Benny Green Trio Comes to Bend
Riverhouse on the Deschutes hotel, in partnership with Executive Producer G2 Strategic, have launched a new jazz series, Mt. Bachelor Riverhouse Jazz. The series will feature a combination of international touring and Northwest-based artists. There are two shows on one weekend each month on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm.
November 18-19
Benny Green Trio
Benny Green possesses the history of jazz at his fingertips. Combine mastery of keyboard technique with decades of real world experience playing with no one less than the most celebrated artists of the last half century, and it’s no wonder Green has been hailed as perhaps the most exciting hard-swinging, hard-bop pianist to ever emerge from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
Benny Green is hailed as perhaps the most exciting hard-swinging, hard-bop pianist ever to emerge from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He is the bearer of a torch and guardian of a legacy personally handed down to him by some of the greatest jazz legends of all-time.
His playing is filled with charisma, joy and spontaneity that comes from the tradition of bop, and is part of his DNA. If you don’t know Benny Green, his performances at Riverhouse Jazz will be a new discovery of one of jazz’ true standard-bearers; you will go home literally amazed! And if you know Benny, you have a rare opportunity to see one of the greatest living pianists, in the small club intimacy of our new jazz room. This is a “can’t miss” show!
Green was born in New York and raised in Berkeley, California beginning classical studies when he was only seven. His father was a tenor saxophonist who was strong influenced by a collection of recordings, especially Monk and Bird (Charlie Parker).
Green’s credits could fill a book. In the early 80’s, he emerged under the tutelage of Betty Carter, and then fulfilled a life-long dream to become a Jazz Messenger with Art Blakey. In 1993, Oscar Peterson chose Benny as the first recipient of Toronto’s Glen Gould International Protégé Prize in Music, which culminated in a recording with Peterson himself (Oscar & Benny, 1998). He has appeared on over a hundred recordings with the luminaries such as Betty Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Watson, Milt Jackson, Diana Krall and a trio series by the great Ray Brown.
It is well known that Benny best shines in a trio format. For Riverhouse Jazz, he will be joined by his A-list trio, with Dezron Douglas on bass, and Rodney Green on drums.
December 23-24
Alan Jones Sextet
“Jones is one of those rare percussionists who is also a musician.” (Jazz Times)
“Nicole is a precocious talent who never ceases to surprise me with her musicality.” (George Colligan)
Alan is a graduate of Boston’s famed Berklee College of Music, and has studied with the likes of Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Tony Williams and Jaco Pastorius and Roy Haynes. In addition, he has collaborated with a virtual Who’s Who of jazz greats, including Esperanza Spalding, John Abercrombie, John Clayton, Cecil Taylor, Randy Brecker, Airto Moriera, Lee Konitz and Bud Shank.
Alan is a huge believer in sharing the joy and benefits of music education, which led him to start the Alan Jones Academy of Music in Portland, where many future jazz stars started their careers. He has been a teacher most of his adult life, starting in high school, when he began giving private lessons, and working with children at the Krebs School for the Learning Disabled in Boston. He has held positions at The American Institute of Music in Vienna, and has taught master classes at places like the Paris Conservatory of Music, Siberia Musik Conservatory, and New York’s New School.
His Sextet is special – they are a collaboration of several generations, with two in their 20’s, three in their 30’s and one in his 50’s. The best words to describe this group are intense, innovative, and always surprising (And, perhaps you’ve heard – Alan plays barefoot!). Their latest album, Storyline, has received accolades.
The Alan Jones Ensemble features John Nastos on alto sax (who will also be here in October with the Mel Brown Septet), pianist Greg Goebel, trumpeter Charlie Porter, and Jon Lakey on bass.
Tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover will fly in from New York City, especially for the band’s performance at Riverhouse Jazz. Nicole is making a big splash in the jazz world since appearing on Esperanza Spaulding’s Grammy-winning Radio Music Society, and has had the opportunity to perform with an incredible array of jazz stars, including Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett and Terell Stafford. We look forward to welcoming them to Bend!
January 13-14
Tierney Sutton Band
“A serious jazz artist who take the whole enterprise to another level.” (New York Times)
Vocalist Tierney Sutton has been Grammy-nominated for every recording she has released over the last decade! Tierney has headlined The Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Her voice can be heard on several major television commercials (BMW, Yoplait Yogurt and Coca-Cola). Sutton also teaches at USC’s Thornton School of Music and the Los Angeles College of Music.
Her most recent recording, After Blue, is a re-imagining of the legacy of Joni Mitchell, and was Grammy-nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album. This is the band’s ninth recording.
For her appearance in Bend, Tierney will be accompanied by her regular trio, which features amazing artists in their own right — Christian Jacob on piano (Maynard Ferguson, Flora Purim, Airto Moreira), drummer Ray Brinker (Pat Benatar, Brian Setzer, Anita O’Day, Ray Chalres, Woody Herman), and bassist Trey Henry (Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Henry Mancini, Natalie Cole, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Steve Wonder, Aaron Neville, Tom Scott, Lalo Schifrin). A unique aspect of this group is that The Tierney Sutton Band operates as a true collaborative, where all musical and business decisions are made as full partners. In fact, they are legally incorporated, and in 2011 received a Grammy nomination for collaborative arranging.
February 17-18
Yellow Jackets
“Their music is so admired that it is used in composition classes at placed like Berklee…these guys play off each other with the sense of old friends who finish each other’s sentences.” (The Arts Fuse)
Yellowjackets was formed in 1977, known originally as the Robben Ford Group, after the band’s founder, who is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all-time, and is well-known for crossing over from jazz to blues, to various jazz forms.
During their more than 35 year run, the Yellowjackets have developed a special chemistry, receiving continuous critical acclaim in a manner unsurpassed in the jazz genre, in spite of going through numerous personnel changes. This includes more than 14 Grammy award nominations. Originally labeled as “fusion,” at times the band has moved toward R&B (especially during a period with former Tower of Power alto saxophonist Marc Russo), blues and progressive rock.
Yellowjackets released their latest recording, Coherence, in April 2016, with 10 originally composed and arranged compositions. The album is grounded in jazz by Mintzer’s sax, but also references the bands jazz-funk heyday of the 1980’s.
The constant is founding member pianist/keyboardist Russell Ferrante, who remains with the band today. Ferrante originally performed with American blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and Ford, has also toured with Joni Mitchell, and is a busy freelance writer, arranger and producer for numerous recordings with the likes of Bobby McFerrin and Al Jarreau.
20 years ago, the band added saxophonist Bob Mintzer. His fresh perspective energized the band to even higher levels. Bob has written over 200 big band arrangements, after honing his skills with the likes of Tito Puente and Buddy Rich. As an instrumentalist, Bob has worked with amazing jazz, classical and rock legends, including Art Blakey, Jaco Pastorium, The New York Philharmonic, James Taylor, Steve Winwood, Queen and Donald Fagan. He is the recipient of the Buzz McCoy endowed chair of jazz studies at UCLA.
Drummer William Kennedy is often referred to as the inspirational drive of the band. He is truly one of a select group from the “who’s who” of the contemporary jazz world, known for musicality and finesse. He was originally in the band for over nine years, recording 10 records during that span, took some time away, and then returned in 2010. He won Modern Drummer magazine’s reader’s poll for best drummer in the electric jazz category three years in a row.
Dane Alderson, hailing from Australia, is a virtuoso bassist who joined the band in April 2015. He was one of the founding members of the acclaimed Perth-based group Void, has toured the jazz festival circuit throughout the world. Alderson has performed regularly with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the likes of Stanley Jordan, Tim Jago and Victor Wooten.
March 17-18
King Louie’s Portland Blue Review
“As heavy as [Memphis soul’s] impact has been, don’t forget how flat-out good the music was. The [Portland Blues Review] will remind you.” (The Oregonian)
“Soul singer Andy Stokes sings Marvin Gaye as good as Marvin himself” (Marshall Glickman)
Back in 2012, Executive Producer Marshall Glickman, asked organist extraordinaire Louis Pain, if he could put together a “super group” of Portland-based blues and R&B artists. Wow…did Louis come through! Louis assembled a group exclusively for Bend, and they brought the crowd to their feet. No doubt they will do it again at Riverhouse Jazz, returning to Bend after a nearly two-year absence.
This group is an all-star cast. Three amazing voices are featured – the smooth, soulful voice of Oregon’s King of Soul, Andy Stokes (who sings Marvin Gaye as good as Marvin himself!), the church-inspired “get down on your knees and pray” chants of LaRhonda Steele, and the grit, warmth and oomph of West Virginia native Lisa Mann, who also masterfully holds down the bass grooves.
Stokes is about to release a new record, produced by LA-based Marlon McClain. Mann’s latest album, Move On, was honored by Blue411’s annual Jim Awares for Best Rocke/Blues Release. And, Steele teamed up with Louis Pain for last year’s release of Rock Me Baby, which received 4 out of 5 stars from Downbeat, and has been positively-reviewed by several of Europe’s music publications.
April 14-15
Ravi Coltrane Quintet
“Ravi Coltrane is an inventive and melodic improviser who has tempered his father’s headlong rush into a controlled contemporary aesthetic…” (Financial Times)
Riverhouse Jazz closes out its inaugural season with the acclaimed Grammy-nominated multi-saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, who is influenced by, but set apart from, his father’s legacy.
Ravi is well known as the second son of jazz legends, John and Alice Coltrane. His father passed away when he was two years old, when the family moved to Los Angeles. Raised by his mother, who was a significant influence on Ravi’s development as a world-class musician in her own right.
The post-bop Grammy-nominated saxophonist has released six albums as a bandleader, and has recorded and performed with the likes of Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Terrance Blanchard, Kenny Barron, Jack DeJohnette, and McCoy Tyner. Ravi is co-leader of the Saxophone Summit, featuring Joe Lavano and Dave Leibman. As a producer, his credits include David Gilmore (Pink Floyd guitarist).
In 2005, Coltrane performed for the first time in India, as part of a delegation of American jazz musicians sent by the State Department to promote HIV/AIDS awareness, which included Al Jarreau, George Duke, and Earl Klugh. There, he first met the person he was named after, sitar legend Ravi Shankar while performing at the Coltrane Shankar Centre.
Ravi’s quartet has performed several times at the Monterey, Newport and Montreux Jazz Festivals.
He resides in Brooklyn, New York, and oversees a variety of projects regarding the preservation of the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, Long Island and important re-issues of his parent’s recordings.