Jazz and the BBC.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Check out this recent panel discussion about jazz coverage on the BBC. It's pretty interesting to hear that jazz music is growing popular again across the Atlantic. I'd be pretty interested to look into why that might be.

There was a great broadcast from Fresh Air today, that finished with a review of some newly released Ella Fitzgerald by Kevin Whitehead. I'll tell you this much. I need more music from Ella. Her range of styles and ability to mimic what she hears is second to none.

A bit quiet today, not much out there exciting in the way of music tonight. Pianist Kerry McCoy is playing at the Brasserie tonight, and you can get a preview of his music here. Mel Brown is a staple down at Jimmy Mak's; tonight he'll be with his quartet.

Philly's Phunkestra's band leader Chris Phillips will be on KMHD at 10am for a radio spot. He'll be bringing one of us along with him, so be sure to tune in and check it out.

Its beautiful outside. Hope some of you out there are able to enjoy it. I'll be going straight from rehearsal to work...

-Slide Funk

Coming Down off a Great Weekend.

Big time show for the Phunkestra last Friday night as I had mentioned it might be. We played what was likely the best 30 minutes of music in our short tenure together. Perfect set, perfect finish, and a great show afterward.

Dumpstaphunk was great, though there were some distracting sound issues made more distracting by the clear displeasure of the band. The group is a fine blend of funk and soul mixed with a touch of rock sound. Their music starts with their two fantastic bass players, who's lines draw directly from a New Orleans tradition and drive every song along. The group's lyrics remind me a lot of Parliment with they're comical, carefree fashion, but the best thing about their music is certainly the ability to lay down a groove that is easy to move to for long periods of time.

It got even better after they left the stage, as it was Rebirth Brass Band's time to play. After arriving late, they took the stage to a semi-awkward sound check in front of a crowd. Once that tuba took off however, the room was transported to Bourbon Street. Joyful trumpet lines, gritty trombone and tenor sax, and a snare and bass drum duo that did not let up filled up the large room and got the crowd moving. More important than anything they played was that they looked as if they were enjoying themselves, and I think that is what generated the most excitement out of the room.

Going into rehearsal last night, I felt even better about picking up the horn. Every so often you take the trombone out of its case, put it together and play a first note and know immediately that you are going to have a good night playing it. It's both exciting and frustrating, because often that feeling can slip away the very next day. It becomes so important that you figure out what you are doing differently and remember it for the next time you take the horn out of the case.

If you're looking for great, cost free music tonight, look no further than Jimmy Mak's, where Guitarist Dan Balmer will be playing tonight. Dan is fantastic, and the cover is free. Jimmy Mak's has a great group every night, including three nights a week featuring Mel Brown. Be sure to check out the upcoming schedule.

The first half of the week looks relatively quiet. If you're interested in current music news, there are some great places to check out online, one of which is a site crafted by a fellow Portlander and former section mate Alex Rodriguez. Check it out.

-Slide Funk

EDIT: Check this out! Oregon Symphony tickets on sale for $20 and $40 dollars for any of their remaining shows. ONE WEEK ONLY!. Every orchestra is struggling these days, and this is a great way for us to help them out. GET ON THIS BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

Rebirth and Dumpstaphunk Tonight!

After playing close to four hours last night, I'm finding it hard today to play with any finesse, but I should manage the thirty minute set tonight just fine. After all, I can't complain about getting in for free to see BOTH Rebirth Brass Band and Dumpstaphunk at Berbati's Pan afterward. This show is bound to be nuts. If you haven't heard either group, do yourself a favor and youtube both of them. It will also be nice to check out a new venue. Berbati's website looks nice enough, but we'll see once we get there what kind of place it is. If you're looking for a great show tonight, it starts at 9pm, $25 at the door.

Elsewhere you can find Farnell Newton will be playing downtown at the Brasserie Montmartre. The site doesn't list a cover, but it looks nice enough, so bring some cash just in case. Farnell is a great player, and he plays a ton around town, so get down there and check him out.

I've been trying to expand my musical ears somewhat. The more I hear, the more I like, and I feel it's important to continue to build my musical vocabulary. New music is also a great way to stimulate your creative urge and makes you want to play. So often I think young musicians feel as though it is a task to practice new things. It's easy to forget that we picked up the instrument for fun, and hearing new things is a great way to remind ourselves of that.

Finally, a beer to start off your weekend. Earlier in the week I stopped by Gustav's near Washington for happy hour with Lia and Kim. Besides the crazy cheap fondu and the comical attempt at a German setting, Gustav's has a pretty good beer selection. Being that we're in the middle of winter, I try to stick to the dark stuff. If you find yourself in the area, stop by and get a Warsteiner Dunkel.

The general difference between your usual Oregon stout or porter and a Dunkel out of Germany is in the off-flavors. Especially the case with porters, many darker beers will leave the taster with a hint of another flavor, usually coffee or chocolate. A Dunkel is, like most German brews, very clean tasting. It allows the drinker to enjoy the basics of beer. This particular Dunkel held a very good balance between the sweet malts and sharp bite of the hops. While most darks can seem like a meal, this one was actually quite refreshing, and I could see myself drinking this during the summer months.

I'd thought I'd start out with my first post by plugging something of my own that goes on every other Thursday down off 4th St at the Crown Room. Be sure to check out myself and eight others come together to form Philly's Phunkestra every first and third Thursday. Downbeat is at 10pm, and the double set runs four hours.

For those of you who haven't seen the Phunkestra yet, take a Thursday night off to check out one of our FREE shows. We play all sorts of funk, afro-beat, hip-hop and Nawlin's funk, and
the Phunkestra has been a great chance for upcoming musicians to stretch their composition and improv chops. You can check out some of our tracks at:

http://www.reverbnation.com/controller/audio_player/detachable_player/artist_540683?autoPlay=true

The Crown Room is a great club for this kind of music. While it doesn't have much room for seating or even a real food menu, half the club is devoted to dancing space. If you're into sitting down and ordering up some wine or a meal with your music, it probably isn't the setting for you. However, this is a great date place. They have music throughout the week and its location probably couldn't be any better. If you're young and you like to dance, definitely check it out.

Look for the Phunkestra to be racking up more shows in town. Check us out on Facebook or Myspace. I'll have a look at a great one we'll be at this coming Friday, as well as an End of the Week Beer, so stay tuned for that post.

Hey all! I created this blog to empty my head of random thoughts on Music, Beer, and living in the Northwest. I'll be updating every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the latest on the music scene and a beer of the week. Keep in touch with me here and at slide.funk@gmail.com!