Don Latarski's Quintessential performs at the Jazz Station in Eugene
Sold Out
- Don Latarski guitar
- Jake Pavlak guitar
- Damien Masterson chromatic harmonica, saxophone
- Zach Wallmark bass
- Jason Palmer drums
Welcome back guitarist and composer Don Latarski for an evening informed by jazz, fueled by infectious rhythms, and drenched in timeless melody. You will leave with a lighter spirit.Guitarist and composer Don Latarski is an American institution. Vintage Guitar Magazine described Latarski’s River CD as: “Gorgeous finger style acoustic from the Northwest master, reflecting Latarski’s love of the outdoors. There’s an ethereal, ECM-like vibe to the nine-part “River Suite,” bringing to mind Metheny, Towner, and Abercrombie in its enchanting textures. Mesmerizing looper effects show up in “Serpentine,” while Don creates intricate harmonics patterns on “Full Circle.” Surely one of the most beautiful guitar albums of recent memory. Pete Prown, Vintage Guitar Magazine, Dec. 2018.”
Born in the 1953, Latarski grew up outside of Detroit, Michigan, during the heyday the soulful Motown sound. By the age of 10 he realized that music was more fun than organized sports and began formal music lessons on the guitar. His first instrument was the accordion, a popular choice at the time owing to the large population of Eastern European families in the area. His studies progressed quickly and by the age of 14 he quit lessons and began to figure out how to play lead guitar in the style of the British rock/blues players he passionately wanted to emulate.
In 1973 at the age of 19, he followed his then-girlfriend to Oregon and due to lack of money joined a group of tree planting hippies. This lasted until he could get enough money to enter the University of Oregon, where he earned a BS in Political Science and later a music degree. He studied jazz and classical guitar in college, which proved to be a natural introduction to finger-picking. After graduating, the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance hired him to head their guitar studies program and his life has since revolved around composing, recording, and teaching.
Latarski’s contribution to guitar playing cannot be understated—he has written more than 20 books on guitar instruction, and owns Crescent Studio in Eugene, where he is the audio engineer and producer. In addition to his dedication to teaching, Don has released 18 studio albums, one live album, and composed and recorded music for video games, documentaries, and is sought after for his production skills . His quirky personality is best captured in his numerous video tutorials posted on YouTube and his Facebook page, including a recent outing titled Mt. Hopkins Road Wind Guitar—complete with a disclaimer not to try this at home. https://youtu.be/uKJQ0iz7drM. His musical experiments include building two different types of guitar-like instruments: the wind and water guitars. Both of these instruments can be heard on The River Suite, a 31 minute composition in 9 movements released by Heart Dance Records in 2018.
His music is always infused with a strong current of melody, harmonic exploration, and rhythmic dynamism. The more you listen, the more you hear. The songs remind us of the power of music to renew our connections to self and nature.
Jason Palmer (drums and percussion) Jason Palmer holds degrees in Jazz Studies and Percussion Performance from the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, and has had a wide variety of musical experiences, playing soul, funk, disco, blues, jazz, rock, reggae, second-line and gospel. A frequent collaborator with guitarist Don Latarski, he performs with many varied groups in and around Eugene and has been a regular in The Shedd Institute’s performance schedule, including extensive work with Dick Hyman and Ken Peplowski.
In addition to drumming, he is a percussionist, composer, and educator in Portland, Oregon. He has performed in the Rochester Jazz Festival, the High Sierra Festival, the Gene Harris Jazz Festival, and more! Jason received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Oregon. Since then, he been an active performer with many jazz artists in the Portland area. A drummer by trade, he serves as department chair for the Performing Arts Department at Portland Community College, Rock Creek campus.
At the age of 14, inspired by Blues masters Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter and Sonny Terry, Damien Masterson started playing diatonic harmonica. At 16, he received as a gift an alto saxophone, and applied the theory learned through sax lessons to another recent gift, the chromatic harmonica. Around that same time he was introduced to Altaneze Taylor, the founder of Bright Moments Music Lovers Club. Through her organization, he met and studied with professional musicians and learned about Jazz history and culture. As an adult he entered Laney College and studied with Elvo D'amante and Ed Kelly. He transferred directly for an exchange program (aka "Intercambio") to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he lived, studied, and played for the next two years.
Upon returning from Brazil he was soon playing in the Bay Area's top clubs with the area’s best Brazilian and Jazz musicians, resulting in the 1996 debut CD release, "Intercambio," inspired by his overseas adventures. In 1997, after nine consecutive visits to Havana, Damien produced "Cubacambio," taking his passion for World Music, Jazz and Pop and melding them into one vision. "Cubacambio" is one of the first recordings featuring chromatic harmonica in an authentic Cuban setting.
In following years, Damien expanded his performance and recording into many genres, mixing Jazz, Rock, Pop and World Music styles, searching for an elusive "sound" to express the music he heard growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 70's and 80's. That exploration can be heard in his various recordings on his own albums, and the recordings of other artists. During this time he was fortunate to tour and perform all over the globe, including Europe, Asia and North America.
In 2009 Damien released "All Over the Map," his first major release since "Cubacambio." Considered one of his finest albums, it showcases his compositional and arranging talents, as well his trademark harmonica and saxophone chops. A collaborative effort with Bassist/Producer/Engineer Jon Evans of San Pablo Recorders, featuring Allison Miller on drums and Julie Wolf on keyboards, "All Over the Map" has been dubbed a "must have."
In years since, Damien has been searching for lost rhythms and atypical ways to syncopate his compositions. That exploration transported him all over the world; but it was his discovery of certain styles of African music, especially Senegalese Mbalax, that captured his heart and soul. During 2009 - 2010 Damien traveled to Africa 4 times, studying, performing and recording in Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa, ultimately building a studio in Dakar, which allowed lower income artists to create recordings and demos. Damien lived in Dakar, Senegal for 4 years, performing and touring with a number of groups.
Damien is also a polyglot and can speak several languages fluently, including Portuguese, Spanish, French, Chinese and Wolof. He has a Bachelors in Music with a minor in Spanish from San Francisco State University
Bassist Zach Wallmark has performed in jazz, bluegrass, and other improvisatory and groove-based musical contexts around the US. Prior to moving to Eugene in 2019, he was active in the music scenes of New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Portland, including regular appearances at Fat Cat, Knitting Factory, Tonic, Birdland, Cotton Club, and CBGB (NYC); Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club (Miami); and Jimmy Mak’s and Blue Monk (Portland). He has performed with jazz luminaries such as guitarist Kenny Burrell and saxophonist George Garzone, and recorded with the Gian Tornatore Quartet, Ben Darwish Trio, Muddy Souls, and Moon Mountain String Band. He’s also a commercial music and award-winning string orchestra composer (Neil A. Kjos Music Publishers) with credits in regional and national ad campaigns. Zach’s day job is Associate Professor and Chair of Musicology at the University of Oregon, with research and teaching on popular music history and music psychology.
Jake Pavlak is a guitarist and songwriter for the bands Buckhorn, Heavenly Oceans, Yeltsin and Ferns, all of which have released multiple LPs and singles. He holds a degree in guitar performance from the University of Oregon and was on their guitar faculty for 10 years. He continues to teach and perform in the area today.
