Who are You Going to See?

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Black Pumas coming through PDX on 10/19 at the Wonder Ballroom. Their album got me through weeks of windshield time driving through the Southwest this past July - highly recommended if you need awesome road trip music, I got hoarse singing along.

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Jeff Denson, Brian Blade & Romain Pilon on August 30 at the Jack London Revue, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to see music here. It's a tiny spot with some big names coming through!

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Brian, Jeff and Romain groovin, check em out if you can. A new release from this trio expected this fall.

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Raphael Saadiq, Feb 27th at McMenamins Crystal Ballroom.

 

His latest album, Jimmy Lee, is highly recommended if you haven't checked it out yet. It's a gut punch though, despite the funkiness. He worked through some heavy stuff to make this album, which makes me appreciate the result that much more.

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Black Pumas, wow, what a show! I had to get my azz out of the front since it was too tight to dance anyway. Plus the 7' dude that can see from anywhere in the place plants himself right in front of me (I'm 5'5").

 

Little Dragon coming up May 6 at the Roseland Theater. Nosebleed seats because apparently I'm getting too old for the crush of general admission, lol. And this band is going to get us dancing.

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Whoops, The Midnight Hour (Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammed) - at Mississippi Studios on 11/5.

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Saw Orgone (whoops) on Jan 16 at the Aladdin.

 

February will be thick with shows:

Ghost-Note on 2/20 at Rev Hall

Antibalas on 2/22 at Stage 722 (never been there)

Raphael Saadiq on 2/27 at Crystal Ballroom

THUNDERCAT (yes!) on 2/29 at the Portland Art Museum... I predict overflowing radness.

 

Anyone going to see Sudan Archives? I just saw she's playing at Doug Fir the same night as Antibalas.

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Jack White in Portland, OR on June 6th. The venue (Moda Center) is not great but I like Fear of the Dawn, can’t wait for his second release this year and hoping to hear it live first!

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This Friday, seeing the Jazz Is Dead "revue" (ADRIAN YOUNGE, ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD, BRIAN JACKSON, DOUG CARN, HENRY “THE SKIPPER” FRANKLIN, KATALYST). Will be great to see Mr. Younge and Ali Shaheed again, with architects of 70s and 80s Black jazz brought forward by the JID series. Mississippi Studios is one of the best venues here in PDX, who record, highlight, and nurture musicians. If you all don't know Adrian Younge, as audiophiles you will be interested in his recording techniques. This tour looks like it is West Coast only, so if you're on this side, hope to see you there honoring these legends.

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Brown Calculus with Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble tomorrow at Polaris Hall... never been there so it will be good to check out local artists at a new (to me) spot.

 

Theon Cross at Jack London Revue on 10/26.

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Geez totally skipped over Louis Cole Big Band and Makaya McCraven on 10/21 at Revolution Hall... yeah boyeee!!!

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2/18 (yesterday): Ambrose Akinmusire with Gerald Clayton at The Old Church (TOC) - amazing musicians! The venue fit the intimacy of the performance perfectly. I've seen Ambrose before, but not Gerald, and they were outstanding.

2/21: Hiatus Kaiyote and Butcher Brown at Schnitzer Hall

2/24: Dave Holland Quartet and Derrick Hodge Trio at Rev Hall

3/4: Colin Stetson w/ Justin Garrett Walter at TOC

3/28: Tortoise at Rev Hall

4/19: Sleaford Mods at Rev Hall

5/5: Deerhoof at the Aladdin

 

There are new shows being announced weekly here in Portland, and I'm going to have to hold back on buying more tix until I see what Portland Jazz Festival's fall lineup is, and if Soul'd Out brings more bands here. Happy camper here in Bridgetown!

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2024 so far:

DJs Qbert and Nu-Mark at the Get Down

Say She She at the Aladdin

Shabaka Hutchings at the Newmark

Louis Cole/Genevieve Artaudi at Roseland

Laurie Anderson at Keller

 

Coming up:

Kamasi Washington - June 2 at the Crystal Ballroom

Chicano Batman - June 21 at Roseland

Hiatus Kaiyote, Free Nationals and Digable Planets - July 18 at McMenamin's Grand Lodge (first time there!)

Jah Wobble - July 19 at Mississippi Studios

Mononeon - August 10 at the Get Down

Khruangbin - August 18 at Edgefield

Blondie - August 25 at Edgefield

PJ Harvey - October 7 at Moda

I think I overdid it this year with shows, but we are making up for 2020-23 "the lost years"...