featuring Paula Byrne, vocals
Randy Porter, piano
Tim Gilson, bass
Michael Raynor, drums
$10 Advance; $15 At Door
Paula Byrne's voice is like chilled champagne on a hot summer day. She moves easily between songs that are lush and beautiful to highly rhythmic, wild rides. Her sense of humor, revival of obscure songs and new twists on old standards keeps the audience engaged and enraptured.
Paula is eclectic in her choice of musicians with whom to perform, including many of Portland's best: Randy Porter, Gordon Lee, George Mitchell, Craig Bidondo, Joe Millward, Ron Steen, Dennis Caiazza, Rich Turnoy, Glenn Holstrom, Andrea Niemiec, Kevin Dietz, Christopher Woitach and Darin Clendenin, Matt Tabor, Craig Snazelle, Dave Captein, Vince Frates, Dan Gaynor, John Gilmore, Mike Horsfall, Greg Goebel, Dan Presley, Carlton Jackson, Gordon Lee, Todd Marston.
Born to a jazz drummer (father) and figure skater (mother), she has been a lover of music and movement since birth. Paula teaches dance locally and internationally, and has been a moving force in the dance scene in Portland since 1996. She is the creator of the Wild Grace™ and DanceQuest™ movement meditations, and is Founder of SomaSpace ~ Studio of Movement Arts in NE PDX.
Jazz pianist Randy Porter has a refined understanding of improvisation and the spontaneous communication between musicians. As a Steinway Artist, Randy Porter draws from a rich palette of sonorities found within his imagination and the depths of the piano. Lynn Darroch of The Oregonian states, “Porter has built a reputation as a musician’s musician, a knowledgeable, inventive, and sophisticated player with a remarkable sense of time and gorgeous keyboard facility…”
Nominated for the 60th Grammy Awards, Randy’s recent release Porter Plays Porter with Nancy King is a mix of swing, harmony and lyrical adventure. In the spirit of Cannonball Adderley and Nancy Wilson, tunes featuring Nancy King are interspersed with instrumental tracks featuring the Randy Porter Trio. This album is produced with an intimate listening environment in mind. John Wiitala on bass and Todd Strait on drums bring their wonderful swing skill set and intuition to Randy’s arrangements of Cole Porter tunes Randy’s original song, Inside Your Mind, adds to the poignancy and beauty of this project.
Randy Porter has performed with many jazz greats, including Freddy Hubbard, Art Farmer, and Benny Golson. He currently performs with Charles McPherson, Madeline Eastman, the New York Voices, Rebecca Kilgore and Nancy King. With the Charles McPherson Quartet, he has traveled throughout the US and in France, Italy, Greece, and China. The Charles McPherson Quartet has re-created the music from the classic recording Charlie Parker with Strings, performing with many orchestras nationwide. Porter has also performed McPherson’s Sweet Synergy Suite with the San Diego Ballet.
Tim Gilson has been a mainstay in the Northwest for many years. In 1985 he joined the Mel Brown Quintet with which he recorded the award winning 'Gordon Bleu' CD. During this time Tim had the opportunity to play with many nationally acclaimed artists including Mose Allison, Ritchie Cole, Bud Shank, Herb Ellis, Julian Priester, John Handy, Ernestine Anderson and many others. In 1988 Tim won 2nd place in an international bass competition in Los Angeles and shortly thereafter substituted for John Clayton with 'Slide Hampton and the New Jazz Masters' in a concert in Sacramento. He toured Japan in 1993 with the Mel Brown Quintet with special guest artist Chuck Findley on trumpet; then in 1994 he moved to Madison Wisconsin where he served as Principal Bassist with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and substituted on a regular basis with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Since returning to Portland in 2002 Tim plays regularly with the Oregon Symphony backing guest artist such as Dee Daniels, Byron Stripling and Herbie Hancock. Tim has also accompanied several guest artists including Wycliff Gordon, Antonio Hart, Matt Wilson, Ingrid Jensen and Wynton Marsalis during their tours of the Pacific Northwest.
Drummer Michael Raynor splits his time between Portland and Chicago, where he spent more than twenty years playing with tenor sax icon and NEA Jazz Master, Von Freeman. Raynor also toured extensively with vocalist Kurt Elling and can be heard on three of his Grammy nominated recordings, including Live in Chicago, featuring vocalese master Jon Hendricks. He has also worked with Freddie Hubbard, Eric Alexander, Johnny Griffin, Jon Faddis, Bobby Broom, Fareed Haque, Bob Sheppard, Tia Fuller, and Steve Coleman, among others.
In addition to playing major festivals throughout Europe and North America, Raynor has twice toured as a Jazz Ambassador under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. In 2004 he traveled across Southeast Asia and, in 2012, as co-leader of the Dennis Luxion/ Michael Raynor Quartet, he toured southern Africa. Both tours included performance, teaching, and collaboration with local musicians. He can be heard around Portland with his own groups as well as with the bands of Chuck Israels, Dan Balmer, George Colligan, and vocalist Nancy King.
