos and was accompanied by Reinhardt's rim play. I try to be wary of comparing musicians with others but I must admit that watching the interplay of these guys and the tone and musicianship of John Nastos, in particular, on this piece had me remembering my old Griffith Park Collection records from...well, a long time ago. John was reminding me of Joe Henderson. These guys, however, are their own. They are not imitators. They are world-class musicians.

This gem was followed by Haiku. In Japanese poetry, a haiku is a poem of 17 syllables with the first line containing five syllables, the second line containing seven and the third line containing the remaining five syllables. 5-7-5. Mike explained that the time of the introduction was in 17 but then drops off to five. Mike then said from the piano bench, "I don't know how to count off 17." Reinhardt responded with, "Just count to four." Reinhardt then counted it off and the group jumped aboard.
 
Below is the YouTube link to a performance of Haiku by the group at Jimmy Mak's from April of 2012. Enjoy.

Now through all of these compositions, Mike Prigodich lays down beautiful piano work. As Reinhardt holds the band together, Mike offers melodic breadth with very defined piano craft. He is an astonishing musician and a brilliant composer. His original works are studies in precision. They are demanding and they require the very best of musicians to perform them. He has gathered the best of the best and the results are scintillating.

Mike comments that when Reinhardt Melz joined the band, he was afraid that Reinhardt would be "bored" with the material. In response to Reinhardt's joining, Mike composed The Wizard of Odd and on Mike's CD A Stitch in Time, the song title parenthetically states "for Reinhardt Melz." The tempo shifts from presto to andante back to presto. John offers a fluid sax solo with great swing from the rhythm section. Reinhardt and Damian have played together in other settings for a long time and their comfort with each other shows it. But it is the interplay of Mike and Reinhardt that is so lively. Once again, I was compelled to remember an old record from Patrick Moraz and Bill Bruford. Reinhardt's play drew smiles of appreciation from Damian while John kept a cool face. The piece marched toward the end in a cool corps progression. This was fusion at its best.

The second set opened with Spice of Life which showcased some of Damian Erskine's coolest bass work. His solo in the piece drew applause from bandmate John Nastos. The song took on a sweeping and grand lyricism which came to a sudden stop. This may have been the highlight of Damian's work on Wednesday evening.

That lyricism was supplanted by a scorching pace in Spanish Swordfight.  The song was composed for Mike's son Adic. The quick tempo from Damian elicited a smile from John whose own solo literally took him to his tiptoes.

Reinhardt's precision and pacing left Damian and John laughing in approval.

Following Kate's Antic and its relentless rhythm section, the band performed Stevieland which Mike describes as composed in the style of Stevie Wonder as if Stevie Wonder were white. Admittedly, there seemed to be reminiscences of Sir Duke along the way.

Meanwhile, seated near us was 72 year old drummer Rick Selleck. It was a treat watching him admire Reinhardt's drumming and the whole band, in general. In describing what he was witnessing, Rick also used the word "World Class." He should know, being world-class himself. Throughout his 54 year career, he has played with everybody, everywhere, including Gene Harris, Trini Lopez' Big Band and Paul Bley. Rick's assesment was that these guys would be fetching huge prices for their performances anywhere else and that Portland does not realize how lucky Portland really is to have musicians of this superiority here.

In the final set, George Colligan sat in, first, for Reinhardt at the drums and then at the piano for Mike. It was great fun watching Reinhardt admire his drum work and later watching Mike cheering him at the piano.

By this time, the audience had thinned out and it was "fun for the band" time. The musical chairs with George Colligan was amazing. All the while, John and Damian held their own positions and were working incredibly together. The final set concluded with back-slaps and cheers from the band for each other.

This is a group to be witnessed at any possible opportunity and as soon as possible. I took too long to see them live. Don't make the same mistake.

Treat yourself and get his debut CD at CDBaby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mikeprigodich. The personnel on the Cd includes all the artists mentioned here.

When the evening of music was concluded, the appreciation between the musicians was delightful to watch. Mike had said that he was going to fire himself and hire George Colligan to take his place. He then told us that we really needed to hear George's own group on Friday, May 11th performing right there at Ivories. Reinhardt repeated much the same thing when he said that George's drummer was great and should be heard.

I have always enjoyed the admiration of musicians for other musicians. It is what sets apart those musicians who truly love music from those who love performing only and the attention it brings. When Mike says that we need to see George Colligan, we take his advice. When Reinhardt says that we need to see George's drummer, we listen. This is also the quality of these men. They are quick to highlight others and to support other events besides their own. Being men of character, they think of others. Being great artists themselves, they recognize the artistry of others and rejoice in it.

Wednesday night was a perfect example of seeing live music in Portland. Come with great expectations, then expect to be surprised.

Soul3 is the Trio setting concocted by Farnell Newton and played serious funk and soul at DOT COM Bar and Restaurant, 3075 NW Front Avenue in Portland on Thursday night.

The personnel includes Farnell (The Professor) Newton on flugelhorn/trumpet, Jarrod (J-Law) Lawson on keyboards/vocals, and Tyrone (Ty-licious) Hendrix on drums.
Farnell draws from Portland's best musicians and Thursday night was witness to that. Jarrod Lawson is a member of SoulMates and Tyrone Hendrix is a member of Stevie Wonder's band and also plays with Liv Warfield in Portland. Farnell himself is professor of jazz at Portland State University and is one of Portland's first-call horn players.

The appreciative audience was treated to an opening number from Stevie Wonder entitled Golden Lady from the 1973 album Innervisions. Farnell supplanted vocals with his smooth flugelhorn. His tone was almost pure and provided moving lyricism. Tyrone is a master of funk and can lay down the coolest, funkiest grooves while giving Jarrod's kicking bass a great rhythm partner.

One Mo 'Gin featured Tyrone's funky hiccup beats as Farnell switched to trumpet from flugelhorn. The trumpet allowed for the raw sound that Farnell was seeking and succeeded in finding. Jarrod moved the audience as always with his soulful vocals and elicited finger-pointing from Tyrone behind the drums.

The third number was Cruisin'  and showed Tyrone as a true soul drummer. His half-stops punctuated Farnell's hot trumpet licks while Jarrod did his best (and succeeded) at making you forget Smokey Robinson's version. But Jarrod's most astonishing moment was coming up next.

Eryka Badu's Didn't Cha Know was perhaps the showcase of the evening. The link below is the original version and is a remarkable song but try not get distracted by the video itself. Listen to the incredible music.

When Soul3 performed this on Thursday night, they simply turned the song upside down to suit themselves without ever betraying the beauty of the original. Farnell's warbling flugelhorn was sweet and his turn to staccato was then matched by Tyrone's cool switches. Jarrod's kicking bass from the keyboard was an attention-grabber, to be sure, but it was the vocals...

If you listened to the music in the video above, then you understand the demanding vocals. Now, we have heard Jarrod do irresistable versions of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and other great male vocalists. But to hear him perform Eryka Badu's song demanded him to reach the stratosphere and he was indeed stratospheric. Later in the evening he performed a Roberta Flack song and was equally amazing... but this... For me, it was the stand-out song of the night.

Jarrod's sanctified vocals continued into Bilal's When Will You Call and he was framed by the rolling stops of Tyrone and the blistering horn of Professor Farnell. Farnell has such great instincts in highlighting and accompanying his bandmates. He doesn't overpower but plays beneath and alongside. When he solos, however, he burns it down. He did on this number, for certain.

Everything is Clear is from Farnell's Class is Now in Session CD. It was co-written by Farnell, Jarrod and Steveland Swatkins. This is a great composition. It grabs the listener and the musician alike. Tyron was adding unmiked backing vocals as Jarrod sang the lead.

Tyrone's big smile is always an indicator of his appreciation and enjoyment of what is going on in any performance. His smile never left his face on Thursday night. He put on a drumming soul/funk perfomance to be envied. It was certainly appreciated by the audience at DOT COM.

A quick word about DOT COM Bar and Restaurant. It enjoyed its Grand Opening in January of this year and has already been the venue for great funk and soul in Portland. It could easily become the heir to the historic Candlelight Cafe and Bar, which met its fate at the hands of Portland's Tri-Met in April of 2012. The sound system is good and the sound for the audience is great. It has pool tables and a large bar, like the Candlelight. It has a very friendly staff, like the Candlelight. It is in a rather industrial district but that means there are no worries about sound ordinance violations. This is a great place for music. There is a real welcoming feeling as soon as you walk in.

After the intermission, Soul3 returned for George Clinton's Stay as Jarrod and Farnell intoned together while Tyrone turned up the funk and put on a real show. He is a charming and gracious man and is great fun to watch.

Knocks Me Off My Feet is always performed amazingly well by Jarrod. That comes as no surprise. But it was Farnell's flugelhorn solo that sit so well with Jarrod's vocals. That was continued right into What We Do for Love and I Wish. The former containing wondrous cymbalism from Tyrone and the latter featured a growling horn solo from Farnell.

The growl became a pur in the intro to Roberta Flack's That's the Time (I Feel Like Making Love). Of course, if Jarrod could flawlessly handle the Eryka Badu song, this was little challenge, but it was sweet and memorable all the same.

The evening concluded with Can't Hide Love and showcased Farnell's cool flugelhorn lead and Tyrone's mean, rapid-fire stick work. It was brought together by the powerful voice of Jarrod and was brought to conclusion by the lock-step of all three of Soul3. Well, almost lock-step as they pulled off a triple ending. They ended rousingly which is exactly the feeling you want for your drive home.

These three are gifted and fun-loving and worthy to be heard. The thing is, my wife and I almost missed the performance. We would have truly regretted it. We needed to be there and I'm glad we were.

The D.K. STEWART SEXTET featuring the Soul Survivor Horns
Saturday 5/19 9pm
$10 Cover  21 and Over only
Duff's Garage 1635 SE 7th Ave
Portland, OR  503-234-2337  www.duffsgarage.com
 

The D.K. STEWART SEXTET serves up swinging, uptempo jump blues by Nat Cole, Charles  Brown and T-Bone Walker; hard-grooving New Orleans funk by Professor Longhair,  Clifton Chenier and the Meters; slashing Chicago blues by Howlin’ Wolf and Magic  Sam; and his own soulful, compelling originals. D.K. Stewart, whose New  Orleans, boogie-woogie piano style has
been a driving force behind such  Northwest blues giants as Robert Cray, Paul deLay and Curtis Salgado, has for  the past several years been tearing up major festival stages with his own group,  the DK Stewart Band.

Stewart has performed with such blues legends as Big  Walter Horton, S.P. Leary, Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Buddy Guy and  Junior Wells, James Cotton, Albert Collins, George "Harmonica" Smith, Joe  Louis Walker, and Roomful of Blues, and has appeared on bills with  Stevie Ray Vaughan, Junior Walker, Clifton Chenier, Ray Charles,  Paul Butterfield, and BB King.

Stewart’s keyboard virtuosity can be  heard on recordings by Robert Cray, Paul deLay, Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones, and on his own three solo projects, including the band’s latest release, “IN THE HOUSE.”

As a band leader, and as a featured  sideman, Stewart has appeared at major blues venues throughout the US,  including Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival, the San Francisco Blues Festival, Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival, Winthrop Blues Festival, Mt. Baker  Blues Festival, and the Legendary R&B Cruise.

Press Release from Joey Scruggs