Jazz meets indie rock

8 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Free Jazz, ROCK: Math Rock



Details:
Blue Cranes Lift! Soar!
from the 1/07 Southeast Examiner
(Portland, Oregon, USA)

Blue Cranes, Portlandâs four-piece instrumental group blur the line between jazz and indie rock and adventure. Their first full length album, Lift Music! Flown Music! will be released at Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison on Wednesday January 24, 9 pm.

The new Blue Cranes CD begins with âReturning to Portlandâ, a haunting tune featuring an unforgettable saxophone melody accompanied by an unusual electronic organ, upright bass, cellos and drum combo. The stage is set for the unfolding musical tale that lifts and soars, inviting repeated listenings.

The CD title refers to the actions of a heavy machinery company and the wetland African bird from which this band derives its name. Portlandâs Blue Cranes have a thoughtful and accessible blend of cohesive sounds with capable and accomplished musicians listening and playing together in a refreshing, powerful ensemble. Five of the eight tunes are originals penned by founder Reed Wallsmith.

The music on Lift Music! Flown Music! draws on free jazz (saxophonist Wallsmithâs work), indie rock (covers of The Kingdomâs âPolaris,â and the late PDX-son singer-songwriter Elliot Smithâs âComing up Rosesâ), local poetry (Nico Alvarado-Greenwoodâs âDear Howardâ), film music, and the Nicaraguan Nueva Cancion political song movement (Nicaraguan musician-laureate Carlos Mejia Godoyâs âCristo de Palacaguinaâ).

Alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader Wallsmith has studied and played in Managua, Havana, Barcelona and Berlin, as well as around the States. He is featured on the soundtrack to St. Helenâs Road, a film by filmmaker Jim Blashfield. Wallsmith is recipient of the 2007 Caldera Arts residency for music composition.

Keyboardist Rebecca Sanborn began writing music at the age of nine, and went on to study composition as well as theatre. She also performs as a singer-songwriter under her own name and recently released Ballads and Namesakes on Duomo Records.

Bassist Keith Brush began a music career in Montana with the Billings Symphony while performing with multiple cross-genre groups. Brush has had the opportunity to study, perform and record with Dirty Martini, The Stolen Sweets, Caâa Son, and The Dusty York Trio.

Drummer Ji Tanzer performs with National Flower, the Nigerian afro-beat of Jujuba, and the Ghanaian fusion of Chata Addy. Tanzer has collaborated with jazz pianists Darrell Grant and Randy Porter, receiving recognition in Downbeat magazine.

Blue Cranes, part of a movement of Portland bands (alongside Paxselin and Evolutionary Jass Band) breathe new life into the structure and aesthetic of a music sometimes âmothballed by purists and considered dead by cynicsâ. Since forming in 2004, Blue Cranes have successfully built a diverse audience of people not normally drawn to jazz. They have amassed an impressive log of shows at the most prominent rock and jazz venues in the Portland area, as well as performing live on the air at local music stations, KMHD and KBOO.

Scheduled guests for the CD soiree are Bright Red Paper and Rollerball. The show starts at 9pm. The concert is for ages 21+,and the cover is $6.

For further information, visit their website at www.bluecranesmusic.com.