Paula Byrne Sings!
with Ron Steen, drums
Vince Frates, piano
Ed Bennett, bass
@ Wilf's Restaurant & Bar
800 NW 6th Ave (@ Union Station)
Portland, Oregon USA
7:00 - 10:00 pm
$10 cover
www.PaulaByrneMusic.com
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.
Paula was an Oracle software developer in the corporate high-tech field for 20 years. She left that career in 2005 to devote herself full-time to her soul-work in assisting people to remember and reconnect to the body as a source of wisdom, pleasure and joy in the present moment.
Wilf's is an gorgeous space with great acoustics. Ladies, put on your silk dress and stilettos. Gentlemen, shine your shoes and join me for a night of elegance.
(excerpt from aftersixjazz.com)
Veteran bandleader and drummer Ron Steen is one of the Northwest’s top rhythm keepers and a leader of the Portland jazz scene. He is also the Godfather of Jazz Jams in Portland, having hosted ongoing jam sessions since 1980, including the famed jam at Produce Row. Notable international jazz stars who come through town stop in to Steen’s jams for impromptu music, led by one of the best in the business. In addition to hosting five jam sessions, Steen is also a sought after bandleader and session musician, who his peers hold in high regard for his solid and versatile rhythms and his engaging personality. Steen’s ability to bring together the top musicians in town and around the nation makes him one of the city’s most valuable assets.
Emmy Award-winning composer and pianist Vince Frates has established a diverse career in television and film music. Among his credits are TV themes, sound tracks, film trailers and promotional advertisements of every stripe.
As a composer for Nonstop Music, Vince has written music for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, RTL and CNN as well as Disney, Dreamworks, Warner Brothers, HBO, and Universal. His compositions have been used as themes, underscores and promos in video productions heard around the world.
Vince keeps his fingers moving by playing with many fine players that reside in his hometown of Portland Oregon. He enjoys playing keyboards with singers, ensembles and as a soloist.
Vince offers his clients a deep bag of compositional possibilities including orchestral scoring, hybrid orchestration, world, soul, blues, rock, alternative and jazz. Using his gift for understanding and supporting the essence of a project, Vince enjoys finding musical solutions for his clients. He believes, "Anything that can be imagined can be said with music."
In a professional career spanning over 40 years, Ed has performed at major jazz clubs and events nationally and worldwide: Tel Aviv Opera House (Israel), Newport Jazz Festival (NY), Blues Alley (Wash. D.C.), Mt Hood Jazz Festival, Britt Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Montavilla Jazz Festival, Jazz At The Oxford, (Oregon), Jazz at Wolftrap (VA), Jazz Alley, Centrum Jazz Festival Port Townsend, Anacortes Jazz Festival (WA), Concord Jazz Festival, Laguna Beach Jazz Festival, Concerts by The Sea, The Light House (CA).
