Beyond Category
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsBeyond Category tells the stories behind the music of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble, its record label PJCE Records, and members from all corners of the Portland Jazz Scene.
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Episodes
Montavilla Jazz Festival 2019
December 15, 2019 18:19 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBMontavilla Jazz Festival 2019 was a few months ago, but hearing the voices of these artists brings back vivid memories of all the music we heard that weekend. Like we’ve come to expect, the music was incredibly diverse and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. You’ll hear why that is as you listen to the artists talking about their work and about the festival itself. Before 2019 comes to a close, please make a donation to Montavilla Jazz Festival and to Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble to ke...
Gordon Lee
April 24, 2019 20:07 - 18 minutes - 26.1 MBOn Saturday May 18th PJCE honors the late saxophonist and composer Jim Pepper in a concert at the Old Church. We’ll play music by Jim Pepper, Gordon Lee, and Glay Giberson, as well as music by our guest, hip hop artist and traditional singer and dancer 2 8 Tha Native, arranged by Farnell Newton and Stephanie Kitson. Jim Pepper, who identified with the Kaw and Creek tribes, was a Native American jazz innovator who is best known for a song that reached the Billboard charts, Witchi Tai To. Pe...
Ezra Weiss
December 06, 2018 16:49 - 35 minutes - 42.3 MBI talked with composer Ezra Weiss as two big projects of his go out into the world. First the release the studio recording of From Maxville to Vanport, featuring his music, and lyrics by S. Renee Mitchell sung by Marilyn Keller; and second, a concert taking place this Saturday, December 8th, 2018 at the Alberta Abbey featuring Ezra’s latest composition, We Limit Not the Truth of God. The two pieces have a lot in common. They’re both concert-length jazz suites that tell stories about who we...
Montavilla Jazz Festival Recap - Part Two
November 16, 2018 22:12 - 24 minutes - 29.3 MBThis is the second installment of a two-part series recapping the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival. This time I talk with Neil Mattson, MJF Executive Director, about how the festival went in terms of ticket sales, budgets, and attendance, you know, the stuff you can measure. And then we get into the intangible measures of the project’s success—the gut feelings he has about whether or not it’s worth it to keep on doing what everyone thought was a fool’s errand five years ago. Fortunately for all...
Montavilla Jazz Festival Recap, Part I
September 28, 2018 17:51 - 25 minutes - 32.7 MBIf you were at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival on August 19th or 20th in Portland, OR, then you felt the excitement. But if you weren’t, I hope this episode will give you a taste of the music and the people that made the event special. Interviews with Shao Way Wu, saxophonist Idit Shner, KBOO radio personality Daniel Flessas, and the Saturday headliner saxophonist Nicole Glover in this episode.
Trio Untold
September 13, 2018 20:08 - 5 minutes - 6.45 MBTrio Untold, with James Miley on piano and keyboards, Mike Nord on guitar and electronics, and Ryan Biesack on drums, is the thirty-third release on PJCE Records. It drops Friday September 14th. Stream and buy it at pjce.bandcamp.com.
Ryan Meagher's Evil Twin
August 14, 2018 22:09 - 21 minutes - 30.2 MBRyan Meagher’s new album of “collective spontaneous composition” is called Evil Twin, and its the 32nd release on PJCE Records. You can hear the band perform live at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival, on August 18th at 4:10 pm. Learn more and get your tickets at montavillajazzfest.com. The album drops August 17th. Stream and buy the album at pjce.bandcamp.com.
James Miley's "Watershed Suite"
July 30, 2018 17:50 - 8 minutes - 11.2 MBThe Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble gives two world premiere performances of James Miley’s newest work “Watershed Suite.” This six-movement piece is inspired by distinctive bodies of water in the Oregon landscape, from the Tamolitch Pool to Oaks Bottom, capturing the spirit of each through music. James Miley joins PJCE Executive Director Douglas Detrick for a conversation about the piece taped at Sellwood Riverside Park, on the banks of the Willamette River. Learn more at pjce.org/watersh...
Other Barry
July 17, 2018 22:08 - 9 minutes - 12.1 MBThe 31st release on PJCE Records is “Escape Route,” by Other Barry, a bionic power trio led by George Colligan on keyboards, with Micah Hummel on drums and Enzo Irace on guitar. Transcript: [Doug] PJCE Records artists Other Barry, a trio led by George Colligan, play at 2:50 pm, Saturday August 18th at the 2018 Montavilla Jazz Festival in Northeast Portland. Tickets available at montavillajazzfest.com, and you buy or stream the album at pjce.bandcamp.com. Here’s the episode. Welcome to ...
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill
June 13, 2018 20:31 - 12 minutes - 14.7 MBPortland Center Stage is presenting “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” from May 26 to July 1 at The Armory in Portland’s Pearl District. Use the discount code “PJCE” for $10 off your ticket to any performance of this incredible production. And, don't miss a special concert featuring Portland-based singer-songwriter Jimmy Herrod with a sextet of PJCE musicians. We’ll be playing a new song by Jimmie, and songs written or made famous by Billie Holiday arranged by Kerry Politzer, Clay Gibe...
From Maxville to Vanport
May 14, 2018 20:34 - 20 minutes - 26.8 MB“Nothin’ but white people and sheep,” is how one Maxville logger described the tiny town of Maxville, Oregon. Oregon's racist history is well-known, but we rarely hear from the people of color who thrived in spite of it. FROM MAXVILLE TO VANPORT celebrates the blue-collar African American experience in 20th century Oregon with new jazz, blues, R&B with a twelve piece band and two short films. Lyricist S. Renee Mitchell, filmmaker Kalimah Abioto, composer Ezra Weiss, and vocalist Marilyn Ke...
Grasshoppers 2018
March 19, 2018 17:40 - 7 minutes - 8.75 MBThe Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble’s Grasshoppers Young Composers Program is now in its third year with six new students. Hear new music by these young artists March 25th, 2018 at The 1905 from 7 to 8 pm. An open composer’s jam session follows, and there’s no cover charge. Grasshoppers 2018 was sponsored by Vino Veritas wine bar in the Montavilla neighborhood, and the Lynne Detrick Memorial Fund.
Holler Sessions
March 05, 2018 22:51 - 8 minutes - 9.4 MBFrank Boyd's one-man show is a profane yet passionate "love letter to jazz." In this episode of Beyond Category, sponsored by Oregon Arts Watch, PJCE Executive Director Douglas Detrick interviews the show's creator, director and performer about this production staged as a live jazz radio broadcast.
Edna Vazquez
February 01, 2018 17:51 - 14 minutes - 15.9 MBEdna Vazquez joins the PJCE’s 12-piece jazz ensemble February 15th at the Old Church in Portland, February 16 at Mt Hood Community College in Gresham, and February 17th at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. If you get your ticket before they all sell out, you’ll hear the incredible passion she brings to every performance. Her energy is unforgettable, and even if you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll understand every word.
Andrew Oliver
December 28, 2017 18:39 - 9 minutes - 11.8 MBAndrew Oliver, co-founder of the PJCE, lives in London now, but back in 2008 he and a group of ambitious graduates of Portland State University staged the first concert in the group's history. Oliver didn't know what he was getting himself into, but we're glad he did. [Andrew] I was stupid enough to make a 501(c)3 without having any idea of what I was getting into… [Doug] Welcome to Beyond Category, from the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. I’m Douglas Detrick. This season, we’re ...
Montavilla Jazz Festival 2017
September 08, 2017 21:28 - 21 minutes - 26.1 MBThis episode is a collection of interviews I did at the 2017 Montavilla Jazz Festival in Portland, Oregon, mostly August 20th. I talked to artists, festival leadership, and a few other members of the jazz community who helped make the event happen. And from what I heard, both in terms of the music and what people had to say about the festival, the Montavilla Jazz Festival is most definitely here to stay, and it has become an indispensable part of Portland’s jazz scene.
Jasnam Daya Singh
August 08, 2017 15:36 - 27 minutes - 29.2 MBJasnam Daya Singh, a pianist and composer originally from Brazil, has composed a new piece for the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble called “Ektah: The Unity Project.” When Jasnam begins a new piece of music, he begins not with a melody in mind, but with a word. This helps to give the piece a purpose, and help him focus his attention on that purpose. In this case, the word was "unity." We had a conversation about the new piece, and about how inspiration, respect, and gratitude combine with ha...
Montavilla Jazz Festival 2016
July 31, 2017 17:32 - 17 minutes - 18.9 MBThe 4th annual Montavilla Jazz Festival is August 19th and 20th, 2017. Get all the information at montavillajazzfest.com. This year’s festival features headliner Essiet Essiet with Sylvia Cuenca, the Rich Halley Five with Vinny Golia, the Blue Cranes, the David Friesen Quartet, and us, the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble playing new music by Jasnam Daya Singh. I had my headphones and my microphone out at last year’s festival, talking to pretty much everyone: artists, volunteers, listeners...
Andrew Durkin's "Breath of Fire"
May 17, 2017 19:46 - 8 minutes - 11.4 MBAndrew Durkin's "Breath of Fire" is out now on PJCE Records! This pianist and composer, who led the firebrand Industrial Jazz Group in concerts around the world, releases his first album in seven years. The meditative music is inspired by Durkin's yoga practice, which he has started as way to keep his body flexible, and his spirit engaged.
Eddie Bond
April 07, 2017 17:27 - 5 minutes - 7.03 MBEddie Bond makes the unheard sounds of the bridges of Portland audible in his new composition for the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble's Oregonophony concerts April 13th at Willamette University in Salem, and April 15th at the Fremont Theatre in Portland.
Ian Christensen's "Finding"
November 11, 2016 22:41 - 11 minutes - 11.8 MB“Finding” is the title of saxophonist and composer Ian Christensen’s debut album, and it’s the twenty seventh release on PJCE Records. When Ian talks about getting lost in the music, he’s talking about what some people call a “flow state.” It’s the state of fulfillment you experience when you are completely absorbed in a task that you care about. For Ian, the moments when he achieves it make all his hard work seem easy.
Catherine Feeny
October 28, 2016 16:51 - 7 minutes - 9.07 MBPortland singer/songwriters Catherine Feeny, Annalisa Tornfelt, Tahirah Memory, Johanna Warren, and Haley Heynderickx join our 12-piece jazz ensemble on original arrangements of their songs, October 29th at The Old Church at 7:30 pm. Curator Catherine Feeny talks about our guest artists.
Ryan Meagher's "Mist Moss Home"
October 12, 2016 15:33 - 6 minutes - 7.16 MBGuitarist and composer Ryan Meagher’s fifth album is called Mist, Moss, Home. It’s a musical celebration of all things Oregon, the state he now calls home. Get the album at pjce.org.
George Colligan
August 16, 2016 15:02 - 6 minutes - 7.09 MBGeorge Colligan has composed a suite of new music for the PJCE. It's called "Fathers and Sons" and it's about family—George's answer to the question "how does one person go into another person?" Hear the new piece at the Montavilla Jazz Festival, Aug 20th in Portland, OR.
Holland Andrews
May 31, 2016 15:52 - 7 minutes - 8.23 MBHolland Andrews, aka Like a Villain, joins the PJCE to perform her newest composition, "Deviate." Inspired by her work in the mental health field, the piece for her voice, electronics and clarinet explores the depths of human experience through the lens of trauma. Hear the new piece at the Portland Improv Summit, the summer festival of the Creative Music Guild.
Beyond Category — Episode 14 — Streetcar Named Desire
May 17, 2016 18:18 - 6 minutes - 6.59 MB"Sound is all around us," says Portland Center Stage sound designer Casi Pacilio. She tells us some of the secrets of designing sound for the PCS production of Streetcar Named Desire happening May 14 to June 19, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. Use the discount code "PJCE" for $10 off your tickets!
Episode Thirteen — Grasshoppers — Beyond Category
February 17, 2016 21:11 - 6 minutes - 6.99 MBThe PJCE's first-ever student mentorship concert is February 20th, 2016! Meet our "grasshoppers," Devina Boughton and Andres Moreno, both high school students, and their professional mentors Kerry Politzer and Ezra Weiss, and hear them talk about the ups and downs of the mentorship process.
Beyond Category — Episode Twelve — Montavilla Jazz Festival Recap
December 13, 2015 00:00 - 14 minutes - 32.7 MBWhat kind of crazy does it take to launch a new jazz festival? Beyond Category host and producer Douglas Detrick interviewed the Montavilla Jazz Festival's Programming Director Ryan Meagher before the festival, and then interviewed musicians, staff, volunteers, and sponsors during the festival to produce this recap of this unique festival.
Beyond Category — Episode Eleven — Jessika Smith
December 04, 2015 07:57 - 4 minutes - 10.9 MBJessika Smith's hard-swinging big band music comes out on PJCE Records December 18th, 2015. With all the difficulty that went into composing and producing this album, the hardest part for Jessika was finding the confidence to write the first note. She found it and then some.
Beyond Category — Marilyn Keller — Episode Ten
November 20, 2015 07:02 - 5 minutes - 12.1 MBMarilyn Keller is one of Portland's favorite singers and storytellers in the jazz and gospel scenes. She shares her experience learning to express her heritage through music, and getting in touch with the strength of her ancestors.
Beyond Category — Paul Knauls — Episode Nine
November 12, 2015 16:09 - 4 minutes - 10.6 MBThe third installment of a special podcast series produced in partnership with Portland Center Stage and their production of Ain't Misbehavin'. Paul Knauls was the owner of one of North Portland's favorite nightclubs, the Cotton Club. He shares stories about the club's role in Portland jazz scene.
Beyond Category — Lynn Darroch — Episode Seven
November 06, 2015 21:19 - 6 minutes - 15.9 MBWriter, historian, and performer Lynn Darroch tells stories of the history and culture of jazz in the Pacific Northwest during the time of Fats Waller. This episode was produced by Andrew Oliver, recorded by Branic Howard, and features original music by Christopher Brown.
Beyond Category — Darrell Grant — Episode Eight
November 06, 2015 04:54 - 5 minutes - 13.7 MBPianist and composer Darrell Grant talks about his PJCE Records release "The Territory." How do you make it to the end of a big project? How will you recognize the end when you get there? This accomplished and creative composer shares what he's learned about making music in the Oregon territory.
Beyond Category — Episode Six — Christopher Brown
October 23, 2015 15:35 - 6 minutes - 14.1 MBDrummer Christopher Brown about his journeys across the world playing jazz, and finding his way back to Portland. This is the first episode of a special series sponsored by Portland Center Stage and their production of Ain't Misbehavin'.
Beyond Category — Episode Five — Carlton Jackson
September 16, 2015 05:18 - 5 minutes - 12.9 MBPortland drummer Carlton Jackson shares stories about the Oregon Coast Jazz Party's freewheeling, joyful atmosphere. This episode was sponsored by the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, a three-day celebration of jazz in beautiful Newport, OR. Go to http://oregoncoastjazzparty.org to buy tickets and learn more.
Beyond Category — Episode Four — Darrell Grant
August 10, 2015 14:42 - 7 minutes - 16.5 MBDarrell Grant, a skilled and accomplished composer, is premiering a new band at the Montavilla Jazz Festival that's playing his arrangements of pop tunes from the likes of Adele, Pharrell Williams, and Lorde. Why? "The idea is to create a vibration, wherein there is the opportunity for people to realize themselves."
Beyond Category — Episode Three — Barra Brown
July 29, 2015 00:00 - 9 minutes - 20.8 MBEpisode Three of Beyond Category, the podcast of the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. A close family friend of Barra's was rushed to the hospital the night before the band went into the studio to record this album, and this event had an impact on the music.
Beyond Category — Cartridge — Episode Two
June 16, 2015 00:00 - 4 minutes - 10 MBIn Episode Two of Beyond Category, we introduce you to John Savage, one half of the avant world-jazz duo Cartridge. Their album, "Black Heron and the Spoonbill" will be available June 17th online and at their CD release show at Turn Turn Turn at 8pm in Portland.
Beyond Category — Episode One — Andrew Durkin
April 29, 2015 15:50 - 4 minutes - 9.56 MBIn the first episode of the PJCE's new podcast Beyond Category, Andrew Durkin reveals his own personal coffee ceremony, and the traditional ceremony of Ethipoia that he learned about from his daughter's second grade report, that inspired his newest work for the PJCE Sextet.