On Friday, June 17, jazz fusion pioneer Jeff Lorber is coming to Bend, for two shows (6:15, 9pm) at the Oxford.

Lorber will be accompanied by Portl ’s saxophonist Patrick Lamb, who will be celebrating the release of his new CD, It’s All Right Now, which was produced co-written by Jeff.

Lorber his sizzling b will be playing the sounds that made him famous, plus tracks from his new CD, Now Is The Time some of his funky new material as well.

By the late 1970s, keyboardist composer Lorber had become a prominent figure in the new movement known as jazz fusion – a marriage of traditional jazz with elements of rock, R&B, funk other electrified sounds.

Lorber his b , The Jeff Lorber Fusion, first honed their craft in the Portl club scene rapidly exp ed their reach to a national international audience via a combination of complex harmonies, unconventional time signatures compelling rhythms.  Born in Philadelphia in 1952, Lorber began playing piano when he was just four years old. By his teen years, he had hooked up with several local R&B b s, but his tastes trended more toward jazz when he studied at Berklee College of Music.

The Jeff Lorber Fusion released their self-titled debut album in 1977, quickly became one of the most popular acts in the jazz fusion scene, due in large part to relentless touring a string of artistically daring commercially successful recordings.  After a brief but prolific stretch culminating with the highly successful Private Passion in 1986, Lorber took a break from recording his own material, opting instead to do session work produce other artists.  Tickets: www.bendticket.com.