Saturday, February 16
doors 8:30pm, show 9:30pm
Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan St., Portland)
21+
$15 (advance tickets available at pdxjazz.org)
Presented by The Creative Music Guild and Portland Jazz Festival

Portland, Oregon-based Blue Cranes create lyrical, shifting soundscapes
that are all their own. The group (Reed Wallsmith-alto sax, Joe Cunningham-tenor sax, Rebecca Sanborn-keys, Keith Brush-bass, Ji Tanzer-drums) brings a unique array of experiences to their songwriting and group-centered aesthetic, including work with The Decemberists, Laura Gibson, AU, Ethan Rose, Rebecca Gates, Laura Veirs, Spoon, Black Prairie and The Stolen Sweets.

“The first time I saw Portland’s Blue Cranes live, I walked away trying to compare what I’d seen to anything I’d encountered before. I couldn’t do it, and I still can’t – the band is a force of nature. ” – NPR

Blue Cranes will be joined for this performance only by special guest composer, pianist and keyboardist Wayne Horvitz. Horvitz performs extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. He is leader and principal composer for the quartet Sweeter Than the Day in addition to Gravitas Quartet and the Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble, and performs regularly as an improviser on both piano and electronics. Past ensembles include The President: the Horvitz, Morris, Previte Trio: Pigpen; Zony Mash; The New York Composers’ Orchestra; Ponga and The Four Plus One Ensemble.

As a composer, Horvitz has been commissioned by The Kitchen, The Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New World Records, The Seattle Chamber Players and Earshot Jazz. He has received commissioning grants from Meet the Composer, The National Endowment for the Arts, Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, The N.Y. State Arts Council, The Mary Flagler Carey Trust, The Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund and The Fund for U.S. Artists. Recent premieres include the V Series for chamber orchestra, Mountain Language for string quartet (2001) and Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur (2004) and These Hills of Glory (2006) for string quartet and soloist. He was awarded a Rockefeller MAP grant for the creation of Joe Hill: 16 Actions for Chamber Orchestra and Soloist (2004). His composition “For Piano Alone, In Four Parts” was premiered by pianists Cristina Valdes at the Nordstrom Recital Hall in 2009 He was awarded a MAP grant in 2010 for “55: Music and Dance In Concrete”, a site specific collaboration with choreographer Yukio Suzuki, video artist Yohei Saito and producer Tucker Martine which premiered in September 2012 at Centrum (WA) and the ASU Museum of Art. His hour-long song cycle “Smokestack Arias”, based on the events of the Everett Massacre, was premiered at Act Theater for 2 weeks in February of 2012. He is the recipient of the 2008 NEA American Masterpieces Award.

As a sideman and collaborator he has performed and recorded with Billy Bang, Carla Bley, Curlew, Marty Ehrlich, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Robin Holcomb, Butch Morris, David Moss, Bobby Previte, Elliott Sharp, Michael Shrieve, Ikue Mori, Kazutoki Umezu, Skerik, Briggan Krauss, Steven Bernstein, Philip Wilson and John Zorn (Naked City, Cobra, etc.), among others. He has produced records for the World Saxophone Quartet, Human Feel, Fontella Bass, Marty Ehrlich, John Adams, Bill Frisell, Robin Holcomb, and Eddie Palmieri. In film and theater he has collaborated with, among others, Carey Perloff, Bill Irwin, EMP, Gordon Edelstein, Gus Van Sant, Dayna Hanson and Paul Magid.

“Horvitz is economical yet lyrical, never venturing far from the strong melodic hooks which characterize his compositions, but constantly working small surprises. An irresistible antidote to gray days.” – THE WIRE UK

The Creative Music Guild is a Portland, Oregon all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote experimental, improvised music by presenting concerts, workshops and other events that bring together internationally recognized musicians with local performers,
audiences and music students of all ages. For over twenty years, the CMG has been a leader in cultivating Portland’s experimental and improvised music.