Nicole McCabe is a saxophonist, composer, and educator who works and lives in Los Angeles. She studied jazz at Portland State University and University of Southern California. She recently released Landscapes, her sophomore album as a bandleader, on the Spanish label Fresh Sound, following a debut on Minaret Records, which is also home to her electro-jazz duo Dolphin Hyperspace. Recent collaborators include Genevieve Artadi, 10.4 Rog, and Jacob Mann.

https://nicolemccabejazz.com

TWANS

Welded from the fruits of their own labors, TWANS set out to dispel current myths, question ideologies and sardonically allude to artistic nuances one would commonly dismiss. Between the three entities that are Mike Lockwood (drums), Andrew Jones (bass), and Mike Gamble (gtr) there exists an unyielding desire to connect in another dimension and utilize that interplay to heighten the worth of their songs.

https://twansmusic.bandcamp.com/

Frederico Heliodoro

One of the premier musicians of Brazil’s new generation, Frederico Heliodoro has been standing out in the international music scene since 2007. The bassist, guitarist, producer and composer has five original records and is in the process of releasing his sixth one—The Weight of the News—to be released with Los Angeles label Minaret Records on February 24th, 2023.

Wherever he goes, Heliodoro captivates audiences with his kinetic, experimental playing and unique bass tone, mixing a range of Brazilian styles with jazz improvisation and contemporary music. As a musical arranger, he has worked for the Big Band of the University of Minas Gerais and contributed to numerous groups and studio albums in Brazil. As a sideman he’s played with prominent artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel (US), Louis Cole (US), David Binney (US), Mike Moreno (US), Ari Hoenig (US) and Genevieve Artadi (US). He’s also performed live with Hamilton de Holanda, Leo Gandelman and Toninho Horta and most recently, Milton Nascimento. 

Frederico has participated in the recording of over 40 albums as a bass player and/or producer.

https://fredericoheliodoro.bandcamp.com/album/the-weight-of-the-news

Ken Vandermark (reeds) and the renowned Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love— one of the most prolific duos in improvised music today—join us once again on the CMG stage. 

A Ken Vandermark and PNL pairing promises to be an exhilarating listening experience. PNL’s intensity on drums is matched by Vandermark’s on reeds; combining extreme and swift rhythms with deconstructed then reassembled melodic phrases, the duo represents the highest calibre of free jazz and improvisation, while often eschewing genres themselves. As is evident in their past efforts together, Vandermark and PNL’s programs vary greatly in texture and mood – ranging from lung-bursting ferocity to chamber-like solemnity, while also rarely failing to realize a good opportunity to get funky.

PNL grew up in a Norwegian jazz club that his parents ran, and from an early age was drawn to play the drums, as his father had been. By 20 he was a renowned percussionist, and from there his reputation has soared. He has for several years been among the most vaunted of instrumentalists in improvised music.

Ken Vandermark, a multi-reedist, composer, MacArthur Fellow, and community organizer, has poured his energy back into the vibrant Chicago jazz scene where he rose to acclaim. Yet despite his accomplishments as an organizational leader, it is Vandermark’s massive body of work as a composer and improviser that has earned him such widespread renown.

Vandermark did not play with PNL until 2000. Their lasting collaboration began with the formation of the ensemble School Days, and soon carried over to the trio FME, which also includes bass player Nate McBride. For Vandermark and PNL the chemistry was immediately apparent, and it was only natural to transition into the duo format. They first explored this setting in 2002, recording the powerful, Dual Pleasure, for Oslo’s smalltownsupersound label. For good measure they did it again a year later, releasing the two-disc set Dual Pleasure 2. Since then they have released several albums and worked together in several memorable contexts, including The Thing with Mats Gustafsson and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.

Ken Vandermark and PNL photo by Claudio Casanova

bandcamp: illegalson.bandcamp.com

website: illegalson.cargo.site

Illegal Son is an interpretation of the Undocumented way of life through Sound and Music. day to day there is no promise of a tomorrow, there is only hope and fear – the revelry of another day is what i hope for.

to process life under the umbrella of being Undocumented consists of improvisation, constant back and forth of wondering what’s next; the music, the sounds, and ear of Illegal Son is improvisation. it’s insecure, it’s unstable, but hopeful.                                     
                                                      the trombone is my voice and my path as an Undocumented Immigrant is to uplift the countless voices of those unheard like mine. 

           i am Undocumented, Unafraid, and Proud of it. 

https://bluecranes.bandcamp.com
https://battletrance.bandcamp.com

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Since their formation in 2007, Blue Cranes have become a key player in the Portland, Oregon creative music/DIY scene and one of the most exciting groups to keep tabs on in the Northwest. They’ve developed a singular musical voice grounded in melody and explosive improvisations–marking off their unique microcosmic territory in post-jazz circles.

The members of the quintet–Reed Wallsmith on alto saxophone, Joe Cunningham on tenor saxophone, Rebecca Sanborn on keyboards, Jon Shaw on bass, and Ji Tanzer on drums–bring a unique array of experiences to their group-centered aesthetic, including work with AU, The Decemberists, Laura Veirs, Golden Retriever, Wayne Horvitz, Like A Villain, Rebecca Gates, Laura Gibson, Ethan Rose, Dirty Revival, Loch Lomond, and Portland Cello Project.

Blue Cranes’ latest full-length album, Swim (on the Washington, D.C.-based Cuneiform Records), is a departure from their previous, in some ways simpler, releases. Steered dutifully by producer Nate Query of The Decemberists, it is a window into the sometimes messy emotional space of a group struggling with and celebrating the ephemeralness of life. This work is the culmination of several between-album projects, including a 30-day crowd-sourced Amtrak train tour, and a seven day group composition retreat, supported in part by a grant from Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council. However, the heart of Swim lies in indelibly profound life events–the passing away of two dear friends, a serious injury, two weddings, and the birth of a child–events at tragic and uplifting extremes, both cathartic and celebratory.
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Battle Trance is a genre-defying ensemble of four tenor saxophonists: Travis Laplante, Patrick Breiner, Matthew Nelson, andJeremy Viner. They perform the compositions of Travis Laplante.