What can be better than a day on the Portland Spirit, floating along the Willamette River, dancing and listening to the sounds of some of our region’s finest blues musicians? This October you’ll have the opportunity to experience three decks of gut-crunching, soul-lifting blues and also help raise funds to send the Cascade Blues Association’s Journey To Memphis winners to Tennessee to compete in the International Blues Challenge in late January/early February.

The Portland Blues Cruise was the brainchild of Rae Gordon while she was searching for a way to raise funds for her band’s trip to the IBC several years ago, and it was so popular and successful that it’s carried on now to its third year. Rae and her band, The Backseat Drivers, will once again be representing the CBA in Memphis, so they’ll be working the main stage on the middle deck of The Portland Spirit. Solo winner David Pinsky and Youth Showcase entry Timothy James will be featured on the top acoustic deck. Also helping out will be former CBA IBC artists Franco Paletta, Blues Music Award winner Lisa Mann, and other special guests who will be sure to add to the fun.

The Portland Spirit will be decked out in a Memphis theme, including food that can be purchased on board. This year’s Portland Blues Cruise will depart on Saturday, October 8, from Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 750 SW Front Avenue, at 3:00 pm. Boarding gates will open at 2:30 pm. Tickets are now on sale through Tickettomato.com for $25.00. Admission will be $30.00 on site, but best to buy in advance as this event will more than likely sell out.

(Please Note: For those folks who are planning on attending the Oregon Music Hall of Fame show that same night, you’ll have time to do both! The Portland Spirit will return and unload at 5:00 pm, giving ample time to head off to the Aladdin Theatre).

The Wall Street Journal proclaims Catherine Russell as “ … the best blues and jazz singer going today.”

The Grammy Award-winning vocalist is the rarest of entities – a genuine jazz and blues singer who can sing virtually anything. Her voice is full-blown femininity incarnate; a dusky, stalwart, and soulful instrument that radiates interpretive power yet remains touchingly vulnerable. Catherine Russell has released five chart topping albums to date, performed on four continents, and has been a hit on major jazz festivals including Monterey, Newport, North Sea, Bern International, Tanglewood and more. Her concert repertoire features musical gems from the 1920s through the present vital interpretations, bursting with soul and humor. With an off-the beaten-path song selection, sparkling acoustic swing, and a stunning vocal approach, Catherine Russell is firmly ranked as one of the greatest interpreters and performers of American popular song today.

Catherine Russell will appear in Portland on Tuesday, October 11 for a 7:30 pm performance at The Old Chuch, 1422 SW 11th Avenue. Tickets are $25.00 advance ($20.00 for PDX Jazz members) through PDXJazz.com.

Lake Oswego, Oregon, Sept 15, 2016 – Julie Amici will host its “Yellow Roses” Single Release and Kickstarter Launch Event on Oct 17th at Lake Theater & Cafe in Lake Oswego. Proceeds from the event will help fund the CD project and resulting tour. The night will feature the debut live performance of Yellow Roses, a viewing of the Kickstarter video, as well as a host of performances from musicians who have performed with Julie Amici along the way including Chris Carlson, Alan Hager, Mark Shark, Dan Gildea, Carlton Jackson, and Alan Jones.

“Julie Amici” is the collaboration between Julie Yanko and Dean Mueller that started in late 2014. Over the past year, the pair has performed as a duo as well as collaborated onstage with some of the Northwest’s finest musicians. Julie’s strong yet sweet voice is reminiscent of the 50’s when female singers ruled the world of music, a time when jazz and blues co-mingled at the height of popular culture. Her repertoire combines the jazz of Billie Holiday with the soul of Nina Simone and the sophisticated country of Patsy Cline. Dean’s bass playing and management skills were earned playing with some of the finest blues legends in America and managing, and touring with, the award winning international act, The Insomniacs.

“The name is derived from Julie’s first name, and “Amici” the original family name of my father,” said Mueller. “It is a melding of the two of us. And our music is the fusion of Julie’s country roots and childhood dreams of singing jazz, with my deeply rooted blues foundation.”

Evolution of Julie Amici’s Americana Style

In the spring of this year, the couple started writing original tunes inspired by simple melodies of childhood memories that Julie recorded on a trip back to her hometown in Wisconsin. After working together on the material for a couple of months, they enlisted the help of their longtime friend and mentor, Alan Jones, to further develop the songs. As their work developed Alan offered to produce the music, scheduled the studio time, and in July they started long hours of studio work.

Alan’s reputation as one of the finest Jazz drummers and music educators is known across the world. His most recent work as a producer for both of Taylor John Williams latest EP’s is solidifying his position as a talented producer as well. When asked why he decided to produce the record, Alan said: “The lyrics are great… the music is an authentic expression of a snapshot of American tradition”.

“The project has turned into an exciting adventure that has far exceeded our expectations on many levels,” said Yanko “The original plan to mix some covers typical of our past performances, but it was quickly traded in favor of a project based on original material we can put 100% of heart into. The end result is an Americana style – a blend of our typical roots in jazz, blues and country and influenced by our personalities and lifestyles.”

In this age of digital releases, Julie Amici plans to release a series of singles starting with “Yellow Roses” that will culminate in the release of a final LP.

About the Event

The Music Monday series at Lake Theater & Cafe features top jazz, blues and roots artists from throughout the region. Originally built in 1940, the recently restored Lake Theater and Café is an all-ages state-of- the art concert facility, with a beautiful lakeside view and a full-service bar and restaurant. Showtime is 7:00pm and doors open at 6:00pm. Tickets for this show are $10.00 for general admission and can be purchased online at https://laketheatercafe-com.seatengine.com/

This fall, aspiring musicians from around the country will gather for a five-day blues guitar camp to hone their skills and immerse themselves in the music. This year’s instructors include four of the world’s finest acoustic blues musicians: Ernie Hawkins (Pittsburgh), Steve James (Seattle), Suzy Thompson (Berkeley), and the camp’s artistic director (Portland’s own) Mary Flower. The event is held in the Columbia River Gorge at the beautiful Maenucha Retreat Center in Corbett, OR, September 30 through October 2 . Due to the limited number of students accepted each year (only 46), this camp sells out quickly. All attending will receive intimate, close at hand classes, lectures, and a student concert.

Mary Flower is a multiple Muddy Award recipient and Blues Music Award nominee who has also competed in the National Fingerpicking Championship. Steve James is considered one of the finest bottleneck slide players and storytellers in the blues scene. Ernie Hawkins is an internationally renowned virtuoso who plays and sings blues, ragtime, and gospel in the early 1900’s east coast Piedmont and Texas steel-string flattop fingerpicking styles. Suzy Thompson is a master of the blues violin and a powerful vocalist in the style of Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith and is remarkably able to sing and play fiddle at the same time.

Following the workshop in the Gorge, the four instructors will appear in a special concert at The Secret Society Ballroom in Portland on Sunday, October 2. The Acoustic Blues Masters concert is open to the public and begins at 7:00 pm, doors open at 6:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance for this show at Ticketfly.com for $25.00. Those wearing a Blues in the Gorge T-shirt will receive $5.00 off at the door. This is a 21 & over event. The Secret Society Ballroom is located at 116 NE Russell. This is a Cascade Blues Association co-sponsored event, so make sure to show your current membership card at the door to receive a $2.00 discount on admission. (Sorry, only one discount can be used, either the CBA or the Gorge T-Shirt)

For more information on the workshop and event, go to http://menucha.org/programs/blues.

Luke Winslow-King is a New Orleans-based guitarist, singer, composer, producer, and songwriter. His work is an eclectic mix of Mississippi delta blues, folk music, traditional jazz, and roots rock & roll. His alchemical songs blend contemporary ideas with styles from bygone eras producing a sound that is rustic and urbane, elegant, and entirely his own. It is a sound that looks to the past to move to the future. This along with his burgundy voice, dapper attire, and versatile guitar playing have earned him a reputation as a musician who delivers soulfully energetic and dynamic performances which earned him a New Orleans Blues Artist of the Year award in 2015.

On Friday, October 14, Luke Winslow-King will be at The Birk, 11139 Hwy 202 in Birkenfeld. Tickets for this 7:00 pm show are available for $10.00 advance through Tickettomato.com, and $15.00 at the door day of show.

He will be taking the stage at The Volcanic Theatre Pub,  70 SW Century Drive in Bend, on Wednesday, October 19. New Orleans based singer/songwriter Sista Otis opens the show. Call 541-323-1881 for more information.

Luke Winslow-King will also be appearing at The Secret Society Ballroom on Thursday, October 20 as a double bill with New Orleans’ vocal jazz group The Stolen Sweets, starting at 7:00 pm. The Secret Society is located at 116 NE Russell Street. Tickets are $10.00 for this 21 & over show and can be purchased in advance through Ticketfly.com.