Greeting
Thanks to all that made it out to the Brasserie Montmartre on Jan. 15th. We had a blast and the place was packed! Hope to play there again soon.
Speaking of The Brasserie, do yourself a favor and check out the amazing and diverse talent on display nightly at The Brasserie. This is a beautiful and classy venue and they are making an honest attempt to present world class local artists to the Portland area. This is an ambitious undertaking and worthy of our support. www.brasserieportland.com
Singing with Ron Steen, Kevin Deitz and Clay Giberson on Wed. 1/27 at Wilf's. This is an awesome trio and I am so looking forward to playing with these guys! www.wilfsrestaurant.com
Looks like the Outer Rim Cocert Series is up and running again. Monday. Feb 1st is the next event and features vocalist Toni Lincoln for this one. They are huge jazz fans and host a concert once a month featuring such luminaries as Gordon Lee, Steve Christopherson, Lee Wuthenow, Stan Bock, Paul Mazzio, Kevin Dietz, yours truly and some other great vocalists. BBQ, wine and beer on site. There is no cover and is just a great opportunity to hear great jazz in a laid back environment. www.outerrimbicycles.com.
It has been brought to my attention that both of my Cd's are still getting quite a bit of air play on KMHD, KBOO and KPSU. Thanks to all of the disc jockeys that help to keep the "dream" alive.
I have been playing at a cool little wine bar in Milwaukie called Arrivedercis once in awhile with a couple of my Pressure Point band mates Chuck Everett on guitar and Matt Lotz on piano. We pretty much play what we want and hope folks like it! Arrivedecis boasts a casual atmosphere, great food, and one of the best wine selections in the area! www.arrivederciwine.com.
Please check out "Salvation Begins" and "The Prayer" in the audio samples section. Both of these songs are very meaningful and personal to me as one speaks of my own journey in coming to Christ and the other was one of the first opportunities to sing at Southlake Four Square Church. Southlake is a wonderful place to worship and the band, singers and leadership are phenominal! I am blessed to a part of such an amazing team!
Some past highlights!!
My concert trip to Japan in 2005 still rates as a major highlight. I had the pleasure of performing two dates at The Mamo Club in Gifu, Japan. This is a little hole in the wall jazz club that has seen the likes of Sonny Stitt, Howard Roberts, and recently Nicholas Payton, who performed there the weekend after me. I was thrilled to play with a local trio called The Kanpei Trio. The owner was a delightful gentleman who informed me that he used to play guitar in a country western band in Osaka in the 60's. One of the most indelible memories of the trip will be singing Buck Owens songs and drinking Suntory whiskey with the owner of this great little jazz club in Japan. The musicians were first rate and we had a ball despite the language barrier. The audiences were very responsive and we were treated like stars. When I returned to Portland, I had a gig with a great trio where were politely ignored. Back to reality.Still makes me chuckle!
On the lighter side, it was brought to my attention that somehow I was brought up in a Kurt Elling blog. The blog started out complimenting my CD and then deteriorated into a name calling session with variations of my name not heard since grade school. I was compared to a bad Justin Timberlake impersonator and a Harry Connick Jr. wannabe. At first I didn't quite know what to think. The obvious question is why would these folks be discussing me in the first place? As the 'discussion' continued, the bloggers turned on each other. It is my contention that drugs, alcohol, and computers don't mix very well. You 'gotta' love it!
Personal Highlights!:
My wife and I became Grandparents last year and Anna Michelle Winkle is such a blessing! I almost forgot how wonderful little ones can be. I may be biased but I believe she is the smartest and most beautiful child in the history of the world!
Got to sit in with one of my favorite singers, Rebecca Kilgore! Let me tell you if you don't already know, she is wonderful. If you get the chance, go see her!!