Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2016)
‘Oregon Stories’ jazz and history come to Liberty Theater ASTORIA — The 12-piece Portland Jazz Composers En- semble announces its most ambitious project ever: a mu- sical triptych that tells the sto- ries of three Oregonians who triumphed over racial and gen- der discrimination to achieve inspiring, notable success. “Oregon Stories” features original compositions by famed ¿lm composer and gui- tarist Mark Orton (“Tin Hat,” “Madeline Peyroux”), Darrell Grant, celebrated pianist and music professor at Portland State University, and enseble Executive Director Douglas Detrick, an award-winning composer and trumpeter. KMHD-FM host Jessica Rand produced the audio in- terviews which comprise the foundation for this musical chronicle of living history. Radio broadcast of a studio recording is scheduled for late 2016, when the “Oregon Sto- ries” album will be released. Live performances are scheduled April 1-8 in the Oregon Stories 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2 Liberty Theater 1203 Commercial St., Astoria $20 general admission, $15 seniors, $5 students w/I.D. Tickets at ticketswest.com communities where the stories originated, Hood River, Asto- ria and Portland: Astoria’s performance is 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the Liberty Theater. Astoria is where Deborah Dempsey was the ¿rst woman river pilot to guide oceangoing vessels over the Columbia River Bar. Dempsey tells her own story. The Hood River event is Friday, April 1, at The Colum- bia Center for the Arts where George Akiyama was threat- ened with violence, and a fel- low citizen stepped forward to support him when he came Submitted Photo Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. home from serving in World War II. Told by historian Lin- da Tamura Portland’s version is Fri- day, April 8, at The Old Church where DeNorval Unthank, a Portland African-Ameri- can physician, became a civ- il rights leader. Told by his daughter Lesley Unthank. “The ‘Oregon Stories’ proj- ect makes a powerful state- ment: jazz is an inclusive art form that can tell the stories of many communities, not just of the elite urban audience often associated with the music,” Detrick said. “The project will allow the PJCE to reach across the conventional boundaries of our ¿eld and participate in one of the most important conver- sations of our time—equality.” The Oregon Stories project was funded in part by the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, and by the Regional Arts and Cul- ture Council, and is sponsored by the Oregon Historical So- ciety and Oregon Humanities. The Portland Jazz Compos- ers Ensemble is dedicated to the performance of new works by Portland and Oregon-based composers. Its exclusive com- mitment to new music, its unique instrumentation and its conductorless performances (since 2014) set it apart from traditional big bands and small jazz groups in Oregon. These qualities, combined with the record label and community roundtables, makes it a unique organization. ‘Bad Boys’ to serve up 2016 volleyball tourney Story by EVE MARX For EO Media Group SEASIDE — Deng Thepharat was in Seaside mid-March to introduce himself to members of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce. One of three new directors of the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament, he hopes to bring more stream- lined play, more teams, more dates and more age groups to the event. Thepharat even told cham- ber members that new smart- phone technology can provide hours of free time for compet- itors — time that can be spent browsing, dining or shopping in Seaside. “<ou’ll be able to ¿nd out when you play, where you’ll play and against who,” PT Thilavanh, the tournament’s co-director, said. “All this will be in the palm of your smart- phone, your tablet or your laptop. You’ll be able to tell your friends and family when you’re playing so they can cheer you on. .” Laos to Seaside Thilavanh and Thep- harat have been friends since childhood. They came from the same small village in Laos to the Paci¿c Northwest as child refugees during the war in Vietnam. “Our sponsor was from Seaside, so that’s how we got here,” Thepharat said. “We played volleyball in our village and when we got to Seaside, we played volleyball here.” In partnership with fellow volleyball enthusiast Mike Grif¿n, these three are the new NWAS/Bad Boys Open Vol- leyball tournament directors for the 35th annual Seaside Chamber Beach Volleyball event Aug. 12-14. NWAS and Bad Boys Open Volleyball are two Portland groups operated by Thepharat, Thilavanh and Grif¿n, active members of the volleyball community and former players at the Seaside tournament. Last year 1,509 teams com- peted on 134 courts. The Seaside Chamber has hosted the event for three de- cades. Funding charities An all-charity event, funds have been raised to bene¿t the Children’s Cancer Associa- tion, Wounded Warrior Proj- ect, Big Brothers Big Sisters (Columbia NW) and Doern- becher Children’s Hospital, among other charities. Submitted Photo Deng Thepharat, Mike Griffin and PT Thila- vanh. Thilavanh, an informa- tion technology professional at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, said the tour- nament is an asset to Seaside because it brings people out to enjoy what the community has to offer. “It’s a tradition for many people and a great start of new one, not to mention the revenues it generates for local businesses,” he said. Thepharat, a professional software developer, said he and his partners put in their bid to direct the tournament be- cause they believed they could improve the game overall. “We’re introducing music and we are addressing our pet peeve that the tournaments be run on time,” Thepharat said. “In some tournaments you don’t play for hours. We’ve also added an extra day and more for juniors.” Grif¿n, founder of Bad Boys Open Volleyball, which got its start in 2000, and a police of¿cer for 20 years in Washington County in Bea- verton, said he met Thepharat and Thilavanh when they were practically youngsters and playing in his tourna- ment. “I’ve been playing the Sea- side tournament since 1989 or ’90,” Grif¿n said. “It’s a tra- dition for a lot of people. PT, Deng and I threw our names in the hat when we found out the chamber was looking for new directors. Nothing against the guys who ran it before — they’re great guys — but we’ve got some new ideas we’d like to see happen.” Grif¿n said he’s really ex- cited to be part of this tour- nament. “Volleyball is a big part of my life, just as it is PT and Deng’s. I’ve made a ton of friends through the vol- leyball community. We know it’s a big venture to put on the 35 th annual tournament. There will be expectations and we hope we do a good enough job that everybody will be happy. We’re ready for the challenge.” March 31, 2016 | coastweekend.com | 21
