Steve Owen Quartet plays at the Jazz Station in Eugene
- Steve Owen saxophone
- Greg Goebel piano
- Tyler Abbott bass
- Jason Palmer drums
Professor Emerit of Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon, Steve Owen is an internationally known composer/arranger of music for large jazz ensembles. Owen’s music has been performed and recorded by college and professional ensembles world-wide including recordings by the Frankfurt Radio Big Band (HR Big Band), Taipei Jazz Orchestra, Eastman Jazz Ensemble, USAF Airmen of Note, University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band, Miami Studio Jazz Orchestra, University of Northern Colorado Jazz Lab I and the University of Oregon’s Oregon Jazz Ensemble. Steve’s own CD, Stand Up Eight, was released by Origin/OA2 Records in 2013 featuring nine original works for large jazz ensemble. As a saxophonist, Steve has had the good fortunate to perform in small group settings with a number of jazz’s finest musicians including Dick Hyman, Frank Wess, Clark Terry, and Randy Brecker. He continues to be a featured as a guest artist with college jazz ensembles and at festivals nation-wide. Owen can be heard on Dan Cavanagh’s Pulse and the Dan Gailey Jazz Orchestra, What Did You Dream, CD. His composition and arrangements are published by UNC Jazz Press and Heritage JazzWorks.
From straight ahead jazz, funk and pop, to avante garde, Greg Goebel is considered one of the Northwest’s first call pianists. Praised by critics for “manifesting his ideas with the immediacy and sureness of a master craftsman” (Jazz Times) and as “a force that is stretching known boundaries and moving the music into new territory” (Larry Koonse), Goebel shows himself firmly rooted in tradition while simultaneously proving to be a unique voice among a new generation. Goebel has recorded and toured throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, Europe and Asia. As a member of the David Friesen’s Circle 3 Trio, his work can be heard on Five and Three (2009), Circle of Three (2011), Brilliant Heart (2013), Where the Light Falls (2014), and Triple Exposure (2016). Goebel first album as a leader, Rainy City, was released to critical acclaim in 2013. Goebel continues to tour, record, and produce with singer Gino Vannelli. His contributions can be heard on the CD, The Best and Beyond as well as the DVD, Live in L.A.
Bassist and UO Jazz Faculty member, Tyler Abbott is a staple in the Northwest music scene appearing with some of the finest ensembles and musicians in both classical and jazz worlds. He has performed, or is a member of, the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Festival of American Music’s “American Symphonia,” Eugene Opera Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Mozart Players, and Salem Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Oregon String Quartet, Pacifica Trio, Beta Collide, and Hundreth Monkey, a contemporary ensemble based in Eugene, of which he was co-director. As a jazz bassist, Abbott has performed with Tom Grant, Ben Monder, Randy Porter, Roswell Rudd, Danilo Perez, Dave Pietro, Scott Wenholdt, Nancy King, George Mitchell, Arnie Caruthers, Ryan Keberle, Randy Halberstadt, Dick Hyman, Howard Levy, Warren Rand, John Stowell, and many others. He regularly performs in jazz festivals and on radio broadcasts. His recording with Toby Koenigsberg, Sense, was released by Origin Records and was met with numerous favorable reviews.
Drummer Jason Palmer is a percussionist and educator who is active throughout Oregon, the United States, and internationally. His performances include appearances at St. Peter’s Church and the Knitting Factory in New York, the Rochester Jazz Festival, the High Sierra Music Festival, The Sitka Jazz Festival, and Jazz Festival Calgary. Regionally, he has performed at The Waterfront Blues Festival, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, the Portland Jazz Festival, and the Oregon Festival of American Music. Since 1995, Jason has performed and recorded with such artists as Danilo Perez, Ben Monder, Ron Miles, Dave Frishberg, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Zorn, Steve Wilson, Lizz Wright, Sheryl Bailey, Chuck Redd, Dick Hyman, Ken Peplowski, and Randy Porter. His recordings have been reviewed in Cadence, All About Jazz, and the All Music Guide. Jason’s pop and rock music experience includes work with Allen Toussaint, Mason Williams, Sonny Turner of the Coasters, Ruth Brown, and Satin Love Orchestra. Active in education, Mr. Palmer is a member of the music faculty at Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus in Oregon. Recently, he has also taught at Western Oregon University, Umpqua Community College, and Lane Community College.
