Delos & Amalgam perform at the Jazz Station in Eugene
- Delos Erickson piano, vocals
- Adriana Wagner trombone
- Luke Turner tenor saxophone
- Ben Harris alto saxophone
- Robert Lassila bass
- Nik Barber drums
Delos Leo Erickson is a pianist, composer, educator and performing artist with a diverse musical background. Currently receiving his Masters degree at UO's Jazz Studies program, Delos strives to be in the moment with every note played. With experience in teaching, Delos has taught at multiple camps, has a studio of students, and has led many bands under his name. He is currently studying under Keith Brown, Steve Owen, and Paul Krueger. Currently, he is a member of the prestigious Oregon Jazz Ensemble, and the JazzArts Oregon combo. Delos has become a mainstay in the Oregon music scene, and has quickly become a first call around the PNW for playing, composing, and arranging in various different genres of music. He has performed with artists such as Adam Larson, Joe Manis, Roxy Coss, Jack Radsliff, and Damian Erksine. On top of this, has written music for Dezron Douglas, and is the in-house composer at The Oregon Contemporary Theater. Delos is also a member of many bands, including synth wave duo Poikilo, The Graduating Class, MD for Ryan Debban and Benjamin Estrada. From playing gigs around the world, to becoming a part of the local scene, all the way to being on the stage or behind the scenes, Delos has always loved performing and expressing himself through the arts.
Adriana Wagner is an up-and-coming trombonist and composer based in Portland, Oregon. Wagner earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at Portland State University, studying with George Colligan and Darrell Grant. She formed her quartet in 2022 and his since been featured in the PDX Jazz Festival, Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival Creative Music Guild Festival and Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble as well as regularly performing at the 1905. Her original compositions weave styles together under a decided jazz banner, submerging the listener in visionary storytelling. As a performer, Wagner uses lyrical elements to create melodies combined with a soft, rich tone that can resonate above or become immersed within the composition’s harmonic structures.
She was selected for the Young Jazz Composers program, highlighted by an in-depth article from Oregon Arts Watch (https://www.orartswatch.org/young-jazz-composers-jazz-to-the-future/). Wagner was recently named one of the inaugural recipients of the Music Oregon Echo Fund grant to help create her debut album, which she is releasing on PJCE Records. Wagner has immersed herself in the Portland scene, performing with artists such as Brown Branch Big Band, George Colligan, Domo Branch, Lily Sheers, Nicole McCabe, Pleasure, Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, PDX Jazz Presents: The American Refrain, Cambalache Orquestra and Pura Vida Orquestra.
Luke Turner is a saxophonist, composer, instructor, and bandleader from Eugene, OR. He currently attends the University of Oregon’s Jazz Studies program, and is a growing presence in the area’s music scene. For several years, he’s had a complete love for music, and brings a heavy influence from the jazz idiom. He strives to show his appreciation for those who have made the music what it is today, while also bringing his own conglomeration of sounds to the table. While being an active performer in the area, he also teaches private saxophone lessons.
Originally from San Jose, CA, alto saxophonist Ben Harris is a jazz studies major at the University of Oregon. While in Eugene, Ben has studied saxophone with Idit Shner and Steve Owen, as well as flute with Dr. Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington. Ben regularly performs at the Jazz Station and Beall hall with the University of Oregon honors combos and the Oregon Jazz Ensemble. He also performs regularly in the Eugene/Springfield area with the salsa band Descarga 54, in addition to his trio. As such, Ben is experienced in many musical genres and draws inspiration from Charlie Parker, Jerry Bergonzi, Walter Smith III, and more.
Robert Lassila is a composer, acoustic and electric bassist, and educator. Raised in Bend, Oregon, Robert found a love for music at a very young age starting with the guitar. Experimenting with many instruments in the early years of his life, a real passion was found when he started playing electric bass in high school. Through high school, he tenaciously studied both electric bass and bass clarinet, taking every opportunity he could to play with school and community bands.
Upon arriving at the University of Oregon, Robert began studying acoustic bass in both classical and jazz settings. Developing ability on the instrument very quickly, he soon became an in demand bassist in the Eugene area. It was also during this time that he started to develop strong composition practices, writing pieces for both small and large ensembles. Before finishing his undergraduate degree, Robert had arrangements and compositions performed by the Oregon Jazz Ensemble and JazzArts Oregon, as well as performing a recital of all original compositions and arrangements.
Recently, Robert has had experience performing in a diverse array of ensembles. As an electric bassist, he has performed with finalist from The Voice, Thunderstorm Artis, and Grammy nominated artist from the Freestyle Fellowship, Myka9. As a classical bassist, he has performed with the Eugene Ballet, and is a substitute player for the Eugene Symphony. Additionally, he maintains a full schedule playing jazz as a sideman for many different groups in the area, and has performed with guest artists at the University such as Adam Larson, Roxy Coss, and Ulysses Owens Jr. As a recording artist, he recently played on multiple albums, including The Nutcracker with OrchestraNEXT, and We Three Kings with the Willamette Valley Jazz Trio, which also featured his own arrangements.
Originally from Vancouver, WA, drummer Nikolas Barber has become an integral force in the Eugene OR music scene. Currently playing in some of the Willamette Valley’s best up and coming acts, Barber has imprinted his own propelling, colorful, and versatile sound upon the groups he plays with. Nik first started playing the drums shortly after his older brother Aaron began playing guitar when the boys were both children. Over the span of Nik’s childhood, he became heavily engrossed in the emotive qualities of beat-oriented music, with some of his earliest inspirations being Metallica and The Beatles. While growing up in Vancouver WA, Nik attended the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, where he got to closely study Jazz and Big Band style drumming. It was during these formative years that Nik discovered his love for Jazz music, soon rising to the highest level Jazz Band in the school. During High School, Nik would go on several regional tours with the Youth Rnb/Soul Band “Heatwave” out of Palm Springs, CA. In 2016, Nik was awarded the prestigious “Shape of Jazz to Come” Award, as well as the “Eli M. and Ruthe Nadel” Scholarship from the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
In the summer of 2017, Nik relocated to Eugene OR to attend the University of Oregon’s Jazz Studies program. While in college, Nik studied with renowned Pacific Northwest Drummer Gary Hobbs, and has been a part of the Oregon Jazz Ensemble. It is with this group that Nik toured internationally, performing at the Umbria, Vienne, and Montreux Jazz Festivals. Nik is also a part of the dream-rock collective Laundry, who has opened for artists such as Mild High Club, Ritt Momney, The Backseat Lovers, and Winona Forever. Laundry has amassed over 2.5 Million listens on Spotify, as well as regularly maintains 30,000 monthly listeners. Laundry’s latest album “Movie Star” was released in 2021. In addition to Laundry, Nik is also part of the indie/songwriter group Golden Boy, Blues band Inner Limits, synth duo PoiKilo, and has toured with the Swing Revival Band Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Nik is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music Degree at the University of Oregon under the direction of Ken Mastrogiovanni and Keith Brown.
