Preeminent Guitarist Bill Frisell To Perform Multi-Themed Two-Night Program, “For Portland Only”

PDX Jazz and the 2012 US Bank Portland Jazz Festival Presented by Alaska Airlines announce a two-night special program of guitarist Bill Frisell entitled “For Portland Only,” a highly anticipated and unprecedented event for a U.S. jazz festival. The first night will be held February 24th, 9:30pm @ The Crystal Ballroom and the second night will be held February 25th, 7:00pm @ The Newmark Theatre. Frisell will perform in four divergent settings, the first evening paying tribute to the works of pedal steel guitarist, Wesley Webb “Speedy” West and guitarist, fiddle player and producer, Jimmy Bryant as well as pop icon John Lennon.  His second evening will turn to the ethereal, boasting his classically sublime 858 Quartet and a captivating solo opening set.

The first night’s opening set dedicated to West and Bryant will feature Frisell, Greg Leisz (steel guitars), Tony Scherr (bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums). The second set, titled “All We Are Saying,” pays homage to John Lennon and features the same lineup in addition to Jenny Scheinman (violin). Lennon originals “Across the Universe,” “Revolution,” “Nowhere Man,” “Imagine,” “Come Together,” “Julia,” “Love,” “Beautiful Boy,” “Mother,” “Give Peace a Chance,” and more will be performed.

Frisell kicks off the second night with a solo performance followed by his 858 Quartet, which consists of himself, Scheinman, Eyvind Kang (viola), and Hank Roberts (cello). The 858 Quartet will perform material off their recent release, Sign of Life.

The lasting legacy of “Speedy” West and Jimmy Bryant is among the most endearing of all country instrumentalists. The virtuosity of the two musicians allowed them to combine a multitude of genres like country, jazz, boogie, blues, and even Hawaiian ballads. The peak of their careers were in the 1950s and early 1960s but they continued to record sporadically together into the 1970s.

Regarding West and Bryant, “I’d never heard anything like it,” states Frisell. “The more I listened, the deeper and deeper it seemed to get. The labels, Jazz, Country, Swing, started melting away, which is one thing I always look/hope for in my own music. I was hearing pure music on the highest level,” concludes Frisell.

“John Lennon’s music has been with me, the band, everybody, the world…seems like forever,” states Frisell. “The songs are part of us, and it’s in our blood. There was nothing we really needed to do to prepare for this, as we’ve been preparing our whole lives. The songs are there, and all we had to do was play them. Everyone involved has their own personal, deep, long, relationship to John Lennon’s music, and it connects and brings us together,” concludes Frisell.

The acclaimed and creative 30-plus year career of Seattle-based Bill Frisell has been nurtured over the years by his unique incorporations of musical influences and his persistent album releases. Finding a distinct umbrella category for Frisell doesn’t do the creativity and originality of his music any justice. The GRAMMY® Award winner is a respected and preeminent musician in all of the genres that he continues to defy.  

Ticketing Info:  For online tickets, visit: https://www.boxofficetickets.com/pdxjazz

Portland Jazz Festival Box Office

Hours of Operation: 2 - 5:30PM, Monday – Friday

Order by Phone: (503) 228-5299  In Person: 133 SW 2nd Avenue, Ste. 420 Portland, OR 97204
PDX Jazz Members receive no ticketing fees when purchased at the PDX Jazz Box Office
For ticketing questions, please email: [email protected]
(please do not send any credit card information via email)

Crystal Ballroom Box Office Walk Up: 1332 W Burnside 11:30AM – 6PM Daily By Phone: 855-CAS-TIXX Online: www.cascadetickets.com

Tickets range from $25-$45

PCPA Main Box Office (Newmark Theatre) 1111 SW Broadway Open 10AM – 5PM, Monday – Saturday Walk up sales only (503) 248-4335 Tickets range from $28-$58   Ticket Packages:

The Newmark: Tickets to all 4 shows in the Newmark, seated in price level 2,  $159
The Crystal: Tickets to 3 shows at the Crystal Ballroom, general admission, $99

Packages are available exclusively through the Portland Jazz Festival box office

  www.pdxjazz.com    For more info about The Newmark, visit: http://www.pcpa.com/newmark

For more info about The Crystal Ballroom, visit: http://www.mcmenamins.com/crystalballroom

For media information, contact:
Maureen McFadden @ [email protected]